Tumgik
#new artist showcase! this is totally them talking about this stuff
solarpunkani · 2 years
Text
Probably not the most radical thing, but I feel like it’d be pretty Cool if we as a society stopped using billboards and wallspace to plaster advertisements on any visible surface and instead used them to showcase art via murals and stuff. Use the space to let artists paint murals, maybe rotate them every few months or so so a different local artist can do a new painting in the space!
Or at least use them to talk about local events/businesses. Does McDonalds REALLY need more attention to get customers, its not like anyone is going to FORGET there’s 20 in the area. Use the space to talk about how the local mom and pop shop is having a little sale, or how there’s going to be a tree planting in a week or so down the street and volunteers are totally welcome!
Literally just anything except more and more advertising from mega corps all over, please.
4K notes · View notes
inbarfink · 6 months
Note
About Prismo’s boss, do you like that they are still shrouded in mystery? Or would you have liked it more if their identity had been revealed on the finale of Fionna and Cake?
Yeah, to be quite honest, I just really don't see the point in 'revealing' the Boss, at least not right now.
I mean, at least back during 'Prismo the Wishmaster", when people were speculating that the Boss was actually GOLB, I... really didn't like that theory. I thought it really didn't fit in with any of the established lore about GOLB and I'm happy to see that it got very unambiguously disproven. But... I could at least see the appeal of it. I mean, if the Boss did turn out to be GOLB, that would be a Reveal with a lot of meaning and impact behind it! It would have changed and recontextualized so much of the narrative and even the cosmological rules of the AT setting!
But right now it seems like we're out of any Notable Previously-Established Cosmological Characters who could be the Boss. We really are talking about just... revealing the Canon Character Design to this new separate character. So I think it's worth considering... What Are We Doing Here? What would 'revealing' the Boss mean for the narrative?
Is it just about showcasing a Cool New Character Design? I mean, nothing wrong with a Cool New Character Design, but establishing something properly suitably epic and original for what seems to be the Actual Literal God of the whole AT Multiverse is quite a tall order. That might be why they decided to characterize them primarily by their lack of visuals.
You know, both in the sense that nothing the AT artists can create and animate can come close to all of the collective imaginations of all of the fandom. And in the sense that the lack of visual itself is an element that characterize them and makes them stand out against all the other Cosmic Beings under them.
And while a canon design could theoretically pack in a lot of Cool Visual Symbolism that could have interesting implications for the nature of the AT Cosmology.... their lack of visual ALSO has it's own set of implications. You know, there's a reason why so many religions love the idea of 'the Divine as Undepictable'.
I mean, Cosmic-Level Nonsense are already kinda standard-issue for Adventure Time at this point - so the lack of visual is a good way to quickly establish the Boss as so far beyond the reach, or maybe even comprehension, of our main characters and even other Cosmic Beings.
And even the little hints we get of their visual identity via the Winged Star Motif and the use of a corded phone has it's own interesting implications....
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Now, 'Revealing' the Boss also means we could get to see a bit more of their personality, and to hear of their own motivation and reasoning in their own words - and not just implied via the actions and reactions of their subordinates. But I dunno how much this would've been necessary for the narrative of 'Fionna and Cake'.
I mean, the personality and motivation are just implied right now - but all the implications have been painting a pretty consistent picture. It's not like Prismo and Scarab's dialogue give out two totally contrasting views of the Boss that require the audience to get a look of them themselves to know what they're really like or something like that.
And it is possible that the Boss could still turn out to be on some level very very different from how both Prismo and the Scarab view them and you could do some interesting stuff with that? But again, we're talking about it in terms of the plot of 'Fionna and Cake' - so you have to consider if you can implement that idea into the narrative in a way that works with the existing story and themes which of course means that the Boss will have depression
And.... actually this is why I said at the start that I don't see the point in revealing the Boss 'right now'. Because I really don't think it would've added more to the current Fionna and Cake narrative.... but if we're talking about the Hypothetical Fionna and Cake Season 2, well, that's a different story.
And by that I mean, literally, that's a whole new different story that could, theoretically be woven around the idea of revealing the Boss and have it actually mean something in the narrative beyond just updating a character image and a voice actor on a Wiki. You know have an actual plot point around the idea of finally getting to see them explain themselves in their own words. Or even just use their reveal to showcase how grand and epic the current adventure is (we need something to raise the stakes after the last season was about saving a whole damn World, after all).
It's not a surefire thing, and honestly.... I think I am still more content with the idea of the Boss being the one AT Cosmic Character that is constantly beyond our reach. I am just offering it as the one way I can see this could work right now.
25 notes · View notes
loveisthemoment · 1 year
Note
I kinda have a feeling that Xavier will ask Wednesday out on a date next season and for whatever reason she'll say yes but it'll just be the writers showing the audience how not right for Wednesday he is. It'll be the stereotypical dinner and a movie date where she's bored senseless and feeling the urge to stab herself with her steak knife . And then she'll be reminded of who took her on the perfect date because they actually understood her as a person and liked her dark weirdness 👉🏽👈🏽
As much as I believe they won't push for Xavier x Wednesday next season I can see this happening. Because as we have witnessed Xavier isn't one to give up even though he seemed to have gotten to terms with Wednesday's feelings at the end of the season. He will probably still try to get closer to her and change his tactic. And no matter what the writers have planned for Xavier, I think they will evolve the friendship between him and Wednesday, which leads her to not be able to flat-out say she doesn't want to go. And Xavier will probably go with give me a chance. And it's there both will realize it's not for them. Xavier seemed to be rich, he's an artist so I can totally see him going for a fancy dinner with candle light and nice music. And for Wednesday I think it will remind her too much of her parents, and she wants something else. To top it off the crypt date she had with Tyler will be very hard to beat as it was gathered towards her likes. That is where the biggest difference will come in because what we have seen from Xavier he doesn't really understand her, he has this version of her he thinks she is and his date will be based on that. Wednesday also is not someone who likes small talk while Xavier seems to like talking. It just wouldn't match, because the date would be kind of a disaster in the end. Because what Wednesday wants and what Xavier wants won't merge, it clashes instead.
Relationships is all about giving and taking. You have to give some to get some. But neither Wednesday or Xavier is there yet. Tyler on the other hand had figured out her likes and dislikes and learned that if he wanted something from her he needed to give her something she enjoyed. Not something standard, not the basic date but something that matched with who she was. And he had accepted who she was, he knew she liked darkness, spooky, macabre things and he liked that about her and he made the date the opposite of it because that is what she found horrifying. Xavier on the other hand would show her a horror movie and think she likes it because that's the stuff she likes, but Wednesday would find faults in the movies instead. She wouldn't necessary like it because it's already the view of the world she has. It's nothing new, nothing that makes her feel.
So if she went on a date with Xavier, she would compare it with Tyler's crypt date because it was tailored for her. So much attention and detail were put into it that nothing will come close afterward. And it will make Wednesday question what was real or not, because no one would pay so much attention to a date if they did not like them at least a little. The date will really showcase the difference between the two pairings and Xavier and Tyler as characters. One extremely caring and queen to details and one trying his best to be but can't reach where he wants to. Xavier has a vision of who she is while Tyler really looks at the person he has in front of him
80 notes · View notes
jung-koook · 1 year
Note
As a new army I'm fascinated to hear about people being fans from the start. And you've been here pre debut! I would love to hear your story. How did you find out about them? Was there as much info about trainee groups then as there is now? What drew you into them? Were you into k-pop before? What was your reaction to tae's face reveal? Thoughts on the debut album and performance? Were there translations easily available? Are you friends with any army from those days? Which was the first show you went to?I would love to know everything! It's incredible you've seen their whole journey in real time. (So many questions i apologise lol)
I dont know if this still happens so often but at the time they debuted it was quite common for us to know information about new groups even before they debuted. so in december 2012 i was on my laptop on a kpop forum and they were talking about bighit and their new group. I remember at that time they said that bangtan was going to have a lot more members. and there were already people sharing photos of the members, video of namjoon rapping and also their youtube channel. and thats when I got curious. at that time i was missing something totally different in kpop and i saw it in them and especially in namjoon (i didnt know about jeongguk when i found out about them). at that time bap had debuted with something very different from what they used to have in kpop but i didnt feel connected to them or curious about them, but with bangtan i got curious as soon as i heard about them.
i've been listening to kpop since i was a little kid. i have an aunt whos been a fan of tvxq since they debuted so she was the one who made me go deep into kpop. at that time the only group i really liked all the music was shinee. i even cut my hair like taemin in lucifer but i looked like a dog lmao. replay and lucifer is one of the few songs from that era that I still remember the full choreography 😆 but i think what made me like shinee besides their music was taemin and jonghyun. I thought he was so amazing and I still think he is one of the most amazing and talented artists we have.
ever since i found out about bangtan every video and stuff they posted had me so mesmerized and hypnotized. anything they posted I said, "they are amazing!!!" 😆 I think their debut album was amazing and managed to show very well what they came to do and show at that time. I think their first album was perfect! but since I always liked groups from big companies, it was very hard to see how different the treatment is for those who are debuting from a small company and those who are debuting from a big company. and also how hate came to bangtan since they debuted. it was something that was very hard to see. you've probably seen them talking about it and how it went for them right. at that time I had a need to read and wanted to defend bangtan from everything. now I'm not like that anymore but I still feel super protective of some things. even though I dont think I had to waste time on these things, sometimes its really hard to stop myself.
we didnt have so many translations at that time :/ here on tumblr we had bangtan tumblr from the beginning. they had another blog until they made bangtan tumblr. and soon a already had bts-trans. I'm not 100% sure but I think bts-trans was the first source of bangtan translations we had. and for good quality video content we only had one source which was _helloflora on twitter. and yes i made a lot of army friends since the beginning but most were all namjoon and yoongi biased. I think because they are older than me. my first concert was in 2014 in zepp tokyo which was their first showcase in japan.
dont worry!! I loved your questions and I loved sharing some more of my bangtan story with you ♡
39 notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media
Weston Estate - Maggie Valley One of my favorite things as a music fan is finding bands and artists that are relatively unknown, but not for the reason you might think. I don’t love them, just so I can rub it in peoples’ faces that I knew the band or artist before they were famous, but I love it because I love finding things from the underground. I love finding things that are harder to find, because these acts are delegated to the bowels of Bandcamp or you have to do some digging on Apple Music or Spotify. I miss the days of going to a record store or even Target, for example, and going through their new releases, or their CD sections and finding totally random stuff. I’ve mentioned that in another review recently, where I talked about album covers and finding stuff based on album covers, but that’s how you found a lot of unknown and underground stuff. You looked at album covers, and if you thought it was cool, you picked it up. You can’t really do that now, because most stores sell the biggest mainstream stuff (unless you live under a rock and don’t listen to a lot of music), but you can do that online still. I’ll scour Bandcamp and find things sometimes, or I’ll check the new releases of Apple Music and look for stuff that I’ve never heard. That’s how I found the band Weston Estate, and their debut EP, Maggie Valley. This came out a few months back, but I never reviewed it for whatever reason. I figured I would now, partially because I don’t have anything to review just yet (some new releases came out that I’ve wanted to talk about, so I’ve got material, just not yet; I’ve also got some power metal albums I’ve been listening to that I can talk about, so stay tuned for those coming soon), and because I’ve wanted to talk about it. I randomly found the North Carolina-based band on Apple Music one day, and the cover really caught my eye, so I listened to it, and wow, I was blown away. The thing about this band is that they’re nothing special on a surface level, because their sound is very basic. They’re what I’d call a pop / alternative-R&B group, but they call themselves a “boy band,” I think, which I guess makes sense, because three of their five members sing. Regardless of what they call themselves, or what I think they are, their sound is nothing unique or otherworldly. What they are, however, is very catchy, fun, clever, and interesting. They take those elements and do something very unique all in itself, but on a surface level, you could make the argument that they aren’t unique at all. It’s just what they do with what they have, and that’s something I’ve talked about a lot before. It’s not about what you sound like it, it’s about what you bring to that sound, or what you do with that sound. Weston Estate is very good with a couple of key things -- vocals and hooks. Like I said, this band has three vocalists, those three being Manas Panchavati, Tanmey Joshi, and Marco Luka (this band is also really cool, because they’re all people of color, so that’s a really unique thing to see, especially for their genre). They very much utilize their three vocalists, too, and on every song, they all get chances to shine. Their voices are great, too, very syrupy sweet. I was very surprised when I started the EP and heard some very smooth, R&B-like vocals, so the alt-R&B sound totally makes sense. Where they really shine are the hooks, though, and my two favorite tracks, “Stoked” and “Outside” showcase both sides of the band. The former song is very upbeat, catchy, and energetic as all hell, and it’s got such an infectious sound, but the latter track is just as catchy and infectious, only it’s a bit more mellow and “vibey,” as the kids say. It’s very chill, relaxed, and smooth. If two songs could define this whole EP, this two would be it. What sucks about this is, yeah, it’s an EP. I wish this thing were longer, but maybe we’ll get a debut album from these guys. They started in 2020, but because of the pandemic, they had to separate for awhile and put those plans on hold, so they’re only getting around to releasing this thing now, but I feel like these guys have a huge future ahead of them.
