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willowbird · 4 years

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Twinyards - Hello ( Daemons AU)

Okay so here is going to be my one and only entry for @twinyardsappreciationweek -- not because I didn't want to!! I just.. life happened and so I only actually got the first one done and then I went back and forth about posting it for several days because my anxiety is off the charts this week (huh I wonder why??)

So ANYWAY! This is my "Hellos", a first meeting between Aaron and Andrew in an AU that takes what I like about His Dark Materials and ignores what I've forgotten about it because I honestly haven't read the books in 15 years. Please forgive me for making up the rules as I go along. You do not need to be familiar with The Golden Compass/Northern Lights/His Dark Materials in order to understand or enjoy this AU because.. well, like I just said, I kinda kept the "soul animal" bit and decided to make up the rules for the rest as I went along. Feel free to ping me in messages or send me an ask if you have any questions.

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“You’re biting your nails all the way down again.” Stella’s voice was quiet in Aaron’s ear. She was currently balanced on his shoulder where she could see the whole room while also being well out of trampling-range of larger daemons and their people.

“No I’m not,” he grumbled, but snatched his fingers away from his mouth because yes - he was. “And don’t hedgehogs have terrible eyesight? How would you even know?”

Stella huffed, and the small snap of her breath tickled his ear, making him twitch. “I don’t know where you heard that, but I can see just fine, thank you very much.”

“If you say so,” Aaron relented -- not because he actually believed her but because he was too distracted to engage in their usual bickering. There was nothing interesting about the room they were sitting in. It was empty of anyone besides him and his uncle and their daemons, neither of which were very large, and was painted a pale blue offset by a dark gray shallow carpet that made Aaron feel like he was sitting in the waiting room of a dentist’s office rather than a juvenile detention center. Still, despite the general blandness of their surroundings, Aaron’s mind was busy.

After all, today he was going to be meeting his brother. His long-lost brother. His long-lost twin brother.

Yeah, mindfuck right?

Twice already his uncle had shot him a look for the way his knee kept bouncing with jittery nerves, but it’s not like he could help it. It just wasn’t every day that you found out that you had a long-lost twin. That you got to meet that long-lost twin, especially after they’d initially told you to piss off.

Well, more or less.

Andrew’s letter back to him had been more like, Aaron, back the fuck off. Stay far the fuck away until you hear from me. I’m fucking serious. -- A.

No, really. That’s exactly what it said. Aaron had read it so many times that he’d memorized it, first because he couldn’t believe that he’d gotten a letter back, then because he couldn’t believe his brother was such an unrepentant asshole, and then because he couldn’t help but notice that they both wrote their lower-case ‘a’s the exact same way.

That was almost two months ago. Mom had absolutely freaked out and moved them across the damn country within a couple of weeks of the whole ‘Andrew Situation’ coming to light, and if it had been up to her Aaron definitely wouldn’t be here now. Except Uncle Luther, for all that he was a gigantic flaming dickhead, wasn’t quite as willing to let it go. Then, last week, he’d gotten a letter back from Andrew. All it had was an address to a juvenile detention center.

And so here he was, ready to meet his twin brother, and he felt so many things about it that he didn’t even know how he was really feeling.

“Luther Hemmick and Aaron Minyard?”

Aaron jumped at the voice and looked over at the stout man who had just entered the room. He wore a white coat like some kind of doctor and looked weirdly buff for also being old and balding.

Beside him, his uncle stood up, his pomeranian daemon trotting out from where she’d been curled under his chair. Aaron scooped Stella off his shoulder and returned her to her preferred nest inside the pocket of his hoodie as he joined his uncle. He tried to mimic his uncle’s superior sort of calm as he trailed after the two men, passing through the security door and down the narrow tiled hallway into what looked like some kind of common room.

Aaron had expected it to look like the rooms inmates talked to their families on tv, with two-way glass and phones so that you could talk to the person on the other side. He’d expected a lot of cold steel and white stone walls, with all the kids in matching gray jumpsuits or something.

Instead, they were in what looked like a giant living room. There were several couches and tables, a television with a few different video game systems, and a tall shelving unit filled with board games. There were teenagers lounging on the couches or at the tables, one or two of them apparently also visiting with family. Aaron didn’t spend all that much time scoping out the other kids, though, because on his first scan of the room his gaze settled on a blond boy sitting in the bay window with a fucking lion stretched out on the floor beside him, a living, breathing, tooth-filled barrier between him and the rest of the room.

Andrew.

Their little party had stopped just inside the door and Aaron was distantly aware of the warden or the principal or the doctor or whatever the fuck he was telling Uncle Luther about the facility. He couldn’t focus on them enough to actually retain the specifics though, not when he saw Andrew.

It was so… so fucking weird. He was there. Right fucking there. His brother, and they were identical. Okay, so, not completely identical. Andrew’s hair was longer than his own, and since the kids here were apparently allowed to wear street clothes he was wearing black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt (which was neither a gray jumpsuit nor anything that Aaron would typically wear -- he preferred normal jeans and band t-shirts, thanks). There was also something… colder about him that Aaron didn’t know how to feel about but definitely seemed to match the two brief letters he’d gotten from him.

The lion lifted her head and looked right at him, fixing him with an eerie amber stare he felt both trapped and analyzed by. It was not comfortable and it took all of his willpower not to squirm. As it were, he ended up fully flinching when their guide called out a bit too loudly from a bit too close to him.

"Andrew! Come say hello, your family is here to see you."

Andrew, who up until this point had been reading a book like he hadn't known they were there at all, just… continued to read. He didn't look up, didn't even seem like he'd heard him at all.

The man sighed and gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry, he's, well. He's a bit antisocial."

"Hm." The disapproving sound from Uncle Luther had Aaron glancing over at him and he didn't really like the calculating look on his face. It would be utter bullshit if he finally got a brother only for his uncle to make it so he ended up getting shipped off to military school or something.

Rather than wait around for the adults to come up with some stupid way to attempt to make Andrew bow to their will, Aaron rubbed his thumb reassuringly over Stella's head where she was huddled in his pocket and strode forward with far more confidence than he actually felt. He stopped several feet in front of the lioness and tried not to be intimidated by her. Logically he knew that she wasn't a fully grown lion yet, that she was an adolescent to match her human's age, but Aaron had always been uneasy around daemons who had settled into big predators. Maybe it was because his own daemon was so small and he was protective of her -- or maybe it was some deeper instinct he wasn't ready or able to interpret yet. Either way, he ended up having to keep both hands in his pockets to hide their shaking. He couldn't steady both them and his voice at the same time, and he needed his voice to be steady.

"Hey,” he said -- and yes, his voice for that whole one word was very steady. Maybe even casual. Fuck yeah.

The lion, who had watched him throughout his entire approach, flicked her ears -- but he had no idea what emotion that was supposed to be.

For a moment, Aaron thought that was all he was going to get. Then he saw Andrew sigh and resolutely dog-ear the page he was on before closing the book and setting it down on the windowsill. He looked over at him, just with a flick of his eyes at first and then by turning his head. Aaron kept perfectly still and had the distinct impression he was being judged or evaluated somehow. It was really uncomfortable and also kind of annoying, but the hard stare of the other boy matched that of the lioness a bit too closely for Aaron to be willing to call him out on it just yet.

Instead, he waited, and he used the opportunity to look at his brother too. He wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, he just wanted to know him. He wanted to know what his life had been like and his favorite music. He wanted to know if he and his daemon had played the same sort of ‘what if’ games that he and Stella had growing up. He wanted to know if Andrew had always wished for a brother too, and if he’d grown up feeling like something was missing only to feel all the pieces click into place the second he found out that he had a twin. None of these were things he’d be able to learn just by looking at him, but looking was a start -- and it could tell him other things.

For one thing, he could tell that Andrew liked to read, right? There was the book he’d been reading -- it had been a thick one and he’d seemed really into reading it. He clearly didn’t like adults, since he’d ignored the big guy when he’d called out to him (though really, Aaron figured anyone in juvie probably didn’t like adults). He liked the color black..?

Look, it was a start.

Somehow, Aaron got the feeling that Andrew was able to read more on him than he was able to read on Andrew; or maybe that was just his own frustration at being able to pick out so little. Either way, it was irritating when Andrew nodded a few moments later like he’d made some sort of decision or something. Andrew looked past him then to where Uncle Luther was still speaking with the guy in charge and the casual coolness hardened into something icy with disdain.

Aaron frowned and looked over his shoulder to follow his gaze, but didn’t see anything weird. He looked back at Andrew and said, “So, I’m Aaron…”

Andrew looked at him again, his expression a blank mask. “Clearly.”

Aaron’s temper arrived unannounced and uninvited, but that wasn’t altogether that strange. “I thought you wanted me to come. Isn’t that why you sent the address? If you’re just going to be a big dick about it you could have saved us both the trouble.” He snapped the words out without repent, lifting his chin and glaring down at his brother before he remembered there was a lion between them with sharp teeth and man-shredding claws.

Neither Andrew nor his lioness daemon seemed offended by his little outburst, though. If anything, Andrew looked amused. His mouth quirked a little on the side, almost like a smile -- or like, maybe he had an itch or something.

“Where’s your daemon?” he asked then, familiar-but-not hazel eyes scanning the immediate area then glancing backward toward the window. Most buildings were designed for the ease of use for both humans and their daemons, but some larger daemons preferred to stay outside but close-by rather than squeezing into tighter quarters. Larger daemons also tended to have a larger range away from their person, as well. Aaron wasn’t sure how far he could get from Stella. He honestly didn’t like the idea of her not being physically on him most of the time, so he was glad she was small enough to do so.

Aaron cupped his hand in his pocket and she cuddled into it so he could pull her out.

Andrew looked at her, then to him. “She’s cute.”

From most people, that would probably be some kind of an insult, but Aaron got the very weird sense that Andrew was being genuine. It threw him off enough that he just blinked stupidly for a moment before saying, “Uh… thanks. Yeah, she is.”

Instead of responding, Andrew stood up and strode past him. Aaron quickly stepped out of the way as the lioness rose fluidly to move with him.

“And where do you think you’re going, Andrew?” the big guy who’d showed them in said with a false lightness.

“Outside.” He looked over his shoulder then, and Aaron realized a half a second before Andrew continued speaking that he was being invited along. “My brother and I have about fourteen years of catching up to do.”

Aaron’s heart did a traitorous little leap in his chest. He looked down at where he was still holding Stella up in an open palm. She gave him an encouraging nuzzle and Aaron hid a grin as he hurried to follow his brother. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen from here on out -- but he was suddenly sure that no matter what, he and Stella wouldn’t be alone anymore.

#aftg #aftg fanfic #my writing #aaron minyard #andrew minyard #his dark materials au #daemon au #twinyards #wholesome twinyards #hellos #look its an au where things turn out very different and i have a lot of feelings about it ok??#twinyardsappreciationweek

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midnightartemis · 4 years

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Chapter One

The call came suddenly like it always did. A new home. A new foster parent. A new school. At least this time I would be starting right at the beginning of the year. That was easier. I could work with that. I only hoped that this one would last.

I had my small bag of things packed within five minutes and I sat waiting anxiously on the edge of my government-issued co-housing bed. I wondered what shitty luck the universe had decided to drop on me this time.

It wasn’t that I was a bad kid. I tried to keep my head low, my grades high… it’s just that I usually got the short stick when it came to foster parents. The bad eggs. The abusers who somehow slipped through the cracks of the shitshow that is the United States child protective services.

It had become some sort of sick game for me. I move into a new home and it’s okay for a few days, weeks even. Then the abuse would start and I would start gathering evidence. When I had enough I’d wait until a particularly bad day to call the cops, drop the evidence, and get their licenses revoked.

I was a survivor. I could take the punches, the days without food, the yelling, and everything in between, but others couldn’t.

I check my watch and grab my bag. Time to go. My caseworker and house mom are waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. My caseworker is a tall, skinny woman with white-blond hair and a kind face. She tried her best, she really did. It wasn’t her fault I always found the worst homes. My house mom, known affectionately as Aunt Z, was much the opposite, short, large, and with a permanent scowl on her face. I also couldn’t blame her for that. She had to deal with all the girls who came through. I had only known her for two months, but that was long enough to know that she had a big heart. My heart hurts a little at the thought of leaving her, but I had very little control over where they sent me. Miss Holdo, my caseworker, breaks into a huge grin at the sight of me. “Miss Niima! All ready to go?”

I nod. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

“Girls,” Aunt Z barks. “Get in here and say goodbye to Rey.”

I bite my lip. I didn’t want a big send-off. I hardly knew most of the girl’s names. I only ever talked to most of them at group therapy sessions. It was better to not get attached. One by one, they trailed in. There were six of us in total. Most of them mumbled a goodbye and slunk back out of the room, but Ara raced up to hug me with tears in her eyes. She was the youngest of the group and had grown attached to me over the course of the summer. I hugged her back.

“It’s okay. I’ll make sure to text you and visit if I can.” She sniffled back her tears and I ruffled her red hair.

“Alright, time's a-wastin. On with you.” Aunt Z grumbled but affectionately patted my shoulder. It was her version of a hug.

Miss Holdo smiled and I followed her out the door, chatting as we walked to the car. “I think I found a good one, Rey.” Her eyes were a little guilty. “We’ve had really good success with her in the past. She only takes cases like yours and as soon as she saw your profile, she called me to ask about you.”

Great. I tried to hold back that flicker of hope in my subconscious. I had gotten my hopes up before and, yet, here I was again. I got in the passenger seat of Miss Holdo’s car and immediately took a piece of gum from the container on her dashboard. She started the car and I buckled up. She handed me the AUX cord as she always did.

I plugged the cord into my beat-up iPhone and started scrolling through my songs. Hozier sounded good. “Where are we headed?”

“Not far, just an hour. Republic.”

Republic. I had never been. New school. New people. New everything, then. Okay. “And this foster mom?”

“Unmarried. A bit older, in her fifties. She seemed very nice and very interested in you. She runs a tavern on the northeast side of town by the river.”

I frown. “Is she going to make me work there?”

“No. She told me that she likes to keep her work separate from her home life, especially when there is alcohol involved. She let me check her cupboards. There’s not a drop of alcohol in that house, Rey.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

“I did a super thorough inspection. Even called her previous cases. They all stayed with her until they came of age. I really think this could be a good fit for you, Rey.”

In other words- don’t fuck it up. All I wanted was to put my head down and get through junior year in peace. “If you say so.”

We drive in silence. I look out the window watching the town of Jakku, Vermont slide away into the past. Holdo is bobbling along to the music and I close my eyes, soaking it in.

It’s late afternoon when Republic appears in front of us. Worn down houses and trailer parks line the streets of the southside. There are sketchy gas stations and abandoned storefronts. People sit on their porches and stand on corners, their eyes watching Holdo’s sleek black car as we drive past. I’m waiting for her to put her blinker on and turn off the main road towards one of the broken-down houses or parks, but she keeps going. The cracked sidewalks get a little nicer, the storefronts, less abandoned. We pass through two stoplights and then we’re crossing over a river and a trainyard. This side of the river, the houses are nicer, many of them newly renovated. We pass through a downtown shopping area filled with little boutiques, an ice cream shop, an old fashioned movie theater, a coffee shop. It’s quaint, perfect. “I think you missed your turn.”

Miss Holdo laughs. “Nope.”

Shit. Well, okay. I’d dealt with rich fosters before. It didn’t end well for them. Let’s just say that the dad was a little too hands-on. The anxiety is back in my chest. I worry my lip between my teeth. The downtown area slowly morphs into old historic houses and residential housing.

“I want to show you your new school first.” She seems much too excited. We keep driving until the historic houses have turned into rows of newer developments and gated communities. She takes a turn and we pull into the parking lot of a huge tan building. New Republic High School is marked on the side in large silver block letters. The front is filled with huge windows and the inside looks incredibly new and clean with white walls and wide stairs and solid oak doors leading to classrooms and offices.

I raise my eyebrows and Miss Holdo chuckles at my shocked look. “I know. It’s huge. Some of the best teachers in the state work here. They were very impressed with your transcripts, especially with everything you’ve been through. They still want you to take some placement tests, but they’re excited to have you.”

“Oh, okay.” I think I’m in shock, just a little bit. It all seemed too good to be true. Everything was completely different from the shitty schools in Jakku.

“Oh, shoot. We better go, I don’t want you to be late to meet her.” Holdo sped us out of the parking lot and back towards town. We pass by the new developments and into the historic district. We turn down a tree-lined road filled with huge Victorian, Colonial, and 1920s style houses. Everything seems picturesque, each lawn trimmed and cared for, the vines perfectly placed. Holdo slows and we pull up in front of a tiny 1920s bungalow. I breathe a little sigh of relief that it’s not one of the giant houses that flank either side. There’s a huge, old oak tree out front, a little brick path leads to the steps of the porch. There’s a light on. A white swinging bench is hung from the porch roof. The siding is painted almost a teal, seafoam green-blue with white trim. Flowers line the house and there’s a seashell wind chime hanging from the porch. My nerves make my stomach twist.

Holdo turns off the car and we get out. She grabs her bag of paperwork and we start up the path. I’m holding my breath as we climb the stairs of the porch and Miss Holdo knocks on the door.

“Oh! One second, one second! I’m here.” The door swings open and I look down at the smallest woman I think I’ve ever seen. She can’t be more than four-six, four-seven. I tower over her at five-eight. Her eyes are huge behind her round, black, thick-framed glasses. Her grey hair is coiffed perfectly and she’s dressed like she’s been working in the garden all day. I smile. She opens her screen door and beckons us in. “Come in, please. I hope you’re hungry. I made burgers on the grill. It’s such a nice day out and I couldn’t resist. Oh, where are my manners? You must be Rey. I’m Maz. Maz Kanata. I would prefer Maz over Mrs. Kanata, but,” she clicks her tongue. “I’ll also take ma.”

I’m completely overwhelmed. I glance at Miss Holdo and she shrugs. The door opens straight into the living room which is filled with an eclectic assortment of chairs and a couch. Art hangs on almost every surface and there’s a small TV over the fireplace. It’s warm and inviting if a bit chaotic. A set of stairs leads up to a second floor. We follow Maz through the living room and into a large kitchen. Everything seems like it was pulled out of a vintage magazine and cobbled together with love and color. There’s theory to the chaos. An archway leads to a dining room with a huge colorful table and none of the chairs match. A door in the kitchen leads to another porch outside. This one isn’t covered, but it overlooks the backyard. I can’t help but gasp at it. Stone paths circle raised garden beds. There are a hoop house and a pond and a bench beside a huge fir tree surrounded by flowerbeds. It’s beautiful. What the hell is happening?

There’s a table on the porch beside a grill and it’s been set for three. Maz hurries over. She’s awfully fast for an old woman. “Sit, sit. Please. I wasn’t sure if either of you were vegetarians, so I made some bean burgers that can make even a carnivore cry.”

I smile and take a seat. Shock. Yep. Definitely in shock. What’s the catch? Maz builds our burgers and piles our plates high with chips and fresh fruits and vegetables. She pours us a glass of lemonade each and finally, takes a seat. I hesitate, looking between Holdo and Maz, unsure of the protocol. Everyone was different. Maz's huge eyes glance at my plate. “Well, eat up, hun. You’re as skinny as a stick.”

I eagerly dig in and moan. It’s so good. “This is the best burger I’ve ever had.”

“Good. I’ll teach you how to make them. Now, business is best discussed over a good meal, let’s get on with all the legal mumbo-jumbo.” Maz winks at me and I giggle to myself. She was definitely different, like no foster I’d met before.

“Right.” Miss Holdo wipes her fingers on a napkin and pulls out my case file. It was far too thick and I glance at Maz, but she didn't seem fazed. Right. She would have seen it. “Miss Niima is to remain in your care for the foreseeable future. She will be taking classes at New Republic High, as we discussed. We will have weekly check-ins in person for the first two months. And if all parties are comfortable after those two months, we will move to bi-monthly check-ins until Miss Niima turns of age on October 13th, 2021, one year and two months from now. Miss Niima will also continue to go to group therapy sessions once a week with the local therapist. I believe you’ve already contacted him and gotten an introduction session set up?”

“Oh, yes.” Maz pulls a card out of her pocket. “Here’s the number and the date and time of the appointment.” She looks at me. “Wednesday afternoon, once you get out of school. But, we can schedule around any after school activities you want to take on.”

“After school activities?” My jaw drops. I’d never been given the opportunity.

“Oh yes, they have a billion different little groups and teams there. I’m sure you’ll find something.”

“Okay.” Holdo grins. “All I need for you to do is sign and Rey is in your care.”

I sign and then Maz signs. It didn’t take a lot for me to sign my life away. It was signed away a long time ago. This wouldn’t last, it never did.

“Now.” Maz folds her hands together. “I like to set down my expectations for you in front of your caseworker so that we can all be on the same page. If that’s okay?”

Again, not like I have much of a choice. I nod, curious to know. “Yeah. Yes.”

“School comes first. You can get a job if you want to, but you have to keep up your grades. Judging by your past transcripts though, that won’t be much of a problem, but I know that junior year comes with a lot of stress. I will make sure that you are safe, fed, and clothed. It’s up to you how you want to take my hospitality. I’ll hold you responsible for your actions, and breaking rules will have consequences. All the rules are posted on the fridge and you are welcome to discuss them with me at any time if you would like to amend them or add more. Okay?”

I nod.

“School night curfew is 10 pm. For every time you’re more than five minutes late, that curfew will be moved up by fifteen minutes. Weekends, we will start at 11 pm and go from there. There’s also a list of chores you’ll have to complete. They’re designed to help you become a self-sufficient adult. So, you’ll do your own laundry and clean your own room and dishes. You’ll also help me cook and work in the garden on the weekends. But,” Maz’s large eyes go very serious, and I still myself for the catch. “Above all, I want you to build relationships and trust. Trust goes both ways, Rey. You have mine, right now. From the start. If and when you have problems, I want you to be able to come to me. I will never call anyone on you as long as there’s no immediate harm to anyone. I’m on your side. And, I’m here for the long term. That means we work through our problems, together, okay?”

That was not the catch I was expecting. My heart is racing and I feel like I’m about to cry. It’s too good to be true. I guess I would believe her when I see it. “I- yeah… Okay.”

Maz smiles. “Good. School starts in the morning. I’ll be starting you off on a twenty-five dollar allowance. It should be enough for snacks at school and coffee with friends. If there are any other supplies you want, talk to me and I’ll see if I can get them for you. How’s that sound?”

“Okay. Twenty-five a month is more than I usually get, so-”

Maz chuckles. “No, sweetie. Twenty-five a week.”

My eyes go wide. “Oh.”

“I’ll be taking you to school and picking you up, but if you want to start learning to drive, I can make that happen. This is going to take a lot of communication, Rey. Probably a lot more than you’re comfortable with. But you can ask me any questions you want, okay?”

I nod, feeling overwhelmed.

“How are you feeling, Rey?” Miss Holdo looks over at me, a gleam in her eye.

“Ah… A little overwhelmed. I guess.”

“That’s perfectly normal. Should I let you get settled in?”

“Yeah.” I glance at Maz and she’s happily biting into her burger. She’s strange, but… I think I like her.

“You have my number, so don’t be afraid to call. I’ll see you Saturday morning at ten, okay?” Miss Holdo stands to leave and grabs her paperwork. “Thank you for the dinner, Maz.”

“Any time, hun. You should call more.” Maz raises her eyebrows.

“Sorry, Maz. I will. I promise.” Miss Holdo gives Maz a small hug and I’m left bewildered.

Maz sees my face and chuckles. “Long before she was your social worker, Rey, Amilyn was causing quite a bit of trouble for me.”

I suddenly understand Holdo’s certainty that I would be a good fit here. “You were in the system?”

Holdo nods. “Almost didn’t get out of it, if it wasn’t for Maz. She’s a good one, Rey. I promise. Just keep that nose out of trouble.”

“I don’t go looking for it,” I grumble. Holdo smiles and bids her goodbye. Maz gives a big old sigh and starts gathering plates. I automatically grab my plates and follow her into the kitchen.

“Just put the scraps in the compost bin and set your things on the counter. I’ll take care of it tonight. The rules are on the fridge if you want to read them over and sign them. We can discuss any of them that you want to.” Maz steps up on to a stool so that she can reach into the sink and starts running water for dishes.

I shyly make my way over to the fridge and read the list. It’s what she basically already told me plus a few extra notes about cleanliness and food. Anything not marked in the fridge is fair game. Shower regularly. Add necessities to the shopping list before Friday. All of it was already more room than I had ever been given in most households, that is beside the ones that didn’t give a shit. The last bullet just says- Respect is built. Love is given freely. Responsibility is learned. Trust goes both ways. Beside the rule list is a whiteboard daily chore chart. Weeding the garden is marked for Saturday and Sunday (subject to weather). Clean dishes and homework are marked every day. Sweep is marked every other day. Laundry and clean room are unmarked. The date of school starting and my therapy appointment is marked in red on a calendar. Despite the eclectic feel of her house, Maz seems incredibly organized. I pick up one of the markers stuck to the fridge and sign the rule list. I date it.

“All good?” Maz is waiting for me at the entrance to the living room. I nod and she gestures for me to follow her. I climb the stairs behind her and we end in a hallway. There’s a door in front of us, and another to my left and right. Maz gestures to the door in front of her. “My room. You need anything at any time and I’m in there you can knock .” She points to the door on my right. “That’s the office. There’s a computer in there that you can use to research, watch your Youtube videos. Though I think they give out laptops at that school now. I don’t know, I’m not the most technologically up today as the kids these days. I apologize in advance. There’s no cable and I can’t figure out the Apple TV doo-dangle-thing.” She points to a half-open door on the right side of the hall. “That’s your bathroom. I never go in there so, you’re responsible for telling me when shit breaks. I went out and got you some supplies, but if there’s anything else you need, let me know. Now…” Maz opens the final door on my left and flips on a light. She leads me into a simple room, painted cream and blue stripes. There’s a twin bed covered in a white comforter pressed against the wall, a wooden desk under the window, a dresser against the wall with a record player and a box of records, and an open door to a walk-in closet that looks like it’s filled with clothes. I can’t help but stop and stare.

