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dryedmangoez · 6 months

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My Top 16 Favorite OSTs of 2023

“Perfect,” “encapsulate,” “capture,” “evoke”; I’ll use those words a lot here. But it really is those things that make a song well-suited to be part of a TV or film soundtrack. Here are 16 of my favorite OSTs of 2023! Continue reading Untitled

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perfettamentechic · 2 years

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Christmas Outfit by Paola Moretti

Christmas Outfit by Paola Moretti #christmas #christmasoutfit #christmasstyle #ootd #wwt #bellepoque #scanlantheodore #pollini #aspinaloflondon #harrods #moritzglik #liarsandlovers #halogen #chanel #guerlain #iho #paolamoretti #perfettamentechic

Gonna: Belle Poque Maglione: Scanlan Theodore Scarpe: Pollini Borsa: Aspinal of London Mantella: Harrods Orecchini: Moritz Glik Anello: Liars & Lovers Cappello: Halogen Lipstick: Chanel Profumo: Rosa rossa by Guerlain Fashion Blogger: Paola Moretti Instagram: paolamorettiiho

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modaonlinemagazalari · 2 years

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https://www.modaonlinemagazalari.com/moda-markas/liars-lovers/

Liars & Lovers

#Liars & Lovers #Markalar #Moda #Moda markaları #Tasarımcı ürünleri

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new-ds9-ao3 · 1 year

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by fortheloveoflatinum

Nothing good can come of it when Garak enlists Rom's help to modify Julian's combadge to spy on his lover.

Words: 3292, Chapters: 6/6, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Julian Bashir, Elim Garak, Miles O'Brien, Odo (Star Trek), Rom (Star Trek), Quark (Star Trek)

Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak

Additional Tags: Betrayal, Lies, Hacking, Not Cheating, Angst with a Happy Ending, Happy Ending, POV Julian Bashir, POV Elim Garak, Lonely Elim Garak, Paranoid Elim Garak, Dramatic Elim Garak, Pining Elim Garak, Honesty

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teeth-and-tea · 3 years

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ANIME & MANGA I HAVE BINGED IN THE LAST MONTH: May 2021

I've Been Hunting Slimes for the Past 300 Years and Now Ive Maxed Out My Level: incredibly long name aside, cute af slice of life that suffers Same Face Syndrome. I'm still happy to watch it because of how feel good and fluffy it is though, Im probably gonna forget about it in two or three years tho. 8/10.

Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro: I found out this was a webcomic first and suddenly all the HORNINESS made so much more sense. A Femdom, Degradation, Humiliation, Dacryphilia Bullies to Lovers story disguised as a high school rom-com which, I'm not going to lie, misses SKEEVY CITY by mere inches on a regular basis. However, I'm a Dom/Switch and this entire relationship sets off my dom brain center like New York City just shy of midnight. So if you're into that sort of scene, this anime is for you. If not, it's still fascinating but you're probably gonna be a little put off by how mean the Girl!Bully is to the guy MC. Unless you find out something about yourself, in which case, congrats! Stay safe, sane, consensual, and learn about the traffic light system on top of safe words, I promise you'll have a better life in general after that. Still Ongoing, currently 10/10.

Fruits Basket: IM GONNA CRY I LOVE THIS ANIME SO MUCH???? The original anime came out when I was in... I think middle school and my parents were really strict on what I watched so I never got to experience the first wave and I never bothered to watch the show ever after I moved out of the house years later. However, now that I'm much older I honestly can say this is one of my favorite anime to date, and all the characters are charming, lovable, with their own problems that I can connect to or sympathize with, and I love the MC which is always a treat tbh. Except Akito. Akito can suck a sandpaper dick. I'm only on S2 tho so no spoilers! Anime 11/10.

Monster Girl Doctor: went in thinking it was gonna be a monster girl who's a doctor with a homoerotic assistant (her name is SAPPHY okay sue me for thinking it) and ended up watching the entire dubbed harem series. Honestly, I've seen worse and this one has consistent follow-through on interesting characters and backstory enough for me to shove aside the blatant under-monstrousness of the female monsters and the harem-ness of everything else. Dubbing is honestly really good, which is a treat, and the monster designs are not the worst and the MC is tolerable. Honestly, I don't mind having watched it! The mix of cgi and the traditional animation together work pretty strangely though, and it often doesn't flow super well. 7.5/10

So I'm a Spider, So What: Dubbed version which honestly isn't that bad. Took me a bit to get into it, but after realizing that it's got a mismatched timeline a la The Witcher, it made so much more sense. Heavily done in cgi, and you can definitely tell between the 2D and 3D animations, but not the worst in the world. I went in not expecting much but it ended up being an Issekai I can stand and even enjoy. On god has a decent story... with the spider. I'd be a liar if I didnt say I skipped some of the human parts just to get back to the best part of the show. 8/10.

Somali and the Forest Spirit: I'm so fucking nostalgic for this thing it makes me want to go and hug my dad. About a human girl under threat of being eaten with a monster-dominated world. Very obvious "humans fear what they don't understand" message but instead of the humans learning tolerance it's what happens when they get annihilated first so like, kudos for the mangaka for having the guts to do that. I cried like a baby regularly. It's really good, I watched the dub and ID WATCH IT AGAIN!!! 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Oh my god. O h my g o d. Fell in love on the first episode, ngl. About if an immortal being learned how to be a person from scratch. I love it. HOWEVER. Keep a box of tissues on you at all times because you're gonna need them. I'm only on EP7 because that's all that's out right now but just know. I love it. Not for everyone but certainly for my "what do we define as human and the human condition" ass. 12/10.

Those Snow White Notes: A sports anime without any sports. About shamisen playing which is cool because I never realized how cool this instrument was??? Its neat af. OP1&2 are by Burnout Syndrom so know theyre fire. Gonna be real, its pretty alright, but not extraordinary. You can tell they were using the characters as archetypes rather than actually characters which kinda kills a lot of the emotional value you could've had, but I'm still gonna watch it. It doesn't make me cringe as hard as other sports anime tho so I consider it toptier in that regards but if you're a big sports anime fan you might be bummed out by it. Every single musical performance is INCREDIBLE tho. A solid 8/10.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun: THE ART OMFG IT'S SO GORGEOUS. Listen, if you took coptic markers and gave them an animation budget with some manga panel direction thrown in there, that's this anime. It's beautiful. Gorgeous. I'm in love with the aesthetic every second. Story? Really good. Characters? I love the MC and his evil little twin brother asshat. Demons? Not super imaginative but I'm carrying on happy as can be anyways. Dubbing? A bit shaky at times but I found the voices charming if a little off for some of them. I'm already waiting for the second season with popcorn at the ready. 10/10.

Prison School: I watched this directly after Hanako-kun and it was like I got slapped in the face by sweaty unwashed titties and some fedora wearing schmuck's piss kink. No character is likable or redeemable. I finished it, but at what cost? 2/10 and only because a character shit his pants and I laughed.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle: watched this right after Prison School and it was NECESSARY tbh. Its so CUTE and honestly, im not even kidding you, the fucking funniest anime I've seen in months. I watched the dub and the VAs are having the time of their lives working on this anime not just giving it their all but literally just going ham. Its great. If I read this im sure id be bored outta my mind but the VAs giving it a joyous performance make it an insta fave for me tbh. 9/10.

Sk8 the Infinity: i watched the dub with my bro and I can confirm that its a spectacular show because we both loved it and we have vastly different tastes. Incredibly SUSPENSFUL AND STRESSFUL for an anime about skateboarding but we finished it in a single sitting tbh. The last episode is not dubbed for some reason but we still loved it. Like if Free! was less obnoxious but the only fan-service here is Joe ♡ a beefcake who owns my lesbian heart. I think there's exactly one named female character tho and I legit couldn't tell you what it was if there was a gun to my head. So, over all, 9.5/10.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: I'm going to be entirely honest, I went in thinking it was going to be a boring isekai of no value. I was right about the Isekai part. It was honestly pretty interesting and focused on nation building like you're playing civilization rather than the usual "Get Stronger" narrative or "Get Some Pussy" narrative most isekais take which is delightfully refreshing. Granted there are flavors of that in this which means it doesn't alienate the big isekai watchers out there, but it's not the whole dish and it doesn't make me want to cringe the same way others do. You've got a slime MC just vibing and building a nation of monsters nbd. Does lose points for making the female monsters more humanoid than their male counterparts but makes them back by only doing perfunctory fan-service and nothing that makes me want to cry... except the butt sumo episode but in fairness it was all a terrible dream. Literally, the MC refuses to dream anymore after that. solid animation, decent voice acting, decent story, made me realize how HUGE this is in the Light Novel community???? There's like 18 fucking novels and that's WILD. 8.5/10.

MANGA:

Spirit Photographer Saburo Kono: a one shot special by the mangaka of The Promised Neverland! Honestly a really delicate touch of both super creepy and really touching, and I'm not gonna lie I'm bummed that this isn't a bigger project but the single chapter makes it a good taste for their style. I've been wondering if I wanna read/watch The Promised Neverland and now I think I will. 10/10

Deranged Detective Ron Kamonohashi: from the mangaka of Hitman Reborn comes this Sherlock and Watson derivative! Not even 20 chapters out yet with a sort of spotty schedule, I honestly love it even thought it's exactly as you expect. HOWEVER. Kamonohashi the "Sherlock" character uses mental pressure to kill all confirmed murderers and it's up to Toto the "Watson" character to save all those people before Kamonohashi kills them! It's just recently introduced a "Moriarty" family of crime lords (not a big spoiler don't worry it was obvious) so the tension surrounding Ron's past is amping up rn. Personally, I think the art is GORGEOUS, the characters engaging, and the story quick enough to keep my interest. Most mysteries are solved within a chapter or two so you're not stuck 20 chapters into one locked room mystery which is just peachy tbh. RN, 10/10. If this gets an anime, I anticipate a legion of fangirls who ship the two main characters along with their many friends. I've been alive too long to believe otherwise.

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro: Yeah I read the manga after I watched the show. A slower build than the anime, but it works for the format, if theyd done the same with the show then I don't think it wouldve done as well. Honestly? Cuter tbh but just as horny. You dont start really LEARNING about your character until like, chap 65 tho and no real "drama" happens until like 75. A good chunk of the chapters are like 8pgs so its a breeze to get through. I love these slow burn idiots of the century. 9.5/10 because you can DEFINITELY tell the mangaka does hentai too.

