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viastro · 4 years

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prom dress | kwon soonyoung

ミ★ synopsis: in which your dates ditch you both at prom.

ミ★ genre: high school!au, humor, fluff

ミ★ warnings: none!

ミ★ word count: 1,666

ミ★ pairings: made up character x female reader (only for the beginning) hoshi x female reader

ミ★ notes: hi guys! I don’t really like this oneshot uhh I literally pulled it out of my ass and it did not turn out the way I wanted it to. I hope you guys still enjoy it tho!

“Wow, you look amazing.” Gunwoo says as you walk down your stairs.

“Of course she does! I did her hair and makeup.” Your mom boasts, and you roll your eyes with a smile. You walk over to your date, giving him a hug.

“You look handsome Gunwoo.” You compliment, patting his head and he gives you an embarrassed smile. “Psh, stop.”

“It’s true!” You laugh, and he laughs along with you. He took the time to find a dress shirt that matches the color of your dress, a royal blue. Your dress is satin, a bit form fitting but it still gives you a bit of wiggle room which is a necessity for a prom dress.

“Okay! Let me take pictures of you two.” Your mom squeals, turning on her camera.

How you and Gunwoo ended up going to prom together? You can’t give a real good answer to that. You and him aren’t even that close, you’re just lab partners. He asked you to prom because him and his girlfriend broke up right before tickets went on sale, so now here you are.

a pity date.

“Okay mom, I’ll see you later tonight!” You say, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll have her home by 12 auntie.” Gunwoo smiles as he gives your mom a hug.

“Okay! Have fun you two.” You both wave bye and head out the door, walking over to his car.

“Where are we eating?” You ask as you buckle in your seatbelt. Gunwoo turns on the engine, handing you his phone so that you can aux. “You know that cute little cafe? The one that has all those aesthetic spots where we can take photos?”

“Yes! I heard they have really good boba.” You squeal, making Gunwoo laugh as he pulls out of your driveway.

“I’m glad to know that you’re excited.” He says as you put on Day6. You glance out the window, looking up at the stars for the rest of the drive there.

✿✿✿✿✿✿

“You go sit down, I’ll order for us.” Gunwoo tells you and you nod, going over to sit in one of the booths. You take out your phone as you wait, scrolling through Twitter before Gunwoo sits back down with your boba.

“Yay! Thank you Gunwoo.” He gives you a smile.

“The food will be ready in a few minutes.” You nod your head, and you get your phone ready so that you can take a video of you two shoving the straws into your bobas. You put your straws into the bobas successfully, giggling like little kids afterwards.

“I can’t believe I just did that.” You mutter, shaking your head and he laughs a bit more.

“I feel like a middle schooler.” Gunwoo tells you and you accidentally snort up boba at the comment, making him choke mid-sip.

“Oh my God, are you okay?!” He asks while laughing and you laugh as tears fill your eyes from the milk tea up your fucking nose.

“I’m okay.” You respond, blowing your nose to get all the tea out of your nose. Gunwoo’s face is red from laughing so hard, as is yours.

“Holy shit.” Gunwoo whispers and you look up at him after having calmed down. You raise an eyebrow and look in the direction as to where he’s staring, only to see his ex-girlfriend, Youngmi with her prom date. Your eyes widen at the sight of her date.

It’s Kwon Soonyoung, the guy you've lowkey been eyeing since the beginning of the school year. Soonyoung is incredibly handsome but at the same time very cute? It’s hard to explain, but just know his duality is insane. He has squishy cheeks, and looks very boy-ish when he smiles. When he’s not smiling however…. Good lord.

“We can go if you want?” You ask Gunwoo, turning around to check back on him. He shakes his head, giving you a small smile instead.

“It’s okay, we can leave after we eat and take a few insta pics.” He responds, and you nod your head. You move your curled hair to your right shoulder, holding out your phone to take a selfie with Gunwoo.

“Say… boing boing!” Gunwoo rolls his eyes playfully at your request, but mutters a quiet boing boing anyways. You take a couple shots, checking them over once you pull away. You notice that Gunwoo is looking in the direction of Youngmi in a few of the photos, and you let out a small sigh.

“Here’s your food.” The waiter interrupts, placing your plates down in front of you and Gunwoo. You practically inhale the ramen, making Gunwoo chuckle at you.

He’s not the only one who chuckles at the action, as you turn your head and notice that Soonyoung is smiling at you from the booth on the other side of the cafe. You feel your face warm, turning away immediately to prevent yourself from choking at the fact that you caught him staring at you.

“So cute.” Soonyoung whispers to himself as he watches your cheeks turn red. “What was that?” Youngmi asks as she takes a bite of her brisket.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Soonyoung responds, and Youngmi nods slowly, continuing to eat as her attention drifts off to you and Gunwoo.

✿✿✿✿✿✿

“Can we go get some water? Dancing made me thirsty.” You tell Gunwoo as he takes your hand and leads you out of the literal mosh pit.

“Honestly, I’m literally about to sweat buckets right now so let’s sit down.” Gunwoo says, and you sit down at a table.

“I’ll go and buy us some water, I’ll be back yn.” You nod your head gratefully as he walks off to buy some water across the dance floor. You take a look around the prom venue, noticing the couples grinding on each other and a girl literally oh my god she fell.

You notice a water bottle get placed onto your table, and you turn your head to see oh christ almighty.

Soonyoung is standing before you in all his glory. He’s giving you a small smile, a few drops of sweat dripping down his neck from dancing. “Can I sit here?” He asks and you nod your head slowly, realizing that you were literally gaping at him.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but our dates ditched us.” You raise an eyebrow at Soonyoung’s words, immediately turning to see Gunwoo speaking to his ex-girlfriend Youngmi. They’re smiling at each other, and she reaches out and holds his hand. She gestures to the dance floor and he nods his head, before his eyes widen and he turns to look for you.

He gives you a look that basically means, is it okay if I go? To which you nod your head, giving him a thumbs up. He gives you a grateful smile, letting Youngmi take him onto the dance floor. You let out a small sigh, leaning back into the chair and glancing over at Soonyoung.

“We just got ditched.” Soonyoung says, and you nod your head, letting out a laugh.

“I wouldn’t usually expect someone who just got ditched at prom to laugh.” Soonyoung tells you and you push your hair back with your hand.

“I mean honestly, I never thought I’d get ditched at prom. Or like, be sitting here with you while our dates go and dance together.” You answer honestly, and his eyes widen a bit in surprise.

“Is sitting here with me a bad thing?” Soonyoung asks you, and you give him a small smile, to which he grins.

“No, it’s not.” You respond and he giggles, making you giggle as well. You open up the water bottle he got you, taking a big gulp. The music changes to a slow song, and you notice all the couples start holding each other close. You see Youngmin rest her head on Gunwoo’s shoulder, and him smiling content at the recent turn of events for the night. You let out a small sigh, taking another gulp of water.

“Damn, I feel kinda lonely now-” You stop mid-sentence once you realize Soonyoung is standing now, hand outstretched towards you.

“Yn, would you like to dance with me?” You bite the inside of your cheek, reaching out and grasping his soft hand. He smiles down at you, and you feel a blush form on your cheeks once again. “Yes, yes I would.”

He leads you to the dance floor, wrapping his arms tentatively around your waist. You reach your arms up, linking your hands behind the back of his neck. You both sway in silence for a beat, taking a look at the couples around you. While Soonyoung stares down at you, taking notice of the way your eyes sparkle under the lights.

“Not going to lie, I’ve had a small crush on you this whole year.” Soonyoung confesses, and you immediately turn to look at him with wide eyes. “Are you being deadass right now?”

“Hell yeah. I’ve been too shy to actually try and have a conversation with you though. I was hoping we’d be lab partners, but the teacher paired you and Gunwoo up so I was stuck with Chan.” You feel your face progressively get warmer at Soonyoung’s confession, and he smiles at you.

“I can’t believe this…” You mutter and he spins you around, making you squeal as he pulls you back to him.

“What do you say we go to the arcade across the street?” Soonyoung suggests, and you grin.

“That would be absolutely epic.”

“Okay, let’s go after this song finishes.”

“But wait,” You say, looking back up into Soonyoung’s eyes. He cocks his head to the side as he looks down at you.

“Don’t you want to hear my answer to your feelings?” You ask and he gives you a sweet smile.

“I don’t want you to feel forced to return my feelings, I’m willing to try harder.” Soonyoung answers and you feel your heart warm. “What a sweetheart you are.” You tease, retracting your hands from the back of his neck to cup his face.

“Let’s make the arcade our first date.” You tell him, squishing his face and he laughs at you, pure affection in his eyes as he stares at you. He turns his head a bit so that he can place a soft kiss on your wrist, making you squeak. He gives you a big smile, squeezing your waist softly.

“I’d love that.”

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rhinoswriting · 3 years

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A Life On The Road - Part 4 (A Luke Hemmings FanFic)

Overview: Elizabeth and Calum have been best friends since they were 15/14 respectively. Elizabeth is from and lives in the UK, but her family lived in Sydney for a brief 2 year period which is how the two met.

With 5SOS embarking on their biggest and most ambitious world tour to date, Cal has invited Elizabeth along to work as a photographer/content creator for their social media. This is in the hopes that travelling with them will help Elizabeth achieve her dream of becoming a full-time travel writer.

Elizabeth is acquainted with the rest of 5SOS but doesn’t know them tremendously well. Obviously that changes as they are all forced to be in one another’s company for the duration of the tour. As the tour progresses and new friendships blossom, Elizabeth feels the connection between her and Luke grow more and more.

A/N: Picking up in Paris. There’s drinking and swearing in this one.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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“That was genuinely one of the best meals I’ve ever had.” Michael announced as we exited the restaurant.

“It was incredible! I’m still so jealous of your main though, Mikey. Like, mine was good but I should have got the same as you.” I replied.

“So where to next? The night is still young and we have no obligations before tomorrow’s soundcheck.” Ashton asked the group.

A bar was obviously the unanimous decision. But I did convince them to walk aimlessly until we found a bar. That way we could see some of the landmarks lit up and I could get some content both for the band insta and to go alongside any Paris articles of mine that got picked up.

“I’m going to have my work cut out topping these,” I told the guys as I reviewed the short series of photos I had just taken of them by The Louvre, “So I think that counts as me done for the night. Time to find the nearest baaarrrr!”

It didn’t take long to find a bar. It also didn’t take long for us to all have a cocktail glass held in each hand. While the meal was excellent, it was quite a posh place, something none of us were exactly used to. This bar felt much more like our kind of place. It was time to really relax and have fun as nothing more than a group of friends.

In terms of music it was a bit hit and miss as to whether or not we knew the song playing. While that stopped us singing, it never stopped us from dancing. Also, not being familiar with a song was an excellent opportunity to get the next round of drinks in.

“Hurry up! I don’t have a good grip on these! Quick! Take your fucking drinks!” I yelled as I returned from the bar doing my very best to carry five glasses.

“Thanks, EP!” Cal shouted back as he took two glasses from me, passing one on to Michael.

“TO EP FOR ADDING MORE FUN, AND RIGHT NOW DRINKS, TO TOUR AND BEING A STEP CLOSER TO ACHEIVING HER DREAMS!” Ashton called as he raised his glass into the air for a toast.

“TO EP!” The four of them shouted as they clinked their glasses together.

“You guys are too much at times,” I laughed, “But thank you very much none the less.”

With that slightly embarrassing moment of attention out the way we got back to dancing and sipping on our drinks. After a few songs Cal excused himself to the smoking area. Not long after he’d gone Michael went up to the bar as it was his turn to buy the round, leaving just me, Luke and Ash dancing in a little triangle of space. That was until Live In The Moment by Portugal. The Man started playing.

As soon as we recognised the song Luke gave me a knowing look as I exclaimed ‘As if!’ because only hours ago in that random little coffee shop had we bonded over our mutual current obsession with the song. From that point until the song faded into the next Luke and I were solely focussed on one another as we passionately sang the lyrics at each other and let the beat draw our drunk, dancing bodies closer together in the already small space.

