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swigglecroissant-blog · 2 years

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Schweet - LJ

Minors dni

Tw: nsfw content, commitment

This is an LJ x OC? Of mine that I decided to post. I have others that I've written, they never take me too long, but I'd like to see how it fares on tumblr, it's from my wattpqd book, "Creepypasta 18+" please enjoy!

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12 am.

1am.

2am.

3am.

Ugh! I shot up from bed, unable to sleep with the giggling fool in my living room. I could hear his goofy laughs and the crinkling of something like paper from down the hall, my apartment unable to muffle the sounds of shenanigans from a clown.

Yes a clown.

An annoying one at that.

He knows i have to work, and he knows when to be quiet, and yet, there he is, probably laughing at my baby album or some movie I left out, or maybe even his own loud and obnoxious thoughts.

One can only imagine the things he thinks of, always catching me off guard by saying something like, "and that's just like this one time I fell from the second floor! I broke my neck." Straight faced the whole time. Comedy genius.

I lashed in my duvet, throwing it off and doing likewise to my bedroom door. The silly sign saying, 'go sleep' adding salt to the wound as it swung open and slammed into the wall, alerting the man, thing, whatever in my front room to the fact that I was not asleep and very mad.

All of his relentless noise making had ceased, the house falling silent save for my pounding footfalls on the shag carpet spanning to the kitchen entrance, turning into soft padding of my socks on hardwood floor.

Good. He's scared.

"Jack. Enough." I was fuming. I tried to keep my voice level with him, as yelling only seemed to make us both agitated, and him scared to talk to me. I placed my hands on my hips, like my mother used to.

Something I'd come to know from experience with the supposedly 'evil' entity is that an over aggressive hand would only be bitten. He wouldn't listen to yelling or mindless punishment, there had to be an incentive, like telling him my concerns or how he made me feel. I don't like yelling at him anyways, he could easily kill me if I said something remotely out of turn and I never wanted to make him hate me.

He was like a child, but he was my clown all the same.

"Please say something. I'm not mad at you, I know you didn't mean to be so loud. So don't look so upset," I'm not one with words, but I do know what he needs to hear if he feels threatened. He was still just staring at me, a smirk on his lips and his eyes full of surprise, like glittery black gems in the light from the fireplace. The only reason I ever ran it was because he was constantly in a state of freezing me with his skin in this cold spell. It helped when we cuddled on my couch under a nice toasty blanket, usually turning a little too heated with our touching and groping.

He finally stood up, a welcome interruption from the thought of me making him uncomfortable from just standing there. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll be quiet, I promise," he almost seemed bashful, or embarrassed, but I knew he was just the awkward entity I fell in love with three whole years ago.

My eyes widened. Exactly three years ago. Today was December 15, our three year anniversary, the calendar on the fridge telling me so.

No work.

No distractions.

Just him and me.

I can't believe I'd forgotten our anniversary, after making a promise to make him pancakes and my mother's recipe for ambrosia salad. He loved my mother like his own, and the feeling was mutual. With her constantly checking up on him and asking him to take her places, to even going on power walks every couple of days so she could show him off to her friends at the coffee shop. Her genius daughters fiance who she loved like a son, so lucky of me to find someone so handsome and charming. A real prince character around them, more like a spoiled dog for me.

He came closer, resting his chin of my head as he caged me in with his lanky arms.

"You forgot again, huh?" a rhetorical question answered by me slightly nodding my head, his chin scratching the top of my head. I backed away and placed a peck on the tip of his button of a nose. "Sorry, I always do. I even wrote it on the fridge! It might just be my tired little poo brain," I lamented, I really was sorry, like the other times before. I could remember his birthday, his favorite color, his favorite foods, how he confessed, where we met, even how the weather was that day.

Jack and I stood in the middle of my living room, holding each other and inhaling the others familiar scent. Peppermint and pine trees. A heavenly combination.

"Hey, Siyun?" Jack released me, holding me by the shoulders, "I made you something." He let go and sat back down cross legged in the spot I found him in. Next to him was a small box, wrapped in brown paper, and a little blue ribbon tied across it. I joined him on the floor, and he placed it in front of my crossed legs. I gently opened it, not wanting to ruin the work I know he had done to wrap it so nicely, and gasped at what was inside.

It was a ring. Beautiful gold band with a single diamond embedded into it. Tears welled in my eyes as I slipped it out of the velvet it was stuffed in. I noticed what was engraved on the inside of the band, 'ngọt hơn kẹo,' which meant 'sweeter than candy,' in Vietnamese. One of the first things I'd taught him after he'd met my family. Of course he'd had a hard time picking up on the pronunciation and inflection of my language to even say, "hello" or "goodbye," it was so sweet every time he practiced as we laid in bed together late at night.

It's safe to say I was feeling a little emotional from this. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know so soon. Considering how I'd found out his actual job last year, him finally confessing to being a supernatural being and murderer, saying he had put it behind him and me spending an incredibly long time avoiding him and being uncomfortable around him. After I'd finally wrapped my head around why he did it, and accepting that he'd changed, we'd re-entered our honeymoon phase of the relationship, not being able to get enough of each other after the long break, doing the horizontal (and sometimes vertical) dance all over my apartment and even in my parents house when we house sat. Once opting to f*ck in a Wendy's bathroom instead of keeping our hands to ourselves and going home. That was uncomfortable.

I put that ring right on my ring finger, a smile on my lips and tears in my eyes as I lunged for Jack. I placed kisses all along his jaw leading to his cheeks and forehead and finally giving a deep kiss to his lips. He was grinning ear to ear when I ceased the action.

"Jack, I'll spend the rest of my life with you! Until diapers! And mental deterioration!" I was on a happy high, the serotonin rushing to my brain and spreading to my body, leaving me breathless and buzzing.

"Me too, Siyun, I want to marry you. Whether it be spiritually or on paper, I don't care! Lets get married, my pfefferminz!" He brought me back in for teeth gnashing kiss, the clack making my head vibrate. I was dizzy.

"Okay, candyman, how about we spend our anniversary like last year?" I made the suggestion, knowing full well I would be cuddling with him until 7 am and then f*ck all over our room until either hunger or sleep came over us.

And so we did.

"Ah! Oh God Jacky!" I ground on his c*ck as he thrust up into me, a light slapping sound emanating from our bedroom.

Tried and true I had awoken at around 7:45 am and cuddled into him as the sun rose through the cold morning. My leg over his hips had told me about his raging hard-on poking the underside of my knee. Every shift had him groaning in his sleep. So, I decided to take care of it. I was wet enough that it wouldn't hurt to slide onto him, and theory proved correct as I slid to the hilt. He woke up with a jolt, accidentally thrusting up into me, earning a gasp and a whimper from my groggy self. He knew exactly what was happening. Things heated up as I ground down onto him, the 7" he offered leaving nothing untouched inside me.

He snapped his hips up harder and harder, not giving me a second to ground myself as I was bounced up and down with each movement. My hands went to his shoulders as he re-positioned himself to sit up with me in his lap, the mutual pleasure spiking as we ground into each other.

"A-Ahn! Oh f*ck, Jack- too m-much!" My vision was getting blurry and My back arched from how his tip kissed my cervix, it seemingly sucking him in even deeper, beckoning him to go deeper inside me, to milk him dry. "Mmmfff*ck," it was too much, and that was made clear as my body went completely limp, the org*sm ripping through me, causing me to tense and release as I came hard on his thick c*ck.

He didn't stop.

In fact, he did more damage.

His thumb brought itself to my cl*t and he rubbed it roughly, his c*ck still pounding into me. "Nngh, Siyu! Baby give me one more, please, c*m for me one more time honey, please peppermint I know you can do it," he was praising me while rubbing my puffy cl*t, easing me into the over stimulation I was feeling. So I did as told.

I came the second time this morning, hard.

It was overpowering as I trembled and twitched, no sound released except the strangled cry from my lips, "Uuuu- guh! Aaaaaahhhn!"

My p*ssy ached, cl*t rubbed raw and insides fully stretched. But he didn't stop.

He picked the pace back up slowly, easing in and out of my dripping c*nt, my c*m acting as an extra lubricant for him to abuse my hole.

He laid me on my back, missionary style, and threw one leg over his shoulder. He pumped in and out twice, them slammed back inside, rough handling my cervix with the tip of his hard c*ck. It was bliss, I was c*ck drunk and practically begging for more.

He delivered.

He was f*cking into me like an animal, each snap of his hips burying his d*ck deeper, his pubic bone digging into my pearl and causing me to see stars and birds. "Mmmh hah, oh f*ck, Jack, please, I can't!" I pleaded with him to stop, even though I truly didn't want him to, I wanted him to keep f*cking me until I was full. I wanted to be stuffed and satisfied, leave me limping for days, his c*m dripping out of me.

My wish was granted as he gave one last thrust, spilling his hot seed directly into me, the feeling was bliss, like a heat pack on my lower stomach, or a swig of whiskey. I came for the third time this morning, tensing as I reached for him, clinging to his neck and raking my nails on his shoulders.

"M- nn," He gave a couple grunts, erratic thrusts, and a love bite to my inner thigh. I felt a searing heat enter me, and he thrust hard, like trying push it deeper inside me.

We laid there panting and breathless, coming down from the high of s*x. "I love you, Siyun Le," he gasped out between breaths, draping an arm across my torso, my shirt ridden up to my chest. I shivered at the warmth of his touch, but still managed to scoot over so I was cuddled up in the crook of his neck. I smiled, "I love you too, loving Jack Le."

Fin.

#laughing jack #creepypasta #creepypasta smut #romance

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adultswim2021 · 2 years

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Metalocalypse #6: “Dethkomedy” | September 3, 2006 – 11:45PM | S01E05

I'm not entirely sure I saw this one before. Huh! Well, as a disrespector of stand-up comedy I gotta say this one is maybe my favorite one so far!

