#sixth theme: previous blue and pink | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

royallyprincesslilly · 3 years

Text

Title: Crown For Two {5}

Henry Cavill AU x OFC Xari Thornton AU

Warning: Plot, Mild Cursing, Cheesy Christmas Themes, Slow Burn,

Words: 4.3k

Summary: Xari Thornton is a travel photographer with a blog and social media that garners some heavy-duty traffic. People tune in to see where she is and what she’s doing there, all in hopes of either living vicariously through her or to plan their next vacation.

Her slogan; “Traveling the path to the most off-beaten places, so you don’t have to.”

Her next stop on her four destination travel itinerary of “Places You May Never Have Heard Of” is Sandvell, a small European country. When her plane makes an impromptu stop due to bad weather, she has no idea where she is. It feels like she’s stepped inside of a snow globe and back in time in a modern way. It leaves her fascinated.

This bad weather forces her to stay at an Inn, The Beaux, for the night. Rather than letting the hours tick by in her room, she explores and meets the friendly locals. While taking photographs, one local in particular captures her lens with eyes as blue as the ocean and a jaw that was chiseled from stone. They strike up conversation during their time drinking at one of the local bars, Ickles. Once they separate, she gets herself into a harrowing situation.

As soon as she awakens, she realizes she’s not in some fever dream, but a palace and the owner of the palace is none other than the local she met before with the piercing blue eyes, His Royal Highness Henry Wellington Leopold Danglishton, First of his name, Crown Prince of Brexendor.

Note: All right, all right people, the ride continues. I really, really hope you enjoy this. As a reminder, it’s going to be fast-paced a bit, and I am gonna overload you with pictures because why the hell not, it’s a Christmas Fic. 😁 Feel free to come by and tell me what you guys think.

As always, thank you all for reading, I appreciate each and every one of you.

If you enjoyed this, please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!! ❤️❤️

***VERY Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

***Picture Heavy***

Previous Chapters: {1} | {2} | {3} | {4} |

-Henry-

He’d been tempted before that was a fact. He’d met plenty of women who threw themselves at him, tried everything they could to draw his attention, and even tried to trap him. His discipline, intellect, and near-perfect sixth sense had always steered him away from all of them and potentially damning situations. He knew what temptation felt like. This—was something different entirely. He knew he was attracted to you. He knew it from the moment he laid eyes on you but after talking with you, and the last week or two he’d moves past attraction. He liked you as a person.

He was normally reserved and played everything cool, not by want but that was his personality. He’d learned to hold himself back. It was something every royal descendent learned. Concealing was the name of the game and by all costs, he had to play this game well. With you though, he found himself being everything but cool.

The days that passed next weren’t any different. The first morning you came knocking at the door of his office was a morning he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before and was swamped with work. Needless to say, he was not in the best mood, yet when the announcement of your arrival came and your smiling face peeked out from behind the door he found himself able to take a breath for the first time since waking. Your arms were filled with books, binders, and folders a plenty while you happily spoke a mile a minute.

He was surprised how much you’d already managed to accomplish. Each detail you ran by him to either get his approval or his input. Normally he didn’t care for the planning of events the family held. When his mother or sister came to him to get his preference on anything they were planning he swiftly told them to exit his office and that he didn’t care if the table cloth was pink or white, or if the china was porcelain from the vault of glass from the kitchen. With you, he found himself getting lost in the discussion over why a drastic change in décor this year would be a breath of fresh air.

As you spoke, his eyes never lingered far from your lips. When you smiled he couldn’t help but smile as well, and when you ever so slightly leaned toward him his heart sped. It was all new to him and he would usually think about it in excess but he didn’t want to think—not with you. still, his trained body didn’t need any messages or signals from his brain. His body knew what to do. When you spoke and his eyes inevitably landed on your lips, his fist clenched. When you smiled and he smiled on instinct, he clenched his jaw shortly after. When you leaned to him, making his heart race, his entire body tensed and kept where it was, ignoring the urge to drift to you. It was a lifetime of training that was now muscle memory and second nature.

By the end of the second day, he’d thought he’d gotten a hang of his urges but when he happened to walk past the ballroom and saw you surrounded by flowers, shrubs, and wreathes he stopped in his tracks and actually kicked himself in the heel to prevent himself from walking toward you. with flower petals in your hair and the multitude of colors around you, you looked prime for painting. You were the perfect muse. He just stood there and watched you and in those moments he felt more than he’d ever felt for any woman who’d tried to seduce him. It was disconcerting, so he quickly fled before you realized he was there.

With the remaining hours before he was to go to bed, he should have looked over the documents for the next day. He should have been preparing for the welcoming ceremonies and familiarizing himself with the guest list of dignitaries that would be arriving but he wasn’t. Instead, he was sitting in his private art room painting—painting you. With every brush stroke, he attempted to get the exact gleam in your eye he’d seen, the perfect width of your smile, and the precise glow of your complexion.

This was a hobby he’d ignored the past year for many reasons, lack of time and inspiration were high on the list. Since his father’s passing, his idle time had gone from twenty percent to zero. He had way too much to do in one day to carve out any time to sit and leisurely paint. It was a depressing fact, but that coupled with his lack of motivation and inspiration since his father’s passing proved to be too much to overcome. Tonight was a first. His hand lingered in the air as he stared at the nearly complete canvas. Slowly he trailed his eyes over every detail and matched it with the memory that was already sealed away.

Groaning, he put the brush down and dropped his head back. “What is the matter with you?”

He stood from the easel and walked around the room stretching his legs. He’d been sitting there for hours not wanting to walk away from it until the right moment. When he stepped out onto the veranda he gazed out over the frozen landscape before him. The frigid air whipped across his face and fought to seep through the material of his button-down shirt that was practically ruined now from paint. It was refreshing and helped to distract his thoughts—all of you.

“Beware of a beautiful face with the heart of a snake, but be twice aware of a beautiful face with the heart of a saint. One will cripple the country while the other cripples you.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at his father’s words. It was during one of their many walks around the property and one of his many father-son lectures. It was that day and that lecture he’d confessed to nearly falling prey to a viper of a woman, according to his description. She’d wanted to become queen because she wanted her family to control the country and eventually start a coup. It was because of his mother, the current queen, who’d helped expose her. His father had said that one woman had the heart of a snake and his mother the heart of a saint.

In his life, he’d met many women and many of those women’s hearts were far from pure. His sixth sense steered him far away but this sixth sense was not steering him away from you.

“Heart of a saint or a snake. Which one?”