Without even realising it we became only inches apart, loudly singing into each other’s faces with our drink-free hands moving between air punches, waves and resting on each other (his hand on my waist, mine on his shoulder). And then far too soon the song was over.

“That’s officially made my night,” I declared as I took a step back and downed what remained of my drink, “That was the best coincidence ever.”

“I think that just became our song.” Luke smiled down at me while pushing a few curls back out of his face.

“Are you fucks going to take your drinks now? Because I’m 30 seconds away from drinking them.” Michael somewhat playfully asked, pulling the two of us out of our bubble.

It wasn’t long after taking our drinks from Michael that Mr. Brightside came on and the five of us went mad for it on the dancefloor. And it turned out that, just like a multitude of other clubs I’d been to, Mr Brightside was a subtle signal that closing time was fast approaching. After the two songs that followed, the music stopped and the house lights came on.

“Boooo!” We all declared, clearly not ready for the night to be over just yet.

We collected our jackets from the cloakroom as we were ushered out into the cold Parisian night air with the rest of the crowd. Once out on the street we checked the time for the first time in hours. Realising it was 3:05am and nowhere else was likely to still be open we began our walk back to the tour bus.

It may seem strange to say, but drunk walks home at the end of a night out are one of my favourite things in the world. I get such a feeling of togetherness when I’m laughing and slightly staggering down the street with friends. It always makes me feel like I belong. And semi-lost under the streetlights of Paris I had that feeling of belonging wash its warmth over me. I took two large steps to catch up with Cal and looped my arm through his,

“I so fucking glad I’m here. Thank you so much for being my best friend. And thank you for having bandmates that are so easy to get along with.” I told Cal as I placed my drunk, sleepy head against his arm as I wasn’t quite tall enough to reach his shoulder.

As Cal and I continued our drunk heart-to-heart we absentmindedly followed the other three in what we hoped was the direction of the tour bus. Seeing as we hadn’t been paying much attention to them and their antics, it was a bit of a surprise to hear Ash shout “Smile!” at us. Thankfully we were quick enough to pose.

The result was a pretty cool photo of us, arms still linked, pulling tongue-out faces while flipping the camera off. I asked Ash to send it to me, edited it a bit and kept it in my Insta drafts for review and posting in the morning. By the time I’d done this, we’d managed to find our way back to the bus. Once we all piled in we promptly collapsed in our bunks for what remained of the night.

The next day was actually quite a relaxed one for me by touring standards.

I was woken up by Michael repeatedly prodding my upper arm. Once I stirred and opened one eye to find him there, he let me know that Ashton had gone and done a coffee run and mine was waiting for me in the kitchen area. Begrudgingly I got up, because I knew the caffeine would do me good, and I also really needed painkillers for my head. As I padded into the bus’ kitchen area in my XXL tee I saw that the guys were looking just as rough as I felt and probably looked too.

“Thanks for the coffee, Ash.” I said as I picked up the cup with my name on, “I don’t suppose there’s any painkillers on this bus?”

“Got some on my coffee run. Here you go.” Ash responded handing me the small rectangular box.

“You lifesaver.” I said taking the box and settling down on the small sofa next to Luke who was barely awake.

As everyone was pretty hungover we didn’t talk much. We just sat in a comfortable silence while we waited for the caffeine to kick in.

The silence was finally broken by Lou getting onto the bus and letting the four guys know it was soundcheck in 30 minutes. This prompted them to go and change out of their joggers and freshen up a bit. As they did so I dug out my laptop, charger and notebook from my bunk in order to set up a temporary desk at the kitchen booth’s table and get some work done.

After two hours I’d managed to finish, proof read and send off my article on Glasgow to ELLE; as well as flesh out two article ideas for Paris. Pleased with what I had achieved in that time, despite my headache only being dulled slightly by the painkillers, I took a break.

Predictably, after making some instant mug ramen, I ended up on Instagram; which was when I remembered the photo in my drafts from last night. I clicked onto it and saw drunk me had gone a bit too far when altering the brightness and warmth of the photo. Once I had edited them down and was pleased with how it looked, I tapped out the caption “Two of a kind!” with the emoji of the two dancing girls at the end, tagged Cal and hit ‘Post’. Not quite ready to go back to work, I decided to get dressed and head into the venue to see what the guys were up to.

The guys were just finishing up the meet and greet, so I hopped round to the front of the venue and gave some of the roadies a hand with prepping the t-shirts and hoodies into piles by size at the merch booth. In between pile sorting, Lou appeared to let us know the boys were in Dressing Room 4 doing radio interviews over the phone and to avoid that area of the venue until they were done. Not knowing when exactly that would be, I headed back to the bus once the merch had been sorted and video called Drew.

“Work is so shit without you. Your replacement sucks too.” Drew complained.

“Aww I’m sorry, Drew! Have you heard back from the other firm you applied to?”

“No, not yet. But I should hopefully within the next week. I can’t survive much longer with these people. How’re you surviving on the road?”

“Really well actually! Not to rub it in or anything.” I laughed.

As I was divulging into some of the details and anecdotes I heard someone slapping their hands along the length of the bus as they approached the door.

“Oh. It sounds like I’m going to have to go.” I managed to say before the door opened and Luke stepped onto the bus, “Adios. I’ll call you again soon.”

“Oh shit, sorry, I didn’t realise you were on the phone.” Luke apologised as he caught the tail-end of my conversation, “We’re all just chilling in the main dressing room now, so I said I’d come and find you.”

“Let me grab my camera gear and I’ll be right with you.” I told him while shimmying out of the booth at the front of the bus.

After a few wrong turns backstage, which resulted in a game of Marco Polo between Luke and Michael as a way to guide us the right place, we were back into our comfortable evening routine. They got prepped and hyped up and I documented it with my camera. That evening I took each of them down the hall to a really cool, cobalt blue door I’d spotted for some solo shots. Luke, taking the longest to decide on his stage outfit for the night, was the last of the four I photographed.

“That red silk shirt was such a good choice.” I complemented him as I held my eye up to the viewfinder, “It contrasts this cobalt door so well. And the two together really bring out your eyes.”

“He doesn’t need a bigger head than he’s already got!” Cal called playfully down the corridor.

Luke let out his infectious giggle and I seized the opportunity to grab another photo while chuckling myself. It was a great photo. Such a pure moment captured. I almost didn’t want to share it on their social media, but I knew that was a foolish, and not to mention selfish, thought.

Not long after that the guys were called to the stage. I took my place side of stage and ritualistically fist bumped each of them as they took to the stage for another amazing show. I felt I had already got enough content while in Paris, so I chose to just enjoy the performance instead of worrying about shots and footage. It was the first time I had let myself do so on this tour and I had a blast.

“It looked like you were having a good time tonight.” Cal later remarked when we were all back on the bus and on the road to Brussels.

“Don’t tell Lou, but I sort of let myself take tonight off shooting to enjoy the gig as I already have so much Paris content.” I confessed as I reclined on the sofa in the lounge at the back of the tour bus.

“Your secret is safe with us.” Cal reassured with a wink, before taking the final swig that remained in his beer bottle, “Right you fucks, I’m off to bed. See you in Brussels.”

Not long after, Mike and Ash made their way to their bunks as well. This left just Luke and I chilling in the back lounge. As he was scrolling through Netflix looking for a film to put on, I asked him,

“Are you not shattered too?”

“Eh,” He shrugged, “A bit, yeah. But I always have trouble sleeping. Plus after our drunk chat the other night I’d like to hang out with you more, and I seem to only really get the chance at night.”

“I’m not going to argue with that.” I responded while draping a blanket over my shoulders as the opening credits to Groundhog Day began. After a pause I continued, “We can hang out during the day you know. Like take a break and grab lunch or something. Hey, why don’t we do the coffee run together tomorrow? That’ll be an opportunity to hang out.”

“I’d like that,” He smiled, and then tugged a little at the blanket, “Don’t go hogging all the blanket.”

I released my grip on the blanket, allowing Luke to drape it over himself as well. The added warmth of his body next to mine made me feel even cosier and it wasn’t long before I nodded off to sleep.

The tour bus abruptly coming to a stop a few hours later managed to rouse me from my slumber. As my eyes fluttered open, the rest of my body registered that I wasn’t in my bunk, or even laying down, and that the warm thing my head was on smelt very good. Once my eyes were open and no longer fuzzy with sleep I realised that I had fallen asleep during the film, as I was still sat on the lounge’s U-shaped sofa. Luke must have fallen asleep at some point during the film too, as the nice smelling thing my head was resting on was his shoulder, and I could feel his head resting gently on top of mine as he snored softly.

“Wake up. Hey, Luke. Wake up, “I prompted as I gently shook his thigh, “I think we’re in Brussels.”

#luke hemmings x ofc #luke hemmings fanfiction #luke hemmings fanfic #luke 5sos #luke hemmings #5sos fanfiction #5sos fanfic

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robinrunsfiction · 4 years

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'Cause Heaven Knows What You Do To Me

Pairing: Ryan Seaman x Female Reader Rating: General Requested By: None Word Count: 4,100 Author’s Note: When I was going through prompts for the Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge, I found the prompt “No one should be alone on New Years Eve” and about that same time Ryan posted an insta story of a hotel room in Vegas that he was staying in before a show and that leads us to this story. I hope you like it and have a wonderful new year! (also I have to say I can’t get over how wonderful he looks in the mood board below ok bye)

“Hey (YN), I was wondering what you’re doing for New Years Eve?” Ryan asked when (YN) answered the phone.

“Nothing, why?” (YN) asked suspiciously.

“Wondering if you wanna come along to our show in Vegas. The room is being comped by the hotel because of the show, all you have to do is pack a bag,” Ryan offered.

“But it’s New Years Eve in Vegas, doesn’t that just sound… overwhelming?” (YN) sighed.

“We don’t have to go out, we can just hang out with Dal and Breezy. Come on (YN), what other plans do you have for New Years Eve?” Ryan asked.

“None,” (YN) grumbled.

“No one should be alone on New Year’s Eve, so it’s settled,” Ryan said and (YN) could have sworn she could hear his smile through the phone and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fine, but promise me that we won’t get drunk and get married at a drive-thru chapel.”

“I promise, I won’t get you drunk enough to want to marry me,” Ryan laughed, but what (YN) didn’t realize was Ryan was running his hand over his face wearily as he paced his kitchen.

What Ryan didn’t know was (YN) had immediately regretted saying what she did and was cringing hard. “So I guess just send me the flight itinerary and stuff then?” she asked trying to change the subject.

“Yea, I’ll send that over and I’ll see you in a couple days.”

“Can’t wait,” (YN) smiled before saying goodbye. When she hung up, she rolled over on her couch and buried her face in a pillow and screamed. A paid trip to Vegas with the guy she’d been crushing on for years at New Years? She wasn’t entirely sure she could handle it. She and Ryan had always had a flirty kind of friendship. The little compliments they gave each other, touches on an arm, hand on the lower back in a crowd, attending events together because who else would they call? It seemed natural that he would ask her to come along on this trip, but that didn't make it any less intimidating.

Anxiety over the trip built over the following days, but on the morning of December 31st, (YN) woke up feeling surprisingly calm. She had packed a few outfits that she would feel confident wearing, and run over every possible scenario of things that could happen on this trip, which ranged from the most likely series of events (seeing the show with Breezy, going out to eat after with everyone, then retiring back to the room with Ryan to separate beds after ringing in the New Year with a responsibly consumed drink), to the least likely (an absolutely debauched, booze fueled, all-night rager that definitely included a hot tub and lots of sexy times with Ryan in said hot tub). But every time that idea popped into her head, she shooed it away, it was too much and ridiculous.