4 notes · View notes
xtrablak674 · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media
Femficatio - A showcase of experimental writing and art.
[Due to some creative differences this interview wasn't published. I love that term due to "creative differences", I had some kind of falling out with the persons behind this blog, lets be clear its not a magazine but a blog that only ran for twelve issues starting back in 2012. But there was something I liked about their questions and my answers that lead me to want to share this unpublished interview, which I believe I also shared on my FB page when that was still live.]
How did your artistic journey began?
This is a very good question. And a hard one for me to answer because I'm still on that journey. I think that being an artist is a journey. A quick aside, I feel that everybody is an artist, whether they choose to take the trip or not is the question. Personally I encourage everyone to travel, artistically or otherwise.
Now where did my artistic journey begin? You know I'm really not trying to avoid the question but even the designation 'artist' is a larger conversation for me. To be perfectly honest I never even thought I was worthy of being an artist. I feel it's important to mention my past in context of talking about my journey to becoming an artist.
My father was a poet, my grandmother was a painter. I have an aunt who writes novels and paints. My first experience with the arts to be perfectly honest had to do with the TV show called Fame. I was always performing in school and church plays, but Fame got me really excited about dancing. I remember placing a tape recorder up against the TV and recording the songs from the show, and performing them later. This led to me auditioning for the High School of Performing Arts, the same school that the TV show was based on. I auditioned for drama and dance, but even with my brief Dance Theater of Harlem background, I didn't get in for dance, but I did get accepted for drama, the irony of which is not lost on me.
I attended school with the likes of Adrien Brody, Omar Epps and Marlon Wayans but still really didn't consider myself an artist. The title of artist I just always felt was reserved for someone with I don't know, more ability than me. It took me easily over a decade before I became comfortable with the fact that I was an artist and actually have always been one.
I would compare this to gender identity, even before having the language I never felt my gender was binary. When I first heard the term two-spirited, I felt very seen, but didn't want to appropriate someone else's cultural traditions. Off the record I still consider myself two-spirited, but in any official capacity I am a non-binary transgender person.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The journey for me really began when I set up an account on a website called Flickr, and begin posting photos of things that I saw. Surprisingly people actually liked these photos which was a total shock to me. This Internet-based support gave me the confidence to approach a curator I knew and do my first exhibition in 2007.
Since that first exhibition I haven't looked back. I presented work at different museums, been published and exhibited internationally, reviewed by The New York Times and this was all in my first three years of being an artist. I'm humbled by the experience that I've had but I'm really focused on what's next.
Does your art construct or deconstruct?
I think it depends on which work you're talking about. Not everyone knows this but I have two bodies of work one is the abstract stuff that you see quite often, and then I also have a body of intimate work.
In the former I shoot digitally and in post production process the photos minimally. There is some controversy around digital work even being fine art. I do think that my eye for composition color and texture challenges the notion of what abstract art can be for some people. Ultimately I think if you think it's beautiful, than I've done my job because all my work at its base is beautiful.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
With the latter intimate work, I would say I definitely challenge gender identity and the definitions thereof. As a queer person one who has very strong female and male energy, I love the conflict and contrast of those spirits in my own body. In the work I often explore that ambiguity and entice people to redefine their notions of masculinity and femininity. Furthermore I confront the somewhat arbitrary labels around sexuality and attraction, and force people to see if they're being honest about who they are in their relationship to the world around them.
I realize that my intimate work is not for everyone and some of the themes are provocative, but I think they are important issues especially in a world of HIV and AIDS. As an artist it's definitely a conversation that I'm trying to have, even if I don't have as many outlets to have that discussion.
I think I as a person I have a tendency to deconstruct, as a self acclaimed iconoclast. I choose to challenge tradition, hegemony and institutions. I realize this is only natural to an artist, and if some of that spills into the work so be it.
If the world was less violent, would your art be different from what it is today?
Short answer, I don't think so.
As I previously said at its core all of my work is about beauty so whether we're in a violent world or non-violent world I think everyone can appreciate beauty.
Personally, I don't think we appreciate it enough and we really don't appreciate nontraditional forms of beauty. My work definitely explores themes around nontraditional beauty. Accepting nontraditional beauty is like embracing difference once you can realize that things or people that are different from you can be beautiful, you've really taken the first step towards knowledge, acceptance and compassion.
What do you refuse to ignore?
As a photographer composition is really key to me. But I'm learning with age and experience that sometimes it's okay to let go of that, and in some ways I had felt that without strong composition my work wouldn't be very good. I was also trying to overcompensate with making sure that everything was always perfect, trying to prove to myself that I'm an artist. In my head I equated artistry with perfection, this is something I have moved away from.
As I said in the beginning this is something that I continue to struggle with, not being worthy of being an artist. Real talk, some of this thinking is a society influence, society says artist are a certain thing, they behave a certain way, they are educated differently. I've learned to let go of a lot of those notions but I can definitely say with confidence it's still a journey and a struggle.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Why do you think you are an artist?
This is like torture. Because seriously every other day of the week I really don't think I am. I think I'm a fraud. I would be lying if I didn't say I suffered from imposter syndrome, even with my moderate successes.
I started an audio journal recently, and through it I discovered that my eccentric behavior is not because I'm a freak or weird or different I'm just wired differently than other people. I experience the world around me in a different way than others I take the path that's less traveled and ultimately that's the journey of every artist.
[Photos by Brown Estate, this piece has been edited for clarity and updated around how I define my gender identity, sexuality and work.]
0 notes
1ddiscourseoftheday · 3 years
Text
Wed 2 June ‘21
Louis sent a message to a fan looking for a hello after a major surgery-- “Get well soon mate. Sending you loads of love x”- and added that he hopes ALL of us are doing alright; I never doubted it Louis! Niall got a little more specific with his really lovely message today- “HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. It’s your life, LOVE who you want to LOVE,” he tweeted! THANKS GUYS.
Liam though, Liam was all over today! He checked in on his way to play golf, on his way back from playing golf (with videographer Conor!), posted comments on discord, joined a new chat platform (Telegram; 5 minutes into Telegram and chill Liam was like OKAY it looks like we may need some moderators for this app lol YOU THINK?), he did a whole 25 min live, AND checked in even later to say he’d just had a shower and was about to play a new video game! New news of the day-- he is going to host a Veeps show showcasing new artists in July!! NEAT! His post about how his team forgot to turn off notifications on the phone they set it all up on for him on is really funny, YIKES; “this used to be an iphone now it’s just a bell” he joked, with video of the phone frantically chiming nonstop (“the power of you guys still blows my mind to this day”.) Also he said that he was very busy getting ready for June 15. Why, you ask, what is on June 15? UH? IDK?? He has so many things coming up? But that’s the NFT I think, which I KNOW a lot of people are mostly not that excited about but I will say that while I don’t care about the technology, I am excited to see Liam’s artwork he’s working on for it (which hopefully the purchaser will share with us), and Liam is truly so excited about the platform, he’s really trying to talk us into it. More on that in a sec...
But let’s get to the other parts of Liam’s live first. He has that new song coming, about which he said “it’s one that I’ve written the most on so far actually, as a single, I’m excited to say my own stuff for once a little”, love that. He’s still coughing but says he’s tested repeatedly and it isn’t COVID, and that he’s gone vegetarian recently, and he says the chat channels were inspired by seeing people using the veeps chat rooms even after the show ended, not wanting to leave. And he talks about 1D- about the notifs mishap he said “back in the band we used to wait for people we didn’t like to leave their notifications on and then we would like- oh make sure you follow this person on twitter! And then their phone would break for days- if someone did something that annoyed you.” HAHAHA where’s my masterpost of people who annoyed them 1D told us to follow, PLEASE? And also “it’s hard sometimes you’re watching people stories from afar that you used to know so well and that can be difficult… we’ve all felt this at different times me and the boys… it’s almost like missing a very dear friend a lot of the time but everyone’s so busy… I’d love to get us all in a room somewhere sometime” aww. But also he said he talked to Harry recently, “really a lovely call, he has a sixth sense for if I'm struggling or if one of us is in trouble, I spoke to him and it was a really lovely catch up. I have a lot of love for the man, he's really, really great"; well I wish Liam wasn’t stuggling but that’s lovely. And Louis too! "I spoke to Louis, I wanna say yesterday. We speak a lot, there's just a lot of laughing about random crap," he said, plus some Louis memories- “I can just hear his laugh in the back of my mind. We once broke into one of the stadiums in America and got chased by a woman… on one of those cop type things, a mall cop thing, and that was quite crazy. He also left me on my own while I was being arrested nearly by a French policemen that I had to push over… which that still scares me to this day. [laughing] That’s what friends are for! I helped him over the fence to get in somewhere, he left me with the policeman, who didn’t have a clue who I was and tried to arrest me even though I was just trying to go into my hotel.” UMM sorry I can’t hear anything past LIAM PUSHED OVER A COP?? Go ahead, make a list of ‘1D members most likely to fight a cop’ and if Liam isn’t DEAD LAST you’re just wrong and yet HERE WE ARE!! WHAT A DAY.
But alas rather than fighting cops now Liam is partnering with an entrepreneur (which I have had to type so many times in the last two days thanks to Liam that I guess I know how to spell it now they just keep SAYING it SO MUCH). Steve Bartlett said “the secret” is out, he recorded a podcast with Liam yesterday-- I’d call secret a bit strong, we had actually got that mate, but okay; he called Liam an entrepreneur and said “yesterday I recorded one of the most powerful, honest, REAL conversations on my podcast to date” and “if you love Liam you’ll love this.” I can absolutely guarantee you that is not true, I love Liam and already hate everything about this collab, but his wording does make me think we’ll get a bit of Liam’s trademark emotional spillage which I suppose I might appreciate despite this self help CEO guy being there too. Liam does have one thing to say that could sway me in this guy’s favor though- “he has the cutest dog ever” apparently! Anyway I may as well get used to him he’s suddenly everywhere-- Liam also patched him into his live to try yet again to convince us that NFTs are good by awkwardly relating it to “fans of boybands” by saying you know this could eliminate like fake tickets and such… Sure Steve sure but anyway he also says of Liam, “the guy you see on camera is the exact same guy off camera”.
Harry and Olivia were seen together in London (well, a grainy ass video of their backs was seen anyway), walking, with some people who look to be her parents and Harry’s PA (so romantic! Not at all work related!) I was initially skeptical of the claim that it was her parents since this fandom is obsessed with saying everyone is so and so’s parents (we’ll NEVER top the time the fandom was sure Harry was seen having lunch with Eleanor’s father though) but it actually seems like maybe it was. More for Harry to add to his collection, that man truly loves an extended family! I mean the whole thing is sketchy as hell, from the assurance that that’s DEFINITELY actually Olivia in the grainy video, FOR SURE, to the confirmation that that’s her mom with them which came when a blank insta page produced a random old picture of her mom in the same skirt, but like is it them, sure I imagine so, and people making sure we get the story anytime they’re together isn’t exactly new. In other news, Dave Meyers, director of the Adore You music video, says he originally pitched the Eroda story idea (“I have this idea, of you love- liking a fish”) to Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas, ASJKJASKL CAN YOU IMAGINE?
175 notes · View notes
cyndavilachase · 4 years
Photo
Tumblr media
I’m Looking Forward Now 💖Thank you and good bye
So, it’s been a little over a week since Steven Universe Future ended… 
I’ve been hesitant to write this, honestly, but I’m tired of holding myself back from properly expressing myself in fear of appearing overly invested in the media I consume, even in private. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and feelings, and I feel like these thoughts in particular may resonate with many, so I want to share them. I want to talk about what Steven Universe has done for me personally, both as an artist, and as a person.
I’ve been around since the day the first episode of the original series aired. I actually remember when Steven Universe was just a logo on Wikipedia’s “List of Upcoming Cartoon Network Shows” list, back when I was a freshman in high school. It piqued my interest, but when commercials finally dropped for it, I thought it was going to be bad because of the way marketing handled introducing Steven as a likeable character. There was still something about it that made me want to give it a chance though, so I went online and watched the pilot before the first episode's release. I was hooked immediately. I knew I was going to love it, and I did. I fell so absolutely in love with Steven as a character, and the world that he and the gems lived in. I became obsessed. I was always so excited for new episodes to come out. Little did I know what else it would do for me as I went through my adolescence alongside it.
As the show progressed, it was evident that what I wanted out of a western animated childrens’ cartoon was finally coming into fruition: this show was becoming serialized. There was continuity, there was plot, there was character development-- it was getting deep. It was pushing the groundwork that Adventure Time laid out even further (thank you, Adventure Time).  
I will give credit where credit is due: earlier western childrens’ cartoons I grew up with like Hey Arnold, and Rugrats, among others, also touched on heavy topics, but Steven Universe was able to take similar ideas (and even more complex ones, concerning mental health and relationships) and expand on them outside of contained episodes and/or short arcs. These themes, which were a part of the show’s overarching story, spanned across its entirety. Continuity was rampant. 