Dethklok wind up in court because their album, the very same one we see them recording in Dethwater, winds up causing numerous fans to attempt to breathe water and drown. Dethklok's manager and/or lawyer points out that the album carries a disclaimer that it's only intended to be listened to by fish. While on trial Dethklok manage to get a lot of laughs by being rude and disdainful of the whole process. This and various other factors inspire them to go into comedy.

They go into comedy. They do it how any one else would, by going up at a comedy club's open mic night. Pickles contracts stage fright after bombing really bad during a bad improv with Murderface. Toki and Skwisgaar have a Smothers Brothers style duo act with electric guitars. Nathan explosion's bit is my favorite. He does prop comedy and ventriloquism with human remains, causing an old woman to vomit. This is a wonderful, grim moment.

Of all the episodes of the show, this one reminds me of Beavis and Butt-head the most, and I wonder if this episode was somehow inspired by that show. There's the whole concept of art being put on trial for corrupting the youth, which famously happened to Beavis and Butt-head when the show was blamed for a child burning down his family's trailer. There's an early episode where Beavis and Butt-head shoot down a plane while shooting skeet, which happens in this episode. There's also an episode where they set a comedy club on fire trying to perform their own comedy acts. Those episodes were censored for repeats or all-together not shown because of the ensuing moral panic. It just seems like this episode is going out of it’s way to reference specifically the more controversial episodes of Beavis & Butt-head. It can't be an accident right?

MAIL BAG

do u like garry shandling do you think he is* cool *was, rip

I've gone fairly deep on Garry Shandling, and by that I mean I’ve watched most of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and his comedy specials, and am a Larry Sanders devotee. I think he’s great, but none of his output beats Larry Sanders, which seems way more collaborative and has the strongest vision of any of his projects. His actual stand-up is an above-average example of comedy from that era, and I don’t consider it essential. It’s Garry Shandling’s Show is better on paper, and has great episodes and moments but I sorta got tired of it pretty quick, which is why there’s about a season and a half of it that I’ve yet to watch. It’s “my thing” comedy-wise but the laughs just aren’t there, mostly.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #metalocalypse

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tisthenightofthewitch · 2 years

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How Ghost — ‘an occult, pop, satanic sort of rock ’n’ roll band’ — conquered metal and the charts

Onstage at Anaheim’s Honda Center arena, Tobias Forge is not himself.

Instead, he is Papa Emeritus IV, leader of the theatrical Swedish metal band Ghost, singing from behind a latex mask and corpse paint, dressed in religious attire or bat wings.

His persona is of Ghost’s demonic pope, preaching of war and plague like a doom prophet amid heavy guitar riffs and vivid pop melodies. Some lyrics are more prescient than fantasy, from warning of “beliefs contagious, spreading disease” on the 2018 song “Rats” to the band’s new “Impera” album, which decries empire-building in time for Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Forge says he’s merely an observer of history and “the circularity of things,” as destructive human impulses repeat themselves catastrophically across the centuries. “Flags, pandemics, flus and dictators come and go,” he says cheerfully. “Empires come and go. It’s always in circles, because at the end of the day we are dealing with humans.”

Forge, 41, is out of costume and sipping coffee at his West Hollywood hotel after a night of hard rock spectacle, with pyro eruptions and a big stage meant to convey threatening Gothic arches and stained glass. Offstage, Forge is less explosive, dressed in a treasured 1988 Candlemass tour T-shirt, his light auburn hair short and swept upward on top. He’s a thoughtful interview and quick with a joke, a family man with a wife and fraternal twins back in Stockholm. The previous night’s concert in Orange County was the final stop of a co-headlining arena tour with the Danish band Volbeat designed as a prelude to the March 11 release of the band’s fifth album, “Impera.”

During rehearsals ahead of the tour, Forge got “a very mild case” of the Omicron virus. Then the eight other touring members of the band tested positive, along with four crew members. “The whole band had it at the same time, so we just had COVID rehearsals,” he says. The tour happened as scheduled, and Ghost will be back in the U.S. later this year.

The band’s last record, 2018’s “Prequelle,” earned a Grammy nomination for rock album and hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 200. The band counts Metallica and Dave Grohl among its high-profile fans, and attracts a multigenerational rock audience, from kids in baby pope gear all the way up to older fanatics nostalgic for ’70s shock rock.

“Ghost has a diverse audience, which I love to see, especially for metal,” says Sammi Chichester, managing editor of Revolver Magazine, a close observer of the metal scene.

Forge is able to find pop hooks even as he mines his own low expectations for mankind. As a result of that catchiness, Ghost has been controversial among certain extreme-metal tastemakers. “It is a routine topic — metalheads love to argue,” says Chichester with a laugh.

The music tends to be more engaging than depressed, despite the ominous religious imagery.

“The lyrics are not about God. They’re about man,” says Forge. “We are, at the end of the day, an occult, pop, satanic sort of rock ’n’ roll band meant to entertain a group of people who are already down with that stuff.”

Any discussion with Forge quickly reveals him as a pop music obsessive, as he casually references Leonard Cohen, the Bangles and the primitive weirdness of the Shaggs. He’s not your typical high priest of metal. “In my adolescence, I was completely a death metal/black metal person in action and message,” he says. “But I always listened to a lot of other things. And that materialized in whatever music I was writing.”

Ghost was created in 2006 with Forge’s recording of a track called “Stand by Him,” built on a slippery metal riff and roots firmly planted in Scandinavian black metal. The music that followed rarely strayed from a growling metal core but showed surprising flourishes from the beginning, from busy keyboard melodies to delicate acoustic guitar.

The band arrived with a fully formed image that adopted a demonic, bizarro take on the Catholic tradition, accented with Gothic flair and comedy. Forge stood at the microphone in the role of a series of demonic popes called Papa Emeritus (Nos. I-IV), in flamboyant papal attire, with a band of musicians called Nameless Ghouls in silver masks. (The Ghouls now appear in what look like gas masks from a dystopian future.)

Forge, who is the band’s only consistent member, kept his identity hidden behind facepaint and pseudonym until he had to reveal his real name during an unsuccessful 2017 lawsuit by four ex-members of Ghost over back pay.

“Impera” was recorded last spring and summer, after the original plan to work with an American producer in the U.S. was canceled as the coronavirus crisis dragged on. Instead, Forge reunited with Swedish producer Klas Åhlund (Ghost’s collaborator on 2015’s “Meliora”), and he took his time composing new songs.

He sketched out a melody for the album’s closer, a nearly seven-minute prog epic called “Respite on the Spitalfields,” on the small electric piano in his daughter’s bedroom. “Twenties” emerged as a frantic chronicle of greed and oppression, in the form of a “demagogue sect leader speaking down to his followers in utter contempt,” he says. The sneering, catchy ’80s rock of “Griftwood” was inspired by former Vice President Mike Pence and leaders who wield the Bible as a means to political power.

The album also arrives as a pair of successful TV series — “Cobra Kai” and “Peacemaker” — have reintroduced an earlier generation of pop-metal to the masses, with prominent use of ’80s hits by the likes of Twisted Sister, Faster Pussycat, Hanoi Rocks, Ratt, Mötley Crüe, Scorpions and Def Leppard.

Ghost isn’t a throwback to the hair-metal era but does share a taste for hooks and melodrama. Forge hasn’t seen “Peacemaker” but spent quality downtime at home in Sweden watching “Cobra Kai” with his teenage daughter. “That series is a slam-dunk,” he says of the show, which continues the story of the “Karate Kid” movies. “And the music is great.”

The Ghost mastermind admits to nostalgia for what was commonly known as “album-oriented rock,” the mainstream rock category epitomized by Journey, Foreigner, Boston and other ’70s and ’80s FM radio stars. “I’m a huge fan of AOR bands,” says Forge, describing the genre as “smart divorce rock played by older men with mustaches who have gone through a little bit in their lives.”

Forge was raised in Linköping, Sweden, by a single mother and indoctrinated into rock early, by a brother 13 years older. Before he was 10, Forge was buying English and German rock magazines he couldn’t read, and absorbing as much metal, punk and classic rock as he could.

As a teenager, his tastes grew even darker and more extreme, as he discovered underground metal rising from Europe and America — then turned away from anything new in the genre after 1994, when he sensed things becoming too polished, spoiling the scary lo-fi sound and image he loved.

As Ghost itself grows more sophisticated in its sound and approach, Forge knows some longtime fans wish he would return to the band’s original recipe. Forge understands the feeling, and admits that he’d love nothing more than to produce new albums from bands of his youth so that he could force them back to an earlier sound.

He says he wants to satisfy fans while also challenging them. “I deal with that professionally in one way, and as a fan in another.”

Forge fully appreciates the intense feelings a music fan can have about a recording artist. Evolution is not always welcome.

“That has a lot to do with the type of personalities that are drawn to the world that we’ve been talking about: metal, hardcore, comic books, sci-fi — it’s a retreat, a safe place of order, organization, knowledge. This is the world that you hide in after school. And now there’s someone coming in there trying to … evolve? It’s disruptive.

“It’s not right or wrong. The future is what we don’t know, as much as it hurts.”