The flight to Vegas was short, but (YN) and Ryan had a ton of fun together as they always did. When they arrived at the hotel, (YN) was a little blown away, she’d been to Vegas before, but hadn’t stayed someplace this nice. Ryan went to the desk to check in, as (YN) wandered through the lobby. She glanced over at Ryan when she realized it was taking a while to check in. He ran his hand through his brown hair, and looked over at her.

“They only have a king bed room available,” Ryan said when (YN) came over.

“Oh, umm, I mean that’s ok with me,” (YN) replied, hoping it wasn’t noticeable that she was blushing.

“If you’re ok with it,” Ryan shrugged, trying to appear casual.

“Ok then, let’s get up there before you guys have to get to sound check,” (YN) smiled.

When they got up to the room, they were both blown away by how modern and cool the room was. (YN) managed to ignore the elephant in the room that was the king size bed, but then she spotted the hot tub in the bathroom and the steamy thoughts threatened to creep back into her mind.

“Oh shit,” she muttered shaking her head.

“Hmm?” Ryan asked.

“Nothing,” she smiled nervously. “I think I forgot something, but I'll manage. Did you see this view?” She asked walking up to the balcony doors.

Ryan came up next to her, standing a little closer than normal. “Yea the room is really nice. Well except for the bed thing.”

(YN) felt a pang of hurt go through her heart. “Yea,” she replied without looking up.

Ryan instantly knew he had said the wrong thing. He didn't mind the idea of sharing the bed with (YN), but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable either. Just as he was about to open his mouth to clarify, his phone went off. It was the band's manager letting them know they had to head to soundcheck.

In the meantime, (YN) met up with Breezy in the lobby and they decided to grab coffee and walk around before heading to the venue for the show.

"So when did you and Ryan finally start going out?" Breezy asked as they stepped out of the coffee shop.

(YN) nearly choked on the iced coffee she was sipping. "What? No, we're just friends."

"Oh sorry, I just assumed since he brought you along and…" she trailed off.

"And?" (YN) pressed.

Breezy sighed. "You just seem to really be into each other."

It was (YN)'s turn to sigh. "Yea, but I don't think it's really something that's gonna happen. I mean, you'd think it woulda happened by now if it was gonna."

"Maybe the you guys just need a push, or to let the stars align, or just take advantage of being someplace new for a fresh perspective."

(YN) laughed. "You seem really invested in this."

"I just think I'm right and you guys just need to see what's in front of your faces" Breezy smiled knowingly.

(YN) and Breezy watched from the side of the stage as the band played their set with their usual gusto. IDKHow's set was in the middle of a day long musical festival with artists of all different genres. The concert was absolutely amazing, and the crowd was into the band, even though they weren't the biggest band performing, but to the four of them, the best part was the fact that their set was done by 7 PM.

(YN) loved watching Ryan play, the energy and enthusiasm he put into it was incredible and she could feel herself grinning the whole time. Ryan had spotted (YN) at the side of the stage and kept shooting smiles her way. He loved having her there and all he could think about as he played his heart out was that he wished she could be at every show.

“That was awesome, I swear you guys get better every time I see you play!” (YN) exclaimed when they came off stage.

“Thanks (YN),” Dallon beamed.

“We’re gonna go up and get ready while you guys get everything torn down and grab showers down here,” Breezy cut in before quickly whisking (YN) back upstairs.

“Do you wanna bring your stuff over to our room and we can get ready together?” Breezy asked as they rode the elevator up.

“Sounds like fun,” (YN) replied as the doors opened on their floor.

A while later, Breezy and (YN) were putting on the final touches to their hair and makeup as Dallon returned.

“Ready for a night out- woah! Babe you look incredible!” He grinned when Breezy stepped out of the bathroom, she had changed into black leather leggings and a sparkly green top. He took her hand and spun her around before pulling her into a kiss.

“Thank you love, but you should see (YN), she went all out!” Breezy replied when she pulled back.

“I think it’s too much!” (YN) called from the bathroom. She was tugging at her outfit and checking her makeup closely in the mirror. She was worried she had picked too flashy of an outfit since she didn’t know where they were going.

“No it’s not, come on out,” Breezy reassured her. Just then there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Dallon said.

(YN) stepped out of the bathroom just as Dallon let Ryan into the room. When Ryan saw (YN) in her short black sequin covered dress and black tuxedo jacket he could have sworn his heart stopped. He always thought she was beautiful, and he had seen her dressed up before, but tonight she took his breath away like never before.

“Wow, (YN),” Ryan started, a dopey grin spreading across his face. “You look amazing.”

“Yea, you look fantastic,” Dallon commented as Breezy beamed.

“Thanks,” (YN) said with a light laugh. “Now can we get going? I’m starving.”

Dallon ushered the group out and down the hall toward the elevator. Ryan offered (YN) his arm and she grinned as she linked her arm in his as they hurried down the hall.

"Wait, where are we going?" (YN) asked as they got in the elevator and Dallon pressed the up arrow.

"We got reservations at the rooftop restaurant," Dallon grinned.

"Seriously?" Breezy grinned and Dallon shrugged smugly.

"They're going all out for you guys tonight!" (YN) said, astonished.

"I think it's the best we've ever been treated," Ryan laughed as the doors opened on the top floor.

The restaurant was cozy and dimly lit with decor that had a vintage feel, but was still modern and fresh. The group was taken to a plush booth in the corner of the bustling restaurant with Dallon and Breezy sliding in on one side, and (YN) and Ryan on the other. The conversation flowed easily between friends as drinks and dinner were ordered.

“What are we going to do after this? Dancing?” Breezy asked, looking from Dallon to Ryan and (YN).

“Oooh yea,” (YN) grinned.

“Sure,” Ryan shrugged.

Dallon groaned at first, but a smile crept on his face. “I can’t say no to you,” he replied to his wife.

Everyone chuckled at Dallon concession as their food was brought out. (YN) wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, but at some point in the shuffle of plates being passed, she found her leg brush against Ryan’s under the table, and to her surprise he didn’t pull away from her. Emboldened, she also didn’t pull away from the hidden contact and even glanced over at him, giving him a sly smile that he returned, much to her delight.

At dinner, they got a recommendation from their waiter of a club that was a short walk from the hotel. When they arrived they were able to find a table and ordered another round of drinks and watched the crowd for a while.

When the DJ put on a new song, Breezy’s face lit up. “I love this song, let’s go dance!”

“I’ll go!” (YN) grinned, jumping up and peeling off her jacket before going out onto the dance floor.

“How’d we get so lucky?” Dallon asked, sitting back contentedly, long legs extending out in front of him.

“Hmm?” Ryan asked, his attention being pulled from (YN) on the dancefloor to his bandmate.

Dallon nodded toward the women. “How’d we get so lucky to get ladies like Breezy and (YN)?”

“But (YN) and I aren’t together,” Ryan said confused, feeling like he was starting to blush.

Dallon laughed. “Come on, you mean to tell me you don’t have feelings for (YN)?”

“Well yea, but-”

“Then make your move. She’s obviously into you too,” Dallon smiled.

Ryan ran his hand through his hair. “What if she’s not though and everything gets screwed up?”

“Ryan, I saw the way you two were looking at each other during the show. I know that look, it’s the same one Breezy gives me,” Dallon replied knowingly.

Ryan laughed and then sighed. “Yea, I mean… yea, I should, I know I should. It’s just… how do you know when it's the right time to take that chance?”

(YN) and Breezy were enjoying themselves on the dancefloor when a man approached them. “Hey ladies, how are we doing tonight?” He ogled.

Breezy simply held up her left hand, displaying her wedding ring in response. “Not interested.”

The guy turned to face (YN). “How ‘bout you Toots, you married too?”

(YN) laughed. “Well no, but-”

“Then come dance with me!”

“No thanks, I’m here with my friends.”

“Aw come on, just one song, it’s not like I’m asking you to come home with me.”

(YN) shook her head. “We just got here ok? Let us be for a while.”

The guy took a step forward, looming over (YN). She could hear Breezy saying her name, but she was frozen in place, suddenly intimidated by the stranger.

“Hey, is this guy bugging you?” (YN) heard the words and felt a protective arm wrap around her waist. She looked up at Ryan who was staring the guy down.

“Yea, like a lot,” (YN) replied.

“Leave them alone,” Ryan commanded and the guy threw his hands up in defeat before walking away.

“Thanks Ryan,” Breezy said with a weary smile.

“Why can’t the creeps just leave us alone?” (YN) rolled her eyes as the group collectively relaxed now that the stranger was gone.

“Because you’re gorgeous,” Ryan said so easily that he didn’t realize what had rolled off his tongue until he saw the stunned and amused look that Breezy was giving him.

(YN) laughed and covered her face with her hand to hide how much she was blushing. “Thanks,” she mumbled. “Anyway, I love this song, can we please dance now?”

“Yes please!” Breezy said as she started moving to the music.

Ryan turned to go back to the table where Dallon was sitting, but (YN) grabbed his wrist. “Stay,” she said.

A smile crept across his face as his hands found her waist again as she moved her hips to the beat of the music. They had been to concerts together before, and therefore had danced together, but everything about this night felt different. (YN) draped her arms over his shoulders as they moved together to the rhythm of the music.

Neither was sure how many songs had played, only that they kept moving closer to each other. (YN) felt her heart pounding in her chest under Ryan's gaze as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. She felt like if she leaned in right then, he would have met her halfway.

But suddenly Ryan looked up, something grabbing his attention. (YN) turned and saw what he spotted. Dallon had come out onto the dance floor as well, but instead of dancing, he was saying something to Breezy, whose face was concerned.

“Dallon’s not feeling well, he’s got a really bad headache and kinda wants to go,” Breezy told (YN).

“Oh damn. Yea it’s loud and I bet that’s making it worse, we can go,” (YN) agreed.

“I’m sorry to ruin the night,” Dallon said rubbing his forehead wearily as soon as the group was outside the club, the bass still booming as they headed back toward the hotel.

“It’s fine, we understand,” Ryan said sympathetically. As they walked down the sidewalk, bustling with people on their way to their New Years celebrations, Ryan tried to decide if he should try to take (YN)’s hand the way Dallon held Breezy’s. Bu before he had made a decision they were already approaching the hotel and he realized he had missed his chance.

(YN) kicked off her heels as soon as she got into the hotel room. "That was so much fun," she laughed sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm so glad you convinced me to come with you."

"I'm really glad you agreed to come along," he smiled before taking a deep, nervous breath. "I just really love-"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting Ryan. (YN) sighed as he went to answer it. She wanted to know so badly what he was about to say. Did he love her? Did he love Vegas? Was he about to confess his love of something, or someone, else altogether?

Ryan came back pushing a cart with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"Woah, where did that come from?"

"The note says ‘Sorry to cut the party short! Dallon and Breezy’.”

"Wow! Do we wanna wait until midnight to pop it open?"

"Sure," Ryan nodded, setting the note back down. "Um (YN), I was gonna say before, I really love being here with you and seeing that guy trying to get with you at the club… I just can't let any more time go by," he said rubbing the back of his neck and squeezed his eyes shut. As (YN) listened, her heart started pounding and her head spun. "I'm sorry if this makes things weird, but I'm crazy about you (YN)," Ryan said finally with a shrug, opening his eyes.

"Seriously?"

He nodded and ran his hands over his face. "I'm so sorry if this ruins everything between us, I thought-"

Ryan's rambling was cut off by (YN) standing up and closing the distance between them. "Ryan, I've had a crush on you for… years, I was just never sure you would feel the same way."

"How could I not? You're beautiful, and smart, and funny," he trailed off as her grin grew across her face. In that moment Ryan decided he had waited long enough. His hands found her waist and pulled her the rest of the distance between them.

(YN) looked up at him, one hand resting on his arm, the other on his chest. "Kiss me," she breathed and that was all it took for his lips to crash against hers. She gripped at his shirt as if it were a lifeline with one hand, as other found its way to his brown hair.

His kiss was full of longing, of hours spent laying awake at night never fathoming that this moment could really happen. And in case it never happened again, he wanted to remember every moment of it. How her lips felt against his, how her waist felt under his hands, the sounds that escaped her lips as he moved down to kiss her neck.