What did this mean? It meant kids cartoons didn’t have to be silly and fun all the time and characters weren’t just actors playing a part in 11-minute skits. Steven and the gems would remember things that happened to them, and it affected them and how they would function and play a part in their story. This was a huge deal to me as a teenager. I always wanted the cartoons I grew up with featuring kid characters to feel more. In my own work, I often felt discouraged when combining a fun, cutesy western art style with themes as dark or layered as anime would cover. I always thought it had to be one or the other because an audience wouldn’t take a combination of the two seriously enough, based on discussions I had with classmates, friends, and online analysis I read at the time. Steven Universe proved to me otherwise. This show was opening the door for future cartoons exploring in-depth, adult concepts. I felt so seen as a kid, and was inspired to stick with what I love doing.
I was actually very worried about the show’s survival. It was in fact immensely underrated and the fandom was miniscule. Then in 2014, JailBreak dropped, and it’s popularity exploded. Part of it was because of the complex plot and the themes it was covering like I mentioned, but also because of its representation. 
I remember when fandom theorized that Garnet was a fusion due to grand, tragic reasons. Turns out, she’s simply a metaphor for a very loving w|w relationship. This was huge. I cannot stress how important it is that we continue to normalize healthy canon queer relationships in childens’ media, and Steven Universe finally was the first to do that proper. Introducing these themes offers the chance for a kid to sit there and ask themselves, “Why is this demonized by so many people?” I asked myself exactly that. Ruby and Sapphire were my cartoon LGBT rep. They were the first LGBT couple I ever ecstatically drew fanart of. I was dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia at the time, and they showed me that I was allowed to love women and feel normal about it. The process of overcoming this was a long one, but they played a part in my very first steps into becoming comfortable with my sexuality. I could go on and on about it’s representation in general-- how it breaks the mold when it comes to showcasing a diverse set of characters in design, in casting, and in breaking gender roles. It’s focus on love and empathy. Steven himself is a big boy, but he's the protagonist, and the show never once makes fun of his weight, or any other bigger characters for that matter. It wasn’t hard to see why the fandom had grown so large.
Fandom was always a joy for me. It was a hobby I picked up when I was in middle school, like many of us here did. I would always cater my experience to fun, and fun only. I only started getting more deeply involved in SU’s fandom when I had just turned into an adult. During the summer of 2016, between my first and second year of college, I drew for the show almost every day non-stop when the Summer of Steven event was going on and posted them online. This was a form of practice for me in order to become not just more comfortable with experimenting with my art, but also to meet new artists, make new friends, and learn to interact with strangers without fear. I dealt with a ton of anxiety when I was in high school. When I was a senior applying to art school for animation, I decided I was going to overcome that anxiety. I made plans to take baby steps to improve myself over the course of my 4 years of college. Joining the fandom, while unforeseen, was definitely a part of that process. I started feeling more confident in sharing my ideas, even if they were fan-made. I fell in love with storyboarding after that summer, when I took my first storyboarding class, and genuinely felt like I was actually getting somewhere with all of this. I remember finally coming to a point in my classes where I could pitch and not feel hopelessly insecure about it. I was opening up more to my friends and peers. 
But this process, unfortunately, came to a screeching halt. 
My life completely, utterly crumbled under me in the Fall of 2017 due to a series of blows in my personal life that happened in the span of just a couple weeks. My mental health and sense of identity were completely destroyed. All of that confidence I had worked for-- completely ruined. I was alone. I nearly died. My stay at college was extended to 4 and half years, instead of the 4 I had intended. I lost my love for animation-- making it, and watching it. I could no longer watch Steven Universe with the same love I had for it beforehand. It’s a terrible thing, trying to give your attention to something you don’t love anymore, and wanting so desperately to love again. I dropped so many things I loved in my life, including the fandom.
Healing was a long and complicated road. I continued to watch the show all the way up until Change Your Mind aired in the beginning of 2019, and while I still felt empty, that was definitely a turning point for me with it’s encapsulation of self-love. I was hoping James Baxter would get to work on Steven Universe since he guest-animated on Adventure Time, and it was incredible seeing that wish actually come true. The movie came out and while I enjoyed it and thought highly of it, I was still having issues letting myself genuinely love things again, old and new. It was especially difficult because cartoons were my solace as a kid, when things got rough at home. I remember feeling sad because the show ended, and not getting the chance to love it again like I used to while it was still going.
By the time Steven Universe Future was announced, I was finally coming around. I was genuinely starting to feel excitement for art and animation again. I wasn’t expecting there to be a whole new epilogue series, but happily ever after, there we were! Prickly Pear aired, and the implications it left in terms of where the story was going did it. I was finally ready to let myself take the dive back into fandom in January of this year. My art blew up, something I wasn’t expecting considering my 2-year hiatus. Following this, I was invited into a discord server containing some of the biggest writers, artists, editors, and analysts in the fandom. I had no idea there were so many talented people in the fandom, some already with degrees, some getting their degrees-- creating stuff for it on the side just for fun. The amount of passion and productivity level here is insane, and so is the amount of discussion that has come out of it.
I didn’t realize it at first, but it was actually helping me gain back the courage to share ideas. I lost my confidence in pitching while I was taking the time to heal, and graduating meant there would no longer be a classroom setting I could practice in. This group helped immensely. 
I have made so many friends through this wonderful series, and I have so many fond memories talking to like-minded creatives, getting feedback and a myriad of sources for inspiration, as well as all of the memes and jokes and weekly theorizations that came about as we all waited on the edges of our seats for episodes to air. I needed this so badly, I needed to get back in touch with my roots, when I would go absolutely hog-wild over a cartoon I loved with people who loved it as much I did. Future has been a blessing for me in this way. I graduated feeling like I was back at square-one, but now I feel like I’m on my way again.
It’s 2020 and while I’m doing great right now, I am honestly still recovering from the total exhaustion that followed after graduating a few months ago, and finally leaving the campus where my life fell apart behind. Needless to say, watching Future was like looking into a mirror. Watching one of my favorite characters of all time-- one that grew up with me-- go through so many of the same things I went through not too long ago was absolutely insane to watch unfold. It’s such an important thing too, to show a character go through the process of breaking down over trauma and all the nasty things that come with it, and to have them go on the road to healing. Steven got that therapy. He wasn’t blamed. The gems were called out. The finale was everything I could have ever hoped for. The catharsis I experienced watching it was out of this world.
As I continue my own healing journey, I will always look up to the storyboard artists, revisionists, and designers that I have been following over these past 7 years, as well as the new ones introduced in Future. It's been such a joy watching these artists release their promo art for episodes, talk about their experiences working on the show, and post the work they've done for it alongside episodes airing.
Thank you Rebecca Sugar, the Crewniverse, and the fans, for making this such a truly wonderful and unique experience. Thank you for reminding me that I am, and always will be, an artist, a cartoonist, and a fan. Thank you, my followers, for the overwhelmingly positive response to my artwork. I have had so much fun interacting and discussing the show with you all again over these past few months. Steven Universe and it’s fandom will always have a special place in my heart, and it will always be a classic that I will return to for comfort and inspiration for decades to come. I am sad that the cartoon renaissance is over, but so many doors have been opened thanks to this show. I am so, so excited to see what this show will inspire in the future, and I hope one day I get the opportunity to be a part of that. 
Goodbye Steven, thank you for everything. I wish you healing, and I wish Rebecca and the team a well-deserved rest. ♥️
-Cynthia D.
5K notes · View notes
argumentl · 2 years
Text
The Freedom of Expression Ep 58 - [NSFW] The truth behind the DIR EN GERY misprint, and a mysterious voice...
K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, with this week's episode of the Freedom of Expression. Joe, Tasai, welcome...Um..
T: Ah!
J: What is it?
T: No way!
K: Its 'Young Jump'
J: Ah, Young Jump.
K: I think you already know about this, but we put an ad on it like this *shows back page*.
J: Oh, looks great!
T: Yeah, it does. Very impactful.
K: Its good, isn't it?
T: Yeah, great impact.
K: There's something a bit odd about it.
J: Haha
T: Huh? Where?
J: Eh? Something odd?
K: Yeah, its a bit strange. There's a bit of a mistake.
J: Is the kanji for Oboro correct?
K: Yeh, and this is right, about the release on the 28th of April.
J: And Wenesday is correct, right?
K: Yeah, and the explosion screening schedule is ok.
T: Yeah, it is.
K: The ticket price info is also all fine.
J: Yep.
K: After that there's only this bottom section.
J:Yeah.
T: DIR EN...
T, J: GERY, haha.
J: Has a new band formed?
K: We screwed up.
J, T: Hahaha
K: Its hard to believe, right?
J: Incredible. I did not expect this..Dir en gery.
T: I thought it was like a trick or something.
J: Oh, to make it go viral or..?
T: Yeah, going with Dir en gery.
J: Kaoru, what was it?
T: We'll find out about it here.
K: It was a total mistake.
J, T: Hahaha
J: Seriously? Eh? Really?
K: Yeah.
T: Does that mean it was done on a hurry, if its a seroius mistake?
K: Yeah, I guess so.
J: Well, Tasai, you work for a newspaper, and I also work for Rolling Stone, so we understand this, but our work is handed in for checking, you know, proof-reading. And they do spot mistakes, but honestly, I have never seen mistake of this size before.
T: Yeh. This is at the level of 'accident'. However, there is a case for saying that we cannot attack this. What I mean by that is that we too make mistakes.
J: Yes, thats true. There is that. Well, this goes for magazines etc too, but if you do proof-reading within the organization, for example, if the writer writes an article, the editor will proof-read it, and they may intend to, but if everyone is really busy with loads of other work, they will run out of time. Then they will get it checked by an external proof-reader. Even then there are sometimes still typos left over.
T: Yeah, there are.
J: There are, right? Human error happens.
T: Yeah, like if I misspell a name or something, I can correct it on the digital version, but on paper it appears on every copy out there.
J: Yeah..
K: But like this?!
J: Yeah, we say this, but we've never seen a typo this bad. Like, I've mistaken small details in names and stuff before.
K: Yeah, like Young Jump becoming Young JumP, right?
J, T: Yeh, haha.
K: Not like this! *points to 'GERY'*
J: Haha, this is...
*Sound of strange voice occurs in background - On screen text: 'What was that voice?! One more time.. (Clip of strange voice re-plays) No-one during the filming heard this. Its a mystery voice'*
J: Tell us what happened?
T: Yeah, lets ask.
K: Um, we had the design made, and the designer made the regular logo and put it down here in this fixed spot, so it looked as if the logo was done, even though there was a mistake in it. At the time, I wasn't looking at the band name, I was looking at the overall design, and ths impact it had. Like this image of Kyo from RokumaykanGIG. My eyes were drawn to the best parts of the design. It wasn't really designed to emphasize the band name. Its designed to showcase this top part, so I, like, didn't see it. Die didn't even see it, and he normally checks these really carefully. Even if we miss something, he normally spots it straight away. 
J: Ah, even Die didn't notice it! ???*1
K: Yeah. We were too busy checking that there were no mistakes in the tour schedule.
J: Yeah.
K: But the information is all correct, so if its just the band name with a mistake, well, maybe its ok.
T: This could become a really rare item in time to come.
J: Yeah, cause there isn't gonna be a misspelling with Dir en grey again after this. That point will be strengthened.
K: Not for a while yeah. A long time ago, we had a single out called 'Filth', and there was a mistake in the title of the song on the cover jacket.
T: Eh? So this is the second time this has happened to you?
K: Well...yeh.
T: Hahaha
K: Well, we occasionally make small mistakes *2, but...
T: This is big.
J: Can I suggest something? Good things come in threes.
K: Ah, terrible.
J: So there will be a third time to come, imagine it, it could be both the title and the band name with a mistake.
T: Hahaha
K: Well, what can I do about it now? If you buy the single 'Filth' even now, its still like that. So filth is spelled f-i-l-h..huh? h-f...um, it's..
T: ..t-h
K: f-i-l-t-h, but the i became f, I mean h. So because there were two h's I realised the mistake. If there really is only one h, it could be that they just made the letters look in that style, but they look the same to me.
T: Ehh? I want to line Filth up next to this magazine.
J: Yeah
J, K: Hahaha
T: Don't you have it here? Filth?
K: We do.
T: Lets put them out together!
K: When I saw this (*Young Jump*) though, well, I thought it was quite rare*3, it could become a talking point. If you take a bad thing in a smooth way, someone will notice, so I thought we could just go with it.
J: Brilliant!
K: And then I posted on Twitter, like 'Ooops'. And that was a photo of the actual magazine, so it really was like 'ooops'.
T: As soon as I saw your Tweet, I was like 'Huh?!' and I went to the convenience store and bought it. haha
J: Well, in that sense it is a rare item
T: Can we decide on the correct reading for this? How would you say it?
K: Ge-ri?
J: Dir en gery (ge-ri).
K: jeri? geri?
J: geri? jeri?
T: gari?
J: Its geri, right? Well, jeri is like..
K: In the basic form its geri, right?
J: Yeah. jeri might have to be 'Gerry' with two r's.  Which is best Dir en jeri or Dir en geri?
T: Should we decide? Even though it doesn't really matter.