Again he chuckled while shaking his head. His head was telling him it was too soon to tell, but this sixth sense was saying something dangerously close to the opposite. He hunched forward and rested his elbows on the railing and peered out into the night. It was probably going to be a sleepless night. He was familiar with those.

~~~~~~

-Y/N-

You’d been reminded why event planning was your first love. Not only did you have a good time while doing it, but you were also good at it. The sea of details, transaction approvals, and inspirational collages were scattered across the glass table before you showing just how much you’d gotten done in the last two days. It always amazed you the world that opened when money wasn’t an object. When you’d looked at the budget from previous years your jaw dropped at just what royalty afforded you. bring rich was one thing but being royal was another entirely.

You’d been spending like a maniac but you still hadn’t reached the cut-off budget. You still had a cool million to go and you doubted you’d need it. When you told Jemma she couldn’t even muster up words to express her shock. When the news flitted around to the staff you were stopped anytime they saw you in the halls and they always asked you how you’d done it. Your first instinct was to laugh but you didn’t. You simply told them you didn’t just go after things that looked good, but they had to be worth it and make sense.

Even at your final meeting with the queen mother, she couldn’t believe you’d done such an incredible job and stayed well under budget. She joked that the royal accountant and treasury would bow down to you and get rid of the planners that had been used the last few years. You’d laughed, but she didn’t. It was a joke, right? She’d went on to say that a queen should be someone who understood money and knew that just because you had a near-endless supply of it didn’t mean you had to use it all. You fully understood that. You didn’t have an endless supply of money and a budget was always meant to not only never go over but avoid getting anywhere close to it.

You sighed, raised the cup of tea to your lips then spit it back in. it was ice cold. Over the course of the last two days, you’d drank an obscene amount of tea. You always thought how television portrayed life as a royal was ridiculous especially when it came to their refreshment choices but you’d been offered tea at almost every turn. In the morning it came with breakfast, midday it came again, lunchtime tea was a staple, early evening before dinner and then after dinner. You’d drank so much tea that you could have had a discussion with the queen of England on the stuff and would have held your own.

Rolling your head back the sight of freshly falling snow landing on the glass dome of the solarium distracted you. The sight completely transported your mind and made you feel like you were in a snow globe. It was very relaxing, so relaxing you easily got lost in it.

“Xari?”

A loud yelp escaped you and echoed around you as you swung around with the cup of tea still in your hands and used its contents as a weapon. In a matter of seconds the cold tea that was remaining found its way all across the front of Henry’s shirt. He stood there with his hands up in surrender with his eyes wide.

“Oh my god! Oh no. Oh shit,” you panicked.

You quickly placed the cup on the glass table with a clatter and grabbed the while linen napkin that it had come with and rushed over to him and began dabbing at his shirt.

“I’m so sorry. Oh god. Shit. This is bad. Shit, shit, shit!”

“What a mouth you have there.”

The amusement in his voice was what brought your yes up to his face. His blue eyes were sparkling and he looked as if he were desperately trying to hold back a wide smile.

“First of all you have no idea about this mouth of mine,” you teased. Henry’s brows quirked.

“Oh?”

The look in his eyes changed from amusement to a dangerous one. It was a look that said I have with it takes to get you on your back in ten seconds flat if I wanted to. He was intoxicating and your entire being recognized it and wanted to test it.

“I am here now, I am willing to sit for the lesson.”

“Was that an innuendo?”

You continued to search his orbs for any hint to his meaning. Making an idiot out of yourself was never a good look. Henry took a step to you and you dropped the napkin. You instantly dropped down to retrieve it but ended up bent down before him with your eyes perfectly square with his crotch. Neither of you moved or spoke for the next several moments. You just stared at each other. You were in an awkward in-between state of waiting and expecting. You watched Henry’s jaw clench and before he reached for you to help you up.

“I’m sorry,” you repeated.

“It is all right. It was cold. No harm done.”

You continued to dab at his shirt trying to help.

“I should be apologizing. I should not have snuck up,” Henry added.

“No, it’s not you. It’s just everything here is so different and big. You sounded louder than I’d expected.”

“Then I should apologize all the more. I should have thought of it and taken more care. I apologize.”

You scoffed and shook your head, “I’ll accept your unnecessary one if you accept mine.”

Henry smiled. “I accept your apology and thank you for accepting my very much needed one.”

You weren’t going to win this battle, you deduced and walked back over to the table.

“What brings you here at this hour, your highness? Shouldn’t you be getting your beauty sleep?”

Henry sat across from you and smirked. “Do I need beauty sleep?”

“Absolutely not. You have more than your fair share,” you replied without a thought.

Henry’s smiled widened. “You should be the one to talk.”

Unexpectedly a giggle erupted before you could put a cap on it. You slapped your hand across your mouth and rolled your eyes as Henry chuckled.

“Ah, I see you like to hear I think you are beautiful.”

You shook your head and tried your best to stop smiling behind your hand. You could feel every degree your face was raising and worried the apples of your cheeks were betraying how glee-filled you were.

You cleared your throat and lowered your hands. “Not at all. You probably say that to every woman you meet.”

Henry scoffed and shook his eyes as his eyes dropped to the mess before you.

“Wow, so this is the madness before the beauty?”

You shrugged.

“I did receive your final assessment. I am impressed. Under budget.”

“What can I say? I’m a miracle worker.”

“I would agree. I am very excited to see the end result. Maybe I can convince you to remain in Brexendor and be the monarchy’s events planner.”

You were stumped. Was he joking or serious. You tilted your head to the side and took him in.

“I promise there would be a hefty salary that would accompany the position.”

“Wait—you’re being serious right now?”

Henry smiled small then shrugged before looking away.

“How did you find this place?”

“Uh—as embarrassing as it is I didn’t. I got lost and just said fuck it.”

Henry’s laugh boomed around you as he threw his head back and clutched his gut. The laugh went on for longer than a few seconds and the longer it did the more you smiled. He looked different laughing. You’d seen him laugh before but this looked different. Resting your chin in your hand you went all googly-eyed. When Henry’s eyes met yours again he wiped tears away before he sighed out.

“I am sorry, that just came out.”

“No, don’t apologize. I liked hearing it. You look different when you laugh.”

“Do I?”

You nodded.

“I have laughed around you before.”

“You have but now—I’m not sure if any laugh before was really a laugh.”

“Hm. That has been my laugh for the majority of my adult life. Are you insinuating that it is a fake?”

You sighed, sat back then crossed your arms over your chest. Henry’s eyes quickly darted to your chest then back to your face, but it wasn’t quick enough. He’d been caught.

“I don’t know if it’s fake but maybe it is not genuine, or authentic. Maybe for your adult life, you’ve been so constrained, so—hyper-aware that you’ve been unable to fully—be uninhibited and just allow something to flow from you without—control.”

The look on his face went from interested amusement, to serious and spaced out. If you didn’t know him any better—and you didn’t—you’d think he were angry. That was exactly what you thought. Realizing you were talking to a damn near king, you straightened your back and dropped your arms.

“I’m sorry. Oh my god, I didn’t mean to insult you or even begin to pretend as if I know anything about you. I swear I just said that without thinking. It’s something I always do. I’m sorry.”

The silence stretched for a long while and with each second that passed your heart raced and thoughts dashed. Had you just fucked up and once again let your unfiltered thoughts fly without a thought to the impact? When you were about to pass out from anxiety Henry took a slow deep breath and sat back in his chair.

“You did not insult me. In fact--.”

Henry rubbed the back of his neck and took another deep breath before slowly releasing it.

“In fact, I think you may have just seen through thirty-plus years of absolute—bullshit.”

Your eyes bugged. This was the first time you’d heard him curse. Henry scoffed and laughed a little.

“I think that you--,” Henry began and paused, his eyes glued to you. He was looking at you in an incredulous manner as if you baffled and surprised him all at once. He shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. “You may know me better than ninety-nine percent of Brexendor.”

Your eyes widened. You’d known him a few weeks, there was no way.

“Ninety-nine?”

“The last remaining percent would be my mother.”

That was when your jaw dropped. It was an inconceivable thought to process because of how short a time you’d known each other and how little you really spoke. The fact he was saying this felt a little heavy especially at the moment sitting under the snow-covered glass dome in soft lighting.

“I’m sorry,” you found yourself saying.

Henry shook his head slightly and peered at you with a question behind his irises.

“I’m sorry that you’ve had to live your life too confined, so carefully that you can’t even be your true self and always have to portray some image that is easily swallowed by the public. When you do that in public for so long it becomes near impossible to know the person looking back at you, let alone embrace their quirks.”

The look on his face must have been the epitome of puppy dog because your heart tugged and broke for him.

“My heart breaks for you.”

Henry’s nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched. When he opened his mouth and spoke you only caught a piece of it.

“Heart of a--.”

“Hm? What was that?”

He shook his head and dropped his eyes. “Nothing. Sorry.”

You didn’t press it any further. Everyone was allowed their secrets. A minute or two passed with neither of you speaking and the tension in the air was too much.

“Ah, by the way…bullshit?”

The deep indentations between Henry’s brows melted away and his mouth again turned right side up into a soft smile while he nodded.

“Wow, color me surprised your highness. I didn’t know you knew how to curse.”

His smile went wider right before he shrugged.

“What can I say? You are a bad influence.”

You gasped exaggeratedly and feigned shock and hurt.

“Moi? Excuse me, your highness?”

Henry snickered and leaned forward resting his elbows on the table before him. “Do you object?”

You mirrored his movements and smiled widely. “Not at all. Stick with me kid and I’ll have you fully corrupted by the time I leave. You’ll be a brand new man. Brexendor will have no idea what hit it.”

Henry released another howl of laughter that rivaled the first episode. The more you heard it the more you liked it. soon the two of you were just laughing together enjoying each other’s company. Once the two of you had composed yourself, he told you about the solarium he’d dubbed snow globe and informed you it was his not-so-secret, secret place. It was a place he’d found to hide from his royal studies and duties as a kid and teenager and spent countless hours reading, and playing.

When you guessed he’d even painted there he was caught off guard until you relayed that your expert observational skills said he painted by the splotches on his pants and the smudges over his shirt. He admitted that he’d always been a painter but wasn’t able to do it because of his schedule. When you tried to find out what he’d painted he went quiet and avoided the question in the most expert way ever. That only made you want to know even more though.

After several stories of his childhood, you found that your childhoods were similar in some of the basic ways where you had your parents and sibling and the same family values and morals. The things that were different, however, were drastically different. You had no idea what it meant or felt like to be crowned the crown prince at six years old. Had no idea what it felt like to have an entire country celebrate your birthday with an insane amount of festivities, or even to have your crown prince anointment ceremony day as a national holiday. That just wasn’t your experience and listening to have drastically different things were made you appreciate your humble childhood and ability to remain under the radar.

By the time you and Henry approached your suite door, you were sure several hours had passed. There was light already peeking through the windows indicating that it was close to sunrise but you didn’t feel tired at all.

“I am sorry for keeping you up all night.”

You smiled and leaned on your door. “Eh, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

He nodded and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants. The action brought your attention to the front of his pants and then his soiled shirt.

“I’m sorry about your shirt again.”

“It is fine. It was going in the garbage either way,” Henry assured.

“What are the chances that you’ll show me that painting one day?”

He smiled again. “You really want to see it, huh?”

“Yes. The curiosity is killing me. I feel like I have to know and I might just do anything to see it.”

Henry’s expression darkened and he took a step to you. “Anything?”

You bit your bottom lip and sucked on it for a few moments. You’d said it already and you couldn’t take it back.

“Name your price, your highness.”

Henry took another step toward you. “I am not interested in your money.”

The butterflies in your stomach went rampant and somehow they were affecting your oxygen intake. Your head felt lite and because of it, there was a soft hazy cloud around his head. What the hell is this, you wondered.

“Then what exactly are you interested in, your highness?”

Henry’s Adam's apple bobbed and a second later he took the final step to you, completely closing the gap of propriety. While his body wasn’t touching yours all he had to do was lean forward a few centimeters. It was unnecessary though, you felt his body heat and could smell his intoxicating scent that was slightly thrown off by the scent of herbal tea that clung to his shirt. Your eyes dropped to where his tie was earlier in the day but was no longer. He had three buttons undone and it was enough to see the sprigs of black hair peeking out.

You balled your fist and used your nails to relieve the itch of your palm. You wanted to touch him so badly.

“Henry,” he muttered. His voice was low, thick, and smoky and good lord did it have an impact.

You raked your top teeth over your bottom lip then replied, “Your kingdom calls you your highness, I should too.”

“Fuck the kingdom,” he gruffly rushed out.

In the same breath, he pressed his body to yours. You could feel the definition of each of his abs and he had a lot of them. Your knees buckled but before they gave out completely, Henry’s arm was around you holding you at your waist.

“My name is Henry and it is the only name I wish to hear you call me—for now.”

Your remaining brain cells chose then and there to combust and ignite a gunpowder trail through your body that led directly to your sex. Soon the only thoughts you could compute were thoughts of your lips and his formally meeting. You decided then and there that whatever will be will be. You wouldn’t try to stop it or alter your course.

“Eh-em.”

It was a distant sound that barely broke through the sultry haze that engulfed you both.

“Eh-eh-em!”

Henry’s head snapped to the right first but yours followed soon after. There stood the man you knew as Henry’s driver who’d hit you with the car to bring you here but was now quite a fan of you. He stood there his head turned slightly away and eyes lowered.

“It is time,” he said.

You felt Henry’s body stiffen before he released you, dropping his arm from behind you and prying his body from yours. As he did it, you heard a sharp growl as if he loathed to do it.

“Eh-em. I am sorry, Xari,” Henry quietly said.

Those words were like a bucket of ice-cold water splashed on your face. Your knees found stability once again and but you still needed the door to keep you upright. Your senses may have returned but your arousal was not doused—not completely or at all. Keeping your eyes from his you nodded.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry as well.”

Henry didn’t speak right away nor did he move. with your eyes glued to the blue carpet, you caught glimpse of him balling his fists.

“I have--,” Henry began.

“—Yes, I understand,” you interrupted.

Henry sighed, “Good night.”

He bowed his head to you then turned and walked away joining his driver a few feet away before they walked away together. You remained there watching him go and you began to wonder just how many times his mother had watched his father leave in similar fashion. Was it something she ever got used to? Could you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***If you want to be tagged/untagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!!***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TagList:

@caramara3 @chaneajoyyy @caplover22 @queenoftheworldisdead @liquorlaughslove @shinebrightlikeafanbase @night-of-the-living-shred @dangerouslovefanfic @areubeingserved @maxcullen @jovanaprime @pananegra @bakarilennox @littlepreciousangel @shar74nett @pananegra @laketaj24 @blackgurlkillinit @maeleeme @live-laugh-love-ki @mary-ann84 @mery-be

@jamesbarnesappreciationclub @momobaby227 @naturalthrone22 @emjayewrites @kikimiyazaki @minton131 @aar-journey @sincerelyglowing @theonewithherheadintheclouds @livinglifeformemyselfandi @kittykatlow @mauvecherie @give-me-a-million-dollars-pls @angrybirdcr @winchwm @alyxkbrl @rn7rocks @thesecretlifeofdaydreams

@simply-heaven @winchwm @maximumninjavoid @offrostandstarlight @angrybirdcr @maxcullen @xsweetdellzx @sausagefest1996 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @bellaamor88 @alyxkbrl @hello-therree @mery-be @that-chick212 @smuttywriter @ljstraightnochaser

@mrsbarnes-rogers @melanicia @live-laugh-love-ki @deadpixie22 @asiaaisa77 @queenshikongo3 @queenreignssupreme @cltex84 @helenasmirkedno @areubeingserved @petty-bitch-akira @rynabarnesrogers-reading @themeforanudebeach @i-just-like-fanfics

@october505 @msblkfire84 @msbrightsidestuff @youremysuperstar @storiestoldbyjazz @themeforanudebeach @i-just-like-fanfics @titty-teetee @wellthirsted @t3mporaa @jd-now-jq @libbymouse @queen-zelieonna @abschaffer2 @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @ramp-it-up @kianya-loves @cutiebubbleboo @koko-michelle

#crown for two fic #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill x you #henry cavill x black reader #black fanfiction #slow burn fanfic #cheesy christmas fic #royalty au #henry cavill au

106 notes · View notes

mx-misty-eyed · 3 years

Text

SAI livestream things that I noticed (ongoing post)

we’re going to edit this post with more stuff we notice. everything is going under the cut, since this is gonna get pretty long.

during the dema “commercials” (when it cuts to the bishops plugging the album), the cd’s are subtly getting rearranged

during the first commercial, the black slipcase is on the right and the blue slipcase is on the left. all the way in the back going from left to right, theres the casette, stack of three cd’s (white on top, pink in the middle, blue on the bottom), what appears to be the limited edition box set (sold on their website), and what im 99% sure is a lyric booklet.

during the second commercial, things appear to be the same at first glance, but there are some subtle differences. the black slipcase is on the left and the blue is on the right, and the three cd’s in the back are in a different order (pink is on top, blue is in the middle, and white is on the bottom).

during the third commercial, the three cd’s are still stacked on top of each other but it looks less neat. the order is white on top, pink in the middle, blue on the bottom, like in the first commercial. the products appears to be more centered (before, the blue box was more to the right and the casette is now fully on the stand), except for the central cd’s. the cd’s are now on the right, stacked underneath the lyric booklet (blue on top, black on the bottom)

we have no idea what this means yet, but its too deliberate to be insignificant. we’re going to add to this post with other things we’ve noticed, but for now that’s it

first edit: it seems like the bishops are being controlled, too. during the last commercial:

-“sometimes i close my eyes to try to escape.” “you know you cant escape, sally”

-”you need to get this collection in your life.” “but remember, you should-” *static* (if the bishops are in charge of dema and genuinely trying to spread its message, why would they get cut off?) (of course, its possible that the banditos cut them off, but who knows if they have that power)

-the *control room* has nine buttons, with the bishops’ names on them. the control room.

it kinda seems like sacarver (sally) is the one that wants to escape more, while lisden (dan) is the one thats either buying into dema more or is hiding his will to escape better. also, the bishops were getting more and more beat up every time, and sacarver/sally’s makeup was getting more, uh, conspicuous?