Ryan pulled back as he reached up and brushed the jacket off her shoulders and (YN) let it fall to the ground at her feet. She pulled him back in as she took a step back toward the bed, and he followed, barely breaking contact with her lips as she crawled up the bed and he followed, undoing the top buttons of his shirt.

(YN) deepened the kiss by letting his tongue slip against hers. She ran a hand through his hair as his hand ghosted down her side to rest on her hip, his other arm holding him up. He then began to again trace kisses down her jaw, back to her neck until he found a spot that made her moan lightly as he kissed it, a sound he decided he would never grow tired of hearing.

(YN) hadn't had a proper make out in what felt like years, but this moment with Ryan was more than she could have ever hoped for. Any doubt that clouded her mind about his feelings for her vanished when his lips met hers, the longing and caring she felt from him was incredible. The way he kept his hands on her, as if she might slip away, tugged at her heart because she knew there was nowhere else she could possibly want to be.

(YN) and Ryan were suddenly started by a loud bang outside the hotel room. They jumped apart as they looked at each other, confused.

"What was that?" Ryan asked breathlessly.

(YN) pushed the pillows away as she looked back at the bedside clock. "Fireworks, because it's midnight," she beamed.

"Oh yea," he laughed before leaning in to kiss her again. "Happy New Year (YN)."

"Happy New Year, Ryan. Do you want to open that bottle of champagne now?"

"Sure," he replied, getting up, and offering (YN) his hand to help her up.

"Do it off the balcony so you don't break anything in here," she laughed. They took a step out into the cold desert night and Ryan popped the cork off the bottle, launching it somewhere into the Sunset Strip. He poured each of them a glass before wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close. (YN) let her head rest back against his shoulder and sighed contentedly as they watched the fireworks in the distance.

After they were done, Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of (YN)'s head as she yawned. "I'm suddenly realizing how tired I am. It's been kind of a long day."

"You're right, wanna go to bed?"

(YN) nodded sleepily as they went back inside.

The next morning, (YN) woke up with her head on Ryan's chest. He had his arm wrapped around her, holding her close. When he noticed her starting to stir, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

"Morning beautiful," he murmured.

"Morning," she mumbled and Ryan couldn't help but smile at how cute she was when she was still half asleep. "What time is it?"

"Just after nine," he replied looking at his phone.

"I guess I was tired," she said, hiding her face against the crook of his neck and she heard him laughing a little as well.

"Dallon and Breezy were wondering if we wanna get brunch with them before we gotta catch our flights."

"Yea, sounds good," (YN) replied as she stretched, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them and looked back up at Ryan, he was looking back at her adoringly.

"What?" She giggled.

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am. It's like the stars finally aligned for us."

(YN) leaned in for a long, languid kiss. "This year is gonna be the best yet," she murmured.

A couple hours later, Ryan and (YN) met up with Dallon and Breezy for brunch at another restaurant in the expansive hotel. Although no one dared to draw attention to it, the other couple was very excited to see Ryan and (YN) arriving hand in hand and quickly noticed the energy between them was different. The brunch was delightful, with everyone talking about their plans and hopes for the new year.

"Hey, I'm gonna run to the bathroom, (YN)?" Breezy asked.

"Oh sure, I'll come along," she smiled, getting up knowing exactly what she was in for.

"What happened?!" Breezy squealed as the door shut behind them.

"What do you mean?" (YN) replied coyly.

"You know what I mean," Breezy laughed. "You arrived holding hands and he's looking at you like you hung the moon, like more than normal."

"It was a really nice night," (YN) smiled and shrugged.

"Aww! I'm so happy for you two!" Breezy said while throwing her arms around her friend.

"I just hope this isn't just a vacation thing, ya know? Like when we get home, it's back to how we were before and it's like this never happened."

"I'm sure it won't be. He clearly adores you. I've been friends with him long enough to know."

After finishing their meals, everyone headed back to their rooms to finish packing. The reality that the whirlwind trip was almost over had finally hit and (YN) found herself feeling blue as doubts started to nag at her mind. She snapped shut her suitcase and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey Ryan," (YN) started.

"Yea?"

"This isn't like just a 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' thing, right?"

Ryan looked up from his suitcase and saw the sadness in her eyes and it made his heart break a little. He sat down next to her on the bed, taking her hands and looking in her eyes. "No (YN), I'm all in for this, for us, if you are?"

"Yea,” she nodded. “I don't want this to end here. I've waited too long to throw it away now."

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, smiling and caressing her cheek lovingly when they pulled back. "Come on, we got a flight to catch."

"Back to reality," she groaned dramatically.

"We'll have to come back here sometime when we have more time. Maybe actually use the hot tub," Ryan suggested and (YN) couldn't help but grin.

#ryan seaman x reader #ryan seaman fanfic #ryan seaman fan fiction #ryan seaman imagine #idkhow fanfic #idkhow fanfiction #idkhow x reader #idkhow imagine #ryan seman x reader #ryan seaman fan fic #idkhow fan fic #idkhow fan fiction

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inspired-aspirer · 5 years

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Z Berg and Ryan Ross Concert Masterpost

hello and I am sorry that I promised to post before Christmas about my experience of flying to LA for the Z Berg and Friends concert where I saw and met Ryan Ross. Here is a breakdown of the night and how it went from what I remember and if you have any questions after I post this I will do my best to answer them and if I cannot I will tell you and perhaps someone who can answer you question better than I.

1. anything before the concert

So I know many of the people reading this are not in fact, from Los Angeles California, and I can say I am not one of those people. I live in the middle of nowhere, better known as the state of Oklahoma. So the trip in and of itself was my Christmas present and cost ten times over the price of the ticket to the concert itself. I decided to purchase the tickets after Ryan Ross posted to instagram his photo of the Bad List shoot with “…Gonna play some new ones” as the caption to his post on 30th November. I then convinced three of my friends to come with me, flying from Oklahoma, Georgia and another from Alabama. We found some cheap ass tickets that ran about $250 each and convinced some family friends to let us use their beach house for a weekend and we were off. The tickets were $15.00 before taxes and fees, afterwards they rang up to be a grand total of $18.21.

It is notable that the tickets sold out prior to the day of the concert so I would recommend with any of Z’s concerts in the future, to buy your tickets weeks in advance to avoid anyone not getting a ticket.

2. the day of the concert

a. before doors open

The location of the concert was at the Pico Union Project which my friends and I looked up the night before to scope out the place. I recommend looking up the places around it if you plan on camping out for the day for a restroom and most definitely pack snacks. I ate lunch at noon and made the mistake of not eating again until 6am the next day which really was not a good thing. So pack snacks and take care of yourself. We got there around 3:30pm and there were already about 30ish people. We just missed Z coming out early to see everyone and take pictures, but nonetheless, we got a pretty great spot in line. I will say that for the most part, all of the people waiting outside the concert were lovely, and we all had a great time talking about what we were looking forward to and where everyone was from. I met some chill locals who had been to these things before, a guy who had been to every single one of Z’s concerts and a girl who, like me, got this trip as a Christmas present and flew with her mom all the way from Massachusetts.

*We all added eachother on insta and facebook so 10/10 quality people.

I will however, point out some things that were not good or respectful, and I hope people in the future will refrain from doing this in the future.

1. Being disrespectful to people passing by, especially to some of the homeless people we saw walking by throughout the evening.

2. Wearing new Panic! merch (I’ll get into this later because there was an issue to be dealt with during the meet and greet time.)

3. Playing new Panic! songs while people are trying to listen the pre-show sound check and rehearsals, or just playing new Panic! stuff in general

4. Also I overheard a group of girls say “Honestly, I am more of a Brendon fan, he is sooo hot. And tbh fuck Ryan Ross haha” and I get it, everyone is entitled to their opinion and such but if you are going to have that attitude, please keep it to yourself. I didn’t hear such negativity during the meet and greet from them but it really put me in a bad mood when I heard that.

The doors did open right at 8 o’clock and everyone was really good at staying in their place in line and not rushing the door. Have your tickets ready to scan and phones at full brightness. (Bring battery packs because you will need your phone for a ticket scan and probably for pics of the performances and if you want to meet them later so save it for as long as possible.) Due to our great spot in line we sat in the fourth row back which was prime seating and we had the great luck of sitting behind Z’s family which was really fun to hear them talk about the work put into the show and other fun tid bits. There was even a point when her grandmother said something like “I don’t know why they insisted on leaving so late to get here. I think they should have left early and had a nice lunch before all this” and I thought that was the most adorable and grandma thing to say. Also if you are 21 or older, you can get a wristband for alcohol, if you have your ID out and ready to show them when you first walk into the venue when they scan your ticket. I also recommend getting into the line for merch quickly because things do sell out and the line does take forever. I immediately got in line when my ticket was scanned while my friends snagged seats and it still took me about 20-30 minutes to get everything I wanted. Also I recommend taking cash to buy things, it makes everything go faster.

b. the concert

The concert itself was amazing. Z hosted the entire first half from the balcony in an exact replica of Sharon Tate’s wedding dress as I am sure you have seen photos of. I will confirm, it was magical. She curses like a sailor in front of a backdrop of pure grace. She interacted with he audience the entire time and genuinely enjoys just spending time with her fans and the people that came to hear some good music. The first half of the show was the “& Friends” portion of the show, with majority of the people playing one song each with a few exceptions such as Azure Ray, Jackson Browne, Alex Greenwald and of course, Ryan Ross.

So throughout the concert, people in the concert/show (idk what I would call it officially???) would come in and out from backstage to watch each other, which I thought was wholesome. Ryan did not come out to watch like everyone else and my working theory is, the one time he did poke his head out the door, first of all, me and like 10 other people saw him, he smiled and winked (I died) and then went back in, after that people stopped paying attention to whomever was onstage and so I think he didn’t want to take away from the other acts performing. It's admirable and I understand why he stayed backstage until it was his time to go and then would promptly exit after his numbers were done.

In the first half Ryan came out with Alex Greenwald and played the guitar for him. Everyone screamed and cheered despite the wonderfully melancholic mood of the crowd mixed with the beautifully crestfallen music that had preceded them. Alex jokingly said “wow you guys are so nice” after we screamed following the remark someone in the back made along the lines of “I love you Ryan”. Let’s be honest, we were all thinking it and she had the courage to say it. So as far as the number, he sat and played his guitar in a suit that looked one size too big and jet black hair that was perfectly out of place. It was heaven. Following Alex’s song, Ryan ditched the guitar and joined him to sing “Lonely Moonlight” as a duet. He made jokes prior to the song saying they wrote it “18 or 25 years ago”. Alex agreed and laughed to which Ryan amended “actually it was the year 1825 when we wrote this” and the crowed giggled with them.

What I’m getting at is this entire concert, there were moments when you felt like no one else was around and you are sitting in any one of their living rooms, having a good time listening to them play their music and laugh with each other. “Lonely Moonlight” was beautiful and the hall was silent a part from them, no one dared speak until Ryan smiled and walked off the stage and disappeared backstage again. A few more beautiful songs later, many which Z sang in followed and then there was a brief intermission for approximately 15 minutes.

The second half of the concert Z came back on stage to the “Overture” from Nightmare Before Christmas and I died. Her voice is literally angelic and I just want everyone to know that while you damn well know that she knows she has the best fuckin’ voice ever, she remained absolutely graceful about it in any duet she did and didn’t try to out do anyone and remained humble the entire freaking time and I’m gonna cut myself off right now because she is my role model.

*inhales*

Anyways, so I’m just gonna tell you she brought Ryan on stage with one of the most iconic ways you could bring Ryan on stage, “Um, haha, I think I need a little baby Ryro” *everyone screams* “I do that to when he walks into a room. After ten years it is getting pretty fuckin’ annoying” and he smiled and laughed and everyone was probably either screaming or crying or a combination of both. She and Ryan sang “Calm Before the Storm” together, he just sang with her and she played the guitar as well. After his bit in the song was done, he just walked to the back of the stage and sat on the floor and just smiled at her and did some funny gestures, (Again, I have this on video, I just don’t know how to link long videos in a tumblr post). The crowd was amused by this and it caused Z to turn around to see what was going on, and they laughed.