J: Yeah
J: Dir en geri sounds like a struggling country rock artist or something, haha. Dir en jeri has jellyfish vibes.
T: The official name: Dir en Gery (jeri). haha.
J: I want you guys to do a joke live show as Dir en gery. You could switch parts, like Kaoru, you could be on drums.
K: Ah, but we did kinda do that once, we changed parts on stage. I just made a load of noise.
J: Ahh, so you could do that as Dir en gery somewhere officially and play one song.
T: Ahh, thats a good idea.
J: Do a cover or something.
T: You could do ???*4
K: Er, no. haha.
J: Haha, this will getting bigger and bigger.
T: But I heard recently at the MeguroRokumaykanGIG screening, Kyo said  that Toshiya used to play guitar a long time ago.
K: He was playing guitar the first time we saw him playing in a band...well, I don't know if he was playing it, or just waving it around a lot.
T: Yeah, Kyo said the stage was going wild.
K: Yeah, he wasn't playing.
J: So, when you guys switched instruments on stage, what did you do Kaoru?
K: Drums.
J: Oh, drums?
K: Thats the one I wanna try out the most.
J: So if you guys played as Dir en gery, Kaoru, you would be..?
T: Drums?
K:...Nah....*imitates playing the castanets*
J: Tambourine? Oh, castanets? So, it doesn't necessarily have to be the same instruments you play at the moment?
K: Yeah. As long as we play as a proper band.
J: Yeah, so Kyo could play the recorder..
T: Someone could hit the ???*5
J: Yeah, yeah. Oh, that would be good.
*The single Filth gets passed over*
K: I'll just get it out.
*K shows cover jacket to J*
J: Oh, here, right?
K: Can you see, there are two h's.
J: Yes. I see.
*K shows it to T*
J: The first h is a typo?
K: Yeah.
T: Its a bit difficult to spot though.
K: We didn't even notice, we thought it was just the design.
J: Yeah. Put them together now.
*K puts magazine and CD together*
J, T: Hahaha
K: By the way, it was the same person who designed both of these.
J, T: Haha
K: When he saw it he was so pained.
T: Its ok, ???*6
J: Ahh, well, it can't be helped though.
*On screen note: Again? (weird voice appears)*
J: Even if there is a spelling mistake, its conveying the atmosphere that is the main thing.
K: Yeah, thats the emphasis.
J: But on the other hand, you could say that as soon as 'Dir' appears, people recognise it as Dir en grey, even with this kind of misspelling. The name is that well know.
T: Hmm, yeh
K: Hm, well, yeh, if you look at it up to here. But for us, its impossible.
J: Well, I guess yeah. It goes for Rolling Stones too. For example, if the last n in Rolling Stones became an m, you wouldn't immediately spot it. If it came up all of a sudden, you would just think 'Ah, the Stones'. It's that kind of name recognition. You could see it in that way. But I didn't know it was the same designer who did it both times.
K: Our boss was pretty mad about it.
J, T: Hahaha
J: Really? I see.
K: He couldn't believe it.
J: Well, yeah. Its also the most important part.
T: Well, yeah, and cause its already in circulation.
J: Yeah. Well, everyone can keep it as a treasure.
K: Where's Kami?
J: Yeah, isn't he here?
Kami: Oh, Im here, I was just listening the whole time. People make mistakes, right?
T: They do.
Kami: This is just a mistake. So its wrong to point blame.
T, J: Yes.
J: Kami, have you made a mistake recently or something?
Kami: Im always making mistakes, and always getting into trouble.
J, T: Haha
Kami: As soon as you've made a mistake, it hurts, right?
T: Yeah, I know that feeling.
Kami: Yeah.
J: Yeah, the person who made the mistake knows it, you don't have to tell them.
T: Yeah, that hurts the most.
Kami: I bet if you made a mistake like this though, you'd get into big trouble.
T, K: Haha
Kami: I think you really would.
T: Well, heh, yeah. But if even Die overlooked this..its like a demon interferred..
J: Yeah, unbelievable.
K: But, anyway, Im taking it in a good way. Well, I mean, it's not good to take just any old thing in a positive way, but....its a bit like those remarks by Mori that we discussed recently.
J: Oh yeah.
K: Like how to move on with it.
J: Yeah, we can learn from that.
K: Yeah.
*Sound cuts out. On screen note: Suddenly, we were unable to record to voices. Was it linked to that sound we heard earlier?*
K: Um, the sound..
J: It seems as if the sound went off.
T: I wonder whether its to do with what we just talked about?
K: What, like, 'Stop this conversation?'
J: Haha, like from ths designer's perspective...'Please stop it!'
T: Haha, yeah, 'Please!'
J: So, what about the Oboro single?
K: So, we're at the last stage, just the mastering, and a little more discussion, and we're about finished. And then the packaging. Well, there's just a little bit longer till the 28th, about another month.
J: Well, Im looking forward to it.
K: Ok, lets finish here for this week. Thank you.
*On screen note: The voice that no-one, including the staff, heard during recording was recorded into the mic data.*
*1,4,5,6 Couldn't catch
*2, 3 Not entirely sure
To top
23 notes · View notes
harmoni-me · 3 years
Note
hi! wanted to tell you that i absolutely love your writing skills, it’s so different from the others that i've read and it makes me feel so warm inside. keep up the good work! i'm really looking forward to seeing more
if you don’t mind, i'd like to request for a poly nagito x sweetheart reader x kokichi where they’re still in the crushing/pining stage and being confused about their sexuality. thank you, have a good day/night!💙
Phew! I finally did it! My fingers kinda hurt from typing all this haha! But I loved the request a lot! I played around with the concept you gave me as well, so it’s a story that branches out into multiple styles of writing. I do have to warn you though, goodness is this one long! But I hope you enjoy it all in the same! <3
I’m so sleepy lol 
quick trigger warning beware! : There is a scene in this where a character goes through mental hysteria that contains some panic attack like symptoms. If you are sensitive to that writing, please, skip the the fluffy scene that if used for comfort right after :) (Or just don’t read it at all, don’t worry! Harmoni understands!)
Nagito Komaeda x Sweetheart Reader x Kokichi Ouma! Pt. 1
Tumblr media
Also can we just talk about this gif? It makes me so happy...This artist is so good too like WHOA! Check them out! 
Tumblr media
“No…“
“1, 2, 3, 4-“
“NO-“
“5, 6, 7, 8!” Nagito finished, moving the silver, dog-shaped play piece across the board in rhythmic taps.
“NOOOO! BOARDWALK, NAGITO?! FUCKING BOARDWALK?!” Kokichi shrieked in a fit of rage, slamming his Panta drink onto the table, while standing up and causing an absolute fit.
Nagito was chuckling at the enraged boy, who was now standing on the kitchen counters, stomping in pure fury. Kokichi was a huge brat. A clingy, competitive, always-begging-for-something, whole-hearted brat. Though, Nagito would have to admit that he could never stay mad at Kokichi, in fact, he would have to say that he barely gets mad at him. Ever. He reminded the white-haired boy of a playful puppy, bounding and bucking happily when getting what it wants. It made Nagito’s heart melt, evaporate, then simply melt again, even when he was a cursing mess stomping on the granite countertops, getting scratches all over it.
“Woah! Nagi, that’s amazing! You got Boardwalk really early in the game, that’s so cool!” You smiled, while also laughing at Kokichi’s ferocious cursing as ambiance. Your smile drove Nagito’s attention away from the angered boy, and his heart went through overdrive once he saw your sweet smile, radiating so much contagious joy. It’s almost as if he was on a roller coaster that contained a different track each and every time he rode it. One minute, his heart would be doing loops, and the next, it excitedly go up again.
. . .
Now, this is where the problem begins. Well, the one of three problems that plague the three individuals all playing a simple game of Monopoly on a Sunday night. This is Nagito’s problem: Whenever he has an effect on Kokichi, making him oh-so-lovable in his eyes, his heart swells and fills his chest to the brim. Oh, was this feeling that was so incredibly foreign to him feel so wonderful when it dawned upon him for the first time.
Nagito could always draw the memory back within his vision in surreal detail. Kokichi and Nagito were loitering in the hallways of Hope’s peak, with the shorter purple-haired boy dragging the pale, frizzy haired boy by the hand to apparently “Conjure up the biggest most awesome-est prank Hope’s Peak has every witnesses since built into existence”. Honestly, how could Nagito say no to something that holds so much potential hope and despair, all contained in one big gift-wrapped surprise of a prank on the whole school?
After planning for a few hours, Kokichi seemed to have a fuse broken in his brain due to thinking about a truly fool-proof plan. The somewhat drowsy prankster reached into his schoolbag and pulled out two twin bottles of grape Panta, sliding one over to an unsuspecting Nagito. The purple plastic bottle bonked into Nagito’s forearm, knocking the bottle down from the force.
“Nehehe, I guess you really are the Ultimate Lucky student, huh? It just so happens I packed an extra today, Shamrock! Make it up to me sometime soon, okaaaaay?” Kokichi giggled, teasing the lanky, somewhat socially-awkward Nagito who was sitting across from him on a desk within a totally abandoned classroom. Nagito thanked the other, though, Kokichi really couldn’t respond due to being in the middle of chugging his favorite carbonated drink.
Nagito turn to his own bottle. He wasn’t the biggest fan of old-fashioned artificial grape flavored things, but it wasn’t the worst. Plus, it would be quite rude to refuse a drink from a friend, right? So the white haired boy simply picked up the bottle, and twisted the cap off, as per usual etiquette of opening a soda bottle.
Splash
It didn’t take too long until Nagito knew what was going on. The drink had exploded everywhere. The bottle of soda was basically empty by the end of the grape-geyser showcase, and poor Nagito was left drenched in purple, sticky, sugary liquid. The drink already was starting to dry into a thin, sweet crust on his skin, making the boy on a whole other level of uncomfortable. Though, it was kind of expected that Kokichi would be absolutely laughing his butt off in the moment, sounding like some sort of hysteric hyena mixed with a duckling quacking at some breadcrumbs. It was a laughable sight, no doubt, Nagito literally looked like the embodiment of a sad, wet dog.
But then Kokichi settled down after a bit, controlling his breathing from the pathetic sight. After doing so, he got up out of his seat, and knelt down to scrummage through his bag, revealing a regular branded water bottle. He then made his way over to Nagito, and without hesitation, sat himself on his soda-soaked lap.
“Aww, really going for that kicked puppy look, are you now? Well, since I’ve had all my laughing fun from this, I guess it’s only natural that I help you out, hm? Or would you rather just stay just like this? Oh, now, I wouldn’t mind it if we did…though it seems your eyes beg to differ…well in that case, let’s clean you up, shall we?” Kokichi hummed, teasing the ever living daylights out of the wet and miserable boy.
Kokichi then did something that made Nagito’s heart pound harder than it ever had before. The teasing boy reached behind his neck, untying his beloved checkered bandana. He then carefully opened the water bottle, and poured the contents onto the fabric. Once ensuring it was thoroughly soaked, Kokichi started to wash off as much of the stickiness he could. to Ruffling Nagito’s hair, from gently washing his pale cheeks, which were now sprinkled with specks of rose, and finally gliding the cloth along Nagito’s clothes and hands.
A few things in Nagito’s mind had clicked into place after Kokichi had handled him with the care equal to that of a lover. Well, ironically, Nagito had caught feelings for his tiny little prankster brat of a friend. Was it a huge surprise? Not really, based on the track that Nagito was on.
Another piece of the puzzle had snapped: Kokichi was a a guy. That was something really to think about. Never had Nagito found men attractive, but…
Finally, the last, and most worrying puzzle piece out of them all: Kokichi wasn’t the only one he has fell for. His heart has become torn in that moment, with every day becoming more of a wrestling match to the death rather than a silly tug-of-war between feelings. The other side of his heart was unsure, and fell for another person that had lifted him up through his lowest lows, supporting him like a much needed pair of crutches when having a sprained ankle.
And that person, was you.
. . .
“Ok ok ok ok ok! Listen here you little damn shamrock you!” Kokichi huffed, now sitting back on the ground, leg crossed, “You and I both know that I have Park Place, right? Right! Now, my dear little clover, I want to make a deal with you, if you will?” Kokichi smirked with evil intent clear within his irises.
“Ooo! Deals! Nagi, I think you should listen to Kichi, making profitable partnerships is pretty much his specialty.” You giggled, basically becoming Kokichi’s personal little advocate. He let out a quick “Yeah, what she said!”, causing Nagito to laugh and nod, gesturing for an explanation of the deal.
“Well, personally, my little clover, I feel like we should team up, you know? We could completely dominate over sweet our little gumdrop over there, making them drop to their knees in submission to us. You know, I have a feeling you and I both would enjoy it...” Kokichi shuffled a little closer to the platinum blonde, voice dropping, “We could rule them over together, as equals, or even make them surrender if they ever have the chance-“
“Sure! Though, you should probably get out of jail first.” Nagito chuckled, making the other boy grumble.
“OH YOU-“
“Heeeeey! I wanna join in too! It sounds like you guys are having fun and stuff, while I’m all alone…” You puffed out your cheeks, sadness dripping in your voice.