“This is mine?” I set my one bag down at my feet.

“All yours, hun. You can arrange it and paint it how you want. Most of this stuff is leftover from previous girls. You can have whatever you want and anything else, I can put in storage. I think Jyn left a lot of her old clothes and you’re about her size.” Maz looked over the room. “Tomorrow, if you want, we can go shopping for any clothes you might need. Underwear. Bras. Whatever. Oh, and this is for you, for your first day.”

Maz picked a plain blue backpack up off the bed and handed it to me. I took it hesitantly and unzipped it. It was filled with notebooks and pens and pencils and even a calculator. Tears sting at my eyes. It’s too good. It’s too good to be true.

“Oh, hun. Can I give you a hug?”

I nod and her surprisingly strong arms wrap around me. I break and tears fall and I’m sobbing now. I didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve any of this.

#reylo #ben solo x rey #reylo fanfic #reylo au #high school au

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missjosie27 · 4 years

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Year 2 Part 10- New Revelations

Well, my friends this is it.

Year 2 is in the books. And after year 3 (due to JC's milking of this game for all its worth) the years will get steadily longer and the chapters more varied. But for now, we've finished two years and I really hope you guys liked it. As always, comment and review! Send a kudos!

I already have a head start on Year 3 so be on the lookout for it within the month. Until then, stay frosty!

Year 2 Part 10. New Revelations

For the span of about twenty four hours, David almost thought he got away with breaking into a cursed vault without any higher authority discovering so. Hogwarts was still settling down from the ice attack, which thankfully had abated. As he suspected, the ice immediately disappeared upon the defeat of the Ice Knight and their entry of the vault. Dumbledore had also returned, and his presence immediately restored order. Where he had been, however, remained the subject of speculation.

The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been postponed to the following weekend which meant that the primary focus for the student body was exams, much to their chagrin. For himself, David wasn’t looking forward to the Transfiguration test as he could barely look Professor McGonagall in the eye. He wondered whether or not she knew about their little excursion into the vault. The answer to that question came rather quickly.

He and Rowan were walking back from Charms the following Monday when his head of house stood right in front of the fat lady, eyeing them with an extremely stern gaze. It certainly did not give the warm and fuzzies, a sentiment echoed by his best friend.

“I don’t like that look,” Rowan whispered.

“Yeah, you don’t say.”

“David Grant,” McGonagall called out to him in her usual brisk tone. “Last weekend was not the first time cursed ice has appeared at Hogwarts, it is also not the first time it has suddenly disappeared. Can you explain this?”

The question was a rhetorical exercise. He resisted the urge not to gulp as it was abundantly clear what she was getting at. When he didn’t answer she continued.

“Up to your common room Mr. Khanna, I need to speak with Mr. Grant, alone.”

The Indian lad didn’t have to be told twice, uttering the password and scurrying up the stairs faster than a jackrabbit, as McGonagall continued.

“Like the previous instance, it seems to have appeared when someone tampered with a Cursed Vault, and disappeared when the door was opened. I’m sure you can guess who was responsible for opening the door the last time.”

“Jacob,” David breathed out.

“Precisely. We don’t yet understand how the vault reappeared, or who first tampered with it this time. Truth be told, there is still much we don’t understand about the Cursed Vaults, but I’m not going to bother to ask if you were responsible for what occurred last weekend.”

He wanted to make a joke, but he knew better than to do that in front of a woman such as Professor McGonagall. Therefore, he stayed silent.

“You are the only student who has shown the interest, recklessness, and talent to do such a thing.”

You’re forgetting Merula Snyde, David thought to himself. She fits all three of those categories…except for talent maybe. Hehe

“We know that you, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Haywood were all involved in this. Therefore I will be taking one hundred points from Gryffindor. Mr. Weasley in particular was adamant of your innocence which was noble of him…”

“He had nothing to do with it,” David quickly interjected. He could take losing house points, but it was common knowledge that Bill also desired to be a prefect the following semester when he entered his fifth year. If he had to take the blame for all of it, he would. “Penny didn’t either.”

A strange look of respect appeared on Professor McGonagall’s face, temporarily softening her strict stance.

“It is good to see such strong bonds between you and your friends, Mr. Grant. Miss Haywood’s punishment is not up to me. But rest assured that Mr. Weasley’s prospects of becoming prefect have not been damaged by this incident.”

David gave an inward sigh of relief. He would not have been happy with himself had his actions jeopardized Bill’s higher goals.

“But that is not the end of the matter for you,” his head of house continued to admonish. “You will speak to Professor Dumbledore about this matter. He may not be so forgiving.”

Resisting the urge to hang his head in defeat, all David could do was utter a solemn, “Yes, Professor,” and begin to make his way towards the Headmaster’s office.

“Mr. Grant? You may want the password. It is ‘lemon drop.’”

They always did say he was a bit mad, he commented on the password being named after a muggle sweet. But it made no difference. Albus Dumbledore was one of the most, if not the most powerful wizard in the world; a man who held the power of his schooling in the palm of his hand.

It was not a comforting thought, but either way he had to face the music.

“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered to himself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Upon saying the password, the gargoyle jumped aside revealing a spiral staircase which led to the confines of Dumbledore’s office. When he reached the top, David was immediately struck by how vast and intricate the place was. It was like no other room in Hogwarts he’d ever seen. To describe it took a lot of words that weren’t coming to him at the moment.

There were many elaborate and intricate looking instruments placed unevenly around the shelves and tables that adorned the room. Some looked vaguely familiar to David while others defied comprehension. Surrounding the vast semi circular space were also legions of portraits, some of which looked as though they belonged in the Middle Ages while others were more modern. Up above on a railing was a giant blue sphere that looked like a globe and an attached telescope for the purpose of astronomy. And then of course, there was the center of the room which housed the desk of the Headmaster himself, who was dressed in rich, purple robes. Perched above him was also a strange, red and gold bird of unknown origin.

Talk about an impressive setup, David thought to himself as he approached the centenarian, who was currently writing a letter of some sort.

“Professor?”

“I will be with you in a moment, David,” came Dumbledore’s light response, though he did not look up from his current task. “I’m sure you can understand why I have pressing matters to address…”

I know, because of me

“…in the meantime, please feel free to look around as I finish this last task.”

David did so, staring at some of the metal instruments but having enough sense not to touch them as he did not want to break anything. However, he did bend down and look at one of the most peculiar of all: a gigantic bowl with a shiny, silvery substance on the inside. It practically hypnotized him and as he peered closer he swore he could see images floating through the silvery liquid, some of which seemed familiar…

“Any closer and you’ll be in more trouble than you already are, brat,” a snide voice called out from above.

David snapped out of his trance and looked up to see one of the portraits sneering down at him, a thin, bearded man with a pointed hat topped with silver, green robes. He disliked the portrait immediately.

“Oh yeah? Who the hell are you?”

“Phineas Nigellus Black, Headmaster of Hogwarts from 1892 to 1925. And I must note your distinct lack of manners, young man. Were this my day, I could have you physically whipped for such disrespect.”

David narrowed his eyes and replied in a bored tone.

“Yeah well that’s why I’m alive and you’re six feet under, you git.”

“Insolent-”

“That is enough Phineas,” the firm voice of Albus Dumbledore interjected, coming over to the scene. “Though David I must ask you to step back from the pensieve, as entering it would cause you to see things I do not feel are appropriate.”

“A pensieve,” he repeated, obliging the elderly man. “I’ve heard of those but never seen one in person.”

“You may find that they are useful for old fools such as myself, who have far too many memories and enjoy indulging in the past when useful to the present moment,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. “But for a young man as you are, I doubt they would serve much purpose.”

“There are some things I’d like to forget…others I’d like to remember more clearly.”

“A unique observation for someone your age, however, we both know that is not the reason for your presence here today.”

They had come to it at last, and David supposed there wasn’t any use in putting it off much longer.

“It’s not. What was that you were writing, though?”

A noise of disapproval could be heard from Phineas, but Dumbledore ignored it.

“Questions. Questions that I hope will finally provide answers.”

The answer was vague, but David did not press the matter, and began using a more formal tone of voice.

“Professor McGonagall said you wanted to see me, sir?”

“Indeed,” Dumbledore replied, placing an arm around his shoulder and leading him away from the pensieve. “It would appear you discovered the source of the mysterious cursed ice. You revealed a vanished staircase using advanced transfiguration beyond your year, explored long forgotten corridors of this school and broke an ancient curse on a vault that many refused to believe existed despite overwhelming evidence.”

So he did know everything. There was no point in denying it then. If nothing else, he had to explain to the Headmaster the reasons for his actions even if it was an exercise in futility.

“I’m sorry I entered the vault without telling anyone, Professor. But there was no time. The ice was spreading everywhere, and I was the only one who knew where the vault was located. I had to do something before the entire school froze over. People were trapped.”

Dumbledore’s eyes peered deep into him, however, as if waiting for him to reveal the full truth he was not telling.

“I’ve heard my brother’s voice both outside and inside the vault, sir. I saw visions of the ice and more.”

“Visions like the one you just described are very rare indeed,” Dumbledore explained to him, placing his hands directly underneath his chin. “You might ask yourself whether what you perceived is something else entirely.”

“I’m not sure what to say, sir,” David admitted. “To be honest, this whole experience my first two years has been…a lot.”

“Quite understandable, especially with the recent adventures and a history such as yours. Is there anything you can say for yourself in the meantime?”

On the surface, Dumbledore’s words suggested punishment and explanation but knowing the Headmaster by now it was also an invitation to ask more than what could be expected from a normal authority figure. That being said, there were so many thoughts spinning inside his head he barely knew where to begin.

“Sir, I promise I didn’t purposefully try to subvert your authority or anyone else’s. I didn’t go looking for this vault at first, it’s almost as if it found me. There’s so much I still don’t understand. I asked you last year what the vaults were, but this year raised so many more questions. Why do they exist in the first place? What is their purpose? And why do I keep hearing my brother’s voice? Am I mad?”

A regretful, almost sad look passed on the Headmaster’s face, as though he were empathetic to the young Gryffindor’s plight but unsure on just how much to reveal.

“I believe you, David. However, as to your questions I’m afraid my knowledge is still barely beyond yours. Why these vaults exist within the Institution of Hogwarts or what their true purpose is, I do not know. I do have theories, but that sort of speculation is too dangerous and implausible to indulge until we know the truth. Regarding your brother, I have a much more concrete theory, but I cannot confirm it until I have further information.

“What I can say is this: Jacob Grant was an extraordinarily perceptive person and had a sixth sense about most things. The connections between family members, magical or not, are still active and real. Far from being mad, I believe that your hearing his voice suggests he is very much alive, both figuratively and literally.”

Dumbledore stood up and looked towards the window.

“As for the vaults, I’ve been attempting to locate someone who may have the answers. But for now, I am awarding you one hundred house points for your heroism in breaking the curse and once again ridding Hogwarts of the cursed ice.”

Hardly daring to believe he was being rewarded a second time, David had to keep his eyes from popping out of his sockets.

“One hundred house points?!” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Thank you, Professor.”

There was still twinkling in the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore, but his voice gave off a sternness as well.

“Thank me by leaving the search for your brother and the remaining cursed vaults to me. We will talk at the end of your third year, and I would like to discuss something besides curses and your frequent involvement in these vaults.”

David nodded emphatically (it was amazing how the power of this man could corral him into behaving like an angel) though in his heart he wondered if truly would be able to heed the Headmaster’s warning. As he stated before, trouble at Hogwarts always seemed to find him, not the other way around.

“Now then, I believe you have exams to study for and a Quidditch match to attend,” Dumbledore beamed underneath his thick, white beard. “I must say, I do hope the contest is much more even than it was last year. I’ve heard wonderful things about young Charlie Weasley on a broomstick.”

For his part, David Grant could only grin widely.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The end of the 1985-86 school year brought on a bevy of good news and celebration for David and the rest of the Gryffindors.

For starters, the greatest Gryffindor Quidditch Team in a decade pulled the hat trick, defeating Ravenclaw 550-460 in a high powered shootout that went on four hours and featured over eight lead changes. The Bronze Eagles had pulled ahead by sixty points when Charlie Weasley, in his greatest feat yet, swooped in and caught the snitch right underneath beater Erika Rath’s left foot just before she connected with a bludger. The celebration that night in the Gryffindor common room was so enormous and so merry that even Professor McGonagall didn’t bother to stop it. Her joy of winning the cup, though subdued, was just as great as anyone else that day (including Blishwick and McLaggen, who ended up passed out in a tide of alcoholic, yellow vomit).

The victory also allowed Gryffindor to edge out the Slytherins for the House Cup, which was also the catalyst for another wild party (though this one McGonagall later put a stop to). On top of that, David found out that his marks had indeed been able to surpass the previous year’s in most subjects with the exception of Charms, a subject that had always been up and down for him. But overall, he figured his parents would be pleased with his academic effort this year.

The cherry on top of all these positive moments came on the second to last day of Hogwarts. The seventh years were already preparing for graduation while the rest of the school packed their things and enjoyed the free time they had in the sun. That morning, however, as the last day of mail came in. It was a normally sparse load- very few owls swooped in but to David’s surprise he received a thick, white letter with no return address, an oddity to say the least.

“Check this out,” he said to Rowan as he passed the letter to him while eating his cornflakes.

“No return address. Maybe it’s from an admirer of some sort.”

“Wouldn’t there be something to indicate that?”

“I don’t think you should open it,” Ben said nervously, setting down his toast. “If you don’t know who it’s from it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Come on, Ben,” Rowan laughed. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Could be your parents sending you a surprise gift for your birthday.”

David narrowed his eyes at the letter.

“Rowan, my birthday was almost six months ago.”

“And?”

“And ....” a cocky, monotone voice interjected. “For once, I think the scaredy cat is right. I know a laced parcel when I see one.”

Jae Kim swooped in and snatched the letter before anyone did anything else.

“Hey!”

“You’ll thank me later, Khanna trust me. You do not want to open this.”

David knew that with Jae it was usually best not to ask anything further of him but his curiosity was stronger this time around.

“How can you tell?”

“I’ve smuggled in contraband hundreds of times,” Jae responded, dangling the letter from his thumb and index finger as though it were a dead rodent. He gave it a small sniff. “I also can tell when someone is trying to send an anonymous prank. The most common of which is undiluted bubotuber pus. And this thing reeks of petrol.”

“But that’s crazy. Who would want to send David a laced letter?”

David titled his head slightly sideways and was able to get a look at the Slytherin table. A group of the younger ones were huddling around, looking in his direction as though waiting for some reaction. At the center of that group was none other than Merula Snyde, who was smirking as though she had won a lifetime supply of chocolate frogs.

“Methinks a certain Slytherin girl is seeking to do you in,” Bill chuckled as he took a seat next to them.

“Then I guess it’s only fair that I return the favor,” David said with a sly grin. “Bill, if you need to excuse yourself in order to keep your chances of being prefect, I understand.”

“What’s that now? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the eldest Weasley said with a wink.

David grinned and turned back to his second year house mates.

“Ben, charm this to fly over back to the Slytherin table. Rowan, tell me when they’re not looking. Jae, can you make this explode on impact?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

A few spells and a flick of Ben’s wand later, a white envelope airplane soared its way towards Merula Snyde and her gang of Slytherins.

“Hey Merula!” David called out.

“What?!” she snarled, unaware of what was about to happen.

“Catch.”

The paper airplane took a nosedive and landed directly in front of her with a mighty *thud of an explosion as green and yellow smoke filled the air, causing her whole posse to cough and cover their faces and mouths. It didn’t take long for painful sores and boils to start dotting all over their skin. Positively furious but with nowhere left to go except Madam Pomfrey, the Slytherin girl and the rest of her mates took off running but not before Merula called out one last time.

“I HATE you, Grant!”

The Gryffindors laughed at their misfortune, enjoying the spectacular backfiring of the attempted sabotage.

“Will you look at that, she really does care,” Bill teased, giving him an elbow.

David snorted, flipping more bacon into his mouth.

“Don’t you start.”

“I’m with David,” Rowan chuckled. “Breaking the curse on that vault is going to make Merula crosser than ever. She’s probably coming up with a scheme as we speak.”

“Yeah, well she’ll have to clean the bubotuber pus from her hands first.”

More laughter ensued.

It truly was a good day to be alive.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The train ride home was uneventful as David, Rowan, Ben, Jae, Charlie, and Bill swapped chocolate frog cards and played several rounds of exploding snap. In his second year of experience, it always seemed to David that the train ride home was always shorter than the trip to Hogwarts. He wondered if there was a reason for the inconsistency in that perception of time. Either way, it was far more difficult this year saying goodbye.

“Have a good summer, mate,” Rowan beamed at him. “You’ll have to write me this time around.”

“Me too,” Ben pipped up. “I…uh, don’t have an owl but my parents are starting to learn more about how the magical world works. I’m sure I could persuade them.”

“You know I’ll be in touch as best I can,” he assured them both.

“At some point we need to have you round for tea at the Burrow,” Bill said, clapping on the back. “Charlie’s already told mum all about you and she’s talking of knitting you a sweater for next Christmas. Hell, the twins already think you’re a celebrity.”

Charlie rolled his eyes as he unloaded the last of things off the train.

“Gee, Bill, make our family seem loonier than they already are, why don’t you.”

“You’ll get over it, Quidditch hero. She’s going to have a cake ready for you when you get back you know.”

The last to say goodbye was Penny, who gave him a big hug and the most radiant smile he’d ever seen from the blonde.

“I’ll see you next fall, Hero of Hogwarts,” she beamed at him. “I hope you’ll write me.”

“You know I will,” David said with a lopsided grin.

“And I can’t wait to see what kind of adventure we go on in our third year.”

“Maybe we could just have a normal year for once?”

Penny gave his hand one last squeeze.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Not with you around, anyway. See ya, David!”

As she turned and ran to a blonde woman that looked like her mother, David did the same. Saying the last of his farewells to his friends and scouring the platform for his parents. They wouldn’t be hard to find, even among this crowd.

When he did, however, the reaction wasn’t at all what he expected. Dressed adequately in muggle clothing (a suit for his dad, and a cardigan/sun dress combination for his mom), David saw that their expressions were grim and not at all pleased. His mom, a blonde woman with blue eyes and a height of about 5’5 was giving him a stare only a mother could give her son. His father, who resembled him in looks and hair color, was less severe in his expression but underneath that neutral exterior was also a man who probably was equally as upset as his mother. Though they had different ways of expressing it, David knew whatever was going on wasn’t good.

“Err…hi, guys,” he tried to greet cheerfully, bringing up his luggage from the rear. “Happy summer?”

“David John Grant,” his mother stated.

His full name. Not a good sign.

“Come along. We need to have a very long talk.”

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm fanfiction #writing #david grant #merula snyde #penny haywood #bill weasley #charlie weasley #rowan khanna #ben copper #jae kim #minerva mcgonagall #albus dumbledore #parents #gryffindor #quidditch #erika rath

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bojasonwalker · 4 years

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All of Ariana Grande’s 40+ tattoos and their meanings, explained

By Melissa Minton

Updated: October 23, 2020 | 3:51pm

Ariana Grande

Getty Images

Ariana Grande may only be 27 years old, but she already has more tattoos than candles on her birthday cake.

The “Thank U, Next” singer is covered in tributes to her dogs, celestial designs, Harry Potter references, song lyrics and more designs, many of which were done by her go-to tattoo artist Girl Knew York.

See below for all of Grande’s tattoos and their meanings.

Family

“Bellissima” and “Babydoll”

She has “Bellissima” and “Babydoll” — both nicknames given to Grande by her late grandfather, Frank — on her ribs and middle finger, respectively.

561

Ariana inked 561, the area code for Boca Raton, Florida, where she grew up, on her thumb.

Hebrew letters

Instagram

On another finger, Ariana has the Hebrew letters aleph, lamed and daled, which signify the 10th name in the 72 names of God, a Kabbalah teaching. Her brother Frankie Grande got a similar design at the same time; the two abandoned Catholicism in favor of the Judaism-based faith after learning about the Church’s stance against homosexuality.

Toulouse

One of the many cast of characters in the Grande family is her dog Toulouse. The pup is so important to the singer that she had her name added to her tattoo glove.

Celestial and Nature

Sun, Moon and Stars

In December 2018, the pop star celebrated being named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year by getting a hand tattoo just after the awards show, during which she pronounced 2018 the best year of her career but the worst of her personal life. The celestial design of a sun, moon and stars covers the back of the singer’s left hand; her grandmother Marjorie “Nonna” Grande even joined for the session, getting “Ciccio” (the Italian nickname for her late husband) tattooed on her finger.

Saturn

In November 2019, she added a Saturn to the planets on the back of her hand.

Crescent Moon and Stars

In November 2018, she added a crescent moon and stars on her left foot. She has another crescent moon on the left side of her neck, which was a reference to her song “Moonlight” off her third album, “Dangerous Woman.”

Vine

Covering up a Harry Potter-related “9 3/4” tattoo for unknown reasons, Grande now sports a vine around her index finger.

Butterflies

At the 2020 Grammys, Grande shut the red carpet down in an oversized Giambattista Valli blue dress exploding in layers of tulle and ruffles. Above her opera-length gloves, she debuted new butterfly tattoo on her upper arm. A few months later, Ari added a second butterfly just underneath.

Flower

Youtube

On Ariana’s birthday in June 2020, friend Markell Malcolm posted a photo revealing a flower design on the star’s palm. It can also be seen in her new “Positions” music video and appears to be a sakura flower.

Laurel leaves

Around her wrist, completing her left hand glove, is a laurel leaf design, accented with dots.

Anime and Movies

Eevee

At the start of 2019, Ariana revealed a giant portrait of the Pokémon Eevee on her upper arm. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” Grande captioned her Instagram snap, shortly after revealing she played the game on her Nintendo Switch “for fifteen hours.”

Chihiro

Ariana Grande talks with Alicia Keys at the 2018 Billboard Women in Music Awards — and shows off her Chihiro arm tattoo.

Getty Images

On Aug. 29, 2018, she revealed a large tattoo of Chihiro, a character from “Spirited Away,” on the inside of her right arm. “Chihiro’s growth into a capable individual is a core factor to the movement of Spirited Away‘s plot,” Grande wrote on her Instagram Story at the time. “During her adventure in the Spirit World, she matures from an easily-scared girl with a child-like personality to match her age to a hard-working, responsible and brave young girl who has learned to put her fears aside for those she cares for.”

In perhaps the most telling line, Grande also wrote: “To protect her friends and rescue her parents from a spell that has turned them into livestock, Chihiro sheds her former personality and adapts to her environment to become a courageous, quick-witted and reliable girl.”

Lumos

Ariana is obsessed with “Harry Potter.” She has the word “Lumos” (a light-conjuring spell from the book series) inked on her hand.

Truman Show Quote

Getty Images

On June 20, 2019, Ariana cemented her love of Jim Carrey with a quote from “The Truman Show” on the back of her left shoulder, written upside down. It reads, “In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!”

Music

“Let’s Sing”

She rang in 2019 by getting the words “let’s sing” inked in Japanese just above her elbow, which revealed her plan to release even more music — even though her album “Sweetener” only dropped in August. Later, her “Thank U, Next” album release shocked the world one month later.

R.E.M

In a nod to her “Sweetener” track of the same name, Ariana has the dreamy letters inked behind her ear.

Honeymoon

Instagram

On her fingers, Grande has the word “honeymoon,” a reference to her song “Honeymoon Avenue.”

Heart

Twitter

Grande’s first-ever tattoo was a heart on the second toe of her right foot, which she acquired in 2012 when she turned 18 years old. It’s a reference to her song “Tattooed Heart” off of the album “Yours Truly.”

“7 Rings”/ Japanese BBQ Grill

Instagram

What was intended to be an ode to her single turned out to be a nightmare for Grande. In early 2019, Ariana showed off a painful hand tattoo of Japanese kanji letters that was meant to translate to “7 Rings.” However, social media immediately blew up when native speakers realized that because of the placement of the characters, the actual translation added up to “Japanese BBQ grill” or “tiny charcoal grill” in English. Grande went back to her artist more than once to fix the error, adding a heart to round out the design and correct its meaning. The intended message is only clear if you read (uncustomarily) from top to bottom then left to right.

She tweeted (and later deleted) a rant at the end of the controversy. “I can’t read or write kanji obviously. what do you want me to do? it was done out of love and appreciation. what do you want me to say?” She continued, “u kno how many people make this mistake and DON’T care just cause they like how it looks? bruh … i care soooo much. what would you like me to do or say? forreal.”

SWT

In December 2019, at the culmination of her “Sweetener/Thank U, Next” world tour, Grande and her team got matching tattoos on their hands to commemorate the experience. While Ariana chose the shortened “SWT,” others got dates and numbers with unclear significance.

Pete Davidson tattoos

H2GKMO, Reborn, Cloud hand tattoos

While dating Pete Davidson, Grande and her former fiancé showed their love for one another with multiple matching tattoos. The pair both got the acronym “H2GKMO” — which means “honest to god knock me out” — and the word “REBORN” on the side of their hands, along with matching cloud tattoos.

Always

Grande has the word “always” across her rib cage in what appears to be the “SNL” star’s handwriting, which is a reference to Lily Potter and Severus Snape’s love story in “Harry Potter.”

8418

She had the numbers 8418 (the badge number of the comedian’s firefighter father, who died on September 11) added across the top of her left ankle in June 2018.

Pete

She also got “Pete” tattooed across her left ring finger.

Post-breakup cover-ups

Ariana Grande’s latest tattoo cover-up

Instagram ; Getty Images

In the days following their split, Grande and Davidson both went to work covering up or altering their matching ink. Grande covered the hand tats with a floral olive branch leaf. She also replaced the late Mr. Davidson’s badge number with “Myron,” the name of her dog, whom she co-adopted with ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and who now lives with her full-time following the rapper’s death.