LA Times

#Tobias Forge #Tobias Interview #The Band Ghost #Ghost Band #Ghost #Papa IV

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linoscence · 3 years

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lovegame.

pairing. lee minho x reader

genre. playboy! minho, college student! au, angst, fluff, with lots of tension, comedy ig, somehow enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers?

sypnosis. trapping the presumptuous-made-from-pits-of-hell boy into your hands was the only plan. why? simply because you're bored. playing with feelings has gotta be the most hideous thing you can do in your life, and you chose to play with someone who reciprocates one's doing. however, he seems to explode at the sight of you and your friend. now, you gotta face the consequences of your actions.

words. 1.4k, istg i just hurriedly wrote this for minho’s day. haven’t proof-read yet. have a blast, love!

warnings. foul words, countless trying to kill your best friend jokes, maybe kinda off to other if u are soft w ur friends ig?

a/n. might just post this part for now just to greet this precious human being. will get vaccinated tomorrow srry. anyways, to lee know whom we love so much, thank you for being the most endearing person i’ve ever known. you are caring in your own way and you are the kindest. you are so passionate of what you love, you deserve the whole universe. i love you more than love.

“hey, be accountable of your actions. now take care of me, babe. “ minho flashed his infamous smirk with a wink, after planting a kiss on your cheek.

If your friend didn’t just shit the hell out of you and tried to place on a bet just for an album, then you wouldn’t even be facing this guy’s constant glaring and smirking for life.

“Han, please just shut your mouth, I swear to God.” Feeling exasperated by your friend’s nonstop story-telling of how he can get free signed albums because of his new work as an intern in a production company, a passionate one.

“Okay, but there’s a hot guy in the dance group though, I thought he was a ghost last time I see him dancing in the dark in the practice room.” Continuing his babbling, you closed your book and stood up from your seat. “Hey, I’m not done you grouchy bitch!” immediately following your pace.

“I heard he is studying here! let’s be friends with him to get free pass on the dance room lmao!” Jisung joked, you swear he’ll be all shy once he actually gets a sight of this ghost he’s talking about. It took you 10 times of borrowing a pen from him, the pen he admitted he was always biting in class during boring classes which is; everyday. You’ve always wondered why the hell does the pen’s cap keep getting bent. Once you knew him, he apologized and bought you a new one for a compensation of getting your hands touched by his saliva. He said you were lucky to adopt his germs.

“He doesn’t own the dance room ji, he probably have a schedule to use it. Dream on and stop using people for convenience,” you hissed. “And stop blabbering about the free albums if you won’t get me a signed one from seventeen for my birthday, okay? “ you advised, looking up to him to see his reaction.

“You really are the biggest bitch I’ve known! dream on and stop using people for convenience !!” he groused with his middle finger up, running away from you after getting back at you to taste your own medicine. Sure, he does this but he’ll always have ways to give what you want.

A week after your dreading hell week, you stared at the surroundings of your field. You questioned how does Jisung managed to train while studying. Maybe because you have a shitload of work being in the political science field and him being in the music department. Yet, you two are the same thriving for your own dreams.

“I do think I now deserve that signed album of seventeen, please my sweetest friend, my best best friend, the only one who I can’t live without, my savior.” you expressed wholeheartedly to Jisung. He laughed at your outstanding pleading, but you did not get a reply from him. “Let’s go get a drink, you plastic bitch.” It is your tradition to have some fun after school agony.

“Are you really gonna do this to me!? Han Jisung!” You asked with a disheartenedly tone. After that, he laughed audibly into your face, he couldn’t even breath that’s why you put a meat with a big ass lettuce wrap in his mouth for him to choke. “Okay, okay, calm down. I’ll give it to you if.. “ He prolonged his words making you speculate his mind, he has another trouble for you just to harass you, you know him too well.

“befriendthehotguyfromthedanceclubiwassayinglasttime.” he blurted out faster than your heartbeat when it comes to visiting him in the faculty room because of his fights with that llama guy. You asked him to repeat what he is saying in a slow manner.

“What!? why? are you nuts!?” you complained, you want to kill him right in front of you actually. deez nuts, he wanted to blurt that out but nevermind. he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Instead, he said “Look, just befriend him, I heard he has a lot of girls crushing on him but he just entertains them for fun, he still looks cool to me though. He seems friendly.” he encouraged, “besides, you might even have a boyfriend after as a freebie for friendship.” he added as he grinned at you while winking.

“And why do you think I need to get associated with him? give me an acceptable reason and I’ll choke you, acceptable or not.” He looked at you with teasingly eyes, “Well, he looks confident of himself and you are too, considering you two are pleasing to the eyes. You have dumped so much boys in your life, you could make a dump yard with it. Test your limits bro. “ explaining his awesome, marvelous, unbelievable, prodigious, shocking, wonderful, and stunning idea.

All you could do is chuckle and think of ways-to-kill-your-own-best-friend. “C’mon, seventeen would be disappointed with you, I’ll even get you to see them. Your life is at stake.” aggravating you more.

“Okay, I’ll just do this for seventeen, and because I am bored. I don’t have a thrill in my life now. Just that, you better shut up if I stole him from you.” you announced, earning an evil laugh from him.

In this game, he might be the game master for playing the cupid’s role.

The sky has always been your favorite part to look out. Many would say that you look heavenly when you look up into the sky. Your delicate features are being seen and you look as bright as the sky. But today, you didn’t want to look at it. You wanted to keep your head down and go home. You even remembered that damned bet you had with your very best friend. Great timing to execute your ways to kill him.

Clearly it wasn’t your fault you had kiss another man, out of frustration. Maybe you can blame it on the 7th sense.

There’s this new guy who have been annoying you on your debate club for three weeks now. You remembered his name is Mark? Mason? Matthew? Michael? Mint? or whatever the hell he is because he suits the name Lucifer. He has been crushing you ever since. With words and his flirty remarks.

Emergency alert for the most humiliating thing you’ve done in your whole life.

“Well, you should have known these kind of things, honey. Aren’t you a political science major, huh?” There goes the satanic smile he always flash onto you. To clarify, you don’t even talk a lot but when you do, he always gets on your nerves, shuttering your whole nervous system, only allowing your anger to lead the way.

“Honey, we don’t need to fucking know everything, okay? Last time I checked, we study to learn; not to know everything, Mr. computer science.” Emphasizing your comeback, you mimicked his actions earlier.

“Oh? Well you should start learning more right now.” He gibed at you. You opened your mouth to retort not until ━

“Oh, now you wanna kiss me so bad, don’t you? “ He said playfully, wiggling his eyebrows at you, smirking after.

“Are you challenging me? You know I don’t squirm.” You challenged him.

The hands on your waist is now caressing your hair going down to your back, tasting your lips ravishingly, repeatedly in a motion you’ll get lost of. No words needed to describe your make out session. All you know is this Mr. computer science in a black shirt with a flannel on could make you shut your mouth up in a matter of 2-3 minutes or maybe even 5-10, if you wanted more. Once he broke the collision of your lips together, he looked down to you with his hands still on your waist and bantered,

“And what if I do?” Oh how bad you wanna wipe that smirk off his face, “ Oh hell, you do, Mr. computer science.” With one last rolling of the eyes, you smashed your lips onto his. Getting a taste of him, getting the butterflies, they’ve been circling promptly as he put his hand on your waist. You only pulled this shit as a joke but now he’s kissing you back, even harder. You immediately break away from his lips not until he pulled you closer to himself.

“It’s Lee Minho to you, baby.” oh you can never wipe that smirk off.

#Lee minho #lee know #stray kids #stray kids imagine #stray kids fic #skz #lee know imagine #lee know imagines #lee know x reader #lee know fluff #lee know fic #lee minho fluff #lee minho imagine #lee minho imagines #skz fluff #happy birthday to my babi #i love you sweetie

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d-criss-news · 3 years

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Nine Songs: Darren Criss

When Disney, Phantom Planet and Mr Hudson collide: Glee star, Emmy and Golden Globe winner and musician Darren Criss talks Andrew Wright through the pivotal songs in his life and the unexpected ways they found him.

“When we are younger, our gateway drugs to a lot of popular things don’t come from the sexiest of places. It’s up to you how proactive you want to be with your curiosity from there, and how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, if you go down at all.”

Choosing the songs that define you is a tricky business to say the least, especially when the power of song has provided an ongoing soundtrack to your life. “When you’re as avid a music consumer as musical artists are, trying to pin down Nine Songs is difficult,” Darren Criss laughs. So much so, his final choices only really crystallise as our conversation draws to its close. “It’s hard for me not to see the value and joy in literally everything,” he explains. “The curse of the creative person is that your ideas and your interests always move way faster than your body can execute.”

Criss is a creative par excellence. As well as his Emmy and Golden Globe winning performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, where he played serial killer Andrew Cunanan, to his upcoming role in Muppets Haunted Mansion Halloween special as The Caretaker, he’s also a prolific musician. Criss enjoyed a decadent musical consumption since childhood, so “this was a bit of an archaeological dig,” he admits. As such, everything from jazz standards, to 808s, punk rock, ‘90s teen pop, and musical numbers are excavated in the course of our extemporaneous journey through the music he loves.

Equally on his mind is how to go about approaching the task of creating his Nine Songs, full stop. “The interesting social experiment is: Are my answers going to be songs that actually shaped my life and were formative to me as an artist? Are they songs that were formative to me as a human being? Or am I picking songs that I think represent who I am to people that do not know me? All three of those things aren’t necessarily the same thing.”

He reaches a conclusion of sorts. “For the purposes of making some kind of decision, I’m gonna lean less into trying to look cool to your very cool readership, and more into the literal, ‘What made me think about music in a different way? And hit me in a very emotional way?’ I think that’s probably the healthiest route.”

Embracing the accessibility that characterises Criss’ picks - or at times the initial touchpoints that led him to them - are something he vacillates over during our chat. “I’ve seen a lot of other people’s Nine Songs and they’re super cool. It’s like Leonard Cohen B-sides and old opera records and stuff. I’m gonna be pretty honest with the pop culture zeitgeist of how I grew up but explain why there is so much value in those moments.” His contemplation continues into the next day, Criss’s publicist passes on his regrets at being tentative to admit how he encountered one of his song choices via the Shrek soundtrack.