Both of the boys shot up to look at your somewhat downcast features, and oh, how it wreaked their hearts in one fell swoop.
Kokichi automatically shot up from his position, puffing out his chest in preparation for a new speech.
“O-ok! New deal! We ALL join evil forces TOGETHER, and absolutely destroy the game with all of our property, while reaping in the greedy rewards of the capitalist regime!” Kokichi loudly proclaimed, chuckling at the end of his new deal.
You gasped, “Deal! Deal! Taking over a money-based board game with my two favorite people ever will always be a yes for me!” You laughed, smiling at the thought of the three of you taking over Hollywood streets with a pose of limos, while using bags stuffed with pure cash as weapons made it ten times funnier.
Kokichi smiled, resting his hands behind his head, “Yeah! Let’s end it here and just say that we kicked so much millionaire ass that we now have control over the whole economy!”
. . .
This is the second problem, Kokichi is so undeniably confused. About what? About himself. He was sure as all hell about how he felt about you, he always went soft and squishy for you, and not to mention he would be extra clingy when it had to do with you. Headpats? Common, and always appreciated. Cuddles? Been there, done that with you.
But, then there was Nagito. Kokichi would never say this out loud, but he thought that Nagito was so…pretty. And god, Kokichi was a huge sucker for pretty people. Though, once he realized that his feelings didn’t go to just one person, that’s when he started to panic.
He had to take in multiple things at once, trying to accept it all at once, but it was just so incredibly difficult. He has spent the whole entirety of his life to perfect the art of lying, and one thing that he learned constantly manipulated his own mind and thought process, tearing it into metaphorical shreds.
In order to pull out a lie that everyone can believe, you have to lie to yourself, and proclaim your own illusion of your truth.
Did Kokichi want to believe he was immensely attracted to Nagito, who just happened to be a guy? No, he really didn’t. It wasn’t normal.
Did Kokichi want to believe that he had fallen so fucking in love with two of his closest friends? Hell no. In society, you had to pick and choose, it’s one or the god damn other.
Right?
One night, all of these feeling and thoughts rushed into the boy’s conscious all at once, building immense pressure within his head and chest. Was this a nightmare, or-
Suddenly, his throat started to close up on him, making him gasp out in agony, wheezing on the covers of his bed, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes.
Instinct kicked in within the speed of light. Kokichi shakily reached over to his phone, grasping onto it, and quickly set up a group call. Almost immediately, the two people he was panicking over had picked up.
“Hello? Kokichi? Is there anything you need?” A raspy voice rang out. It seems as if Nagito was awoken by the sudden calling.
“Yeah, Kichi? Is there anything wrong?” You softly spoke through the phone. It calmed Kokichi a little just hearing the two of you guy so worried over him.
“I-I know It’s out of the blue-“ Kokichi gasped for air “B-but can you guys please come over?”
And oh boy, did you and Nagito get there in record time.
After just a mere ten minutes, you and Nagito were outside of Kokichi’s bedroom door, and the both of you could hear the desperate hiccups and gasps of your poor friend.
The both of you had no doubts, nor questions. You just wanted the struggling boy to feel safe.
“We’re coming in.” You said, affirming your actions with light knocking on the bedroom door.
When the both of you came face to face with a Kokichi with puffy red eyes, clutching his heaving chest, and thick tears rolling down his face, it felt like the both of you just got shot in the heart, the weight of it sinking down into the stomach, emitting a feeling that could only be described as pure pity. But the two of you automatically got to work.
Sooner rather than later, You and Nagito were cuddling Kokichi from either side, supporting him, as well as being his shield for protecting his small, delicate frame from his own cruel thoughts. You had started to run your fingers through Kokichi’s hair, causing his breaths to become fuller, and not nearly as hitched. Nagito also wanted to contribute in his own way, so he decided to mindlessly draw messy shapes and squiggles into Kokichi’s side, hoping that what he was doing would be of any help.
After only a mere five minutes, Kokichi had passed out from exhaustion, but the two of you kept on doing what you were doing, wanting for the boy in-between you two to have sweet dreams about all of what he desires all night long.
Kokichi has never let go of that memory, and never will for the rest of his life, and it’s a constant reminder on how much he had lied to himself. He actually wanted the truth out of something for once in his life, and that was how long it would be in order for the loves of his life to live without restraint of societal chains. Whenever it was, he would always be ready. Always, with arms as open as the horizon.
. . .
“Why in the world are we watching Big Hero 6 again? Didn’t we watch this, like, a month ago?” Kokichi trudged from the microwave, to the plush couch, bowl of buttered popcorn in hand.
“(Y/N) wanted to watch it, is there a problem?” Nagito tilted his head, holding the remote, about to press play. You were bouncing in anticipation, because this movie was just never a disappointment.
“Hm, well, I GUESS there’s nothing wrong with it….just don’t be surprised when you hear me snoring.” Kokichi huddled up beside you, placing the bowl of popcorn on you lap.
“I deem you the popcorn peacemaker! Your job is to make sure no one’s being a pig.” Kokichi snickered, while you giggled at your new role in life.
“Nagi? You like popcorn, right? Here!” You placed the bowl on his lap, causing him to smile.
“Hey, HEY! NO! That means I have to reach my WHOLE ARM over to to Lucky boy, JUST SO I CAN GET SOME POPCO-“
“Sh sh sh! The movie is starting!” You giggled, shushing the purple haired boy, while you heard a little chuckle from the white haired boy who was next to you.
. . .
The last problem was you. Your heart bubbled up in joy whenever you where around these boys, making your face erupt like a volcano whenever something slightly suggestive is aimed at you when it has to do with either one of them. You liked both of them, a lot, and you gave everything in order for the three of you to flourish in bountiful friendship. Yeah, that’s the problem, it was friendship.
Oh, how desperately you wished that everything could be easy! If life were like an infinite rolling of crashing waves, things would be flawless, predictable even. Unfortunately, life really likes to give you the short end of the stick, and this was honestly one of the shortest sticks someone like you would have never asked for. The loving of two men, both equally, and having an intense desire to treat them as lovers. What would they do as lovers? Where would they go as lovers? The questions and possibilities are endless…
The only time where you felt as if the friendship could’ve resembled anything somewhat romantic, was a summer evening trip to the beach.
The water was the perfect temperature, the ocean was as clear as glass, and the sand didn’t burn the soles of your feet. The boy’s were in their swimming trunks, having their own little fun. Nagito was afraid of getting to deep into the ocean, so you always stayed in the shallow end, trying to capture as many tiny fishes as you could with your bare hands.
Kokichi insisted that him and Nagito bury you in sand, leaving your head poking out of a sandy little cocoon. When the sun started to set, you got some supplies that you brought, and lit the fire that the group planned to create. Everyone gathered around it, cooking hot dogs on sticks, and crafting tasty s’mores that we fed each other.
One could say that that night might be the most casual and platonic friend trip ever, but something was off.
Everyone looked at each other differently that night. When looking into their eyes, it was oddly intimate. It was like all of the stars in the night sky reflected off their eyes conveyed so much...love.
That night, you felt so adored, so cherished and cultivated to the brim of your existence. You felt something, and maybe the other boy’s did too, but that feeling has changed your life.
Thanks to these stupid boys; These stupid boys that you’ve given so much to, you don’t think you could ever love any other.
One you’ve helped get out of a terrible degradation cycle, another you’ve helped to not lie to himself, and not as much to others.
And thanks to your down to earth humility, your heart has been stolen, and it was going to stay taken by those lovely, unique boys who have helped you out of so many ditches, and so many of life’s cracks and dents. God, how could you not fall?
Their lives were precious to you, but you had no idea how they would feel about an actual relationship, so you’ve always been terrified. Petrified and paralyzed to the bone to ever think of what may happen if you were the cause of the fracture of the friendship. You didn’t want to ruin something that has taken so long to build, yet can be torn all down due to a selfish desire.
But, maybe, just maybe, if they went to you first, confessed everything that was bottled up inside, dittoed on how you felt…
Then you might just be the luckiest person to live on this earth, there’s no doubt about that.
142 notes · View notes
Text
Fuck it. Today I get to be self-indulgent and tell you about the entire Fjorester Hallmark Christmas Fanfic that is way too long for me to write these days but I have entirely laid down in my head so instead I’m going to write about it as a bulletpoint fic.... sort of... you’ll get the grasp. Just strap along for the ride. 
(This is obvious and shamelessly based on Tis The Damn Season by Taylor Swift, you can fight me. I said it was self-indulgent)
Okay, so first of all, the group are all friends and knew each other all through college, right? 
Jester studied psychology (she’s an emotional healer, you know?) and especialices in art therapy. 
Fjord did a marine biology major with an acting minor, because deep down he’s a theater nerd but doesn’t dare admit it because he needs to want a “real” career, you know? Also, he paid for his studies with a full swimming team scholarship. 
I legit don’t know what everyone else studied —this is the kinda stuff I would figure out while actually writing the fic— so you get to fill those blanks! 
ANYWAY, basically during college Jester had this art teacher, Artagan, who she became weirdly friendly with (you sometimes become friends with your college teachers, they aren’t even that much older than you and half the time are just as tired)
So this art teacher is delighted by her, right? Keeps telling her how talented an artist she is and how she should definitely come with him to LA after this year is over. He’ll get her into a gallery! She’ll be famous and amazing! 
So Jester goes. And her heart aches. And maybe leaving her mama is so damn hard. And maybe, maybe, she doesn’t want to say goodbye to Fjord but she’s been in love with him for so so so long and he never seemed to see her in that way, so she can’t put her life on pause for him. She can’t. Even if the night before she leaves it looks like he’s trying to tell her something, to half confess something that he never quite does say out loud and her heart falls and she leaves. 
ANYWAY here is where our story begins. 
Jester comes back for christmas after six months away and she is EXCITED to be home! 
(maybe a little too much, maybe things aren’t going as great in LA as she expected) (and mayyyybe she’s a little nervous to see a certain someone but it’s ok)
Fjord picks her up at the airport. He knows her mama doesn’t like going out much and he really, really, really insists that it’s no big deal. His car is old and shitty and there was an incident once that made Jester start calling it “The Ball Eater” to Fjord’s endless dismay (and bemusement). 
Anyway the ride home is light hearted, they make small talk and laugh about old times and Jester talks so much about how amazing everything in LA is but Fjord can’t shake the feeling that something about her, despite her smile, seems sad. 
He also can’t help the desire to hold her hand, or kiss her, or at the very least confess how uselessly in love he’s been with her for years, but she’s only here for like four days because she needs to go back to LA for her big New Years gallery show that Artagan put together and he can’t ask much from her without getting in the way of her dreams, so he doesn’t. 
So they get home and Marion is as delightful as ever and Jester finds out that Fjord has been helping her fix some things around the house (oh so you’re a very handy man, Fjord! *wiggles eyebrows*) and he’s been buying her groceries because he knows Jester used to do it because Marion is always so busy performing at the Chateau (and doing other things for her fancier clients, but Fjord would rather not bring that subject up too often) and he just thought it would be important for someone to look after her from time to time. 
Jester has to choke back tears because she is so moved that he is so wonderful with her mama even when she’s gone. Her heart flutters and it’s terrifying. 
So Fjord leaves and Jester and her mama spend the whole afternoon together, catching up and baking cupcakes and watching christmas movies until Marion has to go to work.
Meanwhile, Fjord is trying to figure out what to do with himself and with Jester —nothing, he decides, he shouldn’t really say anything— and keeps pacing around his apartment to the endless bemusement of his roomate. 
Caduceus was MEANT to go home for the holidays, but there was some kind of change of plans with his family at the last minute (or so he says, he hasn’t been very forthcoming about it and Fjord suspects they might have had an argument or something or maybe Cad just decided not to go home, but how is he supposed to know? He never knew the first thing about families) so now Caduceus is here and for the first time in his life Fjord is not spending Christmas alone. 
Caduceus suggests honesty is the best course of action, that he should just tell Jester how he feels. Yeah. Right. 
Anywayyy
Jester gets together with the rest of her friends “The Nein” they call each other, though they have never been nine, just to mess with people who keep asking and getting weirder and weirder answers. They get some drinks. 
While Fjord is away getting drinks, Beau mentions what a shitty year she’s had and Jester’s brow furrows and Beau says it was just a lot of shit, you know? Vandran just up and leaving town, handing in his thesis (though his tutor, Mrs. Melora was delightful and supportive). She doesn’t mention how depressed Fjord was over Jester leaving, though, but she does say that the cherry on top was his fucking ex showing up again. 
“Avantika came back?!”
Jester’s chest twists with the painful memory of jealousy and anger and worry over how unhealthy the whole thing was and how sick and sleepless and exhausted and sad Fjord seemed though the entire relationship before he finally gathered the courage to break things up. 
Veth knows that, so she brushes it off with a quick “it’s fine, he told her to go fuck herself” and Jester feels maybe a little better —even though she totally has no right because she and Fjord aren’t a thing and he can do whatever he wants ok? she totally doesn’t care, totally. 