Yugen's All-Ghouls Homeroom: one-shot by the mangaka for Food Wars, it's no wonder there's this constant perviness from the MC, a guy who can see and exorcise spirits. Takes place at an all girl's finishing school with KICK ASS monsters tbh, kinda bummed its not longer. The MC? Blatant monsterfucker who is also a CONFRIMED monsterfucker???? Idk i vibe with that single emotion. Everything else is hit or miss. 7/10 for monsters and cool concept, lost points for the MC very pointedly being okay with admitting he'd wait for the teenagers to be adults tho. Creepy af. Could live without that.

Hell's Paradise: I finished the entire 127chps in 3 days and I was really enthusiastic about it 90% of the time thinking about how deep it was and then I actually thought about it and I ended up being very neutral about the whole thing tbh. The art is fantastic tho, but DEFINITELY deserving of the M rating. Tits. Tits everywhere. But not tits to be ecchi over, no, monster hermit tits on beautiful women-ish figures. Now generally I give that a pass but a huge theme in the story is that men and women are "no better than one or the other" but like, lady tits are what you see 99% of the time. Men tits are few and far between. I call bullshit on most of the "deep" themes is what I'm saying, so it's like the mangaka was trying for those deep thoughts but missed the margin a little too far for my preference. That being said, the MC is a married man who loves his wife which automatically makes him my favorite character so like... idk so many good things, so many misses, but overall really spectacular themes and imagery. Unique but classic all at once. It's getting an anime and I have NO IDEA how much censorship they're gonna be doing but they're going to be doing SO MUCH. Oh yeah, and one guy is a plant/human hybrid who fucks a 1000 year old plant-hermit which makes him a canon monster fucker. And one canon non-binary character who I, a nonbinary, actually like. So like... gosh I've got mixed feelings. 8.5/10.

Choujin X: From Sui Ishida, mangaka to the mega hit Tokyo Ghoul comes this brand new manga!... Of one chapter, lol. Not really binge-y because it's just the one chapter out right now but I'm already keeping my eye on it. The grasp on anatomy in the art is PHENOMENAL and you can see Ishida flexing his art skill which is great. Can't give a true rating but I'm giving it a tentative 9/10 because I'm excited to see more.

Shag&Scoob: technically not a manga, its an ongoing webcomic I binged an subscribed to in one day and I just think it deserves more attention. Starts off funny with "what if Scooby Doo had a gun" and has been led to "what if all cartoons are aliens that survive and receive their powers by the humans that love them in an epic war with Martians." On god, its good. I finished the current series in a couple hours so it's a breezy read, highly recommend it. 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Yeah I watched the anime and then finished all current 143 chapters in like 3 days. GOD IM WEAK. I don't buy physical manga unless I know I want to remember the story forever and I'm already budgeting for the current books out. Yeah, this is a good series. That being said, definitely not for the faint of heart or those who suffer under common triggers like suicide, molestation, death, etc. It's all framed as bad and necessary to the story don't get me wrong, but it's there and has lasting affects on the characters. Incredible story telling by the creator of A Silent Voice. Keep tissues nearby at all times. 12/10.

#i've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level #don't toy with me miss nagatoro #spirit photographer saburo kono #fruits basket #deranged detective ron kamonohashi #yugen's all-ghoul's homeroom #monster girl doctor #so i'm a spider so what #somali and the forest spirit #to your eternity #jigokuraku #hell's paradise #choujin x #shag and scoob #toilet bound hanako kun #prison school #sk8 the infinity #that time i got reincarnated as a slime

