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spaceorphan18 · 5 years

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Finding Kurt Hummel: Jagged Little Tapestry

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6x03: Jagged Little Tapestry

Alright, so this episode is notable for kicking off the last three part Brittana arc and for being Quinn’s last (awkward) run on the show - but it’s a solid (if not sad) episode, which, surprisingly, has a lot of juicy Kurt in it. So here we go...

It’s Too Late

Okay - so we’re gonna kick things off with some major angst, cause who doesn’t love that? Actually - this show rarely starts off with Klaine, so we were all surprised when there’s not even a previously on -- it just starts. And Kurt’s looking through sheet music (understandably since he’s technically teaching choir now) and lamenting the lack of Smash music. I suppose - with the absence of a show like Glee in their world, Smash must have sufficed.

Anyway, Blaine shows up - and for a split second, Blaine seems pretty happy to see Kurt. Kurt, meanwhile, is a little stunned - but there’s a moment of flirtatiousness here until - BAM! Karofsky has his arm draped over Blaine and is making really bad jokes - signifying he doesn’t really know Blaine at all.

The joke about sharing the music store as if it were the kid in a divorce. Nice touch Glee - it works.

How does Kurt feel about this?

He’s gonna grin and bear it like and adult, while secretly plotting gory details of Karofsky’s demise in the back of his mind. Really - it sucks. It totally does. Kurt knows that he wants to be back with Blaine, and that’d be fine and dandy - but Blaine needs to finish healing, and Kurt needs to still recover from the massive blow of -- don’t fuck up a good thing when you had it.

Blaine and Karofsky shuffle off, as Kurt goes into daydreamy mood, and we get a (somewhat awkward) Klaine duet to Carol King’s It’s Too Late.

Stayed in bed all morning just to pass the time There's something wrong here, there can be no denying One of us is changing Or maybe we just stopped trying

Oh my god is this song depressing. I almost feel like this song might have worked better before the break up? Because Kurt’s lyrics kind of have this waiting for the other shoe to drop feeling to it. But I get why it’s here - they’re both still at this place where they think what’s done is done, though while, hilariously, still pining for each other.

I mean, the whole set up of this song is that they very clearly want and miss each other, and keep throwing looks to the other, but the song keeps telling us that they’re done. It’s a misdirection, people. This is not the end of the story. Nope.

Alright - so this next part is interesting, cause it’s sorta a flash back thing? And here the song (sorta) turns into Blaine’s POV, as he’s waiting at the Lima Bean, and daydreaming about his Warbler days with Kurt, and he’s completely missing what used to be.

Kurt: Now you look so unhappy Blaine: And I feel like a fool (Kurt: I feel like a fool)

I kinda like that flashback!Kurt is telling him that he looks so unhappy (because we don’t get a whole lot of Blaine’s POV in this season, but yeah, he’s not actually happy with Karofsky - he wants to be because he doesn’t really want to be in that unhappy place with Kurt again). But Flashback!Kurt also claims to be a fool, too. Which the staging is super weird - but I’m gonna take it to mean that Blaine isn’t the only one feeling foolish over all of this. Kurt really is, too.

Blaine and Kurt: And it's too late, baby, now it's too late Though we really did try to make it Something inside has died And I can't hide and I just can't fake it

So, a couple of notable things about this second half of the song. A) Kurt and Blaine both have each other’s pictures still... months have they’ve broken up, Blaine’s got them stored in his phone (which is sorta normal). Kurt has them in a binder with sheet music - which is, admittedly, kinda weird. But the point is, he didn’t just trash everything when they broke up. Really, he just compartmentalized and put it off so he didn’t have to think about it -- but now he’s thinking about it, and god the whole thing hurts. B) They’re both are angsting so hard for each other. Oh bbs. C) Chris totally doesn’t know how to play the piano.

Anyway - the song lyrics keep making it out to say that the relationship is dead and that’s it, they tried, game over. But you know, this kicks off the story, kind of like how the second break up kicks off the season. It’s a starting point, now we’re on the path of healing and coming back to each other. But that part takes a while.

Jagged Little Tapestry

So - clearly, Kurt and Rachel didn’t finish their music sorting from the previous episode... Kurt’s lamenting cause he ran into Blaine - and has had Carole King’s Tapestry on repeat in his head since then. Some people apparently work through break ups with a single album - Kurt is that person. (I wonder what he used the first time...) I also kinda wonder if Carole King was one of those people his dad used to listen to on the radio when he was younger.

Anyway, he decides that some good ole break up music is totally the right spirit to start off the glee club. :P Rachel would rather do Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill - which she says is newer and edgier, and I have to laugh because that album came out when I was in Jr. High -- and kids today would have just as much of a connection to Alanis as they would to Carole, so Rachel’s whole point is kind of moot. That, and the fact that Jagged Little Pill is angry in some songs, but it’s also very hopeful as well. Whatever Glee - go make your point.

Kurt, meanwhile, claims that Will did a good job giving them a rounded out musical education -- hahahahaha, yeah, nice revisionist history there, Kurt.

Rachel thinks Will had an easier time in general because he didn’t have a partner, to which Kurt is all -- WTF?!?? (Yeah, good luck in life Rachel -- Kurt’s been there to support your emotionally broken ass for years, but whatever.) Actually - Kurt then turns the whole thing around to say they should do both and we have mash-up week again.

And really - they haven’t really done mash-ups in a long while, and this episode really works mashing them up. Though, I am slightly side-eyeing the idea that two depressing albums will somehow get these kids to be fired up to compete. Kurt and Rachel congratulate each other on being awesome teachers. Aw, man, you can tell the influence Will’s had on these kids.

First Lessons

So, Kurt and Rachel have what really counts as their first glee club rehearsal. And - I mean, it’s funny - this scene is rather long, and kind of here just to set up the premise of the ‘theme of the week’ the combining Alanis and Carole -- and it also reminds the audience that the alumni (for some reason) are still around. But -- that’s about it?

Don’t get me wrong - this scene is absolutely hilarious. The way Lea and Chris play off each other is comedic gold. It’s awkward and ridiculous and it’s been a while since Glee has felt like a comedy so that it’s nice that it’s back!

But can I gain much insight about Kurt in this scene? Um... not really - other than reiteration that Carole is Kurt’s favorite, but we kind of already know he’s an old school boy. And he and Rachel should never be actual teachers.

Also - Brittany can bend time with her mind. (What you thought the massive fourth wall breaks started in The Hurt Locker, oh no...)

A Modest Proposal

So - the next day supposedly, Brittany and Santana come in singing a mash up of Hand In My Pocket/I Feel The Earth Move and Kurt is, well, not really impressed. He’s not a Brittana shipper guys. Sorry. No, really - he’s kinda bopping his head along but all this glorious gay is probably reminding him of what he really misses - musical dueting with a certain raven-haired warbler.

Oh, and I should probably mention that in the previous scene - Brittany and Santana go on an entire spiel about how they’re not going to end up broken up and resentful, la de da, like Klaine supposedly is -- cause again, we’re in the land of all the fourth wall breaking and analysis from within the story.

I should also probably note that Kurt is (purposely) off to the side and really alone. Looks like Puck and Quinn are still doing their together thing, the newbies are all having fun, and even Tina is having a good time. But Kurt - eh, he’s not so much.

So - Santana decides to propose to Brittany right there! And - it’s fine. It’s sweet, I don’t care all that much personally, but the Brittana fans have something nice for them so it’s good. Kurt however, oh he’s on to what’s going down the second it starts, and he is not here for this. He is so not about to let someone else go through with something he just did.