Still, maybe, on the way back home she asks if he’s okay and she’s so worried and hesitant and Fjord just melts and assures her he’s alright, that he already knew when Avantika came back that she was not what he wanted, that he deserved more... that he wanted more... and he’s so earnest and breathless that Jester thinks he might really be in love with someone else, then... it doesn’t occur to her that all he can think about is kissing her in that moment, parked outside her mama’s house. 
The porch’s front light turns on, the moment passes, they say goodbye. 
Fjord comes over on the 24th to hang out. Apparently, Caduceus is a little bit more homesick than he is willing to admit and decided to unload all of his Cain Instincts on Fjord. Jester is delighted by the idea of Cad secretly being a prankster, but she lets Fjord hide out with her and her mama as they decorate the house (Marion didn’t have time to before between shifts) and make cookies and watch movies. 
And it’s so easy, so sweet and comfortable, that Jester can’t help but feel like this is what life is meant to be, she can’t help but fantasize about what things could have been like... 
Fjord finally asks what’s wrong. She tries to dodge the question first, assuring him she’s alright, but Fjord has known Jester long enough to figure out that something is weighing on her and he insists that she can tell him anything. 
Jester finally breaks and admits LA isn’t everything she dreamed. It’s pretty great, sure, and she got a job as an art therapist in a nearby clinic and the gallery is going to be great and fun but she feels so lonely, she’s tried to make new friends but everyone is too busy or stuck on their own road to success to really get to know them, she misses the Nein, she misses her mama, she misses her home and Fjord. Besides, Artagan has been so busy with planing the gallery (and all of the other cool artists he has been collecting to showcase there and she didn’t know about before) and he’s just not as focused on being her artistic mentor has before. It’s just a lot. 
And Fjord listens and nods and assures her that she’s brilliant and amazing and she will be alright, but she can always come back home if she wants (god, he wishes she would return). 
instead, Jester says he should come to LA because they used to talk about this, about both going there and trying their luck as artists. “You are such an amazing actor, Fjord!” She insists but Fjord is too anxious. Dreams don’t pay the bills. He can’t just drop everything just to follow a dream... just to follow her. 
It gets quiet after that. 
On the way out, Marion overhears that Fjord is planing to spend christmas alone with Cad on their apartment and insists they should come over for diner instead. 
Jester is delighted! It’s usually just her and her mama (who usually has to leave early because she works christmas night at the hotel) but now Cad and Fjord can come too! And the others should too! Beau and Yasha are here alone too and Veth can bring Yeza and Luke and Caleb will definitely want to spend it here instead of the library right?
So the Nein end up all invited to Jester’s christmas party. 
Which, of course, means they HAVE to do a secret santa. 
Jester gets Caleb, so she enlists Veth and Beau to go shopping for his gift to make it extra especial. 
While they are out doing chores, Caleb texts Jester and asks if he could talk to her later that afternoon. She wonders out loud why that would be and Veth blurts out: “he’s probably finally gonna tell you he’s in love with you” 
And Jester would brush it off with a flirty joke if it wasn’t by the way Beau slaps the back of Veth’s head and tells her “you said you wouldn’t tell on him!” 
So Jester is shocked and confused and thrown off balance because she never even considered Caleb like that. Does Caleb like her? Is he in love with her? Is she supposed to know that? To like him back? Oh no, he’s going to tell her this afternoon isn’t he? 
And she has to give him a christmas gift for the secret santa!
Caos and overthinking ensue and finally Jester buys Caleb a big thick book he’d been eyeing for a while but that he’d deemed too expensive to get and a very long scarf with lots of tiny cats and there’s nothing romantic about it but she’s still worried about it. 
So, either way, Caleb and Jester meet up for a late coffee (Caleb is basically immune to caffeine at this point so it’s fine and Jester only drinks hot coco so it’s alright). 
And Jester jumps the gun, she goes on and on and on about how she had no idea and she’s so sorry and she’s not sure about how to feel with this but she doesn’t want to hurt Caleb because he’s such a good friend and she really does care about him a lot but-
Caleb cuts her off with a laugh. He already knew she’s not in love with him, which is why he never brought the subject up. He’s fine, he’s moved on. 
Oh?
Actually, he wanted to talk with her because he is seeing someone else (ESSEK) and he wanted to know if it would be alright to bring him over for christmas tomorrow. He thinks he’s ready to introduce them to his friends and a party seems like a good idea. 
Jester is delighted again and assures him he totally can come and not to worry about the extra space or work or food because Caduceus and Fjord promised to come help her prepare everything for the party. 
She grabs his hands and assures him with a bright smile that she’s incredibly happy for him and hopes this is the good kinda love that makes him feel warm and fuzzy and smile. And Caleb blushes and nods and mumbles that maybe it is. 
CUT TO: Fjord is totally accidentally watching this from outside the coffeeshop because he was out buying gifts too (for his secret friend, Beau, a dope set of weights... and for Jester, a tiny unicorn that he just saw and had to get for her because he knew it would make her so happy). 
Either way, as you can imagine, what Fjord sees is easily misunderstood. 
Cue: heartbreak. 
Which gets us to christmas morning filled with excitement and presents and hugs. 
Fjord and Caduceus come over to help the Lavorre women cook (Fjord feels a little responsible over turning their little yearly diner into a fully blown party because he mentioned they were spending it alone at home). 
And Fjord is sad. He isn’t angry, or rude, or jealous... okay, maybe a little jealous, but mostly he’s just heart-broken and Jester can tell something is off, but Fjord makes an effort to smile and pretend like everything is fine and –wow, whoever he is in love with (that person he said he now new he wanted) might have broken his heart and Jester is so confused and at a lost. 
Anyway, it’s Caduceus who finally has enough of the mopping around and pulls Fjord aside to figure out what’s wrong and Fjord just blurts everything out: Jester and the feelings and the almost kiss in his car and the hanging out and the stupid little unicorn he has back at home and now doesn’t dare give her and Jester holding Caleb’s hands and how stupid he feels and how he had no right to feel that way anyway...
Cad lets him ramble and in the end just sighs and puts a hand on his shoulder and says: you should give her the gift. Did you get it so she would love you? Did you get it to get something in return? 
No, Fjord says, he just wanted to make her happy. 
Well, it will still make her happy, right? Isn’t that what you want?
And Fjord nods despite the hurt and Cad thinks he is so clever because of course he knows that Jester is in love with Fjord and that Caleb has moved on but he figures his roommate needs to figure it out himself this time. 
And so, the party comes. 
They do the secret santa early, because everyone is too chaotic and excited to wait to figure out what gifts they will get and they all want their friends to see the awesome gifts they got them already. 
Fjord nearly bites through his cheek while he sees Jester give Caleb her secret santa gift. 
Yasha gives Jester a beautiful dress, dark but artistic, that everyone insists she must try on and model for them at once because the world really hates Fjord and wants to make him blush and squirm as much as possible over the girl of his dreams. 
Caduceus gets Fjord an amazing movie collection with all the western classics he loves and it’s probably one of the nicest gifts he’s ever gotten. 
The tiny unicorn weights like a fucking ton inside Fjord’s pocket through most of the night. He convinces himself that he can’t give it to Jester, it would be overstepping. If she loves someone else, he needs to respect that. 
And then Essek shows up, and Fjord understands many things at once, and he’s so stupid he wants to laugh and hit himself at the same time. 
And yeah, just because Jester isn’t in love with someone else it doesn’t mean that she will like him now... of course not... but he feels a little bit less like a terrible friend and person for wanting her to. 
He pulls her out to the porch with some dumb excuse and after a lot of awkward small talk he finally brings out the tiny unicorn. 
Jester is delighted. What? Why? When? And Fjord just tells her the truth, that he saw it and thought of her and how happy it would make her and he had to... 
So Jester kisses his cheek and he blushes furiously and just as the moment is about to die down Veth shouts from inside that someone hid a lot of mistletoe around the house and that she is not kissing any of her friends thank you very much. 
So the two of them look up just in time to see GUESS WHAT hanging over their heads. Because of course. 
Blushing. Awkwardness. I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t- I mean if you- I mean I do- Do you? Yeah. Wait. Really? I mean, do you want to? Y-yes! 
They kiss. 
And it’s quick and shy and not really a big romantic kiss, barely a peck between two friends terrified of fucking everything up. 
The night goes on and neither of them can stop thinking about it... but other than that, it’s just a fun party. 
Fjord doesn’t sleep much, he’s up early and pacing around the house until he decides he needs to try that again. Just once more. One more kiss. And maybe then... and, yes, she will leave, but maybe one more kiss wouldn’t be so terrible before that?
So Fjord runs. He runs over to her home, heart in his throat. 
He knocks on the door, rushed and breathless... and finds Marion looking sad. 
Jester got a call that very morning saying Artagan needed her ASAP back in LA because the gallery is apparently a mess and he needs her help to organize the big night. 
Fjord does his best to cheer Marion up but he also knows, he knows, how upset Jester must have been to lose the last few days home. 
Meanwhile, Jester is doing her best to help Artagan (after finding out her mentor might be an amazingly talented artist but a terrible event organizer) and basically runs herself thin, going crazy and barely sleeping for a couple days. 
Two days before the big exhibit everything is still a mess and it’s too much for her to handle alone... and then the Nein arrive. 
What are you doing here? What is going on? How are you here? 
And they just shrug and smile and say they missed her and ‘hey, do you need a little help with that?’ and before she knows it everyone is helping her up and putting together everything that’d been falling apart. 
Beau basically intimidates the catering service into actually delivering on time by reviewing their contract and finding how much money they could lose if they don’t. Yasha, turns out, has a fantastic eye for art and helps pick where and how each piece should be hanged. Veth goes nuts with the decoration, making it way fancier than anyone expected this little art show to be —she demands black tie for everyone who is coming, too. Caleb and Essek result amazing with lights and music and manage got connect the whole audio system by some sort of magical miracle because it hasn’t worked properly since the 8s. Caduceus and Fjord offer to serve drinks when the barman calls in sick. 
In the end, after a few hectic days, it all works out. 
Jester finds out from Beau that Fjord basically knocked on their doors as soon as he found out she had to come back and talked everyone into coming and drove all the way here in his cheap shitty Ball Eater car (it broke down halfway through and Fjord and Caleb had to fix it themselves which is also why it took them two whole days to get to LA). 
The night of the gallery everything is perfect and beautiful and Jester could cry because she has the best friends in the world —but, really, she could cry because she’s missed them so much and having them here with her has made LA seem like a true city of stars again. 
And so, she takes a moment in between smiling and shaking hands and posing for pictures with Artagan (who is sort of taking all the credit for their work but it’s alright because he’s already hooked her and two others up with a bunch of interested agents and it seems like he really just wants to help this small artists have their big break) and Jester steps outside to take some air. 
Fjord follows. 
And she starts to thank him, earnestly, for all his help and support and she has no idea how she could’ve done any of this without them —without him. She can’t believe he followed her all the way here (as if Fjord has done anything else since the day they met on their college’s induction day... he always follows her)
Fjord, a little coyly, says that he could pay her back by lending him a couch while he looks for a place... and that’s how Jester finds out Fjord’s moving to the city to try and pursue acting. 
“Job hunting wasn’t going too well either, so I figured I might as well give my dreams a chance... I would also really like to be closer to you,” he admits, in a moment of boldness. 
And Jester understands. Finally. She sees what she was too afraid of admitting to herself out of fear of heartbreak and disappointment. 
“I can lend you a couch,” she smiles, playfully, “but it will cost you... a movie, maybe diner later” 
And his eyes sparkle as he steps closer and says, “I think I can manage that” and he asks if he can kiss her, following a hunch, and she nods. 
Just as everyone shouts HAPPY NEW YEAR inside the building. 
THE END
ok that’s all, i cannot bring myself to actually write this multichapter, but I hope anyone who is still here after ALL THAT enjoyed the ride. 
Happy holidays!! 
162 notes · View notes
passionate-reply · 3 years
Video
youtube
This week on Great Albums: lots of people love Gary Numan. But they tend to love his very early work, and his very recent work, without a whole lot vouching for the stuff in between. My favourite work of Numan’s is 1984′s Berserker, a true gem buried in the sands of many, many mediocre albums. Find out what makes it so great by watching my video, or reading the transcript below!
Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! This time around, we’re looking at a fairly famous artist, and at one of his not-as-famous works: Gary Numan’s Berserker, first released in 1984.
For the most part, if you’re a fan of Numan, you’re either a fan of his earliest work, and/or, his recent work since the 1990s, and there’s a substantive slump in between these two. In 1979, the artist made a tremendous splash with his initial hits “Cars” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”, but after the release of his second solo LP, Telekon, only the following year, the public rapidly began to sour on Numan’s android antics. While his early work is held in high regard, and perhaps even unassailable for synth fans, most of his other work in the 1980s is met with a lot more scrutiny.
Numan’s bad days arguably came to a head with 1983’s Warriors. Warriors was initially meant to have been produced by the great Bill Nelson, whose work Numan evidently much admired. However, the artists’ clashing personalities allegedly made it impossible for them to work together, and Nelson left the project and had his name removed from it. Besides this period’s poor aesthetic decisions, showcasing Numan with blond hair and head-to-toe leather like a very sorry Billy Idol clone, Warriors feels like a mess of disjointed sonic ideas, losing the nucleus of what had made Numan special.