first commercial (completely normal looking, unless you count their fake smiles):

second commercial (notice the blood on the front of dan’s shirt/sally’s scarf):

third commercial (notice the, uh...everything (yellow eyes, more blood, sally’s makeup and hair, etc):

bonus pic of sallys eyeshadow, which is a lot more noticeable than in previous commercials:

second edit: the songs they played at the end were pretty interesting. after the livestream, they played instrumental versions of some of their songs. two of the songs they played were the hype and we don't believe what’s on tv. wdbwotv is pretty self-explanatory, and the hype has the lyric “just don’t believe the hype” repeated several times in it. they both have the “don’t believe” theme going on, which i think is a pretty big coincidence. honestly, i could be reading too far into it (especially since i hooked up my computer to my tv and watched the livestream on my tv), but i dont think that the similar meanings of the song are an accident.

they also played the song doubt, which has the lyric “gnawing on the bishops” (thanks to @myrebelred for pointing that out)

third edit: @isdreamingfree pointed out that josh didn’t do a backflip during the livestream.

in the q&a, they specifically said that he would, and then they didnt. they also didnt do the deathdrop (that thing tyler does where he just kinda falls backwards), and they didnt end the concert with trees like they normally do (instead, it was a little more than halfway in).

fourth edit: during lane boy, tyler keeps repeating "dont trust a perfect person and dont trust a song thats flawless”. maybe thats nothing special on its own, but a) the livestream seemed way too perfect/smooth (at least to me) (although it was done live) and b) sally/sacarver, one of the people trying to market the album, mentioned during one of the commercials (i believe it was the last one) how “perfect” the collection was

which reminds me, why do they call it a collection instead of an album??

fifth edit: in the beginning when it shows the twenty one pilots livestream intro while he’s singing choker it says who the stream is presented by, but on the other side it says “controlled by: DMA ORG and Good Day Dema”

sixth edit: i (crow) have made a list of all my observations of stuff that happened during the livestream, its a lot longer than this but like half of it is pictures lol. it took me forever, so id appreciate if you took a look at it!

https://mx-misty-eyed.tumblr.com/post/651931663100723200/a-bunch-of-sai-livestream-observations

seventh edit: during chlorine, ned’s silhouette appears in the background

-admin crow and admin frankie

#sai #scaled and icy #twenty one pilots #top livestream #twenty one pilots livestream #dema #sai theory #twenty one pilots theory #top theory #fpe #what the hell is going on #sai livestream #crow #well mostly crow #2% frankie

48 notes · View notes

sknewmuse · 3 years

Text

K-POP WEEKLY WRAP UP: GAON Album Charts

[August 20, 2021] 2021년 33주차

#1- 6TH MINI ALBUM [THRILL-ING]

This weeks hot topic boy group The Boyz take the lead in chart toppers! They impressively ruled over Gaon Charts taking #1 in not just Album charts but also took top spot in the Download & BGM charts. This is the first time since The Boyz debut that they’ve sold over a whopping 500,000 albums.

“There are so many emotions related to that word. Whether it be nervousness, the nerves you feel before getting on a ride, the fear that you feel when you’re about to go on a drop, and the joy that you feel at the end of it, with those different elements we made an album that relates to those emotions, so you’ll find that as you listen to the entire album, start to finish, you’ll feel the emotions that you feel as if you were on an actual roller coaster.” -Kevin

#2- SUMMER POPUP ALBUM [POPPING]

One of the hottest up and coming boy bands to hit the K-Pop scene is ONF. The group topped the music charts with their new summer album. ONF has now broken into one of the top 10 places on the Gaon Albums chart with all of their projects, bringing them to now landing eight placements in the important region. Seems we have new summer music kings on the scene.

“I hope more fans in America will listen to us and love our songs. I hope that ONF can enter the Billboard chart as well. Someday, I want to appear on a TV show to perform in front of many people!” -J-US

#3- 공감 - The 1st Mini Album

Do Kyungsoo, member and main vocalist of acclaimed boy group EXO known by stage name ‘D.O.’ made his long anticipated debut for his solo music career, and as expected it was an instant #1 chart topper a few weeks back and still remains in the top 5 this week.

“After deciding the theme of the album would be ’empathy,’ one of the things I thought of was love, an emotion that anyone could feel, and I felt that it would be nice if my songs could comfort others like my previous song ‘That’s Okay’, so I tried to write the lyrics myself.” -D.O.

#4- My Collection

Park Jihoon, former member of Wanna One and actor continues to prove years later he will always be a solo successor. The singer and actor alone has now charted five top 10 albums in South Korea. Easy to say Jihoon is still collecting hearts of many fans.

“Park Ji Hoon is gazing at multiple art pieces while calling himself one and boasting about all his features that make him a desirable being. Another one of our top moments is when the video shows him within the skies asking for fans to ‘sit in a special seat’ dressed in a sharp blue suit. A hint of skin can be seen when he moves on the increasing tempo of the song, now joined by dancers in a flickering room inside the gallery.” -Ayushi Agrawal from pinkvilla.com

#5- 1/6

Lee Sunmi, one of Korea’s hottest solo artists and heartthrobber of the K-Pop scene. Former member of girl group Wonder Girls under JYP Entertainment, continues to break the barriers of the K-Pop industry’s expectations for solo artists.

NME’s Angela Patricia Suacillo praised Sunmi on her work, “ability to take the lively, upbeat elements of synth- and dance pop and use them to confront her anxieties.”

#6- Select Shop

Another former Wanna One member takes the top of the charts! Ha Sungwoon, also former of the boy group HOTSHOT, this set serves as a reissued version of his recent EP Sneakers, and coincidentally, they both peaked at No. 6. Select Shop is Ha Sungwoon’s sixth solo placement inside the top 10.

“Strawberry Gum,” the album’s title track featuring Don Mills, is a retro funk genre song composed by Flow Blow, Christian Fast, and Maria Marcus. The lyrics written by really6(153/Joombas), Jo Yoon Kyung, and Don Mills compare someone’s growing feelings of love to blowing a pink strawberry-flavored bubble gum. Fans will be able to get a taste of Ha Sung Woon’s youthful side as well as his sexier, more mature side.” -D. KIM of Soompi

#7- SWITCH ON

Summer concept kings and icons ASTRO after taking number 1 spot last week, the group still remains in the top 10 with latest release Switch On.

“I would recommend “Don’t Worry”. Everyone has been working hard at such a time recently, and may not be in a good mood. The lyrics “I got u back don’t worry” convey positive power.” -Cha Eunwoo

#8- SIREN : DAWN

The ace group of K-Pop. Bringing in at #8 is aesthetic and concept pleasing talent A.C.E. Siren : Dawn which holds more than 70 spaces to return to the top 10. The set rose all the way to the runner-up spot this past June when it had first released.

“This album, SIREN:DAWN is full of thrilling and deadly love stories. Our title ‘Higher’ is a love story of a mermaid dreaming a fatal dream, which is reinterpreted through A.C.E’s eyes. We are back with a love story that contains more of a mature and sexy visual. Please show lots of love to ‘Higher.’ -Chan

#9- TURN OVER

The charisma and personality driven boy group SF9, one month ago in counting, ‘Turn Over’ made it to the second place rung on the Gaon Albums chart. The EP shoots to No. 9, becoming one of two previously-released efforts to re-earn their top 10 title.

“When we worked on “Believer” and “Tear Drop,” I remember it was so hard that we recorded a few different options and chose the final lyrics from there. And “Hey Hi Bye” is memorable because it took a longer time to work on compared to the other songs.” -Youngbin

#10- BUTTER

The boys everyone knows and loves, global legends BTS. BTS close out this weeks #10 spot. Known for their ranging of concepts and new leap into English titled tracks that was long awaited by ARMY’s everywhere, they continue to make K-Pop history on chart topping globally as their fanbase count rises everyday.

“Of course, the moment when we reveal our song and music video — nothing can match that momentary satisfaction, it doesn't last long, but that flashing moment really hits us. Surprise!” -RM

14 notes · View notes

khorapodcast · 3 years

Text

Khôra Logo Process

[ID: A pencil sketch of “Khôra Astron” in a classical style font with a laurel ring around it. End ID]

Do you want to know how to make a podcast logo? Well, I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you how we made our logo for Khôra.

Hi! My name’s Jules, I designed and drew (apart from the gears, which were designed by Clary- voice of Medusa + episode poster artist) the Khôra cover art! Here’s how we got the official Khôra logo you see on all of our official pages.

We started coming up with logo ideas as soon as we came up with a title, so some of these have a few other names we were throwing around.

[ID: “Khôra” written in pencil with a constellation as the macron over the O and lines in the middle of H and A. An arrow points to them, labelled “constellation?” End ID]

[ID: A pencil sketch of “Tales from Khôra Astron”. The “Khôra” and “Astron” are surrounded in laurels. Below it is only “Khôra Astron”. End ID]

[ID: A pencil sketch “Khôra Astron” with the O in “Khôra” as a laurel ring. End ID]

[ID: A pencil sketch of “Khôra Astron” in a classical style font with a laurel ring around it. End ID]

[ID: A pencil sketch of “Khôra” with laurels above and below. The O is a planet with a ring. End ID]

[ID: “Khôra” sketched inside a planet with a laurel ring around it. End ID]

[ID: “Khôra” in white letters with the O as a ringed planet. The background is a colorful galaxy. End ID]

[ID: A digital sketch of “Khôra” surrounded by a laurel ring. The background is panels nailed together. End ID]

Ideas were tossed around one night. We considered things like galaxies, planets, and a liberal amount of laurel leaves. I proposed the idea of a logo that looked like it was spray painted onto the side of an old ship, which was expanded on a bit:

[ID: Four color schemes of a sci-fi style Khôra logo. The O in “Khôra” is a ringed planet and there are laurels above and below the text. The first two are a silver-blue background with light blue text. One has sharper text than the other. The third is a warm gray and the fourth is white text on a gray background.

[ID: “Khôra” in blue letters written diagonally over gray metal panels. The O is a ringed planet and laurels are above and below it. End ID]

We went through a few other designs before starting on the final logo.

[ID: “Khôra” in white letters with the O as a ringed planet. There are large laurels above and below the text. The background is a dark blue galaxy. End ID]

[ID: “Khôra” written in gold classical style letters. On the sides are gold gears arranged like a laurel. End ID]

Then it was time to start the process for the final logo! I gathered together all the previous ideas, and took the running elements from each to create three sketches that summed up the different ideas we had had (steampunk gears, spray paint on the side of a ship, and Space).

[ID: Three logo design sketches. First is “Khôra” in a symmetrical laurel ring with gears at centers of the top and bottom and gears around it. Next is “Khôra” written diagonally with laurels on the top and bottom. The background is a metal panel. Last is “Khôra” with the O drawn as a ringed planet. There are laurels above and below the text. End ID]

I showed them to the crew, and we discussed what we liked and didn’t like about them. In this case, we decided to throw out the space idea (right) and expand on the other two.

[ID: Four logo design sketches. First is “Khôra” in a symmetrical laurel ring with gears at centers of the top and bottom and gears around it. Next is “Khôra” written diagonally with laurels on the top and bottom. The background is a metal panel. Third is the same laurel design from the first put diagonally on a gear and metal background. Fourth is “Khôra” written diagonally with laurels on the top and bottom. The background is a metal panel with gears around it. End ID]

We looked through these, decided that the 1st and 3rd one were too busy, and that we really liked the 4th one. So I expanded a bit on that design to get it as cool as possible:

[ID: Four versions of the logo with different text sizes. All have “Khôra” written diagonally with laurels on the top and bottom. The background is a metal panel with gears around it. The sizing and configuration of the text and laurels all vary between the four. End ID]

I made these, and then sent them to the whole crew to vote on. The second one won, because it was easiest to see the logo in, and I chose a middle ground between 2 and 3.

After deciding on a design, we went onto colors:

[ID: The Khôra logo in six different color schemes. The first is blue text on a light brown background, second is black text on an orange and black background, and third is white text on a gold background. Fourth is red text on a silver background, fifth is pink text on a green-gray background, and sixth is purple text on a gold background. End ID]

I offered up a few ideas: 2 based off of just the first things in my head, another based off of colors in Greek pottery, another based off of the gold and white scheme that had been in all our heads for a while and 2 based off of more grayish common metal colors.

We decided that the contrast on 1, 3 and 4 was way too low, and that generally the colors were too saturated on most of the thumbnails (I tend to go aggressively bright with all the colors in my art.) Most of us agreed that we liked number 2 best, but agreed that we wanted to have a bit more of a sci-fi vibe that the grey ones had. The idea of a gold one with black text was thrown in, but thrown out because it didn’t feel sci-fi enough.

I went back in with the colors, expanding on the Greek pottery themed logo, and the grey metal ones, using much less saturated colors for the letters so that they were, you know, readable.

[ID: The Khôra logo in six different color schemes. The first is black text on an orange and brown background, second is gold text on a black and bronze background, and third is black text on a mostly bronze background. Fourth is blue text on a silver background, fifth is black text on a green-gray background, and sixth is light blue text on a warm gray background. End ID]

Most people agreed that the top three were more visually interesting, so I made some final ideas and put it up to a vote.

[ID: The Khôra logo in three different color schemes. The first is blue text on a silver background, next is gold text on a black and bronze background, and last is black text on a mostly bronze background. End ID]

The third one won by quite a bit, so I went on to make a more detailed sketch of the logo itself, and sent that to Clary to draw in the gears.

[ID: A digital sketch of the final logo. End ID]

I then went through a long and rather boring process of coloring it in, using many textured brushes and layers to get the colors and textures right.The crew went back and forth with minor tweaks until we were all happy with the logo we have now!

[ID: The final logo of Khôra. It has “Khôra” written in black classical style letters in the center surrounded by laurels. The background is bronze metal. On the border, there are black and bronze gears. End ID]

#Khôra podcast #Khôra #audio drama #art #original

17 notes · View notes

dansnaturepictures · 3 years

Photo

30th July 2021: Brown Argus, Common Blue and more at Lakeside and home

The Starlings and House Sparrows gathered in numbers out the back especially memorably on the roof visible from my room again throughout today, with Collared Dove, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon nicely visiting too. I took the first picture in this photoset of the Starlings beautifully lined up. On another showery day it was brilliant when dark clouds were illuminated by the bright bursts of sunshine and there were hints of a rainbow seen out of my bedroom window I had not seen one this side of the house for a while. I took the second picture in this photoset of a lovely colourful bush of roses at the back of the scene I can see from my room I do enjoy seeing this. I liked seeing the sweet orange variation of the flowering of the buddleia bush in the back garden too.

I got a slice of both bits of weather heading to Lakeside via the green area north of the site, taking the third and fourth pictures in this photoset of a view and some of a lovely patch of thistle with common red soldier beetles on I saw a nice hoverfly on some too. And going in at the north western kissing gate at the Monks Brook halt railway station/picnic area I looked down into the path bit to the west that goes along the adjoining field and saw some sweet more typical pruple buddleia also known as butterfly bush as it attracts so many which looked nice alongside some probable goats beard which I took the fifth picture in this photoset of looking gorgeously green with some of the buddleia sneaking into the photo as well.

Rain came on for a second or two, then the sunshine took over for a fairly long patch.

And I proceeded down the steps and towards Concorde lake where a floral star of the day the smashing great willowherb stood out I saw this a lot at Lakeside at lunch time. Passing the lake I got glorious views of the some Black-headed Gulls with their heads barer heading towards the winter plumage parading over the lake. And I saw the pristine looking Mallard caught in the sun which I got the sixth picture in this photoset of.

I then reached the meadow between the woods and Kornwestheim lake (shown looking really nice in the seventh picture I took today in this photoset in the sunshine) where I wanted to focus my efforts and do as much of a 15 minute Big Butterfly Count as I could at today and I did do a big chunk of 15 minutes here and was glad I did to get it done at this rich butterfly part of the site again. It produced an expected by this point now sixteen Meadow Browns, two Small Whites (although its so often been more of these over the past two weeks this high flyer in the count in 2021) and three Gatekeepers. And there was also an anticipated moment when I saw three Common Blues. One subtly marked female flitting around in the long grass and two water colour bursts of bright blue of males. The first Common Blues I’d seen in the Big Butterfly Count this year so it felt rewarding to get this species I am always impressed with for an urban sight seen and recorded in this epic Citizen Science survey. Sticking with blue butterflies but stepping away from the Big Butterfly Count species and a sweet little Brown Argus was gliding through the grass too. I enjoyed seeing this gem of a butterfly gently settle and reveal its pure brown beauty as its wings distinctively flung open. I was thrilled to see one as its one I saw a couple of times in the eastern meadows of Lakeside where I’ve become used to seeing them in years now in May but not too much after differing to 2020 I believe so I liked seeing this also very impressive butterfly too. I’ve said before from the moment I saw my first Lakeside one which at that stage as a year tick took my 2018 year list level with my then previous highest ever 2014 as butterfly 39 in my year (I went on to see 42 butterflies in 2018 to set my highest ever total at that stage but 2019 on 45 and 2020 on 43 have since topped it) I always seem to see Brown Argus at Lakeside whilst the Big Butterfly Count is ongoing so this continued this trend today. Then before leaving this meadow in the sun a Small Heath flew in another I have not seen for a few months really a great bright orange and pretty little butterfly. The two blue species and these are known for their subsequent generation in years so it felt like the butterfly season shifted a bit to have these butterflies about again today which was fantastic to see. I liked seeing exquisite Blue-tailed Damselfly on the walk around here today too I hadn’t seen one of these for a while either.

Bright and prominent bird’s-foot trefoil which I took a photo of the eighth in this photoset as well as dock lit up this meadow nicely today. And I saw some gorgeous pink cow parsnip as well as some of the white going back along the woodland path. At home as I worked this afternoon and this evening I saw some extraordinary sky scenes, being under some clouds releasing rain for a little bit as I took a short evening walk around the roads after finishing work tonight. It was so beautiful to take in and I got the final two pictures in this photoset of two such scenes. The sky reflected into a blue car out the back made a good photo for the “a different point of view” theme on the photography group we’re in on Facebook this fortnight I enjoyed seeing that. An enjoyable Friday I hope you all have a lovely and safe weekend.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: One of my favourite butterflies the Brown Argus, Common Blue, Small White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Herring Gull out the front again, Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Starling, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common red soldier beetle and hoverfly.

2 notes · View notes

aidendh · 3 years

Text

Bnha! RAU! Sixth

Aiden Harris → Sixth OFA Holder

(→ Spirit /or/ Bakugo)

En Sukuroku

(En - Smoke in Japanese / Sukuroru - Scroll in Japanese / Roku - six in Japanese)

Death: Killed by a senti monster just before he could leave for england