A yearning to reinterpret accessibility and the value attached to it drives Criss, however. He tells me that a festival performance that applied the anarchic verve of punk rock to a more refined Great American Songbook number remoulded his perception of music entirely. His love of the fusion of these two genres in particular symbolises the salient musical backdrops of his childhood - the guitar bands he played in with friends, and his musical theatre endeavours that led him to Broadway and multiple Ryan Murphy juggernauts, including his breakthrough playing Blaine Anderson in Glee.

Criss employs these contrasting musical lexicons, and other areas in between, on Masquerade, his new EP. Comprising five stand-alone “character-driven” singles, it sees Criss donning different musical personas. “I’m leaning into people that might know me as an actor,” he explains. “Because if actors can do Shakespeare, romantic comedy, and then do a horror movie and wear a prosthetic nose and a wig, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just do that with music.” The song “walk of shame” draws on jazz-standard chords interlaced with hip-hop production, “i can’t dance” looks to new-wave, and “for a night like this” is the product of Criss’ goal to create the ultimate end-of-the-night crowd-pleaser for a new-year bash, wedding or bar mitzvah. “This is all of the parts of me as a lifelong fan of these genres, trying my hand at servicing the pieces of them that I love.”

“I really love all styles of music and understanding what makes them unique and special and what makes them really pop. There are so many things that really make things sing - for lack of a better verb - and I like acknowledging those things and celebrating those things.”

“So, let’s begin. I have runners up and shit, and I have artists, I don’t just have the songs, so we might have to pick them as we go.”

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“Part of Your World” by Jodi Benson

“When people read this, they’ll go ‘That’s cute, he likes Disney songs’, but it’s more profound than that. Some of the most formative pieces of music to hit me at a very early age would have been any of the songs that were coming from ‘The Disney renaissance.’ The early-mid ‘90s explosion of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast.

"One of the through lines between the three of those musicals was Howard Ashman, who is one of my all-time heroes. Dramaturg, songwriter - he really was the voice behind what made those songs great. I have always loved Howard’s lyrical sensibility and also Alan Menken, his partner who wrote these songs with him. There was a musical structure to a lot of the songs which I would unconsciously pick up in my own songwriting, not just musically, but the idea that not only did somebody make these songs, but they wrote them for a story.

“There’s a clip of Howard Ashman vocal directing Jodi Benson, who was the original voice of Ariel. It’s a wonderful example of his genius, where not only was he songwriting but he was storytelling in the way he would tell her how to perform it, and you can really see the song coming to life in that clip. That’s when you cross the street from ‘It’s a song’ to ‘This is an experience.’

"There are certain ingredients that are required to elevate music that goes beyond just a nice melody, a beautiful orchestration and a good voice. There are things that are required to really give a performance a characterisation, context and a vulnerability, that he architects in real-time with Jodi Benson. You see that what he’s doing is what makes the record so special, and that’s something that’s always been inspiring to me.”

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“MMMBop” by Hanson

“I think my love of Hanson was because some people didn’t like it, so I was like ‘Fuck you, I like this, how do you feel about it?’ But this is difficult for me, because you know, I’m speaking to The Line of Best Fit and we’re trying to be cool! Although, do you know what’s cool? Being accessible! Writing a pop hit when you are 10 years old. Being in a band with your brothers and you’re all below the age of 15, you have a record contract where you are writing, producing and performing songs that are doing well.

“I was 10 years old when their first album Middle of Nowhere came out, and I remember reading somewhere that there were these kids that had a record. At the time, I was playing guitar and I was writing songs, but in my mind I was a kid, and that was it. I couldn’t be on the radio; you had to be a grown up to do this.

"This was the first time where I realised ‘Holy shit, kids can do stuff!’ It’s the value of seeing yourself in the media - that’s a whole other conversation to talk about - but there’s an immense value in feeling like there’s a piece of you out in the zeitgeist and doing well because it’s encouraging. You go, ‘Holy shit, maybe I can do this as well.'

“When you see children doing things, you’re ‘Wow, this is so cute and fabulous’, but then when you actually look at it you go, ‘This is miles above what most people in this age group are capable of,’ and that’s all I saw, because I was in the same age group and I was so inspired by that. This whole album was really a turning point for me, where I was like, ‘I can do this, I can do music too, because these guys can.'

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“Ooh La La” by Faces

“This song really blew my mind. It became my own theme. It’s that ‘Make your heart sing’, nostalgic moment when you’re a teenager, driving in the car listening to it, playing guitar with your friends and you’re singing “I wish that I knew what I know now / When I was younger.” You’re like, ‘because I’m an adult now, I’m 15-years-old. If I only knew what I know now.’

“I was doing theatre from a young age and I was part of a young conservatory called A.C.T. in San Francisco. By way of somebody who knew somebody, I had an audition for a movie. As a kid not being near New York or Los Angeles it was really exciting, and this audition was for a film called ‘Max Fischer’, which would become the movie Rushmore, which would become one of my favourite movies of all time by the now very distinguished Wes Anderson.

“Separate from my own objective love of Wes Anderson, when this movie came out I was just around the age of getting into my own sort of identity with music, but also movies - indie movies - and trying to assert who I was. So, I see this movie Rushmore and I love it. I love the soundtrack, I love it so much, it’s one of my favourite albums ever. This song is the end sequence, and the way it made me feel - the vocals on it, I could play it on guitar and it was part of a cool movie - it really represented a lot in my life.

“And because of the acting thing, and Rushmore being great - it’s about this kid in high-school who's misunderstood but has his own agenda - everything about it was just so fucking cool to me. To this day, I cite that song as one of my favourite records of all time.”

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“Recently Distressed” by Phantom Planet

“A guy that really formed the way I would sing and write songs is Alex Greenwald, the frontman of Phantom Planet. I went to see Phantom Planet because I loved Rushmore and I found out that Jason Schwartzman [who had been cast as Max Fischer] was also the drummer for a band called Phantom Planet.

"So, when I saw their name on the bill I went, but I didn't know their music. I was barely 14, but their set blew my mind. It was Rock and Roll, but I loved Alex Greenwald’s voice. I loved everything, and I would follow their career from there. I always tell people that my voice is a combination of me trying to be Alex Greenwald, Paul McCartney and Rufus Wainwright, but failing. Alex was incredibly formative for me.

“One of their biggest records was a little while after I first saw them, which was the song for The O.C., "California." That was more of an Elvis Costello thing, and they employed a lot of stuff that sounded to me like The Beatles and a lot of ‘60s mod/pop-rock. But later they would employ things from Fugazi, Radiohead and harder shit, and that eclecticism, again, only accelerated my love for Phantom Planet.

“Recently Distressed” is from their 1998 album Phantom Planet Is Missing. This was a cool rock song that employed these George [Harrison] and Paul [McCartney] background vocals and included all of the things that I loved. It was harder but melodic and employed minor 4th chords and more complicated chords than I was used to. I had grown up with power chords - which are very Gregorian - on a lot of alt. punk rock, like Green Day or Nirvana, and if Kurt Cobain was using power chords then that’s how I was playing guitar. Hearing this music was like ‘Oh, I’m using full chords, not sevenths, minor 4th chords, diminished chords’, shit that I would learn to use more and more.

“When you haven’t experienced much, anything that gives a hint towards possibility, even though it’s probably always been there, you’re like, ‘I like this, I’ve always kind of liked this, but it’s very encouraging to hear somebody else do it and it’s gonna make me reconsider my possibilities.’ That was literally the moment that my power chords turned into full barre chords.”

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“Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright

“I forgot the other day how I got into Rufus Wainwright, because all of this stuff I was getting into quite young. It’s like when I talk to 11-13 year olds, it’s funny to think that this was when I was really starting to build my musical identity. But then I remembered, and I didn’t want to say because I didn’t want to sound uncool, because he is such a revered artist who exists in a much cooler place than what I’m about to say.

“I loved soundtracks and I would always buy soundtracks for movies that had cool playlists. I had the Shrek soundtrack, and there’s a cover of Leonard Cohen’s seminal “Hallelujah” that Rufus does and he smashes it, and I’m like, ‘Who the fuck is Rufus Wainwright? What a beautiful voice.’ Then I saw that he was going to be at the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco one week, so I go and he’s there promoting his new album Poses. I remember I didn’t have enough money to buy the album that day, so I had him sign my sneaker and I saved that shoe.

“The first song on Poses was “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk”, which is a very dark and reflective song about his own battles with addiction, but he’s singing it over this really beautiful, whimsical song that has a lot of really great wordplay. I always love when artists, especially lyricists, can encapsulate an idea with not exactly what they’re talking about. The song’s called “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk”, it’s not called “Addiction”. Its talking about things that he craved and how that’s representative of other things that he’s gone through. There was a sophistication and elegance to that that I really gravitated towards, that I didn’t possess but wanted to shoot for. So when I saw him, that was a big one for me and he would also continue to influence me later in my life.

“I’ve become friends with Rufus since. I’ve performed with him and we’ve made records together, which is crazy. His songwriting was very complex and punk-rock, but he had this classic cabaret voice, the kind of voice that I don’t have. I was fascinated that there was somebody that could write this really dark material but have such elegance on top of it. He was virtuosic on the piano, which I thought was very cool because musicianship is always the thing that gets me going the most about artists.

“You know what? People say, ‘Don’t meet your heroes.' I completely disagree. Chase the living fuck out of your heroes. I’ve spent a lifetime doing so, it’s made me a better artist, and I’ve sometimes got to meet them and work with them. I’ve worked on music with Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet. I’ve performed with Hanson. I’ve performed those Disney songs with Alan Menken at The Hollywood Bowl.