Music: “Sister Surprise”
Like most of Numan’s work from this period, Warriors was not only a flop in the eyes of critics, but also an arguable commercial failure. It would go on to be the final record he released on the Beggars’ Banquet label; after its release, he decided to take matters into his own hands and start an independent label, Numa Records. This is where Berserker comes in, having been the first independent release Numan got to make. And I think it shows, in that the album comes across as extremely focused in its themes, as well as very willing to do things that are more novel and unique.
Music: “Berserker”
The album’s title track was its lead single, as well as its opener. As it opens the album with the line, “I’ve been waiting for you,” I can’t help but feel that I, too, have been waiting for Gary Numan, whose true genius lay dormant for some years, like the fabled king under the mountain. The title track’s screeching guitar is, perhaps ironically, more reminiscent of Bill Nelson’s famous guitar work than anything on Warriors. Overall, I can’t help but feel it resembles the general template of Numan’s celebrated later work, with its emphasis on jagged electronic textures rather than traditional instruments, as well as its lyricism, portraying an abstractly menacing narrator who seems as inscrutable and inhuman as they do dangerous. In that sense, it’s a bit of a glimpse into Numan’s future. Still, one can’t deny that Berserker remains an album that feels “of its time,” take it or leave it, as on the second and final single, “My Dying Machine.”
Music: “My Dying Machine”
“My Dying Machine” seems to revolve around its woodsy, sample-based percussion track, perhaps reminiscent of Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s work with gamelans and jegogs for the soundtrack of the famous film Akira, later in the 1980s--albeit less organic and more precisely mechanical. It’s a sound that I can’t get enough of, personally, but it’s also something that springs directly from the advancements in sampling technology that were becoming more accessible by this time. The use of female backing vocalists, heard on many tracks throughout the album, is another touch that grounds Berserker in a mid-80s context, as it was a fairly common trend at the time. But I’d argue that the employment of this technique enriches the album: Numan’s backing choir seem no less haunting than he does, surrounding him like sirens on a desolate crag, harrying us with hooks that in the past might have been played on an early synthesiser instead. The contrast of these female voices also helps highlight the greater vocal range that Numan himself attempts on this album. Squawking at higher pitches had been serviceable earlier in his career, when he remained more indebted to punk, but on Berserker, we really get a lot of his chest voice, and he proves himself to be a surprisingly competent vocalist on tracks like “Cold Warning.”
Music: “Cold Warning”
Earlier, I argued that Berserker’s title track prefigured Numan’s later albums, but I was mainly comparing lead singles to lead singles. “Cold Warning,” I think, sounds a lot like the typical album track on a recent Numan album: slower-paced, somewhat atmospheric, and ominous in a more moody and subtle manner as opposed to directly threatening. Note also its intro, with its prominent use of a viola, which really stands out against Berserker’s overall more electronic soundscape. By this point, Numan had been no stranger to incorporating traditional instruments; earlier in his career, he’d been impressed by the work of Billy Currie of Ultravox, who played not only synthesisers, but also string instruments like viola, in the context of a rock group. Numan had gone as far as to hire Currie to perform on his 1979 LP The Pleasure Principle, and its accompanying tour. Still, I think “Cold Warning” reminds me less of The Pleasure Principle, and more of Numan’s more recent efforts--particularly his 2021 album Intruder, which features Gorkem Sen playing the yaybahar, a novel string instrument of the latter’s own invention. Still, for as much as Berserker stands out as one of the least commercial endeavours from this period of Numan’s career, it’s not totally devoid of pop influences. Take, for example, the track “This Is New Love.”
Music: “This Is New Love”
From its title alone, “This Is New Love” seems to announce itself as something more conventional and accessible, and indeed, its lyrics are more straightforward than what you’ll find elsewhere on Berserker. Those omnipresent backing vocalists are given a pleasingly hooky assignment here, and the instrumental arrangement, dominated by that oh-so-80s slap bass, is also less abrasive, and an apparent nod towards pop. If this track were also a scrying crystal, I’d say it looks ahead to Numan’s near future, and lighter, more funky tracks like “Your Fascination.”
Of course, I can’t do Berserker justice without talking about the visual side of this period in Numan’s career. Front and center on the cover of the album, as well as contemporary supplemental releases like singles, we see Numan in the distinctive makeup associated with this era: solid white skin, with striking, solid, deep blue hair, eyes, and lips. On one hand, his appearance here shares a lot in common with where he got started, generally painted white with a lot of dark eyeliner, but there’s also an element of newness about it, in the use of that brilliant blue. Visually as well as musically, Berserker feels to me like the ideal thing for an artist to be doing by the time of his eighth major release: whittling down to the very best elements that defined their initial work, while incorporating and experimenting with new ideas at the same time. The last time we saw a headshot of Numan on the cover of an album was the aforementioned Telekon, but in contrast to the ambiguous and perhaps diffident expression Numan had there, on the cover of Berserker, he seems much more sure of himself. Staring directly forward, with perhaps a hint of anger suggested in his brows, he seems to regard us with confidence, and a certain single-mindedness.
Taken together, Berserker is an album that “convinces,” expressing a clarity, certainty, and cohesiveness of creative ideas. Like the savage and frenzied warriors of the Old Norse skalds, Berserker comes after us relentlessly, invoking something otherworldly as it does so.
But as much as Berserker seems like such a determined statement, Numan never necessarily made an album that was exactly like it. He seems to have a relative soft spot for it, in that he still performs tracks from this album in live sets despite largely snubbing the rest of his 80s output, but Berserker didn’t exactly revolutionize the way he approached music at the time. For Numan, the 1980s were largely a time of throwing things at the wall to see what stuck, and, as mentioned above, we know he wouldn’t find what stuck for him until a decade after the release of Berserker. If you’re looking for more of this sound, your best bet might be the 1985 single “Change Your Mind,” a collaboration between Numan and Bill Sharpe of the jazz-funk outfit Shakatak. While combining Numan’s sound with funk may sound a bit strange, it’s something that many of the synth whizzes from earlier in the decade had started doing to remain relevant in the mid-to-late 1980s, and at least on this cracking single, it seems to come together pretty well.
Music: “Change Your Mind”
My favourite track on Berserker is “The Hunter.” While I’ve emphasized the extent to which Berserker is a forward-looking album for Numan in a sea of mostly forgotten mistakes, “The Hunter” is the track that feels the most to me like it could be a classic Numan work, and I can easily imagine a lower-tech version of it appearing on Telekon. Just listen to that delightful air-raid siren synth rendition of the main vocal hook, and I’m sure you’ll agree! That’s everything for today, thanks for listening!
Music: “The Hunter”
7 notes · View notes
daredevilexchange · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Want to be featured here? Head to this page and fill in the form!
See what this is about here, or if you’re using the app here.
What’s your fannish ID? cello_shots EDIT now ArcSodium
What types of fanworks do you create? I write fics!  My favorite part about writing fanfiction is the ability to put beloved characters into alternate universes or into situations that never showed up in canon.  Figuring out what they might do in such circumstances is a fascinating way to study a character.  All the while, I get to connect with fellow fans as well as hone my writing skills. And crossovers!  I love crossovers!  I'm currently working on a Supernatural/Daredevil one.
What are your favourite types of fanworks, when you’re not creating? I love reading fanfiction and I really love fan art as well.  Seeing how another person pictures a character and/or how the person depicts the character in their artistic style is such a treat.
What do you like in particular about this fandom? I'm actually pretty new to this fandom!  There's just something about Matt and Frank's personality dynamics that makes them fascinating when they interact.  I'll never say no to some nice brooding darkness.   Additionally, there have been some a-friggin-dorable fluff pieces that turn me into a total sap.
Do you like participating in fan events? I haven't yet, but I would like to... but I can also be a slow writer at times, so I'm hesitant to join stuff like that.  Perhaps when I get my current unfinished stories finished, I'll give it a go!
What about your creating process? Oo, good question.  Well, I'm usually covered in cats.  I'm naturally a night owl, but I have a day job that I have to get up early for--boo!--so staying up late is out.  For now, I write when I am able. When I really get into a story, I research.  I'm a librarian, so that might have something to do with it.  Finding little nuggets of information that I can slip into my stories makes them feel that much more vibrant to me, and I hope that comes across to my readers as well. In short, my steps are research, outline plot, write when I can (while covered in cats).
Do you interact a lot with other fans? I love interacting with people who have common interests!  In fact, I have some long-term friendships with people I have met in real life who I originally met online in one forum or another.  Others I haven't met yet and likely never will, but we have been long-distance friends for years.
Is there any particular piece you'd like to showcase for this post? The one I'd really like to showcase is still in the middle of being written, and I promised myself (for the sake of my readers), I won't post stories anymore until they've been finished.  (That being said, be on the lookout for the piece called "A Stirring of Souls," which I hope to start posting soon!)
Do you have other fandoms you’d like to talk about? Lord of the Rings is a longtime fandom of mine.  Also Supernatural, The Flash, and some of the Defenders as well. 
Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself? I'm a librarian and an aspiring novelist.  I live with my husband and our 6 cats, 2 goats, and a small flock of chickens (mostly roosters... don't ask).
Where can your fanworks be found?  https://archiveofourown.org/users/cello_shots EDIT: Now https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcSodium !
Thank you, cello_shots ! EDIT: now ArcSodium!
banner by @context-is-for-kingpins !
[ID on a white background, four black triangles that look like spotlights from above. Each illuminates one of the Defenders silhouetted in white: Jessica, Luke, Danny, Matt. A hand on the left is holding a pen writing the words Content Creator Spotlight. There is a little Punisher skull on the pen. End ID]
8 notes · View notes
mytastessuck · 3 years
Text
Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
Tumblr media
mAh, nostalgia. This album was my high school years. I got a digital copy for my birthday from my mom and became obsessed with this album well into college. The dominance of electronica, the use of people with great voices, the expansion of the lore, Lou Reed...this album was all of music when I got it. It's my favorite Gorillaz album and it looks like it's gonna stay that way for a while. But how is it on a not even approaching semi-objective level? Let's find out.
1. Orchestral Intro
You can probably guess it by my awful taste but I'm not really into orchestra. This opening though, with the sound of waves and the mourning instruments, really tipped me off that I was in for something different. This album wasn't going to start off with something chill or even a zombie movie clip. No, at this point, Gorillaz were officially done fucking around.
10/10
2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach
Then we get the brass leading us into a good beat and then HOLY SHIT, SNOOP DOGG?! He leads us in like a bandleader while a chorus of women back him up Just Like That while he goes with his usual flow. He adds the needed touch of instant cool to an album that's practically frozen with the artists already on it and with this song, it feels like you're walking past the gate into Disneyland.
9/10
3. White Flag
Some nice Arabian sounding instruments on this one. Pretty cool for Gorillaz to keep engaging in world music. Anyway, this was a really cool instrumental but it's time to move on to the other son---
Huh?
Suddenly, we get beeps and mixes backing up Bashy and Kano as they kick so much ass talking about pacifism for the sake of survival. This song kicks an undisputed amount of ass and it barely even tries.
9/10
4. Rhinestone Eyes
What I like about this song is that I keep finding new things to like about it as the years go back. First, I liked the weirdly-threatening nature of the song along with the woman moaning in time with the verses. Then I liked the video (even though it was insanely shady of EMI to release that without Damon's and Jamie's permission and it ended up being the thing that led to Phase 3's premature ending and Gorillaz going on hiatus). Then I liked the continuation of the moaning that I first noticed in live performances then finally heard in the song itself. This song is like Rolexes falling from the sky.
10/10
5. Stylo
Ah, the first single from the album. I remember telling my dad about this when I first saw the video for it. I was about to write off Gorillaz as a relic of my past before I saw Murdoc and 2D get run off the road by Bruce Willis. This song has an awesome bridge by Yasiin Bey, nice crooning by Damon Albarn and incredible back-up by Bobby Womack, who manages to lift the entire song over his head using just his voice. Damn, wish he had another song that put his voice on full display. Maybe later in the album...
10/10
6. Superfast Jellyfish
Yeah, De La Soul is back! And they're singing about TV dinners! Seriously, these guys can make guessing crossword actually fun instead of a dredging experience and have Shiny Toy Guns frontman Chad Petree singing about radioactive seas brings the whole thing home. It makes you want to really go out and eat a random jellyfish but don't do that. It'll hurt.
11/10
7. Empire Ants
Okay, before I give this song its totally fair score, it should be noted this is my third favorite song of all time. I love Damon's reassuring lyrics in the beginning but the switch in the middle to a more upbeat electronic pop tune pushes this song past perfect.
Then there's Little Dragon...
This song introduced to me to Yukimi Nagano's voice and wow...I didn't think humans could sound like that, let alone an Asian woman singing soul. If you think the instruments are carrying her here, obviously there are clearly no other songs on the album that showcase her talents so I have to recommend After The Rain, Twice and Constant Surprises by Little Dragon. Seriously, this woman's voice will water your fucking crops.