Again the atmosphere was pure enjoyment and I wish everyone would get to experience that at any concert. Then he walked off stage while Z said “yeah we just love to watch you walk away” and truer words have never been spoken. The final time he did come out to perform was, of course, for “The Bad List”.

c. The Bad List

Yes I am giving this one song an entire thing on it’s own because I just have a lot of things to say about this performance of this song.

First of all, during the soundcheck while we (all the crazy fans) were outside we heard the song resonate outside the walls and the sound was angelic, so you could only imagine what it sounded like inside the venue.

Second, everything before, during, and after really just was surreal and thank god I have the whole thing on video (and I mean the WHOLE 7.5 minutes) because it is NOT something I want to ever forget. Ryan came onstage, and hugged Z and everyone awed, and then she went into this adorable and heart-warming speech thanking her fans and the people coming out tonight while Ryan tried to move his mic to the other side of her.

This was hilarious for two reasons.

First, any footage I have seen of Ryan Ross, out doing normal people things has just been gold because just like the rest of us, I would imagine, he is on the struggle bus every day going nowhere fast. So he had a time and a half trying to move the mic stand along with everything else to the other side of the stage.

Second, Z was completely oblivious the entire time he was trying his best, to move the mic. Adorable really. He also chimed in at the end of her speech that “She means that it’s all she has been talking about all week” which apparently embarrassed her but let’s be real, she is two perfect and sweet to even think abou tbeing embarassed. Don’t worry, she got him back by calling him out for saying they should turn up the piano “a weenie bit”. Then she announced they were going to sing “The Bad List” and everyone cheered to which Ryan responded with a sarcastic “Wait have you heard it yet?” and yeah, the song began.

It was divinely depressing. It was perfection.

Videos of the preformance don’t do it justice. We were the first and so far the only audience to hear it live, and everything I did to get there up to this point was worth it. It was the best performance of any song I have ever witnessed. I will navigate this hell site and hopefully figure out how to upload the video without getting copyright to take it down on my youtube channel and link it below so you guys can watch it.

As many of you know, the song it super personal to them and a few times, you heard Z’s voice break from the truth the lyrics spoke about their life, and when each of them sang, the other really didn’t look at them. It was moving to see the emotion that drove the lyrics to the song and to hear which lines bled the most to each of them. In the piano instrumental part of the song, Ryan broke up the melancholy mood by asking Z to dance with him and they smiled and had a blast (or so it looked). She eventually went limp in his arms to play dead and you could see Ryan laughing at the theatrics she pulled.

After the song ended, the smiled, everyone cheered, and they exchanged a few words which I couldn’t make out before she pulled everyone on stage for the final number. Ryan, ever the smol bean, walked to the side of the stage and did his best to blend in when everyone else from the evening piled on stage.

d. last number and Post-concert

Ok so I am almost done, I promise. The last number was “All Out of Tears” which everyone came up on stage for and sang with her on. Everyone stood up from thier pews for the last song and everyone clapped, danced, and sang along with her. The guitar and bass from the speakers were so loud that the “Z” hanging above the stage fell down in the middle of the performance, to which Alex Greenwald played the tambourine to throughout the second half of the song. Z promised that she would stay until the very last person got a picture or hug or autograph and wouldn’t leave until then.

The concert ended on a high note unlike another.

side note: so I know there is a joke about Ryan not being able to clap, and let me tell you, I made a point to look at the big ass rings he wears all the time when I met him, and yeah it would make me not able to clap normal either. In the video I have of them preforming “All Out of Tears” he at one point shakes his hands and mouths “ow” because I’d imagine his poor hands hurt. So yeah, still funny but give the guy a break.

After a breif break they all came out from backstage and made their way to the Christmas tree. They (Ryan and Z, the rest of the people left before I could get their autograph) kept their promise. Ryan came out chugging yellow red bulls and Z was a new woman after ripping off her straps to her dress (she told me and my friends this). I waited two and a half hours in line to meet Ryan and Z. It was at about two in the morning when I finally got my turn to speak to him. I noticed throughout the evening, he was never short with anyone, and if someone seemed overwhelmed and nervous (@me) he would take a pause, ask for your name and listen intently to whatever that person had to say to him. I was extremely nervous to have him sign any old Panic! merch and I have a few things to say about Ryan Ross and Panic! merch at the concert.

First off, don’t wear it, especially if it is new. Now I am not one for gatekeeping on a lot of things. However, I did see an individual (my hero) make a girl take of a new Panic! lanyard before she went up to see Ryan. It is disrespectful and frankly insensitive for anyone to do that to him in my opinion. The entire time he was patient, and understanding and omg if you ever get to hear his chuckle you will surely die and go to heaven, but I am appalled at anyone who would wear new Panic! merch or have the audacity to have him sign it. Thankfully, she took it off and I didn’t see anyone ask him to sign any new Panic! merch.

Second, Ryan is more than delighted to see The Young Veins apparel. One of the people I met at the concert was wearing a Young Veins sweatshirt and I saw some albums and CD’s people brought to him to sign and he had no issue doing so.

Third, on the issue of Panic! merch he WAS a part of, such as AFYCSO and Pretty. Odd. albums, he signs them no problem. The girl right before me had all three CD’s (afycso, pretty odd, and take a vacation) and he said “Wow haha, you have all three of them” and laughed. I split up the stuff I wanted signed between myself and three friends so I got four things signed. One was my 2007 Rolling Stones issue where Panic! made the cover, I flipped the magazine to the page that had his face on it and when I gave it to him I had the best reaction.

Well, first I totally blanked out so I only remember this because one of my friends videotaped the whole thing. Anyways, I said “hi, don’t hate me for what I am about to have you sign” among other things, gave him a letter and a bag of sour patch kids, and he said, no worries and just continued talking to me like it was no big deal. when I handed him the magazine he went “Oh man, I haven’t seen this photo in a while.” and even was stumped as to where he should sign it. He took the time to talk to me and let me say what I wanted to say to him. I asked to hug him and he said ok. Just so you know, he lets you take any kind of photo you want (within reason). Unfortunately I don’t have a single photo where we are looking at the same camera, but I have a 10/10 photo of Ryan Ross giving me a hug and let me just say, I am blessed. Another of my friends got an afysco vinyl signed and another got the booklet to my Pretty. Odd. CD signed without any issue or trouble.

Now, my friend had a silver sharpie which I gave her before to sign a poster I bought of the cover of The Bad List with him and Z on it and she said he went to sign it, started to, then saw the silver sharpie, and went, “that is a silver sharpie” and she went, “it is” and then he said “I want to sign with the silver sharpie” so he signed my poster AGAIN in silver sharpie. Then, she went to Z to have her sign it, and she signed it and said “Wait, did he sign this twice? Well now I have to” and she signed the poster at the top in the middle and again on the picture. So that is the story of how I got the poster signed twice by both of them.

e. Tid bits

I don’t think you want to hear all of the tid bits I have from talking to them on and off for an hour or so but here are the highlights.

I also got to hear Ryan say he made the Christmas playlist that was playing in the background.

At one point, Z said, “I have to go to the bathroom, but he will be mad at me if he knows I left. Don’t tell him” and ran to the bathroom. Well Ryan did notice and went “where did she go” and we said “She said we can’t tell you” and he laughed and went back to signing and talking to whoever was next in line.

Before I left Ryan I said to him “by the way, I can’t wait to hear the new music” and he chuckled and replied “Soon, I promise” and smiled before I left, so there’s that.

Also might I add. I got the best hug of my life from Z. I spent like two solid minutes with my fiends telling her she was absolute perfection (there are no lies in that statement) and gushed over how amazing the show was and everything else and then she game me a solid, and I mean solid, 30 second hug and to be honest I didn’t want to let go. Then we talked to her some more and had a good time and then realized we had to leave because we had about 2 and a half hours until we had to be at LAX for our flight out. I cried on the way back because hello? I met Ryan Ross and Z Berg and you best believe I will do just about anything to make sure I can go to any more of her concerts.

So yeah I will try to post videos later. Thank you for your patience with me and uploading it. If you have ANY questions, please send me an ask. I won’t mind answering them at all. I hope everyone had a wonderfully dreadful Christmas on The Bad List and I can’t wait to see what music Ryan has in store for 2019.

much love ♥♥♥

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chumaynot · 5 years

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BTS Burn The Stage at Forum Neighbourhood Mall, Whitefield, Bangalore. 25th November, all shows.

ARMYs going to Bangalore's Whitefield Forum Value Mall Inox for Burn The Stage on 25th Nov...

UPDATE, 24TH NOVEMBER:

Hey guys,

Here is a summary of what we are allowed and not allowed to do in the mall on Sunday.

1. Inox has allowed fanchants, distribution of merch, flash mob, singing, music from Bluetooth speaker, recording of all these events in the lobby, army wave inside the theatre with phone flashlights and recording of it.

2. Forum has NOT allowed any events. So we cannot do anything in the common areas like entrances or food court.

3. McDonald's has allowed distribution of merch and we can sit in the food area... Make sure to buy food and then sit. For ppl buying, we will have to be discrete about it. This really will not be allowed anywhere. For people collecting, mcd staff are worried abt overcrowding, so please just collect your items and move out from mcd if you won't be buying any food.

~No donations are allowed anywhere in the premises.

~No distribution of merch is allowed, even outside the mall. Security would remove us for that.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THE EVENTS. If interested, please mention in the group that you'd like to volunteer along with your show timings.

Planned events for ALL ARMYs:

1. Photo time

Before, in theatre and after the screening. Group pic. + vid with fan chants

2. ARMY time

We are planning to have dinner together at food court at 6:30.... 1 hour for dinner, then leave for screening.

3. Singing magic shop and 2!3!

Please check the attached lyrics below to the two songs we'll be singing in lobby....

Please don't forget to memorize and PRACTICE

These lyric imagaes are created of the parts we'll be singing...

4. Dance

Some of the ARMYs are dancing on the following songs.

This is the order of our songs:

No more dream

I need you

Go go

Mic drop

Fake love

Anpanman

Idol

It'll come up to around 5 minutes.

They will be meeting up early to practice. Aishwarya can be contacted for further queries.

We also have ARMY projects going on:

1. Photocards and Ribbons:

Hey guys,

Divya here:

I am selling photocards and ribbon to all ARMYs.

With any purchase of photocards, you will receive one purple ribbon for free to tie around your wrist!

You can buy as many photocards as you want, each will cost 30 rupees only.

Also all the photocards will be in a bag shuffled, and you will pick out one photocard only without looking.

Extra surprise:

I have also printed out official Burn the Stage posters! If you buy 3 or more photocards, I will give a poster of burn the stage for free! Please know that these posters are limited and this free offer is valid until stocks last.

You can also buy this poster for 10 ruppes each if you want.

Payment:

I am willing to accept Paytm / Phone Pe / Google Pay / Cash.

You can pay me earlier to make sure you get an item, otherwise I can't guarantee till when the photocards will be available.

I will send in pics of where I am to make it easier for you to track me on the day. FYI I'll be in a black bts tshirt and black bt21 hoodie😅.

I hope to meet you all there! And I really hope you like these items I have prepared.... 💜💜💜💜

UPDATE FOR POSTERS:

Guys thank you so much for the overwhelming response.....

I'll be increasing the price of the posters to 15 rupees each, bcz honestly I'm selling evening at the price I got them for....

And I've really ran around since this week trying to get everything....

I'm also cutting all the posters and stuff...

For people who have already paid, I won't ask more, bcz you didn't know. But it'll be better if you could send me the extra 5 bucks per poster....

Also.... I now have 60 posters left... Just an update...