"This is all because there are people that I love who I have put on my vision board, and the things that they have done are the things that are bringing me to them. So it is nuts, but at the same time you’re like, ‘Well, what else did you think would happen?’ They did stuff that some part of me connected with, so obviously there’s a magnetic pull towards that person.

“Rufus Wainwright is one of my absolute favourite artists of all time and like I said, me trying to sing like him and failing is a big part of my own journey as an artist.”

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“3x5” by John Mayer

“John Mayer’s another guy that came around when I was 15. I heard a song of his on a middle-of-the-night, singer/songwriter college radio show. This is where I used to get music. You would listen to these carefully curated playlists that you wouldn’t be able to hear anywhere else, and the host played “No Such Thing”, a new song by this young kid who had just dropped out of Berklee College of Music - John Mayer.

“I’m listening to this song and I’m like, ‘Not only is this guitar playing really interesting, but the lyrical value and everything that is going on here ticks all the boxes.' It was jazz, but it was pop. And he did something that all these other guys and girls I’ve mentioned did. They made something very unique and very accessible.

“I immediately went out to buy this album, Room For Squares, and I listened to it over and over again. It was an album that was really formative for me. "3x5” is a really beautiful song that employs a lot of chord structures and melodies that blew my fucking mind at the time, and it made me wish that I could write songs like that.

“That album was a huge turning point in the way I played the guitar, because it was the first time in my life where I would look up tabs. Up until this point in my life, if I heard a song I could play it instantly. It was like a party trick, I would get how it worked if I heard it, because most of the songs I would hear on the radio - especially those that involved a guitar - were [centred around] power chords. And now I’m hearing all of these ninth chords and thirteenths, and I’m like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ So I’d have to look up tabs.

“I think any young artist can attest to this - when you try and learn other people’s shit, it’s the best tool for educating yourself. Playing other people’s music really helps you lock in what your own style is. Trying to learn these songs - and sometimes pulling it off and sometimes not - really changed the way that my hands moved around the guitar and considered chords and voicings that I’d never really thought of.

“There’s another tie to musical theatre here, where I remember seeing Audra McDonald, who is a very venerated theatre actor, and she did a cabaret. If you’re familiar with cabaret culture, it’s more about performing the story of the songs – ‘Life is a cabaret’. She did a John Mayer song because she thought it was from a musical theatre show, and I was so tickled by this, because I was like ‘Yeah, if you really think about it, I don’t think he knows this and I don’t think his fan base even thinks about this, but there’s a number of his songs that feel very theatrical in the way that the lyrics play with each other and the way the chords move’.

"When I saw this I thought, ‘That is why I like John Mayer’, because yes, he’s an amazing guitar player, but he’s also a really strong songwriter.”

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“Cabaret” by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

“Also, around this time growing up in San Francisco, as a guitar player playing music with your buddies, the number one thing that you play is punk rock. There are different parts of the spectrum of punk rock, there's the NOFX, Swingin’ Utters, like real punk, punk. And then there’s the pop-punk thing that was happening at the same time, which was also equally influential - blink-182 and Green Day.

“Fat Mike was the frontman of NOFX. I loved NOFX, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were a supergroup of different members from different punk bands, of which Fat Mike was one of the main architects. They would cover songs and turn them into punk rock songs. They have an album of hits from the ‘60s, and they also have an album called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes: Are a Drag, and that record is just a tonne of musical theatre covers that are done through punk rock.

“That was completely in line with everything I loved at this time of my life but didn’t really know how to articulate. I loved punk rock but I also really loved musical theatre. Not only the performative element of it, but there was a real musicality to musical theatre that wasn’t as present in some of the other shit that was popular at the time, just harmonically, or where chords would go. There was a sophistication I loved that seemed to not exist in punk rock.

“Then hearing Fat Mike at The Warped Tour going ‘Alright, which one of you Motherfuckers loves Julie Andrews?’ and hearing a mixed bag of reactions, because people were ‘What? I was not expecting that from you, sir?’ And then they start playing “My Favourite Things”, a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein song which is very accessible, but sophisticated nonetheless. And I am just living. I’m like, ‘This has got the attitude and simplicity of punk rock, but the sophistication of a beautiful song.’

“That was the first time in my life where I went, ‘It’s just all music. All these categories and boxes are completely arbitrary.’ So I thought, ‘I can do that.' I was playing power chords in punk bands but I realised that you can take chords and make them into other rhythms and voicings and have the same song. I could take a punk song and make it jazz. I could take a jazz song and make it country. So, quite providentially, I would end up on Glee, where they took popular songs and would sometimes do their own versions.

“By that point, I had been doing this my whole life. The first time this ever became a possibility for me was seeing Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and that way of thinking about music and genre. I’ve put that into Masquerade, and it’s all born from that moment of ‘Oh my God, nothing has to be one thing. It’s just about how you look at it.'

“Cabaret” is from a pretty famous musical that I would’ve probably heard about later in life, but I first heard that song as a punk song and then I went back and heard the original. It doesn’t matter how these things happen, the inspiration happens and then you can go from there. But Me First and The Gimme Gimmes were a huge gateway drug and I play “Cabaret” now every year at my festival. That’s why the festival is called Elsie Fest, because it covers the song.”

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“Modern Nature” by Sondre Lerche

“One of the great joys of being a younger brother is that you get to inherit the music of your elders. My brother and I were both really proactive consumers of music, so we would share stuff with each other all the time. But then he would come home from college, which is like coming home from a music festival essentially, right? He was in a new time zone with new people, so he’d bring home these mix CDs that he’d made from people that he’d heard about, and he brings home this guy named Sondre Lerche.

“Hearing this guy blew my mind, because he also was using jazz chords and drawing on musical theatre. Musical theatre’s a massive category, so I can’t just say that musical theatre sounds like one thing, but when I say this, I’m referring to The American Songbook, the jazz standard songbook. “Modern Nature” was a duet that I would go on to play many times with one of my oldest musical collaborators, Charlene Kaye. When we got to college and we both found out that we loved this guy.

“There was a much more whimsical way to how he wrote these songs. And what’s crazy is that loving this guy meant that we also loved Rufus Wainwright, that we also loved these other artists. But Sondre was the first time I considered that I loved that type of music, but I didn’t know that you could be a singer/songwriter and put out music that sounded like it.

“I don’t know if ‘twee’ is the right word to use, but with “Modern Nature” there was a playfulness about it, and again, a musicality that I really gravitated towards. There is a through line - there was a sophistication that was accessible, and me trying to learn those songs did make me rethink the way that I was writing music. The structures were weird and different and I liked that.

“To this day, I find myself writing songs that I think might be difficult for people to ingest, because they’re a little too left of centre, and I realise that I’m trying to write like Sondre Lerche, or I’m unconsciously just copying him.”

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“Everything Happens to Me” by Mr Hudson & The Library

“I was in an H&M in Stockholm when I was 21, and I heard this really cool groove and the lyric was “Why must I always play the clown?” It was sung with a really thick British accent, had an 808 feel on it, and lyrically it had an attitude. Who would say something that sounds so like you’re in a Gilbert & Sullivan musical, but it feels hard? It was cool.

“I went home and looked this up and it was off the record A Tale of Two Cities by Mr Hudson and the Library, which would really, really fuck me up. I bought the album immediately because I loved this song. I had to order it on the internet because I couldn’t find it. It was doing well in England and he was on the festival circuit in the early-mid 2000s, but the first song on the album was a musical theatre cover with 808s.

“It was a pared-down, sort of a hip-hop version of “On The Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, and I’m like ‘No fucking way, this guy gets where my head is.’ I’d thought about punk rock musical theatre, but I never thought about 808s and 909s scoring these beautiful songs. I go down the track list and he has “Everything Happens to Me”, which is another very famous standard, and he had this really cool, what we would now call chill-hop, ‘study beats’ version of this song. I was like, ‘This is it. This guy gets that good music is good music and you can reinterpret it to offer it as a new song.’

“I would later become great friends with Mr Hudson. I got to meet him years later when I was with Columbia Records, and they said to me ‘Who do you want to meet?’ He was at the top of my list. I went to London and we’ve been friends ever since and have created all kinds of music together.

“He told me a story where Tyler the Creator went up to him once at Coachella and said, ‘Oh man, “Everything Happens To Me”, that’s like my song.’ We both wondered if Tyler the Creator knew that it was a Chet Baker cover. And we were thinking how cool it is that you can offer these songs to a new audience through a different lens. Tyler’s a smart guy, he’s very cultured, and I’m sure he did know. But it’s more the idea that if someone experienced this song and didn’t know that it was a cover, and this is like the first time they ever get to experience it.

“Mr Hudson would go on to do his own thing with Kanye and was on 808s & Heartbreak and has had his own career. I think “Supernova” was a hit in the UK, it didn’t really cross over here to The States, but before that moment for him, that Mr Hudson and The Library album changed my life. People use that phrase willy-nilly, but this literally was a turning point in my life. It all had to do with the same thing that happened with these other songs, where I saw someone do what I always wanted to do but didn’t really know how to pull off. Where he had this fusing of old songs delivered through a contemporary lens, but also laced it with his own original material that also employed the things that made that old songwriting interesting.

“It’s like changing the font of a great essay but finding the font and figuring out that that font is its own art form. He really displayed that marvellously on this.”

The Masquerade EP is out now

#darren criss #the line of best fit #press #sept 2021

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thebrightsessions · 4 years

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Entertainment Spotlight: Ian McQuown

Ian is an LA based actor and producer known for the YouTube comedy group, Extremely Decent, as well as a voice actor in the popular audio dramas: The Bright Sessions, The AM Archives, StarTripper!! & Deck The Halls! His credits inclue American Housewife, Trial & Error, Better Things, and For All Mankind. Ian took the time to answer some questions for us. Check it out:

You’ve worked on multiple podcasts -- what drew you to the medium?