500/10
8. Glitter Freeze
Where is north from here? Don't ask me, I'm not a compass. Anyway, this song has Mark E. Smith from The Fall and they use him to his fullest extent...by which I mean letting him make an absolutely evil fucking laugh somewhere near the end. The instrumentation makes it feel like you're in a storm on a shaky ship and you're definitely going to feel like you need some pills after you're finished. This stuff will put hair on your chest.
11/10
9. Some Kind of Nature
This song introduced me to Lou Reed and I'm grateful to it for that. Lou was a shitty dude but damn his voice really made things better than they should have been. Fuck, I was one of the eight defenders of Lulu for this reason. But Damon doesn't sit with his thumbs up his ass on this song. He holds his own and makes the chorus sound legitimately dreamlike. All we are is stars, indeed.
100/10
10. On Melancholy Hill
This song is awesome to chill to...unless you're escaping a cruise ship while being gunned down by fighter jets. But other than that particular example, I recommend this song for anyone trying to relax while thinking of someone special. But be careful with the last note of this song. That gong can be a real eye opener.
9/10
11. Broken
Bummer of a song but if there's one song you absolutely NEED to learn on melodica, it's this one. Aren't we all broken? Well I am. And this song speaks to me.
10/10
12. Sweepstakes
Yasiin's back and there's gonna be trouble. He plays a carny in this track and you know that no matter how many times you listen to this song, you'll always gonna fall for his schemes. He's gone on to say that this is one of his finest achievements as a MC and I can see why.
10/10
13. Plastic Beach
Holy shit, they got the 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover guy on this track. Makes since because this, outside of Empire Ants, is my favorite song on the album. The harmony, the little imp they got for the bridge, the triangle...everything makes this song better than it has any right to be on an already awesome album. Damn, plastico indeed.
200/10
14. To Binge
Shock of all shocks, Yukimi's back! And it's a duet with Damon! And it's a song about a relationship torn apart by addiction! It's not my birthday so it must be Christmas. These two manage to drown the listen in waves of audio goodness that leaves them feeling like they spent 3 minutes and 56 seconds standing under a waterfall.
20/10
15. Cloud of Unknowing
Okay, I cried to this song. And now, with Bobby Womack's passing, I cry even harder. This song should be an anime ending with how solemn it is but you need to listen to the end to hear, "It may bring sunshine on its wings." Also, Damon covered this song live after Womack's passing. I suggest you look it up because it is tear-ripping.
50/10
16. Pirate Jet
Eh. Pretty average song compared to the others on the album but I appreciate the message. Sweet Lord, people. Turn off your shit when you're not using it. We only got one planet and I don't trust Elon Musk.
8/10
Album Score: 60.1/10
Whoo! No biases! Anyway, next week is The Fall, otherwise known as the album Albarn did on his Ipad. Otherotherwise known as the album a significant portion of the fandom has a hate-on for. Does it deserve the hate? We'll find out!
19 notes · View notes
bibbykins · 3 years
Note
the brunch event is here I’m excited!!! @ all MCs, what’s the sweetest fluffiest thing the guys have done for you / you’ve done with the guys? (craving some fluff today, hope you don’t mind!)
(Holy shit, this was longer than I intended but I hope you like it!) (Also this is long and I'm on mobile so I'm sorry for no read later thing here pls dont be mean to me)
Warnings: crying, PTSD, phantom pains/touches
The girls all smile at the question and decide the order they'll go in before Leopard takes a sip of her mimosa and speaks, "One day, Jin said he was taking me to go look at some clothes for an event we'd have to go to," She relaxes in her seat, fingers curling around the champagne glass gracefully, as if she's proudly told this story a million times, "Then, we pull up to a storage place and I'm like 'okay, so you're murdering me?'" She laughs in spite of knowing he's capable of murder, "He takes my hand and then takes me into a unit and in there are sketchbooks upon props and prototypes that I had ever made." She grinned at the thought, "I had started doing stage design and writing when I was 16 and my family never took home my props or anything, so I thought they were just... gone, and then here they all were." She sighed dreamily, "It just... made me feel like someone was proud of that 16 year old hurting herself on nail guns trying to build, or that 18 year old who took an hour to control a sander, it made me feel so exalted for my hard work."
Princess and Dove are already tearing up despite having heard the story before and Leopard holds their hands until they calm down, knowing they will absolutely cry when everyone is done telling their stories.
"Ah, it's my turn!" Sunshine gleams, "I'm pretty easy to make happy, like ordering my favorite food is groundbreaking to me no matter how often you do it." The girls giggle and nod at this, "But, there was one time we on our way to do our engagement photo shoot at the restaurant we had our first date, but then he pulls over and tell me he wants to show me something." She can't contain her growing smile, "And I'm confused, becuase we stop at this beautiful lake and he hates the outdoors." She chuckles at this, "But then he leads us into a beautiful field with wild flowers and a camera with a tripod." Princess has already let tears fall at this point, "And he tells me this is our engagement photoshoot, something just for us." Sunshine takes a bite of her crepe, "It was just so sweet and grounding since everything something happens with us, it's publicized, which is fine for the most part, but for him to set something up that's just for us to have, especially in nature, so sweet." The girls all giggle and coo at Sunshine.
"Oh, no! I know what story Sweet Pea is gonna say and I'm totally gonna break!" Odette grips Sunshine as the woman in question giggles.
"It's okay, I cried like a baby too." Sweet Pea giggles and she begins cutting Princess's pancakes for her like she always does, "So he was taking me to a gallery, didn't tell me for who for some reason, but you know me, I love a good exhibition." She snickered, "When we get there, I realize it's for my favorite enameler, or art jewler. He uses this beautiful etching technique and makes some stunning intaglio pieces I absolutely adore." The girls all mentally prep their tear ducts for the next part, "And so he has me meet the artist, and I'm freaking out the whole time and trying to hide it, until the artist tells me he has a piece he want to show me." She has excitement on her face just thinking about it, "And he takes me to a piece I haven't seen before and isn't with the new collection. It's an aquamarine pendant with a beautiful silver chain that had parts of a see through material interwoven. The gem was held in place with a beautiful silver trim that looks light and airy, like clouds almost, and in the pendant is this beautiful etching of a familiar skyline." Odette wipes a tear away at the speed of light, "And then Namjoon tells me it's the skyline from where we first met on that forsaken sky bridge and the silver with glass represents the steps that lead me to him." The girls coo at Sweet Pea tearing up for a moment.
"Ah, it's my turn!" Odette wipes away tears frantically, "Mine is quite simple, but it meant a lot to me." She smiles gleefully, "For background, before I majored in journalism, I was a dance major, contemporary, but I had an injury and was out of commission for too long by the time it healed. I didn't even tell Jimin until we had been dating for a couple months, I feel weird talking about it sometimes." She shrugged simply, "So I beacame his practice partner after that, which was fun, and one time we soent ages practicing thus one choreo bc he claimed he didn't want to practice with his actual partner, ever the drama queen." She giggled, "Then, the day of the showcase comes and he reveals that the dance was choreographed for me and him and it's our showcase." She held a toothy grin, "He gave me the feeling of being a dancer again, and it just felt like the closure I needed that I never got from my dancing career."
"It was a beautiful showcase." Angel nodded in agreement and Odette beamed at her praise while the other girls nod.
Dove hums as she chews her food before speaking, "So I do hand stitching, right? I don't think I'm very good..." All the women scowl at her, "But, they and Taehyung think I'm great at it and it calms me down so I make them a lot of hand stitched art or monogrammed clothing or I do commissions for their family." She smiles shyly, "So one day, Tae-Tae says he's taking me to Sweet Pea's gallery, but when we get there, it's all of my pieces up there. And the whole time people are greeting me and telling me how talented I am, asking what pieces they can buy and offering crazy prices, not that these guys would let go of my pieces." She snickered and the girls nodded proudly, "My name was in articles the next day, and he made me feel like I was someone to show off, like I was the impressive one, or impressive at all."
"Because you are impressive, hello?" Sunshine teased.
Princess has mascara streaks on her cheeks and Sweet Pea begins digging through her bag for makeuo wipes, "Uh, I'm not really good at storytelling and I'm a mess, so I'll make it quite short." She sniffled, "inhave this horrible habit of making clothes I hate and then donating them and Kook is always so dramatic when I do, like he has any business with a spring dress that would rip under his bicep." She giggles for a moment as Leopard begins wiping her cheeks, "And then he takes me to fashion week and...and..." She starts crying again and Odette coos at her, "My work, he had me on there as an up and coming designer and people were so nice to me and everytime I got overwhelmed, he took the reigns and it... my childhood dreams came true." She laid her head in Angel's lap, knowing it was her turn. The woman in question strokes the younger's hair soothingly.
Before Angel can even speak, all the girls are holding her hand or holding her and she rolls her eyes playfully, smilimg at the affection, "This why I'm going last." She giggled, "They get like this everytime I tell this story, even Leopard cries."
"Shush." Leopard, who is standing behind Angel's chair and stroking her hair quips, embarrassed, "We just care about you." She huffs.
"Well, it was a year after... the incident." Dove begins braiding Angel's hair to hide her incoming tears, "And I tried to go to work, but my body was not having it, so he stayed home with me and did everything the therapist said to grounding techniques and all, and stuff I could've done on my own, but he insisted." She smiled, "When dinner came around, I began feeling... phantom touches, pains. Like, my cheek ached and my tongue felt like it was burning, everything." Her smile was a bit sad, "It's normal with PTSD, but it doesn't make it any less frightening and none of the other grounding techniques were working, so he sits me on the counter, plays my favorite music, and begins 'treating' my wounds." Princess has her head in Angel's lap, but everyone can tell she's crying, "So for hours, he's there and showing me the clean gauze after treating my phantom wounds so delicately, and it really brought me back into the moment, that this is the man who loves me and this is where I am now." She smiles despite all the other girls being teary-eyed messes.
18 notes · View notes
hello-alonso · 2 years
Text
Marco the Violinist
Hello everyone, I’m gonna be showcasing someone a little bit different than my normal routine for this week’s post. This week I am gonna be showcasing my good friend Marco. I have know Marco ever since early middleschool. It wasn’t until a few years after that, that I realized he was actually a really good violinist. Like really good. I remember when I went in his room for the firs time, I saw this whole area of his house dedicated to him and his instrument. That’s when he told me that he actually has been playing the violin ever since he was 6 and after that when he played in front of me, I was so shocked (in a good way) of his skill. At that point of my life, I had never heard someone as good as him play that instrument, and to be honest, I didn’t know anything much at all about the violin. Even though we don’t talk as much as we used to, I thought it would be a great idea to ask him a few questions on his view of music.   
Tumblr media
Yesterday night, I gave Marco a call and see if he still played. After we greeted eachother, I started off by saying.
Me: “Now, since you’re here I wanted to actually ask you some things about your violin, actually before that, do you still even play it?”
Marco: “Oh!, of course I do, I don’t play it as much anymore cuz of college, but whenever the weekend comes around, I try to play a few songs and refresh my memory on the old stuff I learned.”
Me: Oh shit, that’s sick, it’s nice to know you still play it, because the first time I heard you, you were fire.
Marco: “Haahaahhaa, I was so ass back then what do you mean? hahaha”
Me: “Nah, you were crazy good dude, okay, next thing I wanted to ask, what made you want to start palying the violin?”
Marco: Damn, okay, uhhhh, I started off because my parents really wanted me to get involved in something, I don’t know if you remember or not, but I never played sports in middleschool or high school, so my parents kinda forced me into playing an instrument. They thought I was being useless without doing something during my youth. At first I hated it, but after I learned how to play a few songs, I started enjoying it.”
Me: “Oh, I guess that’s what my parents wanted for me as well. I didn’t really want to do anything, but they made me sign up for baseball, and after one season, I really started enjoying it. 
Marco: “Yeah, it be like that.”
Me: “What keeps you wanting to still play the violin?”
Marco: “I really love making my own covers on violin to new songs that I jam out to, yknow? Like a few months ago I tried learning that one Dua Lipa song (Levatating) just cuz I wanted to know how to play it, it’s something I just do, I dont know, if I really enjoy the song, I try to play it for myself haha”
Me: I guess I kinda relate to that, somewhat, like if I really enjoy a song, I try to learn the lyrics to it and know a little more about the artist and message of the song.”
Marco: Yeah it’s kinda like that, I guess.”
Me: Alright, now for my last question, do you wanna go pro one day? 
Marco: “Hell no hhahahaha, I definitely can see myself playing for a long time, but as for going pro, hell no. I like just playing the violin casually, yknow, like I said, I like doing things like the covers, not shit like learning the old classical shit because that’s too difficult. I tried a few when I was in high school and didn’t enjoy it because I had to put so much concentration in on them. It kinda ruined the fun of playing, so now I just play it as a hobby.”
And with that, that concluded my interview with my friend Marco. It was pretty interesting how he viewed music. He wanted it to  be more of a hobby and not get into the competitive aspect of it and I can totally understand that. Like he said, just playing the violin to new songs on the radio must be pretty casual, which is why he still plays the instrument. It was really nice experience. I learned a bit from Marco and the way why he (an artist) plays the things he does.
Thank you for reading about my buddy Marco!
2 notes · View notes