_Multiple Buys are allowed._

2. Fanart Posters

Aishwarya is selling her BTS fanarts in poster format for around 30-50.

You can check them out in Insta @aish_ish14 and let her know in advance if there's a fanart poster you'd like to buy from her Insta.

3. Purple Heart Pins

Theja is making purple heart pins for everyone. Please ping her if you are interested in getting one.

4. Handmade Poster/Banners

Ritsika and Chandana are each making one banner to hold up while we'll be singing/taking vids/pics.

*We would like more participation here.*

*5. BTS pins/badges.*

Swetha, Sumedha and Sabby are ordering badges for everyone. They've decided on the following two designs. One badge is 30 rupees. If you want them, DM Sumedha (whatsapp: 8762387013) or Sabby (9901625147) to let them know. They need a count to place an order.

DM for more details.

*6. Posters*

Esha is selling BTS posters for 60 each after 9pm.

Following are the BTS India ARMY projects we will be taking part of:

*1. India GCF (ARMY CLOSET FILM)*

We urge people to take videos of their journey to the theatre, creating banners, meeting armys, the entire experience.

(Twt/FB: BangtanINDIA ,Insta @btsindiaofficial) are going to compile like the Jungkook's GCF of the journey of an Indian ARMY with Burn the Stage.

Send in your videos to: [email protected]

2. Borahae Project

This is a dress-up project. Everyone will be wearing something in purple.

We are going to distribute purple ribbons on site(Contact: Divya), you can get sketch pens and decorate the ribbons before tying them on your wrists.

Some ARMYs have planned to draw the BTS/ARMY logo on the back of their hand with a sketch pen at the venue.

Dress in BTS Merch or PURPLE/BLACK.

BTS Nail Arts can be done.

You can use your imaginations and be part of the Borahae Project!

3. Shazam Party

We will give a purple heart pin to everyone who will Shazam "Waste it on me" and show us the proof by uploading it on twitter or sharing it on our group on whatsapp. Attached pics of the purple heart pin.

*SHOW TIMINGS:*

For- 7:50pm,8pm, 10pm show......

REACH AT 6PM to be a part of all the events

For- 5:40pm show......

Please join the rest of the ARMYs after your show in McD/Inox for some group pics(ARMY TIME)!!!

To know updates on these events please join:

Whatsapp Group link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EQBo5Q812N3Cv67l2nS1ed

You will be able to contact the respective people in the group itself.

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wenminliang-blog · 5 years

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How to Photograph The Taj Mahal – Best Instagram Locations India, Jaipur

For those of you who have visited Rajasthan in India, you’ll know that literally everywhere you look makes for a beautiful insta photo, it is quite simply the most colourful and photogenic place, I think, in the world.

But if you’re travelling through India on a tight schedule, that isn’t very helpful, so I’ve compiled a list of my favourite including the most iconic sights to visit, particularly if you’re looking for those pretty, picture perfect instagram shots. This is by no means an exhaustive list but just my personal favourites. It’s more of a bucket list or tick list of the most goals insta locations in Rajasthan.

Pictured above: Me at the Taj Mahal and below the Blue room at the City Palace, Jaipur

If you have limited time in India, are on a strict itinerary and want to use those trending hashtags to full effect, here are TheStyleTraveller recommendations for the Top 10 Instagram locations in Rajasthan and on the golden triangle route.

I haven’t even factored in Delhi here because I didn’t have time on my latest trip. But if you want to add your own locations, think I’ve missed some out, or want to share your tips too, then please let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

1 The Taj Mahal

Quite simply one of the most spectacular wonders of the world. It is the most famous symbol of love on the planet, a mausoleum of a kings undying love for his queen. It is the most loved and most photographed building in the world. Which in turn means it’s really hard to get a decent photo of it without a huge crowd in your shot.

Tip 1 – Buy a ticket online so you can skip the queues. Check opening days, it’s currently closed every Friday for conservation (article written in April 2019).

Tip 2 – Gates open at sunrise (usually around 6.30am dependent on season) this is when I arrived and crowds were minimal compared to an hour or two later.

Tip 3 – On arrival don’t dawdle in the gardens, head straight to the Taj Mahal itself and to either of the two burnt sienna coloured mosques which stand either side of the main white mausoleum building. From inside the arches of the mosque you get a beautiful arch framed shot of the Taj Mahal like in the opening shot of this blog.

– For the photo above taken from the water gardens we waited in a small queue of people (about 5 mins) let each of them take their shots then we got our time. It’s pretty easy if you’re patient.

– Shot below is taken inside the mosque next to the Taj Mahal.

– I would also recommend going on a week day, not a weekend or a public holiday if you can, it’s much quieter.

Jaipur Old Town – The Pink City

Set aside a good few hours to discover Jaipur old town, aka the pink city. In this area you will find Hawa Mahal (the wind palace pictured below), City Palace and Jantar Mantar (the Royal Obseravtory) all in close proximity, but they are different buildings each with separate (but minimal) entry fee payments.

We loved it here so much we stayed the whole day, I packed a few different outfits to shoot. We went shopping in the gorgeous handicraft stores afterwards, the markets are also a fab backdrop for photos.

2. Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Tip 1 – In order to get the shot with the full front facade of the iconic building, arrive at the main gate, cross the road in the opposite direction and head to the rooftop cafes on the other side of the street.

It’s polite to buy a drink or a snack and if you ask nicely they should let you get on the roof to take a pic. Be careful though, this is india so there’s no rails, you’re basically on private property, if you injure yourself or act stupidly there’s no one to sue or blame here.

3 City Palace – The Blue Room, Jaipur View Rooftop & Peacock Gate

The city palace is filled with treasures. From the spectacular Peacock Gate (below), to the incredible Blue Room (above) and also hundreds of other shoot locations with no name. I highly recommend a guide, it’s big and not so obvious where to go.

To get to the private quarters of the king (where the blue room is and also the rooftop view) you have to pay an extra fee. It’s expensive by Indian standards, around £35 GBP per person. But it is so worth it. If you get a good guide ours was called Vijay (in house guide at the Jai Mahal Palace) he’ll show you all the best insta spots, give you a history lesson and also politely ask other tourists in Hindi to wait till you get your shot! Now that’s priceless!!

Above: Peacock Gate, Below: the rooftop view from the King’s private quarters at The City Palace.

4 Patricka Gate, Jaipur

Around a 15-25 min drive out of town (dependant on traffic), away from the Pink city is the insta heaven of Patrika Gate. It’s free to get in, there’s literally nothing else here apart from the gate itself in the middle of a huge round about. Get a taxi or private car, get your shot, head home. Job done!

5 Amer stepwell, Jaipur

There are several stepwells in Rajasthan, I know this because we drove to so many. But not all of them let you actually stand on the steps to get a photo. At the moment the Amer stepwell, which is a 20 minute drive North of Jaipur, does let you stand on the steps, but it’s worth checking with your hotel if they are allowing photography at the time of your visit.Amer stepwell: hadynyah/Getty Images

6 Jantar Mantar, Royal Observatory, Jaipur

This place is simply incredible. Filled with ginormous astrological instruments like huge graphic architectural statues it is one of the the most incredible insta locations I’ve seen. Get the tour guide to walk you through the astrological charts and find out more about what your future holds!

7 Jodhpur & Mehrangarh Fort

The immense castle like structure over looking Jodphur and the Blue City is Mehrangarh Fort (pictured below). Not only for the views of the incredible sea of sky blue houses below, but also the structure and intricate architecture inside, it is a must visit location.

Afterwards head down into the city and wander around the beautiful blue buildings. It’s such a calming and visually stunning city. (pictured above)

8 Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

Umaid Bhawan Palace is the residence of the King of Jodhpur but also doubles up as one the best hotels in the world. If you’re not lucky enough to get to stay there, head to the museum on site. It’s totally worth a visit just to take in its awesome facade which was where the film The Viceroy’s House was shot and also the spectacular wedding venue of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. Here’s a link to my you tube video all about staying there!

Me posing outside the incredible architecture with my Avis India chauffeur driven rental car.

9 Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur

The film location for James Bonds 1983 film Octopussy, if you’re not staying at the Lake Palace itself fear not, Udaipur is filled with beautiful marble buildings and the views over the lake from City Palace Museum are stunning too.

Hide in the many arches and alcoves that frame the lake and try and capture the peace and tranquility of this beautiful city. See my full blog about the Taj Lake Palace here and my youtube video here.

10 Monkey temple, between Jaipur and Agra

This was Charlie’s favourite site on our Rajasthan tour. I loved the disused, discarded ghostly architecture of the city and Charlie loved the monkeys! Watch them bathe and play in the uninhabited ancient streets. The monkeys colonised the city when the monks moved out, they are free, happy and have enough food and their new home is a fabulous playground!!For more on Bonnie’s India Road trip click here for the ultimate luxury itinerary and here for the Taj Lake Palace.

That’s all from India for now, next stop The Maldives.

Bon voyage xx

Don’t forget to check out out my You Tube video at the Lake Palace.

The post How to Photograph The Taj Mahal – Best Instagram Locations India, Jaipur appeared first on The Style Traveller.

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travelonlinetips-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://travelonlinetips.com/9-of-the-best-coffee-shops-to-hit-in-and-around-cairns/

9 of the best coffee shops to hit in and around Cairns

Like most people on this planet with a mild physical dependence on coffee you might be worried about keeping scuba fit and holiday happy without the magic bean. Have no fear; for every one of the 160,000 residents of Cairns, there are another 2.7 million visitors who travel here every single year. That’s a lot of cranky peeps if they don’t get their coffee just right.

Thankfully good – indeed, great – coffee shops do exist. Hit the high notes during your holiday with this list of Cairns’ best brews.

Stop #1: Sipping Duck Café

There’s two things you’ll like about the Sipping Duck: It imports high-altitude beans from Latin America and roasts ’em daily and second, it’s fronted by barista and co-owner, Erik Ruelin, a half-French, half-Australian artist, who uses his creative skill to draw toothpick art on the crema.

Why go? With the first of two locations in Stratford, conveniently just outside the airport drive, the relaxed environment is frequented by locals. Besides, who doesn’t want a bit of anime with their brew?

Take me there: 29 Johnston St, Stratford & 15/223 Hartley St, Portsmith.

Stop #2: Blackbird Laneway

Troy Furner has been in coffee since he left school. Today, he and his wife run Blackbird Espresso, a morning perk for a barrage of lawyers en route to court, delivery dudes in their hi-viz fluoros and those who walk blocks just to lap up his Fairtrade organic house blend topped up by Misty Mountain milk from nearby Millaa Millaa.

For the non-dairy drinkers, Bonsoy Soy Milk, MilkLab Almond Milk and MilkLab Coconut Milk are also on the menu.

Why go? It’s pretty much the best coffee in town and it’s a local fave. Note: The focus is on the coffee and there is limited seating.

Take me there: Oceana Walk Arcade, 13/62 Grafton St, Cairns.

Stop #3: Bang & Grind

One shot of coffee and two shots of happiness. That’s what you’ll get at Bang & Grind, an independent café where the service dials up the friendship metre.

For holidaymakers, it also opens at 6am allowing a lot of time for sipping before snorkelling.

Why go? Apart from the decent coffee and friendly service, it’s one of the best places to perch and watch the world go by.

Take me there: 8/14 Spence Street, Cairns.

Stop #4: The Chamber Room

Come for the brew, stay for the brew and mouth-watering Butterbing cookie sandwiches straight outta Melbourne.

These guys have become legends on the coffee circuit since opening their speciality espresso and brew bar in the CBD’s Village Lane, but it’s not just their quality drip and sweet and savoury treats that are doing the trick. The owners are also known to happily sit down and guide you through the raft of choices and pouring processes. Total legends.

Why go? TCR is a hub for adults and promises no little disturbances. That means no milkshakes, no syrups, no babycinos i.e. no kids!

Take me there: Village Lane, 20 Lake Street, Cairns.

Stop #5: Caffiend

There’s a reason why first-timers to Caffiend always go back. Actually, make that three.