Everyone else is happy for them - even bitter old Tina - but Kurt has to speak now or forever hold his peace. He tries to sell it as being too young (the show is going to continually try to sell us that, too - but I have a hard time with /that/ being the sole reason Kurt and Blaine had issues, but whatever). Really - let’s call a spade a spade -- Kurt just got to be on the other end of witnessing a sweet and loving proposal, and it’s a jagged (ha!) reminder of what he no longer has -- and hiding behind his belief that he did the right thing.

Side note - for him, it was the right thing at the time. He wasn’t ready to be married because he hadn’t worked through some of his own issues. But, Brittany and Santana - aren’t him. So it’s not his place to stand up and say that it’s not.

But he does anyway -- thinking that maybe he’ll spare them the pain that he’s been and is going through -- or trying to validate some of his own crappy decisions. Either way - Santana is not happy about it - I mean, really, if she had stepped all over his proposal, he would have shredded her alive.

The Smack Down

So, even Rachel - who went through her own failed engagement, is telling Kurt that he should probably be supportive. But Kurt doesn’t want to - because it’s a horrible decision. And that makes me wonder, Kurt - what was horrible -- getting engaged? Or calling it off? C’mon kiddo - get there. Anyway - Santana stops them in their tracks, and she’s about to put on the verbal smack down. And here’s where I take a second to tell all the rest of you Kurt fans to -- calm down.

Seriously. Santana has been known to use her viciousness on everyone in the show, and I’d argue that her worst stuff was used on Finn (and maybe Brody) and sometimes Rachel. And while no one ever has gotten it in one big bundle like this, I don’t thin it’s out of character and, you know what, it’s meant to be hurtful. And I don’t hate Santana for it. Kurt needs to learn to have some humility and Santana’s going to teach him a little of that here.

Not to mention that Kurt’s annoyed by Santana - but not really hurt by her. Because you know what? Some of it is pretty true. And while I’m not a fan of Santana’s bullying antics in general, I don’t think most of what she says is unfair. And seriously - you shouldn’t project your own issues on someone else’s relationship. So, let’s break this rant down.

Judgmental geroniphile with a mouth like a cat’s ass. -- Okay, I don’t agree with the last part, but he is judgmental and does enjoy old people.

Shrill (sometimes) and self-aggrandizing about being the apex of gay culture -- so fourth wall break here - that’s at the Klainers, not at Kurt (is this why you guys are mad? C’mon, Brittana fans got it much worse from the writers). I don’t agree that the writers should pick on the audience or fans - but there is a small selection of fans who hid behind the gay rights stuff just so that they could see Klaine kiss more and god let’s save that issue for another day...

Looks like they removed their first row of dentures when they smile -- well that’s a Chris physical feature that he can’t change. Actors need to have thick skin about this - and I’m pretty sure Chris has been called worse.

Dresses like one of Andy Dick’s elaborate wet dreams - lol, okay what does this even mean? Not really anything

A breathier, more feminine Quinn Fabray - lol, okay that’s kind of funny.

Has an obsession with old people - She covered this already, c’mon Santana stop being redundant and get some better jokes!

Drapes himself on pianos and sings old lady songs -- and let’s face it, this is true, and we all love him for it

Sexless, self-centered, baton twirler - Well - the sexless thing is kinda funny to me only because so many general audience (and the gay community) claimed Kurt was being neutered by the show - but I’d argue against that, hard core. He definitely loves sex - and really, Santana knows that. Self-centered - sure, but they all are. Baton twirler? Well he prefers twinkle tube. ;)

He only knows three dance moves. Let’s be real - this is true. And hilarious.

Santana’s final point brings it around to - don’t throw your issues onto my life, and she is right in saying that, tbh.

The only other thing I find interesting about this scene is that she frames her rant as if to tell him why Blaine doesn’t want to be with him. Kurt may have broken off the engagement, but Blaine was the one who didn’t want to get back together - and I feel like this point is often looked over when I see discussions of season 6. Kurt wanted to get Blaine back and was told no - and he has to deal with that, and he’s not doing a very good job of it. And that kind of ties into what Brittany will say later on in the episode, and why Kurt will try dating in the Hurt Locker episodes.

Get your crap together Kurt Hummel!

(More thoughts on Santana’s Rant)

The Lesbians of Candy

I’m not sure how or why these two ended up backstage together - but here they are. Brittany and Kurt have always had a kind of sweet and oddball sibling-ish relationship with each other. And I kind of like that Kurt feels he can be a little more emotionally open with Brittany (lord knows he’s not doing that with Rachel apparently).

The thing here is that - he actually apologizes about the proposal - which is huge for him! He thinks Santana and Brittany are good together (or maybe he’s just saying that, I have no idea), and that he considers them to be like he and Blaine - which Brittany points out isn’t true, cause they aren’t together.

And that’s when Kurt reveals how he really feels - he thinks of them as, god dare I say, on a break. That he feels that they’re on a path to eventual reconciliation. (He also claims that he’s bitter and that no one should get married until they’re thirty -- the show is really trying to sell us this line of reasoning, huh. I mean it does kind of go along with his issues during the Finchel engagement, but I still don’t fully buy it). And this is when Brittany breaks some really crappy news - harsh enough that Kurt is physically winded by it -- that Blaine moved in with Karofsky.

After a funny little beat about Uhauls mounting Mopeds - Brittany actually gives him some sound advice. That Kurt needs to start moving on.

Kurt, again emotionally honest, says he doesn’t want to do that - because if he does, he’ll be admitting that things are over between the two of them, and he doesn’t want that to be true.

And then Brittany says something that’s actually kind of wise, tbh. She uses a metaphor about candy to demonstrate, but basically -- Kurt can remain in love with Blaine all he wants, and really, it’s fine - he’s not going to magically get over his feelings any time soon, nor should he be forced to. But -- he does have to manage to move on with his life and start living it. Harder done than said - but her point is valid. Kurt’s stuck in this sad place, and no one should be held back wishing and hoping for things to maybe or sorta work out.

Kind of like Burt said to Blaine in Season 4 - if things are meant to work out - they will. (Especially if it’s fiction, tbh, in non-fiction you do have to work at things.) But the point is - Blaine, for the moment anyway, has chosen Karofsky - and to make it serious with Karofsky. Kurt’s declared his intentions and that’s about all he can do - the ball is in Blaine’s court now. Kurt does need to go live his life however that might be.

(Now - do I think he needed to date an old dude while waiting? No, but the writers needed to go meta so whatever...)

But lastly - I want to point out that Kurt living his life does not negate his feelings. As we’ll see in a sec - Kurt very much and deeply loves Blaine. That’s not going to change the rest of the series.

The only thing throwing me off is Brittany -- cause here she’s giving him sound advice to move on, and then later she’s in with Sue about getting Kurt back together with Blaine. When did she do a 180? Or is this part of the plan? The writers kinda have dropped the ball with Brittany making any sense, tbh.

Reflection

So - here we get the writers kind of heavily hinting at something... I wonder what... ;)

Okay first of all though, Jane and Mason are singing a mashup of Head Over Feet/Will You Still Love Me -- which is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. But here’s the thing -- a lot of people (rightfully one could argue) say that Klaine doesn’t have much of a musical arc in this season. And I’d say - that’s because other people are singing the songs. Yeah - there’s a bit of flirtatiousness between Jane and Mason here - and it’s sweet, tbh. But this song is about Kurt and Blaine - and more so - it’s about Kurt’s feelings about Blaine.