OFA Death: Killed by AFO (he doesn't like talking about it)

His spirit is pink (like Ladybug magic)

Quirk: Scroll* scroll manipulation

(Based on a fanfic)

After OFA: writing kanji or runes give it spells

Hero costume has a black and white 'ladybug' theme

Underground hero (on the more popular side)

Yo-Yo / Scrolls

His costumes earrings are white with black spots

He is very quiet and withdrawn but can be very blunt when they speak

Their favorite instrument is a Kazoo

He has earrings

(In rememberence of Tikki[Kwami])

Hero name: The spotted hero, Gardien

(Guardian in French)

Prefers speaking (muttering) French

Doesn't think he's worthy of OFA

Trained extra hard to relearn the Yo-Yo to make up for his past life

Can speak, English, French and Japanese

When Izuku is at UA, he takes a liking to Yuga Aoyama

(Often dragged way by the soul connection)

After being killed by AFO, he took it hard, thinking that he failed OFA

(It doesn't help that he thinks he could have prevented someone from getting the Peakock before his previous death)

His hair is longer, small low ponytail

(Like his past life)

His hair is black and he has pale blue eyes

(His eyes passed on)

His will is weaker than cannon but barely strong enough to resist AFO taking OFA

He also has slight resistance to mental quirks as he has experienced Akumitization

Their casual clothing is based on Chat Noir

One of his classmates would help him tie his hair buns the first few heroic's lessons

He has baby-older brother energy

He was very friendly in high school

OFA strengthened his soul

En Sukuroku

A withdrawn Incarnate with self esteem issues

Quirk: Scroll* scroll manipulation

Death: Killed by an Amok before he could leave for England

Mute, Friendly, Honest

Gardien

An Incarnate and The Spotted Hero: Gardien

Quirk: Scroll* scroll manipulation, +OFA, writing kanji or runes give it spells

Mute, Blunt, Clever

Sixth

The Sixth Holder of One For All

They took their defeat hard

Quirk: Scroll / One For All

Death: Killed by AFO

Quiet, Honest, Inferior

{Miraculous}

Chance

(He wants a 'Chance' to prove himself)

A Miraculous Hero that wants to prove themself

Power: Lucky Charm* Creates a random item

Miraculous: Stud Earrings

#aiden's aus #rau #reincarnation #bnha #miraculous ladybug #ml #ladybug miraculous #tikki #aiden harris #ml tikki au #sixth ofa user #en #en sukuroku #gardien #chance

5 notes · View notes

architectnews · 3 years

Text

Jun Aoki & Associates wraps Louis Vuitton's Tokyo store in "poetic yet playful" pearlescent facade

Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates has created a distinctive flagship store for Louis Vuitton in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district with an undulating facade and interiors by architect Peter Marino.

Replacing the brand's previous store, which has occupied the same corner since 1981, the seven-storey Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki store is wrapped in a water-like facade.

Designed by Jun Aoki and Associates, this undulating pearlescent facade was created to give the building a modern look and reflect Ginza's location near Tokyo Bay.

Top: Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki store by Jun Aoki and Associates. Above: the facade has an undulating water-like design

"The building's highly modern appearance interprets the reflections of water as a material phenomenon," said Louis Vuitton.

"Poetic yet playful; shimmering and rhythmic. Once a peninsula extending in Tokyo Bay, this evocation of water is expressed throughout as smooth, undulating surfaces – from the glass facade that transmits shifting colour to the feature staircase and fixtures."

The store occupies a busy corner site

The facade was constructed from two layers of glass that curve and ripple like water, which was covered with a dichroic film to create a pearlescent colouring.

A clear opening at the corner of the ground floor showcases the latest collections and allows glimpses of the art-filled, natured inspired interiors by New York-based studio Peter Marino.

The facade of the store reflects and distorts its surroundings

"Jun Aoki's facade is at once monolithic and imbued with fluidity – his representation of a 'pillar of water'," said Louis Vuitton.

"At street level, the building reflects the dynamism of Ginza; higher up, neighbouring towers become wavy apparitions, while a skyscape sweeps across the glass, marking the passage of each day."

The interior has large monogram jellyfish suspended from the ceiling

The lower four floors of the store are dedicated to retail. Pale stone covers the floor of the ground level with curved panelling on ceilings to add a three-dimensional effect.

Throughout the retail spaces textured walls, curved surfaces and a wood and glass material palette fill the space adding a lightness to the interior while reinforcing the natural theme.

A wooden staircase is encased by a four-storey tall feature wall

The retail floors are connected by a central staircase constructed from sculptural oak and glass that winds through the store surrounding by suspended jellyfish with monogram detailing.

A secondary staircase at the rear of the store employs a similar material palette and is framed by a four-storey feature wall that reinterprets a painting by Japanese artist Kimiko Fujimura and reflects the buildings organic aesthetic.

Retail spaces boast a neutral palette with colourful accents

Furniture by Pierre Paulin was added to inject acidic hues to the tonal interior, bright pinks and oranges can be found throughout the women's floors while reds, blues, and muted yellows fill the men's.

The store also includes a permanent space to showcase new arrivals as well as a VIP area on the sixth floor and the Le Café V on the building's top floor.

A zoned area has an underwater theme

Jun Aoki & Associates has completed several other projects for the fashion house, including this a flagship store in Osaka wrapped in curved glass sails and the nearby Ginza store that has a perforated facade based on the Vuitton monogram.

Marino has similarly renovated the brand's New Bond Street store in London that uses artworks by Tracy Emin and the Campana Brothers.

Photography is by Daici Ano.

The post Jun Aoki & Associates wraps Louis Vuitton's Tokyo store in "poetic yet playful" pearlescent facade appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

1 note · View note

hearteyes-for-killmonger · 5 years

Text

Say Something

Erik watched intrigued as his four-year-old godson Nasir, completely ignored his favorite show playing on the iPhone in favor of pretending to fix a customer's iMac that was sitting on the table. He was pushing the power button like it would do something. The computer was unplugged and even if it weren't, it had crashed.

"I'll fix this one and you fix that one," he instructed in his small voice with confidence.

"Oh you gone help me fix the graphics card," Erik teased watching the boy click the same button and stare at the dark screen before hitting keys on the attached keyboard. "I might have to hire you.. Aight, you work on that one. I'll leave it to you."

Erik was in the process of diagnosing a Dell laptop when his phone rang, muting the show.

"Nooo," Nasir complained.

"Hello?.. Yeah I do smartphones, is it an iPhone?.. Bring it by I can take a look at it." Erik hung up returning the phone to its previous position next to Nasir, letting the boy press play and turn up the volume. It was amazing to him how quickly kids caught on to technology. His attention switched to the glass front door as it opened triggering the bell overhead. Customers.

"How can I help you today?" Erik noticed the macbook in the black kid's hand.

"It stopped working and my essay is on it. I don't care what you gotta do I need this shit back up as soon as possible. My paper due Wednesday," he stressed. Erik counted. That was four days. "Sir, my teacher will fail me if I don't turn in this essay on time. She don't give a fuck about broken.."

Typically he'd have to let the customer know he'd need more time since he's always working on at least three different things at once and he's only one person.. the fixer, the receptionist, the accountant, and the boss. However, this black kid seemed to be in a true bind and if Erik had the power to help break down a barrier in a kid's education, he'd be damned if he didn't use it.

"I got you," he said taking the macbook. "The diagnosis is free. You'll get a quote once I find out what's wrong with it, but this type of thing happens all the time especially with Mac computers.. I'll have it up for you by Tuesday."

With folded hands, the boy bowed in gratitude. "THANK you." It felt good to help a young black man up.

Setting the macbook aside, he made eye contact with the young black woman who stepped up with a cracked cell phone screen wanting it replaced. Easy work. She snickered and he followed her eyes looking to see his godson grinning at her with all of his eighteen baby teeth. It must've been her shirt. She had on a graphic tee with the Avengers and Captain America was his favorite character, hands down.

"Captain America," he grinned approaching her breathily, his fingers in his mouth. Here we go.

"Yesss! You like Avengers," she smiled stretching her shirt for him to see more clearly.

"Captain America..," Nasir clarified quietly, "...I wanna marry him."

"Oh really," the girl gasped. "That's so cute, you just might!"

That was the first time Erik thought that his godson might be gay. He didn't know what to say in that moment, so he didn't say anything at all. He simply took the girl's phone and gave her the option to wait or come back. She decided to wait.

Two Years Later

Erik carried his gift through the group of kids who scattered around his calves running outside. There must've been fifteen children in the house and ten outside in the backyard. Parents gathered in various Avengers decorated rooms and out in the yard to chaperone and eat from the table of food provided by his mans Leon and his mans' wife Tori. They both greeted Erik immediately tasking him with the job of watching kids in the living room. Paw Patrol was on, of course, and Nala had just run into the room, cheesing when she saw him. He noticed immediately that she wore a Happy Birthday tiara with a blue denim shirt, blue jeans, a rainbow tutu and sneakers.

"ERIIIIIIIK!" She yelled rushing over to hang onto him tightly, dropping her weight. He picked her up and swung her in a full circle placing her back on her feet ignoring her silent plead for him to do it again.

"I just put your gift on the table with the rest. You got a lot of presents and a big cake mama."

"Look at my nails! Momma did it," she yelled jumping excitedly, showing off sparkly pink nails on her small hand.

"It's pretty!" Erik smiled feeling her joy. It was contagious. The simplest things made her ecstatic. Add that to the joy kids tend to feel simply because it's their birthday and she was definitely the happiest kid at the party.

His ears perked suddenly, hearing a certain slur he'd come to loathe just in the past two years. It was almost like a trigger now. The word was nearly inaudible since it was a whisper not intended to be heard, yet he'd heard it and to him it was unacceptable. Thankfully, Nala didn't hear it. Not that she'd fully understand it if she did, but she'd understand it one day and that day didn't need to come today on her sixth birthday. Hopefully by the time she was old enough to truly understand, the world would be a different, safer, and more accepting place.

He decided to let it slide since it was a birthday party and he didn't want to be the one to cause a scene. It was a talk he'd received a lot from his mans and Tori.. 'Don't cause a scene.. Let it go.. They're not worth it..' Time and time again, Erik had been seconds from snapping on ignorant muhfukkas in the name of his little goddaughter but held back like a pitbull on a chain.. with Leon and Tori selflessly holding said chain. Why anyone gave a damn about what a six-year-old wore or called themselves was a mystery to him. On top of that, Leon and Tori were the best and most loving parents he knew other than his own, so for anyone to insult their parenting style... he took it personally.

Still, their words echoed in his mind. 'Erik, let it go.'

The party progressed with kids running wild, high off sugar like miniature crackheads. The time came to gather around the Avengers themed cake with Happy Birthday Nala written in pink icing. Tori started singing and the kids joined in along with a few parents.

"Happy Birthday to youuu. Happy birthday to youuu!"

Erik chewed on swedish meatballs listening closely for variations while watching the adults.

"Happy Birthday dear Nas-Nalaaaa!"

A few kids got it wrong, but fixed it. It wasn't intentional... so close enough.

"Happy Birthday to youuu!!!"

Nala happily blew out the candles and started started clapping. It was time for cake.. as if the baby crackheads needed anything else sweet. He watched Tori wipe up frosting and sweep crumbs, not complaining once. She was a damned saint. That same voice cut above the others in Erik's ear again. His eyes zoned in on two black men.. fathers of a couple of the children in attendance, he presumed. He made eye contact and one nodded like shit was cool. It wasn't, but Erik would stay silent like he'd been asked to in the past. Or at least, that was what he planned to do until he overhead them talking shit again. He couldn't just do nothing. He started his walk toward the two men, stopping short when a young black woman stepped in front of them.

"Y'all should be ashamed of y'allselves," she whispered angrily as they stared at her unperturbed. "That is a child! How would you feel if someone talked about your blackass kids like that? The only reason Tori hasn't kicked y'all out of her house is because she doesn't want to punish the kids for their parents' ignorant behavior which says a lot that children behave better than you!"

She moved on and switched up their conversation, but it wasn't good enough for Erik. When they left, they'd say the same shit. Their kids would eventually pick up their toxic ideas and repeat the cycle. 'There's nothing we can do about it," Leon had said once when Erik was especially furious. "People will be cruel and think what they want to think," he said and Erik could feel the pain in his words.

"Our job is to love Nasir and build him up as best as we can so that he's ready for the world," Tori added. That was before Nasir decided that he preferred to be she and that she wanted her new name to be Nala like on Lion King. In respect of their child, Leon and Tori agreed and it'd been that way ever since.

Finally, it was time to open the gifts. There were a variety of toys, big and small, some with a lot of little pieces. It was a six-year-old's dream. When she unwrapped the Captain America figurine and kid-sized shield Erik had bought, she about lost her mind.

"Happy Birthday," he smiled.

The next gift was a bratz doll from a little girl who looked excited for Nala to see it. Nala grinned giving the girl a hug as cameras flashed capturing the moment.

"--Child abuse.. It's a boy. Putting a skirt on him doesn't change that," the voice whispered again and Erik looked at Nala. It didn't look like she'd heard but he knew for a fact that other parents had.. maybe some of the kids as well. Looking at Leon, he'd definitely heard and the Oakland neega looked to be on the verge of jumping out of him. When they made eye contact, Erik gave him the look. Just say the word, he thought, ready to cut loose, though he knew his friend. His friend was one of them good, wholesome niggas who believed in chances. He'd never drop the leash.

But Erik was getting sick of these niggas.. and now they were ruining his goddaughter's party? He had to do something. They had to go. He couldn't live with it if he didn't at least say something.

The kids who were still at the house moved into the living room sitting everywhere. The couch, the floor. Paw Patrol was still on, a marathon apparently and it brought the room of six year olds under control like they were being hypnotized.

Seeing his chance to speak up without making a scene, he decided to go over calmly and just talk to them. He made his way to the two men in the room, standing next to them with his red plastic cup of soda before they could make another ignorant comment. He'd spotted their kids and they were glued to the screen just like the others.

"Ay," he whispered getting the men's attention. "What's y'all issue with my goddaughter? Y'all really pissin me off."

"Nigga. That's a boy. You can't give him a girl name and expect him to be a girl, that's still a boy," the second guy whispered back as if Erik wasn't understanding.

"Nah, this nigga probably...," the first man tilted his hand back and forth, "That's why that boy ended up that way," he balked dismissing Erik with his eyes. Now they were flipping it on him. He had to laugh. These niggas had the nerve.. and he trying to be patient.

"Niggas think 'cause I'm soft with kids I'm pussy," he smirked staring at the screen up ahead. "I'll kill y'all both after Paw Patrol." They looked at him like he was tripping until he flashed a glimpse of his piece and they straightened up quick. He walked back to his original position, eyes meeting theirs.

Like the model parent she was, Tori made sure each kid got a gift bag before leaving the house, including the kids of those two men who ain't say shit about Nala for the rest of the party, which was a short time in comparison to their string of bullshit, but still. Erik's only regret was that he'd done what he did sooner.

"Aight," he said hugging Leon goodbye and shaking Tori's hand out of respect. Nala had crashed and was knocked out on the couch. There were only two kids still there and it was because the moms were talking. "Good party. I'll see you."

"Aight man, take care. Be safe," Leon said closing the door as Erik walked his car holding two full plates of food.

"Wait, wait, wait.. whew," a voice called after him. He turned. It was one of the moms from inside.. the same one who'd spoken up before he had. She'd come dashing out after him. "Glad I caught you," she smiled stopping a foot away from him and his car. "I actually.. I saw what you did in there. I wish more people the guts to say something."

He shrugged. "You were quicker."

"Perhaps. But you got the job done."

He looked her over. He wasn't gonna shoot his shot out of respect because it was Nala's party and she was there with her kid, but she was fine.

"I gotta get my kid," she said suddenly backing toward the house again before turning to walk back to the door.

"Ay," he called watching her stall and turn slightly, just enough to see his face.

"..You.. you like bowling?" Bowling, wtf? He didn't bowl.

"Bowling?" Her tone echoed his thoughts, but she smiled and that smile told him he'd done right by stopping her. "Yeah, my daughter and I like bowling," she stressed. He smiled. He could already tell she was a good mom.

"Maybe I could take you both sometime."

"Maybe...," she grinned. "You know Tori?"

"Leon's my nigga. Nala's my godchild," he nodded. That seemed to impress her.

Just then, they looked up at the same time to see a little girl running from the house.

"Mommy," she called running to the women's side and looking to Erik.

"I've gotta go," the woman said heading to a black car.

"Wait," he called after her, setting the plates on his hood to follow her. "What's your name?" He watched as she secured the small girl in a car seat.

"Shamidi," she said standing to face them. He nodded before facing the little girl who was still watching him. She had two thick puffs and looked just like her momma. "And what's your name, cocoa puffs?"

"Imani," she whispered. He was sold. Beautiful mom. Cute kid. "Do you mind if I take you and your mom bowling," he asked. Her face lit up.

"That's cheating," Shamidi sighed, humoured.

"Maybe," he shrugged playfully. "It got the job done."

"Clever," she smirked opening her car door. He watched as she got in, started the car, and began to pull off with a smile on her face.

"Hold up. What's your number," he yelled. She pulled out slowly and he followed the car as she got onto the street. He kissed his teeth when it looked like she really planned on leaving like that. Then she rolled down the window, the car never stopping.

"I gotta go! Get it from Tori," she yelled driving away. He watched as the car disappeared around the corner. He didn't expect this to happen. He came for a six-year-old's birthday party, not to play stepfather for a woman and her child.

However.. he wasn't mad at it.

Tucking the plates into the passenger seat of his car, he walked back to the house to find Tori.

The End

A/N: If these names are familiar to you that's because Shamidi and Imani are characters in Crowning Glory, another fic I wrote. This is kinda like a prequel.

@muse-of-mbaku @imaginewhoever @goddessofthundathighs @panthergoddessbast @thadelightfulone @misspooh @marvelmaree @youreadthatright @theunsweetenedtruth @bidibidibombaclaat @myboyfriendgiriboy @dameshaemonique @blackpantherimagine @vikkidc @hidden-treasures21 @mysidefanting @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @syndrlla97 @winteroflife @thotyana-in-this-hoe @texasbama @gingerylimonte @princessstevens @magic-madness-heavensin @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @wakanda-inspired @blackgirloneshots @thegucciwaffle @thiccdaddy-mbaku @drsunshine97 @purplehairgawdess @trevantesbrat @indigoxsummers @cccccx1 @dynastylnoire @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @fonville-designs @they-call-me-le @theblulife @raysunshine78 @sheisexcellent

82 notes · View notes

dansnaturepictures · 3 years

Photo

22/06/2021-Post 3 of 3: Aber Falls