After Grande released her “Thank U, Next,” music video, fans also noticed that she’d inked a black heart over her “Pete” finger tattoo. It is unclear whether she has altered (or plans to alter) her cloud tattoo.

In March 2019, Grande evolved her “always” tattoo by adding a creeping leaf design horizontally across her rib cage.

Other

Lightning bolt and black heart

Behind her ear, the pop star has three small tattoos — R.E.M, a tiny black heart (which Pete Davidson’s rep told Page Six he later copied) and a lightning bolt, likely a reference to “Harry Potter.”

“Mille Tendresse”

Her second tattoo was the French phrase “mille tendresse,” a line from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which Davidson also copied.

Venus symbol

Getty Images

On the top of one of her fingers, Ariana has a Venus symbol, which denotes the female sex.

Manchester Bee

Perhaps the most meaningful tattoo in Grande’s collection is the bee behind her left ear. She got the ink as a tribute to the 22 people who were killed during the May 22, 2017 terrorist attack at her “Dangerous Woman” concert. The symbol of Manchester, England, where the concert took place, is the worker bee; Grande hosted the One Love Manchester benefit concert two weeks after the attack, and later posted an emoji of the insect when she was made an honorary citizen of the city. She debuted the ink two days after the one-year anniversary of the attack.

Not all of her ink has such significance: Grande has the word “hi” on her toe.

Court

In dedication to childhood friend Courtney Chipolone, Ariana inked the word “court” on her knee as a play on words.

Snapchat

She also has the letter “A” on her thumb to honor friend Alexa Luria.

Heart

The outline of a heart on her right ring finger — which matches the one on her toe — is just one of many hand tattoos.

Baby

In May 2020, eagle-eyed fans spotted the word “baby” near the butterflies on Ariana’s upper arm, though it’s unknown when she had it inked.

Mystery tattoos

As if more than 40 separate tattoos in 2020 weren’t enough, there are a scant few that fans have only partially glimpsed. There are words on the inside of her right index finger, an unfilled shape on the inside of her left ankle and a string of letters (or perhaps words) on her upper left thigh that are unaccounted for.

And considering Grande’s penchant for spur-of-the-moment ink, it’s possible the singer has plenty of other hidden designs — and likely that more are on the way.

FILED UNDER ARIANA GRANDE , CELEBRITY TATTOOS

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keelywolfe · 4 years

Text

FIC: Scarlet

(A Spicyhoney ‘The Village’ AU)

The story so far:

Sable | Blue on Black | Midnight | Ebony Falling | Golden

*Warning for some light sexytimes

~~*~~

Read ‘Scarlet’ on AO3

Read More Here!

~~*~~

Edge seemed to only have been waiting for Rus to discover his magical abilities, because as soon as he accepted them, their daily language lessons were expanded and began to include new exercises, ones using his newfound magic.

It was only very simple things, like teaching Rus how to ignite the lights in the walls and to heat their cooking stone. Even those small tasks often left Rus sweating and trembling, unaccustomed to that sort of mental effort. Sometimes he couldn’t manage it at all; it seemed that his inborn talent had been neglected for so long it now stubbornly resisting his efforts. Those occasions left him straining uselessly, unable to bring even the slightest glow to his fingertips, until Rus was muttering words beneath his breath that would have sent Blue dashing for the closest bar of soap.

He discovered it was easier to focus when he used the same chants his brother taught him for healing, slightly modified for the purpose, and though he expected some judgement from Edge, cringing to think of his distaste for prayers, Edge made no comment on his choice. He only nodded encouragingly whenever Rus managed any simple spell, lavishly praising him in a mixture of both their languages.

Even the plainest ‘well done’ was enough to make Rus want to throw himself in Edge’s arms and kiss his wonderful, smiling mouth. Old, painful memories of his school days, of the pedagogue’s mocking and scolding of his maths and spelling, were washed away beneath Edge’s honest praise.

But those lessons weren’t enough to while away the long winter days. Each morning Rus went to the cave mouth, peering out through the tangle of dried vines to see snow falling or the great drifts surrounding them. Neither stopped Edge from venturing out, but even in his worst moments of frustrated temper, Rus couldn’t fault him for not wanting to attempt taking him to see his brother. It was too far, too dangerous. They would simply have to wait for either a warm patch or the spring melt.

Thinking of his brother made a heavy ache settle into Rus’s chest, leaving him miserably downcast and so Rus determinedly tried to do it as little as possible. He had to assume his brother was well and prayed that he wasn’t too desperately worried for him. It was all he could do.

Rus did need something to busy his mind and so he came up with the idea for another form of entertainment. There were many corridors and caves leading from the main ones that made up their home, though Rus was careful never to stray into one without a starry path on the ceiling to guide his way. In one of them, he found a large, flattish stone, too heavy for him to carry, but Edge managed it with a grunt, lugging it back to what Rus mentally dubbed as their parlor. Rus washed the stone carefully before showing Edge where to place it on the colorful rugs.

His wordless curiosity was obvious, but Rus kept his secret, retrieving one of their paint pots. He neatly divided it into even squares with the black paint, then carefully colored every other one in red. Next, he needed game pieces. His first thought was for stones, but finding twenty-four evenly matched ones proved harder than he’d first thought.

That was a bit of a puzzle for a time, until it came to him. Walnut shells. There was a large basket filled to the brim with walnuts in the pantry and if they were very carefully pried open to keep the shells intact, they worked a charm. With Edge’s perplexed assistance, the task was quickly completed and with a snack leftover besides. Then he needed only to paint twelve of them black, leaving the other twelve their natural color and his checkerboard was ready.

Edge caught on to the game quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly, Rus had earned the wroth of his agemates a few times in the past with his skill at checkers, but soon Edge was winning more often than not. It forced Rus to call on hitherto unknown strategies, planning each move with care, which made every win all the sweeter and any defeat a struggle well fought.

Eventually, even those games palled, and Rus found his thoughts wandering to places he’d rather not.

During those long winters growing up, his brother always brought home the weekly news-letters from the shop They’d read it together Saturday nights, exclaiming over the village happenings and ending with the puzzle that was always included, a word scramble or a small crossword. One of the villagers also had a small library of books that he would allow others to borrow in exchange for a coin, and sometimes Blue would bring one for them to share, curled up in the warmest spot by the kitchen stove while his brother read to him about tales of far away places.

He missed those moments desperately. As recent as last year Rus could recall going to bed and still thinking of that tale of the beanstalk, imagining that he was the hero of the story, defending their village from a cruel Giant. Thinking on that, he supposed wryly that it shouldn’t be such a surprise that he found his suitor in the woods after all.

Edge was working on repairing one of his traps, but he looked up at Rus’s sigh, concern lighting his expression.

“i am sorry,” Rus told him contritely. Honestly, it wasn’t Edge’s duty to keep him constantly entertained, “i don’t mean to be a bother.” But he couldn’t help adding, “though i do wish they’d packed a book for me to read. even the book of psalms would be something.”

“Read,” Edge repeated, rolling the word curiously off his tongue.

“um, yes, read? ah, let me think,” Rus considered, then tried, “make words that stay?” That seemed to be the closest equivalent, but it didn’t seem enough to relax the confused crease in Edge’s brow bone. Then Rus brightened, remembering, and ran to retrieve his boots from the little alcove by the cave entrance. He brought them back, tapping at the symbols Edge had carved into the leather. “make words. words that stay.”

A strange look crossed Edge’s face, one that Rus didn’t know, “what is it?”

“Come.” Edge took him by the hand and led him deeper into the cave. Past the room they were currently painting, leading him to where the starry path ended. Darkness lay ahead of them, looming black and intimidating. Edge cupped a hand and raised a flame in his bony palm, then gave Rus an encouraging nudge.

Ah. Of course there would be a lesson in this. Rus took a deep breath and concentrated. His fingers lit almost immediately, but it was harder to coax that light to climb into his palm and form a candle flame. This time, instead of saying the prayer words, Rus hummed softly almost beneath his breath, a churchday song his brother often sang as he spun wool or made biscuits.

It was working, the flame slowly growing, when suddenly Rus realized Edge was humming along as well, as though the song were one he knew. But how could he possibly?

His surprise made the flame leap dangerously, and Rus yelped, dimming it down to reasonable levels. He stared at Edge, mouth open in shock, “how do you know--”

But Edge was already leading the way down the corridor and after a moment, Rus followed.

The cave he was led to was terribly cold, none of the cozy warmth of their home could make it this far. In the dancing light of the small flames Rus could see some bleary colors on the worn stone, old paintings that were faded until he could no longer make out what they were. It seemed to him that they were faces, portraits peering out at him from another time. He didn’t have a chance to examine them more closely as Edge led him into a corner. Where there was a crate, nothing at all like anything else in Edge’s home, an actual wooden crate. When Rus examined it, he discovered iron nails held it together.

This could only be from the Village, he realized, and his astonishment grew as Edge lifted the lid. Inside it were books, so many books! More even than the book lender kept on his shelves.

They were tattered, but the damp of the cave hadn’t reached them so the pages were dry and turned easily. A few were school primers, remarkably similar to ones he’d owned as a child, and more were ones he recognized as filled with childhood parables. But there were so many others, with painted covers he could never have imagined, who knew what tales they might hold!

Edge caught his arm as he leaned in, cautioning him, “Magical fire still burns what it touches.”

That was a very good point and Rus hastily snuffed the flame in his own hand, using Edge’s to guide him as he poked through the crate’s contents with delight. “but...but this is wonderful! there’s so many, however did you even find all these?”

His only answer was a shrug and Edge pointed at one of the books, “Make words?”

“yes!” Rus laughed, “yes, yes, i can make words with these, so many words!!”

Edge nodded, pointing again and this time it became a demand, “Make words!”

“oh. do you...do you want me to read to you?” Rus asked, slowly, looking at his treasure trove. It occurred to him that it was very likely Edge couldn’t read the Village language, not when speaking it was often a challenge. That meant it was quite lucky these were here at all, however Edge acquired them, but that mystery could wait. Surely it would take Rus all winter to go through these, perhaps much longer.

“Yes,” Edge nodded. “To me.” It bordered on imperious and he seemed quite determined to learn whatever the fuss was about ‘making words’. Rus would be more than happy to demonstrate, although...

“i don’t suppose anyone ever taught you ‘please’ and ‘thank you’,” Rus said wryly.

“Please and thank you,” Edge repeated, with such arrogance that Rus couldn’t help laughing.

“i suppose that works,” Rus decided. “well! let me choose a few and we can go on with that, shall we?”

There were so many to choose from that Rus wavered in indecision; was it better to choose a familiar favorite or something new? He gathered up enough to fill his arms, Edge waiting with bemused patience before finally leading them back to the main rooms. Rus even brought along the children’s primer, supposing that it might be good practise to use it as a translation exercise.

They settled together in the parlor with the treasure trove, curled up in a nest of warm furs and blankets. It was reminiscent of those winter days by the stove in the village, though with a pointed difference. Rus snuggled back happily into Edge’s arms and chose the first book.

“‘the baker’s daughter’.” The title letters were once done in gold foil, most of it worn away. Rus opened the cover and began to read. “Autumn had come and was already on its way out when Augastine and her father came to the village in their rickety wagon. From the moment they came trundling up the muddy road, wheels creaking and the horse plodding along, she felt the curious stares of the villagers, judging her before she’d so much as taken a step on their ground…”

As he read on, the chapters melting away, Rus quickly learned that this book would be nothing like the adventures his brother read to him through the winter. Or perhaps it was an adventure of a different sort.

Within the first chapter, the heroine was enamoured of a young fellow named Jakob, the only one in the village who didn’t seem to see her as unworthy of attention. And such attentions! Rus had to set the book briefly aside, blushingly astonished that such saucy writings would have ever been put to paper. Why, the pages should have caught aflame at the very attempt!

This was not a book the Elders would have approved of, not in the slightest.

But Edge was listening with rapt attention and so Rus read on breathlessly, squirming in his seat as sauciness became downright vulgarity, the brash young woman making her desires known to her suitor...rather like Rus had, back in those Autumn days when he and Edge met in the forest.

He read on, his voice growing hoarser. Not from use, but from the words he forced his tongue to make. As he continued sweat began trickling down his spine where Edge leaned against him. The heady richness of Edge’s scent seemed to surround him, overwhelming his senses. Rus desperately pressed his thighs together against the wet heat rising between them, threatening to soak through his trousers. Something that Edge’s suddenly wandering fingers were about to discover, his own breathing heavy and hot against Rus’s cervical vertebrae.

“..he...he woke in her a desire of the sort she had never known,” Rus whispered. His sockets felt dry from his unblinking stare at those words, “deep within her breast, and a lustiness between her legs, a craving in her...her…” cunt. He stumbled over the word, both at that particular vulgarity and from Edge’s slim fingers pressing cleverly against his match to it, searching through slickened folds to find the hard nub nestled there.

Rus whimpered, the book falling carelessly from his hands as he clutched at Edge’s knees on either side of him. His shivering climax left him weak, collapsing back into Edge’s arms even as his touch gentled, soothing him back down.

“Beautiful Rus,” Edge murmured against the side of his skull. “Beautiful. My soul.”

Only for those words to cut off on a whooshed exhale of surprise as Rus scrambled out of his arms and gave Edge a rough shove, bullying him to lay on his back while Rus straddled his hips with blushing daring.

“you cannot think you’re getting away with that,” Rus said breathlessly.

Edge raised his hands in mock surrender, laying still to allow Rus to fumble at the ties of his leggings. That self-satisfied smirk vanished as Rus squirmed his way down, pushing aside his embarrassment to shyly try pleasuring Edge with his mouth. If Rus was uncertain, drawing back at first in surprise at the unfamiliar taste and pulling away occasionally to cough, the volume of Edge’s groans reassured him that he was quite satisfied with the attempt.

That heavy shaft pulsed against his tongue as Edge found his peak, catching him off guard and forcing Rus to swallow down the sudden, slippery weight of his release. He let the shaft slip free, sitting back on his heels as he covered his mouth with a shaky hand, but Edge did not allow his sudden uncertainty to take hold. He sat up, ignoring the disarray of his clothing to press a firm kiss to Rus’s mouth, sharing that taste between them.

Later, Rus wouldn’t remember how they managed to get to their bedroom, but when Edge settled atop him, pressed their bodies together, he couldn’t be bothered to care.

The hour was late by the time he was capable of stringing together a proper thought again. Edge was asleep, a possessive arm slung over Rus’s pelvis, but sleep was eluding Rus.

He couldn’t help wondering about those books, puzzling over where Edge could have possibly gotten them. It wasn’t as if he could stroll into a Village shop, even if such a book impossibly found its way to their shelves.

Every time Rus solved one mystery, another seemed to crop up and this seemed the strangest one yet.

Perhaps there was a clue in that crate and Rus decided that tomorrow he would check. As curious as he was, creeping through the darkened caves alone with his uncertain light did not appeal.

He settled in, burrowing down into the warmth of the blankets, but sleep was still a long time coming.

-tbc-

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #village au

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happywitch416 · 4 years

Text

17 Things

I was tagged by the wonderful @lechatrouge673 thank you! 😊 I am going to tag @joufancyhuh @goddesstiera @rhetoricalrogue @kagetsukai @kaleidoscopegirl @halfblood-fiend

Nicknames: I don’t actually have any. Perks of a four letter name? Besides matching the rest of my favorite four letter words lol

Zodiac: Sun- Cancer, Rising- Aquarius, Moon- Aquarius. I spend a lot of time making mean faces at horoscope stuff because well. Call out much?

Height: 5′6″- yes yes I know I whine I am short. My whole family is TALL. My grandmother was 6ft tall when she died and had been shrinking. I have a complex. Hubs is also six inches taller and my kid is almost as tall as me. I am a normal sized human surrounded by jolly green giants.

Hogwarts house: Slytherin, albeit in a knowledge is power and I will rule my own destiny kind of way. Not in the I am ambitious and want a political office way. Gross.

Last thing I googled: Uhhhh Mission of San Juan walkthrough for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Turns out my game has a heavy glitch. That interferes with my 100% completion.

Song stuck in my head: Bang Dem Sticks by Meghan Trainor

Amount of sleep: Recently? About 4 hours, no its not fun. I function best at 8 hours.

Lucky numbers: Do not have lol

Dream job: Originally? I wanted to be an archivist, very specifically an archivist for Disney with a second runner up being the Missouri history museum. I would also make a fantastic researcher. I hate humans and I am not sorry. Right now though my dream job is getting my kiddo through school without any of us dying or losing what's left of our minds.

Wearing: Bright colors. Be afraid. Light blue tank, bright royal blue shorts. I only dress like this when the laundry needs doing and when I will not being stepping outside.

Favourite instrument: I like drums and dream of one day playing the piano.

Aesthetic: House wise? Bright colors, fandom merch, self made art and furniture. Me wise? Black and shiny jewelry. I dig corsets but ugh they are not conductive to life at the moment.

Favourite song: The Horror and the Wild by The Amazing Devil. To be fair I love the entire album. I used to have a different song every day of the week but not anymore. I don’t know if I am growing more consistent in my old age or if I just finally found something that sings with my soul that hard.

Favourite author: Tolkien. I almost have all the books lol

Favourite animal: Cats, big or small. Let me pet them.

Favourite animal sound: Whale song and peacock noises are tied.

Random: Pineapple is my favorite food. I have never been more then 400 miles from home. I have played every Tomb Raider game, read every comic and book, and I basically have consumed all the media ever for the franchise. I was there, Gandalf, when Last Revelation was brand new and it was my first playstation game. And my first hyped up for fucking months to get a game. I once won an oreo stacking contest and the same year I won an essay contest for an early release of Goblet of Fire. I hadn’t won anything since until last month when I won a Goodreads giveaway. Perhaps the curse is broken! Still not going to play the lotto lol

#thanks for the tag!!!#this was fun #also i am long winded good heavens

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vore-scientist · 5 years

Text

In Which Yonah Gets a New Assignment & Sophia Gets a Teacher

A Tale of the Mystic Woods

(SFW G/t with vo/re mentions)

This is the official “first” story for Mystic Woods. THE START OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP (a very rocky start). Finally, I have written out the circumstances that brought The Princess Sophia and Yonah The Giant Wizard together! It also flashes back to Yonah’s Trial! Find out why he ended up imprisoned in the forest.

Content: Lots of GT. No actual vo/re but lots of vo/re-ish moments & implications of safe vo/re that has happened and more to come.

Content warnings: strong language! & There are some tense mentions of almost fatal in the flashback but no actual vo.re, fatal or even implied fatal happens. very dramatic (TM). It ends in a very sweet moment anyways. Kinda cheesy moment in my opinion. Also a silly sarcastic joke about fatal at the end of the fic itself.

--- The loud knocking at Sophia’s door tore her from her melancholic daze. A bit of drool fell from her mouth as she blinked into existence again. She was sitting at her desk, a half-assed and half-hearted needle-point project sitting on it, untouched for hours. At first she thought she had dreamt the knock, but it came again. Strange. It wasn’t a meal time, there shouldn’t be anyone at her door. “Is your Highness awake?” came the voice of her servant, Meyers, “His Majesty requests your presence.”

/Does he now?/ Even stranger. Her father never ended a grounding early; she still had a week of solitary left by her calendar. In fact she checked the chalk drawn calendar she had drawn on the far wall. Yep, still a week left. All the days past had big angry red exes through them. Picking up a piece of yellow chalk, she drew a “?” on the next empty day. She got up and walked to the door. “Yes Meyers, I’m awake,” she said, “and decent.” With a loud CLICK the door unlocked and opened, revealing Meyers who cringed at the sight before them. “You’re... Highness,” Meyers couldn’t get the words out. “What is it Meyers?” she demanded. They pointed behind her and to the left. She turned to face her full length mirror and groaned. She looked like shit. That would be the only way to describe her state. Not having to interact face to face with another human for 2 weeks, she hadn’t cared to keep up appearances, and was not expecting to do so for another week. Her dark thick just barely curly hair was more like a piece of road kill glued to her head, her current dress was covered in food and paint stains, most recently a new wet spot of drool on her bosom. Meyers prepared her a bath, and after she was clean, did her hair into a braid that reached her knees, and helped her into a nice clean gown. One that her father had gotten her for her last birthday. It was a light blue color with gold embroidery. Finally she was ready to face her father. At least, on the outside. She allowed herself to be lead out of the room. “So, are you being paroled?” sneered Sophia’s oldest sister as they passed in the hall. “That would be a first. I would lock you in the tower forever if I were queen.” “Eat shit Rosie,” Sophia spat, she wasn’t in the mood. So pissed was Sophia that she didn’t think to wonder what her older sister was doing here. It had been a few years, ever since she married her “true love” Prince Sol and had gone to live in his kingdom. Rosie wrinkled her brow and nose, and folded her arms, “Well, you’re as pleasant as ever.” “You’re one to talk,” came a man’s voice from down the hall. It was Daniel, Sophia’s older brother. He was followed by Ilana, one of her other older sisters. With their straight black hair, pointed faces, matching eye color/shape, and impressive height, they could almost be twins, but they weren’t. Ilana was older. Daniel smiled warmly and kissed Sophia on her cheek, and Ilana hugged her. “Wow look at us, all the elder siblings all in one place!” Daniel laughed genuinely, “How long has it been?” “Don’t know, don’t care” Rosie sneered, tossing her warm brown locks over her shoulder. While Daniel did seem to care, he was wise enough not to press the issue. So he turned his attention back to Sophia. “Glad to see you back in society again,” he said, “but I was sure you had another week to go, is father getting soft in his old age?” “If anything he’s gotten harder,” said Sophia, “It makes me worried for why he wants to see me.” “Well you did blow up the stables trying to cast... whatever it was you were trying to cast,” said Daniel, but his eyes shone with amusement. “You really need to stop all this magic nonsense Sophia,” said Ilana, her voice full to the brim with disappointment “you’re too old for childish fantasies. You’ll never get any offers of marriage if you carry on this way.” “I’m also too old for you to tell me what to do,” countered Sophia kindly. Ilana meant well, but she was a bit ditzy and old fashioned. And she had told Sophia the same thing every time she attempted magic, and every time it blew up in her face, which was most times. By now Ilana knew it was no use to try and convince Sophia to stop. Still, she never failed to tell Sophia off, even if she did it oh so politely. The threat of never being married was new, but not surprising, as Ilana had just been rescued by her own “true love” after she got “lost” in the Caves of Manic Rain. Ever since then her straight black hair had a shimmer to it. Daniel was still a bachelor, prefering to court royals in a safer, less deadly quest-requiring way. But it was much slower. Still, he went to a lot of parties. Sophia thought he rather liked designing each new extravagant outfit that just had to have because it would be a scandal if he wore the same thing twice. “Well I could care less what she does,” said Rosie, “the more she gets in trouble, the more likely she is to be disowned and that’s one less person who could inherit the sword.” Daniel rolled his eyes, “That’s not how it works and you know it, there’s always a chance it picks some distant cousin we don’t even know about.” “You’re highnesses, I really must get The Princess Sophia to His Majesty,” piped up Meyers, they had been standing silently next to Sophia the entire time. There was an urgency to their tone that silenced the royal children, allowing Sophia and Meyers to continue their journey. Not for long, however, since they ran into Sophia’s two youngest siblings. Relatively. Sophia was nearly 20, the youngest sibling, Molly, was 10. It was Molly that ran up to her, bouncing up and down. “Father let you out early!?” She asked, clasping her hands together dramatically. “It seems that way Molly” Sophia replied, ruffling her hair which was in two big ponytails. Molly looked up at Sophia with her unchild-like eyes that were imbedded in her round face, “I’m glad! It is wrong that Father locks you up just for wanting to learn magic!” But he does. Thought Sophia. He’s The King. It doesn’t matter that it’s wrong. Sophia’s smile strained. “Fathers prize stallion was kept in that stable, Sophia is lucky it wasn’t inside at the time,” said Yonatan, who was only a year older than Molly, but couldn’t be more different. An 11 year old who was stoic wasn’t abnormal, but usually they had experienced some sort of trauma, rather than being a pampered prince. His already square face made him seem older, like he was a dwarf. A skinny dwarf. But he was just a 11 year old boy. Or it would have been abnormal if a fairy hadn’t “blessed him” with intelligence and wisdom beyond his years. So for an 11 year old that meant the intelligence and wisdom of someone who was 15. Making him a bit of an asshole.

“I must go, father calls” she told them, and continued down the hall.

The door to her father’s office was open and he was at his desk, his crown set on his salt and pepper curls, reading glasses almost falling off of his nose as he read some important document. She sat herself down in one of the chairs. Normally princesses weren’t in his office. The chairs were stone and stiff to disarm people. He did not look at her.

“You set the stable on fire on purpose.” he said, in a low but quiet voice. It wasn’t a question, he was stating a fact.

She said nothing.

“You said it was an accident, that you cast the spell wrong. But you didn’t.”

She still said nothing.

“We can’t keep doing this Sophia,” he said, looking up from his paper at last.

For those not used to it, having to stare into the glaringly magical forest green eyes of the Mystic Woods King was always jarring. Surrounded by his warm brown skin it was as if he were a tree given human form. Because it was not his irises that were green (well, they were too, just a darker, green-ish brown). The “whites” of Ben’s eyes were filled with Woods magic. Sophia suspected that originally Ben had dark brown eyes, like she had. Before he became The King of the Mystic Woods.

But Sophia had never known Ben without his green eyes, which low light had a faint glow, and in darkness shone like sunlight through leaves. So she had no problem maintaining eye-contact.

“It was all fun and games when you were stealing books from the library. But Last time you joined a witch coven, and they were evil! You were lucky!”

Ok, that one she had to admit was a mistake. She had been so happy they didn’t care about her being royalty, that she hadn’t considered they were after her mystical royal blood.