There are two aspects of this song -- the Carole part -- will you still love me tomorrow? the song asks. Kurt’s heart is broken, he’s just learned that Blaine’s moved in with someone else -- is it over? Cause there’s the second part of this -- the Alanis part, Head over Feet - an underrated love song if I might say so. It’s about someone being so sure and so great with their love that they feel clear headed -- and it kind of is a nod to the depth of Kurt’s love. He’s not going to run out and follow Brittany’s advice this second - but even when he does try to move on, this song is closer to his heart.

And if the song and Kurt’s growing sense of emotion during it isn’t enough...

THEY GIVE US A FREAKIN’ KLAINE FANVID! Which really isn’t for Kurt - it’s for us, a narrative tool showing that no matter what is said in this episode, Klaine is so not done.

But if we take it as Kurt’s memories - there’s something fascinating going on here. Unlike last time when Kurt was visioning romanticism and sex (Come What May), here he’s remembering all the things -- friendship and humor and sucky, sucky moments, but also promises of forever. And I think this is when Kurt finally, really gets it - that it’s not about needing to wait until a certain time and being stubborn about that. It’s knowing that, hey, sometimes life sucks - even with your partner - and you’ve got to roll with it because the highs out weigh the lows, and you can’t just run away from them.

But also - Kurt’s worried that it might be too late, though, even if it is, he cannot change the depth of the love in his heart.

(I love this little bit - and it might be one of my favorite Klaine bits in the entire show!)

And also - Kurt’s visibly crying by the end of it. A reminder that Kurt doesn’t outwardly show his emotions very often, but also that there are very few people who can get under his shell. Santana couldn’t penetrate it with that lengthy and horrible rant earlier. But Blaine? Blaine’s sweetness and kindness and love has unexpectedly always ended up back in Kurt’s heart, and he really can’t run from it. And he no longer will.

Anyway - at the end of the scene, Kurt puts back on his armor and charges in at Jane and Mason. I totally disagree with all of his assessments - there’s a ton of simple complexity here - and they don’t need choreography to make this number valuable - but Kurt’s lashing out (as Rachel calls him out on) because he’s emotionally compromised, and he’s trying to direct that at something else than his own broken heart.

You know it’s kinda crazy when Rachel of all people can call him out on his emotional bullshit. Good for her.

Side note - later, when the girls are talking to Becky, Santana hits the nail on the head when she says - real relationships happen when you stop being the person you think the other person wants and just be yourself. Blaine’s finally learned that he hard way - and now, so has Kurt. And they’ll be better people and have a better relationship because of it.

Check Your Baggage

So much later, Kurt comes back to Rachel to apologize. And meta the situation for me so I don’t have to! He says straight up that his break up is effecting him, and he shouldn’t let it in a teaching situation, and it’s also causing him to grab for control in inappropriate places - like while teaching, and with the Brittana proposal. Thanks Kurt! Saves me the time of having to spell it out through subtext.

And then Rachel says Kurt’s tough love approach worked in their favor. **headdesk** okay whatever show - just do your own rules... it’s season six, I don’t care anymore.

And then Hummelberry decide that they’re gonna be good teaching partners. Um, was this an issue - were they fighting and I just missed it? Show, do you even know what you’re doing anymore? Doesn’t matter anyway - cause in a few episodes, Will’s gonna be back and who cares.

So - at the end, Kurt and Rachel give this whole speech about how you can be different and come at things with different ideas and opinions, but that makes you wonderful and unique and special, and still work as a team. As Kurt says - Mash Ups aren’t always pretty.

And then they break into what could be an anthem for the show - You’ve Got a Friend/You Live You Learn.

Before I get to the song, though, let’s point out that Santana and Kurt are pretty happy and chummy with each other at the end. Santana said her peace and Kurt apologized, and that’s all water under the bridge, so no worries there.

But the mash up, yeah, I like this one. Cause one part of it is about having friends when you need them, and the other part is about growing up and living and learning a whole ton along the way. It’s really well done.

In fact - I think all the songs in this episode are really well done. This entire episode is, actually, really well done. And, while it’s subtle, Kurt’s worked out some of his shit in this episode. It’s really a pretty good (albeit angsty) one. See - season 6 isn’t all bad! :)

#finding kh #kurt hummel

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17piesinseptember · 5 years

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B and N for the fanfic ask :)

Thanks so much for sending these in ♡♡

Check out the full list and ask me a question

B: Any of your stories inspired by personalexperience?

The one that comes to mind is All The Sights of Paris. Not the whole fic, but the first scene on top of the Eiffel Tower. More the setting than the actual ‘meeting a cute guy and getting my photo taken by him’. It’s more the actual physical aspects of the space and realityof being up there. (The real story is I was carrying my little cousin around because her mother is scared of heights and wouldn’t leave the inner wall, and some tourists thought I was her mother...I was 15.)

The other big one is probably I Know Now. In my final year of high school, I had a study group for modern history but every other study session seemed to end up me and this one guy and we’d not always do the study part (think endless YouTube rabbit holes and junk food).

Then there are little things that have inspired works. Like;

maybe just by holding still it’ll be there - one time at a choir rehearsal there were suddenly all these dancers in the break room with us

more than a gift card - I got a gift card in the secret santa at work

love me lights out - I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a little of me in this one (and a little bit of a lot of you judging by comments and people’s tags)

soft-p*rn snapchat - one time my cousin got very liberal with documenting a bachelorette party on her story

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else wouldwrite (or finish) for you?

Ah! So many! I have a big doc with all these fic ideas and some of them I know will take more dedication than I have to do them justice.

I started ages and ages ago writing a Zimbits fic that’s canon-divergent from EpiKegster. It’s would be a super slow burn fic that starts with Jack and Kent hooking up that night and Bitty accidentally finding out. It would especially confuse Bitty since EpiKegster is when he maybe starts thinking Jack could be interested in him. But then Kent and Jack get back together and so that sets up a whole different timeline for Bitty/Jack, plus, depending how deep or long re timeline I want the fic to go, there’d be a whole different mentality for Jack going into signing with a team etc. And it would draw on the ensemble cast from the comic more than a lot of my fics do.(Snippet from this fic under the cut.)

As you can see, a lot of work would need to go into that, so hey, anyone wants to write it or collab on it or something I’m all ears :)

Aside from that, I’d love a good seriously done political AU, and I’m similarly tempted by a Hogwarts + magical bond AU...

Check out the full list and ask me a question

Bitty doesn’tmean to snoop. Truly. It’s just that the reading room is right outside hisbedroom window, and it’s not like the Haus walls are the be all and end all ofintegrity or thickness. So when Shitty and Jack are talking early in themorning after the Epikegster, Bitty hears.

He wakes up—groggy,and still tired—rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms up above his head. Hedidn’t drink that much last night after realising just how potent the tub juicewas, and he made sure to keep up his water intake.

The voices areindistinct and unbothersome at first, but Bitty—lazy, his phone plugged in tothe opposite wall by his desk, and interested in staying in bed—starts tryingto pick up whose they are. The accent gives Jack away first. The swearing,Shitty.

Bitty wonderswhether he should knock on his window, let them know he’s awake and can hearthem. He rolls over instead, telling himself he’ll go back to sleep. It’s only six,after all. He’s not even gotten a full four hours of rest. He suspects Shittyhasn’t slept at all, but Jack went upstairs early last night, and he’s normallyan early riser.

Bitty’s eyesare closed again, Senor Bun tucked under his arm, when Shitty’s voice raises,possibly unintentionally, and Bitty’s suddenly more alert.

“You had sex with Kent Parson?”