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chips1977 · 4 years

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WARNING : I'm just an addict ... addicted to music. There are people who are born to make music, o8 thers are born to hearing. Whenever was part of this second group. Maybe it's. a habit, I gotta use, even if it 's rock, jazz or the quiet storm. Great pictures of the things I love - music, painting, books, photography, architecture, design, women, and more. I love music more than lasagna. Better to burn out than fade away. The older you get, the better life gets. But time also seems to be accelerating, the clock running too fast. So, looking at those early days, everything is very slow, stretched, and great significance. The most recent time, I spent busy with simple things.People think rock and roll is only about teenage rebellion, but why can not exist old rebel too? THE RESIDENTS is my Biggest Addiction, and,THE RED KRAYOLA, OLD TIME RELIJUN-ARRINGTON DIONYSO,R. STEVIE MOORE,SHRIMP BOAT,SMEGMA,THE SUN CITY GIRLS, LEGENDARY PINK DOTS,MINIMAL COMPACT,FRANK ZAPPA,CAPTAIN BEEFHEART,THE VELVET UNDERGROUND,THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282,THE EX,CAN,FAUST,WEEN,TELEVISION,THE MODERN LOVERS,SNAKEFINGER,MILES DAVIS,SUN RA,KRAFTWERK,ANAL MAGIC & REV. DWIGHT FRIZZELL,MICHAEL YONKERS,MOONDOG,THE WORK,RAYMOND SCOTT,THE GO-BETWEENS,SLAPPY HAPPY,ART BEARS,NAKED CITY,HENRY COW,SKELETON CREW,JOHN ZORN,FRED FRITH,THE FIBONACCIS,BONGWATER-MARK KRAMER,SHOCKABILLY,BAND OF SUSANS,THE PAINTEENS,STUMP,RENALDO AND LOAF,CERTAIN GENERAL,THE THREE JOHNS,CHROME,PRIMUS-LES CLAYPOOL,EUGENE CHADBOURNE,ESKIMO, MINUTEMEN, MISSION OF BURMA,FUGAZI,BLURT, GLAXO BABIES,THIS HEAT,THE SEA AND CAKE,SAVAGE REPUBLIC,TUXEDO MOON, XTC,U.S,MAPLE,THE PAPER CHASE,DANIEL SMITH- DANIELSON FAMILE ....... Other musical priorities are: HENRY FLYNT, THE FEELIES,PERE UBU,THE CLASH, JOY DIVISION, PROTOMARTYR, CAR SEAT HEADREST,THE BETTER-BEATLES, DARKSIDE,THE MEMBRANES, THEATRE OF HATE, NOCTURNAL PROJECTIONS,THE LINES,CARDINAL,CLEANERS FROM VENUS,THE JAZZ BUTCHER, ELVIS COSTELLO,THE MONOCHROME SET, TELEVISION PERSONALITIES, ALTERNATIVE TV, GONG,ANNIE ANXIETY, THE DEL-BYZANTEENS, WALL OF VOODOO, BUTHOLE SURFERS, RICHARD DAWSON, MAC DeMARCO,WOVEN HAND,16 HORSEPOWER, DAVID EUGENE EDWARDS,SHELLAC, SLINT-PAPA M-DAVID PAJO, LUNGFISH, OM, EARTH,THE BOOK OF KNOTS,LOUNGE LIZARDS-JOHN LURIE,ANTON FIER-GOLDEN PALOMINOS,PETER BLEGVAD,PETER HAMMILL,TOMAHWAK,FANTOMAS,MR. BUNGLE, MIKE PATTON, SUICIDE-MARTIN REV+ALAN VEGA,AARON FREEMAN,JAPAN,STEREOLAB, SPACEMEN 3, SPECTRUM, SWELL MAPS, SILVER APPES, SWELL,MORPHINE, HAWKWIND, DEVO,FLYING LIZARDS, MAGAZINE, RALPH CARNEY,ROBERT WYATT, JOHN WILKES BOOZE, KEVIN COYNE, DAEVID ALLEN, SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM, MX-80 SOUND, SOPOR AETERNUS & The ENSEMBLE of SHADOWS, THE AUTEURS,MAN MAN, DAMIEN JURADO, DAVID DONDERO, CHAD VANGALLEN, LONG FIN KILLIE, MAGIC TRICK-TIN COHEN, CHRIS COHEN, DAVID BAZAN,VAMPIRE RODENTS, JON WAYNE, PRAM,THE OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL, PAVEMENT, PATTI SMITH, FUGS, PEARLS BEFORE SWINE-TOM RAP, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-JOSEPH BYRD, FAMILY, GODZ, BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND,PENTANGLE,THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, SLOVENLY, CHEER- ACCIDENT, TARWATER, COIL,THROBBING GRISTLE, SHAWN LEE, CLUTCHY HOPKINS, JURYMAN AKA IAN SIMMONDS AKA WISE IN TIME+SANDALS, ZOOGZ RIFT, THE BOOKS,NEW THRILL PARADE, CHRIS KNOX , DAVID KILGOUR,THE BATS,THE CLEAN,THE PIN GROUP, CRIME CITY SOLUTION, ROWLAND S. HOWARD,TOM WAITS, VIC CHESNUTT, JOE HENRY, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO,THE TAPE BEATLES,THE GUN CLUB, MAGAZINE,THE DENGUE FEVER,THE PAPER CHASE,THE FIERY FURNACES,THE MICROPHONES-PHIL ELVRUM,GARY WAR,RAILROAD JERK, KARL BLACK- SOCK HEADDED PETERS-LEMON KITTENS,THE MUSIC TAPES,THE SHAGGS, BOBB TRIMBLE, FISH AND ROSES, DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA,POP D`ELL ARTE,MLER IF DADA,TOM ZÉ, WALTER FRANCO,OS MUTANTES,CAETANO VELOSO,MILTON NASCIMENTO, ARNALDO ANTUNES,VINICIUS CANTUARIA,JORGE BEN,CAZUZA,CEREBRO ELECTRONICO,CORDEL DE FOGO ENCANTADO,ROGERIO SKYLAB,OTTO, MOMBOJÓ,CRIOULO,MAX CASTRO, METÁ METÁ, ATALHOS, ROMULO FROES,WADO,ORQUESTRA IMPERIAL, LENINE,APANHADOR SÓ,MUNDO LIVRE SA,NAÇÃO ZUMBI, ALÇEU VALENÇA,ANT- BEE, BILL FAY,RON SEXSMITH,EL GUAPO,DAVID GRUBS,TORTOISE, SAM PREKOP, GASTR DEL SOL,HENRY KAISER,HOME & GARDEN, BOB DRAKE, MY DEAD IS DEAD, AKRON FAMILY, SWANS,THESE IMMORTAL SOULS, UNREST WORK & PLAY,THE TAPE BEATLES,THIS KIND OF PUNISHMENT,SWOLLEN MONKEYS (Ralph Carney) LIARS, SNAPPED ANKLES, CAVERN ANTI-MATTER, GANG GANG DANCE, THE DAMAGE MANUAL,THE BLACK ANGELS,SCOUT NIBLET,DIE FORM,LONELADY,COP SHOOT COP,WAR ON DRUGS,THE MONKS,TIM HUEY,TRACHTENBURG FAMILY,THE TRIFFIDS,THE CRUEL SEA,THE MEKONS,THE METOD ACTORS,THE SOFT BOYS,THE MISTAKES,THE MOUNTAIN GOATS,THE NEW CREATION, BRUCE HAACK, LOREN MAZZACANE CONNORS,GLEN BRANCA,ALBERT MARCOEUR,LOS ANGELES FREE MUSIC SOCIETY, SHELLEY HIRSCH,NEW YORK GONG,THE POLYPHONIC SPREE,LYDIA LUNCH,LOVE, LUCIA PAMELA,FATIMA MIRANDA,SAFETY SCISSOR S,RICHARD HELL & VOIDOIDS, SACCHARINE TRUST, ADAM FORKNER of [[[[VVRSSNN]]] YUME BITSU, ROY MONTGOMERY,RUN ON, LOVELY LITTLE GIRLS,SAFETY SCISSORS, BRIDE OF NO NO,TONE DOGS,TREAT HER RIGHT,TRIPOD JIMMIE,LIFTER PULLER,THEY MIGHT BY GIANTS,GANG OF FOUR,THE POP GROUP, WIRE, JOSEPH K, ORANGE JUICE, RAIN PARADE, THE GREEN ON REED, THE RENDERS,SOUL COUGHING-MIKE DOUGHTY, MAZARIN, KARATE- GEOFF FARINA, SECRET STARS,THE CHURCH, BLANK DOGS, FROG EYES, JOAN OF ARC, PURE X, YUNG WU,WAKE OOLOO, SPEED THE PLOUGH, DRIVE BY TRUCKERS, CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, MARTIN NEWELL, ERLAND and The CARNIVAL, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX,CALIFONE,RED RED MEAT, LOW, Eels, LOWER DENS,THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION, KING MISSILE, THE NOTWIST, CLINIC, QUICKSPACE,THE COMSAT ANGELS,THE ASSOCIATES, EZRA FURMAN and THE HARPOONS, EFF BARZELAY, BORN RUFIANS, FERGUS & GERONIMO, CHAIN AND THE GANG-IAN SEVENONIOUS-WEIRD WAR-THE MAKE UP,ESCAPIST,MOONFACE, DEAN BLUNT,COLLEEN,ZERO 7,THREE MILE PILOT,LIFE WITHOUT BUILDINGS, CLOUD CULT,BLACKOUT BEACH,PINBACK,ARIEL PINK,MAGIC HOUR,MAJOR STARS, MAPS & ATLASES, MEGAFAUN,MENOMENA,TAME IMPALA, AMPS FOR CHRIST,ARBOURETUM,TRUE WIDOW,NANA GRIZOL,TIMBER TIMBRE,THE, IMPOSSIBLE SHAPES,THE LOVE EVERYTHING,THE MAE SHI, DEAD SKELETONS,THE SHIPPING NEWS,NEW WET KOJAK,GIRLS AGAINTS BOYS,LES SAVY FAV,GERMAN SHEPHERDS,SILKWORM,DIANOGAH,31 KNOTS,90 DAY MEN, 17 PYGMIES,PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, GUN OUTFIT,VAMPIRE RODENTS, PUMA JAW-PINKIE MACLURE and JOHN WILLS, SLUG GUTS, DOG FACED HERMANS, GOD IS MY CO-PILOT, THE SKULL DEFEKTS, CUL de SAC, PELL MELL, FOR CARNATION, MARVIN PONTIAC, ARIEL PINK, FLAT WORMS, AMEN DUNES, IDDLES, WAXAHATCHEE, WOLF PARADE, SUN KILL MOON, NATALIE PRESS ,CHELSEA WOLFE, SHILPA RAY, INCA SILVER, IBEYI, ANGEL OLSEN,THE COMET IS COMING,SLEAFORD MODS, VAGABOND, SUUNS, MADONNATRON, BIG THIEF, FAT, SHAME, SAVAGES, ICEAGE, OMNI, PARQUET COURTS, WHITE FAMILY, LYDA HUSIK, SHARON VAN ETTEN, dEUS, MITSKI, LAUREL HALO,JULIA HOLTER, MARISSA NADLER, JOSEPHINE FOSTER,TRACY BRYANT, MALE GAZE, TY SEGALL,THEE OH SEES, TYVEK, GOAT, WAND,YUCK, THE MOONLANDINGZ, VIET CONG, OUGHT, ALLAH-LAS,THE FRESH & ONLYS, WHITE FENCE, LAURA MARLING, EMA, PHAEDRA, LHASA, FIRST AID KIT, JANE WEAVER, WYE OAK, CAROLINER AKA CAROLINER RAIBOW ... E gosto de viajar, andar de bicicleta, de comboios, de animais.... não gosto de pessoas superficiais... sem cultura.Gosto de dança, de arte o que quer que isso seja!. Não gosto da monotonia. Gosto de criticar no sentido positivo. Não gosto de sonhar em ficar rico. Gosto do “Vive cada dia como se fosse o último “. Não gosto de despedidas. Gosto de pormenores.Gosto de perfumes. Não gosto de mentir nem que me mintam, não suporto hipócritas.Gosto do mar. Não gosto de quem não acredita em nada e não se importa com nada e tem a profundidade de uma colher... Gosto de viajar, gosto de ajudar e de saber que pude ser útil a alguém em qualquer coisa. Não gosto da efemeridade da vida e da constante lembrança da proximidade da morte. Não gosto de não perceber. Não gosto de atrasos e de quem não é capaz de cumprir as suas promessas, não gosto de quem volta atrás com a sua palavra e ainda menos que voltem atrás comigo. Não gosto da cusquice.Gosto de amigos e da camaradagem, não gosto das” amizades “que se perdem por coisas que no final das contas não significam nada... Gosto de palavras e de conversas sem fim... Gosto de pessoas originais, com humor,com ideias próprias... e com classe. Não gosto de carinho quando estou nervoso.Gosto do campo. Não gosto de seguir a onda.Gosto de coisas pouco claras, mas bem esclarecidas. Gosto de dominar. Não gosto de brincar com os sentimentos dos outros.Gosto de toques e de trocas de olhar, de demonstrações de carinho e de cenas sensuais. Não gosto de ficar bêbado até dizer a verdade. Gosto da grandeza das coisas simples, e gosto de coisas complicadas mas não gosto de complicações... O comum não me atrai, gosto normalmente de coisas que passam despercebidas... Gosto de gostar e de não gostar de tudo isto e muito mais...

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novantinuum · 5 years

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Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 6.7K~

Summary: In another world, he doesn’t have his mother’s sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops.

Steven falls apart.

Chapter summary: In which Steven can’t sleep.

First | Last chapter

While I’m cross posting all of these to tumblr, I’d love to have your support over on AO3 too! Plus, it’s easier to subscribe there. A win-win, I’d say.

Chapter 6: Unfamiliar

He doesn’t dare peep at his alarm clock.

Its digital readout glows a soft green in the dark, temping him same as any edible Cookie Cat would, but to no success. He doesn’t sneak a peep because the moment he sees the time, that time becomes real. No longer will he be able to pretend that he’s been staring at the ceiling beams for only a few minutes, or that he’s still got plenty of hours left until morning. Instead he’ll finally have to come to terms with the fact that he’s not getting any sleep tonight. His dad gives a soft snore, laying in a tangle of covers next to him. He’s a known and certified blanket stealer. Not that he minds— he’s cozy enough in his pajamas, and he actually enjoys the rush of cool air over his toes. Unfortunately, that’s the extent of his peace on this particular sleepless night.

He’s long since lost count of how many times he’s tossed and turned, desperately longing for that one perfect position that’ll be the answer to all his problems. The optimum balance of breeze and toastiness! The ideal degree of springy cushioning! But just like a fake identity, the difficult truth is that the answer he seeks doesn’t truly exist. It’s a fabrication. A sham. And try as he will, no amount of misplaced belief will ever change that reality. Elsewhere within the oppressive silence, (or rather what would’ve been silence), every single creak and moan of the house’s foundation is amplified like an electric guitar through an amp. He’s expecting it by now— expecting the dull tick of the wood boards as they warp with the slow change in temperature, expecting his dad’s even snores from beside him— but his nerves are so shot from all the chaos of the evening that he can’t help but seize up with each new noise. It’s just... all too much.

Laying on his mattress as flat as a plank, Steven crinkles his nose with annoyance. He’s not usually the Universe who has trouble falling asleep. That’s Dad’s turf— once he finally gets to dreaming he doesn’t wake even if someone shoves an entire meat lover’s pizza in front of his nose, but arriving there in the first place? That’s an ordeal on its own.

Gosh, he’s so, so tired. A dull ache throbs behind his eyes. In his chest his heart thrums staccato at an identical rhythm, never fully settling down to a resting pulse. It’s been like that ever since Bismuth’s forge, ever since… all the unpleasantness. Distantly he bets that’s because this fully organic body is still trying to compensate for the loss of his gem. He was born with it, after all. That’s like adjusting to everyday life after losing an entire limb. It doesn’t just happen in a day.

He shuffles onto his side once more, his back facing his slumbering dad, and glances longingly at the deep cut pink gemstone that rests on the kitchen counter, swaddled in the folds of a bath towel. Little to his surprise, it’s still as inert as ever. Is… is that it? he wonders. Steven Universe, former Crystal Gem, forever benched from the team because my gem’s now a glorified paperweight??

And if it… he… does reform, what then? Can they re-fuse? Are there two Stevens forever? Is he sure that the diamond will actually reform as him, and not as his… not as Rose/Pink Diamond? Will Pearl ever be able to explain why Rose/Pink faked her identity and then lied about it to her own friends for thousands of years? Was his… was Rose Quartz even a good person? Was Amethyst right, did she just create him so she could— questions, questions, questions! Geeze, no wonder he can’t fall asleep. There’s far too much stuff bungling around his head!