“And before that… before that…” he was struggling to remember. “You grounded me for applying to the Academy of Wizardry,” she supplied. “I grounded you for Forging A Letter From Me to get in!” He didn’t raise his voice, much, but he did stress each word like a mallet on a gong. “Forging The King’s notary is high treason and a hanging offense!” “But,” he said, letting out all of his breath. Sophia perked up. Had he said ‘but’!? ‘But’ what!? Holy shit, had she won!? After all these years of sneaking around, being caught, and punished, rinse and repeat, had she won!? Maybe Daniel was right, maybe Ben was getting soft in his old age. “But, I think it is time I admit that I cannot stop you from learning magic,” No way, no way, nowaynoway! Sophia’s heart started racing. “And I would rather you not attempt to teach yourself destructive and dangerous spells just to spite me,” he continued. Stop beating around the bush!! Sophia was sitting up completely straight, her hands clasped in her lap, knuckles white. The force of her heart beat almost shook her from her seat. “I have found you a tutor.” She rocketed out of her seat and ran to hug her father, even though he didn’t deserve it. And then danced around the chamber. Before she ran out of energy and noticed her father still sitting their, stoic and frowny as ever. There was a catch. She stopped jumping and looked fearfully at her father. He looked past her. A guard entered the room, followed by another man. And the colored drained from Sophia’s face and out her feet. “Ah, Mr. HaEsh, right on time,” he smiled horribly. The largest man Sophia had ever seen entered Ben’s office. He was so big that his tall curly hat nearly brushed the top of the 3 meter doorway. If he had been any wider, he would have at to get creative with angling through the door. Standing up straight he towered over the princess and The King. He held his hands behind his back and hidden under his massive, bushy, but neatly tied, mane of jet black hair which ended in a neat point at the small of his back. By his wizard hat, and painfully garishly colorful wizard robes. This could only be a wizard. But where was his wizard staff? The wizard Mr. HaEsh looked down his strong nose at Sophia with cloudy dark brown eyes. He had a very sharply shaven goatee and sideburns that might as well be squirrel pelts glued to his face. They looked just as dead as his eyes. Despite being on the chubbier side, and with burly arms, he looked almost gaunt. His eyelids drooped behind thick rectangular spectacles, and an aura of greyness hung around him. Was he ill? Or maybe older than he looked? He looked between 30 and 40. He was followed by another guard. Adorned in silver plated armor with fractal engravings shaped looking like twisting plants, liquid emerald used for the filling, Sophia recognized them as Mystic Woodland Rangers, or mage guards, as they were commonly called. And they were high ranking too. What the fuck was going on. When Mr HaEsh spoke, his voice was distant, and higher than Sophia had expected. It still rumbled and shook Sophia’s very bones. She saw her father tense too. Who was this man? “You’re Majesty. has requested. my presence,” he said, his breath coming in short pathetic bursts “for all the trouble. this must be either dangerous. or interesting.” /Trouble!? Danger?/ thought Sophia. Her father coughed and adjusted his crown, “Hmf, yes. Mr HaEsh, I have a new assignment for you.” The wizard raised his brows but said nothing. “This,” Ben gestured to Sophia, “Is the Princess Sophia.” “It is a pleasure. to meet you. your Highness,” Mr HaEsh greeted her. She extended her arm and while he bowed and kissed it gently, he did not remove his hands from his back. His lips were oddly cold. He straightened up and looked back down at his king. “The princess desires to learn magic,” The King continued, “You are to be her tutor. She will be moving into your tower tonight.” “WHAT?!” both Sophia and Mr. HaEsh exclaimed. The air in the room changed in an instant. The greyness around Mr HaEsh was being strained by something, and the guards had tensed into combat-casting stances, magic circling their fingertips which were pointed at the wizard. King Benyamin remained calm, but an aura of power surrounded him too. One that scared and comforted Sophia. It was the magic of the Mystic Woods, and it always felt friendly, even if the situation was not. The King looked to the guards. “Please take the princess outside, I have additional details to discuss with Mr HaEsh,” he ordered. The guards eyes widened. “But sir,” one spoke, voice cracking, “The subject is never to be without guard even-” The magic flared up around The King, not in a threatening way, just to make his aura more powerful. “I gave an order, follow it.” “Yes sir!” said the guard and they both flanked Sophia who stood up a little too fast. “Father,” she said, curtseying and turning to leave. The wizard bowed to her again before she exited. “Highness,” he said, sending shivers down her spine. She looked back and saw, before the wizard’s hair fell over them again, the massive rune-scribed iron cuffs on his wrists. Then the door was shut and she was standing alone in the hallway. With the two guards. All three of them breathed enourmous breaths. Once, twice, three times, a fourth. A few minutes and they all had recovered, cold sweat ran down their faces. “I thought we were ash for sure!” one of the guards whispered. The other nodded. They started going back and forth. Sophia only caught bits and pieces. “Have you ever seen-?” “-wasn’t a guard yet-” “-for years! How do we know he didn’t -” “-I think he has he’s a-” “I cannot believe The King brought him into the castle! He isn’t safe-” “-two of us on staff! We are not enough to handle him if he-” “Locking himself in his office with that thing-” “-supposed to LIVE with it, she’ll be-” “Excuse me,” Sophia broke in. The guards stood at attention. “Who is that man?” The guards exchanged glances. “Does the princess not remember the trial from 6 years ago?” said a guard. It didn’t matter which. “There are so many trials, I do not remember them all,” she said, “elaborate.” “That thing, that man,” the guard’s voice shook, “is dangerous, he was put on trial as a dangerous entity who infiltrated The Kingdom and Wizard Academy! He should have been executed, but His Majesty showed mercy.” The guard was being obtuse on purpose, she could tell. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. She might be shorter than the guards by a good decimeter, but she was a princess! They answered to her father, and thus to her. “Why is he dangerous?” Sophia demanded. The description was pulling at a memory but it was just beyond her reach. But that was when the door opened once more and King Benyamin walked out, with the wizard behind him, looking even more grim. The wizard glared at Sophia, as if he was trying to convey hatred but for some reason couldn’t. Now that Sophia knew they were there, she looked at the Mage Cuffs. As the wizard stared at her, something like hunger flashed in his eyes, but was gone quickly. The runes on the cuffs glowed a with iridescence, he stifled a cough, and the dullness returned. The Princess Sophia’s things had already been packed. The King had been planning this for a while it seemed, without her or Mr HaEsh knowing until now. All of Her belongings were handed to her in a single small case. And within an hour they were in a carriage heading out of the city. The guards came too, one sat next to Mr. HaEsh, the other next to Sophia, but directly across from the wizard. Mr HaEsh sat still, his head down, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. His hands still cuffed, his breathing regular but wispy. In a desperate attempt to liven the atmosphere Sophia made one attempt to engage in conversation. “Hey, wizard, I heard you’re a criminal,” She said, the wizard did not respond, “Well I’m a thorn in my father’s side. so who is being punished here, me or you?” “Hruh” was all he said, the corners of his mouth twitching up, but there was a faint flash of light from behind him and the guards instantly had their magic up. The one next to the wizard put his hands near Mr. HaEsh’s face. And the wizard sneered at them. “Careful,” he said, grinning, his mouth stretched to an unsettling degree, “I’m sure you’ve. heard the stories. And you don’t want. to have to get your fingers. regenerated. I’ve heard it’s painful,” and he snapped his teeth at the mage-guard’s hand. The guard flinched away, and the wizard laughed a hollow laugh. Sophia made no more attempts to converse with this obviously insane criminal wizard. An insane criminal wizard that she was being sent to live with. What on earth was her father thinking! Had he just threaten to bite a man’s fingers off??? This man would kill her in her sleep! Fuck fuck fuck! She looked out the window to distract herself and saw that they were heading towards the Mystic Woods. Great. Just great. A dangerous criminal who lived in a even more dangerous forest. Her father was definitely trying to kill her. The carriage, which had to have some enchantment on it, smoothly left the path and was steered into the woods. It must also have a Direct Spell, asking the forest for a path to their destination that would not move around, since it was only a hour before the carriage stopped. Sophia looked out. They were in a large clearing that contained a rundown looking tower at one end. It was surrounded by a fantastically well kept magical garden. A river ran along one side of the clearing, and a section had been blocked off to form a pool near the tower. The Sun was just starting to set behind the tower, splitting the light across the greens of the forest and glimmering off the river and colors of the garden. It would have been beautiful if not for the circumstances.

The guard next to the wizard shook as he took out a key and the wizard turned to present his cuffed wrists to the guard. Placing the key in the lock, the guard whispered a few words and the runes faded, the key turned clockwise, and the cuffs came off. A fog lifted from around the wizard. His dull black hair became warm and vibrant, his cheeks less sunken, his arms seemed to swell with renewed strength. No longer did he look almost 40, but merely his late 20s. His clothes became more saturated, his hat stood up, and he looked at Sophia once more. His once hollow eyes filled with fire and she swore they glinted orange for a moment as he drew a long satisfying breath through a wide smile. When he exhaled the air around his mouth was distorted. “I hate those fucking things,” he said, rubbing his wrists. His voice, once distant, slammed into Sophia. And into the guards, who were shaking more than ever. He looked at them and they cowered. “Gentlemen” he said, with eerie politeness, “as always it’s been a huge displeasure,” and he got up, exiting the carriage. It shook as his mass disembarked.

The guard who had nearly had his fingers bitten handed Sophia the case with her belongings and coaxed her out the door. When she had both feet on the ground the door slammed behind her and the horses were whipped into speeding off. Leaving her with the wizard. She decided she would not show any more fear. He may be some sort of monster, but he was clearly in her father’s employ, he couldn’t hurt her, a princess he was apparently hired to teach. Could he? She looked around for Mr HaEsh and spotted him by one of the fruit trees. It looked like standard apple tree, with golden-green apples. They were probably poison.

Mr HaEsh reached up and plucked an apple. These weren't normal at all. They were so big that the apple fit perfectly in his hands! He sniffed it and bit into it. The sound of the crisp crunch crackled in the air. Sophia walked over to him as he finished the apple.

“They never fucking feed me when I’m summoned for just a day.” he said, tossing the core aside and picking another apple. Ok so they weren’t poisonous. “I get called upon in the morning and I’m shipped out! Don’t stop to think if i’ve even had breakfast yet! And then they don’t give me anything.” He took a third apple.

As he vented his eyes started to glow again, joined by the roots of his hair, making his head look like a dying coal fire. Smoke gently billowed from his locks. Was this some sort of intimidation tactic? Eating apples and pretending to be made of fire?

After eating a total of five apples, but picking at least ten more and storing them in his hat, he finally said “ready to head inside?”

Actually she kinda wanted an apple, but he had taken extras. Surely he would give her one. So she followed him to the base of the tower, right below the window which was about fifteen (15) meters up.

“How-”

“The vines” he said, indicating the prolific and thick vines that grew up the tower. The vines with massive thorns.

“You go first,” said Sophia.

The wizard shook his head, “I need to be behind you in case you fall, the thorns aren’t real.”

Cautiously Sophia reached out and brushed a hand against the side of a thorn. It passed right through. The vine was real, the thorn was not. Clever.

She was grateful that Mr HaEsh took her bag, as she needed both hands to climb up. And up and up and up! It seemed as if she should have reached the top by now? Her hands were red and raw, she might not be able to hold her grip for much long and Oh. She had reached the window! Looking in she saw inside a single room, much bigger than it should be. Magic she reminded herself. This was a wizard’s tower after all! She heaved herself up and let her legs dangle into the room. Shelves with books and bottles and jars and thingabobs lined the walls, papers littered the floor, and there were three desks. One with a pile of books and writing materials, one with a small cauldron and utensils, and one that was piled with just junk. How could her dream have come true in such a nightmare-ish way? She looked down, it was probably a little over a meter drop to the floor and she hopped inside. The moment she crossed the threshold the distance from the windowsill to the floor became over 4 meters feet and she fell onto the floor with a thunk. The chamber was even larger than before, everything was 3 to 4 times as large as it had first appeared. But she wasn’t concerned with that, her legs were rattling from the impact and she was nursing her sore bones and muscles. *thup* And Yonah landed beside her, but with a lot more practiced grace. He dropped her case next to her, walking over to the giant desk. “Hey why the fuuuuu-“ but she didn’t get to say “ck didn’t you warn me” Yonah grumbled and from his sleeves drew out a beautiful staff. It was a dark red wood with gold engravings swirling up to a dark pink crystal ball at the end. He tapped the floor with his staff twice, the crystal ball flashed briefly and with a mighty POOF Yonah was over 20ft tall, perfectly proportioned to the rest of the room. He walked to his desk, opened a book, set up a magnifying glass, got out a piece of paper, and started writing. And Sophia remembered. How could she have forgotten? --- The twelve year old Sophia groaned quietly. She, Ilana, and her sibling sister Sasha had just finished their embroidery lesson and were doing their homework from yesterday’s poise and posture class. Sophia watched Ilana walk across a one inch wide plank of wood with a glass of water balanced on her head. She tensed and untensed her eyes to focus and unfocus them. “I’m BORED!” she groaned loudly, and Ilana yipped. She did not fall but the glass did topple over and smash on the floor. “Look what you made me do!” said Ilana as a servant ran to clean up the mess. She approached Sophia and held out her hand. Sophia looked at her own glass of water and held it up. Then brought it to her mouth and drank it. “hey!” “Let’s go watch today’s trial!” said Sophia, and Sasha who had been dozing off perked up. “We’re supposed to be practicing our poise,” Ilana said. “I didn’t invite you,” Sophia took Sasha’s arm as they left the room, the servants didn’t stop the. Ilana ran after them. Sophia gave her a hard look. “I’m the oldest! I can’t let you go without me,” she said. There wasn’t anything Sophia could do, so the three of them made their way to the throne room. They stopped off at the kitchen for snacks, and found their youngest sibling, Molly, stealing cookies. Molly demanded she be allowed to come too and bribed them with cookies so they couldn’t say no. When they got to the room the guards wouldn’t let them in. And they wouldn’t explain why, just that their father had a list of those allowed entry, and they weren’t on the list. Sophia didn’t push the issue; she knew another way in. Up the stairs, to the balcony. It was empty, they would be able to watch the proceedings without being discovered. And the proceedings were just about to start. The throne room wasn’t packed, but there was a lot of activity. The King, of course, sat on his throne, and along the walls stood the most colorful population Sophia had seen. There were the usual Law Masters and their Grand Law Master Diana Gluck, there was Sir Mordecai The King’s Voice, all wore dull reds, blues, blacks, and browns. Other members of the court stood around, talking excitedly, they had more color and variation to their garb but it was nothing compared to the wizards. There were at least 20 wizards. All in different colors in the most garish combinations and horribly designed robes. The floor looked like cheapest Jackson Pollock. The Voice walked over to The King and whispered in his ear and he called the room to quiet. The doors opened and the subject of today’s trial was brought in. A long procession of Mage Guards marched into the room, but their footsteps were drown out by the clanks and thuds of the shackled giant they had in tow. With a face full of black hair, and a messy head full to go with it, the giant looked wild. The patchwork clothes looked like they were made of the entire stock of prison uniforms. Sophia imagined that the giant must have eaten the prisoners to get their clothes. The giant’s eyes were bloodshot, lack of sleep or crying? His breaths came in short shudders, in fact the man was shivering. His cheeks were sunken, and his skin grey-ish. But it was the cuffs that really put the look together. Thicker than Sophia was and made a dark silver metal engraved with shining black runes. his hands were linked at the wrist and his ankles were chained together. With the same runic metal. Every so often the giant’s eyes would flash with a hint of fire, and the runes would glow with oily iridescence and the giant would cough and shiver harder. The giant was forced onto his knees, looking over the circle of guards at The King. Even though it was The Voice of the Court that spoke. “The accused, Yonah HaEsh, of an Undefined Class of Magical Being. He has been designated as Monstrous Being - Magical Humanoid - Hybrid Human With Fire Elemental Heritage,” rattled off The Voice. “He is charged with trespassing in His Majesty Benyamin’s Kingdom, classified as Invasion due to his status as a Giant, and Infiltration due to the extent of hiding his nature and the length of time this persisted. Mr. HaEsh disguised himself as a human and forged documentation to enter his Majesty Benyamin’s Kingdom and attend the Illustrious Academy of Wizardry. Mr. HaEsh frequently entered areas of The Kingdom from which monsters, most particularly giants, are strictly forbidden.” He looked right at the giant now, and his voice wavered for a second, “To verify for the record, your name is Yonah HaEsh?” The giant took a painful breath before answering “yes” “And your mother is Malaka HaEsh, a giant, your father Emmett HaEsh, a firewitch?” “yes” “Do you deny any of the charges as described?” There was a long pause. Everyone held their breath. “no” The Voice took a deep breath “The Court Recommends a sentence of execution, the standard for repeated invasion offenses.” Several of the wizards gasped. The giant hung his head. A few tears fell to the floor, splashing on the guards. “The Court now opens the floor to those who would argue for or against the court’s recommendation” A group of 6 wizards emerged from the crowd. From the matching formal robes, the smaller hats, and the less offensive, highly coordinated colors, they looked extremely professional. One of them, an older woman with white twists of hair and dark wrinkled skin stepped forward. “State your name, any title, and intention for the Court,” said The Voice. The woman adjusted her grip on her staff. It was polished dark grey with blue crystals imbedded in patterns and a silver cap in the shape of entwined snakes. At first her voice was too quiet to hear. She grumbled and a few of the crystal lit up. And her voice projected. “Sean Werthan, 50 years Grand Master Wizard of the Academy of Wizardry.” At her voice, the giant lifted his head and squinted in disbelief at the woman. But didn’t dare say or do anything else. “Myself and the following self selected faculty and students are here to argue in defense of the accused and trusts that His Majesty, King Benyamin of Orr and The Mystic Woods, who generously allows the Academy to reside within his realm, will act with logic and mercy.” The King leaned forward, The Voice spoke. “Did you not expel the accused from your Academy, Grand Master?” Hushed whispers flew around the room. The woman nodded. “I do not deny the action I took against Mr. HaEsh,” her piercing eyes were aimed at Benyamin, “Nor will we attempt to deny the charges of forgery and falsification, and classification of his heritage,” she took her eyes off The King to look at Yonah who did not meet her gaze. “However we argue against the charges of infiltration and invasion,” she said, “Which, given the circumstances and the conduct of the defendant, are unwarranted.” It was at this point that Sophia stopped paying close attention and let her mind wander. It wandered over the wizards that wore more distinct colors and fashions. She gave them all names and backstories and secrets. Still, she caught the gist of the proceedings. The giant was supposedly non-aggressive, for his entire time masquerading as human. An astonishing display of self-control seeing as Fire Witches are famous for their volatility. He intended no harm, and perpetrated none. Not at the school nor during any excursions into cities or towns. His only intent was to learn wizardry. His only crime was the law forbade his attendance, his only crime was being born non-human. The younger wizards all contributed to support her arguments, citing personal experiences from the specific to broad. It all seemed pretty convincing to Sophia. However, even if their claims were true, the Giant, as a now magically trained monster, was extremely dangerous. And he had broken the law, knowingly, deliberately, frequently. Every time he stepped foot in a city or town. Technically even the Academy was “off-limits” and illegal but they were more inclined to let magical beings roam around. They did not however, let them become students. “We will now deliberate on the fate of the accused, Mr HaEsh,” said The Voice. The King and the Law Masters left to a back chamber. After a few minutes the tension had died down enough for people to start conversing and moving around the room. The wizards who had defended the giant attempted to talk to him, but were stopped by the guards. “No one may approach the accused,” they said. “But he’s our friend! He might die and we might never get to speak to him again!” ohhhh a conflict! Sophia started to pay attention again. Perhaps the wizards would start a scene! “Not my problem,” said the guards. “No, but she is,” said a wizard, pointing at the giant. The guards turned around. The blood in the guards ran cold but not as cold as Sophia’s as from her vantage point she saw Molly approaching the giant! How had she slipped past the guards?! When did she leave the balcony?! /SHIT/ As the girl got closer to the face of the giant everyone went quiet. At a meter tall and that close to the giant’s mouth… Everyone was thinking it. Even with his hands and legs bound and magic suppressed, he could easily gobble up the princess. And he was facing death at the hands of The King. - Tired, cold, and starved, the scent of the girl hit Yonah as a wave of warmth and possibility. And hunger. He opened his eyes to a world blurred by tears and because his glasses had been taken away. That didn’t make sense to him. He blinked away the tears and squinted down. It was a princess, and she smelled really good. Really sweet. They had not fed him for days. A monster like him probably wouldn’t be given a last meal. And this was the daughter of The King who would give the order to end his life.

And it would be so easy. She was so small. While he had never eaten a human before, and could barely fit one in his mouth, let alone swallow one whole like proper giants were known to do; he was certain to have no problem swallowing this child.

No.

That thought was expunged as soon as it came. This was a child!!! He couldn’t eat a child! But her smell persisted, drilled itself into his brain.

His stomach growled. He heard the gasps from the people around him and he drew himself away from the girl. He couldn’t actually move away but he sat up so that she wasn’t so hear his face. The guards all started to draw up magic, but they didn’t make any moves to save the princess.

“Hello big man!” the girl’s high voice pierced the silence. Still the guards did nothing.

/What they fuck were they even good for?/ thought Yonah. They should remove the child from the presence of a hungry giant, he had even backed off to give them room. /Assholes!/ Did they want him to eat her? Let an innocent girl die just to finally have a real reason to kill him. Or maybe they were too scared. /Cowards!/ These were the best Mage Guards in The Kingdom? They were shaking in their armor.

“H-hello,” he whispered.

“You look terrible!” she declared. He couldn’t disagree. His stomach rumbled again.

“You’re hungry!” she was right about that. This was just torture. Maybe he could… just hold her in his mouth. Maybe as a hostage? No no no. He wouldn’t be able to resist swallowing.

The princess was rummaging through her pockets, “Want a cookie?” She produced a cookie, and smiled in a horrifyingly disarming fashion. Finally the guards started to try coaxing the girl away but it was useless. She was fixated on him. Her brilliant brown eyes wouldn’t leave his own dull ones. And he did want a cookie. He needed a cookie. Deserved a cookie. Cookie. He leaned forward and opened his mouth. No one made a sound. Yonah was holding his breath too, not wanting to scare her. She reached out to place the cookie into his mouth but stopped. Had she realized the danger she was in? Her free hand went back into her pockets and produced another cookie. “You need more than one!” she said, “because you are so big!” and she started placing cookies on his tongue, taking cookies from her pockets one at a time until they was a small cluster. “All gone! No more cookies!” she turned her pockets inside out. Yonah allowed himself to smile as he sat back up, closing his mouth. The cookies were small, but fresh, and made in a royal kitchen. They had been heavily spiced with ginger and were full of sweet almonds. He let them melt in his mouth but for the girl’s gratification he made small chewing motions and swallowed. “Thank you.” She yelped with joy and sped off. - The guards parted to let The King’s Youngest run into the arms of her father who had been standing, frozen at the scene before him. He had walked in just in time to see her start placing cookies on the giant’s tongue. He hugged her tight and picked her up. “Daddy!” she yelled, “I gave the giant man cookies!” “I saw that,” he said, his fake smile so practiced that his daughter had not yet learned to tell. The King stood there, holding his daughter, looking at his prisoner. The guards had not reformed their circle. There was no one in between them. Molly waved at the giant. He stared hungrily back. They really should have fed him. And The King sighed. The wizards were right. For all the things they get wrong, for all the times they act without thinking. They were right this time. This monster, this man, didn’t deserve death. But his Law Masters couldn’t think of an alternative. There was no room for him in the dungeons and they had no prison large enough. Neither was it practical to use up so many mage guards for a 25/8 watch. And finally, there was no way they could keep him cuffed forever. The drain wasn’t just on magic; it was on life force. He had been cuffed for three days already, and he was sickly. He was truly amazed at the restrain the giant had shown, the mind still sharp and in control. If only he had someplace to keep him. Someplace he wouldn’t need guards, or cuffs.

A tickle of forest magic reached into his mind. “Mr. HaEsh,” he said, agreeing with the forest.

The Voice straightened up, ready for the signal to give the sentence, but the signal didn’t come. The giant’s eyes flicked to The King. Ben knew he made the right choice. “I would like to offer you a job,” he said, smiling wickedly. The confusion in the room was palpable. The Law Masters were in crisis, The King had NOT discussed this with them. “And if you take it, you life will be spared.” ---

Ohthegods. Ohthegodsohthegods. Sophia looked up at the giant, who was larger than she remembered, even back then when she was smaller. Ohfuckohfuck. She should be scared but she wasn’t. “Hey! HEY!” cried the princess. But the wizard ignored her, even as she ran up to his feet and kicked them, and pulled at his wizardly robes. Finally she just climbed up to the desk, making use of the thick embroidered designs on Yonah’s robe. Even as she hung off of piece of clothing on Yonah’s chest, he didn’t acknowledge her. After she jumped onto the desk she collapsed, panting. “If you’re going to live here you’re going to have to become a better climber” said Yonah, still not looking at her, and still writing. She walked over to stand under the magnifying glass. The wizard looked back at the book and laughed at the enlarged head of the princess, staring up at him with a weird combination of confusion, excitement, and fury. “You! You! I-“ Sophia stammered. Yonah put the quill in its stand and looked down at the princess, trying not to laugh too hard. “Yes? Princess?” He smiled wide, eyes sparkling with feigned interest and real annoyance. He hissed out the “cess” in princess, blowing a stream of hot air over Sophia, really hot air smelling like someone had fanned a campfire in her face. The glass fogged up. “You’re Yonah HaEsh!” she said, “I was at your trial!” “Were you now? I don’t remember you being there,” not that he liked to remember any of that day aside from… the princess and the cookies. Sophia was too old to be the cookie princess. “You almost ate my little sister!” there was no fear in her voice or her face. Maybe she was still processing. Ah, now that made more sense. And he wasn’t going to deny the accusation.

“You’re the giant Evil Wizard!”

“Ughhhhgggg” Yonah pinched his nose, “I’m not. I’m not Evil. You’re father hired me as an ‘Evil Wizard™’ because the actually Evil Sorcerer who used to live here mysteriously disappeared, and he needed a replacement. It’s just a title. I’m also a Royal Wizard.”