Bitty holdshimself still. He’s certain he shouldn’t be hearing this conversation. Like twoplus two makes four, like the sun rises each morning, Bitty should not beoverhearing a discussion of Jack’s sex life. He has though, and now it’s toolate to interrupt and suggest Jack and Shitty move somewhere private. In fact,they probably thought that the reading room wouldbe private, everyone asleep in their rooms after last night.

Bitty doesn’thear Jack’s response. Maybe he doesn’t say anything. What Bitty hears is hisown intakes of unsteady breath and the blood pumping loudly in his head.

“How did that evenhappen?” Shitty asks.

Bitty won’tlie. He’s curious. Mostly because he thought Jack was straight, had resignedhimself to that fact. Besides, Bitty saw Jack react to Kent’s “didja miss me”at the party. He wouldn’t have thought that expression left any room forfriendly interactions between the two men.

It seems thoughthat somehow, something did happen.

#shipped-goldstandard #it's my reply #ask meme #it took me so long to write this because i was having too much fun going through my fic ideas list :P #mine

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wiener-soldiers · 7 years

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can’t help falling in love - peter parker

request: I was wondering if you could write a peter parker x reader and have the reader being able to play the Ukulele? And maybe have peter not know she plays and he catching he playing/singing? Lots of Fluff? I hope you notice this! Ps love your writing sweetheart💚 (requested by @nevaehsuga)

summary: As an avid music lover, the ukulele was just another instrument you had learned to play. However when Peter catches you playing, he can’t help but be amazed.

pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

words: 1,522

warnings: major fluff like i was squealing while i was writing

a/n: first request guys! this was super fun to write, so i hope y’all enjoy. i’m working on a part 2 to Forgiveness in Time, so that’ll be up tomorrow. remember that requests are open and im honestly so happy when i get them! ALSO ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS!

There were three constants in you life; your love for your family, space, and music.

Growing up, the relationship between you, your parents, and your sibling was tight. No matter the situation, the love shared between yourselves was constant.

Space was also consistent. To anyone else, space is just something out of their reach; a beautiful sight to behold, but no one bothers to look because they are busy sleeping. Not you, though. Although space had always fascinated you (let's be real; NASA was the goal), space was just a way to show that there was so much you didn't know, and that you curiosity was always overpowering.

Music, however, was not an art. To you, it was a religion. From as long as you could remember, music had been incorporated into your life. In the fourth grade, you joined an Honours Choir, signing in competitions all across New York City. In the seventh grade, you joined the middle school band. You picked up the clarinet and played well enough to have been invited to join the New York City Honour Band less than a year after you started to play.

Your love only blossomed from there. When you became old enough to discover Broadway, you immediately fell in love. You bought countless cast albums, and still cry every time you listen to Hamilton. As soon as you started high school, you were auditioning in the school's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Along the way, you mastered the piano, you taught yourself the guitar, and even learning some trumpet.

But the small, charming instrument called the ukulele captured your heart.

In middle school, you were definitely the 'always-on-Tumblr-oh-my-god-Tyler-Joseph-is-my-dad' kid, and after hearing House of Gold by Twenty One Pilots for the first time, you instantly fell in love with the charming stringed instrument, later running to your favourite music store and buying yourself a ukulele.

You picked up the ukulele very quickly after already knowing how to play guitar, and every extra second you had to spare was strumming that instrument.

Which was where you found yourself that Saturday afternoon. Instead of studying for your biology exam, you found yourself distracted and desperately craving the sound of the ukulele. So, you pushed your textbooks aside and grabbed your ukulele, strumming a few chords.

Before you know it, you find yourself strumming the chords to We Don't Believe What's On TV by Twenty One Pilots.

The song was special to you, solely because it reminded you of your best friend, Peter Parker.

You had met him after school during rehearsal night. You were starring as Esmeralda in the Hunchback and slipped out of the auditorium to grab some water while the ensemble was learning some choreography. As you stepped away from the water fountain, you noticed a blur of someone wearing red and blue skin tight material run past you and up the stairs. Curiously, you had followed him.

The staircase lead to an empty hall, aside from Peter Parker standing at his locker, attempting to stuff something inside it.

"Peter?" you call out, "Peter Parker?"

You watched as his head whips around. "Yeah? That's me. Uh--(Y/N)?"

You walk closer to him. The closer you got, the more nervous he seemed.

"What are you doing here this late?" you question.

Peter scratches the back of his neck. "I could ask you the same question."

"I'm at rehearsal. We're doing The Hunchback this year, remember?"

"Oh," was his only response, forgetting to answer your question completely.

You put a hand on your hip and continue, "Say, did you see someone run up here? Clad in red and blue spandex?"

He stutters out a, "No."

"So then what are you doing at your locker?"

"Getting some books I forgot, I told you."

"No, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

You roll your eyes, getting impatient. Finally deciding that enough was enough, you grabbed the handle to his unlocked locker. Despite Peter's pleas, you yank it open to find the Spiderman suit hung on the coat hook.

"You're Spiderman," you say in disbelief.

"You can't tell anyone."

So you didn't. You and Peter came up with a deal. Peter was in the same Biology class as you were, and as much as you hated to admit it, you needed a tutor. So in exchange for keeping your secret, Peter helped you not only pass, but ace the midterms.

As the months went by, your 'business deal' turned into a friendship, and on your part, love.

You got to the chorus of the song and began to sing.

“I need to know that when I fail you'll still be here,

'Cause if you stick around I'll sing you pretty sounds,

And we'll make money selling your hair.

I don't care what's in your hair,

I just wanna know what's on your mind,

I used to say, ‘I wanna die before I'm old,’

But because of you I might think twice.”

You continue to strum and finish the song with some occasional singing and humming. As you strum the last chord, a slow clapping comes from the fire escape outside your window.

There you find Peter clad in his Spiderman suit, mask off, sitting on your windowsill.

A blush comes up your cheeks as you stand up to close the door and pull him inside your room.

"Pete! What are you doing here? Someone coulda seen you!" you scold him, but your insides were screaming in joy that Peter decided to stop by.

He laughs and slings the backpack he was wearing off his shoulders, gesturing for you to turn around so he can get changed. You quickly spin against your heel, but you manage to sneak a glance at Peter's insanely sculpted back muscles before he slipped on a shirt.

You finally become aware that he had finished changing as you heard the squeak in your mattress as Peter sits down. "I didn't know you could play," he says while inspecting the ukulele laying on top of your comforter.

You sit next to him and smile a little, "I picked it up a couple weeks ago. I haven't really shown anyone. Well, until you showed up."

He laughs and nudges your shoulder before replying, "Well, I'm glad I did because you are absolutely breathtaking."

You stare at him and smile, "Thanks, Pete."

He smiles back and look back at the ukulele, turning it in his hands. He plucks each string one by one, before strumming all four together. He turns to look at you again.

"Teach me?" he asks, looking at you hopefully.

You nod in return and move your hand above his, moving his fingers above certain strings to form a chord.

"Now strum," you instruct.

With his opposite hand, his fingers gracefully strum the strings. The beautiful sound reverberated in your ears.

"I did it!" he says excitedly, with the biggest smile on his face.

You let out a giggle at how cute he was, "Yes you did, you big dork. Now, shut up so I can teach you a song."

After a couple of minutes, he learns the rest of the chords. And in less than an hour, he plays the song almost flawlessly.

You watch him with a smile as he stands up on your bed to do a celebratory dance, ukulele still in his hands.

"Peter!" you manage to say in between your fits of laughter, "come down before you break yourself, or my ukulele!"