Following on from my previous post, as planned this afternoon we came out of Anglesey for a bit and visited Aber Falls which you could see from the boat trip around Puffin Island funnily enough. On every holiday we go on over the last half decade or so we always have to do one trip at least in the area where we look for Dippers. And this then automatically means when we do we go to a stunningly beautiful area where they inhabit with gushing water over rocky river courses often through valleys and very often wooded. Wales is perfect for this of course and at Aber Falls we found a typically Welsh landscape with the sheep and everything sensational spot one of the best beauty spots we have seen this week for sure. We advanced in fairly scorching conditions on what was a truly lovely day weather wise through a strong mountainous landscape with lots of high woodland cover too and lots of different aspects of the stunning landscape such as nice open areas. I took the first, third, fourth and tenth pictures in this photoset on the stunning walk to the falls and back, second of beautiful water, and fifth picture in this photoset of a tree against the bright blue sky.

We made it to the majestic falls which I took the sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset of with a couple of waterfalls where water trickled off of sheer edges and looked absolutely gorgeous. They are one of the highest falls I’ve ever seen and it was just smashing and breathtaking to be here especially at the main falls where it was exhilarating to hear and see the water rushing down I took a video of this scene on my phone as I posted a link from my Instagram of in the sun and areas of shade of the waterfall and the general landscape as evening came which helped me take photos for a light and shade theme in the photography group we are in that has themes and this is the current theme I really loved being here it was such a wow moment.

It was interesting to see a characteristic of the habitat Grey Wagtail around in the river near the waterfall and also in the falls itself higher up than I had seen one before I think. I got the eighth picture in this photoset of this.

Then in a glorious moment as it always seems to be just when we were wondering if we might see one today a Dipper darted by us a sweet grey juvenile in this lovely patch of river just below the impressive waterfall. It settled on the rocks and we watched it for a little bit. It was then truly breathtaking to see it with extreme clarity in an exciting moment as it flew again going the other way. It was yet another year tick for this holiday and yet another of our targets seen we really have seen most of them already now and this one is always a relief to see when we can a fifth year running we have seen them I remember upon the right postponement of this holiday this week last year I thought my chance was gone for Dipper not a bird around locally for us but we snuck one in at Fingle Bridge on the weekend away in Devon instead of the Bird Fair last August. Yet another favourite bird to see this took my bird year list to 168 meaning it’s level with the amount of birds I saw in total during both 2013 and 2015 making it my joint seventh highest ever year list now. I would be forgiven for thinking it would be hard to get here this year after that locked down start to the year before the great resurgence of my year list so it felt amazing to get here.

Walking back we found a great dry open patch for birds seeing lovely young Redstart and some Wheatears which was great to see and no surprise for this area really. We saw a dragonfly too I couldn’t quite tell which but possibly a Southern Hawker.

Then in this ideal weather we had a strong walk for butterflies too as with more views of them stopped and two photos I took compared to other days where we have certainly seen them they arrived in the holiday in a true sense. We saw a warm Peacock on the way to the falls and back and also got amazing views in the special sunshine of one of the butterflies of the moment as we go into summer Large Skipper and a smashing, rich and brightly coloured Red Admiral which I was very pleased to get the ninth picture in this photoset of.

It was a great walk for flowers as well with foxgloves seen strongly they are taking over the landscape and transforming it pink I do just love them so much this is amazing and has been a key part of the holiday. It was also lovely to see lots of tormentil, herb-Robert and of course red campion such key flowers this holiday giving a strong showing everywhere. Today was another fantastic day out generally and this visit was amazing its such a special place it was great to get to see a good bit of wider North Wales with breathtaking scenes and smashing wildlife yet again. At a place like this you get to see so many varied people all enjoying this amazing sight too and once again we spoke to some brilliant people and had some great conversations today.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first of one of my favourite birds the Dipper this year, another of my favourite birds the Buzzard, two of my favourite butterflies the Large Skipper and Red Admiral, Grey Wagtail, Redstart, Robin, Chaffinch, Wheatear, Peacock, Small White, dragonfly I couldn’t quite see which possibly Southern Hawker and bee likely red-tailed bumblebee.

4 notes · View notes

akihsulkaz · 6 years

Text

Star☆Twinkle Pretty Cure : Logo Analysis, Thoughts, and Predictions

OH SHIT IT’S JUST OCTOBER YET TOEI JUST REVEALED THE 2019-2020 PRECURE SEASON

Okay, serious-ish mode, let’s get into analyzing.

I’d like to mention some of my analysis is gonna be borrowed from the Pretty Cure Wiki discussion on this reveal, but usually just ones where I mostly agree with.

So, Star☆Twinkle, one thing to note first off is that this is another season without an exclamation mark in their titles. It’s not that significant, but considering how 9 out of 13 seasons have it (including GoGo!’s exclamations as one), this is somehow a little bit surprising. However, we do have a star, placed in the middle of “Star” and “Twinkle”. Kirakira was the only other season having a star symbol.

This is also the second season where the name is alluding to a previous Cure. The name of GoPri had “Princess” wherein it was the Cure name of Hime from HaCha. This time, “Twinkle” was present as Kirara’s Cure name from GoPri.

This logo actually is quite striking compared to others, similar to Kirakira (again) due to its thinner letters. Generally, the logos’ letters of other seasons were bolder, and Kirakira was the only season with the round logo.

One thing to wonder is why “Star” seems left out to the side of the main logo, similarly like how “Futari wa” or “Yes!” or “Go!” were in their respective seasons. Possibly this means that they’re called the “Twinkle Pretty Cures” in-universe. I don’t know how they’re going to introduce themselves after their group transformations as the aforementioned seasons still introduce themselves with the “left out words”. I don’t know. Yelling it like, “Star! Twinkle Pretty Cure!” seems a bit weird for me unless they’re gonna go to creative road for this. Cause “Star Twinkle Pretty Cure!” is also equally off considering it’s already stars then twinkles like the name itself is a little bit redundant, you know? To be fair “Twinkle Star” has a better ring to it.

Let’s actually talk about the “Star” part. It seems confirmation enough that we’ll be having four cures this season, and I really hope there isn’t another sixth ranger trope because dear god I’m sick of it. Smile! was still a success without doing that, and I think having less characters help for more character development for each of the members.

And not only do we get possible confirmation on the number, but we get to have a possible colour combination too. Pink, blue, yellow, purple. The same colour setup as Heartcatch! and HaCha. Personally, I hope they would pull off a Fresh! or Suite and do a different setup for a 4-member team. Or maybe have a whole new setup with green, since we’ve yet to have a 4-member team with a green cure. Plus we need more green cures.

Next, let’s look at theme. The name itself already gives us two possible motifs: space, or idols. It just so happens the fandom also thinks the same way, space being the more hopeful choice, and idols being the hopefully not choice. Unfortunately, it seems to lead off with the hopefully not.

That’s quite interesting. Generally, the fandom tends to predict motifs for the next season, and most of the time we tend to guess correctly, or Toei probably heard our prayers and thought that maybe that’s what we’d want. Ever since HaCha, there have been predictions of an idol themed season due to the whole Innocent Form. It died down during GoPri, but strengthened once more thanks to Kirakira due to the mention of “idol” in their second ending song. And Toei does tend to give hints on next season’s motifs before the reveal. With Amour and Macherie, the chances are higher. But it’s also them the fans started to regret this.

I too, would much prefer space. I’m quite biased since I like space. But I feel like it wouldn’t be space. Who knows, maybe it’s space idols. I mean, it is double star words.

#precure #pretty cure #star twinkle pretty cure #swearing #predictions #precure 2019

42 notes · View notes

frostedpuffs · 6 years

Text

A Simple Suggestion - Ch.12

A Simple Suggestion Summary: Breaks from patrol often allow time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to talk and be themselves. But when a silly joke starts to seem all that…well, not silly, the two find themselves considering something neither of them had ever before: moving in together. The tricky part is still keeping their identities a secret. Rated: T+ Pairing(s): Ladybug/Chat Noir, Adrien/Marinette

Chapter 12 - A Thought Word count: 7,438 Also read on: ao3 Chapter summary: Adrien thinks long and hard about a few suspicious details concerning a certain Ladybug.

<< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>

It took Adrien a moment to breathe again.

What had Ladybug said? Something about strawberry and cakes?

The back of his throat burned from the strain of coughing. That noodle had really fought its way down his windpipe. Dabbing at his eyes with a napkin—which had watered as soon as he'd began choking on his dinner—Adrien breathed in, his chest fluttering as he came back down from his state of near-death.

(Okay, so he hadn't nearly died. But where's the fun in not being dramatic?)

His head pounded. He couldn't even remember what had been going on before he'd lost the ability to take air in like a normal person.

"Are you alright?" Ladybug asked from across the table, blue eyes wide and hand outstretched in a curious motion. "Do you need some water?"

Adrien swallowed painfully. "Fine," he wheezed. "I'm fine. I just, uh"—oh, man, his mind was a mess—"I kind of breathed in wrong and then everything went bad."

Strawberry. Her favorite flavor was strawberry… Especially in cakes… Hadn't he heard that somewhere before? Isn't that what Marinette's parents had said? No, they had said vanilla—or had that been what he'd said? He didn't know.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. A really weird coincidence.

It had been such a long day.

Continue reading on ao3 or under the cut! ↓

"Let me get you a drink." Ladybug stood from the table without a word, her bare feet padding across the wooden floor as she made her way to the kitchen sink. She grabbed a cup from one of the cabinets and poured him a glass of water. Her expression was tight with concern as she returned to his side, one of her hands rubbing his shoulder in slow, soothing circles while the other offered him the beverage.

Her fingernails were painted pink.

Turning his eyes away from that minor detail, Adrien took the cup without a moment of hesitation. The drink felt cool as he downed it.

Didn't someone else he knew always have pink-painted fingernails…?

"Thanks, Buginette," he said hoarsely, throwing her a smile. "I don't know what happened back there."

He really didn't.

They finished their dinner without commotion. Ladybug was pleasantly surprised with how tasty the meal he'd prepared was; Adrien couldn't stifle his laugh when her face had visibly brightened in excitement, eyes blown wide and lips parted in a smile. The wine from their glasses had been drained, the glow of the sun faded from the windows and gave way to the yellow lights of the city, and it was with a yawn that his partner closed the curtains around the apartment as he washed the dishes.

"Do you want me to start a bath for you?" Adrien asked as he watched her slump onto the couch, exhaustion clear in the bags underneath her eyes. He stacked the clean plates in their designated cabinet. "Or do you want me to just let you sleep?"

"It's only eight-fifteen," she said. Her arms rested on the back of the couch, eyes drooping as she fought the urge to drift off into slumber. "I can't go to bed yet."

He dried his hands before turning off the kitchen light. "Why not?"

"It's too early."

"So?"

"I don't want to sleep yet," Ladybug said, though her eyelids were shut and her voice held a weary tone. "I just got home. I want to play a game or read a book or something, not go to bed."

A game, she said? Well, he could help with that. It's not like he owned hundreds of video games or anything…

(Deep within his mind a memory of his friends during lycée poked at his gut, causing him to think—for just a moment—about all those times Marinette had wiped the floor with him and the others because of her substantial skills in gaming. He'd never been able to beat her, no matter how he had tried. Hours and hours they had spent lazing on her family's couch, stuffing their faces with chips and cookies into the wee hours of the morning, playing match after match…

But that was a thought for another time. Right?)

Shaking the idea from his mind, Adrien sat next to Ladybug on the couch. The cushions bounced with his sudden weight. "Then let's play a game," he offered. "I brought all of mine from home. What do you want to play? I've got all three Mecha Strikes, racing games, shooter games, flying games, and even farming games. Your pick."

A laugh rose from his partner, confident and cocky. "You could never beat me in any of the Mecha Strike games."

Something stirred within him.

"Is that a challenge, my Lady?" he goaded. His eyebrows wiggled up and down as he nudged her side. "Because if you're challenging me, I say we make it a bet."

"Oh, yeah?" Ladybug's expression was nothing but pure self-assurance. There was a familiar gleam in her eye, one he'd seen somewhere before… At least, he thought so… "I'd like to see you try, kitty-boy. Best two out of three?"

Adrien smirked and stood, grabbing the third version of the Ultimate Mecha Strike series and popping it in his game system before handing his Lady a controller. "You're on. What do you want if you win?"

Tapping her chin, Ladybug pondered for a moment before snapping her fingers. "You have to make dinner all week. You could use the practice."

"Hey!" he laughed at her comment. "I thought I did good, tonight."

She crossed her arms with a grin. "Oh, you did. But that doesn't mean you can't do better."

"Alright, Miss Bossypants," he said. "Fine. If you win, I'll make dinner every night for the next week. But it's not my fault if I burn this place down."

With a playful roll of her eyes, Ladybug asked, "What do you want if, for some unfathomable reason, you win?"

There was no hesitation on his part. "A smooch."

"I'm not kissing you."

Ah, well. He knew that was a little far-fetched, even if he was joking, anyway. Still, it didn't stop his insides from wilting a little bit.

"Then…" he hummed, mulling it over. "How about you bake me some cookies?"

Ladybug snorted with laughter. "Do you not remember all the snacks you bought today?"

"Oh, right." He scratched at the nape of his neck. "Okay, I know what I want, and you can't say no to this one. Deal?"

"That depends on what it is," Ladybug said, lips curling upward as she stretched her legs out on the couch.

Adrien turned to face her once their game started up. "I want you to watch an hour of cat videos with me."

"Oh, my god."

"I'm serious."

"I know," Ladybug laughed. "You know what? Fine. Now get up here so we can play."

He complied without a complaint. Ladybug's legs rested atop his thighs as she got comfortable on her side, and Adrien took notice that her toenails were painted in the same shade of pastel pink that decorated the tips of her fingers. A grin graced his lips; he almost felt bad that he was going to beat her in every match of their game.

(If she wasn't the girl he was beginning to suspect she was.)

"Prepare to be destroyed," he said, selecting the cat-themed robot on the character screen. "I'll have you know that I've never been beaten by more than one person at this game, Buginette. So good luck."

Ladybug blew her fringe out of her face as she rolled her eyes, choosing the ladybug-spotted robot as her own. "Well, now that number is going to become two. Just don't cry too hard when you lose every match, okay?"

"No promises," Adrien laughed.

He quickly learned that Ladybug did not fuck around when it came to video games. In three matches that each had three rounds, he was pummeled into the ground by her stellar moves and expert handling of the controller. She mashed buttons like a pro, her tongue poking out of her perfectly rosy lips and her shoulders scrunching when she made just the right move. She had won every game. Every single game… With mannerisms that were so alike someone else he knew, he almost caught himself saying her name.

Her name.

(Almost.)

"I won!" she exclaimed as her name came up as the winner for the final match. Her hands rose into the air with her victorious shout. "So, who's making dinner all week, now?"

Giving a good-humored roll of his eyes, Adrien pointed his thumb towards himself. "This cat."

"That's right," she said. "But, hey, if you manage to win just one round, I'll watch some cat videos with you."

"An hour of cat videos?"

"No. Just a few," Ladybug laughed. She shook her head, re-adjusting her position so that she was lying on her back. She looked really cute like that, relaxing there with her head propped up on one of the throw pillows, black hair spilling over the arm of the couch, the collar of her blouse rumpled and the top two buttons undone…

(He glanced away before he could take notice of the blue lace of her brassiere that was just barely peeking up from the thin fabric of her shirt, his cheeks heating with shame that he'd even let his eyes wander.)

"Fine," he replied after a moment too long, his gaze focused on the floor, "Let's keep playing, then. I'm getting those cat videos no matter what."

A snort of disbelief rose from his partner. "Oh, we'll see."

By the end of the fourth match, her confidence was spilling over in waves, and when she'd won her fifth, sixth, and even seventh round, Adrien had given up. He thumped his head against the back of the couch with a sigh. Despite his losses, he still wore a smile on his face. "What did you say about not crying too hard when I lose?"

"Don't tell me you're about to cry, Chaton." Ladybug placed her controller on her stomach as she blinked up at him through her lashes. "I'll have to go buy tissues."

Considering he really was a little disappointed his Lady wasn't going to watch funny cat videos with him, Adrien upped the dramatic flair, throwing the back of his hand to his forehead as he let out a long whine. "I'm so hurt," he faux-cried. "Oh, I'm moving out. I can't deal with this kind of abuse. I'm wounded, truly! Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart breaking."

"Chat Noir," Ladybug sighed, sounding fonder than she should have at that moment. "You are the most impossible—"

"Um, you mean impawssible—"

"—impossible," she corrected, mirth in her tone as she continued, "person to play video games with. If you're gonna whine because I happen to be better than you at fighting giant robots—"

"I call a rematch!"

"We've had seven rematches, kitty."

"One more," he pleaded. His head rolled to the side as he gazed at her with an exceptionally cute gleam in his eyes. "Just one more game. C'mon, Buginette, aren't you having fun?"

He saw her try (and fail) to resist the smile that spread across her face. She flipped her hair back over her shoulders, hands clasping the edges of the controller and legs crossing over his own as she settled back into the couch. Her eyes gleamed with determination. "One more. Then I'm taking a bath and going to bed."

"It's a deal."

The one round came and went within minutes. Ladybug, the reigning champion of the evening, had ceremoniously defeated him with every match they'd played, but even after Adrien lost the eighth, he still had faith in himself. They played a ninth, and tenth, and even an eleventh until the clock struck fifteen minutes shy of eleven-thirty and they were both exhausted from devoting all their remaining energy into their heated robot battles.

He'd managed to win one match. Just one. But that was enough to salvage his self-confidence for the night.

Adrien ran his hands down his face as they finally (finally) shut down the game. "You've trained with professionals."

"I am the professional," she quipped. The smirk she displayed was a challenge in itself. Sitting up (and removing her legs from his lap), Ladybug stretched her arms out in front of her with a crack of her knuckles, hands going to her back afterwards to rub it with an added wince.

"Rough day?"

"Huh?"

"You're exhausted," he said. He scooted closer to press his hand into her spine with a gentle movement. "Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?"

Ladybug's shoulders slumped as she allowed herself to relax. "I do now. But my back is killing me from sitting at a damn desk all day long. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep."

A desk? Hmm… She must work in an office or something. Or if he wanted to get a little more specific, a designer's desk at his dad's work.

But that wasn't for him to know.

Nope, nope. Her identity was a secret—her secret—and he had no place to be wracking his mind for information.

(Even if she'd mentioned something about strawberries and cakes and it being her favorite flavor.)

"I'll be right back," she said as she stood, making her way towards the hall. "I've gotta take all this makeup off."