Steven crawls out of bed, no longer willing to tolerate the impossible notion of trying to rest. If he can’t sleep, then he might as well sit on the shore to get some fresh air. His feet meet the floor with renewed purpose, and without further ado he begins to gather a few items. First, he swipes his phone off the nightstand and slips it in the pocket of his pajama bottoms. After skillfully avoiding the squeaky step on his way to the ground floor to keep from disrupting Dad’s well-deserved slumber, he crosses to the counter. His gemstone glints in the moonlight shining through the upper window. He purses his lips, deliberating… and then carefully scoops it up in his hands.

“You’re coming with me, little guy,” he whispers to the inanimate Gem, hugging it to his chest. “Who knows, maybe some ocean time will do you some good too!”

Ignoring the fact that he’s basically talking to himself (at least, he thinks he is?), he turns on a dime and prepares to leave. At the door, he slips on the spare pair of flip flops he always leaves by the seat under the window, and then tiptoes outside.

The fresh, crisp breeze dances through his dark curls. He leans against the patio’s railing, lips curving midway into a smile. One of the arms of the Milky Way is visible tonight, dotting the sky with billions upon billions of twinkling stars. Beach City produces minimal light pollution, so thankfully he’s always had a stunning view on their side of the hill. Any other night he’d be delighted to stargaze the night away, wistfully dreaming of stellar horizons far beyond their reach, but his heart’s not into it right now. Insidiously, the gemstone he holds seems to grow heavier as time ticks onward. Against his better wishes his thoughts shift at the reminder. The rest of the Gems never like talking about it, so he can’t pinpoint its location to any degree of accuracy, but somewhere light years beyond this galaxy of theirs sits the Gem Homeworld. Pink Diamond’s origin. This gem’s origin.

And that’s a bizarre thought. Before today he’s always been under the impression that his— his mom was made on Earth, just one of hundreds of Rose Quartz soldiers. Alien, but not wholly extraterrestrial. Now, however...

He stubbornly shakes his head, clearing his mind. Nope, now’s not the time to think about all that. He plods down the stairs to the sand on automatic, the heels of his sandals clapping rhythmically against his feet with each step. Ah, there’s nothing better than the soft squish of sand under flip flops to brighten one’s mood! His eyes briefly flutter shut as he crosses the beach, breathing deep to let that cool, salty air fill his lungs.

Eventually Steven seats himself a fair distance from the cliff, smack dab in the middle of the shore. His flip flops are quickly discarded. Under the stars’ faithful glow he erects a raised mound, and carefully nestles the diamond atop it. With a long, heavy sigh, he flops onto his back. As he does so, the sudden shift in weight distribution paired with the light breeze causes a fine mist of sand to waft into his face. He sputters and spits.

“Euuugh, no, that got in my mouth!” he complains to no one in particular, and shoots upright. He sticks out his tongue and wildly scrubs the remaining grit off. When he’s satisfied he’s no longer swallowing bits of powdered rock his tense shoulders relax.

His glance moves to his gem, still as dull and lifeless as ever.

Another sigh.

“Okay, this is sad.”

The pink diamond glints in the moonlight. He chooses to believe it’s a wink.

“Maybe I can... watch some post midnight TubeTube?” he asks out loud, and pauses.

Besides the constant ebb and flow of the ocean, the beach is unwaveringly silent. He frowns.

“Yeah, that sounds like an excellent idea, Steven!” he chimes in a muffled character voice, and hugs his knees to his chest. “Sheesh, maybe I should’ve just stayed in bed and kept staring at the ceiling after all.”

He shakes his head. No, no… less brood, more Tube. It’s pocket time. He plunges his hand deep in the pocket of his pajamas, in search of his phone. Thankfully it’s not a boundary-less magical dimension like Lion’s mane, he thinks with a laugh, otherwise he’d be in trouble. Then it would really be a ‘pocket dimension!’

He pulls out the phone and switches it on with a flick of his finger. He can’t help but crack a smile upon seeing the lock screen, an older selfie of Connie and him that they took up at the sky arena after practice one day, but that definitely isn’t the headline. His eyes snap wide open as he notices the battery indicator at the top right corner.

“What??” he cries in clear betrayal. “Nine percent?? Aw, dagnabit!”

The sad thing is that this kind of electronic tragedy is not a rare occurrence, not at all. He can’t even count the number of times it’s happened on two hands. Oh, why must he always forget to charge his phone at night? Still, this means that TubeTube is out. Watching videos will drain his battery to zero faster than Amethyst can shovel down an entire gallon of engine oil.

His shoulders slump as he shoves his phone back in his pocket. Mind wandering, he plows his fingers through the sand, gouging deep lines in the damp shore until his knuckles go white.

“And then, what? She creates you just so she doesn’t have to deal with the fact she’s a liar?”

He almost feels nauseous. Almost…

(The way his pink double— the fully Gem part of him, the part the gemstone Mom left behind projects— looks at the world when not trapped within emotionless monotony, pale irises burning with an anger he didn’t know he was capable of…)

“You knew, you knew Rose was Pink Diamond, this whole time!”

(Other Steven screams no, solid stone fragmenting under his feet. The others quiver as they struggle to remain upright, even Bismuth, a self made Gem warrior. Even Garnet, the most unshakable person he knows.)

But the portrait of Mom that hangs on the wall of his room, its gentle strokes accentuating the rosiness of her cheeks, the softness of her hair… the tape she left behind, spinning loving encouragements recorded specially for him...

“Maybe she just wanted to be Rose Quartz. Is that so bad?”

“Depends on what her motives were,” Garnet replies matter-of-factly, adjusting her opaque glasses.

(The solid weight of the gemstone in his hand as he delicately submerges it under the fountain’s pool, familiar and alien all at once… It’s part of him, right? Has been for all his life. And yet…)

“-and Pink D’s like, the bad guy, Steven!”

(For once, Dad becomes his rock amidst the stress of all this Gem business. Steven clutches at his arm, desperately trying to let his dad’s warmth and comfort and perspective soothe his worries.)

“-despite everything else she probably lied about, her love and respect for all of you was not a sham.”

He buries his face in his arms, shivering in the throes of the nighttime breeze as its intensity ever so slightly picks up. His teeth chatter, and he shrinks even smaller in defense against the sudden burst of coastal wind. Even his long sleeve pajamas don’t provide much comfort. And because of this, no matter what he tries his mind can’t stop looping back to the deadening sense of cold he felt radiating through his very core when he split apart from his gemstone… how disoriented it left him, unable to focus or even walk for the first few minutes. The scariest part is by far the gap in his memories, from the second that unbearable pain shot through his nerves to the moment he opened his eyes to find himself held aloft in Bismuth’s grasp.

He literally blacked out, in the mercy of someone who hurt him. He was helpless and alone, and in way over his head. This was like the incident with Jasper and the hand ship all over again. He— his bottom lip quivers as he pulls his legs tighter to his chest— he could have died. And now, because he’s separated from his gem, entirely human, no powers at all, he may never get to go on a serious Gem mission ever again. But what bothers him even more than that is...

He peeks out from between his arms, tired, glossy eyes drinking in the sight of that glittering pink gem in the sand.

Pink Diamond. Rose Quartz...

Why does there have to be so many contradictions about who Mom was? Why can’t he just know?

Not a sham, one source claims.

She’s a liar! says another.

His heart doesn’t know what to believe anymore.

Steven huffs in frustration, and he crawls on hands and knees to the shallow mound he rest the gem upon. He picks it up, his fingers splaying wide to securely support its full diameter. With a sharp cry of lingering discomfort at the sudden physical exertion, he pushes himself to his feet. The ocean calls him closer, the predictable rhythm of its tides so mesmerizing. Step by step, he emerges from under the temple’s shadow into the full light of the moon.

“Why’d you have to be so secretive about everything, huh?” he asks pointedly, staring daggers at the gem. In the diamond’s mirror-like surface, his hurt scowl is reflected right back at him. “Why’d you have to lie to all your friends? And why did you dump me with all this?”

Not that he expects anything else by this point, but the gemstone remains silent in the wake of his questioning. Funny that, huh. It’s rather reminiscent of some other Gems in his life. He catches a glimpse of the temple statue in the corner of his eye, the face of the fusion carved into the cliffside gazing out at sea impassively in all her monolithic glory. Unchanging in her manner, no matter the centuries long gone.

(Thick ringlets, prominently carved into the cliff face in a way he can’t ignore, not for anything.)

He exhales heavily.

“I just…. wanna know the truth, for once in my life,” he says. “The whole truth, y’know?”

Steven lowers his gaze to the diamond in his hold as he contemplates this desire, and accompanied only by the gentle lull of the ocean, begins to sing a slow melody.

“I thought I knew, I thought I saw… All the writing that you left me on the wall...”

He takes a breath. Mind overrunning with conflicting ideas and secrets and fourteen year old promises labeled ‘for Steven,’ he turns to face the water, planting his bare feet solid in the damp sand.

“Through the gem you left behind, And taped encouragements to find... Your portrait hanging like a lighthouse on the shore. And all what for?

“What do I trust? What should I say? Don’t think I know you well enough to feel betrayed…”

In his hands, he flips the inert gemstone so its five sided facet faces up, obscuring the point below. His brow creases.

“About the gem you turned to hide, And how easily you lied… But after all of this…

“Why does the thought of living up to you make me feel small?” he asks, his singing voice cracking on the last note. Five fingers grip his pajama shirt tight where normally they’d wrap around the familiar edges of his gem. “When now I’m not sure you’re worth living up to after all…”

Far above, a constellation he can’t quite remember the name of twinkles at him.

“It’s so… unfamiliar.”

Echoes of recent memory pool around him like mirrors into his past as he drinks in the sight of the night sky. Bismuth’s presentation of the breaking point, their resulting moral disagreement, his mom’s sword lying across the room during the most heated moment of their fight… (If it lay in his reach, could he have done it? Is he even capable of poofing a non-corrupted Gem in self defense?) The memories swirl around him faster now, the breeze picking up. His pink tinted double standing parallel, nothing but his own intuition giving answer as to what the hard-light figure represents. The silent shock drawn across Amethyst’s features at seeing him hurt, wordless but still so tangible and raw. The terror they all felt as his glitching gem self’s scream sent cracks spider webbing through solid rock. Garnet’s instability, the horror of the truth nearly wrenching her apart. Pearl’s hand involuntarily clamping over her mouth. Bismuth’s exile. His dad clutching him to his chest fiercely tight as he drifted to sleep...