He laughs at you, but sits back down beside you nevertheless. You had retreated to the floor, using the bed as a back rest in fear that Peter was going to jump on you.

After the laughter dies, he places the ukulele in front of you and turns to you.

"What song did you teach me anyways? You never told me."

"Oh!" you say with a surprised tone, "it was I Can't Help Falling in Love with You."

"Good," Peter says with a slight smirk on his face.

"What?" you ask, utterly confused.

Peter smiles and shakes his head. "Well," he starts, "it's good to know that the girl you fell in love with can't help falling in love with you, too."

Your mouth drops in shock, trying to process what just happened.

Deciding that it didn't matter you quickly uttered, "Peter Parker, you are the smoothest dork I know," before pressing your lips to his.

He makes a noise in response before responding. His arms find their way to your back, pulling you closer to his honey tasting lips, and your hands find themselves wrapped around his neck, playing with his hair. He begins to lean closer, but accidentally ends up kicking your ukulele in the process, a sour sounding chord playing quietly. You both pull away in laughter.

"I'll make you deal. You keep teaching me how to play, and you'll do me the greatest honour in letting me be your boyfriend," Peter says as he tucks a stand of (Y/H/C) hair behind your ears.

You smile and pull him in for another kiss. You whisper back in adoration, "It's a deal."

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vivi-ntvg · 7 years

Text

I was tagged by @ure-gonna-loveme-when-u-seeme, thanks! Bit late, but this is a long one so I needed time :P

Rules: Answer the 92 statements and tag 20 people

LAST:

1. Drink: Water

2. Phone call: A friend I was meeting

3. Text message: My sister

4. Song: The Circle of Life, which we’re rehearsing in choir

5. Time you cried: Last Tuesday, a difficult project at university was due in two days and one of my teammates hadn’t done shit yet and nothing was working the way it should and I was frustrated

HAVE YOU:

6. Dated someone twice: Nope

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Not really

8. Been cheated on: Nope

9. Lost someone special: Yes, my uncle

10. Been depressed: I’ve been sad, but I wouldn’t say “depressed”

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: I don’t even like alcohol

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:

12. Violet

13. Red

14. Blue

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: I don’t think so

16. Fallen out of love: Nope

17. Laughed until you cried: Maybe, I don’t remember

18. Found out someone was talking about you: Nope

19. Met someone who changed you: Nope

20. Found out who your friends are: No, they are still the same

21. Kissed someone on you Facebook list: Nope

GENERAL:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life? The majority, I think. I have a penfriend and one person I don’t really know but I think that’s it.

23. Do you have any pets?: No *cries*

24. Do you want to change your name?: Nope

25. What did you do for your last birthday?: I had a party with my family and I went to the cinema with my friends to see Doctor Strange.

26. What time did you wake up?: 12:20

27. What were you doing at midnight last night?: Catching up on YouTube videos

28. Name something you can’t wait for: The end of midterms on Wednesday and four free days

29. When was the last time you saw your mom?: Considering I live with my parents, about two hours ago

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life?: I wish I wasn’t so shy so I could socialise more easily, especially with new people

31. What are you listening to right now: Absolute silence, except for my clock ticking

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: No, not a common name here in Uruguay

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: The stupid Database midterms I have

34. Most visited website: Fanfiction, Tumblr, Facebook and YouTube

?????? MORE QUESTIONS

35. Mole/s: Uh, no

36. Mark/s: Nope

37. Childhood dream: Probably meeting my cartoon character idols, haha

38. Haircolor: Dark brown

39. Long or short hair: Shoulder-length

40. Do you have a crush on someone: No, I’m asexual

41. What do you like about yourself?: I can be patient, and I try to solve problems (which is probably why I like engineering), and I’m empathetic.

42. Piercings: None

43. Bloodtype: Absolutely no idea

44: Nicknames: Vivi, mostly

45. Relationship status: Single

46. Zodiac: Scorpio

47. Pronouns: She/her

48. Favorite TV show: Person of Interest, too bad it ended

49. Tattoos: Not for now

50. Right or Left hand?: Left

51: Surgery: If extraction of wisdom teeth counts, yes.

52. Hair dyed a different color: Nope

53. Sport: swimming. I did a parachute jump once and love those extreme sports, but they’re expensive as hell so I can’t really do them :/

54. Vacation: Anywhere near a nice beach

55. Pair of trainers: ?? If this is asking about my shoes, I have a pair of Converse for summer and a pair of Vans for winter, I guess...

MORE??

56. Eating: Pizza, hamburgers, milanesas

57. Drinking: Coke or fruit juice (preferrably orange)

59. I’m about to: Go to bed hehe

61. Waiting for: Finish this so I can go to sleep :P

62. Want: For it to be Wednesday already

63. Get married: No. I’m asexual-aromantic, so I’m not really interested in finding a soulmate or anything like that. I do, however, want a nice, long-lasting best friend.

64. Career: If everything goes well, I’ll be an engineer some day

65. Hugs or kisses: Hugs. I don’t like kisses all that much

66. Lips or eyes: Eyes

67. Shorter or taller: Taller, maybe because I’m short

68. Older or younger: Probably older because I’m 21 and younger would be too much xD

70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Don’t really care

71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive

72. Hookup or relationship: Relationship

73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesistant? IDK

74. Kissed a stranger: Nope

75. Drank hard liquor: Nope

76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: I don’t wear those and I don’t wear sunglasses either

77. Turned someone down: Yes

78. Sex on the first date: Nope

79. Broken someone’s heart: We dated for two weeks so I don’t really think I broke his heart

80. Had your heart broken: I was dumped, not sure I’d say I was heartbroken though, I got over it pretty quickly

81. Been arrested: Nope

82. Cried when someone died: Yes

83. Fallen for a friend: Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. Yourself: Of course, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be studying the career I am.

85. Miracles: Nope

86. Love at first sight: Nope. You may think someone’s attractive, but love?

87. Santa Clause: I’m too old for that

88. Kiss on the first date: IDK

89. Angels: Not really

Other:

90. Current best friend’s name: Natalia

91. Eye color: Green, I love green eyes

92. Favorite movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas, How To Train Your Dragon (surprise surprise)

Tagging:

@rock-n-roll-curly-blonde @inthelapofthegods74 @sunhildmueller @classictownshend @tenementfunster @diaries-of-a-bookworm

No, I’m not tagging 20, this took long enough already xD

#tag game

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happyunicornsposts-blog · 7 years

Text

The New Girl

Been working on this for a bit. Hope you like it!

Prompt: New girl comes to school. Someone unlikely seems to get her in just a split second and now can’t seem to stop thinking about her? What will happen to Damian Wayne when his brothers find out about her?

Long Oneshot.

Word Count: 2977

Cast:

Shanina Shaik as Karelia Stanislawski

Kara woke up the next morning, her long dark coal colored hair tousled and covering her face. She sat up on her luxurious, white, queen sized bed and stretched pushing her hair back. She got up and walked to her elegant bathroom with cream tiles and grey marble counters, a bathtub decorated with gold and a shower. She took a long, hot shower washing her bottom length hair till she stepped out wrapped in a towel and walked to her counter.

This is how her life has always been. Her daily, boring routine

She absolutely hated it but she needed to stay low.

Though she wanted to fly free like a bird at the moment

Soar her wings into the uncertain, dreadful world

But she could never do so

Because of her having such a rich dad who forces her not to do anything stupid (but still loves her!)

Because she was honestly such a goodie-two-shoes that couldn’t last a day in the world

Plus, because she was already extremely late for her first day at Gotham Academy.