The rest of the night was uneventful.

After he'd nearly choked on his dinner, Adrien's head was full of thoughts nagging at his mind. The video games had helped distract him for a while, but now that he sat on the couch as he waited for Ladybug to finish in the bathroom, well…

His stomach was tying itself in knots.

He couldn't have figured it out, not this early. Not like that. He'd never wanted to discover her identity without her consent. They weren't supposed to know; they were supposed to have kept it a secret! That's what the rules were, what Plagg and Tikki had drilled into their heads since day one when she had been gifted the earrings and he'd slipped the ring on his finger for the first time.

Hands running down his face, Adrien sighed as he held his head in his palms.

A passing thought of Marinette at only fourteen years old returning to her bedroom to find a little red box containing a special kind of jewelry made his heart thump in his chest and oh, god, he couldn't have figured this out, not now, not when they'd just moved in together—

The feel of his partner's arms wrapping around his shoulders caused him to jump. Ladybug chuckled at his minor scare and apologized, but he still felt too- too weird to do much of anything else besides just sit there like a moron.

"I'm getting in the bath," she said, ruffling his hair as she made her way to the bathroom. "You going to bed?"

Adrien shook his head. His voice felt barely-there as he said, "No."

"Okay."

Tonight she'd thanked him for dinner; hugged him; told him she had appreciated what he'd done for her. And here he was thinking about who she was under the mask. It almost felt like he was betraying her a little bit… So he needed to stop. Right now.

The hours of the night had flown by like the buzz of Ladybug's yo-yo. As Adrien walked to his bedroom like a zombie and lay back on his bed, he thought of how soft her hands were, and how the touch of her skin to his own was so nice as he was enveloped in her arms was a memory he'd never forget.

While she soaked in the tub, all he could do was sit on his bed and think.

His mind had been a muddled mess since he'd woken up that morning. The voices—the familiar yet not so familiar voices—that had travelled throughout the apartment in the early hours had been haunting him, racing in his head and reminding him that he'd heard those voices before, somewhere… But where?

(He knew where. He knew, but he didn't want to admit it.)

This was confusing.

Ladybug's parents, the cake, the white blouse his partner wore that he'd sworn he'd seen somewhere before, it- it was all so- so confusing!

He tripped over his own feet as he attempted to put his pajama pants on. Grunting as he hit the floor with a thud, Adrien groaned, rubbing at his chin after it had collided with the wood. His temples throbbed with a piercing headache.

"Fuck," he cursed.

Ladybug called from the bathroom, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he responded as he came to a stand. His pants slipped on easily that time. "Just tripped."

"You tripped?" there was laughter in her tone. "On what?"

"Pants," he said. Despite himself, the corners of his lips cracked up into a smile.

The sound of the tub draining signalled that she'd be coming out in a minute. Adrien felt his heartbeat begin to quicken.

(Sudden anxiety would never be considered a friend of his, no sir.)

He didn't know what to think. One minute he had been enjoying a nice dinner with his Lady, and then she'd gone and…

No. This wasn't her fault. She had just been making conversation. It was him who was standing in his bedroom trying to figure out something that she didn't want him to know—something they weren't supposed to know at all.

He swallowed back his nerves and slipped a pajama shirt over his head. His eyes stayed trained on the floor as the sound of the bathroom door opening came from the hall, and even as he heard footsteps cross into the room opposite his, he didn't look. He didn't know if he could.

No, no, no. He needed to relax. Relaxing was good. It was all just a coincidence, right? Because there's no way they would go and mess things up this early. Not after only a day of living with each other. Not so soon… They had promised they wouldn't pry about each others identities. They had made a promise, and here he was going and breaking that—breaking Ladybug's trust.

This was too much.

He should have never stepped foot in that damn bakery this morning...

Throwing himself onto his bed, Adrien breathed out a heavy sigh. He draped his forearm over his eyes to shield the light that shined into his gaze. Man, his head was throbbing. Though normally he considered himself a night-owl—or night-cat, he supposed—he kind of wanted to turn into bed early just to end the day and rid his mind of frustration.

(But he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. He would be up all night with his thoughts racing about Ladybug and her parents and Marinette—)

"Are you okay?"

Adrien lifted his arm away from his eyes before they landed on his partner standing in his doorway, her brows knit together in concern. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and the dusting of freckles on her shoulders was prominent with the white spaghetti-strap nightgown she was wearing. It was short—just above her knees—which made Adrien glance away lest his eyes wandered.

(Though he knew he'd never let them.)

He cleared his throat before he spoke. "I'm fine," he said, sitting up against the headboard of his bed, "just tired. It's been a long day."

Ladybug's lips turned upward into a smile. She stepped into his room and placed herself on the edge of his bed. "You, too?"

She'd had a long day? Well, that was far more important than how his went.

His attention was immediately captivated by her as he scooted closer, his feet hitting the chill of the floor once he was directly next to her. One of his hands rested on her shoulder (which was bare and warm and full of tiny little brown dots that looked like adorable galaxies as far as he was concerned.) He gave it a squeeze. "Want to talk about it?"

The blue eyes he'd come to love shone bright as she turned her head to face him. She tilted her head to the side; her hair smelled of strawberries.

Adrien had to swallow back the scream he wanted to emit because he wasn't thinking about that right now.

"I guess I could," Ladybug decided after a moment, and Adrien caught the way her gaze flicked down to his shirt for a moment before it met his. "Nice outfit, by the way." Her grin widened as she snorted in an attempt to hold back a laugh.

He looked down. His heart skipped a beat and his cheeks flushed.

This… Was not his proudest shirt. No, definitely not one he'd intended to put on when Ladybug was home. He had planned to keep this one secret. It was only in his dresser because he'd bought it for laughs, but he had been so out of it when he'd grabbed a pajama shirt that he hadn't even noticed that the Ladybug sitting next to him was the very same Ladybug that was covering his entire torso in an array of polka-dots and hearts.

"Now, come on," she said, voice wavering as she tried (and failed) to stop herself from laughing, "I thought I was the one that was supposed to be wearing the spots in this relationship."

Adrien shook his head, flashing his Lady a sheepish smile. "Well, now it's both of us."

"That's fine," Ladybug said. "Just don't come running to me when Plagg starts crying because you gave him up so easily."

The kwami's voice rose distantly from the kitchen as he shouted, "What!?"

"Nah, I'm not giving him up. I'll just ask him to redo the Chat Noir costume in red instead of all black," Adrien chuckled.

Ladybug straitened to retort, but she winced as one of her hands connected to her upper back. "Ugh," she groaned, the pleasant atmosphere of the room dulling. "Sorry, I just- It's my back. I love my job, but I can't stand sitting for eight hours straight. It's killing me."

With a tint of red to his cheeks, Adrien offered, "Need a back rub?"

Ladybug's responding smile was all the confirmation he needed.

She laid on her stomach over his sheets. The blush on his face remained as he sat between her legs and began to massage out the kinks in her spine. Like a cat kneading a blanket, he worked at her sore spots, focusing on a particular area every now and then as she let out soft, pleased hums that were like music to his ears. With every press of his fingers into her clothed skin, he smiled, and every time a mewl rose from her lips he thrived.

It felt nice to be able to help her like this, especially in their own apartment.

(Their own space. Alone. Together.

Even if he was between her legs while she was on his bed in a thin little nightgown—

Okay! That was enough.)

"B-better?" he asked, hoarse as he swallowed. His cheeks burned from the heat of his flush while his fingers worked.

Ladybug stretched her arms out in front of her, body adjusting and back arching as she became more comfortable. "Not quite," she sighed, eyes half-lidded, "there's a spot on my middle lower back that's been bothering me for days."

Middle… Lower back. Okay. Okay! This was fine. Everything was fine. He'd be okay. She wanted him to help her; needed him to. He wouldn't disappoint her by being too shy to touch his partner in a place he'd probably touched her before.

It was different now, though. During battles they had no fear of getting into each others personal space because they had to, but now, with the two of them alone in their own apartment, on top of his bed…

"You're okay with that?" he asked, surprising himself.

Ladybug's response was a quiet laugh. "Why wouldn't I be? It's just my back, Chat Noir. No need to be so modest. It's not like you're touching my—" She cut herself off with a contented sigh as his hands began to work on the particular area that was bugging her. "Mhm. Right there."

His eyes widened as a sound that he could have sworn was a moan rose from his Lady.

Voice caught in his throat, Adrien wheezed, "H-how are you d-doing?"

Ladybug hummed. She turned her head to look up at him with those gorgeous eyes. "Much better. Thank you."

Was it fifty degrees hotter in here, or was that just him?

Squeezing his eyes shut to stop himself from thinking, Adrien massaged at her back with skilled hands, used to the motions of helping her de-stress. He'd given her plenty of massages before. This was nothing new to him. Though normally they were suited up outside on top of buildings in public, not alone in their pajamas in his bedroom. It was a little hard to contain his inner embarrassment.

He worked at her kinks for a while. An inkling of concern began to rise in his chest when she went completely silent save for the gentle rise and fall of her back that signalled she was at least alive, much to his relief, but as he called her name, there was no response.

"Ladybug?" he tried again.

Nothing.

Leaning over to get a glimpse of her face, Adrien's lips quirked upward as he noticed his partner had fallen fast asleep.

"I suppose that's a job well done, then," he whispered, unable to suppress his grin. He got off of the bed—careful not to stir the sleeping beauty—and pulled his blanket over her before switching off the light and walking out of the room. It's a shame he wasn't anywhere near tired yet. He wouldn't have minded lying next to his Lady for a while…

But she needed her rest. He'd let her stay there as long as she wanted. Even if she slept there all night, he would stay on the couch so she could have all the room she wanted.

(He only hoped his bed was comfortable enough for her.)

The apartment was a bit of a mess after his frantic cooking earlier. It was time to clean up, Adrien decided, thankful he'd already done the dishes and could now work on making the rest of the place look bright and beautiful, much like the girl who lay in his bed.

He wiped off the countertops in the kitchen, fixed the placemats on the dining table, pushed in the chairs and tidied up the living room. There were a few things he'd left on the floor while unpacking earlier, like a couple socks and books, so he set them to the side to put away tomorrow instead of placing them in his room, just to be sure he wouldn't wake Ladybug.

The television they'd left on was turned off, the remote sitting in front of it on the coffee table. In his hands Adrien held a blanket that he'd grabbed from the hall closet, and as he shut off every light in the apartment and settled onto the couch, he sighed. The moon was shining brightly behind him, even through the white curtains that hung in front of the window.

The blue light of his phone screen caused him to squint as he checked the time. It was past midnight—definitely late enough to get some sleep. But, still… His thoughts nagged at him, and his stomach felt so twisted and wrong that Adrien knew getting an ounce of shut-eye tonight would be hard to come by. It'd be a blessing just to take a nap.

...Was he avoiding the elephant in the room?

"Turn that light off," Plagg 's voice rang from the opposite end of the couch. Adrien laid his phone screen-side down on his chest, taking notice of the two kwamis snuggled up together on top of a throw pillow. "It hurts my eyes."

He felt himself smile at the sight. "Sorry, Plagg. I'm just having a lot of trouble relaxing."

Plagg wasn't the one who responded.

"Why?" Tikki asked. She lifted her head from its spot on the pillow. "Not tired?"

The chuckle he emitted was devoid of humor. "You could say that."

Nudging the kwami at her side, Tikki said to Plagg, "Why don't you take him for a run? That usually helps my Ladybug calm down when she can't sleep."

A grumble rose from the lump of black fur on the couch.

"Plagg, help the boy out," she sighed.

No response.

Tikki frowned. "Please? For me?"

"Ugh, fine," he hissed, stretching out his front legs, his tail twitching as he yawned. He paused a moment to clean his whiskers and scratch at the back of his head with his leg. "But let's make it quick, okay? You may not be tired, Chat Noir, but I am."

So, Adrien found himself slipping out the window of his bedroom clad in his transformation, careful not to disturb his sleeping partner even as he shut the glass behind him. He used his baton to leap from rooftop to rooftop, masterfully scaling the sides of buildings with his claws, his heart racing in his chest and his mind silent for once as he felt the city air fill his lungs and course through his veins. The night was cool, refreshing; like a bucket of cold water that had been tossed upon him to startle his thoughts.

Adrien felt at peace like this. With his boots clicking on the panelled roofing of the city's apartments he felt free, like a bird whose wings had never been clipped, or a cat who had never known the feel of a collar. No, he didn't belong to anyone—the city was his and his alone at this moment, and he'd never felt more at home.

(Except, of course, when he had first set his foot in his and Ladybug's apartment. That felt more like home than any place ever could.)

Oh, Ladybug… She was giving him quite a bit to think about, wasn't she?

He hadn't spoken to Marinette in person in a few days. The last he had seen her was at work, when she had rushed in to fix a torn pocket on a vest that was about to be photographed, and she had been so frazzled from the amount of deadlines she had to meet that he'd barely gotten a word out of her. Just a promise to get together for lunch again another time, and that was all.

But this morning…

This morning he had entered her parent's bakery and then everything had become a mess from there. He was so stupid, he never should have—

Frustrated with himself, Adrien gave the chimney pot he stood next to a swift punch, feeling the negativity bleed out of him in the form of dented metal. At least the old chimneys were no longer useful—then he might have had an angry citizen to deal with.

Ah, well. At least the suit granted him an extra layer of protection so the meager amount of pain that rose from his knuckles didn't bother him. Instead, relief welcomed him as he vaulted himself away from the rooftop he'd previously stood upon, internally deciding to just keep running until he couldn't anymore.

Whenever that would be.

Adrien's head pounded by the time he began to make his way back. He knew he had to come to terms with what was going on—even if he didn't want to.

So, Marinette could be Ladybug. Alright. There. He'd said it. He had.

There was a high chance Marinette was Ladybug and he was living with her and he had slept next to her last night and oh man he had practically been on top of Marinette—Marinette—while he'd massaged her back and wow, okay, that also meant Mari had been Ladybug since the beginning, which means he'd fallen for her first before he'd fallen for her in lycée and never found the courage to admit anything before the crush had faded and- and-

His feet shuffled awkwardly on the gravel of the teashop roof across their apartment complex, and his heart threatened to leap out of his ribcage. Adrien had to cup a clawed hand to his chest to calm its frantic racing.

"Okay, okay," he breathed. He squeezed his eyes shut as the light of the moon bathed his suit in white. "Okay."

Ladybug's secret identity was Marinette. Her secret identity that he wasn't supposed to know. She was Marinette. Marinette, his first friend, his old crush from lycée, and the girl he'd stopped talking to for five months after they'd both gotten a little too drunk at a Christmas party. Marinette was also the girl that he had a little bit of a soft spot for still even after graduation, and she was his ever-so talented coworker who many (like himself) depended on to make their day bright.

Oh, hell.

Marinette was Ladybug. Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was—

...Was walking into the late-night teashop below him, hair tied up in a bun and a sweater over her shoulders, very much not in his bed right now where he thought she was.

"...Mari?" he whispered to himself as he watched her sit down at a table outside and begin fiddling with her phone, cup of steaming tea in hand.

So… If Marinette was down there, and Ladybug was up in their apartment safely snuggled away in his bed… Then that must mean he was wrong. That he'd been overreacting the whole time, overthinking the entire situation.

Because it really was just a simple coincidence, right?

Anybody can like strawberry cakes.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Still, he wasn't sure if he was entirely convinced. Though Adrien knew it would be weird for his friend to see Chat Noir of all people coming down to greet her, he couldn't help but want answers. Especially since he really didn't want to have discovered his partner's identity without her consent.

(Though, admittedly a faint disappointment nagged at the pit of his stomach and made him feel sad. If Marinette had been Ladybug, man, he'd… He would have been the happiest guy on the planet.)

But he couldn't dwell on that.

He watched. Waited. His tail twitched as Marinette took a sip of her tea and jolted backwards as if her tongue had been burned.

The laugh that rose from his lips couldn't have been suppressed.

So, without waiting any longer, he leaped down to say hello.

When she had woken up, Chat Noir was gone.

It was startling, really, to rise up from his covers in the dark with her arms outstretched in search of a warm body to hug only to find that the other side of his bed was cold and empty. Marinette's heart had ached for a moment—just one—before she'd called his name.

It was eerie to receive no reply.

He had been there just a little while ago, clad in his pajamas and placed behind her on his bed with his fingers working at her sore spots. Her peace at the hands of her partner had caused her to fall asleep. She hadn't expected to drift off so easily, but she had been so tired, and he had made her feel so relaxed…

She couldn't sleep not knowing where he had gone.

Dragging her fatigued body out of his bed, she wandered out into the kitchen for a glass of water to refresh her parched lips, eyes scanning the dark room in search of her kwami. She found her curled up on the couch, Plagg absent from the apartment—which made Marinette realize that her partner must have transformed and was out god knows where at this hour.

She considered transforming herself, but decided that she would rather let Tikki save her energy and grab something hot to drink to help her rest.

If Chat Noir wanted to go out, fine. That was his business. Even if she was a little concerned that he had left without warning.

At least with a brief check of her phone she confirmed there were no akumas attacking. That allowed her nerves to calm, even if a little bit.

Marinette threw on a sweater and some leggings before she crouched down next to Tikki by the couch. "Hey," she whispered in the dark. "Want to go get some tea with me?"

The squeaky yawn Tikki let out was adorable, to say the least. "Sure, Marinette."

Her keys jingled in her hand as she locked their place up.

Once down the elevator and outside, Marinette shivered at the brisk night air, wishing for the heat of summer to return. Cars rolled down the street beside her, and across the road the faint yellow glow from the teashop's windows cast over her, enveloping her in a warmth that pulled her closer to its doors.

Thank goodness this place was open so late.

After she'd ordered herself some tea (and grabbed a straw for Tikki to sip from), Marinette sat herself outside at one of the iron wicker tables, her pink-painted fingernails lazily tracing circles into the ceramic cup as she waited for it to cool.

A breeze blew through the air. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks as she blinked.

Her phone buzzed beside her with a text from Alya, but Marinette avoided checking lest she notice the time. She didn't want to know how late it was—she had to work the next morning, and knowing if it was past midnight would only cause her stress to increase in magnitude.

So, without bothering to even glance at her phone, she boldly sipped at her tea—only to recoil at the temperature, her tongue burning from the fierce heat of her drink.