The collective weight of the past finally grows too big for him to carry. Brimming with exhaustion, he falls to his knees.

“I wish I knew how to fix this,” he says with a lump in his throat, the lull of the ocean soaking up his hoarse whispers. His thumb glides across the pentagonal facet, right across the length where the crack had been. “I wish Bismuth and I could’ve just talked, that none of this happened in the first place. I- I wish…”

Prolonged exhaustion wringing the strength from his body, he lists forward, pressing his forehead against the diamond’s cool, glassy surface. His eyelids flutter shut. Otherwise unhindered, fresh tears slip from the corners and dampen his cheeks. Steven’s breath shakes as he folds in on himself even more, elbows propped on his thighs.

The wind and waves soak up his cries like an acoustic sponge. And so with no witness, and no awareness of the passage of time, he lets slip the full depth of his jumbled emotions, tears eventually mixing with the messy snot running from his nose. In a comforting way, it’s strangely cathartic. All those unspoken stressors weighing down on him— his status as a Crystal Gem, his mom’s questionable morality, the unshakable memory of his near-death experience— begin to fade into the background as he cries. Things of course won’t instantly become better, but… he still has his friends and family to help him through this, right? Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, Dad, Connie… Peridot and Lapis… Sadie, Lars… Kiki, Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream… maybe Onion? He bites back a half hearted laugh upon recalling the surreal evening he spent playing with Vidalia’s youngest a few months back. Okay, so maybe Onion isn't exactly as great a source of support as the others, but the point still stands.

No matter how isolated and lost he feels, he’s far from alone.

Abruptly, a gentle chime interrupts his train of thought. In seconds flat light erupts into his world, soft and pink, so vivid in its glow that it’s visible even between his interwoven eyelashes, sparking a kaleidoscope of color on the backs of his eyelids. He gasps. Eyes opening wide as day, he jolts upright.

The diamond in his hands pulses with life, its glassy surface thrumming under his fingertips. Acting on its own volition, it then lifts out of his grip. For a split second a surge of panic grips him. He claws at thin air, desperately trying to reclaim what’s his, but then… It’s okay. He’s okay. He’s seen this, he knows this. Reformation. Steven slumps back in the sand, neck craning to catch a glimpse as his gemstone rises straight up, stretching ever closer to the stars it came from. Perhaps a testament to the raw power contained within, the same breeze that tousles his hair is unable to lay a finger on it.

Transfixed, he watches with mouth agape as the gem pulses a pure white. Radiating outwards from the diamond, a series of forms— one he doesn’t recognize, and two he does— take shape out of light in quick sequence. The first is shockingly tall, at least fifteen feet, and has poofy hair, the gem oriented on its side at her navel. Pink Diamond? he wonders, hating how the thought of that name makes his guts twist and churn with uneasiness. Unfortunately he doesn’t have time to commit her shape to memory. In a flash the diamond rotates, baring its pentagonal facets. At the same time the shifting hard light form collapses in on itself, flaring outwards once more in the unmistakable shape of his mother. His heart hammers in his chest at the sight of her. But then once more, the light collapses back into the gemstone, and weaves back together into a far more compact form... A form he’s intimately familiar with.

With another resonant chime his hard light self bursts into colorful actuality, reformed once more. He’s wearing the same pajamas he himself is currently, except tinted in shades of pink like his skin and hair. The Gem stretches his arms out and allows himself to effortlessly drift downwards, his bare toes making first contact.

Steven’s mouth is still wide open. Suddenly feeling a bit self conscious in the presence of a being who’s so cool and adept he makes floating look like child’s play, (even if technically, that being is supposed to be him), he wipes the streaks of his tears from his cheeks.

“Um… hello,” he says with a small wave.

The other Steven merely acknowledges him with a nod, the motion so subtle that if he wasn’t watching him with such laser focused intent he probably would have missed it altogether. He chuckles nervously, running a stray hand through the dark curls at the nape of his neck.

“So you’re really another version of me then, huh?”

The full Gem doesn’t respond this time. Instead his attention is drawn elsewhere, as he drinks in his surroundings with an empty, impartial gaze. He’s clearly alert and conscious, but there’s no clear sign of emotion in his full pink irises. (His pupils, he notes with alarm, are diamonds.) There’s no point in lying, it’s pretty creepy. Bemused and unsure as to what to do next, Steven presses his mouth taut and sighs, the passing air vibrating his lips. It sounds just like a motorboat engine, and in any other scenario that comparison would make him laugh.

“Hey, I- if you were a sandwich,” he begins lamely, at this point desperate to incite any kind of response from him, “I guess you might say you’re… all Gem, hold the human?”

He throws his arms up in a grandiose shrug, beaming so wide that his cheeks hurt. Once more, other Steven doesn’t utter a word. He doesn’t blink either, which is unnerving in and of itself, but nevertheless he can’t help but feel like he’s being silently judged by this being. His smile recedes.

“Wow, tough crowd,” he mutters under his breath, sweat beading at his brow. “I know it’s not my best joke, but gee, you’d think a hard light projection of me would be a bit more talkative…”

Not sure what else to say for the moment, he shies away from the Gem. Instead, he focuses back on the ocean, on the tides steadily lapping at the shoreline a few feet from where he stands. Steven frowns pensively as he contemplates his current situation, hand balled at his chin. At this point he’s not sure what he expected to happen when he nicked his gemstone to go on a little outdoor adventure, but it certainly wasn’t this. Then again, he’s sure there’s a excusable reason Other Steven is acting all silent and emotionless. Maybe it’s just that… he’s still shell-shocked from almost being shattered. Geeze, that had to have been terrifying!

After a moment of consideration, he decides to approach him in a different way.

“I’m sorry you got cracked. That looked like it really hurt.”

Silence. He feels kinda itchy pinned under his double’s unyielding gaze.

“I mean,” he says with a weak laugh, “that sucked for me, and I didn’t even have my gem at the time.”

At this the Gem’s features shift ever so slightly into an expression suggesting concern. His brow lifts, and his diamond pupils dilate.

This time Steven returns his stare, squinting at him with unveiled curiosity.

“You are able to talk… right?”

“Yes,” he finally replies, as if this is supposed to be obvious fact.

(He has to admit, the sound of his own voice coming from another source in cold monotone kinda gives him the heebie jeebies.)

“Okay, so why—“

“There was no need to.”

He’s about to open his mouth to respond, pointer finger held aloft, when the words building in his mind dissipate like the morning fog that always hugs the docks. How does anyone respond to that? This whole situation— talking to his own Gem— is so strange and surreal that he wishes he wasn’t alone for it. He wishes another of the Gems was here with him, or Connie. At least then it wouldn’t be so awkward.

At the thought of his best friend he gasps, and slams his palms against his cheeks. “Wait! Oh my gosh, I have to take a picture for Connie! It’s not everyday there’s two of me!”

The Gem watches with mild bemusement from the sidelines as Steven whisks out his phone. Running on nothing but a surge of sheer enthusiastic impulse, he swipes to unlock and opens up the camera, poking the tip of his tongue through his lips all the while.

“Okay,” he says, holding the phone at arm’s length in front of the two of them. “Switching to selfie, and… cheese!”

The camera flashes. Eagerly, he taps the screen to look at the photo. In it, he stands grinning like a loon in the foreground, breeze blowing his hair every which way. Behind him, his pink counterpart squints at the burst of light, mouth slightly ajar in blank confusion. It’s by no means a flattering image. All the same, he hums in satisfaction, and decides to use his last few drops of battery life to shoot Connie a quick text.

“By the way,” he dictates as his fingers fly across the phone’s digital keyboard. “Accidentally… got separated… from gem… I’m mostly okay, I think… but now there’s two of me. Say hi to—“ He glances up at the other Steven, who’s watching him with faint intrigue. “Uh… Hey, I just realized I never asked what you wanna be called? I’m sorry, that’s so rude of me!”

The Gem pauses for a moment before responding. “I don’t have any name but ours.”

“O- oh. Well, that’s okay, I’ll just call you that. So gimme the deets, my good twin Steven... “

“I am not a twin.”

“Uh, Other Steven?”

“We are not separate people. I’m a half of a whole, just like you.”

He purses his lips. “Pink Steven,” he suggests, gesturing towards him with his phone in hand.

The hard light version of himself nods in agreement, a stiff solitary action. “That is acceptable.”

He peers close at him for a second, bemused. The Gem doesn’t even noticeably breathe.

“Pink Steven it is, I guess,” he shrugs, and finishes typing his message to Connie. “And, send!”

The text pops up on the screen in a blue bubble, attached alongside the selfie of the two of them. Quickly, he scans back over the message, realizing far too late that he probably should have done that before slamming his thumb on the big red button. His eyes narrow as he reads:

btw accidentally got separated from gem, mostly okay i think , but now theres two me’s say hi to pink steven! ill call later, some kinda scary stuff happened but gems and i are fine so pls dont worry too much

“Really, Steven?” he says, exasperation framing his features. “Don’t worry too much? Of course she’s gonna worry!” Voice cracking amidst his melodrama, he captures loose fistfuls of hair from either side of his head, phone still clutched in one hand. “Noooo, why did I write that?”

Steven groans, promptly dropping to his knees, and flops over into the sand like a mannequin with its strings cut. He lays there for a while, absentmindedly nibbling at the inside of his cheek just like he’s chewing over his thoughts. And hoo boy, there sure is a lot to unpack here. Mainly, he spends this time switching between scoffing at his own lack of tact, questioning why his Gem self has to be so darn enigmatic, and dreaming of a better world where his family isn’t crumbling under the weight of a long-kept secret and everything actually makes sense. But in the end he knows there’s no good to be found from silently wallowing about all of this. Instead, he thinks of Garnet, and everything he admires about her. About how despite her ability to trace the paths of potential futures, even she can’t predict every twist and turn of life. Even Garnet is no stranger to the fear of the unknown. The only difference is, she never lets that hinder her. Instead she channels all the the jitters and uncertainty of that fear into something else entirely, lets it empower her to confidently rise to solve the issue at hand.