Kara arrived at the one and only Gotham Academy. ‘Goodness it’s so big’ she thought. She waved goodbye to her father who drove her and stood in the middle of her two siblings; her sister and brother who were twins. “It’s alright Kara, we’ll be here for you” smiled her older sister, Maia with gleaming blue eyes and dark coal brown hair like Kara’s.

How nice it is to have an older sister who absolutely hates girls who wear a lot of makeup, loves sport, hates all the rich snobs in this school (though she’s rich), who is smart, funny, but has a pure heart of gold.

“And just call me if there’re any guys around you” growled Adrien, her older brother holding her shoulder tightly and frowning, his dark hair neatly slicked back and his bright green eyes gleaming.

And then an older brother who is extremely over-protective, a total jock, smart, funny, caring and just like the rest of the Stanislanski , had a pure heart of gold.

Kara giggled softly and hit his brother’s arm. “I’ll be alright” she said.

Her voice was like a soft breeze near the beach that could softly rock wind chimes creating soft chords of wood touching.

“I should get going. I have math first” she smiled softly hugging her brother and sister before rushing off to the building, her hair in a ponytail bobbing to the left and right, the scent of fresh berries on a spring day filled the corridor.

She arrived at her math classroom and walked in, making sure she doesn’t get called on by the teacher. Luckily no students noticed since they were conversing between each other.

But she was wrong.

“Ah you must be the new student” he said with a neutral voice. Kara froze and nodded softly. “Well come up and introduce yourself” he said giving a small smile before turning to the class. “Class attention please!” he demanded causing a jump from Kara. “We have a new student. Please come up and introduce yourself” he said smiling at Kara. She nodded and walked to the front of the class timidly. “Err, I’m Kara Stanislawski ” she said softly but loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone nodded and she turned to the teacher. “Ms. Stanislawski please go sit next to Mr. Wayne right there” he smiled and Gabrielle nodded.

Damian sighed softly.

Another melancholy day at school

Another day full of screeches and tugs from crazy girls

“Ms. Stanislawski please go sit next to Mr. Wayne right there” he heard the teacher say. He hadn’t been listening but busy sketching on his notebook. He looked up expecting some girl with hideous makeup and over-scented clothes but instead he saw a quick flash of coal hair and a pink tint from the girl’s cheeks. “All right class, we’re having a quiz and this one is a summative!” he said and everyone groaned except for the girl who was sort of expecting this. The teacher passed down the papers till he went back to his desk and began reading a newspaper casually. Damian sighed and turned to his test. He looked at the first question he easily answered in the blink of an eye. All of this was easy for Damian.

He was raised by the League of Assassins after all.

He was on the last few questions of the test till he saw the girl get up from her seat and hand the test to the teacher before she went back to her seat and looked at her math notebook and began to draw. Damian shook his head. ‘The girl probably failed the test’ he thought to himself finishing up the last few questions and handing the test paper back to the teacher and sitting down as he continued to draw. A few minutes later, the bell rang signaling the end of the first class of the day. The girl with the long coal hair got her things and put them in her bag before she walked away, a scent of fresh berries left behind her trail.

‘Whatever’ thought Damian.

“Alright class, for the next hour you’ll be working on some core exercises with a partner so go grab one” said the teacher. Nearly all the girls rushed to Damian’s side and smiled at him, others dragging him and pleading. But he merely moved them away rejecting them heartlessly till he walked towards Kara who was watching the crowd with amusement. “Partners?” he asked. He really didn’t want to work with any of the girls. Kara nodded with a small shrug and the two walked to get some mats. “Alright, we’ll start with some push-ups and then head of to some sit-ups. You could start if you’d like” he said before he felt something weird in his stomach. Kara nodded with a light smile and began doing some push-ups. Damian counted them, lightly blushing for her shirt sometimes dared to go downwards and expose some skin. Luckily she was wearing a camisole. Kara finished the push-ups and fell on the mat, lightly sweating. “You did about 120” said Damian very impressed. “You never told me your name Ms. Stanislawski ” he said crossing his arms and looking down at Kara.

“Sorry, my name’s Kara” she said flashing a small smile.

Damian’s knees felt weak, his heart skipped a beat, his stomach dropped.

‘Kara’ he thought.

“Oh err, well then Kara nice to meet you. I’m Damian Wayne” he said.

Kara gave him a light smile.

“Nice to meet you” she said.

His heart skipped another beat.

They remained in silence for the next hour, having small conversations here and there. After a while, the bell rang dismissing the others for lunch. Kara walked to the showers and took a quick shower before she dried off her hair leaving it in long beach waves that others try so hard to achieve. She tied it up into a neat ponytail again then put on her uniform before walking out of the lockers and towards the courtyard till she felt someone pick her up. She squeaked in surprise and saw her brother’s face. “Adrien put me down!” she squeaked and Adrien did. Kara had flushed pink cheeks and her lips were arched into a frown. “I’m guessing you had PE because your hair’s slightly wet” he said and Kara nodded. “I hope no boys tried to make a move” frowned Adrien clenching a fist. Kara rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m old enough to protect myself and no none of the boys made a move” she said, her eyes glinting with amusement. Adrien smirked. “Okay little sister” he said crossing his hands and ruffling her hair. “Really Ads” sighed a voice behind him. The two turned and saw Maia shaking her head. “What?” he asked and Maia ruffled his hair. “Do you know how long it took for me to fix my hair this morning?!” whined Adrien trying to fix it again. “You fixed your hair?” asked Kara lightly shocked and Maia laughed brightly while Adrien frowned. “Whatever, we should get going” he muttered. Kara waved goodbye to her sister and brother before she walked to the cafeteria serving a fresh garden salad. She found the cafeteria too crowded and she was quite claustrophobic and extremely shy so she decided to go outside and have her lunch near a cherry tree and pond. She ate her salad in blissful silence till she heard the bell ring and walked to her next class, French

Time Skip

After her French class, Kara began walking to her next class that was also one of her favorites.

Choir

She arrived and sat by a chair as all the other students began to enter the class till the teacher entered. “All right students, today we’ll be having a sort of rehearsal where all the students from the art programs come to this class and we will be selecting our student who will be singing a solo in the concert” explained the teacher and immediately everyone began to prepare, Kara simply sitting on her seat till her eye caught a glimpse of a grand piano nearby. She smiled softly and walked towards it before she saw the teacher. “Excuse me, could I use the piano?” she asked timidly and the teacher beamed a bright smile. “Of course” she smiled. Kara smiled a small “Thank you” before she walked to the grand piano and opened it carefully as if it were an artifact. She gasped softly at the sight of it.

‘It’s gorgeous’ she thought in awe. She played a small note and felt the sound of the piano in her ears she beamed. “Perfect” she said. She went back to her chair before the teacher announced the start of the audition recital.

Art divisions of the class were joined for the art presentation coming up. The choir concert.

Damian was absolutely scared of what was going to come.

He heard some girls sing at times

It sounded more of screeching to his ears

He sat back on his seat next to his friends Colin Wilkes and Mason Grey who both got a scholarship to the school. “Alright who wants to go first?” asked the teacher beaming as some students remained silent. “I’ll go!” said a girl with such a perky voice that made Kara’s eyes widen. ‘Is that her real voice?’ she wondered but pushed the thought aside. “Alright thank you Miss.Tiffany” smiled the teacher. Tiffany stepped up and sang her song, ‘Grenade’ by Bruno Mars and Damian had to admit, she wasn’t as bad as he expected for her to be. When Tiffany finished the class applauded loudly, the teacher giving light claps. “She was okay” whispered Colin to Damian and he chuckled, Mason nodded in agreement.