Well, to be honest, Lauren drew me to it because TBS was my first narrative podcast. We met at a Rocky Horror Picture Show show. Anna Lore is our mutual friend and I think Anna is just talented as all get out, so anything she’s involved I want to be in. And, I don’t know, it was just one of those lucky breaks you get where a door opens and takes you to all these cool places you never anticipated.

On podcasting though, I really appreciate how much more possible it is to tell engaging stories without the boundaries of having to afford a set and a camera and insurance and etc etc etc. Like, I grew up with Star Wars, The Matrix, Cowboy Bebop— so when I imagine the stories I like, I’m usually picturing other worlds, space ships, people with super powers and those types of stories used to have a lot higher barrier to entry to make than they do now, which is just awesome.

If you could give a character from The Bright Sessions a spinoff series, who would you choose and what would the series be called?

I mean, no surprises here, but I’d love to see Damien’s early years. And I’d be super clever and call it something like... Damien: The Early Years. I'm dying for that content a little bit actually: Damien, before he became such a bad guy. Maybe a love story that doesn’t work out and leaves him really scarred? Villains so bad they created a villain instead of a victim— that moment where we see the two roads Damien has to choose between and it totally shreds us when he makes the choice we all know he’s going to make, I mean, come ON you can see that, right? It’d be like the Star Wars prequels but without all the youngling killing and “NOOOOOOOO”’s and I want it.

Can you share a fun story or anecdote from the making of The Bright Sessions?

Haha, ok well it’s not really anything of note BUT: I remember Lauren had this area rug in her room, which as you probably know is where we would record, and it was this really nice, I think, red sort of floral rug that took up pretty much all the floor space because it was covering up the older apartment rug-floor underneath it. And it was, as I said, really cool, except it wasn’t a rug on a wood floor, right? It was a rug on a rug so it was a bit taller than the people who designed the room had planned for— the result of which was that you’d walk in and the room had this really awesome little vibe with this cute rug, and it was all very cozy, unless you looked directly behind you at the corner where the door had just spent ages scraping the surface of it, catching the corner, tearing little pieces out. And I may be getting apocryphal at this point, but I feel like by the time I had started coming around Lauren had straight up duct taped it to the floor, which really didn’t help the problem. And, I don’t know—again it’s not really anything momentous—but I just remember giving Lauren a particular amount of shit about it one day and us all having a really good laugh. And I really love that— there are jobs where you show up, keep your head down, do your work and leave, but then there are jobs like The Bright Sessions where you all get to become friends, and even if you don’t see each other for a while you sort of just get to pick up where you left off. And then those jobs turn into other jobs and you get to keep hanging out with your friends and peers and just making stuff you like— I’m a big fan of that.

If your life was a choose your own adventure, what decisions would viewers have to make on an average day?

OKAY, you wake up...

Water your garden before it gets to be 110 today, you cannot skip this step. You may however:

A) Stay out in the garden for longer if you get inspired and check if the tomatoes and peppers are ripe for picking.

Great! Now let’s make breakfast:

A) Make eggs, toast, fried tomatoes, and hash browns?

B) Make (A) But also with Bacon?

C) Make a smoothie?

D) There’s no time today, run to Whole Foods and get their incredibly priced $6 Egg, Bacon Cheese Breakfast burrito.

Awesome! You’ve eaten and now you can think. What work do you have to do?

A) Prep your audition, dummy! It’s due this afternoon, go fix your hair.

B) You have a zoom meeting with actor friends at 11 to play around with some new material, put on a hat.

C) There is nothing you have to work on so stare at your computer and wonder if there’s new project you could be working on. Try to find that project, leave your hair as it.

Wow! You really had a great (insert previous choice here), let’s get you a coffee and take a TV break. What should we watch?!

A) That new show you haven’t seen yet because you need to watch everything so you know how to work on it should you get an audition for it.

B) Harley Quinn (your favorite new cartoon).

C) Teenage Bounty Hunters.

D) Farscape.

E) Nope, you just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it (Level Complete).

Lunch Time!!!

A) Turkey sandwich with pickles from the garden?

B) Trader Joe’s Margherita Pizza with basil and peppers from the garden?

C) Are we going to start another loaf of sourdough you basic mf?

D) Yes we probably are, but also (A) and (B).

Cool! I’ve eaten lunch. Now what?

A) You haven’t finished that work from this morning. Riiiight.

B)…More Harley Quinn…?

C) Let’s make pasta from scratch!

D) Let’s make ribs! From…ribs!

F) You just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it. (Level Complete).

Bangarang! You probably chose to start cooking dinner immediately after eating lunch. You ate it (and it rocked), what now?

A) You just got an audition for tomorrow, everything is off the table, start working on it. (Level Complete)

B) DnD with squad.

C) Go on a run, dude— you’re getting a Jaba chin….

D) Bring on the chin! Let’s watch TV until 2am! Here are your options:

A) Harley Quinn (your new favorite cartoon)

B) Teenage Bounty Hunters

C) Farscape

D) Put The Office on in the background and clean your house.

Level Complete.

As you can see I’m a very food-focused person. Also, I’m going to be real, that is truly what most of my days look like and I’m low-key a little mortified that ’taking a shower’ wasn’t a game option...

Can you share your favorite piece of Bright Sessions / AM Archives fan art?

I love all the fan art that people make for my characters but this one from Franartz has always been really special to me. It’s so GQ, I just love it — and some of my favorite early AG moments are with Damien, who looks a little like he stepped out of a Gorrilaz album here— big fan. I’m a little obsessed with fan art actually, I save everything I come across— there’s a freckled red-headed series of Owen by TheFigureInTheCorner that makes me really happy. Seeing that my work has inspired someone else to make something of their own is really what’s up, you know? It makes me think about all the art and entertainment that has touched me over the years and I get a lot of joy from being a part of that cycle.

Thanks for taking the time, Ian! Give I Can Die When I'm Done a relisten right here.

#entertainment spotlight #the bright sessions #the am archives #Ian mcquown

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ladyeliot · 3 years

Photo

No pressure

Request: Anonymous. Hiiii! I had a Chris Evans x reader request. The reader is famous and has to go through a stalker who breaks into her home. She calls 911 and isn't hurt, but Chris wasn't there so he comes to her and visits her and comforts her. It could be fluffy. It's ok if you don't want to do it. I'm sorry if it sucks. 😊

Pairing: Chris Evans x Fem!Reader

Warning: Stalker and at the end fluff.

Word count: 1636

Notes: Thank you very much for the request, I loved it. In the end I modified the character of the stalker a bit, but everything else is there. / English is not my native language, sorry for the mistakes.

Anyone could have said that having a nice comfortable life in a country house in the middle of the countryside and with a regular job could be very boring, but that was all you needed on days like this. The energy consumption of your life prevented you from enjoying the little things. Day after day you would arrive home after midnight after spending more than 10 hours a day locked up in a recording studio and if you were lucky at least 2 of the 10 hours had been profitable. When you weren't in the studio, you were touring in the remotest places on earth and when that didn't happen you were probably promoting the new album.

Without a doubt it was an unimaginable life, which during your childhood had been a dream for you, and after effort and persistence you had achieved it. However, it wasn't all that beautiful, and the sacrifices you made were endless.

Like any other Saturday you arrived home after 00:30 and because of the low traffic in Los Angeles your arrival was delayed by about 45 minutes. Crestwood Hills was a lovely residential neighbourhood to live in, with nice views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the coast, but quite problematic if you wanted to go from your studio in Venice Beach, yet you knew you wouldn't move from that house for anything.

The automatic garage door opened as soon as you got close to it, when it opened you could see the Christmas lights that you hung around the palm tree at the entrance last week, which gave a homely feeling to your garden, and that made you think of the comfort your bed would provide when you lay down in it.

The door closed behind the car and with great heaviness you picked up the guitar and went to the entrance door, thinking about how much you wanted to fall on the bed. To your surprise you saw a dim light coming out of the living room, accompanied by a pleasant smell of your favourite sauce. Strangely enough, you left your guitar on the floor, right next to the umbrella stand, and headed towards the light. The first thing that crossed your mind was that you had probably forgotten some date with Chris, or maybe some special date. However, there was nothing scheduled in your diary, so you assumed it would be a surprise that I had prepared.

"Mr. Evans?" you said with a half smile.

You entered the living room and right next to the window that led to the garden you came across a mahogany table decorated with purple tulips and two candles on each side, complemented by the plates and cutlery and a small note on your plate. You couldn't help but deny with your face as you smiled.

-This night is all ours. Just make yourself comfortable, enjoy and ask me for whatever you want.-

You arched an eyebrow forgetting how tired you were and how many things you would ask for if he only made himself available to you. A loud noise coming from the kitchen made you think about those juicy thoughts. You put the note back in its place, and leaned in, trying to expand your change of vision.

"Is everything all right out there?" you burst out laughing. "Aren't you going to come and give me my welcome?"

The feeling of happiness that had invaded your body vanished in an instant, unless Chris had shrunk a few inches, worn long hair and taken on a feminine look.

"What? What the hell are you doing here? How did you get into my house?!" Every pore of your body began to give off an intense heat that was present in your cheeks.

In an instant you rushed to her, taking away all the kitchen gadgets that were in her hands. The situation went from the most romantic to the darkest, and even a bit comical if you think about it coldly. The story you had with that person was long and full of chapters, but even so the current situation had gone too far.