And sure, he may not be the best leader or fighter or strategist like the rest of the Crystal Gems, but if there’s one thing he’s good at it’s asking questions.

“What you said earlier about… being half of a whole,” he says to his counterpart, sitting up. “What did you mean?”

“You already figured that out,” Pink Steven responds in cryptic monotone.

“Really? I- I did?”

“You already know that I am a hard-light personification of our gem half. I exist in this form because it’s who we are.”

The Gem extends his hand expectantly, as if waiting for him to respond in some specific way. His diamond pupils focus on Steven with an almost pleading intensity.

His brow furrows. He suddenly wishes he could read minds. “What are you—“

What does he want, a high five, a secret handshake, a—

“We’re not supposed to be apart like this.”

His eyes widen, suddenly understanding the invitation the Gem’s giving him. “Oh, you want to fuse? But I’m human, I’m not—“ At his sides, his knuckles tighten— “I can’t do that anymore.”

“Not human,” he reminds him with a shake of his head, more feeling present within his voice than he’s heard since his Gem self screamed at Bismuth. “Half human.”

“And you want to fuse with me?”

“Don’t you?”

“Well yeah, of course! But it’s just…” Steven folds his hands together, fingers loosely interlocking. “Doesn’t that make you weaker?”

“I think it makes us stronger.”

This gives him pause. He’s not sure he agrees, or understands why, but regardless he can’t deny the rush of peace it brings him to know that this other half truly wants to be a part of him. Of them, together.

“Okay, I’m in,” he declares decisively, mind set. “I’ll try to fuse with you. But can I maybe ask about a few Gem things, first?”

“I only know what you know.”

“But you’re still another perspective! Looking at stuff from another angle can be really helpful sometimes. It’s just…” Steven trails off, wrapping his arms around himself protectively as if fearing injury from asking this very question. “It’s about my mom. Is she… still in there, somewhere?”

Pink Steven’s frown deepens, ever so slightly. Even if he’s not super emotive, it’s become clear to him that his counterpart still feels things. He just doesn’t express his emotions to the same degree. (Or at least, that’s his theory.)

“She’s gone,” he whispers.

“But you’re sure she’s really—“

“GONE!”

“Okay, okay!” he says, holding his hands up. “Touchy subject, I get it. But please don’t wake up the whole town. Or our dad. Sleep’s super important for us human beings.”

“You’re not asleep,” he responds, deadpan.

“That’s— that’s different! I can’t fall asleep in the first place, coz’... well, because of this,” he admits, and gestures awkwardly between them.

He sighs, and shuffles his feet in the sand. There’s still so much he’s aching to ask— how did we even split so abruptly? Does this mean we’re technically a fusion? How come it took me twelve whole years to summon my shield for the first time, what’s up with that? What Crying Breakfast Friends character do you identify the most as, Sniffling Croissant like me, or are our opinions different on things? Like, do we like the same foods? Do you even eat food?? How the heck did I never notice that my gem is pointy, shouldn’t I have been able to feel that it’s, erm... jabbing into my insides whenever I’m laying down?— but in the end there’s one that weighs on his mind more than all the others.

“The other thing I’m confused about is… if Mom’s really gone like you said, then why did you almost reform as her?”

“Gemstones retain memory.”

“Oh yeah, Pearl mentioned that once,” he says with a soft smile. “So, then… those are just forms this gem used to take?”

Pink Steven nods in confirmation.

“But Mom’s… soul... is gone forever?”

Another nod.

“Then… it’s just us,” Steven breathes in wonder, the words cathartic the moment they pass his lips into permanence. His eyes grow damp. “Just me.”

At the realization, that shadowy thicket of thorns that’s increasingly entangled itself around his heart for the past few years finally begins to recede.

“Okay,” he says, extending his hand to his Gem counterpart. “I think I’m ready now.”

The moment their fingers brush against each other, strength surges through his body like he’s gasping awake from a disjointed dream, and immediately his baggy, weary eyes snap alert. Hand in hand with his hard-light double, he’s suddenly focused, able, nerves alight with a warmth he never realized until now he missed. A subtle grin curves across Pink Steven’s face in response, vulnerable emotion bursting to life for the very first time.

And as the two of them— human and Gem alike— stand parallel on the shore regarding each other under the constellations’ careful watch, an all-consuming understanding crests over him as solid as the tides are strong.

I can do it, he realizes with glee. I can actually fuse!

He can’t help the breathy laugh that bubbles up from within as he clasps his fingers secure around his counterpart’s pink ones. The Gem quickly grows to match him in his joy, and takes lead of their impromptu dance as the two begin to skip and spin across the sand, the ocean’s pulse and the wind’s vibrato acting as their only accompaniment. He’s dead tired, and his muscles still ache beyond belief, but in this blissful moment he finds he genuinely doesn’t care. Not when the breeze is tousling through his curls, and his other half’s eyes don’t look so cold and void anymore, and their steps surge with new confidence with each and every revolution they make. Not when there’s so much magic to be found in this world. So much hope, even despite the bad days. No more lies, he promises himself, no more thoughts of despair. No holding back. In a heartbeat the spinning world tints bright pink around them. Beaming, he throws his head back right as his vision blurs to white, the fathomless night sky the last thing he sees with fully human eyes.

Steven Universe, whole and uncracked once more, emerges from fusion’s pure glow.

He gasps for breath upon finally reforming, teetering and stumbling a few steps as he regains his sense of balance. Experimentally, he wiggles his toes against the cool sand, reveling in the way the granules tickle the bottoms of his feet, and laughs in sheer relief. Every stimuli is a thousand times more vivid now. The crisp wind dancing against the nape of his neck, the crash of the tides upon the shore echoing through his ears with a percussive strength… When he inhales, he inhales deep and strong, filling his lungs entirely with the fresh salty air. Now in one piece again, he suddenly feels more connected to his gem than ever. There’s a comforting thrum running parallel with his human veins, one he’s grown used to feeling whenever he summons his bubble or shield, except now it seems to be a constant presence. Channels of hard light, his mind excitedly supplies, recalling Pearl’s lessons. Just like a Gem circulatory system!

He breathes in deep again, grounding himself. He splays both arms outward, focusing upon the thought of self preservation. In a flash, the familiar sheen of his pink bubble blooms around him. Steven grins so wide his cheeks almost ache. He allows the bubble to drop, and next aligns his emotions with the idea of protection. His shield, forged of solid light and etched with rosy thorns, immediately materializes in front of his outstretched arm. It’s absolutely effortless, more so than ever before. Giddy in all the joy of being whole again, he dissipates the shield and launches himself high into the air. He’s giggling breathlessly by the time he begins his slow descent. For a blissful moment, every other stressful thing in the world disappears, and it’s just he, himself, and the glittering night sky. Far above, Ursa Minor winks at him. He blows the cosmos a kiss, eyes filled with stars.

Gently, his bare feet touch down on the shore.

For a moment he doesn’t budge an inch, doesn’t make a sound, as if he’s waiting for reality to pull the rug from under him. It all seems too idealized, too lucky. And yet— as he stands idle in the moonlight, fully alert and able— clearly it’s not. Beaming from ear to ear, he takes off running across the beach. As a testament to his sheer joy, his toes leave the ground behind again as he cartwheels.

...well, tries to cartwheel. Just because he’s more integrated with his gem doesn’t mean he’s any more graceful. He’ll leave the grace to Pearl and Connie.

His hands don’t hit the ground at the appropriate angle, and as a result he flips on end and lands face first, getting a mouthful of sand for all his troubles.

He spits as much of it out as he‘s able. “Euughhh, not again!” he says, although this time there’s renewed humor in his voice.

Steven rolls onto his back, and it’s then that he realizes, heart sinking low in his chest… that something feels different. He’s not sure why he didn’t notice it before. The unfamiliar way its weight settles, the distinct difference in shape that he only noticed when lying flat on his belly...

Hand quivering, he lifts his pajama shirt to check, and...

“W-wait, wha—!?”

The gemstone embedded flush at his navel is not his.

Well, it is, since obviously he fused with it and can summon his shield, but it’s certainly not the pentagonal cut he remembers. Instead, the entire gem has somehow rotated on its side, exposing the facets previously hidden from view. He slowly traces his fingers along its edges. How could a gem just flip like that? This never happened when any of the other Gems reformed, so why did it happen here, now?

No more lies...

Was it because of what he was thinking when he fused? Before Pink Steven reformed he briefly saw an outline of Pink Diamond, and her gem was flipped on its side too. But could subconscious thought really influence gemstone position like that?

He frowns pensively, and drops the bottom hem of his shirt. Like it or not, it seems this’ll be yet another change he’ll have to grow used to. That they’ll all have to grow used to, he amends, realizing that there’s no way the other Gems wouldn’t notice. His eyes droop, his earlier burst of adrenaline beginning to run him into the ground. How late is it again? Oh, right. He doesn’t know.

Yawning, Steven picks himself to his feet, retrieves his flip flops, and begins his hike up the sandy path to his house. He rests his palm upon the newly exposed facets of the diamond in his belly, still somewhat dazed by everything that’s recently come to pass, and truthfully he can’t help but feel as if he’s encroaching upon a brand new chapter of his life. Where tomorrow, or the next day, or the weeks to come will lead him is a cosmic mystery only Garnet could dream of halfway answering. But in this very instant, at least he can say he's whole again.

Maybe now he’ll finally be able to sleep.

#su #steven universe #pink steven #su fanfic #crack the paragon #my writing stuff #this is the longest single chapter of anything i've ever written i think #...hmmm actually that one chapter of my doctor who long fic may be longer by like 1K i'll have to check #but STILL #holy hecko m'dudes #i genuinely can't believe i actually finished this #i'm proud of me

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fandomsunited0 · 7 years

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Oh my gosh which kdramas?? Have you watched Goblin? Or coffee prince?

Oh my god I have watched so many dramas I can’t even remember! But yes I have watched Goblin~ and it was so GOOD

#q&a #q&a #kdrama #korean drama #goblin #strong woman do bong soon #the liar and his lover #park hyungshik #park bo young #jisoo #kim jisoo #gong yoo #kim go eun #lee dong wook #yook sungjae #korea

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cinaed · 5 years

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Noir Film Recommendations

Here is a classic noir films recommendation list I promised @madame-madeleine weeks ago. I put them in release order, because trying to organize them from personal best to least best was going to take too long. There are plenty of noir films out there besides these, this list just has my personal favorites!