“All right, Next” smiled the teacher and another student stepped up, followed by another till it was only Kara left.

“Ms. Kara” smiled the teacher. Kara blushed and waved to the students softly as she sang her song.

I could give a thousand reasons why, and I know you

And you’ve got to

Make it on your own but we don’t have to grow up we can stay forever young

Living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola underneath the rising sun.

Damian was in awe as he heard Kara sing. She put her heart into everything, sounding like a siren or an angel that fell from heaven.

She finished her little performance soon and Kara blushed lightly at the silence of the class till the teacher applauded brightly, the students followed giving her a standing ovation. Every single heart in the room had been touched.

It was sensational…

So…

Wow.

Kara gave a light bow before she returned to her seat.

No one noticed it was the end of class. “Goodness, students, class dismissed” said the teacher wiping a stray tear away. Kara got her bag and books before she walked out of the class. “Ms. Kara?” said the teacher. Kara walked to the teacher. “That was a sensational song. You have a wonderful voice” she said. Kara smiled softly. “Please, call me Kara and thank you” she blushed. The teacher smiled and nodded. “Again that was a lovely performance and you’ve left me gob-smacked. Wonderful work Kara, you most likely got the part” winked the teacher. “Thank you” blushed Kara before she walked out of the room lightly smiling and found her brother and sister waiting. “Kara we heard you. Is it true everyone cried?” asked Adrien in Ukrainian and Kara nodded lightly blushing. Maia smiled softly. “I remember when I heard you sing and play that song and I teared up and applauded you and you were blushing like a red tomato” she smiled softly lightly chuckling. “It was the first song that popped up into my mind” smiled Kara.

Damian was still in shock from Kara’s song. He saw her talk to her sister and brother and he couldn’t help but go compliment her. He walked towards her and lightly tapped her shoulder. She turned and gave Damian a soft smile that made his stomach flutter. “Kara, may I just say that was a wonderful performance you did in Choir” he said lightly blushing. “Thank you Damian” replied Kara. “Well I should go” he said after seeing his car drive up. “Okay, bye Damian” smiled Kara softly before Damian rushed off to his car, his heart nearly popping out of his chest, his cheeks heavily flushed and his stomach feeling completely out of place. The windows dropped and he scowled after seeing his three brothers in the car, smirking at him. “Hop in” said Jason and Damian entered before Dick drove off. “So I see you took a liking to the new girl” smirked Tim and Damian rolled his eyes. “Drake, the ‘new girl’ has a name and she’s only a fellow classmate” said Damian lightly frowning. “Alright if this ‘new girl’ has a name, what is it?” asked Jason smirking. “Kara Stanislavski ” said Damian lightly blushing. ‘Kara’ he thought lightly smiling and Dick saw it from the corner of his eye. He stopped the car and everyone jerked to the front. “What the hell Dick?!” exclaimed Tim. “Damian did you just smile?!” exclaimed Dick excitedly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” said Damian crossing his hands and lightly blushing. Dick gasped surprisingly. “Guys he blushed!!” exclaimed Dick stifling a laugh. Tim chuckled as Jason laughed. “I would like to get back home on time if you don’t mind” snapped Damian. Dick simply smirked with the others and they drove back home.

After they immediately arrived, Damian rushed to his room and instantly, Dick and Jason turned to Tim. “Did you see the new girl?” asked Dick and Tim nodded. “Describe her” said Jason. “Okay so she has paleish-tanned, flawless skin, bright blue eyes and really long black hair because when she has it in a ponytail, it reaches till her waist, she’s really shy but has the most beautiful smile if I do say so myself” said Tim and Dick squealed. “Little D’s got it bad!” he said. “I have to admit, he has pretty good taste” said Jason smirking.

#damian wayne #batfamily #newgirl #oneshot #fluff #first time #cute #brotherlove

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thehumansymphony · 7 years

Text

Hey look a Todd Post!

It’s been a long long time since I made a post like this. I’ve missed it. This got super duper long so it’s going under a cut:

So yesterday Chorale had its annual Fish Fry fundraiser and nature walk at a local civil war battlefield. So I was there from 10-4 to help set up and cook and then clean and pack away.

It was a lot of fun, despite me getting a mild case of heat exhaustion (which I thankfully recognized the symptoms of very quickly and I was able to take care of myself before it got too bad).

And then later that night was the Symphony Orchestra doing the Requiem of Resistance in memory of those that were kept and died in the Terezin ghetto (the "clean and civil" nazi) in WWII. They did Verdi's Requiem and had narration that had stories from some of the prisoners of Terezin. It was incredibly moving, especially considering the current political climate.

I'd bought two tickets about 6 weeks ago because I was hoping I could give the extra to todd as a "thank you" for all the tickets he has provided me with. Unfortunately, his dad purchased tickets for the 3 of them shortly after I purchased mine so I was left with an extra ticket. And every time I found someone that wanted to go with me, they had to bail. So I ended up giving the extra ticket to a woman from Chorale.

At the fish fry, as we were cleaning up and loading up his car, todd mentioned that his dad had decided against going to the concert because he wanted to watch a women's basketball game on tv. So todd offered me the seat- which was in a much more accessible part of the auditorium for me than where my seats were- so I texted the woman who was taking my ticket and I offered her both of them. So she found a friend to go with her and I sat with Todd and his mom. And I also hitched a ride there with them since we figured parking was going to be insane.

The concert was pretty nice. Todd and I had both considered singing in the choir they put together (a lot of our friends sang!) but we decided against it when we saw the rehearsal schedule. They'd only meet like 4 times between the beginning of January and the first dress rehearsal which was just not enough. And he and I had been talking about how we really hoped the concert would go well for our friends and that it wouldn't be a disappointment. And it wasn't. It wasn't perfect by any means but it was great and the Chorus managed to hold its own for the most part.

I will admit that as soon as the house lights went out, I started dozing off. The concert was 2 hours long (no intermission) and I dozed through maybe 20 Minutes of soloists... but I always woke up for the Chorus. I was so proud of my people. I managed to find a couple after the concert and congratulate them on a job well done.

One of our friends, my lovely Donna was talking to us about performing. And then she just sighed and smiled at us and asked, “what’s next?”. And Todd tells Donna that we should get her one of the The West Wing Weekly “what’s next” shirts. And Donna needed us to explain what he was talking about- So, Todd and I are both huge fans of The West Wing and the podcast that Josh Molina (Will Bailey) and Hirshi Hirway are doing, The West Wing Weekly. And so Todd explained that the way Josh and Hirshi sign off every episode was:

Todd- “Okay?” Me- “Okay.” Todd- “What’s next?”

And Donna just grinned at us because ofc we’re standing there smiling like dorks after our public display of nerdery.

(Side note 1- TWWW is awesome! If you’re into The West Wing, I highly recommend checking out the podcast.

Side note 2- They have a shirt with the design of the Signal used in the season 1 finale of the show (1.22 What Kind of Day it has Been). The Signal has kind of become Todd’s and my new way of nonverbal reassurance with each other. Because we’re fucking nerds.

Side note 3- I’ve never had a huge interest in getting a tattoo but I keep thinking about getting one that says “What’s Next?” I may need to be talked out of this.)

As we were leaving the concert hall, Todd checked the basketball game's score and the team his family had been rooting for (i want to say FSU but I'm not sure...) had one by a good margin. So Dottie tells Todd (after they both finish cheering in the street) to call Jon and see if he wants to meet us somewhere for a beer (at which point I'm wondering if she forgot that I was in the car too) but alas Todd's father did not feel like leaving the house.