Sophia snorted and folded her arms, “No other Royal Wizards live in Evil Wizard Towers… and”, as she remembered more, “They don’t have stories from adventurers that come running out of the forests yelling about the magic giant who tried to eat them.” She remembered more and she paled, “One of them claimed you DID eat them, but- then how,”

It was Yonah’s turn to snort. “Adventurers? They were thieves. Idiots. Tasty though,” he licked his lips and Sophia backed away. Not that there was anywhere to run to, being on his desk.

“I let them go! They’re mostly desperate teens forced by their wicked mothers to risk their lives stealing from a giant. I said I’m not Evil. I even try to give them money before they run. They don’t always take it. Well, sometimes they run before I can give them any.”

That sounded suspect to Sophia, she would believe it when she saw him do it. (And she would, eventually). For now, he was an Evil Wizard. That was his official title. And looking back at the past few hours, he hadn’t seemed particularly good. And she was his captive. All her life she had been avoiding a classic fairytale scenario but she’d ended up in one anyways. Even if it was highly unusual. This was going to be fun, if she played the game right.

“Hey,” she said, after Yonah had gone back to his notes. He sighed and looked at her, “Are you going to eat me? And if you do will you let me go or just kill me? Is that my father’s plan? Have you wipe me off the face of this fucking planet?”

Just with her question the giant’s stomach growled. He retrieved three apples from his hat, now minuscule in his giant hand, and tossed them in his mouth like little candies. “I’m still deciding.”

Sophia really couldn’t tell if he was serious. Evil or not, he was a jerk. But it didn’t matter, because she had remembered one final thing.

Possibly the most important thing.

She looked down at the book Yonah was reading. It showed diagrams and symbols and letters in other languages, and words she couldn’t begin to comprehend.In fact it hurt her brain to look at them. They were magical. He was magical. He was a academy trained wizard.

“So,”

She picked up the book, and looked at it as if she could actually understand the words. Her brain begged her to look away from the migraine-inducing patterns and script, but she wanted the dramatic effect.

“When do lessons begin?”

[Thanks for reading! please reblog! for more mystic woods go to vore-scientist.tumblr.com/tagged/mystic+woods+story, or go to my blog and search mystic woods story! ]

#safe vore #soft vore #giant tiny #giant/tiny #sfw #mind the content warnings

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lostinfic · 6 years

Note

Lost, a 'deep' prompt if you have the time or interest: "Trick" for Will & Holly, lost love/love lasting beyond death, 'communication' from the other side. Thanks!

Dear Nonny, might not be exactly what you had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Game Night. 2/2

[Part 1] [Ao3]

Pairing: Will Burton (The Escape Artist) x Holly Shawcross (True Love)

Rating: Teen

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: Fluff and some angst. Will and Holly are part of a group of friends who meet every week to play board games. Although there is more than friendship growing between them, their pasts prevent them from acting on their feelings. Until one week, they play with a Ouija board.

A/N: I also wrote a fem!Will x Holly : Sweater Weather. Some details might escape you if you haven’t seen the shows, but I think you can still enjoy the story.

○ Trick or treat prompts // All my autumn fics

CW: past death/grief (Will’s wife)

🍂

The sky was a pink shade of gray, a reminder that the sun still existed despite the clouds. Sheets of rain slashed through beams of street light. Holly cracked opened a window to let the soothing sound and scent of rain permeate the air of her small flat. She wished for lightening and thunder.

This week, game night was at her home. Sometimes, work permitting, Will arrived early, under the pretense of helping her set up. “Setting up” usually involved folding out a card table at one end of her kitchen table for extra seating, and then just chatting until the others arrived. But she doubted he would come early tonight.

All week she’d waited for a text from Will, an apology or a simple “hello”, even a “sorry wrong person” would have soothed her worries. Holly herself had started typing more than one text she never sent. She shouldn’t have rushed out of his car, she should’ve stayed and pretended it was nothing but a joke. She didn’t want to lose him as a friend even if she longed for more.

She’d channeled her nervousness about game night into crafts: a garland of paper ghosts fashioned from the pages of an old book, a centerpiece of squashes and mini-pumpkins she had no intention of ever eating and charcoal sketches of creepy Victorian kids. She had to talk herself out of adopting a black cat; she could barely take care of herself let alone a pet.

She sat at her kitchen table and arranged the pretzel sticks, candy corn and Reese’s pieces into a pattern. She was so absorbed by her task, she jumped when someone knocked at the door. It was still early for the game, so it had to be Will. She sprung from her chair.

“Come in.”

Sabrina and Jerome came in. “Hope you don’t mind we’re a tad early, we dropped off the kids at a friend and it was closer than we thought.”

“Isn’t Will already here?” Jerome asked.

“I am.” Will peeked inside from around the door.

Jerome and Sabrina shuffled over to let him in without stepping off the door mat.

Holly waved at him shyly, he didn’t avoid her gaze which she supposed was a good sign. He even took his usual place next to her. She was dying to ask if he was pretending nothing had happened or had changed his mind about her. But she couldn’t ask in front of their friends, and her home was too small to find a private corner. Nevertheless, her mood increased tenfold, and by the time all seven of her friends had arrived, she was dancing on her chair to “Monster Mash”.

They alternated between playing Dungeons & Dragons one week and regular board games the other, either old ones they loved or new acquisitions. Today being Halloween, someone suggested they played with a Ouija board.

Some groaned, among them Patrick who preferred games like Risk and Settlers of Catan. “It’s not a game!” he argued.

“Back in the days, it was marketed as family entertainment,” Sabrina replied. “Parker Brothers distributed it.”

“C’mon just for a bit, just for laughs,” someone else enthused.

“Wait, let me set the mood,” Holly said.

She selected a Halloween playlist on her mobile. She brought her collection of candles to the table and closed the lights. The scent of burnt match and melted wax rose with the smoke.

There was a thrill in the air, they all exchanged glances and giggles. Everyone, except Will, wanted to put their fingers on the planchette. They tugged it this way and that, spelling swear words and booing like ghosts.

“Let’s do this seriously,” Jasna said. “Be silent.”

It took a moment, but everyone calmed down. Jasna cleared her throat and breathed in deeply. Holly snickered, and Jasna’s mouth twitched from repressed laughter.

“Alright.” She placed the planchette so the hole in it was positioned above the G. “I am trying to contact the spirit world.”

She had a deep voice for a woman and a Bosnian accent that lended a hint of mystery to her words.

First they moved the planchette across the board, anti-clockwise, to warm it up, then Jasna asked: “Are there any spirit in the room?”

The planchette moved to “yes”.

Holly’s hair stood on end. She bit the thumb nail of her free hand.

“How many spirits are in the room?”

Jasna closed her eyes. The planchette dragged down the board to the numbers.

One.

Two.

Everyone laughed, notes shrill with unease. It kept going. Three.

Four.

Five.

Sabrina gulped. Jerome looked over his shoulder.

Holly scooted closer to Will. She felt a prickled on the back of her neck. A candle flame flared up, and almost burnt her sleeve. “Fuck,” she whispered.

“What are your names?”

This time the planchette jerked to the letter “K”, zigzagged across the board as if wrestled over, then touched the “A”. Will dropped his hands. Then it pointed the “T”. When it moved towards the “E”, Will stood up, startling them all. He clenched his jaw and glared around the table, breathing fast through his nose. Then he just grabbed his coat and stormed out.

“Which one of you arsehole did that?” Holly asked.

They all exchanged suspicious looks but none dared admit culpability.

Will drove around aimlessly, swearing under his breath. His hands shook so he gripped the wheel tighter. His knuckles turned white.

How could his friends do that to him? With one joke they’d revived the ache in his chest, like taking a scalpel to a stitched wound.

Heavy rain blurred the traffic lights and road signs. He felt dizzy. He shouldn’t drive in this state. But he didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to go home, Jamie was at a slumber party, all by himself he would just churn these dark thoughts in his head. Why was he so freaked out? Ghosts weren’t real.

Will slammed the breaks. His whole body jerked forward. The wheel stamped in his chest with a long honk. He’d nearly hit a pedestrian.

He parked the car on the side of the road. His heartbeat drummed in his ears. He rested his forehead on the wheel and took deep breaths.

It was only a joke. They didn’t not it would hurt so much. None of them had known Kate. None of them had seen the shell of a man he was after her death. None of them knew he’d murdered for her… In fact, he’d never told any of them about Kate at all. His blood ran cold. No, he’d told Holly, but he didn’t believe her capable of pulling such a cruel prank.

In Holly’s flat, candles were still burning but everyone had gone. She’d texted Will and rearranged the candies’ pattern while waiting for his reply.

Instead of texting her back, he showed up on her doorstep. His hair dripped with rain. He smelled of cigarette, so she knew the whole event had really unnerved him.

Without a word, he pulled out a chair and slouched on it.

“I’ll make you a cuppa,” she said softly.

She popped the kettle on and browsed her tea collection. She bought far more than she drank, she couldn’t resist a whimsical name– “Buddha’s blend” or “seaberry spa”. But tonight called for traditional English tea. She debated which cup to pick, yellow to cheer him up or green for hope. She chose one that said “you are deer to me” underlined by a set of antlers. He smiled at the pun, though very briefly.

Holly twirled the tea bag in her mug, watching the dark swirls it left in its wake. She did it with her left hand so the right one could rest on the table, close to Will’s.

The thunder she’d wished for began. Ominous rumbles, like a giant cracking his knuckles.

In the other room, the Halloween playlist ended, and an old jazz one started. Notes of saxophone and a lamenting blues voice travelled through the wall like something from the past.

“Did you tell them about my wife?” he asked.

“Of course not, you told me that in confidence. I think some reality show starlet called Kate died last week, that’s probably what that was about.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, nodding unconvincingly.

A lightning strike illuminated his face. He was looking at the Ouija board still on the table. Whoever had brought it over, hadn’t wanted it back.

“Do you want to try again?” she asked him.

He hesitated. “Do you believe in spirits, Holly?”

“I’m open to the idea.”

It was too romantic a notion for her to discard entirely, the possibility of a connexion beyond death.

Will picked up the game, and they settled in the living room. They sat on the shaggy carpet, their backs against the couch and placed the board on the coffee table.

Will shook his hands, clenched and unclenched his fists. She wanted to pat his shoulder or rub his back, something to comfort and reassure him, but she couldn’t help thinking that if Kate’s ghost was still around, she wouldn’t like Holly touching her husband.

They placed their fingertips lightly upon the planchette. There were no giggles or joking around like earlier. Her stomach was heavy, her mouth dry.

“Kate, are you still here?” he asked.

Thunder answered him.

They waited. One minute. Two minutes.

“Kate?” he asked again with a tremor in his voice.

The planchette didn’t move.

Will sighed and leaned back against the couch.

“Are you disappointed?” she asked him.

“I don’t know… I’m relieved, I think.”

“Relieved?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “The reason I freaked out so much is that I’ve been thinking about Kate a lot lately. More than usual, I mean.”

“Oh.”

“I wonder what she would think. I wonder– I’m afraid it would make her sad that there’s someone else in my life.”

“You met someone?”

His meaning didn’t dawn on her until she met his gaze, his eyebrows slightly arched, his front teeth in his bottom lip.

“Me?”

“Aye. You’ve become important to me. Holly.”

Holly hid her blushing face against the couch cushion, peering sideways. She touched the tips of his fingers, and he slouched down so his face was closer to hers.

“You’re important to me too. I like you a lot.”

He smiled, a wide grin, thin lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes. The kind of smile that can only come from the happiness and heady relief to know one’s feelings are returned. A smile that mirrored her own.

She felt like her heart was glowing. She wanted to kiss him, right then and there, but he had more to say about his late wife.

He entwined their fingers and gathered his thoughts.

“I don’t want someone to replace Kate,” he said. “She used to say my brain was full of holes, but sometimes it feels like it’s my heart that’s full of holes.”

Holly touched his chest, and he placed his hand over hers.

“She’s still in there, but I need someone who is really here. Someone whose voice I can hear. Someone I can touch.”

Holly might have wondered if she could stand sharing his heart with a ghost, but he grazed her cheek with the back of his fingers, lightly, hesitantly, and she melted on the spot. She leaned into his touch, and he cupped her face firmly this time. His long fingers cradled her jaw, his thumb stroke her cheekbone, his gaze dropped to her lips.

“Oh, Will…”

A window flew open, wind toppled a pencil holder and scattered a stack of art prints across the floor.

Will jerked his head back, and Holly yelped. Her hand flew to her chest where he heart raced.

He closed the window while she collected the fallen items with shaky hands. She turned on all the lights in the room.

“That scared me half to death,” Holly said.

“Maybe it was Kate’s ghost.”

“Don’t even joke about this,” she said good-naturedly. She elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

They sat on her overstuffed sofa, it dipped in the middle, bringing them closer.

“Holly, are you all right with this?”

She rubbed her thumb in her palm. In a way, a widower was an improvement on a married man, and even on a divorcee.

“I have my own baggage,” she said carefully. “So I don’t know how it will go. But I feel so close to you, you know?”

“I know.”

“If you like, how come you reacted that way last week, when I took off my shirt?”

“You caught me by surprise!” His voice hitched an octave.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bit her bottom lip.

“I have to say, I admire your boldness.”

“Yeah? Would you like a do-over?”

“You mean…?

“I’ll take off my jumper again, and you make sure you have a better reaction.”

“Okay.”

“D’you need a minute to think about it?”

“Aye.”

She worked hard to hold back a grin when his brow furrowed in concentration. He signaled with a nod that she could go ahead. Holly rose to her knees and grabbed the hem of her sweater, displaying more confidence than she felt.

“Sod it,” Will mumbled before lunging for a kiss before she’d pulled it off completely.

Holly laughed against his mouth, but he pressed on. There was an anxiety to it, as if he might lose his nerve any second. His back muscles were rigid under her fingers. She moved her lips slowly as she rubbed up and down his spine.

The moment he truly yielded to his feelings, his weight pressed against her, and they fell back on the couch, mouths still locked.

His lips were eager, his hands roamed her stomach. He kissed down her neck as her legs cradled his narrow hips.

He broke the kiss to look at her. His eyes were bright, his hair a dishevelled.

“Much better reaction,” she said with a laugh.

He pecked her lips, then rested his head on her chest. She stroke his hair as he hugged her tight.

He stayed all night.

They marathoned classic black and white horror movies. Bela Lugosi grunted and Vincent Price laughed maniacally, as Will and Holly ate all the candies. They kissed too many times to keep up with the plots, and talked about everything long past midnight, never breaking physical contact. A happy tangle of limbs. They had so much to discover about the other now that they weren’t trying to hide their feelings.

They fell asleep in the wee hours, and Will’s phone alarm woke him up not much later.

“Don’t go,” Holly mumbled, clinging to his warm body.

He allowed himself two more snoozes before separating from her.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and kissed her head.

Despite the lack of sleep, he felt renewed. His patched-up heart beat more freely.

On his phone, he had several texts and voicemails from his concerned friends. He couldn’t hold a grudge for long given their prank had lead to finally kissing Holly.

On the way to his car, he whistled an old jazz song. But as he put his hands in his pockets, he found a green apple he didn’t remember putting there.

Fin

(More Will x Holly?)

#Teninch fic #Will x Holly #The Escape Artist #autumn prompts #ghosts - freeform #angst and fluff #friends to lovers #lostinfic writes stuff #all my love to the 5 people who like this ship #I know you and I appreciate you #Still taking prompts FYI #game night fic

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folklorecostumes · 6 years

Text

REPUTATION LYRIC INSPIRED TOUR OUTFITS AND POSTERS PART 1

A lot of these posters are pictured in either giant bubble letters, rep font or in calligraphy. Can’t do any of these? Download the rep font or font you wish to use, type up what you want in a big enough font size, print, cut, and trace, or glue them down up to you! Of course, write these however you wish!

Hello all! Thanks for waiting so patiently for this list! Because of how long it is and how very excited you all have been waiting for this we have decided to post it into 2 parts to keep the excitement going. Part 2 will be coming in just a few short days and will be linked here, maybe even sooner than you think! Please enjoy all the ideas we listed below so far, send us others you may have and want to share with the swiftie world. We apologize if the formatting on this looks bad on mobile, we are trying to actively make it easily accessible and readable across all platforms!

And lastly, enjoy and tag us in these recreations! We want to see them! We want to help them get seen by Taylor!

Find the Reputation Part 2 list here.

Find the 1989 idea list here and here.

Find the Red idea list here.

Find more costume and poster ideas and tips here.

lovelovelove,

- Reputation Costumes.

…READY FOR IT?:

1. “Knew he was a killer” – you and a friend or significant other dress up as a killer and their victim (not to scary or realistic though! Just have fun with it)

2. “Left haunted” – could make a fun sign saying “Taylor left me haunted” or something silly with the word haunted! Could even use Haunted (Speak Now) lyrics!

3. “But if he’s a ghost, then I can be a phantom” – Few ideas:

→ Two people could dress up as ghosts.

→ Could also dress up as Danny Phantom because of the wordplay, or even the Phantom of the Opera if you wanted to be clever.

→ Could also dress up as ghost hunters/ghost busters.

4. “Holdin’ him for ransom” – dress as bank robbers! Could even copy the outfits from the vault scene in LWYMMD.

5. “I keep him forever, like a vendetta-ta” – Poster that replaces him for Taylor, so it says I keep Taylor forever, like a vendetta-ta.

6. “Island breeze and lights down low” – maybe dress tropical—think family vacation ha.

→ Could even improvise a poster that instead of saying island it could say (city name) breeze and stadium lights down low. Ex: “Boston breeze and stadium lights down low” (yes, I know its FOXBORO, but we all know Taylor just calls it Boston lol).

7. “In the middle of the night” – Dress as if you’re the night sky, glow in the dark ceiling stars or tape on a black/navy blue outfit with glitter. A matching poster in the shape of a star or a moon would be the perfect pairing.

8. “Are you ready for it?” – Poster with these lyrics on it. Remember posters can be as simple or as creative as you’d like. If you have a large enough group, you could make giant cutouts and hold two letters or so each.

9. “Stealing hearts and running off..” – A poster in the shape of a heart (not anatomical) with the lyrics on it.

10. “He can be my jailer” – Cop and Robber costume, could do the orange jumpsuit from the LWYMMD video and copy the “guards” around the birdcages outfits.

11. “Burton to this Taylor” – dress as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor

12. “Let the games begin” – Multiple options for this one.

→ Could dress as a referee/sport player/some sort of sport reference

→ Have a game board attached to your outfit, make your own Taylor inspired game, maybe by gluing homemade items over a monopoly and have little trivia questions about her.

→ Game board inspired poster—an Uno card but with these lyrics rather than traditional uno face.

13. Recreate one of the outfits from the music video

END GAME:

1. “I wanna be your endgame” – Poster designed as your favorite/or classic “end game” credit logo.

2. “I wanna be your first string” – Sometimes related to sports or your favorite ship from a TV show/Film/Book so do what you may with this.

3. “I wanna be your A-Team” – Could dress up as the A Team. Poster with friends that spell out A-Team.

4. “Big Reputation” – Poster with these lyrics or wear the End Game merch sold on Taylor’s site. Can’t afford it? Make your own with stencils and fabric paint!

5. “I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put ‘em” – Make/buy a shirt with a map on it—think buried treasure map with x’s to mark where stuff is hidden!

6. “Your body is gold” – Gold morph suit, gold body paint, gold glitter, gold anything! Dawn yourself in all gold for this look.

7. “So here’s the truth from my red lips” – Make an outfit with red lips open with a speech bubble above it and have end game lyrics in each one! Or make a poster with the same idea.

8. Recreate one of the many music video outfits!

I DID SOMETHING BAD:

1. “I play ‘em like a violin” – Make a poster cut out into the same of a violin and wear music notes.

2. ‘Now all he thinks about is me” – Poster saying “Now all I think about is Taylor”

3. “I can feel the flames on my skin” – Body paint flames in your arms/legs or wear flame pattern shirt.

4. “Crimson red paint on my lips” – Could be similar to the one above from End Game with red lips all over your outfit or a poster.

5. “If a man talk shit, then I owe him nothing” – Great lyric for a poster! Don’t want to put the swear on the poster? Get creative and maybe use the emoji covering its mouth or symbols!

6. “I never trust a playboy, but they love me” – Going with a guy friend? Could have him dress like Hugh Hefner but of course remember the necessary clothing needed to get into a venue if you do this! Could also dress as a bunny (playboy related or just average you decide)

7. “So I fly ‘em all around the world” – Going to multiple shows? Make a poster of a globe with airplanes landing on each tour stop you’re going to!

8. “They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one” – Dress as a witch, could be inspired from the Salem witch trials, could be a cartoon-y Halloween one, or one from your favorite show or movie that involves witches!

9. “Pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons” – Poster in the shape of a pitchfork or one that looks like a store receipt or screenshotted iMessage but using Taylor lyrics as the messages or purchases!

10. “Light me up” – Most shows apparently will not allow lights but doesn’t mean you can’t light up with glow sticks, glow in the dark body paint/outfits or glitter!

11. “Most fun I ever had” – Poster saying “Taylor Concerts are the most fun I ever had!”

DON’T BLAME ME:

1. “Don’t blame me, love made me crazy” – Poster that says, “Don’t blame me, Taylor made me crazy.”

2. “Darkest little paradise” – Black lace vibe from this lyric, especially picturing those pumps that have fur on the front near the toes. Could also make a sign that’s a midnight black sky with glow in the dark stars writing out the lyric.

3. “They say, ‘She’s gone too far this time’” – Poster with this lyric and a map tracking all your shows if you’re going to multiple. Could have all the miles listed under each show!

4. “Halo, hiding my obsession” – Angel outfit? Make the halo out of glow sticks so it shines after the lights go down. Poster that says hiding my obsession, maybe make it look like a TSL post.

5. “I once was poison ivy, but now I’m your daisy” – Few ideas for this:

→ An outfit that starts as poison ivy on the bottom but slowly progress to daisies. Could have buds of daisies starting at the bottom with the ivy and start to have them bloom as it increases until it’s just all daisies.

→ Poster that spells out poison ivy in plastic (or real or drawn completely up to you) poison ivy.

→ Poster that spells out Daisy with Daisies from a craft store!

→ Daisy Buchanan from Gatsby.

→ Poison Ivy comic.

6. “Fall from grace” – Michael and Lucifer, so aka could go as a fallen angel or the devil. If you watch Supernatural then you can pull from that for inspiration!

7. Taylor related this song to church, love and drug use because those 3 are powerful enough to change a person. Dressing up as if you’re in a choir could fit this song! Even something church related, however trying to remain neutral with that can be difficult.

8. Some people get a Fifty Shades of Grey vibe from this song, do what you may with that.

DELICATE:

1. Poster spelling out delicate with an assortment of colorful fake flowers.

2. “You can make me a drink” – Poster cut out in the shape of a wine glass with the lyrics being written in a bold, thick font and place to look as if from far away its wine drawn in the glass.

3. “Dive bar on the East Side, where you at?” – “Taylor Swift concert in (your state), where you at?” sign. Could also make this look like an iMessage chat.

4. Fringe outfit similar to the video.

5. Dive bar outfit.

6. “Dark jeans and your Nikes” – Could easily where this exact outfit paired with a Taylor shirt if you aren’t into dressing up for shows!

7. “Never seen that color blue” – Poster with sketched blue eyes and these lyrics underneath it. Could also wear an entire blue outfit.

8. “Is it chill that you’re in my head?” – poster ideas:

→ Is it chill that Taylor’s in my head?

→ Is it chill that you’re in my head, Taylor?

9. “Handsome, you’re a mansion with a view.” - Dress up with a costume similar in the idea of the a skyscraper costume but as a fancy house!

10. “Echoes of your footsteps on the stairs” - Poster with an echoing effect (think Microsoft early 2000s word art) on the lyrics. Could even place the lyrics on top of one another to look like it’s building a staircase.

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO:

1. “I don’t like your little games” – See similar ideas for game inspired outfits above, OR

→ Make an outfit featuring miniature games attached to you, like Tamagotchi’s or make your own mini monopoly/life/etc. boards and glue them onto your outfit or poster. Possibly break the little boards in half and have broken pieces to represent not liking them.

2. “Of the fool” – Could dress up as a fool/clown. Silly, whimsical costume.

3. “Said the gun was mine” – Could do a poster of a smoking gun with the lyrics looking like they came out of the gun/the toy guns where flags pop out.

4. “Rose up from the dead” – Zombie! Tombstone poster!

5. “I’ve got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined” – List of names—Taylor related, maybe her cats or not—but have them all crossed out besides for Taylors at the bottom.

6. “I check it once, then I check it twice” – Some say this reminds them of Santa so by all means feel free to dress up Christmas-y.

7. “Look what you made me do” – Use the lyric video to create cool posters.

8. “I don’t like your kingdom keys” – few ideas:

→ Outfit with keys drawn on, make them look vintage and old, wear crowns with this look! Could also have keys dangling off the ends of the outfit.

→ Giant gold key posters, make them look novelty like the ones cities give to honor people.

9. Drama and Karma matching glitter posters.

10. Snake skin, snake rings, snake anything!

11. Choose one of the many outfits Taylor is seen wearing throughout the LWYMMD video, we’ll hopefully have some great, cheap knockoffs for these soon!

12. Dress up as “old Taylor” so this basically opens up endless possibilities from each era, check out our 1989 and Red costume lists for more ideas! Hopefully we can work on Speak Now, Fearless and Debut inspired lists soon too!

13. Merch! Merch! Merch! She has tons of Look merch on her site, wear that if you want to be casual.

14. Similar Blind for Love sweater is available on eBay! The similar patches are also sold at craft stores or online (eBay).

15. Use the patches sold through Taylor Swift’s store to make you’re own one of a kind outfit--whether it be a denim jacket, dress, you name it! You can even design you’re own patches using crafts.

16. “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now” - Poster using a picture of the “old Taylor” and a poster in the shape of a phone! Could incorporate the Our Song video, WANEGBT video, or the Look video when she’s on a phone.