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Summary: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

Recommendation: This one's a classic for a reason, though I actually watched this film first for Peter Lorre and second for everything else. But it's a great film, with fascinating characters and an engaging plot.

This Gun For Hire (1942)

Summary: When assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his beautiful female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer who is working with foreign spies.

Recommendation: I love Alan Ladd, and his portrayal of a ruthless assassin is amazing here. Raven's dynamic with Ellen, a woman he encounters in the film, is also really fascinating, and I think both the story and the characters will keep you engaged!

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Summary: A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

Recommendation: Listen, I know this is a parody and that apparently Cary Grant hated his performance in this movie. It's still in my top five favorite movies of all time. Everyone is hysterical, the jokes are great, and this film cemented my love of Peter Lorre. I loved this movie so much I once requested it for Yuletide and got an amazing fic!

Double Indemnity (1944)

Summary: An insurance representative lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses the suspicion of an insurance investigator.

Recommendation: This film has one of my favorite femme fatales, and the dialogue is great. Inspired by a true story, this one's a great psychological maze, and I really enjoyed it.

Gaslight (1944)

Summary: After the murder of her famous aunt, a woman is sent to study in Italy to become a great opera singer as well. While there, she falls in love. The two return to London, and she begins to notice strange goings-on: missing pictures, strange footsteps in the night and gaslights that dim without being touched.

Recommendation: "Fun" fact, this film and the play it was based on inspired the term gaslighting, which means to "manipulate by psychological means into questioning their own sanity." You can probably guess what happens in this movie, but oh man, that final scene between husband and wife? One of my all-time favorite scenes in any movie.

Laura (1944)

Summary: A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.

Recommendation: I love this one. It's such a twisty, psychological thriller, and I love Laura's presence throughout this, and the way the detective falls in love with her the more he learns about her-- or at least falls in love with his concept of her.

Gilda (1946)

Summary: A small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino learns that his ex-lover is married to his employer.

Recommendation: GILDA! I love her so much, and everyone's dynamics here are fascinating. Lots of homoerotic subtext, too. Some day I will write a less bleak queer fix-it version of this for myself, but in the meanwhile, I can always watch "Put the Blame on Mame" on Youtube.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Summary: A screenwriter is hired to rework a faded silent film star's script, only to find himself developing a dangerous relationship.

Recommendation: Another classic for a reason. Norma's faded glory and desperation is fascinating to watch, as is Joe being drawn to her despite himself. Also inspired an okay musical with like three or four great songs.

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Summary: A psychotic socialite attempts to force an amateur tennis star to comply with his theory that two complete strangers can get away with reciprocal murders.

Recommendation: Hitchcock was a master of atmosphere, and this one's a prime example. The rising tension as the two go from a relatively normal interaction into something far darker and deadlier.

Dial M for Murder (1954)

Summary: A tennis player frames his unfaithful wife for first-degree murder after she inadvertently hinders his plan to kill her.

Recommendation: Okay, I don't know why tennis players keep getting involved in noir, but it's a good movie! I read that Hitchcock filmed this one almost entirely inside rather than allowing a lot of outdoor scenes, to give a sense of claustrophobia and it works.

Rear Window (1954)

Summary: A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Recommendation: I love this one in spite of itself. I don't particularly like the main couple's dynamic in this, but I do love the glances into the lives of the people Jimmy Stewart's character is spying on, and the tension amps up wonderfully as the film progresses.

#movie rec #film noir #noir

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headcanons-for-loki · 6 years

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Loki With an S/O Who Has an Obvious Crush

• Literally everyone can see how much you like the God of Mischief.

• Everyone.

• Thor especially, since he’s around you the most, along with his brother.

• Loki could be doing the simplest of actions and you’d practically be drooling at the sight.

• He’d know, of course. Loki isn’t one to miss attention when it’s focused on him.

• So, like a complete ass, he’d amp it up to see how far you could take it.

• You could be walking down the hallway and he’d brush his arm against yours as he struts by.

• “My apologies, Love.”

• Love???

• No! No he can’t get away with calling you that!

• Did you do anything about it, though?

• Of course not.

• Day after day, it was so fun for Loki to mess around with you. He doesn’t get much of a reaction from his brother anymore, so you’re his runner up.

• You’re almost sick of it, but in a way, you like it.

• You love being able to just look at him. To exchange glances. He’s so goddamn perfect, who wouldn’t be happy to be in the same room as him!?

• Eventually, Loki wants to take it to the next level and starts flirting with you.

• The little blush that forms across your cheeks as he compliments your hair or lips of outfit makes Loki feel triumphant to say the least.

• At sometime, though, Loki ended up... wishing to see you more and more.

• He wanted those reactions to be even more genuine.

• He wanted to... fuck.

• He liked you, too.

• You would never guess that this asshole of a trickster eventually fell for you between all the teasing and flirting.

• You would have never guessed that he’d shove you against a wall in anger and look dead into your eyes.

• “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’ve known for so long how badly you’ve wanted me.”

• Well, mark yourself down as scared and horny, I guess?

• “What do you-“

• “Y/N, my sweet thing. You are the worst liar I have ever come to know. You steal glances at me every chance you get. The way your eyes trail over me, you couldn’t hide it if you tried.”

• It’s as if he’s interrogating you, like you need to admit it before he harms you, even though he wouldn’t.

• Would he?

• “The awful thing about this is that I can’t help but feel the same way.”

• His hand is on the side of your neck, near your jaw.

• “I look at you and I want to touch you. I want that redness to spread over your cheeks as I hold you. As I kiss you...”

• Great, now his thumb is on your bottom lip. Is there a way to become actual jelly and fall to the floor? Because that’s gonna happen to you if he keeps this up.

• “Any words, pet? Anything to say? What is it that you’ve wanted from me? What have you thought about every time your gaze fell upon me?”

• “I...” Your mouth felt dry.

• He’s right there in front of you. He’s touching your face, holding you against the wall like you’ve always dreamed about, and now you can’t think of something to say???

• Loki licks his lips, fuck, don’t do that, and waits for an answer.

• “I think about... being with you.” You keep your gaze low, unable to look him directly in his gorgeous eyes.

• He chuckles. “No, really? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

• His eyes wander your body, god, he’s looking at you in the most primal of ways.

• Then, he backs up, looking as if he’s talking to an old friend, not yet a lover.

• “Get dressed and be ready at 6 tomorrow night. I’m taking you out.”

• Wait, first he pins you against a wall and looks at you as if he’s going to eat you, now he’s asking you on a date like a gentleman???

• “What, you expect me to just have my way with you without getting to know you first? What kind of person do you think I am?” He feigns insult and walks away, leaving you a blushing and stuttering mess.

• Why is he able to get away with the things he does?

#loki #loki x reader #loki headcanons #loki x reader headcanons

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kmp78 · 3 years

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💡 Wise up already people!

Anon please stop being so foolish *Fakery whole of followers are fake she bought them it's all bots, she's got less than a 100 actual people following her, Fakery is a liar pretender total utter scammer fraud in every respect. *And she was never the lover or girlfriend of JL, she got a PR deal, *everything she showed, did,and were seen together was fake, part of the pretending, PR Deal, PR stunts, fake bought articles, hired called photographers, *Fakery knows who JL's real girlfriend is and amped up her bullshit became more and more aggressive and lied & pretended harder to fuck her over and fuck J in his real relationship. *Fakery is selfish false dishonest and a bad envious malicious person.

*It doesn't matter what Fakery sexual preference is, even things are obvious, anyway her situation with JL was always false.

*Fakery never lived permanently as a couple with JL. *Never travelled as a couple with JL. *Fakery was never the lover or girlfriend of JL. *Fakery is an escort yes, and got a PR deal yes, but not for sex, just for public shows, PR, and stirring, and she and her family took advantage of it.

Accept and Deal with the truth anons, sadly you have been played and fooled by the liar scammer pro Kaufman Kiseleva. And J has been doing this PR public bs since he started his career in HW.

***

Sheesh... 🤦🏼‍♀️

If I had bothered reading all that I'd def have a migraine by now.

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perfettamentechic · 2 years

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La Casa di Carta for Halloween

Halloween Outfit by Paola Moretti #halloween #lacasadicarta #wwt #ootd #adidas #pittarello #charlotterusse #vianelny #icewatch #lizziemandler #liarsandlovers #astracosmetics #catrice #anastasiabeverlyhills #iho #paolamoretti #perfettamentechic

Tuta: Adidas Scarpe: Pittarello Borsa: Charlotte Russe Cover: Vianel New York Orologio: Ice Watch Orecchini: Lizzie Mandler Anello: Liars & Lovers Lipstick: Astra Cosmetics Nail: Catrice Ombretto: Anastasia Beverly Hills Fashion Blogger: Paola Moretti Instagram: paolamorettiiho

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bolachasgratis · 6 years

Photo

Bolachas Now Playing, a new music Spotify playlist updated every Tuesday.

Last new music playlist before we switch to Festival Vodafone Paredes de Coura mode, and it's a long one as we don't want to leave great songs on hold for a month. Contrasting with the length of this playlist, we highlight Tony Molina's gorgeous, 14 minutes long new record, "Kill the Lights". If you're into Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, and 1min long tracks, you'll be in heaven.

Plus: new songs by Andrew Combs, Sharaya Summers, Amber Arcades, Punch Brothers, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Phantastic Ferniture, Late Bloomer, The Hold Steady, Israel Nash, Phosphorescent, Spiritualized, Molly Burch, Jessica's Brother, Petal, Liz Cooper & The Stampede, Marem Ladson, Kristina Murray, Fraser A. Gorman, Ryan Downey, Iron & Wine, Lucius, and Wild Pink.