(She could have sworn she'd heard someone laugh, but she was too tired to care.)

It was too late for anything. Marinette sighed, resting her head in her palm as she closed her eyes. She should have just stayed in bed and waited on her partner to get home instead of worrying, but…

The familiar thud of metal-tipped boots caused her to blink open her eyes in surprise. Her drink sloshed in her cup as she startled.

"Chat Noir?" she breathed, surprised to find her partner standing in front of her at the damn teashop across the street from their apartment, of all places. Especially when she wasn't transformed. "Wh-what are you, uh…"

"Doing here?" he supplied, shrugging his armored shoulders with a sheepish grin across his face. "Couldn't sleep. Mind if I pull up a chair?"

Marinette shook her head, still a little breathless from his sudden appearance. "No, no, uh… Go ahead. I don't mind at all."

So he sat. And things were awkwardly quiet.

After a few moments too long to be comfortable, Chat Noir cleared his throat and asked, "What about you?"

Marinette paused as she cautiously sipped at her tea. "Huh?"

"Why are you up?"

"Oh." She set her cup down as she swallowed, eyes falling to the brown liquid that swirled lazily in its hold. "I couldn't sleep, either."

Chat Noir rested his head on his forearms. His eyelids drooped as he gazed at her cup. "That's a shame," he said. The moonlight shone brightly off of his halo of golden hair. "I'm at that point where I'm tired, but I just can't sleep."

Taking another drink of her tea, Marinette asked, "Why's that?"

"Too much on my mind." He didn't meet her eye as he spoke.

Oh. Well… What in the world could be bothering him? They had only just moved in together. It surely couldn't have been something she did, right?

Marinette swallowed her tea a little thicker that time.

"Like what?" she asked.

Chat Noir breathed out a sigh, his shoulders rising and falling with the gentle release of his breath. "I thought I found out something I shouldn't know, and it was making me feel pretty awful. Not because of what I found out, but because I wasn't supposed to know it. But now I realize that I was just being ridiculous and I was wrong the whole time, anyway."

"Oh," she said. Her voice was quieter than she would have liked, her mind trying to piece together what exactly he'd meant and whether or not it concerned her superhero identity. "Well, whatever it was—" she paused to finish her tea, "—I'm sure it wasn't ridiculous. We all have our reasons to worry. Even if the worries can get a little out of hand."

The grin that graced his face made her smile in turn. "I guess you're right."

The sound of music from down the street filled the air, and the scent of her tea remained.

Things were quiet. A good quiet. It was surely past midnight and most civilians were tucked away in bed, leaving the city in a sleepy sort of silence save for the faint noise of parties and bars.

She felt nice. As she watched the blinking lights of a plane fly above, Marinette finally began to feel herself relax.

"Well," she said, pushing her chair back with a smile once she'd stood, "I guess I'd better be getting back home. It is pretty late, isn't it?"

"It's nearly one-thirty in the morning," Chat Noir said, much to Marinette's chagrin. "Goodnight, Mari."

She momentarily froze at the familiar nickname before brushing it off as a simple mistake on her end. It was too late in the night; she was just hearing things. "Goodnight, Chat Noir."

He smiled at her before she left. Just to be sure he wouldn't discover her by watching her walk into their complex, she turned and headed down the sidewalk instead of crossing the street, glancing behind her shoulder after a moment to be sure he was gone. Then, she ducked behind an alleyway and transformed, quickly flinging herself up to the sixth floor and through his bedroom window, where she slipped her mask on and practically tossed her pajamas back on her body after she'd thrown her other clothes across the hall into her own bedroom.

She was back in his bed just as the digital clock on his nightstand struck one-thirty-five.

Her eyes felt like stones. It was too late—or, well early—for her to be awake. She had never considered herself a night person, not when growing up in a bakery. The latest she ever woke up was nine.

Chat Noir wasn't back for a while. Marinette did her best to stay awake as long as she could, really, but she was just so tired. It had been such a long day and she had only gotten a little bit of sleep before her partner's absence had startled her.

She didn't expect him to be gone for so long. So much for rushing to get back in bed, it seemed. Where was he?

Sleep was easily beginning to take hold of her. It would be so nice to get some rest…

Opening her heavy eyes was a chore. She just… Couldn't stay awake anymore…

She had drifted off before she felt the familiar weight of her partner settle beside her.

"You're back," she breathed, voice raspy from lack of sleep and a yawn forcing its way out of her body. "Where'd you go?"

His voice came from behind her, as her back was facing him. "Out for a stroll. Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah," she said. Her hair fell in her face as she turned her body to face him. "But that's okay."

He yawned in response to her own. "Sorry, 'Bug. I just needed to go for a run."

"Why?"

"A lot on my mind."

Marinette's eyes fell closed again. "Like what?"

"Don't worry about it, my Lady," he said, his voice full of nothing but love and care for herself, "you need to get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow."

"Do you want me to move to my bed?" She scooted closer to him even after she asked, hoping her would say no because god damn was his bed comfortable. He must own a memory foam mattress or something, the rich bastard…

"No," he replied. "I mean, no, you don't have to, but… You can if you'd like to."

She hummed in thought. Marinette could feel how soft his skin was as she placed her head on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his warmth.

...Nah. Too comfortable.

"I'll stay," she whispered. "I'll stay."

As his arm wrapped around her waist, Marinette could have sworn that she'd never felt more at home.

#ladynoir #marichat #miraculous ladybug #chat noir #adrinette #adrienette #miraculous #ml fic #a simple suggestion #my writing #my writings

379 notes · View notes

ifuckinglovestvincent · 7 years

Text

NEWSTATESMAN: “It’s cool that some people hate my show”: St Vincent on fan backlash and Chinese massages

The singer messages me on Twitter the next day. “Dude!” she says, “I’m sorry I was a cock.”

By Alexandra Pollard

9 November 2017

Maybe if St Vincent and I had got massages together, things would have been different. If we’d gone for a hike in the scorching midday sun of Burbank, California, or sat in a small pink box getting high off paint fumes, perhaps we’d have had a better time. She’s done those things with other journalists during this press cycle, in an effort to disrupt the stale dynamic of interviews – of which, she told BBC Music from inside that newly painted box, she’s done “a million”. As it is, we’re sitting in her room on the 12th floor of a London hotel, and things aren’t going well.

St Vincent, AKA Annie Clark, is in the early stages of a 37-date world tour in support of her new album, Masseduction. The shows – which she’s doing without a band, opting instead to accompany her own fearsome guitar with rearranged backing tracks – are fascinating, sometimes exhilarating affairs. She doesn’t throw herself around the stage in a self-flagellating fervour, as she did a few years ago on the Digital Witness tour, nor this time has she employed the shuffling, robotic choreography of Annie-B Parson.

Instead, Clark exposes herself in a different way – by carrying the show alone. As a blue curtain gradually pulls back to reveal nothing in particular, she places herself in various positions across the stage. Sometimes she faces the audience, sometimes she stands side-on as if utterly unaware of their presence. At one point she curls up in the foetal position on the floor. The idea, she says, is to plot the trajectory from fear to freedom.

“Some people loved it and were brought to tears and thought it was the best thing they’d ever seen, and then some people were incensed by it,” Clark explains. She was in Manchester last night, London the night before. Now, she’s draped over a black chaise-longue, demonstrably exhausted, her feet spilling on to the armchair beside her (when I ask if she’s tired, she says flatly, “I don’t care, my emotions are irrelevant.”)

Does she mind that the shows, particularly her decision to play without a live band, have received such a polarised response? “Whatever,” she says. “I think it’s cool that some people hate it.” She rolls her neck around to glance at me – the semi-horizontal position she’s taken has thus far meant minimal eye contact. “Did you hate the show?”

Not at all, I tell her. I really liked it. Then I add, in an effort to avoid bland effusiveness and because she’s still looking at me with a sceptical eyebrow raise, that perhaps I found it more intriguing than moving, and anyway it would have been hard to beat the experience I had seeing her at End Of The Road festival a few years ago. I realise too late that my words have landed with a leaden thud.

“Great,” Clark says. “It’s the third show. I mean, when I played End Of The Road, that was one of the last dates I did. Tours take a while to alchemise.” She pauses. “Also, if a rapper got up on stage and didn’t have a live band, which most of them don’t, no one would be bummed at all. Why is the assumption that I need to have a live band onstage for something to be authentic? It’s about the management of expectation, and I think it’s similar to people thinking that they have a glass of milk, and then they drink it and it’s Sprite. ‘I don’t like this.’ Actually you like Sprite too, you just weren’t expecting it.”

St. Vincent has made a career out of giving people something they weren’t quite expecting. Her music is bold and melodic – but only if you catch it at certain angles, like a magic eye book that only makes sense if you squint the right way. With each album since her chamber pop debut Marry Me a decade ago, she’s pushed her sound further towards a place between beauty and ugliness, aggression and vulnerability, adding scuzzy synth layers, distorted guitar riffs so heavy they drag half a second behind the beat, and lyrics both profoundly moving and a little grotesque – images of severed fingers, for example, that anchor a tale of drunken heartbreak.

Masseduction, her fifth LP (or sixth, if you count her David Byrne collaboration Love This Giant), is a poignant, kinky masterpiece. It’s a work of staggering frankness, with anthemic pop melodies that float atop crunchy riffs and gasping synths, as Clark’s fingers wring out every peculiarly arresting sound a guitar can make. She has a pithy tagline for each of her albums. 2011’s Strange Mercy was housewife on pills; her self-titled record was near-future cult leader; this one is dominatrix at the mental institution.

She sings of loss and depression, of BDSM and pill popping, vacuous cities and self-destructive urges. Her voice is pure and resplendent, but it also creaks, stretches into a sigh or plummets to a growl. On “Hang On Me”, as she pleads with someone, “Please, oh please don’t hang up yet,” a million unsaid things pour into the cracks in her voice.

“If you want to know about my life,” she told fans in a statement when the album was announced – aware both of her historic inscrutability and of the increased thirst for personal revelations her relationship with supermodel Cara Delevingne had prompted – “listen to this record”.

Clark performing this Summer. Photo: Getty

In the past, Clark has recoiled at the suggestion that her songs are diaristic, saying that such an idea “presupposes – in a kind of sexist way – this idea that women lack the imagination to write about anything other than their exact literal lives.” Still, this record is a little different to the others. “It’s very close to my heart. It’s not literal, because if it was literal it wouldn’t be art, but you know, it’s very heart on sleeve.”

Is there a particular way she hopes people interpret it? “No,” she says, exasperated. “There’s not. I’m happy to be misunderstood. It’s not even about being ‘misunderstood’, it’s just up for interpretation. Any interpretation is fine, as long as it’s not, ‘She’s a racist, sexist or homophobe’. I’d be bummed if someone thought that. I’m not the one writing the think pieces on it. That’s not my job. My job’s to make a thing, it’s not to do all the interpreting and explaining. That’s didactic, and shows a profound lack of respect for the audience’s intelligence.”

Hoping she might be open to at least a small amount of explaining, I put it to Clark that there’s a restless quality to the album. She’s quite often leaving, or being left, or wanting to leave. On “Slow Disco”, a plaintive orchestral waltz and one of the most beautiful songs she’s written, she asks, “Am I thinking what everybody’s thinking? I’m so glad I came, but I can’t wait to leave.” Did she notice that theme running through the album’s veins? “Yes.” I wait for more, but instead she pulls her phone out of her pocket and starts typing. “Keep asking away.”

I do as she says, but the air in the room is uncomfortable. I wonder if I should clarify what I said about the show, but I think the moment’s passed. I forge on instead. In a previous interview, Clark said that “Slow Disco” was about how “the life you’re living, and the life you should be living, are running parallel.” Is there a life she feels she should be living? “Yeah,” she says, phone still out. “I should be in Turks and Caicos with a fucking pina colada coming out of a coconut, just getting a sick tan.”

“I mean, I don’t even think I should be living,” she adds, before puffing air out of her lips. “Hilarious joke. No, I feel super lucky that I’m living the life I am. Everything I’ve ever done, every person I’ve ever met, every experience I’ve ever had, is because I got good enough at moving my fingers at micro-movements across a piece of wood and steel. That’s bonkers.”

That’s a fairly self-deprecating assessment of how St Vincent got to where she is. Her inimitable skill at moving her fingers at micro-movements across a piece of wood and steel – more commonly known as playing the guitar – is part of it, but there’s an intrigue and charisma to her music, and the persona she presents, that goes far beyond technical skill. It’s an intangible talent, one that has steadily drawn her into the limelight – though it was her self-titled fourth album that really thrust her into the big leagues, topping a handful of Albums of 2014 lists, and earning her a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

Clark with ex-girlfriend Cara Delevingne. Photo: Getty.

Then she fell in love with someone unthinkably famous, and was thrust into a more insidious kind of limelight, the kind where paparazzi followed her around, where tabloid journalists tricked her relatives into revealing painful personal information, the kind that fuelled her anxiety and depression. Though being on the road for endless stretches of time didn’t help with that. In an appearance on the New Yorker’s podcast, she said that between her self-titled album and this one, she needed to do a “radical reorganising of my life in order to fulfil my destiny as a creative person”.

“Oh my god! Who am I, Jim Jones?” she says laughing, when I quote this back to her. “Wow. I said that? It’s like a Paulo Coelho meets Jim Jones inspirational talk. I think I meant that I was just in a monastic period, I just wasn’t drinking or having sex or really doing anything that you’d consider fun.” The only pleasure she allowed herself was getting Chinese massages in New York City. I’ve never had a massage, I tell her. Perhaps I have a lifetime of tension. She looks aghast. “You probably do. You carry it with you, you know?”

Did she find it helpful, this monastic period? “Oh it was so generative. I got so much done. Completely eschewing certain things that can otherwise take up a fair amount of time left so much time to be productive. I really loved that time. Being on tour is just a different kind of energy. It’s performance all the time. Obviously I’m not putting on my best performance for you today.” She laughs again. The icy atmosphere is starting to melt, but our time’s up.

I bid Clark goodbye. She would get up, she says, but she’s too tired. I’m glad we managed to drag the encounter towards conviviality, but – though I’m sure she won’t spend another second dwelling on it – I don’t think either of us had much fun.

The next morning, my phone buzzes. Clark’s messaged me on Twitter. “Dude!” she says, “I’m sorry I was a cock.” She explains that she was exhausted, “which is not an excuse”, but that she’d felt especially defensive because she’d been getting negative tweets about the show all day, and had thought my comments were an attempt to go for the jugular. “I really misread the interaction,” she says, “and have been feeling horribly guilty ever since. I thought you were just there to tell me my show sucked and I got real defensive and yeah, it went downhill from there.”

As it turns out then, her emotions aren’t irrelevant. She feels things deeply, all the time. You can hear it in her music, in every riff, every crack in her voice, every line about loss, or leaving, or wanting to leave. Those negative tweets were sprinkled amongst a litany of praise, but – though she wore an insouciant armour when we met – she clung to them anyway. “You carry it with you, you know?” I hope she carries the good things too. I hope she gets some sleep.

Source: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2017/11/it-s-cool-some-people-hate-my-show-st-vincent-fan-backlash-and-chinese?amp

#st vincent #annie clark #interviews #SENSITIVE LITTLE PEA #▱

121 notes · View notes

this-is-for-the-record-blog · 6 years

Video

youtube

Binaural - Pearl Jam - Album Review

Binaural is the sixth record from respected alternative rock band Pearl Jam. It was around the time, in 2000, that this record was released when many people had forgotten about Pearl Jam and many of the other 90s rock bands from Seattle. Ironically it was actually around the time I discovered Pearl Jam and many of the 90s rock bands. I didnt catch wind of this record till a year after it was released though. I remember buying Binaural from Virgin Records along with Live on Two Legs the bands compilation of live performances from the bands Yield tour. This record was very different from anything Pearl Jam released prior, Yield included. It had a much different energy and really utilized the space in the songs. This record like No Code took me some time to understand. This change in pacing and sound was in part because of the bands switch in producers. This would mark the first record for producer Tchad Blake, who was chosen as the replacement for long time producer for the band Brendan O’Brien and also marked the bands first record with new drummer Matt Cameron who was best known for his work with Soundgarden before their departure. Binaural refers to the recording technique used on the record and literally means to listen with both ears.

Binaural takes a pretty different approach in recording style, which is where the record gets its title. Tchad Blake was chosen to produce the record because he was known for this Binaural style recording. The album was recorded using a technique where two microphones were used to create a 3D stereophonic sound an effect that simulates being in the studio with the band. Regarding producer Tchad Blake guitarist Stone Gossard said “He was just there for us the whole time, wanting us to create different moods.” This record marked some difficulties for the band members, such as Eddie Vedder suffering from writers block, which inspired the hidden track consisting entirely of typewriter noises after the last track “Parting Ways” which features, for the first time, a string arrangement. This frustration of coming up with ideas led to Eddie picking up a ukulele for the first time to inspire him on “Soon Forget” but also it led to heavy influences on the record like on that same track which musically almost completely rips off the Who’s ukulele song “Red, Blue, and Grey” and the track “Breakerfall” sounds like “I Can See For Miles” also by The Who with its Townshend’s style windmill guitar strums while “Nothing As It Seems” guitarist Mike McCready performs a couple vicious solos on a track with a guitar tone, structure and mood similar to “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd. At the time of recording Binaural, McCready had been struggling with Crohn’s disease, which led to an addiction to prescription drugs. McCready had again checked into a rehab center during the recording process.