Cue deliciously good coffee roasted under the venue’s own Tattooed Sailor brand, paired with hearty bites designed on locally available and (mostly) seasonal produce, wrapped up in a trendy, Insta-worthy space with some serious art gallery feels.

Why go? It’s the coolest place in town and pumps out chilled tunes along with your brew.

Take me there: 72 Grafton Street, Cairns.

Stop #6: Origin Espresso

As one reviewer on Beanhunter puts it: “This is the spot where burnt Melbournians come to drink Melbourne-quality coffee that isn’t burnt.”

Now roasting in two cafe locations – the northern ‘burb of Stratford (just over 10 mins from the Cairns CBD) and Port Douglas – coffee snobs are treated to laid-back interiors blending well with beans from their own Four Mile Roasters (full-bodied and earthy) to produce a heavenly smooth brew.

Why go? You could easily while away half a day in the colourful industrial-meets-tropical chic interiors.

Take me there: 1 Dalgety St, Stratford & 21-23 Warner Street, Port Douglas.

Stop #7: Coffee Works

Who would have thought that a massive Titan shed in the middle of a light industrial estate one hour inland from Cairns in Mareeba could brew such fun?

Coffee Works is a mad cacophony of colour and aromas; a blend of chocolate shop meets Indian bazaar, a well-curated museum of historical coffee grinders and a kind of Disneyland for bean lovers, serving up more than 43 different blends.

Why go? To sample as many coffee flavours and liqueurs as your body can tolerate. Oh, and to also buy their number one souvenir: Queensland Blue Beans.

Take me there: 136 Mason St, Mareeba.

Stop #8: Petals & Pinecones

Their tagline is coffee and creativity, and boy, do they mean it.

Petals & Pinecones has become a destination in itself on the Atherton Tablelands thanks to the mother-daughter duo, Rylee and Anita. What they’ve created can only be described as the Willy Wonka of coffee shops, bursting with a kaleidoscope of flavours and colours from deliciously naughty sweet treats to jam-packed healthy hits.

While you might say to yourself you’re only here for the caffeine hit, expect to be subsequently persuaded into one of their milkshakes on steroids.

Why go? Check out their Instagram and you’ll see why.

Take me there: 6-8 Herberton Road, Atherton Tablelands.

Stop #9: Skybury Café & Roastery

Want a view with your brew? Then put Skybury on the list and drink up the sweeping vistas over a plantation that harvests low-altitude beans using only sustainable farming methods.

The family-owned business has been growing coffee for over 30 years on their 375-acre property (as well as tropical fruits), so rest assured they know their shiz when it comes to the liquid gold.

Why go? One word: views.

Take me there: 136 Ivicevic Road, Mareeba.

Fellow coffee fiends, are there any Cairns coffee shops you think we’ve missed?

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mybirdsongphotography · 7 years

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Springtime in Austin is bustling.

Full of life, full of flowers.

Perfect setting for a garden wedding. I met up with the girls during prep at the JW Marriot, which- if y’all are following my insta stories (@PhotographerAmy) you know I might frequent the lobby to use as my office! So I knew my way around.

What I didn’t know?

You can go in an elevator with someone- not realize it’s one of those elevators. And get stuck in limbo.

You know those elevators? It’s a sweet feature that keeps hotels much safer, especially in a downtown high traffic area like Austin’s Second Street. You can’t access the levels higher than the conference rooms without your room key. But, people tend to trust me, so when I hopped in the elevator with my million pounds of gear- the kind guest already in the elevator just used their key and pushed their floor, then my floor. Well. It only went to their floor. I then was stuck. I didn’t realize that you needed to tap the card again to push another floor. *(I didn’t even realize that the floor light for mine wasn’t even illuminated.)

And you know what doesn’t work in elevators?

Cell phones.

You see people???

THIS IS WHY I AM LIKE AN HOUR EARLY TO WEDDINGS!!!!!

So here I am. Paige’s wedding day and I’m stuck in the elevator. The longest minutes of my life ticked by in there and I honestly contemplated pushing the alarm button. The Marriot has like 6 elevators!!! It was early afternoon. Past check out time.

No one was coming.

All right. Well, you see the photos down there, so you know eventually someone showed up to save me. But I was completely sweaty from anxiety by the time they did.

Enter into Paige’s room- of course explaining why I was so flustered to her sweet mama. They all had a good laugh with me, because they are just awesome. (You’ll see). I finally set up *(still early, lol) and started my day with this awesome group!

I love getting a few snaps of the girls getting ready together- and I bunched this group up on the couch to get one before I headed to the venue and promised “No worries what you look like- it’s not like this one is going on the website!”

Oops.

But look how cute they look! Who looks that good before they are done getting ready, and after having a late night?? Not fair. So that had to be one of their sneak peeks.

I’ll try not to lie again, guys. #SorryNotSorry.

After I headed to the venue, I actually added to my insta story for the first time! (Can I have my millennial card now??) Pretty sure it was an ever so trendy boomerang video about how much I love the Umlauf Gardens as a venue.

And rightfully so. This place is full of art, sculptures, stunning landscaping and a stream running through it. Definitely picturesque. (I am convinced I will never be able to type that word quickly.) We got the girls together for their own first look of the bride- and they all looked SO cute! I mean, I guess I can’t be shocked since they looked great without makeup.

Then came the first look with Matt. I tend to spend tons of time with the bride and bridesmaids, then rush over to grab the groom- meet him- (aka barely introduce myself) then expect him to follow me into the depths of the venue and just stand there and wait. I always know it’s going to be a great day when the groom not only complies, but actually seems excited to wait to see his fiancé! (If you think that always happens just because it’s a wedding day- you are gravely mistaken. I’ll walk you through that another time.)

Paige showed off her show stopping dress with a twirl, then hug and kissed her hubby-to-be. Out of nowhere I had these great visions of where I wanted to take their portraits- so right away, there I go leading them over to the beautiful tree with hanging leaves *(probably called something fancy, but bare with me) for them to stand under.

Totally romantic, right?

Yep. But to get the angle I wanted- (some of you follow my crazy stories and you know where this is going) I had to keep moving over to my left to be able to see enough of their faces and-

–SPLASH.—

That was me. In case you haven’t met me yet.

That was me stumbling over into the aforementioned romantic stream.

And now you know why I wear combat boots.

Don’t think that ruined all the romance though. I got my soggy leg back up and we kept having way too much fun taking their portraits.

As we were walking back towards the front of the venue we could hear Cap City Band rehearsing. It happened to be a love song. Paige stopped and teared up, apologizing and fanning her face trying not to mess up her beautiful makeup.

But I encouraged it. I love good tears during a wedding. I love when someone is that caught up in a moment that they can’t hold back emotion. They are present. They are having a moment they can hold forever.

The rest of the night went just as beautifully. I saw that Katrina- (my favorite wedding officiant!) of Spoken Heart Ceremonies was going to be performing the wedding and I knew things would be smooth sailing. There is something so sweet about being able to hear about a couple’s love story as they are committing a lifetime to each other.

After they said I do? It was Peached Tortilla time.

Game on.

They had an Austin wedding- so why wouldn’t a top rated food trailer be part of the cocktail hour?! They made use of every area of the garden and I loved that. The guests really got to see the little natural haven that Umlauf created in the middle of this chaotic city. And eat grilled cheese loaded with brisket while they were at it!

On top of that? There were passed hors d’oeuvres (also have to Google that word every. single. time. And I’m a wedding blogger. I should have it down by now.) of shrimp and grits (and I’m sure other things)- but I was stopped by the shrimp and grits guy and just stayed nearby like the smart girl I am.

Another wise move? Hiring Cap City Band to get the party going and keep it going the whole night. I only mention and post the link to live music when I think you should actually go click on them and hire them. If that’s not the case, I may just say “they had live music and lived happily ever after.”

But I’ll let the reception pictures speak for themselves. Every age group packed the floor- party favors were given out- and they literally kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a bang. So much so that I was incredibly happy that they chose a lavender send off. I needed to freshen up after sweating it out with my sweet dance moves!

Happiness and all the forever love vibes to you two, Paige and Matt.

I wish you nothing but the best and I am SO happy I made it out of the elevator!

Wedding Venue: Umlauf Sculpture Gardens – Austin, Texas

Florist: Exquisite Petals

Officiant: Spoken Heart Ceremonies

Cocktail Hour: The Peached Tortilla

Texas Wedding Band: Cap City Band

See the best of what Austin has to offer: Live music, art & a food truck all in one wedding! Springtime in Austin is bustling. Full of life, full of flowers. Perfect setting for a garden wedding.

#Austin Bridal Hair & Makeup #Austin Live Music #Austin wedding photographer #Austin wedding venue #Best Austin Food Truck #Cap City Band #Downtown Austin Hotel #Peached Tortilla #UMLAUF Sculpture Gardens

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xoashdurham · 5 years

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We will be the first to tell you - @themanorhouseco in Littleton takes "Estate Weddings" to a whole new level here in Colorado! We loved spending the day here this past summer with Eric + Alexis for their wedding ... which, BTW, is fresh up on our blog this morning! You can check the link out in our profile! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Once we've got a bit more coffee down the hatch, we'll share some extra peeks in our Insta story today, too! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ couple Eric + Alexis #RADweddings venue, catering, + planning @themanorhouseco dj The Master Piece Dj officiant Aaron Mason florist @frontrangeflorals cake + dessert @cakes.amore hair + makeup @fluffbar bridal gown @thebridalcollection groom + groomsmen attire @MensWearhouse signage @Etsy (at The Manor House) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp113oiA0Xa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=r7cdxfz2klav

#radweddings

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avaycarter · 6 years

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{#MusicMonday} #TheOfficialTwitterPartyDJ Celebrating @PaquitoDRivera 70th Birthday @BlueNoteNYC + through June 30 Blue Note Jazz Festival Presented by @Sony and #Inglot

I have eclectic taste in music, fellow eclectics will tell you they have a lot of everything, something from pretty much every genre but rarely listen to the same artist for prolonged periods of time, rotating from various gems in their extensive music collection. There are some artists I have in every format that music has been produced in: 8 Track, Vinyl, Cassette, CD and now digital. Paquito D'Rivera is one of those artists.

Last week I got to celebrate his 70th birthday at the iconic and legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City and it was EPIC! Now through June 30th the Blue Note Jazz Festival which is being sponsored by Sony and Inglot, is bringing a ton of great artists to the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Photo Highlights:

Above: I just had to nab a shot of the stage before the crowd rolled in!

Above: Reserved Table Baby! Look who's high rolling and on the list! :)

Above: Each table has its own Gold Star, sort of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Jazz, my table was Illinois Jacquet. Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B sax solo. (He was a skilled improviser and he also doubled on the bassoon!)

Above: After soaking up the vibes it was time to order a nice libation and I was so stoked to see the "Plum Razz Martini" on the menu as I love Plum Sake! Plum Razz Martini Cocktail: Stoli Razberi Umeshu Plum Sake Fresh Lemon Juice

Above: 'The Paqman' performing at Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. From 6/12-17 he performed 12 sets, all different repertoire, there was little something something for everyone!

Above: While this was not my first time seeing Paquito D'Rivera perform live it was my first time seeing him perform at The Blue Note Jazz Club!

Above: I love when musicians banter with the crowd and one of my favorite moments was when the band was about to perform some brazilian music when Paquito asked if anyone was from Brazil in the crowd, an audience member said she was, and that she saw him perform there as well.

Above: We were surprised with a Meet & Greet! This is Cheryl Goodman, Head of North American Global Communications for Sony who I captured at the precise moment when she was pointing to me and telling Paquito "I was so cool!" I think I love this picture even more than my photos with him, because I will NEVER forget this moment!

Above: As you can tell by the laughs Paquito is very down to earth. I seriously have no idea how artists have any energy left for meet and greets after a performance.

Above: A forward facing one, you know for insta!