So instead, Dottie suggests that they just go back home and have beer, pretzels (ordered from somewhere in PA because nothing is better than the pretzels from home I've been told), and cheese. So we get back to Todd's and I was gathering me stuff to go to my car and head home (it's like 10:45 at the latest at this point) but Dottie stopped me and Invited me in to join them.

So, naturally, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to hang out with them. And Dottie offered me first pick of the beers in their fridge (all craft beers from different breweries) when I confessed that I normally had todd make recommendations for me. So she opened the fridge and pointed at todd and told him to pick something out for me. So he crouched in front of the fridge for a moment before selecting a pilsner and then he grabbed the appropriate glass from a cabinet and poured it for me. (“No of course we don’t have too many beer glasses what are you talking about?”) And his mom set out some pretzels and cheese and nearly forced the bowl into my hand and told me to help myself.

And then we joined Jon in the living room and watched some coverage on the men's Final Four stuff. After basketball, an episode of Angie Tribeca came on so we watched about 15 minutes of that before Jon went to bed. As soon as he got upstairs, Todd lunged across the coffee table to grab the remote and change the channel while Dottie got up to tidy up a couple of things before also heading up to bed.

Todd flipped around until he came to something showing The Australian Grand Prix.

I've never watched an F1 race before but I knew a lot of the drivers (thank you Top Gear). It was fun. Todd kept doing silly accents to give commentary on the race and I was trying to stifle giggles so I didn't wake up his parents.

They still have their Christmas tree up. (Dottie told me they were hoping to have it down by easter.) I was sitting right in front of it so I was constantly looking at it and the different ornaments. Almost all of them are totally homemade by Todd or one of his parents. I love it so much.

Todd noticed that it was catching my attention so much so he kept coming over to point an ornament out and tell me about it. I'm pretty sure I called him a crafty bastard at some point but I'm not 100% sure at this point...

I also accidentally verbalized that I liked that his house felt homey. I've thought that since I first went inside his house last year but I've never said it out loud because I'm pretty sure it's a bit weird... and todd gave me a look so I had to try to explain. Some peoples' houses feel like they have no personality- like they just exist to give someone a place to stay and you can't tell that's it's actually a home? But Todd's house has personality. It feels like a home. It's welcoming and warm and makes me feel cozy. I can look at the art around the house and pick out who might have gotten it. So I got through babbling about that and he just gave me this small smile and pointed out some of the art he'd picked out (the architecture prints were kind of a giveaway).

We were still watching the Grand Prix and talking about the history of different aspects of racing. It was really nice???? I never thought I would enjoy watching a race that much but I think watching with Todd just made it really great??

We both knew it was getting late (and I had been zoning out and dozing off for the last hour or so whoops) and I kept saying I was going to get up and head home at every commercial break but then the race would come back and we'd get sucked in again.

Finally, about 1:40, I caught a reflection in the window of Todd's head slowly falling forward. I was trying not to snicker when it finally just FLOPPED all the way down to his chest. He started back awake and I turned to look at him and he was making one of those "did anyone see that?" faces. It was so ridiculously adorable that I couldn't help me smile a little. He saw me looking at him and kind of blushed and ducked his head as he gave me a sheepish grin.

"It's been a little bit of a long day, hasn't it?" I asked, holding up my fingers pinched together.

He copied the gesture and mouthed "a little bit" before he yawned.

So I decided that I really needed to leave before we both fell asleep in his living room. So I finally got myself up and I was grabbing my bowl off the side table when Todd got up to grab my glass. And we went into the kitchen and I was looking at more art that I hadn’t noticed before. So Todd came over and told me about the one I was really focusing on- a wooden block that looks like one of those puzzle cube games. And he told me that it was an architecture school project where they were given X number of wooden blocks in different shapes and sizes and they had to make something from it. And then he pointed out that the art print on the wall behind it was a tessellation of the block. It was just so cool.

And he decided to walk me out so we both stumbled out the front door and down the steps, giggling a little at our exhausted lack of coordination. But we made our way through the garage and out towards the street where I’d parked. And as I turned to leave I was saying that I’d see him on Monday at Community Chorus.

“Yes, Monday. And I’ll be there early because I have rehearsal for Ireland.” *Grimace* “Have they figured out what they’re going to do with those of us who AREN’T going to Ireland? They can’t possibly have us milling about during a rehearsal- it’s too big of a disruption.” “I think that’s exactly the plan.” *Yikes faces from both* then a whispered: “it wasn’t well thought out.” “It certainly doesn’t seem to have been.” “And how am I supposed to sell tickets before rehearsal if I’m in a rehearsal before rehearsal?” “Let me know if you’d like some help. I enjoyed helping with the tickets at UNITY.” “Well, I may have to make use of your services. But this time can we do it without the sprained knee?”

I responded very maturely by blowing a raspberry.

Somehow we got from there to songs that we’d like to do for the summer concert (Theme: A Night at the Movies- songs from the silver screen). We’ve been teasing Todd for the last couple of years that his “small group” is getting closer to being half the Chorale. My first year singing with them, we called it “Todd’s Ten”. Last year we added someone to it so we called it “Todd’s Eleven”. So I asked him if he had any thoughts on what “Todd’s 12, 13, 14…” would be doing.

He has some really great ideas- my favorites right now are “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys and a mashup of “Beyond the Sea” and the song it’s based on, “La Mer”. I adore Beyond the Sea and I’m always excited to do things in French.

And Todd mentioned that he thought it would be nice to make up a group of the younger chorale members (since a majority of our singers are nearing the age for Social Security and retirement). He started listing off some of the singers: “You, Alana, Kelli, Adam, Katie, Me…” I was mildly amused that he was counting himself amongst the younger members since he's always making jokes about getting old and being middle-aged (he turned 37 a few weeks ago). But I remembered that at our cooking class fundraiser last summer, Todd, Katie, and I were sat together. And Chris had made a comment that, as the 3 youngest people there, we were then dubbed “the kids table”. And it’s become a bit of a joke for Todd and I since then. So I suggested that this hypothetical group could call itself The Kid’s Table and Todd laughed. Perhaps a little too hard, as it kind of echoed around the otherwise silent cul-de-sac.

I’m pretty sure we would have chatted a little bit longer had my mother not woken up, realized I wasn’t home, and texted me to ask if I needed a sleeping bag. Which is when I realized it was nearly 2:15am.

I apologized profusely for keeping him up so late but Todd just laughed and assured me that it was totally fine. (Like, my dude, if a friend constantly kept me up way into ridiculous hours I would probably not be that chill about it. And especially not if someone was totally not supposed to hang out at my house until 2-fucking-am. Like there are only maybe 3 or 4 people that I would be cool with doing this.)

But, with this new maternal motivation, I finally made my way all the way to my truck. As I got in I could see Todd in his garage watching to make sure my truck started okay before he shut the door and went back inside.

Honestly, I think that if I hadn’t left when I did, we both would have probably ended up asleep in his living room. And i wonder if we would still have been there in the morning.

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

Every few months or so I’ll think that I’m starting to get over any crush feelings that I still have for him. And then we’ll have time together like this and I’ll just. Kind of fall for him all over again.

It seems like on a weekly basis I’m thanking my lucky stars that I have someone like him in my life. I’m not sure what I’ve done with myself that made the Universe think I was deserving of a friend like him. But I am so, so thankful it did.

( @ez-miller)

#The Todd Chronicles #Emily has a crush #Cumbergoddess #Reshmarambles #olivia #helena

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