SO IT GOES…

1. “See you in the dark” – Poster where the word Dark is written in glow in the dark paint/marker to show up after the lights go down!

2. “All eyes on you” – Outfit with googly eyes glued all over it. Or create a poster with the same idea and the lyrics changed to “All eyes on Taylor”

→ Add “my magician” if you wish to the end of the poster lyric or combine the googly eyes theme with a magician costume.

3. “My magician” – Multiple options:

→ Dress up in a magician’s costume, this can be traditional, or you can be as creative as you want with it.

→ Poster cut out to look like you’re holding a fan of cards (think trick magician’s deck) with any lyrics from the song written on it.

→ Could dress up as a magician’s assistant.

→ Dress up as a rabbit/bunny (stereotypically used in acts)

→ Poster in the shape of a bunny peeking out of a magician’s hat, or just the ears sticking out of the hat, with so it goes lyrics on it.

→ Poster of a crystal ball with “all eyes on you, my magician” written in it.

4. “You make everyone disappear” – “Taylor makes everyone disappear” written on a poster. Possibly write it in glow in the dark ink so it only shows when the lights are down and not before!

5. “Cut me into pieces” – Puzzle piece posters! You and a group of friends can each hold a piece that fits into the other and each can have one word of a line from any reputation song or simply use the “cut me into pieces”

6. “Gold cage, hostage to my feelings” – 2 options:

→ Make a cut out poster in the shape of a cage, individual cut out in between each bar so it’s open, do two sides like this and attach strings to wear the sign so it looks like the cage is around you. Could even wear this with the orange jumpsuit outfit from the Look video!

→ Poster in the shape of a gold bird cage with “hostage to my feelings” written inside of it.

7. “All our pieces fall right into place” – Poster with confetti, puzzle pieces, hearts either drawn on or glued. Either place or draw the pieces to spell out the lyrics as they fall down to a pile at the bottom of the poster paper or just have the pieces you decide to use “raining” down halfway through the poster and have the lyrics on the bottom half.

8. “So it goes…” Poster with these lyrics.

9. “Met you in a bar” – 2 options:

→ Poster drawn and cut out like a whiskey bottle with these lyrics, Taylor and reputation written on the label.

→ Using half of a poster board, draw what looks like a bar top (typically mahogany) with bottles either laying or standing across it and a few shot glasses, each bottle could be named after a song on the album!

10. “All eyes on us/All eyes on you/All eyes on me” - Staring eye emoji drawn on a poster with a thought bubble above it with one of these 3 lyrics in the bubble.

11. “I make all your grey days clear” –

→ One person dresses up as a cloudy/rainy day so all grey clothes and have reflective blue tape cut into rain drops and white reflective tape to represent clouds (typically clouds are grey/black when it’s raining but those two colors won’t be reflective, could use glow in the dark paint/tape as well). Could also wear a cloud poster with raindrops hanging from it on string around them or hold as a regular poster with these lyrics in the cloud.

→ Second person dresses up as sunny day, in preferably light blue to represent a clear sky, yellow reflective tape cut out as suns on the outfit—could even have some breaking through clouds using white reflective tape. Person could also wear a sun poster around them like suggested above for the grey day look.

12. “Wear you like a necklace” – Think flavor flav! Make a giant fake watch (or not a watch and just a necklace) out of string and cardboard. Have the reputation album cover or cd artwork be hanging from it/as the face of the watch.

13. “Dressed in black now” – Wear all black! Draw attention to yourself with some glow in the dark paint or stickers, glow sticks and glitter.

14. “Scratches down your back” – Might not be appropriate with what its referencing for younger crowds and you may get looks from parents but create a shirt with bloody scratches down the backside and let the front side have “so it goes…” written on it.

15. “You did a number on me” – Few options:

→ Poster cut out into a 13/22/1989 with the lyric written throughout the 13/22/1989.

→ Poster with an array of numbers related to Taylor filling it (13, 22, 1989, 10(Grammys), etc.). Write the lyrics in rep font first and draw the numbers around it, filling the background. Write in glow in the dark paint/tape, glue flowers over the lyrics, whatever you desire! Can even just use the word rep instead of doing the lyrics.

→ Idea above for the poster could also work on a shirt.

→ Poster with the number of shows you’re attending.

16. “Who’s counting?” – See the ideas for the lyric above, they work well with this one as well.

252 notes · View notes

magzoso-tech · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/instagrams-decade-it-changed-how-brands-sell-and-shoppers-buy/

Instagram's Decade: It Changed How Brands Sell and Shoppers Buy

On October 6, 2010 – the first year of the decade now drawing to a close – the following headline appeared above a modest 445-word article on a tech-industry website: “Instagram Launches With the Hope of Igniting Communication Through Images.” It’s an almost comically quaint description of exactly what the company has done over the past nine years. On its way to amassing more than a billion users, Instagram has become many things: a joyful storehouse of family photos, a sledgehammer for celebrity tabloid culture, a shadowy abyss of teen bullying. Oh, and it has also become the most powerful force in shaping commerce this side of Amazon.com.

The smartphone app has notably served as a platform for new forms of consumer marketing. But its influence on spending is far more profound. Because everyone now lives their lives on camera, Instagram has played a crucial role in altering both the look and nature of products people buy and the physical spaces where they shop.

Certain items were elevated to the must-have list this decade because they were shareable – that is, they photographed especially well or had a flair of whimsy that racked up the likes and comments. So the ugly Christmas sweater went from ironic joke to something Walmart had to stock in droves, while matching family pyjamas invaded department stores.

Product designers and merchants have gotten wise to this dynamic and have responded in kind. They brought shoppers pool floats shaped like swans and floppy sun hats with cursive kiss-offs like “Do Not Disturb.” They served up eye-catching rainbow bagels, Unicorn Frappuccinos and latte art. They scored with kids’ games such as Pie Face that were perfect for video snippets.

“Bride Tribe” tank tops. Mermaid toast. “Live Laugh Love” wall art. It is doubtful any of these things would even exist if not for Instagram.

In some cases, whole product categories have benefited from the photo-centric world that Instagram has created. The beauty business had several booming years this decade, powered by trends such as contouring and strobing that made women feel duck-face-ready. Sales of houseplants skyrocketed as Millennials outfitted their homes with fiddle-leaf figs that lent an artful flourish to photos.

And then there are the stores themselves – if that’s still the correct term in the Instagram era. Retailers have created spaces that are alluring sets for photos, such as Tiffany & Co.’s addition of a robin’s-egg blue café to its Manhattan flagship and Canada Goose’s “cold room” sprinkled with real snow. Concepts like Museum of Ice Cream and Rosé Mansion aren’t so much stores as gallery-museum-commerce crossbreeds built on the back of Instagram.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs have adapted the lighting in their dining rooms to be conducive to photos, knowing diners’ pictures are among their most powerful marketing tools. Splashy lettering, loud wallpaper, neon signs – these have become the default aesthetic of eateries looking to nab a spot in Instagram feeds.

Restaurants are just one component of the so-called “experience economy,” a broader category of consumer spending that has been utterly upended by Instagram. The vacation-photo arms race has led to certain picturesque landmarks being choked by visitors and public lands being degraded. Hotels are also being forced to adapt. Industry giant Marriott International Inc., for example, debuted in 2014 a chain called the Moxy, where guests can opt to have their tiny rooms festooned with photo-friendly inflatable flamingos.

Perhaps Instagram’s most peculiar commercial influence has been its role in creating entirely new spending occasions, particularly around life milestones. Maternity photo shoots have become commonplace; so have birth and newborn photo shoots. Same for “Trash the dress” and home-buying photo shoots. Some of these rituals started becoming trendy before Instagram’s rise, but it is the app that has cemented them as an ordinary thing to drop hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on.

Relatedly, there now exists a weird species of consumer goods that no one needed before they revealed big news via a visual medium. Search Etsy for “pregnancy announcement props,” and you’ll find thousands of items: chalkboard-style signs, pacifiers and dog outfits emblazoned with baby announcements. You’ll find similar props to herald engagements, gender reveals and birthdays by photo.

All of this is before contemplating what an essential tool Instagram has become for brand advertising. So-called influencers – a class that includes both Hollywood actresses and suburban moms with fewer than 10,000 followers – have perfected the art of hawking everything from fashion to protein drinks to tampons to credit-card rewards programs to their audiences in exchange for fees or free gear.

In a $600 million testament to Instagram’s power as a marketing platform, beauty industry giant Coty Inc. took a majority stake this year in Kylie Cosmetics, the makeup brand that Kardashian clan member Kylie Jenner had made a hot seller largely thanks to clever promotion on the app. Fast-growing digital upstarts such as Fashion Nova and Revolve Clothing provide additional powerful examples of Instagram’s ability to put a brand on the map.

Instagram’s impact on shopping in the 2010s isn’t as easily quantified as that of Amazon. The online retailer’s transformative role can be seen in its estimated 38 percent share of the US e-commerce market, a market value that briefly touched $1 trillion and CEO Jeff Bezos’s No. 1 or No. 2 spot on Bloomberg’s Billionaire’s Index.

What Instagram did is change consumer culture. It turned shoppers into a performative swarm of shutterbugs presenting Clarendon-filtered (or maybe Juno-filtered?) versions of themselves and their surroundings to their followers. It changed not only how things are bought and sold, but why. When period-piece movies are someday made about the 2010s, the aesthetics used to evoke this decade- all-white kitchens, neon-colored foods, major sleeves – will be the ones that sparkled in Instagram’s onscreen world. Real life never looked quite so glossy.

#Miscellaneous

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dragonshost · 7 years

Link

Fandom: Fairy Tail Pairing: Mard Geer x Lucy Word Count: 3,000 words

Eventually, anyway. This fic focuses mostly on the relationships between Celestial Spirits and their key holders.

It’s A New World It’s A New Start It’s Alive With The Beating Of Young Hearts It’s A New Day It’s A New Plan

-Bryan Adams “Here I Am”

Lucy raised her arm high, Fleuve D'Etoiles clenched firmly in the same hand. "And here's what you get for thinking Celestial Wizards and their Spirits are weak!" she shouted, snapping her arm down as hard as she could. Fleuve D'Etoiles' length lashed out, brilliant blue with golden sparks dancing. The bandit it was aimed at squeaked in alarm, scrambling backwards only to fall over the upraised tree roots that surrounded them. The whip sailed harmlessly over his head as he grinned and then rolled to his feet.

"That all you got, girly?!" he mocked, snapping his fingers. "Pitiful - is this really all your kind are capable of? Even your little spirit lackeys got so fed up with you they abandoned you!" Iridescent bubbles formed all around him. Lucy knew from experience that despite their rainbow sheen and innocent appearance, those things were made of a rather nasty variety of acid that burned away all it touched. Her clothes had already faced the brunt of his previous assault, and were now hanging in tatters off her form. Acid burns dotted her skin, and made every movement painful.

But there was no way she was going to let this moron get the best of her. She had the reputation of Fairy Tail to protect! And no one got away insulting her bond with her Spirits. No one.

To the bandit's great surprise, Lucy grinned back at him. "Maybe instead of insulting me, you should have been paying more attention to my whip!" Far too late for him to react, Lucy yanked her arm backwards. Her whip's coils tightened around the bandit's feet, where Fleuve D'Etoiles had been resting after Lucy's initial attack, pulling the ruffian off his feet. "And who said my spirits were gone?! Sagittarius, hit him where it hurts!"

"As you wish, my lady!" the archer replied from his perch high in a nearby tree. "Goodbye and farewell, fiend!"

The bandit screamed in terror as a barrage of arrows fell like rain all around him, pinning him thoroughly to the ground and bursting his acidic bubbles with soft hisses.

Lucy gave her Spirit a thumbs up. "That was great, Sagittarius! Thank you!"

He bowed low, leaving Lucy to wonder how the horse head part of his costume didn't send him careening forward off the tree branch with its bulk and weight. "A pleasure to serve, as always!"

She giggled at him. "You can go back if you want, now. Thanks again for the help."

As he straightened from his bow, Sagittarius gave Lucy a fond smile. "Then until we say hello again!" Disappearing in a shimmer of golden sparkles, he departed back for his world. His golden gate - clearly visible to Lucy's inner eye - shut firmly behind him.

Her attention returned to the catatonic bandit, and Lucy set about trussing him up with her whip. Tying him to a gargantuan tree root, Lucy then stepped back to admire her handiwork. There was no way he was getting out of that anytime soon, even with his little acid trick.

A heavy sigh whooshed out of her as she took in her own condition. "Wonderful," Lucy grumbled to herself, picking idly at the scraps of cloth barely covering her important places. "And here I really liked that outfit, too!"

"I brought you a change of clothes, Princess," a monotonous voice piped up behind her.

"EEK!" she shrieked in surprise. Clutching her chest, Lucy breathed hard, her heart trying its utmost to escape the confines of her ribcage. "I have got to learn to get used to that." Virgo was smiling knowingly at her when she turned around. Never let it be said that Gemini was the most mischievous of Lucy's Spirits. That title belonged solely to the maid-outfit-wearing pink-haired maiden constellation. "Thank you so much, Virgo. I really appreciate you bringing me these," Lucy told her.

The space around Virgo's eyes softened as she relinquished her items. "These should help foster the healing for your burns. I included a matching set for your friend, as well."

Lucy couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, again! I'm sure Yukino will be very grateful you thought of her."

Virgo bowed. "If that's all, Princess, big brother is going on a rampage in the Celestial World right now. He's upset that you didn't summon him for this fight. I will inform him that you are in good health."

"That silly lion..." Lucy muttered under her breath. "Of course I didn't summon him! There's no way I'm letting a close-combat specialist anywhere near those acid bubbles." She met Virgo's gaze once more. "Tell Taurus I'm sorry, please? I should have realized sooner what they were."

"He is already recovered and is currently taunting big brother about being summoned instead of him," Virgo curtly replied. "But I shall let him know about your concern so he may wheedle big brother about that as well."

The Celestial Mage resisted the urge to facepalm at the antics of her Spirit friends only through great force of will. Also, her hands were full of clothes. "Thank you again, Virgo."

With a nod, the Spirit left in a shower of sparkles and wavering light.

Swiftly, Lucy changed her outfit using a giant tree for cover. Virgo's gift was even cuter than the destroyed outfit! After that cheerful observation, Lucy paused to glance around the dense, ancient forest. She wondered how Yukino was faring with her own opponent; at some point during their battles they had separated as Yukino took on the close range opponent and Lucy the mid-ranged one.

It had been quite the surprise to find herself on a job with her fellow Celestial Wizard, truth be told. Yukino had just shown up at the guild, job request in hand, and a glimmer of delight in her eyes as she asked Lucy to go on the job with her. With a letter of Guild Master Sting's full support in her possession as well. Master Makarov had heartily approved of the idea of inter-guild cooperation, and Lucy had been ecstatic to spend some quality time with her Sabertooth friend. Team Natsu, on the other hand, had proven quite troublesome when they insisted on coming along. It had taken both Mirajane and Makarov to hold the very dejected group of mages behind.

Lucy hadn't liked ditching her teammates for a job, but it had certainly paid off well! Now she had enough money for this month's rent, she got to do something with Yukino (even if the job had turned out to be a fighting-oriented one in the end), and nothing important had been demolished or otherwise destroyed.

All in all, she counted this as a success. Even her minor burns hurt less, thanks to the clothes from the Celestial World.

"Lucy-sama!" a high-pitched, familiar voice called in the distance. "Where are you, Lucy-sama?"

"I'm here, Yukino!" she shouted back, her own voice echoing amongst the trees.

A dull thud reached Lucy's ears. Confused, she anxiously peered around the forest. What was that noise...? It was steadily increasing in volume and pace. The leaves of the tree shook around her. Bracing herself, she crouched into a fighting position, just in case.

She was definitely not expecting a giant, bright pink, robotic teddy bear to come leaping out of the surrounding foliage. Yukino sat in one of the bear's paws, and an unconscious man was being hauled unceremoniously under it's other arm.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Lucy-sama!" Yukino declared happily. She patted the robotic bear's arm. "Thank you for carrying me, Polaris! Can you please set me down over there?" The Celestial Spirit (apparently) gently placed its keyholder upon the ground. "Thanks again!"

It nodded, and then turned to look at Lucy.

Lucy smiled at the Spirit. "It's nice to meet you, Polaris!" she greeted. "I'm Lucy, of Fairy Tail!"

Seeming to contemplate this for a moment, it then bowed slightly.

"He's a fan," Yukino said to her. "I may have told him quite a lot about you after the Grand Magic Games..." A red tinge danced across the silver-haired woman's cheeks. "He's an Ursa Minor."

"That's fine," Lucy replied. "I'm happy you guys seem okay! So how was your fight?"

Yukino shrugged. "He didn't put up much of a challenge, to be honest. I spent most of the time wandering around looking for you."

It was Lucy's turn to flush in embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry I ended up so far away from you."

Alarm flashed through Yukino's countenance. "Oh, no, Lucy-sama! I-If anything, it was my fault..."

Lucy waved her arms in a frantic denial. "No, no, no! I should pay more attention to where I am when I fight!" She let out a nervous giggle. "This isn't the first time - once I ended up falling off a cliff because of that habit..."

A mildly awkward silence befell them.

Breaking it, Yukino suggested, "Why don't I... um... take your mage and we head back to the requester?"

Lucy nodded frantically, eager for a subject change. "Yeah, that's a great idea!"

Yukino let out a sigh of relief. Casting her gaze about, she swiftly discovered Lucy's trussed up opponent. She stared at him for a long moment. "Um... Lucy-sama?"

Nervous sweat ran down the blonde's neck. "Yeah? What is it?"

The Sabertooth mage opened her mouth to say something, only to hastily shut it. Opening her mouth again, she stuttered out, "H-he's still alive... right, Lucy-sama? He's still alive... right?"

"W-why do you ask?"

"Oh, erm..." Yukino flushed again. "It's just that he's... well, you know. Foaming at the mouth."

Lucy glanced at the man. "Yup. He... he certainly is." There was a moment's pause, before Lucy clarified, "Alive, I mean. And foaming too. He's definitely... doing that as well."

"Excellent! Splendid! Well done! Oh, this is simply delightful!"

Lucy and Yukino flushed a little under the profuse praise being heaped upon them. As requested, they had delivered the two dark mages to the local Rune Knight faction. But not before the pair had been thoroughly searched for the documents they'd stolen from the job requester, a man by the name of Ortez Vrillic: an older, portly fellow that was not very tall; he was, overall, shaped rather like a balloon. He seemed like a friendly sort, though. Deep laugh lines were etched into his face, and not once had he harassed the two women. Instead, their limited interactions with him had been full of good cheer, despite the circumstances of the theft that had led to him posting the job in the first place.

"Thank you so much for getting these back! My company has a rather important to-do coming up, and it would be a rather unfortunate affair should these have hit the market before our official announcement," he confided. "But where are my manners? I'm sure you would like to be paid for your hard work! Excuse me, George - could you please bring out the reward I had prepared? And also bring the other thing, if you would be so kind."

George, his butler, bowed. "As you wish, sir." He left the sitting room with nary a sound.

Ortez turned back to the two mages and beamed at them in delight. "I must say that I never expected mages from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail to both show up for my little job request. Let alone a pair of Celestial Mages! Your kind are getting rather rare, if I'm not mistaken."

Lucy blinked in surprise. It wasn't exactly common knowledge that Celestial Mages were all but gone. She and Yukino were both aware of that fact, of course, but this was the first time she'd heard someone outside her circle of friends voice the observation. "Yukino and I became friends during the Grand Magic Games," Lucy told him. "So we took a job together. I'm surprised you know that about Celestial Mages, though. It's not really something we advertise."

He smiled kindly at them. "Honestly, it's wonderful to hear that you're friends. Too many Celestial Mages have killed each other for power, prestige, and keys over the years." Ortez let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, I have a bit of a personal interest in the affairs of Celestial Mages, and I've done a good deal of research on the subject myself. My grandfather was a Celestial Mage, himself... though not a very strong one. My father and I did not inherit any of his magical ability, either, I'm afraid."

"That's really interesting," Yukino stated, delighted by this news. "Did you know your grandfather well?"

"I did; I can recall many boyhood summers spent at his home." Wistfulness crossed Ortez's face. "Those were some of the best times of my life. I loved listening to all of his stories - he was once a guild mage himself. I believe he belonged to... oh what was it named again?" He contemplated it for a long minute. "I'm sorry; it seems that I can't quite recall. It was a very long time ago."

"What was his name?" Lucy asked eagerly. "I have a Spirit who we can ask." She drew out her keys, and pulled out Crux. "Crux, the Southern Cross. He's knowledgeable about all sorts of Spirits and to a limited degree, he can tell some things about who summoned them in the past."

Ortez stared at her oddly for a moment, without answering.

"Mr. Vrillic?" Lucy inquired, concerned for him. "Is something the matter?"

"...No," he finally replied. "No, I just..." He paused, and then began again, "Actually, if you would be so kind, I might have another job for you. It won't take very long, I assure you. And you would be compensated."

It was then that George returned, a briefcase in one hand and a small pouch in the other.

"Impeccable timing as always, George!" Ortez declared, his cheer suddenly returned. "I do not know how you do it. I need one more thing, however." When George nodded, he continued, "That little wooden box that I keep in my nightstand, could you bring it here?"

George seemed taken aback by the request. "Certainly, sir," he smoothly agreed a second later, schooling his features. He set the briefcase on the small table between Ortez and the two women, along with the pouch. "I shall return shortly."

"Good man, good man!" Ortez smiled as his manservant departed once more. "Really, no one better than George at taking care of me. Now, the briefcase contains your agreed upon payment for the job, and the pouch there is a little something extra I decided to throw in when you both first showed up." He gestured at them enthusiastically. "Please, please take a look."

Curious, Lucy and Yukino both regarded the pouch. It appeared old, and was crafted from very fine leather worn from use. Yukino reached out to the object first. "It is very soft," she commented, running a finger along the leather. Then she gently pulled on the drawstrings to open it. A soft gasp fell from her lips as she drew out the contents and laid them upon the table.

"Keys," Lucy breathed in astonishment. There were two - both were silver, and gleamed where they lay on the tabletop. One had an elegant fish carved into the handle, and the other a running horse.

"Dorado and Equuleus," Ortez explained fondly. "These two were my grandfather's companions."

"We can't... we can't possibly..."

The older man held up a hand to forestall any further protests on their part. "It is time for them to go to mages who will love and care for them. I have resisted parting with them for far too long as it is. I'm sure they would love to be summoned once more." His smile deepened. "I have many fond memories of these two. Please take care of them for me."

Lucy nodded, swallowing thickly and unable to respond properly.

Likewise inhibited, Yukino also nodded her thanks.

"Now, I'm certain you would like to know a little about them. Equuleus is a horse... or a pony, they were all equally large to me back then and I honestly don't know the difference otherwise," Ortez told them. "Dorado is a goldfish, but he lets off a beautiful glow in the dark. I can remember nights when my grandfather and I would sneak off to the kitchen for a late snack, Dorado swimming around us and lighting our way. Equuleus would often give us lifts to town if we needed something, and he was very affectionate... OH, MY!" he exclaimed, his speech interrupted suddenly by the two Celestial Mages hugging him. Ortez patted them awkwardly on the back. "Oh, my," he muttered again. "Oh, my."

"...I do hope that I'm not interrupting," George's droll voice came over them. "But I have brought the box you requested, sir."

Releasing Ortez, Lucy and Yukino resumed their seats. Grins were plastered across their faces.

"Excellent! Thank you, George!" Ortez said, taking the box from him. "Go ahead and have a seat."

"Thank you, sir." George sank down into a waiting armchair with apparent relief.

Ortez placed the box upon the table. It was made from a dark, red wood, polished and sleek. "This pertains to that other job I mentioned a few minutes ago," he explained. "If you could take a look at what's inside and identify it for me, you may keep it. Sound fair?"

"Sure," Lucy agreed, slightly bewildered by how well this job had turned out. She gestured to the box. "May I?"

"Go right ahead," Ortez urged.

Lucy gently grasped the box, pushing back the lid. Inside lay a pillow of fine, white satin that shone in the light. Nestled upon it, was a long object. It was mostly clear, with only the faintest tinge of lavender around the contours to reveal its shape to Lucy.

"It's a... key as well?" she questioned. Picking it up, she cradled it in her hand. It was definitely a key, but it was unlike any she'd ever seen before. "I take it you suspect this to be a Celestial Spirit key?"

"I know it to be one." His answer was calm, and confident. "This key has been passed down through the Celestial Mages of my family, but none have had the strength to summon it in a very long time indeed. They always hoped that the next generation would possess the ability the prior lacked, but alas... here we are. I do not know what Spirit it belongs to."

With a growing smile, Lucy brandished her faithful silver key. "Let's find out, then! Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!"

An old Spirit appeared with a great harumph. He floated in the air, legs crossed and his silver, cross-shaped head bowed. Ortez stared up at the elderly Spirit, wonder in his gaze.

"Hello, grandpa Crux!" Lucy greeted. "It's good to see you!"

"Yes, it is good to see you as well, Lucy. How may I help you?"

"We were wondering if you could identify this key for us?"

Crux glanced at the object in Lucy's hand. His eyes shot open to their full extent and he let out a screech.

Yukino and Ortez both yelped at the unexpected noise from the Spirit.

"That was a fast search," commented Lucy, unfazed by her Spirit's eccentricities.

"I do not need to do a search on that key, Miss Lucy," Crux informed her.

She blinked in surprise. "You know it on sight!"

The Spirit nodded, settling back and regarding her. "This is a rare key, one of only five of its kind. It belongs to the constellation of Corvus, the Crow... and it is a Ghost key."