Bolachas Now Playing, 28/2018 (#155):

Andrew Combs - 4 x 10 Sharaya Summers - Prodigal Amber Arcades - Alpine Town Tony Molina - Afraid to Go Outside Tony Molina - Now That She's Gone Tony Molina - Before You Go Punch Brothers - Three Dots and a Dash Black Belt Eagle Scout - Soft Stud Phantastic Ferniture - Uncomfortable Teenager Late Bloomer - Heaven The Hold Steady - The Stove & the Toaster Israel Nash - Sweet Springs Phosphorescent - New Birth in New England Spiritualized - Here It Comes (The Road) Let's Go Molly Burch - Wild Jessica's Brother - All the Better Petal - Tightrope Liz Cooper & the Stampede - Fondly & Forever Marem Ladson - Woods Kristina Murray - Lovers & Liars Fraser A. Gorman - Silence Turns to Gold Ryan Downey - Renewed Iron & Wine - What Hurts Worse Lucius - Right Down the Line Wild Pink - All Some Frenchman's Joke

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acsversace-news · 6 years

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The second season of television super-producer Ryan Murphy’s social-politics-minded true crime anthology series is neither as spectacularly star-studded or thematically wide-ranging as the first season, the Emmy-winning The People vs. O.J. Simpson. But The Assassination of Gianni Versace, written entirely by Tom Rob Smith (Maggie Cohn has a co-writer credit on the penultimate episode) with a premiere episode directed by Murphy, is a more focused and reflectively dichotomous work. Becoming ever-more intensely about the fascinatingly troubled young man who killed the famed Italian fashion designer in Miami in 1997 (and at least four other men as well), this American Crime Story is an absorbing, shocking, and nuanced meditation on the social and psychological costs of closeted homosexuality and the nature of capitalist success, on the image we wear like a mask and project to the world and the true, less presentable self that we can never really disguise.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace opens with its titular murder and tracks back to explore the path that led killer Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss, in the season’s star-turn standout performance) to take the life of Versace (Édgar Ramírez), It also considers key moments in that life (often employed as sharply mirroring contrasts to Cunanan’s degenerating life and choices), as well as the grief-stricken tug-of-war over his memory and legacy after his death between his sister and design partner Donatella (Penélope Cruz) and his lover and life partner Antonio D’Amico (Ricky Martin; yes, that Ricky Martin, and he’s good, too). For a viewer unfamiliar with the details of Versace’s life and of the background of his killer, the narrative is full of surprises and revelations, illustrating details and remarkable visual metaphors. It will also work quite hard in its lesser moments to make you care about and believe in fashion design as a vibrant and meaningful art form. Unless you’re already of such a mind, you will leave unconvinced.

But after an establishing episode or two (the manhunt for Versace’s killer is teased in the opening episode and then deferred until the closing hour), the show really becomes The Disturbing Adventures of Andrew Cunanan. The central serial killer is a charming and fairly open homosexual, a sociopathic, self-aggrandizing pathological liar, and given more defined psychological contours as his narrative arc fills in innovatively backwards. He is forever making ambitious plans that he does not work hard enough to achieve, lavishly spending money he has not earned, seeking to impress others with fancifully exaggerated tales about his connections to wealth and fame, and bouncing between secretly-gay wealthy sugar daddies and potential younger paramours. A cossetted golden child of his Fillipino father (Jon Jon Briones), who flees the United States ahead of federal charges of embezzlement and leaves his abused wife (Joanna P. Adler) and the spoiled Andrew to fend for themselves, Andrew runs in gay community circles in his native San Diego and San Francisco, eventually drifts towards drug abuse and prostitution, and is exposed and rejected by several friends and lovers in quick succession, triggering the murder spree that ends with Versace.

Cunanan’s fractured, manipulative, sociopathic psyche is repeatedly contrasted with the varied group of gay men whom he meets, befriends, and, in many cases, kills, through whom The Assassination of Gianni Versace provides a notably multifaceted view of the experience of being gay in America in the still-unaccepting 1990s. Versace himself came out publically in an interview with The Advocate in 1995, despite the concerns of his sister; after his death, the deep grief of his partner D’Amico (Martin himself came out a few years ago, at age 39) is exacerbated by being denied any acknowledgement of their relationship or compensation for the loss by the Versace family and business, a common experience for same-sex partners without legal union rights.

Cunanan’s other lovers, acquaintances, and victims reflect other facets of the homosexual experience: Lee Miglin (Mike Farrell) is a Chicago real estate developer with a public marriage to infomercial perfume hawker Marilyn Miglin (a formidable Judith Light) and private secrets; Norman Blachford (Michael Nouri) is another wealthy older man who takes on Cunanan as a live-in lover/style consultant/assistant, but sees more readily through his web of lies; David Madson (Cody Fern) is a small-town Midwesterner who comes out to his traditionally conservative father in a scene that doesn’t entirely follow any predictable script; and the perspective of Jeff Trail (Finn Wittrock), a closeted Navy officer, provides a sharply political commentary on homophobia in the U.S. military and the contemporaneous bureaucratic injustice of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (which was only actually suspended in 2011).

But Andrew Cunanan himself, as characterized in Criss’s tremendous performance, is the key carrier of The Assassination of Gianni Versace‘s thematic meanings concerning the fraught performativity of identity in American capitalism. Andrew is not closeted like most of those other gay men, but he is nonetheless hiding his true self and projecting a falsified, grandiose image for the world. His father taught him to perform success at all times, even if it actually eludes him. Once he begins killing, Cunanan of course hides his murderous, monstrous nature from the world to remain at large. But he is always wearing a mask even before that, playing the role of a charming, worldly, confidently interesting young man with illustrious connections and swaths of wealth and privilege when the real Andrew Cunanan, at his core, is financially precarious, increasingly desperate, and inherently insecure, forever seeking love from others but cripplingly incapable of feeling it in return. Like all confidence men, there is a confidence-shaped hole at his centre.

Ever in contrast to the daring, visionary designer Gianni Versace, who poured his sensibility into his clothing, Andrew Cunanan dons outfits with handsome swagger but never can inhabit them, never seems at home in his own skin. The Assassination of Gianni Versace‘s brilliant leap is to delve more deeply and even encourage a perverse identification with the serial killer Cunanan rather than its titular figure, and to suggest that his obsession with surface appearance and his related disconnect from the truths of his own existence constitutes a typically American quagmire of identity formation, reflecting the dilemmas of our own time as well as of those of 20 years ago.

#acs versace #rosslangager #review #article #april 2018

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jepretpress · 7 years

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[REVIEW] THE LIAR AND HIS LOVER

Musik bisa menggambarkan berbagai acam situasi. Selain itu musik juga bisa menghubungkan kita dengan berbagai macam orang. Melalui musik juga kita bisa membangun hubungan pertemanan, kekeluargaan, bahkan rasa cinta. Drama The Liar and His Lover ini setidaknya mencoba menggambarkan hal-hal tersebut. Drama yang bergenre romance, musical ini menceritakan seorang pemuda jenius musik, Kang Hangyeol.…

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#crude play #fanfiction #joy #Kdrama #korean drama #lee hyun woo #mush&co #park soo young #red velvet #reveluv #Review #sinopsis #the liar and his lover #tvn

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savetopnow · 6 years

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2018-04-01 10 MUSIC now

MUSIC

Brooklyn Vegan

David Cross adds three "Shootin' the Shit" shows at Bell House ++ other dates

What's Going on Saturday?

Albert Hammond Jr played Brooklyn Steel, brought out Hinds (pics, setlist)

Drive-By Truckers & Erika Wennerstrom @ Brooklyn Bowl (night 1 pics, review)

tours announced: The Garden, Nicki Bluhm, Follakzoid, Dave Hause & more

Consquence of Sound

Jesse Hughes apologizes for “mean-spirited and personal attack” against student protestors of gun violence

Ted Nugent says Parkland shooting survivors are “pathetic” teenage “liars” who “have no soul”

Film Review: Tyler Perry’s Acrimony Makes a Mess of Its Promising Start

Identity of the Beyoncé biter has been revealed

Album Review: Royce da 5’9” and DJ Premier Embrace the Next Generation on PRhyme 2

Fact Magazine

The 25 best albums of the last three months: January to March 2018

Carl Craig and more feature in Plastic Dreams, a book documenting the ’90s Paris club scene

Relaxer unveils debut album A Family Disease, releases 22-minute track

Watch a beautiful documentary about Ryuichi Sakamoto’s tsunami-damaged piano

Tom Misch – Against The Clock

Fluxblog

Shower Me In Symphonies

Fifth-Dimensional Views

Late Night Games

The Middle Of A Cold Premonition

The Moon Right Behind Me

Idolator

Miley Cyrus Is A Sexy Easter Bunny In ‘Vogue:’ 15 Pics

The Drop: Your Guide To New Music Friday Featuring Tove Lo & The Palms

Tinashe Hits The Courts In Her Vibrant “Me So Bad” Video

Lady Gaga Pays Tribute To Elton John With Her Rousing “Your Song” Cover

Cardi B Warns A Straying Lover To “Be Careful” On Her New Mid-Tempo

Listen to This

Edan - Fumbling over words that rhyme [Hip Hop]

Straplocked -- Everlasting feat. Mandi Mae, Thunder Porpoise [synthwave]

Terry Riley -- dorian Reeds [ambient] (2014)

Suburban Living -- I Don't Fit In [Dreampop/Shoegaze] (2012) [NSFW]

Fu Manchu - Grendel Snowman [Stoner rock] (1997)

Popjustice

New Music Good Friday: Post Precious! Dragonette! CHVRCHES!

NONONO’s new one is v excellent and here’s the video

New Music Friday: all hail Let’s Eat Grandma’s miniature pop symphony

Paloma Faith’s branded content is better than your branded content

Saluting the artwork for PRETTYMUCH’s Healthy

Reddit Music

Hey Reddit! We are a small rock n roll band from Singapore Asia and we just released our self-recorded Single which we feel is quite catchy. What do you guys think? Would love it if you guys could give it a listen :)

Artists are releasing more music than ever because of streaming

Moby - Why does my heart feel so bad [dance]

Austrian Death Machine - See You At The Party Richter [metal]

Madness - House of Fun [Ska]

Rolling Stone

EODM's Jesse Hughes Apologizes After March For Our Lives Tirade

Anticon Rapper-Producer Alias Dead at 41

Watch Neil Young Revisit 'Peace Trail' for New 'Paradox' Video

Watch SZA's Summer Camp-Set 'Broken Clocks' Video

Watch 'Weird Al' Yankovic Scream Through Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell'

Slipped Disc

Has Korngold’s time finally come?