Also like Yield Binaural included creative input from all member of the band including the newest addition drummer Matt Cameron collaboratively writing both the music and lyrics. Much of the structures here incorporate a lot of experimenting but not in the lo-fi, stripped back kind of way that was present prior to Yield but much more of a mature and professional experimenting with guitar effects like swirling choruses vibratos, phasers and delay. If Pearl Jams previous records were Young, Stones, Zeppelin and Beatles records Binaural is definitely Pearl Jam’s Floyd record. In “Nothing As It Seems”, one of my favorites, the band really creates a very atmospheric sound like on much of the record with the use of the Binaural recording technique but also with the song structures and instrumentation as well. A song written by bassists Jeff Ament who uses a moaning upright bass which contributes to much of the songs atmosphere as well. Mike McCready plays a very eerie, echoing, psychedelic David Gilmour-esque solo and guitar melody, and as I said earlier, similar to “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd, with just a sight more edge in his tone. Other times McCreadys guitar tone also pulls influence from Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton on the bluesy, moody track “Of The Girl” a song similar to clapton’s “After Midnight”. Singer Eddie Vedder said this about the production, “It’s a type of recording that’s called binaural recording. There’s several ways to do it, whether there’s two microphones clipped here [motions to both temples by ear], to not just record the instruments, but record the air around the instruments. You can hear, there’s a song called ‘Of The Girl.’ You know you can hear Mike’s, Mike McCready’s guitar. You can really feel the space of the room. That is something that you kind of miss from modern recordings…” “Insignificance” and “Evacuation” are very rhythmic and drum driven tracks and are arguably the most complex songs up to this point with their layered build, complex, unpredictable timing and beats (thanks to new drummer Matt Cameron) echoing vocals and atmosphere. Many of the songs burn slower though than most of their back catalog.with texture and atmosphere being the focal point like the meditative and experimental “Sleight of Hand”, “Of The Girl”, “Thin Air” and “Parting Ways”. While a couple of the tracks are some of the bands heaviest like “Breakerfall”, “Evacuation” “Grievance” and ”Gods Dice”.

The album artwork features The Hourglass Nebula. The image is a Nasa photo of a planetary nebula, an “expanding, glowing shell of ejected ionized gas” some 8,000 light-years from Earth, apart of a binary system that was taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. Jeff Ament said, “The reason that we went with Tchad [Blake] is because he provides an amazing atmosphere to songs….So, I think we wanted the artwork to represent that….One of the themes that we’ve been exploring…is just realizing that in the big scheme of things, even the music that we make when we come together, no matter how powerful it is, it’s still pretty minuscule. I think for me the whole space theme has a lot to do with scale. You know, you look at some of those pictures, and there are thirteen light years in four inches in that picture.” Much like many planetary nebulae this record is also extremely complex and varies in its morphologies, incorporating my different genres, neopsychadelia, folk rock, garage rock, blues, indie rock and moody post punk undertones. The records title, atmosphere and themes as they are compared to the cover art are phenomenally accurate. About one-fifth of planetary nebulae are roughly spherical, but the majority are not spherically symmetric. The mechanisms that produce such a wide variety of shapes and features are not yet well understood, but binary central stars, stellar winds and magnetic fields may play a role. Each song a bit different from one another but created from the same energy.

Like the music on the record, the lyrics cover much darker and more somber subject matter like war, peace, violence, authority abuse, discomfort in life and love, especially when compared to the bright uplifting mood of their previous record Yield. One of the sadder but most beautiful tracks to ever be written by Pearl Jam is “Sleight of Hand” a song that brings to mind The Great Gatsby or the character Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” where the character in the song realizes what he always believed adult life to be was not what he thought or hoped it to be and the dreams he’d had as a child would never be achievable, ultimately tricked by the so called “American Dream”. Some political and social issues regarding civil liberties are stated in songs like “Evacuation” a song about embracing change and “Insignificance” and “Grievance” songs questioning the significance behind the 1999 Seattle WTO protests and speaks of the dehuminization and detachment effects from technology beginning around the turn of the century and the adverse affects of political struggle. The song “Rival” reflects on the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. At the time the deadliest school shooting in American history. The shooting was influenced by their desire to rival the Oklahoma City bombing and other deadly incidents in the United States in the 1990s. Vedder had this to say regarding some of the sadder themes and social criticisms and political themes within the lyricism on Binaural, “I think what everyone’s looking for, y'know, is freedom…That’s part of being comfortable in your own skin. I know I had a problem with being told what to do, and had a problem with being mentally and physically constricted. All of humanity is searching for freedom and I think it’s important to know when you have it, too.”

The album covers some very personal feelings and topics like spiritual beliefs on the track “Gods’ Dice” which is a song that judges anyone with a belief system. “Nothing As It Seems” is about something that appears one way from an outside perspective but is viewed a whole other way when you’ve seen from inside. Other times Eddie is mourning the loss over someone who has past on to a place that is not of this world but might just possibly still be reachable within the cosmic universe somewhere on the Neil Young inspired “Light Years”. Vedder not only suffered from some writers block, but also had some personal turmoil in his love life and marriage which came to an end during the time of this records recording. I feel songs reflect this inner turmoil in songs like “Breakerfall” and “Of The Girl” a song about relying heavily on love as a drug to where when its gone you’re left vulnerable and having withdraws. “Parting Ways” a song about a separation of two lovers. Many songs are very expressive emotionally and send the message of you can define your own life or let your life define you. “Soon Forget” is about a man who lets the material world and the size of his wallet define him and in the end hes like the money he defines himself by, here today gone tomorrow.

I feel Binaural gets overlooked even by the band themselves. Its a record that gets neglected most live and probably the first record to really get neglected by the mainstream radio, bytbreally anything after Vitalogy or even VS never gets airplay. The band still not perusing mainstream marketing in interviews and no music videos came from this record. Any mainstream success present during the early 90s for the band was definitely long gone. With Matt Cameron on board live performances became a primary for the focus at this time for the band. Reaching their 10 year anniversary as a band they were definitely paving their road to the Hall of Fame. Binaural really proved to be a huge progressive step for the band trying and experimenting with new things from production, structure, textures and instrumentation. Its not quite as good of a record as Yield or even their next effort in 2002, but I think its a record that makes sense as a bridge between the two records and at the time was a record youd expect from Pearl Jam being a sort of evolution in progression. Its brash, calming, atmospheric, personally emotive and expressive. Tragedies would soon follow after the release of this record that would play a big role on the bands seventh record that would leave the band questioning their purpose of even existing. Despite Eddies writers block he had been dealing with during the writing of the record a lot of songs were cut from the record such as “Sad”, a song that sounds like something off Sleater Kinney’s Hot Rock album and “Fatal” an acoustic ballad, and theres the grungy “In the Moonlight”, “Education”, “Sweet Lew”, which is a song led sung by Jeff Ament. “Hitchhiker”, the Three Fish inspired “Strangest Tribe”, and the folky acoustic “Drifting”. My favorite songs are “Light Years”, “Nothing As It Seems”, “Sleight of Hand”, “Of The Girl”, “Gods’ Dice”, and “Thin Air”. If you like Matthew Good Band, Temple of the Dog, Candlebox, Soundgarden, Finn Brothers, Wellwater Conspiracy, Supergrass, Stillwater, Mad Season, The Dismemberment Plan, Life House, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Three Fish, Pink Floyd, Neil Finn, The Verve Pipe, Brad, The Rockfords, Mother Love Bone, Josh Freese, Neil Young, The Who, Seven Mary Three, Skin Yard, Stone Temple Pilots, Hater, Stegosaurus, Smashing Pumpkins, The Doors, Chris Cornell, Foo Fighters, or Red Hot Chili Peppers you will love this record.

youtube

4 notes · View notes

operationoverdrive · 7 years

Text

beginners guide to power rangers

with the new movie premiering i figured alot of new fans would be coming into the fandom but be lost in the sea of 23 years worth of power rangers: well fear not for i am here with a handy-dandy guide to all seasons of power rangers to help you decide which series is right for you!

spoiler free!

Original Saban Era: 1993 - 2002

this era is filled with Serious plotlines and lots of people die, it is also the most beloved due to housing zordon era (this refers to the era of power rangers that had a link to the original mentor from mighty morphin, Zordon, and spans from mmpr to in space)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993 - 1995), 145 episodes

an interdimensional being recruits five teenagers to take down a recently freed space witch

highlights: the series that started it all, evil ranger, nineties cheese

pros: lots of girls and people of color, canon ships

cons: lots of multipart episodes, it spans 3 seasons so it’s hard to get through if you end up disliking it, characters are not very deep until the 3rd season, bulk and skull harassing girls

Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers (1996), 10 episodes

when the mighty morphin rangers are incapacitated a new team of alien rangers from the planet aquitar step in to keep the earth safe until they can find a way to save the real rangers

highlights: team of aliens adjusting to earth, learn a little about the mmpr rangers’ cultures

pros: it’s only 10 episodes long, first female leader

cons: the alien rangers are non-characters that don’t have an impact on the series, this isn’t even really considered a series but rather just the tail end of mmpr s3

Zeo (1996), 50 episodes

with new powers and weirder suits, the team fights against the machine empire, an army of robots intent on taking over the world

highlights: the Official sixth ranger reveal is a fun surprise, genre episodes (musical, murder mystery, classic horror, etc.), team up episode, end credit bloopers

pros: development for the rangers, world-building, a couple episodes focusing on marginalized groups, canon ships

cons: red ranger gets A Lot of focus, mmpr villians are randomly around, its really long, plot threads are left hanging

Turbo (1997), 45 episodes

with new powers and a new mentor things pick up after the events of Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (which you don’t really need to watch since the first episode recaps everything) with the space pirate Divatox arriving angel grove to seek revenge on the rangers

highlights: half the ranger memes you see come from this season, end credit bloopers

pros: change of pace from previous seasons, creative take on the “sixth ranger” role, the cast change breathes new life into the show, female villain, multiple ship teases, twice the amount of rangers to love

cons: blue ranger gets A Lot of focus, ends on a cliffhanger that is only answered in the next series

Power Rangers In Space (1998), 43 episodes

the rangers travel to space and join a new red ranger in order to save their kidnapped mentor and defeat the new queen of evil, astronema who plans to take over the universe alongside villains of the past

highlights: team of evil rangers, end credit bloopers, body swap episode, ranger/villian ship tease, Plot Twists galore

pros: 2 new rangers, mini-team up, hailed as having one of the best season finales, first major setting change, canon ship, female villain

cons: really long and a giant portion of the episodes are focused on the red rangers journey, under utilized sixth ranger

Lost Galaxy (1999), 45 episodes

a team of rangers living on a space colony fight against an insectoid alien species

highlights: villain romance, team up, return of a special character

pros: meaningful character deaths, development of the villainess, bonds are made between the rangers and side characters

cons: really long and a lot of episodes are mostly morphed footage, there’s not really a “theme” that they follow, start of the “rangers only own one outfit” trend, no women of color on the team

Lightspeed Rescue (2000), 40 episodes

five "teenagers” are chosen by the government to protect the city of mariner bay from the threat of demons who want to erect their palace over the ashes of the city

highlights: 2 episodes feature a mermaid, no secret identities, team up

pros: solid writing, the teams techie is a woman, canon ship

cons: villainess is treated badly, the main romance has the man persistently pursue the uninterested woman, no women of color on the team

Time Force (2001), 40 episodes

a team of rangers from the future travel to the past to capture an escaped convict without changing past events

highlights: rangers from the future adjusting to the past, movie genre episode, ranger/villain ship tease

pros: canon ship, creative take on the usual sixth ranger/team dynamic, female leader, great emotional acting, team up

cons: pink’s arc revolves around the men in her life, overly red focused

Wild Force (2002), 40 episodes

five rangers are chosen by a princess from ancient times to harness the powers of animals to defeat the evil orgs who threaten the earth and its environment

highlights: anniversary team up featuring past rangers, flashbacks to how each ranger discovered their powers

pros: terrifying and well-developed villain, evil ranger, female mentor, canon ship, conflicts between rangers

cons: villainess treated like shit

Disney Era: 2003 - 2009

this era happened after disney purchased the rights from saban, it is hailed as being more goofy than the previous era but also more inventive as they took more risks storywise. it started the trend of only having one girl to a team and casting kiwi actors leading to adorable accent slips. the era lasted from ninja storm to rpm.

Ninja Storm (2003), 38 episodes

when their academy is kidnapped by an evil space ninja, three inexperienced ninjas-in-training must step up to become power rangers in order to defend the earth and reclaim the taken students gaining new allies along the journey

highlights: team up, start of the Trio power ranger teams, sixth ranger introduction, body swap episode, siblings as rangers, au episode

pros: canon ship, ranger/villian ship tease, first female blue ranger, family themes are utilized to a great degree, real conflicts between rangers, 2 evil rangers, rangers have elemental powers, female villains

cons: only 1 girl on the team, a lot of multiparters, non-japanese actors used in a show with japanese themes, no women of color

Dino Thunder (2004), 38 episodes

set in high school, 3 teenagers are chosen to help stop a monster from carrying out his plan of turning all humans into dinosaurs with the help of tommy oliver (yea THAT tommy)

highlights: tommy returns as a good character, multiple musical performances, an entire episode giving a shout out to the japanese show (super sentai) power rangers is based on, tommy gets an episode where he fights his past ranger personas, callbacks to mmpr

pros: canon ship, evil ranger, rangers have cool civilian powers, high school theme revisited and this time done well, team gadgeteer is a woman, great development for all the teens

cons: due to actor availability tommy was kind of all over the place, only one girl on the team

SPD (2005), 38 episodes

set in the future, space cops defend the earth from an invading army of aliens whilst training at their ranger police academy

highlights: brandon jay mclaren as red, first big team (10 rangers), mentors are giant humanoid animals, awesome designs, aliens are integrated into the world, evil ranger team

pros: rangers have cool civilian powers. team techie is a woman, emotional character journeys, utilizes the ranger academy setting, no secret identities, green ranger acknowledges being jewish - the first ranger to do so in the series!

cons: only 1 person of color in the entire series, seventh ranger is underused

Mystic Force (2006), 32 episodes

a witch recruits five teenagers into a war being fought in a magical forest with a dark history they must piece together

highlights: 2 canon ships, ranger sisters, MAGIC, au episode

pros: female blue ranger, female mentor who is also a ranger, explores family themes, basically power rangers harry potter, strong mythos

cons: minor characters take away focus from the rangers, rotating bag of villains, very red focused

Operation Overdrive (2007), 32 episodes

5 teenagers are brought together to scour the globe for precious treasures to prevent 3 factions of villains from gaining a great power that could destroy the world

highlights: anniversary team up episode with rangers from the past, the most amazing plot twist, ranger/villain ship tease, halloween episode

pros: rangers have cool civilian powers, great character arcs, constant scenery change due to the rangers travelling the world, no secret identities

cons: female villain is treated badly, lots of plot elements that can be overwhelming at times

Jungle Fury (2008), 32 episodes

when an ancient evil animal spirit is let loose, 3 kung fu students are tasked with becoming power rangers to defend the world from his evil reign using their own animal spirits

highlights: the theme song is a banger, pizza parlor setting, dance episode, first purple ranger

pros: interesting and complex villain relationships, 3 canon ships, equal in-depth character study for the core team, female villain

cons: only 1 person of color in the entire series, too many white people practicing kung fu, plot inconsistencies because of the writer’s strike happening mid-season, only one girl on the team

RPM (2009), 32 episodes

during the apocalypse a team of rangers defends the last city on earth from a widespread machine virus

highlights: rose mciver (izombie), adelaide kane (reign), and eka darville (AKA jessica jones) all star!, canon ship, sibling rangers

pros: unique setting, utilizes the apocalypse theme, focus on family dynamics, incredibly emotional storytelling

cons: black ranger takes up most of the focus, sexism, plot inconsistencies due to the executive producer changing mid-season, recycles plots from previous seasons

Neo Saban Era: 2011 - Currently airing

saban bought power rangers back from disney and began airing it on nickelodeon. this brought about “super” seasons where each series was split into two 22 episode seasons. it is the most recent era, shot in HD, and probably the only one aside from mighty morphin you’ll be able to find merchandise for. within neo saban era there is neo tzachor era, referring to samurai and megaforce both of which had jonathan tzachor as executive producer

Samurai (2011), 44 episodes

chosen from birth, 5 samurai are called to help keep the sanzu river from rising so the evil master xandred is not let loose

highlights: bulk returns and skull makes a cameo, episode where two rangers are stuck together, musical performance episode, Plot Twist, team up movie, holiday specials

pros: canon ship, first mentor of color, family drama themes, first season shot in HD

cons: non-japanese actors used in a show with japanese themes, there’s a side plot with red vs one of the villains that hits the same beats every time it happens

Megaforce (2013), 44 episodes

5 teenagers are chosen to protect the earth when an alien armada invades, in the second season they gain the power to morph into rangers from the past

highlights: callbacks to past seasons including 2 cameos from past rangers, anniversary team up episode, robot sixth ranger, episode dedicated to pink’s multiple costume changes, holiday specials

pros: no white boys on the core team, canon ship

cons: huge change of pace between s1 and s2 due to having to adapt two different japanese sentai series, yellow ranger only exists to be a love interest, 7th ranger is under utilized

Dino Charge (2015), 44 episodes

5 rangers from all walks of life and points in time are chosen to help keep an ancient power from falling into the hands of a bounty hunter

highlights: 7th ranger reveal, musical performance episode, body swap episode, holiday specials

pros: 10 ranger team, first black actress as a pink ranger, 2 canon ships

cons: lots of white boy focus, no actual plot, female techie is underused, several useless characters

Ninja Steel (2017), Currently Airing

an intergalactic game show has chosen earth as it’s latest host, monsters are sent down to defeat a team of teenagers chosen to be the ninja steel rangers

highlights: kelson henderson (spd, operation overdrive, mystic force) returns as the mentor, blue ranger played by the brother of the previous blue ranger

pros: first desi red, first black actress to play white ranger, pre-established canon ship

cons: non-japanese actors used in a show with japanese themes, only 8 episodes so far :( but it airs saturdays on nickelodeon at 12/11c

Where to Watch

the entire series of power rangers (barring the currently airing season) is available on netflix and amazon, all episodes are also available for purchase from shout factory and itunes!

there is also: kisscartoon, watchartoonsonline, shadowrangers, and hd-source

Other Stuff (spoilers)

hilarious guide to the many near-cancellations of the show

the passion of chip

which red ranger should you fight

breakdown of era’s of power rangers

power ranger character sorter

Blog Recs

@kathillards, @power-ranqers, @powerprincesses, @kimberlyannharts, @lunarskye, @miawatanabe, @elizabethdelgados, @blakebradley, @hunterbradley, @prettyandpowerful and ofc @erniesbrainfreeze

if you have any questions feel free to stop by my ask box!

#power rangers #power rangers 2017 #mighty morphin power rangers #spandex verbose #special thanks to the hell clique for helping me!!1!!!!!!!1

824 notes · View notes