I’ve Been Waiting For You Here I Am

-Bryan Adams “Here I Am”

#stardust #mardlu #mard geer #lucy heartfilia #yukino aguria #fairy tail #ft #fanfiction #long post

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businessliveme · 4 years

Text

Instagram’s Decade: It Changed How Brands Sell and Shoppers Buy

(Bloomberg Opinion) –On Oct. 6, 2010 — the first year of the decade now drawing to a close — the following headline appeared above a modest 445-word article on a tech-industry website: “Instagram Launches With the Hope of Igniting Communication Through Images.”

It’s an almost comically quaint description of exactly what the company has done over the past nine years. On its way to amassing more than a billion users, Instagram has become many things: a joyful storehouse of family photos, a sledgehammer for celebrity tabloid culture, a shadowy abyss of teen bullying. Oh, and it has also become the most powerful force in shaping commerce this side of Amazon.com Inc.

Certain items were elevated to the must-have list this decade because they were shareable — that is, they photographed especially well or had a flair of whimsy that racked up the likes and comments. So the Ugly Christmas Sweater went from ironic joke to something Walmart Inc. had to stock in droves, while matching family pajamas invaded department stores.

“Bride Tribe” tank tops. Mermaid toast. “Live Laugh Love” wall art. It is doubtful any of these things would even exist if not for Instagram.

And then there are the stores themselves — if that’s still the correct term in the Instagram era. Retailers have created spaces that are alluring sets for photos, such as Tiffany & Co.’s addition of a robin’s-egg blue café to its Manhattan flagship and Canada Goose’s “cold room” sprinkled with real snow. Concepts like Museum of Ice Cream and Rosé Mansion aren’t so much stores as gallery-museum-commerce crossbreeds built on the back of Instagram.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs have adapted the lighting in their dining rooms to be conducive to photos, knowing diners’ pictures are among their most powerful marketing tools. Splashy lettering, loud wallpaper, neon signs — these have become the default aesthetic of eateries looking to nab a spot in Instagram feeds.

All of this is before contemplating what an essential tool Instagram has become for brand advertising. So-called influencers — a class that includes both Hollywood actresses and suburban moms with fewer than 10,000 followers — have perfected the art of hawking everything from fashion to protein drinks to tampons to credit-card rewards programs to their audiences in exchange for fees or free gear.

Instagram’s impact on shopping in the 2010s isn’t as easily quantified as that of Amazon. The online retailer’s transformative role can be seen in its estimated 38% share of the U.S. e-commerce market, a market value that briefly touched $1 trillion and CEO Jeff Bezos’s No. 1 or No. 2 spot on Bloomberg’s Billionaire’s Index.

What Instagram did is change consumer culture. It turned shoppers into a performative swarm of shutterbugs presenting Clarendon-filtered (or maybe Juno-filtered?) versions of themselves and their surroundings to their followers. It changed not only how things are bought and sold, but why. When period-piece movies are someday made about the 2010s, the aesthetics used to evoke this decade— all-white kitchens, neon-colored foods, major sleeves — will be the ones that sparkled in Instagram’s onscreen world. Real life never looked quite so glossy.

The post Instagram’s Decade: It Changed How Brands Sell and Shoppers Buy appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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#IFTTT #WordPress

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whitefieldsnursery-blog · 7 years

Text

Group Name: Skittles.

Science surfers!

Water experiment!

Children are natural scientists.Always full of curiosity and eager to explore the world around them. It is important to note that not much is needed to nurture your child’s curiosity. Join the Little Skittles today, as they learned about the empty and full concept. They were super anxious to pour water from one bottle to another. This might sound like a very easy experiment, but they were cognitively focused on discovering what happens in the bottle and where the water was being transferred from. Discovering wonderful things about water could be so much fun.

So Mom and Dad, why don’t we try this at home? Let me use my hands all the time. It is good for the development of my fine motor skills and the good news is that water if readily available everywhere.

They also enjoyed making the sinking and floating experiment, aligning to the theme ‘opposites’. Most importantly, they learned that some toys carry weight and others are really light. So they sink right in the water. A great sensory play!

Tossing the ball game was awesome for the little ones. Here the teacher tossed a ball up in the air and any student who grabbed it took a turn to count the magic number of the day. The kids learned how to wait for their turns. They were excited to grab the ball and here they developed physical, emotional and social skills. This gave an opportunity for each kid to count in front of the whole class. Here their numeracy skills were boosted and well as being confident to speak and count before others.

Day and night are good examples of opposites that they studied today. The teacher explained that during the day time the shiny sun shows up on a clear blue sky. During the Nighttime, comes with Mr.Moon, the bright stars in a dark sky. They also learn that night time is for sleeping and daytime is playing time.

Do you know that playing is very important to our little growing bodies?

Arabic Circle time was full of new ideas and they learned a lot and was some much fun. Skittles had a very nice circle time in Arabic with dancing, counting and matching opposites with their body acting. Kids were so happy and enjoyed with this game.

Group Name: Pollys.

A busy learning day for Pollys today. Learning about opposites had never been any funnier to study about than it was today.

Kids showed their expressive skills by making a happy face and sad face craft, sticking tiny eyes and mouth. Their creativity was boosted to the maximum.

Children love being given simple little roles of responsibility. In that light, front and back side of the giraffe was presented to them to engage in a simple activity that would have them sorting between “hello” and “goodbye”. During this activity kids were encouraged to use the describing words such as “hello” and “goodbye”. This activity was great to help them understand more about the world they live in.

‘My colorful world’ was a very good activity to develop kids’ motor skills.

Where should I put this ball?- kids wondered. This activity was fulfilled for kids and their little hands were very busy trying to find an appropriate circle. It was a great activity for their cognitive development. Also, their communication skills were put to work. It was great for as it kept their minds at work and a great sensory play for them. They learned how to assemble things together.

Arabic hour was very interesting and informative as kids learned about theme opposites. It was fun and educative for kids as they develop their language and communication skills. Children had an interesting time in Arabic class today, starting with reviewing letters with examples, numbers and counting fingers with songs and then they playing a game of opposites.

Group Name: Seattles

Mano Nervosia!

This is an exciting Spanish game. It’s one of the best ever counting game for learning numbers in Spanish. It works in any language! So we did it in English. It is a lovely game because it teaches the actual numbers, instead of just rote counting.

Kids learned about big and small today.

Can you name a giant thing, a thing that’s really big? Yes! They shouted, pointing to the very big balls. Can you name an itty, bitty, tiny little thing? Yes! They shouted, pointing to the small pom pom balls.

Kids then had the responsibility of pasting the balls according to the sizes on the chart paper.

Which is heavier?

Kids were invited to pick up two items of different weights. As they did, they felt one as being difficult to carry and the other was easy to carry. This demonstration aims to help students link the concepts of quantity and heaviness as they were physically involved.

Mirror opposites!

Kids had Lego blocks and sheet of papers. With this, they had to put paint on one side of the paper. After doing that, kids were asked to close the papers after which they were asked to open and see how the opposite side looks like.

A really great day today….

Mano Nervosia! Group Name: Skittles. Science surfers! Water experiment! Children are natural scientists.Always full of curiosity and eager to explore the world around them.

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glittership · 7 years

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Episode #34 - "For she is the stars..." by Agatha Tan

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for she is the stars, and the sun revolves around her

by Agatha Tan

You watch from your corner booth as she settles down in the other corner booth, across the room.

It’s not the first time you’ve seen her around here, but the girl still manages to capture your attention. She’s tall and lithe and god, but those arms (you live for the day she wears a tank top, because) and you think she’s probably a dancer or a gymnast, because she moves with a grace that proclaims she knows her body well.

After the crazy week you’ve had at work, seeing the cute girl is pleasant. Today, her brown hair is topped by a maroon beanie, and her nose, which is sharp enough she could use it as a letter opener, is tinged red. You glance out the window as you take a sip of your tea. The world outside is a gorgeous snow globe, complete with the inconvenient white flurry. Still, you’re not complaining. You figure that if it’s this cold, even the girl dedicated to foiling all your business ventures won’t be flying around, so your employees might actually get things done.

[Full transcript after the cut.]

Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode 34 for February 28, 2017. This is your host, Keffy, and I’m super excited to be sharing this story with you.

Our story for today is “for she is the stars, and the sun revolves around her” by Agatha Tan.

Agatha Tan is a first year student at Yale-NUS College. She writes fantasy and sci-fi fiction and occasionally also pens poetry. In her spare time, she dabbles in fanfiction, modular origami, and video games.

for she is the stars, and the sun revolves around her

by Agatha Tan

You watch from your corner booth as she settles down in the other corner booth, across the room.

Thinking of work dampens your mood quickly. At the rate things are going, when the end of the year rolls around, you’ll have achieved maybe half an item on the to-do list you created in January. All because of a girl who waltzes in at the most inappropriate times and wrecks all your work.

(You consider cancelling bring-your-kid-to-work day because she’s always exploiting the relatively more relaxed security, but family is important, even in this business, and you don’t want your employees to forget that.)

Your eyes roam from your carefully drawn out plans—you’re designing a new machine to replace the one that someone blew up last week—to the girl in the corner, and you decide that, you know what, screw this. You neatly fold up the blueprints and shove them into your bag; carrying your tea in one hand and your jacket in the other, you make your way over to her.

“Hi,” you greet, and you hate that you’re one of the most powerful women in one of the most powerful industries, and your voice still quivers around cute girls. You flash her a smile, and you’re relieved when she flashes you one in return. Granted, her answering smile is nervous and hesitant, but it’s a smile nonetheless. “Do you mind…?”

The girl is perky and a little too enthusiastic and she seems to radiate rainbows, which really isn’t your usual type. But hey, she’s cute. “No! I mean, um, no, I don’t mind.”

As you set your tea down and slide into the seat, you introduce yourself to her. Your introduction is much smoother than hers, which tumbles out of her mouth and trips over her lips. You barely catch her name—Elle. For all the grace she exudes when she walks, she’s a pretty clumsy person. Still, that only endears you more to her, and you find yourself laughing at a stupid joke—her attempt at breaking the ice— even though you’ve heard it before and yeah, it’s just as stupid as you remembered. You talk for a little, and you suspect she’s into you too because you think her pupils are slightly dilated and she keeps leaning in. (Then she’ll catch herself and sit upright again. Rinse and repeat.)

She offers up information about herself to match the information you give her. When you tell her you work in engineering—given your talents, it didn’t make sense for you to go into anything else—she gushes about how cool that is and how smart you must be before telling you that she’s a chef. You mention tennis, and she reveals she dances on the side, confirming your suspicions. Not that you’re ever wrong, of course, but the validation is welcome.

It’s going well—you haven’t screwed up, and neither has she, and you’re beginning to think you might have a chance with her when your phone rings. You don’t want to take it, but glancing at the screen, you realize it’s your second-in-command, Tommy, so you excuse yourself and go outside.

“Boss, there’s something wrong with the machine,” he says immediately, once you’ve picked up. He’s learned remarkably swiftly that if you pick up at all, you know who it is, and he shouldn’t waste your time. Your last second-in-command took weeks to learn that lesson, and he’s still paying the price for that in Reykjavik, Iceland. “It’s making this odd purring sound and shaking like it might blow.”

You have to ask him to clarify thrice which machine he means, because god knows you didn’t hire him for his communication skills, but when you finally get it, you sigh because it’s not something you know how to fix without looking at it yourself. “Fine, I’ll come in,” you say, rubbing your temple with a finger that’s gone numb already. Electricity crackles at your fingertips, streaks of white and blue. “Expect me in half an hour.”

Not waiting for a reply, you hang up and head back inside. Elle has her nose buried in the book she was reading before you approached her earlier, and your arrival startles her, but she smiles. You grin back because she’s so jumpy it’s adorable. Not to mention normal. You could use some normal. Her smile falls when you tell her it was work and you have to go, but her face lights up again when you ask for her number. She keys it into your phone and you want give her yours as well, but she tells you her phone is out of battery. Shrugging, you scrawl your number in felt pen on a napkin—you feel like a cliché, but hey, your life is probably one giant cliché—and watch the lights in her eyes dance as she takes it, accepting your promises of soon.

It’s not going to last long, you know, because these flings never do. Sooner or later, your job will get in the way; you’ll have a screaming match at one in the morning and she’ll throw you out with your stuff because we never see each other anymore and it’s like you’re not even trying when I am, I am, but she won’t hear you and so you’ll go. You’ll feel drained for weeks afterwards, yet jump in again with the first cute girl who grabs your attention.

Still, it’s fun while it lasts, and you find yourself looking forward to seeing her again even as you trudge through the bitter snow to get to the train station. You might be one of the richest women in the country, but that’s only because you’re gifted and smart as hell, and this really isn’t the weather for driving.

Three months later, things have still not gone to hell.

You’re surprised, because usually it only takes one, but you suppose that your job hasn’t been as demanding recently. Your company is exceptionally quiet because your team’s deadline to perfect that next big machine hasn’t passed, so there’s a lull in the excitement. And the lull is good, because not only does it give your employees a chance to get some of the more legitimate work done, but it also means that no one is spying on you because you’re not actually stirring up any trouble. It’s pretty relaxing.

A bonus is that you’ve gotten to spend more time with Elle. Currently, she’s curled up on your couch, playing with Jam, watching a television special on the exploits of the supervillain Black Thunder and how her rival, the superhero Summer Wind, has foiled her every time. This special focuses on the time the superhero blew up Black Thunder’s entire lab three months ago. There are other villains and heroes, but those two are the top of the food chain. You watch these specials a lot, because how else will you keep up with the community?

It turns out that the weird purring sounds the machine had been making? Yeah, a cat, which had somehow gotten into the compound and into the machinery. You took it home with you because you couldn’t have left it in the compound to get stuck in all the other machines, and the next day you found it with a paw in your jam jar, hence the name. Jam took an immediate liking to Elle when she first came over two weeks ago, which is more than you can say for yourself. The cat spent an entire week hissing and clawing at you and the scars on your arms are faint but they’re still there to prove it.

You’re in the kitchen scooping globs of ice-cream on top of strawberries and Nutella when Elle calls over. “Hey, Van? Can I take you out next Wednesday? I know it’s your birthday.”

The words startle you, which is saying something because you’re nearly never startled. Not even when the skylight shatters and glass rains down on the warehouse floor just as you’re going to perform the start sequence, which is mostly unexpected and very, very annoying. The tall girl behind the mask whose life seemed to revolve around spoiling your machines has never been known for her subtlety.

But Elle, it seems, has never ceased to surprise you from the time you met her. She’s full of delicious contradictions—she moves with grace but speaks with inelegance, smart as a button but dense as osmium. She’s a chef at one of the top restaurants in the city, yet she loves McDonald’s takeout and canned soup. She loves beautiful things—art and music, sometimes literature—but she also loves you.

She’s said it only once, when you were cuddling in bed and she thought you were asleep. But you also see it in the things she does, and the words she says: the way she holds on just a little too long when you hug (you aren’t complaining; she’s warm and soft and smells like peaches), the way the corners of her eyes crinkle when you see each other (she also smiles with her lips, but those smiles are easier to fake), and the way she’s all over you when you come back with a bandaged hand after getting burned at work while working on finding a material suitable for the power core of a newer machine (how are you such a klutz you’re usually so careful). You say it back while she examines the wound because you mean it, you really do. Elle has become an anchor who grounds you even while you’re off plotting plans on the scale of world domination, and she’s busy enough herself that she understands when you’ve got a project you can’t tear yourself away from and cancel dinner plans. In fact, she’s usually busy when you are. It’s like the universe has extended an olive branch, and you don’t hesitate to take it.

Elle is too good for you, yet you hang on like she’s your lifeline.

In the confines of your apartment and the coffee shop and the space between Elle’s hands and yours when they’re interlocked, you both draft the blueprints of a small universe that’s just for the two of you. In here, nothing else exists. You’re not one of the most brilliant minds of the century and lightning doesn’t dance on your fingers unless you need to fix something insignificant like the stove or the phone, and she’s not a chef in a top restaurant. Your universe comprises pizza from the deli down the street and Chinese takeout that delivers in fifteen minutes, tops (you know the owner well and he doesn’t dare displease you). For the first time in years, your universe doesn’t include a sun that’s about to burst and take everything with it. This universe makes you feel safe and warm and normal and you love it.

Elle tells you she loves it too. In addition to you.

You hadn’t expected her to remember your birthday. You’d only mentioned it once, in passing, but it seems it’s a detail Elle has locked into her mind. “I’ve got to work on Wednesday,” you answer, wiping melted ice-cream off the counter because you’ve apparently been lost in thought for that long. You notice the kettle’s stopped working again, and you really should get a new one, but for now you give it a light zap from your finger and it promptly fixes itself. It’ll last at least another week; you’re still working on long-term fixes. “But I’m free for dinner, if you want?”

Elle agrees. You bring the dessert into the living room—lifting it out of Jam’s jumping range so he doesn’t get his paws into it—and she greets you with a kiss.

Her lips are sweeter than any strawberry could ever be.

You ask her to move in right after you pull away for air, and she agrees. Your universe gains a hundred new stars.

It’s Wednesday. As the machine powers up, you discuss these developments with Tommy.

He listens attentively, and when you finish telling him about how Jam got into some of her boxes and ripped up a tank top, he simply asks, “Does she know you’re an international supervillain?”

You sigh, glum. Jam is struggling in your arms, so you stroke his fur; you bring him in to work sometimes because you actually like the sodding cat. “I haven’t figured out how to tell her.”

“Well, you’d better figure out soon,” he says, and you know he’s right, but all you do is tell him to suit up and supervise the rookies because they’ve got a world to take over today and your girlfriend troubles aren’t going to get in the way of that.

You put Jam down so you can don your suit. Your hand finds electric currents in the air and you drag the pieces of your suit off the table and onto you. They click into place and start to hum with power, and when you’re satisfied that everything’s where it should be, you pull the visor of your helmet down, shielding your face and transforming into the villain everyone knows as Black Thunder.

The control room is entirely yours to work with. Well, yours and your cat’s. Your employees are on the ground floor, manning various power outlets and backup generators in case something happens. You get on your hover board and float around. You check the settings, and, satisfied, you’re about to hit the button that will make toast of Australia (this one Australian guy snubbed you once, and you’d never really forgotten it, so that’s where you’ll start), when lo and behold, the skylight comes crashing in and Summer Wind, her brown hair up in a ponytail and her face covered by a flimsy-looking mask (you know better—it’s actually a very sturdy but thin material she stole from your labs), comes flying in like she does every single time.

You don’t know how she does it. It’s not even a bring-your-kid-to-work day this time, but she still managed to sniff out your plot. This girl is infuriating.

“I really need to get that skylight covered with brick, or something,” you lament, throwing up your arm. Your voice comes out in a neutral robotic tone, courtesy of a small device inside your helmet. You weren’t a top-rated engineer or master villain for nothing. A metallic shield expands from your arm to protect you and Jam from the raining glass. “Can’t you let me toast Australia just once?”

“No can do, cutie,” Summer Wind says, and her voice is a robotic tone too, because she also stole one of those devices from your labs. She sounds way perkier than you do, though. Sometimes you wonder who the real criminal is, because she steals your stuff pretty much whenever she foils one of your plots. Unless, of course, she’s blown everything up, and you really hope she won’t this time because this machine was three months’ work.

She shoots down towards you. Your uttermost concern is, remarkably, to protect the cat, which has apparently no self-preservation instincts at all. It’s staying where it is and meowing like it expects to be petted. “Hey, don’t hurt the cat,” you chide, gliding over to it and scooping it up before Summer Wind reaches the ground. It’s not your usual behaviour, but living with Elle might have softened you. “Give me a sec.”

You can’t see her face because of the mask, but Summer Wind pulls out of her dive before she can injure Jam, which is all you need. You’re about to glide over to the corner of the room where you put the cat carrier when she exclaims, “Jam?”

You freeze in your tracks. How would she know—and then it all clicks. Why your girlfriend always seems busy when you are, why there are days you both come back with scrapes and bruises and lousy cover stories. Why she doesn’t always smell like food when she comes home from work.

Elle has more than one job.

It seems to hit both of you at the same time. Summer Wind—Elle—is the first to take off her mask. “Vanessa?”

Her eyes are wide and vulnerable and she’s so open—there are so many ways you could use this opportunity to finally win. The button is right there. You could easily have Australia toasted in five seconds. You reach for the button—but no. You want to win, but not like this. You slip your helmet off, and look everywhere but at her. Because you’re not looking, you don’t see the punch coming. You guess you probably deserve it.

As her fist makes impact with your cheek, you swear you hear the universe—your universe, the one you planned from scratch and built with Elle—laughing, and the sun bursts into a supernova that blinds you and leaves a hollow ringing in your ears.

END

“for she is the stars, and the sun revolves around her” was originally published in the Hwa Chong Institution literary magazine in 2015.

This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library.

You can support GlitterShip by checking out our Patreon at patreon.com/keffy, subscribing to our feed, or by leaving reviews on iTunes.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll be back on March 14 with a GlitterShip Original: “Cooking with Closed Mouths” by Kerry Truong.

[Music plays out]

Episode #34 – “For she is the stars…” by Agatha Tan was originally published on GlitterShip

#GlitterShip #lgbtq fiction #queer fiction #short stories #science fiction and fantasy #podcast

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folklorecostumes · 6 years

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REPUTATION LYRIC INSPIRED TOUR OUTFITS AND POSTERS PART 2

Hello all! Thanks for waiting so patiently for this list! Because of how long it is and how very excited you all have been waiting for this we have decided to post it into 2 parts to keep the excitement going. Part 1 is linked below! Please enjoy all the ideas we listed below, feel free to send us others you may have and want to share with the swiftie world. We apologize if the formatting on this looks bad on mobile, we are trying to actively make it easily accessible and readable across all platforms!

And lastly, enjoy and tag us in these recreations! We want to see them! We want to help them get seen by Taylor!

Find the Reputation Part 1 list here.

Find the 1989 idea list here and here.

Find the Red idea list here.

Find more costume and poster ideas and tips here.

lovelovelove,

- Reputation Costumes.

GORGEOUS:

1. “Gorgeous” – Few options:

→ Draw/or print the baby emoji onto a poster with a speech bubble saying the word gorgeous.

→ Poster spelling out gorgeous between you and your friends.

→ One poster with the word gorgeous on it. This song really sounds very bubblegum-y pop so pink and glitter and fluff and flowers can be associated with this. Keep that in mind when designing your poster.

→ Create your own gorgeous inspired Taylor merch. Get an idea based on how her current merch looks and design a shirt similar but instead of saying like “rep” everywhere it’ll say gorgeous.

2. “Made fun of the way you talk” – Poster with a multiple taymojis of Taylor with speech bubbles including all the extra hashtags, replies, reblogs Taylor’s ever used or said. This includes (find more on tumblr or I’m sure there are screenshots of these all somewhere since she like cleared her tumblr):

→ Mom-croon

→ Bae

→ Emojis

→ “I think for me, um…”

→ Pop Tart Squad 4 Lyfe

→ Can’t find my chill ever

→ Shifty Swifty Strikes Again

→ No it’s Becky

→ Brb going to buy more cats now

→ Merstare

→ I stalk because I care

→ They see me lurkin…They hatin…

→ Welcome to moo York

3. “Magnetic field being a little too strong” – Glue magnets onto a shirt and create a poster cut into the shape of a giant U-shaped magnet with that lyric written in it.

4. “Whiskey on ice” – Poster of a tumbler filled with whiskey and ice. The lyrics can be written into the ice cubes.

5. “Sunset and Vine” – Few options:

→ One person dresses up as a sunset, see the idea above for the “grey days clear” lyric in So It Goes…

→ Another person dresses up similar to Poison Ivy from DC Comics or one of the other poison/vine related looks listed above for Don’t Blame Me.

→ Poster with a map street view with a pin at the intersections of Sunset and Vine.

→ Dress like you’re favorite vine!

→ Poster cut out to look like a vine video post, you can take pictures with it as if you’re in the vine. Have the caption of the vine video be a cute lyric from the rep album!

6. “You’re so gorgeous, I can’t say anything to your face” – 2 options:

→ Wear a morph suit or shirt consisting of only Taylor’s face over and over—can be where she’s making a funny/weird face or can be just a normal shot of her face. Have a poster saying “you’re so gorgeous” to go along with this.

→ You and a friend can have two posters, one that says, “You’re so gorgeous, I can’t say anything to your” and have an arrow pointing over to your friend. Their poster will be a giant cut out of Taylor’s head.

7. “Cause you’re so gorgeous it actually hurts” – Poster saying Taylors so gorgeous it actually hurts. Can have a friend hold one that says “(Honey, it hurts)” or you can write that underneath the main lyric in the ( ).

8. “Ocean blue eyes looking in mine” – Poster of eyes, draw them big enough where you could draw waves of water where you’d shade it blue for eye color.

9. “There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have” – Typically we don’t recommend this simply because it canget fans overlooked, however it’s funny and cute so here it is: Write this lyric with “(t-party, club red, loft 89)” underneath in a small font, cross them out like that too since we won’t know the name of the after party show!

10. “Guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats” – Buy 2 cheap plush cats, maybe at a local dollar store, glue the heads of it onto a poster (or cut holes into the poster and stick the stuffies through, make sure they’ll stay all night though) and write the lyrics. Draw paw prints along the poster. Could pair with cat shirts and cat accessories. Could also glue multiple mini plush cats to an outfit and pair with a poster cut into the shape of a paw print. @taylortreasures has created an outfit similar to this!

GETAWAY CAR:

1. “Best of times, worst of crimes” – Set of posters for you and a friend to match with.

→ Times poster could consist of multiple watches/clocks drawn throughout the words

→ While crimes poster could have things like handcuffs, stolen money bags, cars all drawn throughout it. Turn these poster ideas into two unique outfits!

2. “Struck a match and blew your mind” – Set of posters:

→ Poster in the same of a match with a flame.

→ Poster drawing out the words “mind blown” in pink. See link to get a good idea, don’t draw the bitmoji.

3. “Ties were black, lies were white” – Dress up fancy for this! Think Blank Space video but before the outfits get torn up! Poster can read, one a white poster board, “lies were” and then leaving the rest blank. Could write “white” in glow in the dark paint/tape that would only show after the lights go off.