MY TAKE:

Last year I told you guys about the launch of Sony Square Space, (linking you to my Square Space coverage in case you missed it) and this year it's Sony Hall. While the concert I attended was in the West 3rd venue, Sony Hall, equipped with Sony's technologies is integrated throughout a 12,000 square-foot venue owned/operated by Blue Note Entertainment in the heart of New York's Theatre District (at the Paramount Hotel). Offering a full-service restaurant and bar with a capacity of 1,000 standing and 500 seated. There is a reason why live plays trump movies and concerts trump CD's, nothing beats theatre or music being experienced live. I do not know how Paquito D'Rivera has so much energy. At 70 I am probably going to want a nap for my birthday! LOL Note that the West 3rd venue is quite intimate and it's shared tables so for this venue you really want to round up a bigger crew so you will be seated with folks you know. If you are a smaller group be prepared to share your table. I only mention this as that night I observed a couple on a first date, and they seemed a bit over-whelmed at having folks so close up and personal. But as a music lover you are also getting a great chance to connect fellow music lovers which can be fun. We enjoyed quite a few shared apps and a variety of the drinks and everything was great including wonderfully attentive service. But finding a drink with Plum Sake was such a pleasant surprise. And I am going to have to get a bottle of this brand because I really liked it. I personally would use regular stoli and let the plum sake do the talking but I wasn't mad at the stoli razberi! And I have to admit my Nikon did its thing considering the low lighting. I played around with a few of the photos using my photo editor and did some sepia and black and whites that I didn't include here, I will use those for a Wordless Wednesday because they impart such a totally different mood/vibe that they would be perfect for the day that the interwebs focuses on photos. One of Paquito D'Rivera's best collaborations was on "Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis, featuring Conrad Herwig and Paquito D'Rivera" you definitely want a CD of music that was recorded live at the blue note as a memento of your experience. There is a gift shop on the second floor, so be sure to hit it on the way out. I am literally posting about last week out of order, so stay tuned for an upcoming Travel meets Tech post next (it's actually where I was during the day that day, this performance was in the evening)!

Readers Sound Off: Who is your favorite Jazz Musician? Have you been to the legendary Blue Note? ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙ FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a monetarily compensated Post, but it certainly should be. This is not just my passion project, it's my business/brand. This is an event recap and passes were provided for Editorial Consideration. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

{#MusicMonday} #TheOfficialTwitterPartyDJ Celebrating @PaquitoDRivera 70th Birthday @BlueNoteNYC + through June 30 Blue Note Jazz Festival Presented by @Sony and #Inglot published first on https://vsguides.tumblr.com/

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tribelamag-blog · 6 years

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New Post has been published on TribeLA Magazine • Los Angeles

TribeLA Magazine has published on https://is.gd/Crdjj4

ART TODAY 040418 Brett Gilbert is a writer/comedian, father, illustrator, whimsical photographer, poster/ad designer and excellent painter by Chris Bonno

“Brett takes my Walker”

I had the privilege, long ago, of seeing numerous paintings done by Brett with oil paint and a series of different sized spoons, in person, in his then small apartment while he was finishing up a few. He was creating spot-on large versions of cereal boxes from the sixties and seventies. The texture of the paintings was striking. His oil paint was put on thickly, using those spoon palette knives. I think he mentioned that Sharon Osbourne owned one of them as well as a few other notables. I wished I had the money to buy and the space to hang one of these large colorful pieces.

I ended up buying a print he’d done of a flowering tree as well as an original painting of a mutual friend of ours that was very original in it’s painting technique. His use of color in the piece had a brutality to it and counter intuitive color palette. It stood out and it’s on my wall next to an original drawing gifted to me by Jonathan Winters.

Eventually we found ourselves exhibiting in some shows together. We were part of a group show in an Eagle Rock gallery. Brett’s art for that show was a huge, elegant nude lady line drawing/painting that could have been done by Matisse or Picasso, if either had been influenced by Ben Shahn, comical and poignant while somehow feeling alive and reflective.

Monsters Tea Time by Brett Gilbert

He’s shown in many downtown galleries: The Hive, Cannibal Flower, and the soon to be closing Hollywood venue Meltdown Comics.

Brett also puts his cartoon art on everything; phones, shirts, you name it. For a while he was working on a series of invented comic monsters that he conjured up. He’s moved into some farcical, fun designs, I believe inspired by his young twin daughters. He makes epic art no matter what scale he approaches. He’s a workhorse, comical and serious all at the same time.

Brett is a very smart joke writer as well, having toured the country as a headliner (and as an actor you may have seen him in the movie Ghost World or the TV shows Prime Time Glick or Angie Tribeca). Haven’t even begun to share the fact that he’s a Photoshop genius and loves composing pictures that are laugh out loud funny. Bet he’s painted or made about thirty things while you were reading this article.

To find out more about Brett Gilbert, visit his website: www.brettgilbert.com or Insta: Instagram.com/brettgilbert

Photo by Cat Gwynn

Chris Bonno received his Bachelor Degree in Studio Art, with Honors, at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s illustrated for National Lampoon Magazine, the Writer’s Guild of America magazine, the LA Weekly and the Austin Chronicle and is currently a regular illustrator for The American Bystander magazine “an essential read for comedy nerds”(quote by the New York Times). He has illustrated books for “Tonight Show” writer T. Sean Shannon and comedian John Marks. His art has also been featured on various TV shows including “Talk Soup”, “Caroline in the City” and “Gilmore Girls.” Many of his recent works can be found in the article written about him called “The Art of Comedy” by publisher and editor Tony Shea.

You can check out Chris’s art at the links below including his website at http://chrisbonno.com at on Instagram @chrisbonnoart.

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-11-14-17-karlof-mummy-chris-bonnos/

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-11-13-17-watch-hilarious-big-tomato-video-featuring-chris-bonno/

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-11-12-17-get-whimsical-this-week-chris-bonno-david-lynch-elite-idea-commission-your-next-art-piece/

Click preview links below for more of Brett Gilbert’s whimsical week.

ART TODAY 040118 The multi-talented Brett Gilbert takes the stage this week to humor and entertain us!

ART TODAY 040218 Brett Gilbert’s talent is uncontainable with no boundaries – Happy April Fools Day!

ART TODAY 040318 Brett Gilbert’s “Third Eye Elephant” illustrates mastery, and a deep understanding of enlightenment through humor… Ommmm

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avaycarter · 6 years

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GLAM + Ambition = Glambition™ Check out the highlights from Beauty Night Out 2018 #GBNO18 #KnockingDownWallsInHeels hosted by @Google

Above: I rarely a start a post with a 'see what I did there?' but I cropped out the person I took this picture for just because I loved the idea of her silhouette juxtaposed against the event signage. I have been really into getting more creative with my Photography. This was shot with a Canon Rebel, I have since switched to Nikon.

In 2016 during Women's History Month I got to attend a very special event called "GLAMBITION Women Think Big". An event intended to help empower and inspire and explore the many roles we play both in life and in business. (Linking you to it just in case you missed it.)

This year Glambition returned to NYC in a different venue, Google's NYC offices in Chelsea. On the day of this event many marches were being held for the #MeToo movement. I actually did not know that but discovered it that day when tons of women participating in the rally in NYC boarded the MTA Subway Train I was on with their signs in tow.

I love that Glambition events have aligned with significant dates of importance for women.

If you have a bit of GLAM in you and a ton of Ambition then Glambition™ events are definitely for YOU!

There were panel sessions that helped to empower entrepreneurs - women in business who are doing big things and are willing to share the journey so you can learn from their mistakes and be inspired by their triumps!

Photo Highlights:

Above: Google Neon Sign, NYC HQ Lobby

Above: Google was all about empowering entrepreneurs, and this butterfly was there to soak it all in!

Above: Salud Para Todos greeted guests with their Moringa Detox and Wellness Tea which was perfect because it was freezing outside and it tasted great! I also happened to be the lucky winner of their raffle and won a cool gift basket full of products that fit in perfectly with my personal and blog focus phrase for 2018 'self-care'. So you will see more on this soon, and I hope to partner with them to bring something fun for my butterflies that focuses on self-care. Which is something I have always been saying most of us do NOT get nearly enough of! Take care of your body, it is the engine that drives you daily.

Above: Photo 1: Left: Esmeralda Cruz, CEO of EC-OPS and in the second photo I couldn't help but get a close up of 'Big Lashes Lead To A Big Life'.

Above: Honor Thy Sweets treated guests to cupcakes! NOM NOM NOM

Above: Model Citizen's booth had fun t-shirt swag! They had pretty neat raffles too, I guess I can't win them all, but will post a pic in my tee for a wordless wednesday or on insta, so be sure you are following me there as well.

Above: And with my love of animal prints I spotted this super cute clutch from Faces Beautiful by Gail Sagel across the room! This is so ME! I am an avid travel lover, and I pride myself on being able to anywhere with just ONE carry on and my purse, and that's it. One thing I always like to pack is a clutch so on evenings out or a day just at the hotel I just carry essentials, this clutch is so packable and while it is meant to carry your Faces Beautiful Makeup, you can leave the makeup in the room and use the clutch for an evening out or have this as your makeup travel case. More to come, and they have also been invited to come back and doing something fun. I am also working on an animal print accessories round up and this is definitely going in there as well.

Above: You guys know I am obsessed with Plum Sake (just search my archives - my favorite is Gekkeikan Plum Sake), so when I discovered Plush Vodka - a plum flavored Vodka I was definitely trying it out and the signature cocktails too! They were also invited to do something fun - so stay tuned.

Above: As if Plum Vodka and signature cocktails weren't enough, the fine folks at Bartenura were offering a very nice selection of wines including a very nice Rose and Pinot Grigio!

Above: Dee Rivera, Founder of Dee and CO Group.

Above: Angelina Darrisaw, C-Suite Coach, providing affordable and accessible coaching and career content to millenial professionals with diverse backgrounds.

Above: Aisha Taylor Strategic Partnerships and Program Lead at Google. Aisha launched and oversees Google’s new Digital Coaches Program to equip and empower women and minority-owned small businesses with digital marketing training across 9 U.S. pilot cities (Atlanta, Austin, Bay Area, Chicago, Detroit, LA, Miami, NYC and Washington DC).

Above: Building Beauty is an Asset Panel. Don't let Social fool you, getting rich via Instagram and Blogging is not happening for everyone, and certainly not as easily or quickly as social makes it look. Whether you made or are still trying to make your first 'insta-millions' taking control of your finances is the best way to be sure you have a comfortable future. How to build assets with a Life Insurance was helmed by the team at New York Life Insurance.

Above: Building a Viable Brand Panel

Above: Panel discussion moderated by Hello Beautiful Style & Beauty Editor and Founder of Model Citizen, Danielle James. Left to Right: Sarah Perez (CEO of SALUD), Vera Moore (Founder, Vera Moore Cosmetics), Jane Carter (Founder, Jane Carter Solution), Kim Baker (Founder, Glamazon Cosmetics) Check out the video coverage of these panels here: https://hellobeautiful.com/2976193/glambition-beauty-night-out-speakers/

MY TAKE:

I love supporting women in business and women owned businesses! I love meeting women who are willing to share their journey. No one has an easy rise/ride to the top, it takes hard work and a ton of guts to make it to the top of your industry. I like how this event came at Entrepreneurship from all sides, the triumphs, hardships and obstacles that other successful female entrepreneurs have faced, and a reminder that getting a grip on all facets of wealth building and equity including being insured, are important foundations to your success. Follow your gut instincts, and never second guess yourself was one of the greatest takeaways for me.

Readers Sound Off: What is YOUR GLAMbition? ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙ FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a monetarily compensated Post, but it certainly should be. This is not just my passion project, it's my business/brand. This is an event recap and passes were provided for Editorial Consideration. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

GLAM + Ambition = Glambition™ Check out the highlights from Beauty Night Out 2018 #GBNO18 #KnockingDownWallsInHeels hosted by @Google published first on https://vsguides.tumblr.com/

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