"Get out of my house" you stretched out your right arm and pointed to the front door. "I have no idea how you got in, but the only thought that you've been wandering around, touching my things and preparing food in my kitchen is making me very nervous.

"Does that make you nervous now? We have to talk, you know that...", your ex-confident could not finish his words.

"Get out! I know that you haven't stopped following me since I came from Memphis, that you're there every night when I go out waiting for me at the back door of the studio and that more than once I've seen you on the beach when I go for a run. I told you and I'm telling you again, it's all over, there's no more, it's been a year and a half. And now get out of my house if you don't want me to call the police."

“It's all over, there's no more? What a harsh word for you" the honey-coloured eyes of the young woman who was just a few metres away from you, turned, but she hardly moved from her place. "After all this time, after all I've done for you!

"For me?! I can't believe it..." your tone calmed down, you had gone from anger to bitterness in a few seconds. "Are you listening to yourself?"

She barely showed a clear intention to leave, you knew her well, but the last few months she had become a complete stranger to you.

"It's okay, you asked for it," you took the mobile phone out of your back pocket and typed in 911. "If you don't want to leave my house, and tell me how you got in, explain it to the police.

The fight of looks continued, it seemed that she wasn't going to give her arm to the wall and although you didn't want to put on any show either, as you preferred to do it on stage, you knew that if she didn't see against the sword and the wall she wouldn't leave your house. You hated her for getting you where you were going.

"911, what is the address of your emergency?" you stared for the last time into her eyes waiting for her to make a gesture to leave.

Time stopped and the wait became eternal, both for you and for the female voice coming out of the earpiece.

“911, what is the address of your emergency” repeated the woman.

The girl in front of you smiled uncertainly as she reached into the right pocket of her jeans and pulled out some keys, the keys to your house along with an alarm control.

"You got it," she whispered, heading for the exit door.

“911, what is the address of your emergency?”

"Nothing" you said with a thread of voice contemplating the keys on the kitchen counter and with your heart racing because of the amount of contradictions that had just happened.

Thirty-five minutes passed before Chris' car was planted in front of your house. During that time you got rid of the whole scenario that person had set up, avoiding leaving any trace of it. Chris arrived with an expression of disbelief mixed with irritation, all you needed was someone to calm you down, but in the end you had to spend fifteen minutes trying to get him to relax.

"I'm sorry" said Chris. He put his arms around you and put a little kiss in your hair. "I just... I don't want to take thirty minutes to get here if anything happens.”

"I don't think she'll show up again," you said sure of that fact.

"I don't care. Today this happened, tomorrow anything else can happen," he said kissing your hair again, and realising how serious he was being changed his tone to one of comedy. "If I could I would wrap you in bubble wrap so nothing would happen to you."

"You know that wrapping obsesses me, in less than two hours all the bubbles would be bursting," your comment made Chris laugh, so you could finally breathe easy when you saw him like that again.

"Come here."

The hug broke up and Chris led you to the sofa, sitting in a position where you were facing each other.

"Listen. I've been thinking..."

"Thinking?" you arched an eyebrow after the playful comment, trying to break its seriousness again.

"Yes, honey, sometimes I think," Chris responded to your comment with the same playful tone. "No, listen, I know you're not very friendly about serious conversations, but listen to me. I've been thinking, and I've been thinking about the idea of living together. Don't think it's because of what happened today, or what I said before, I've been thinking about it since last month when we spent Thanksgiving in Boston," you nodded slightly, wrapping yourself in memories of that familiar day. "I'm not asking you to do it immediately, I just want you to think about it, no pressure.”

"No pressure," you repeated arching an eyebrow and looking at Chris' hands that were on your lap.

"No pressure," he imitated.

"Okay," you whispered, taking one of his hands and giving him a slow kiss on the back of his hand as you let yourself be enveloped by his gaze. "I'll think about it."

It took you just two seconds to approach her lips and seal your answer with a kiss.

MAIN MASTERLIST

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#chris evans x reader #chris evans #fan fiction #mcu #y/n #marvel #marvel fanfic #masterlist #Steve rogers #fluff #angst #fanfiction #ff #captain america

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jeonronwoo · 4 years

Text

Little Vistor → Jackson Wang

anonymous asked: Can I request 79/87 for Jackson (Got7) please 🦋

Prompts:

79. “You’re such a ladies man.”

87. “Dude! She beat the shit out of you.”

Requested.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: A few curse words.

Genre: Fluff, Comedy.

“What? For Two months?! This is great! She is an angel, of course he’d be okay with it. Alright, I’ll see you soon, bye.”

You ran excitedly into your husband’s studio down the stairs and knocked on the door, when you entered he looked up and smiled at you.

“Hey babe, you look very excited, what happened?” Jackson asked as he motioned for you to come.

You sat on his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck still smiling you answered,

“My brother and his wife are going on a vacation for two months, and they’re going to let Bora stay with us the whole time! Isn’t that amazing?!” You said and noticed Jackson’s smile flattered slowly, causing you to frown at him.

“What’s wrong?” You asked your voice soft.

“It’s nothing, it’s just Boraـ”

“I thought you loved Bora..” You cut him off, he nodded quickly.

“I do! It’s just that, she doesn’t like me very much.” Jackson mumbled.

You eyed him strangely, you didn’t know what made him say this. Jackson was an amazing uncle to your nieces and nephews, he always gave them gifts, played with them, and loves them so much. And they loved him just as much, you didn’t know what made Bora an exception.

“You’re silly, Bora loves you like the rest of the kids do.” You said and he huffed and pouted slightly.

“She hates me Y/N.. Remember last Christmas what happened? She said she wanted to show me her snowman that she built outside, and guess what happened? She locked me outside and I was freezing to death!” He said and you couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.

“Maybe she was bored and wanted to have some fun, maybe she didn’t mean to.” You said and Jackson looked at you scoffing.

“Oh yeah right, you remember how there was a food fight? You know what did Bora do?” Jackson asked as you remembered the accident and laughed loudly saying.

“Dude! She beat the shit out of you.”

Jackson sighed and you stopped laughing rubbing his shoulder. “Okay maybe she dislikes you just a little bit, but, now your time to shine, we have two months of her staying with us, maybe you can get her to like you.” You said and pressed a kiss to his temple.

He sighed and nodded silently, you knew he was feeling bad that she dislikes him, Jackson really loved your niece, but she always gave him the cold shoulder, and he doesn’t know why. He tried everything to get her to like him, but it was all in vain.

You noticed he seemed a bit down, so you asked him to let you listen to the song he was working on, he put the headphones around your head and pressed play. The beat filled you and you smiled, you’ll always be proud of your husband, he was talented for real, and he was a good husband to you.

After you finished the song you smiled at him, and he could see that he had done a good job, you were his favorite criticizer, and he couldn’t confidently release anything before you listened to it, and he knew you were grateful for that.

“I think that was perfect, good job, baby.” You said and kissed him on the lips, he smiled and kissed you back. But you were interrupted by the door bell ringing.

“She’s here!” You said excitedly and ran to the door. Jackson took a deep breath and followed you.

You opened the door and saw your brother and his wife standing at your door step with smiles on their faces, you jumped and hugged your brother tightly.

“Alright, you’re going to suffocate me!” He said, you scoffed and pulled away, and then hugged his wife.

“I’m so sorry if we’re bothering you, but you’re the only ones we trust to take care of Bora.” Your sister-in-law said.

“Of course not, don’t be silly!” You replied then turned to Jackson, “Baby, can you please take Bora’s suitcase to the guest bedroom? Thank you.” You said and watched as he carried the small suitcase and went upstairs.

You turned back to your brother and his wife, “So, where’s she?” You asked, your brother grinned and went to the car to bring your niece.

You saw her sleeping and awed at the sight of her chubby cheeks resting on your brother’s shoulder, you opened your arms and he rested her in them. You looked at your sister-,in-law quietly asking if you could wake her up, she nodded and you bounced Bora a bit on your hips.

“Boo, wakey wakey.” You whispered in her ear, she opened her eyes and once she saw you she grinned and threw her arms around your neck.

“Auntie Y/N! I missed you so much!” Bora exclaimed and you chuckled kissing her cheeks.

“I missed you too sweetie, guess who will be spending two months with their aunt?” You asked and she laughed pointing to herself, “That’s right, are you super duper excited?!” You said and she quickly nodded.

“Alright, we’ve to go now. Baby girl, be good for auntie Y/N and uncle Jackson.” Your brother said causing Bora to frown at him.

“No! Uncle Jackson is silly!” Bora said, and you snickered quietly.

“Bora! We don’t use this word except for a nice thing! Now, please be good, mommy and daddy have to go now. I love you.” Your sister-in-law said, as you let her hug her daughter, and your brother took a turn too.

Then you carried her again and raised your hand to wave to your brother and his wife, “Say bye to mommy and daddy.” You said and she waved at them too.

You both walked inside the house, you saw Jackson in the kitchen preparing lunch, so you decided not to interrupt him. So you took Bora’s hand and walked to her room. You bathed her and helped her putting on some new clothes. You decided to ask her why she doesn’t like Jackson.

“Bora, why don’t you like uncle Jackson sweetie?” You asked.

“Because he isn’t sharing you, and that’s mean, I don’t see you as often because he took you away.” She replied pouting.

Then it hit you, she was jealous. You weren’t with Jackson when she was first born, you and Jackson have been together for two years then you got married six months ago. And you left your parents’ house.

“Oh, but auntie loves him just like she loves you, and it hurts me that you don’t like him, can you please be nice to him? He makes me happy.” You said and she looked at you.

“Okay, I will think about it.” She replied and you smiled at her amused.

“Thank you, now. Do you want to go downstairs and watch some cartoons?” You asked and she nodded.