4. “X marks the spot where we fell apart” – 2 options:

→ Treasure map idea, see End Game “bury hatchets” idea!

→ Write out your stadium(s) name and draw a giant red X over it and write “where we fell apart” underneath.

5. “From the first Old Fashioned” – 2 options:

→ Dress old fashioned—so like pick a decade and go with it! May we recommend the 80s ;)

→ Poster in the shape of a tumbler that appears to be filled with an “old fashioned”, be sure to include the small details like a lemon rime/wedge and a cherry!

6. “Never had a shot gun shot in the dark” – Poster of the night sky with cutout bullet holes in it. Write the lyric out in mini glow in the dark stars to stand out!

7. “Drivin’ the getaway car” – Few options:

→ Poster in the shape of a car. Think of a 1969 Camaro or another vintage car that’s often seen in movies involving getaway cars. The lyrics from the chorus can look like its spray painted on the side of the car or front depending on how you face it in the poster.

→ Poster of the front of a car that’s cutout so you can wear it to look like you’re sitting in the car. Could have fake money hanging off the edges to make it look like money is flying out.

→ Poster with any of the chorus lyrics with a little drawing of a car speeding away with money flying out or drawing of tire tracks on the ground. Perfect for the “we were flyin’ but we never get far”

8. “Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery” – Few options:

→ Poster of the side of the Scooby doo van with the lyrics above the word Mystery that’s painted onto the van (omit words “the” and “machine”)

→ Make a Clue game board involving Taylor scenes from videos/tour pics etc and you can even include Olivia in a little detective outfit and a magnifying glass. Have a few game cards flipped over on the board with the lyrics being written across them.

9. “Think about the place where you first met me” – Met Taylor before? Or even some of her band members, dancers, parents, team? Make a poster with any pictures of these events and the lyrics!

10. “Sirens in the beat of your heart” – Draw a heartbeat line emitting from a police car or the red and white lights attached to the top of them (think the portable round ones’ undercover cops would attach to their cars). Put this idea onto a poster. Could even cut out the shape of the red and white siren lights and the heartbeat line and use glow in the dark tape/paint to make it stand out.

11. “The great escape, the prison break” – Dress up as runaway prisoners or thieves on the run! You can make posters in the shape of giant money sacks.

12. “A circus ain’t a love story” – Few options:

→ WANEGBT tour outfits from Red tour worn by Taylor and dancers!

→ This includes ring leader, clowns, acrobats, etc

→ Traditional circus outfits

→ Love Story, a classic Taylor song! Dress like the music video or past performances of this song.

→ Romeo + Juliet

13. “Hit you like a shot gun shot to the heart” – Same concept as above, however instead of a night sky poster, have a large cut out heart with bullet holes in it.

14. “We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde” – Dress as the infamous Bonnie and Clyde!

15. “Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys” – Bank robber with a money sack poster. Reference the poster to either show it’s a friend’s (or Taylor’s) money and have novelty keys hanging off the tie of the bag.

16. “I was ridin’/cryin’/dyin’ in a getaway car” – Few options:

→ Poster using a car emoji, the crying emoji and the skull emoji in the lyrics.

→ “I was crying to getaway car” pun on you enjoying the song poster

→ “I was dying to hear getaway car” poster

KING OF MY HEART:

17. “I made up my mind, I’m better of bein’ alone” – Poster saying you’re better off being a swiftie.

18. “We met a few weeks ago.” – Tribute to if you’ve met Taylor/her team/parents/band/dancers/etc on a poster or shirt.

19. “Callin’ me baby like tryin’ on clothes” – Poster board that’s interactive! Make a cut out Taylor (using the IKP outfit from 1989 tour will be the best option to start) and attach multiple tour outfits or appearance outfits she’s worn with double sided tape or some other adhesive and allow fans to try different outfits on Taylor!

20. “Salute to me, I’m your American Queen” – Few options:

→ Dress up as a Queen/royalty

→ America/4thof July inspired outfits

→ Crown and sash/Pageantry. Sash can say “Miss American Queen” You could even have a fake acceptance speech written out on a poster board that says like “And I want to thank Taylor…”

→ Poster cut out into the shape of a crown.

→ “you traded your baseball cap for a crown” relate KOMH to Long Live.

→ Poster saying this lyric and have American Queen colored in red, white and blue.

21. “You move to me like I’m a Motown beat” – Motown beats originated in gospel music but also in the 1970s music industry, use these two to inspire decade looks! The 70s were big on disco.

22. “With their range rovers and their jaguars” – 2 options:

→ Poster in the shape of the range rover or jaguar emblem.

→ Wear or make merch that looks dawns these brands emblems.

23. “You are the one I have been waiting for” – Poster ideas:

→ Typically, we don’t recommend this simply because it can get fans overlooked, however it’s fun and cute so here it is: Write this lyric with “(t-party, club red, loft 89)” underneath in a small font, cross them out like that too since we won’t know the name of the after-party show!

→ Taylor’s the one I have been waiting for on a poster.

24. “King of my heart” – Few ideas:

→ Giant heart shaped poster with a king’s crown and mini robe attached to it.

→ Poster using the crown emoji and the heart emoji.

→ Going with a significant other? Have them dress up as a King (or Queen) and have them hold a fake heart (think the vampire diaries but less gore ha) or hold a cutout heart poster. You can wear heart shaped sunglasses (think heart eyes motherf*cker vine) and shirt with these lyrics and an arrow pointing to your significant other.

→ Going alone but like the above idea? You can say you have Taylor’s heart or she has yours instead.

25. “I’ve been waiting” – Poster including how many days you counted down for your tour date(s).

26. “Late in the night, the city’s asleep” – Poster using the visual opening for WTNY that showed the landscape of the city at night. Use glow in the dark stars over the skyline and hole punch the lettering when writing out the lyric.

27. “Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep” – 2 ideas:

→ Make a poster using this lyric and draw out the emotions of hoping, dreaming and dying. Think of the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil sort of imaging.

→ “Taylor’s love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep”

28. “With a school girl crush” – Dress up as if you’re trying to impress your crush on the first day of school! Have a poster that consist of those passing note questions you’d send your crush but have them addressed to Taylor. (ex. Do you like me? Circle one. Etc)

29. “Drinking beer out of plastic cups” – Red solo cup poster.

30. “Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff” – First fancy in the lyric draw heart and draws in the sentence and the second fancy draw diamond rings, luxury items etc. with a large red X through them.

DANCING WITH OUR HANDS TIED:

1. “Oh twenty-five years old” – Poster with your age in replace of the 25 lyric.

2. “My love had been frozen” – Few options:

→ Poster in the shape of a heart that is frosted over and turning blue.

→ Poster with these lyrics but the word frozen is drawn like the movie poster font for the Disney film.

→ Winter wonderland type of outfit or poster. Think Snow Queen.

→ Dress as Elsa, Anna or Olaf.

3. “Deep blue, but you painted me golden” Few options:

→ Two matching posters saying Deep Blue and Golden painted in the prospective colors.

→ Matching outfits made from the prospective colors.

→ “Deep Blue” think the deep sea.

→ Dress up as a painter.

4. “Picture of your face in an invisible locket” – Make a poster cut out in the shape of a locket, have it folded to open up like an actual locket and have a picture of Taylor in it.

5. “But we were dancing” – Poster with these lyrics, have the dancer emoji drawn on it.

6. “Dancing with our hands tied” – 2 options:

→ Poster in the shape of a pair of hands tied together.

→ Poster with these lyrics. Have it split up if you’re going with a group of friends.

7. “Yeah, we were dancing, like it was the first time” – First Taylor show? Make this poster dedicated to seeing Taylor for the first time!

8. “Through an avalanche” – Poster in the shape of a mountain top with the words of the lyrics to appear to be snowballing down the side of mountain.

9. “I’m a mess, but I’m the mess that you wanted” – 2 options:

→ Dress up like you’re a mess and have a poster to match with the lyrics.

→ Poster that says you’re the mess Taylor wanted.

→ You’re a mess because of Taylor poster.

9. “Cause its gravity, oh keeping you with me” – Poster with these lyrics but have them begin to fall down and off the poster. Have cut out letters dangle off the poster.

10. “I’d kiss you as the lights went out” - few options:

→ Poster in the shape of lips painted red. Use red reflective tape to make it stand out.

→ Poster adorned with miniature red lips all over it. Use glow in the dark tape/paint on the words “lights went out” so it stands out.

→ Make a cut out poster of the lyrics “lights went out” and fill the letters with glitter, as much as you can. Do a matte finish or laminate it so you can shake it up and have the glitter move around.

11. “If I could dance with you again” – Print out the photo of Taylor performing Holy Ground on the Red Tour, print it large enough that you can make a cutout silhouette of her dancing as a poster. Don’t have the resources to print it big enough? Try your best to sketch the outline! Incorporate the lyrics either into the silhouette or have it as a sort of a halo written around the entire silhouette of her!

DRESS:

1. “Our secret moments in a crowded room” – Poster with the words secret moments being suffocated by a multitude of things such as confetti, glitter, charcoal etc. Have the words pop out of whatever you chose to relate to the sense of a crowded room.

2. “There is an indentation in the shape of you” – Poster cut out into the shape of the indent of a person lying in bed.

3. “Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo.” – 2 options:

→ Wear those gold jewelry type tattoos people wear to music festivals!

→ Poster asking Taylor to make her mark on you with her signature.

4. “All this silence and patience, pining and anticipation/pining and desperately waiting” – Few options:

→ Poster of these 4 adjectives for you and your friends to hold!

→ Desperately waiting for rep room.

5. “Say my name and everything just stops” – 2 options:

→ Say my name, Beyonce/Destiny’s Child connection.

→ Say Taylor’s name and everything just stops.

6. “Only bought this dress so you could take it off” – 2 options:

→ Poster in the shape of a dress, possibly little black dress since Taylor has referenced those forever.

→ Make an outfit that you can transform from dress to whatever else you want! Think tear away tour outfit!

7. “Carve your name into my bedpost” – Poster of a headboard with Taylor’s name or initials into it, make it look carved in. Could even carve out lyrics or the word reputation.

8. “And if I get burned, at least we were electrified” – 2 ideas:

→ Two posters of the words Burned and Electrified. Have burned be made or engulfed in flames and have electrified have lightning bolts striking off of it.

→ Make the poster idea above into an outfit. Use reflective tape and cut out pieces into the shape of flames or lightning bolts and attach them to the outfits.

9. “I’m spilling wine in the bathtub” – Poster in the shape of a wine glass. Cut it so it’ll be on an angle and have red or rose wine sloshing out of the rim.

10. “Flashback when you met me” – Met Taylor/her team/parents/dancers/band? Make this a tribute to them!

11. “Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me” – Make a poster using headlines about Taylor and have them slashed up and covered with positive memories and headlines and all her success. Have reputation written in the middle of it.

12. “My one and only, my lifeline” – Poster made of these lyrics. Could also say Taylor’s my one and only, my lifeline.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS:

1. “It was so nice throwing big parties” – Posters made to look like balloons, party favors, etc. Think Gatsby and vintage since this is a popular theme in this song.

2. “Everyone swimming in a champagne sea” – Make a poster in the shape of a giant champagne bottle and have confetti looking like its pouring out of it.

3. “Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year” – 2 options:

→ Dress vintage and 1920s Gatsby like.

→ Use the Great Gatsby font and make a poster using these lyrics.

4. “So why’d you have to rain on my parade” – Make an outfit that looks like you’re a part of a parade celebration and hold a poster in the shape of a rain cloud with raindrops dangling from it. Use reflective or glow in the dark tape for the rain drops to stand out.

5. “This is why we can’t have nice things” – Poster of these lyrics but instead of the word nice, replace with drawn items or emojis of things like rings, money, designer brand labels.

6. “But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand” – 2 options:

→ Related to back to Bad Blood, check out our 1989 costumes post to get some ideas.

→ Where a fake knife attached to the back of your shirt, you can find these sort of props at a Halloween/gag store or at like Party City.

7. “Get you on the phone and mind-twist you” – Cut out of an old fashion rotary phone and have a speech bubble coming out of the speaker portion of the phone to make it look like the person on the other line is saying “mind-twist you”

8. “So I took and axe to a mended fence” – 2 options:

→ Could recreate a blank space music video or tour look

→ Poster in the shape of an axe.

9. “If only you weren’t so shady” – Poster in the shape of sunglasses with these lyrics reflected into the frames.

10. “Here’s a toast to my real friends” – 2 options:

→ Poster with these lyrics and champagne glasses clinking drawn throughout

→ Poster in the shape of a champagne glass clinking with another, could even make two (or more) separate ones for you and your friends to match.

11. “He-said-she-said” – few options:

→ He said she said is typically hearsay/rumors, so you could dress up as a news reporter.

→ Using the NYT’s font aka reputation font as a background/filter for the lyrics in a poster. Think of how it looks on the right ride (Taylor’s left) on the album cover.

→ Poster of a fake headline regarding Taylor. Could recreate the back of the reputation magazine covers. Have the headline be the lyric.

12. “Here’s to my baby” – Poster idea. Do what you think works best with this as it’s a very simple line.

13. “Here’s to my momma” – Poster dedicated to Mama Swift.

14. “Had to listen to all this drama” – Drama poster, it’d be a cool idea if you bought all those crappy tabloids and sort of papier-mâché the word out of all the headlines revolving around drama.

15. “Because you break them” – 2 options:

→ Poster cutout of a broken fancy item. Could be a broken award, broken watch, etc anything fancy that you deem making.

→ Make an outfit out of the idea above, wear broke items glued to you.

CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT:

1. “My castle crumbled overnight” – Poster in the shape of a castle, could have pieces hanging off or broken to represent it crumbling. You could also dress up as a princess/prince.

2. “I bought a knifer to a gunfight” – 2 options:

→ Foam knife/sword accessory

→ Poster of the knife emoji

3. “They took the crown” – Crown shaped poster or plastic crown to wear!

4. “My baby’s fit like a daydream” – Few options:

→ Fit is British slang for attractive or good looking. Make a pun of the word fit and have a poster that looks like a guys six-pack abs.

→ Poster in the shape of a thought bubble with the lyrics “my baby’s fit” could even use all or some emojis in replace of the words.

→ Could dress up as a sort of fairy/daydream-y/soft type of persona. So wings, pastel colors, definitely having jewels glued around your eyes and such! Have fun with this look, for makeup lookup festival looks or mermaid looks to get an idea.

5. “I’m the one he’s walking to” – Poster replacing the lyric “he’s” for “Taylor’s. Could have foot tracks painted around the lyrics or even use high heel cutouts from magazines and catalogs rather than painting foot tracks.

6. “Call it what you want” – Paint this in a pretty pastel color in a calligraphy font. Have the background of the poster have a soft feel to it, like cloud and starry like. Could even make a 3D type poster and have plush either as the background or as the letting.

7. “My baby’s fly like a jet stream” Few options:

→ Poster in the shape of a plane/jet with these lyrics behind the plane in a loop. Think of how planes on maps so dashes to track their paths.

→ “Taylor’s fly like a jet stream”

→ Couples costume of a pilot and attendant.

8. “High above the whole scene” – 2 options:

→ Poster of a skyline. Can be whatever city skyline you’d like, maybe even emphasis in the building windows/lights which city; it’d be cool to reference your tour stop! Have the poster cut out to mimic the buildings rather than drawing in a sky.

→ Could make a poster of a bird since they fly above the scene, as well as planes like referenced above. Could relate this back to 1989!

9. “Loves me like I’m brand new” – Few options:

→ Not necessarily tour outfit related but don’t want to dress up? Simply buy a nice outfit and only where it the day of the show! It’s brand new. Could even be Taylor merch.

→ Poster of a giant price tag that has Love written as the amount. The product into written on the tag could say like Taylor Swift. Size: Reputation Stadium Tour

→ Taylor loves me like I’m brand new.

→ Poster of a new package or wrapped gift with the tag saying “love you – (name or xoxo)”

10. “All my flowers grew back as thorns” – 2 options:

→ 3D poster of like a thorn-bush or vine type thorn with only a few flowers still left on it. Have the lyrics written or painted out in a deep green cursive font, intertwining with the thorns.

→ Buy or make a skirt and attach fake flowers to the entire skirt so it is covered. Buy or make a top and attach plastic “thorns” or vines around the top and have them hang off of it so it looks like they are slowly taking over the flowers. Have the top be very dull and lackluster in color but have what is remaining on the skirt be full of color.

11. “Windows boarded up after the storm” – Poster of a broken windowsill with boards covering up the cracked window. You could even make the boards openable like a book so that when you appeared into the window you could see the fire that is referenced in the next line. Have caution tape covering the planks but have the lyrics written repeatedly over the caution tape.

12. “He built a fire just to keep me warm” - See idea above OR make a poster in the shape of the flame emoji or a log campfire.

13. “All the drama queens taking swings” – Dress up as a baseball or softball player and have your team name be Drama Queens. Make a baseball bat poster with the word reputation on it.

14. “All the jokers dressing up as kings” – Dress up as a joker/clown/fool but masquerade as a king so also were a crown and possible a cape. Make a sign that says “King of Reputation” or that displays the lyric.

15. “They fade to nothing when I look at him” – 2 options:

→ Poster with these lyrics where it looks like the words are fading off the poster. Use glow in the dark paint/tape to have it still show after the lights go down.

→ They fade to nothing when I look at Taylor.

16. “I did one thing right” – Poster that says Swiftie or Proud swiftie, meant to represent you made the right choice in being a fan of Taylor.

17. “I’m laughing with my lover, makin’ forts under covers” - Make a poster that is drawn like a bed fort, so multitude of different blanket patterns etc and attach a speech bubble to the top of the poster to show either “hahahaha” or “* giggling *”“* laughing *” to make it look like there’s laughing underneath the sheets.

18. “Starry eyes sparkin’ up my darkest night” – few options:

→ Dress up in a costume that is galaxy themed. So tons of stars, especially glow in the dark ones, have glitter, moons, a tutu and have it all be in a navy blue. Your matching poster can be in the shape of a shooting star with the lyrics “Sparkin’ up my darkest night.” Use reflective tape or glow in the dark paint to stand out!

→ Poster cut out of eyes and have the galaxy drawn in them rather than simply coloring in a regular eye color.

→ Could have a lit match or sparkler shaped poster.

19. “I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck” – Make a poster of Taylor’s initial’s and wear them like a necklace. Think back to when flavor flav wore a giant watch.

20. “Late November” – Poster of this exact lyric but have it big enough where you can decorate inside the words and have it fall themed.

21. “Would you run away with me? (Yes)” – Make a poster asking Taylor if she’d run away with you. Have it set up like a check yes or no question and have a paw print or 13 stamped in the yes box.

NEW YEAR’S DAY:

1. “There’s glitter on the on the floor after the party” – Few options:

→ Glitter, glitter glitter! Wear sparkly outfits (think NYE) and have body glitter all over you. Have fun and extra glittery makeup looks and have a poster of these lyrics written out in glittery puffy paint.

→ Have a poster made that looks like you’re staring down at hardwood floor and have a spilled glitter container open, glitter all over the bottom of the floor with the lyrics written out (think written out as if someone took their finger and just wrote it out in the pile).

→ “After the party” – reference the end of your show with this, rep room.

→ “There’s swifties on the floor after the party(concert)”

2. “Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby” – Poster cut out and drawn to look like you’re carrying a pair of high heels. Look at some of the heels Taylor’s worn for previous tours and outfits and recreate them on a poster.

3. “Candle wax and polaroids on the hardwood floor” – Few options:

→ Burning candle poster, could be a simple candle, could be in a jar like the ones she uses frequently, or it could be decorated with things that remind you of Taylor and Reputation.

→ Polaroid poster (1989).

→ Poster of burned out candles and dried wax on the floor (look up the candles Taylor loves to have in her home and create the logo for the posters) and polaroids scattered on a hardwood floor (reference the opening lyric idea to get how to picture this.) Have the polaroids be pictures from the reputation magazine.

4. “Don’t read the last page” – Poster of the opening/dedication page of a book with this lyric written in it. Either make it look like the author purposely wrote it, OR have all the prewritten info from said book be information about Taylor and the reputation tour and use her handwriting from 1989 and have it look like she handwrote “don’t read the last page” as a note to the next reader. Make it look three dimensional by having the page look like it’s about to be turned to the next.

5. “But I stay” – Make a poster of these lyrics but make it big enough that you are able to write inside of each individual letter. Write the speech Taylor gave about how she felt her hands were tied behind her back but swifties always defended her (it’s a clean speech). Could even write long live lyrics.

6. “I want your midnights” – 2 options:

→ An analog clock striking midnight

→ Or a digital clock (think the old digital though where the numbers physically flipped rather than it being just animated) and have the numbers look like they’re changing from 11:59PM to 12:00AM.

7. “But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you” – Poster of a recycling bin that is piling up with empty champagne and wine bottles. Have all the labels on the bottles be song titles or lyrics!

8. “New Year’s Day” – Few options:

→ Dress up like its NYE/NYD. This means glitter, 2018 hats and glasses, champagne, confetti and streamers, dresses or skirts and crop tops. It also means holidays, so you could reference a few other things as well with this.

→ Poster drawn out of the NYE ball dropping. On the countdown screen you could either write the lyric (full or just NYD) or you can write how long you waited for your show.

→ Simply just sketching out the words New Year’s Day however you may want.

→ Midnight kiss, so a poster of lips.

→ “Ring” in the new year. Could be a poster of a bell or a ring.

9. “in the back of the taxi” – Dress up like a taxi or make a poster of the backside of a taxi with the silhouette of two people sitting in it. Have the license plate reference reputation or swifties. Be sure it’s a NY plate.

10. “I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe” – Few options:

→ Could do a large poster that looks like a champagne glass with a tag/ribbon hanging off the stem (think like seating cards) that says Toast of the Town.

→ An award poster (like an Oscar or such) but instead of it saying Best Picture etc it’ll say “Toast of the Town: (name)” You can either write your name or Taylor’s name or even Joe’s.

→ Poster of a cut out magazine cover you can take photos in (or make it look like an Instagram post) and have the little blurb on the “cover” say this lyric. Make the magazine a reference to the rep mags.

11. “If you strike out and you’re crawling home” – Baseball or softball player costume with a poster in the shape of a bat. Could even have two posters for you and a matching friend where the bat is broken in half and you’re each holding a split end.

12. “Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you” – Few options:

→ Reference long live. Whether it’s by poster or you want to recreate the long live tour outfit!

→ Poster of the word memories but have it being spelled out by photos from previous tours, Taylor with fans, from previous album booklets. Tumblr likes/posts, etc.

→ Met Taylor/her team/band/dancers/parents/etc? Wear an outfit or make a poster using pictures and memories from that moment.

→ Poster of the word memories being hugged/squeezed. Don’t have to draw the entire body, just arms wrapping around the word.

→ Have a poster in the shape of a jar and have it labeled Memories and then fill it with your favorite Taylor memories. So love the Speak Now album? Write the words Speak Now in big block/bubble letters in the jar. Keep doing this with words of memories you like. Don’t have the words overlap, simply cut off a word if it doesn’t fit. Make it seem full but not unreadable.

13. “And I will hold on to you” – Poster of this lyric just as is. Maybe make it written on a music sheet or on piano keys. Could also write Taylor will hold on to you or I will hold on to Taylor.

14. “Please don’t ever become a stranger” – Poster dedicated to her 6 albums.

15. “Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere” – Poster collage of all the photos of Taylor laughing.

16. “You and me forevermore” – Poster of the word forevermore. When I hear this line, I think of a clear night sky, glitter, love, passion so incorporate that into this creation. Maybe have it made out of stars or hearts, or have it made out of flowers. Whatever you envision when you hear this.

THEMES OR GENERAL IDEAS:

1. Make poster that looks like the popup stage in the reputation VIP tour box, make it out of papier-mâché newspapers.

2. Snake poster.

3. Use the dialogue from the LWYMMD end scene as funny posters.

4. Meredith and Olivia posters.

5. Reputation/REP poster cut out using the rep font.

6. “There will be no further explanation. There will be just reputation”

7. Lots of gold and metallic colors, glitter.

8. TS/TAS Initial Poster

WHY SHE DISAPPEARED POEM:

1. “Pavement she once decorated as a child with sidewalk cross” – Poster that looks like a sidewalk drawing.

2. “Her skin was spattered with ink” – Use body paint to spatter ink on your arms and clothes. Make a poster using the same idea. Maybe use the word snake in some of the spatters.

3. “She rose slowly” – Poster of a flower slowly blooming.

4. “Avoiding old haunts and sidestepping shiny pennies” – 2 options:

→ Poster of a ghost (think emoji)

→ Poster of a penny or writing out this piece of the poem using pennies (or drawing them if you don’t want to waste the money)

5. “Way of phone calls and promises” – Relate this back to All Too Well or LWYMMD. Have a phone poster with a speech bubble writing this line.

6. “Waded out into the dark, wild ocean up to her neck” – The ocean is almost all unexplored so have fun with this line. You could do mythical mermaids or sirens. Or you could make an outfit out of seashells and seaweed. Your poster could be a cutout of a wave.

7. “And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive” – This is a GREAT quote for a poster and to really sum up the entire reputation era.

IF YOU’RE ANYTHING LIKE ME POEM:

1. “Cross your fingers” - Poster of crossed fingers.

2. “Wish on lucky numbers” – Poster of a number cutout related to Taylor. (13, 22, 1989)

3. “Rest in Peace, to your naïve bravado” – 2 options:

→ Poster of a gravestone addressed to your naïve bravado.

→ Dress up as a zombie (zombie Taylor) and where a tombstone or have written on shirt “Here Lies my Naïve Bravado”

4. “Secret garden gate” – Poster of a flower garden. Have it three dimensional so use craft flowers.

5. “Each new enemy turns to steel” – This line reminds me so much of Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde in the line “I’m locking up everyone who ever laid a finger on me” Maybe make a poster combining these two ideas.

6. “You’ve grown to hate your pride and to love your thighs”

7. “But Darling, it’s going to be okay”

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