You took her hands in yours as you walked downstairs, you saw Jackson still standing in the kitchen, you turned around to look at her and sat on your knees in front of her.

“Can you please go tell him hi? It will make auntie really happy.” You whispered and Bora looked at you before nodding.

She walked over to him and patted his thigh, Jackson turned around and looked down at her and smiled widely.

“Hi uncle Jackson.” She said, Jackson looked up at you excitedly and looked down at her again.

“H-Hi Bora! How are you?” Jackson asked smiling.

“Fine. There auntie Y/N, I told him hi.” Bora said and you mentally face palm, she walked back to you.

You noticed how Jackson seemed disappointed, so you just shut up and turned on the TV and watched cartoons with Bora.

***

You put Bora to sleep and went back to yours and Jackson’s bedroom, you saw he was scrolling through his phone, you smiled and got under the covers with him and cuddled into his chest.

“So, I talked to Bora and asked her why she doesn’t like you.” You started, he stopped scrolling through his phone and turned to you.

“Really? What did she tell you?” Jackson asked.

“Well, she thinks you aren’t sharing me with her, she’s just jealous. You know, before we even met I used to babysit her all the time, and now we’re married, she doesn’t see me as she used to.” You explained.

“Oh lord, I’m a terrible human being, I took you away from your family, I’m a monster!” He said but he was smiling, you hit his side.

“Stop saying this!” You chuckled and got up and straddled his waist.

“No really, I’m a terrible uncle.” Jackson said, you shook your head no and smiling at him.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she will like you in no time.” You answered and he raised an eyebrow at you.

“And why do you think so?” He asked and you simply answered.

“You’re such a ladies man.”

Jackson laughed loudly at this and you smiled at him glad that you could finally get his mind off of this topic, even for a couple of minutes.

***

For two weeks, you and Bora bonded and you always made time for her, you tried to include Jackson with you two, but Bora always ended up kicking him out because he was interrupting your girl time.

Until one day, it was a rainy day, and it wasn’t hard to tell that there would be a thunderstorm even! You unfortunately had to work late, and you sent a message to Jackson asking him to put Bora to sleep.

He sighed and walked up the stairs till he reached into Bora’s room, he knocked on the door and peeked his head inside, he saw Bora colouring on the floor.

“Hey Bora, auntie Y/N has to work late, do you want me to put you to sleep?” He asked and Bora looked up at him uninterested.

“No.” She answered bluntly, Jackson nodded used to her rejection and walked back downstairs to continue with the album.

By now, it was pouring rain and the thunder’s roars echoed through the house, but Jackson was unbothered and kept on working on the album, and writing down something about the lyrics, then Jackson heard small footsteps running and then a soft, scared voice spoke.

“Uncle Jackson?”

He raised his head and saw Bora standing there and was clutching her plushie, the thunder boomed again and she gasped loudly and whimpered.

“C-Can I stay with you? I’m scared of the thunders..” Bora said and Jackson looked at her wide-eyed before nodding quickly.

He opened his arms for her and she buried herself in them, he smiled quietly, and sat her down on his lap. He noticed she was still shaking, he took of his headphones and put them on her head.

“There, why don’t you listen to the song I made, would you like that?” Jackson asked and Bora nodded excitedly causing him to squeal internally.

He pressed the play button as the beat filled the quiet living room, she sat and was enjoying the song. After the song stopped, Bora looked up at Jackson and smiled.

“It’s really good! Did you do it all by yourself?” Bora asked and Jackson nodded smiling.

“Yeah! Do you think I should release it?” He asked and she nodded her head rapidly.

They talked back and forth bonding more, and Jackson could feel that Bora was becoming more comfortable around him. He looked at his watch and sighed as he stood up and put Bora on the floor.

“Okie dokie, I think that’s enough for today. Let’s put you to bed.” Jackson said as he picked Bora up and went to his room as he didn’t have the heart to leave her sleep alone.

He put her to bed and made sure she was covered securely, he was about to leave to grab something, but Bora grabbed his hand.

“Please stay uncle Jackson, can you read me a bedtime story?” She asked and Jackson was grinning at this point.

He joined her in bed and she cuddled into him almost immediately, he took off his glasses and put them on the nightstand and said wrapping his arms around her small frame.

“Alright, I’ll tell you about the first time I went on tour!”

***

You went home completely exhausted, and the fact that you had to wait until the rain stopped was even tiring. You went to check on Bora, but didn’t find her in the room. You started to panic and went to your bedroom to tell Jackson that she was gone, only to be met with the most heart swelling sight ever.

Your husband and your niece cuddling together, Jackson held onto Bora tightly who was clutching her plushie. You smiled and went to Jackson careful not to wake any of them.

You caressed his face and he stirred and opened his eyes, once his eyes caught yours he gave you a sleepy smile causing you to smile.

“Hi, I see you both are on good terms now.” You said nodding towards Bora and Jackson smiled looking down at her with a loving gaze.

“Yeah, I think she likes me.”

#got7 #got7 imagines #got7 scenarios #got7 request #got7 reactions #got7 crack #got7 jackson #jackson wang #jackson wang imagines #jackson wang fluff #jackson wang crack

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sandwichrin · 3 years

Text

A Little into You (Junkyu x Reader) (Ch. 8)

Chapter 8 - “This isn’t awkward”

Word count: 4.6k words

Genre: Fanfiction, PG13, Comedy, Romance.

A/N: Hi! Surprise! Chapter 8 is here! Thank you for reading and supporting my writing y’all, I truly appreciate everyone’s love and support <3 Hope you all enjoy this chapter, love you all and have a nice weekend 🥰🧡

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, really,” Junkyu said, sounding all flustered, especially since you didn’t say anything after you accidentally bumped into him.

You were too shocked to even say anything though. Why? You weren’t sure either. But something about this guy makes your heart race.

Your hands were still partially covering your face, since earlier you thought you might have hurt it when you accidentally ran into him, hard.

Hyunsuk, who was not far from you and Junkyu, came over towards you, “Hey, y/n? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Hyunsuk’s hand held your shoulder, making you focus back on reality.

“I…I’m fine, Hyunsuk,” you said, smiling softly at him as you moved your hands from your face.

“Hey, hey…don’t make it seem like it’s totally bad. We just accidentally bumped into each other that’s all. I didn’t hurt her or anything,” Junkyu said.

Jihoon walked over to the three of you, a smirk plastered on his face. “Junkyu-aa! This is y/n!”

Junkyu shot him a confused look, “Who??”

“Oh come on, y/n! It’s y/n, the girl that gave Hyunsuk-hyung his shirt last time,”

Junkyu still looked like he had no clue who you were even after Jihoon mentioned about that incident.

“The girl who helped hide Jaehyuk’s banana milk the other day….?” Jihoon prompted him on.

“Ahh! That girl.”

You stood there, feeling uncomfortable truthfully, now that they’re talking about you out loud.

Junkyu’s eyes lowered down to look at you (since he’s taller than you obviously). “Hmm…it’s nice meeting you, y/n,” he said in an unsure tone though.

You nodded briefly, avoiding eye contact with him. Again, why? No idea, you just felt a tad breathless now that he’s here. Or maybe you were just overwhelmed by what was going on.

You took a deep breath and moved slightly, making Hyunsuk’s hand fell off your shoulder.

“Well, it was nice seeing you all. I better get going now,” you said in one breath.

Just as you were about to dash off, you felt an arm grabbing you by your shoulder.

“Whoa whoa whoa. I thought you were having lunch with us, y/n?” That smooth, sultry voice said.

Your head turned to look at him, Jihoon. Your eyes glanced at his arm that was holding you by your shoulders. If anyone were to pass by, they might think that you were in trouble, since you’re being crowded by guys taller than you.

“N-no…I never said I agreed to that. Besides—”

“Y/n!”

Your sentence was left unfinished when you heard someone calling out to you. You turned your head to see Jaehyuk running towards where you were.

He was slightly panting when he was finally in front of you. Grinning his usual charming smile at you, he asked, “What are you doing here? Did you come to visit us?”

His smile was so wide and happy it made you feel bad if you were to say that you were here only because you were unable to leave since just now.

You responded at Jaehyuk with a smile.

But then again, before you could say anything, Jihoon had already spoken up.

“Y/n is going to have lunch with us! Isn’t that great?” he said cheerfully.

Jaehyuk smiled and cheered loudly, “Yay! That’s great! I’ll let the rest of the group know!” and with that he whipped out his phone and started typing fast onto it. His attention was no longer on you.

You shifted uncomfortably from where you’re standing. You looked up at Jihoon who was close behind you.

“Erm…could you, maybe, I don’t know, let go of me?” you said to Jihoon.

Jihoon stared at you for a while, making your eyes looking elsewhere since you felt that you didn’t need this impromptu staring contest with him.

Jihoon grinned at you before slowly releasing his grip off your shoulders.

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s head to the restaurant now,” Jihoon said.

“W-wait? I thought we’re supposed to eat with the rest of your members?” you asked.

Hyunsuk lets out a chuckle, “Yeah, we are. But we can’t be seen leaving in a big group, y/n. It’ll make it too obvious that we’re on a free schedule and it might attract too much attention you know,” he explained.

You nodded, understanding what he meant.

All 5 of you arrived at the Japanese food Restaurant not long after. Truthfully, you felt a little out of place, noticing that the place seemed a little pricey and fancy to your taste.

The boys had already booked a private room for themselves to dine in, which means this will be your first time dining in at fancy restaurant and a private room.

It’s like the one you saw in those shows, you thought to yourself.

Now, honestly, you didn’t think it’d be too awkward since you were kinda dressed appropriately for the place (since you’re still in your work attire), and the boys too, weren’t wearing too fancily. It’s almost like a friendly gathering atmosphere instead.

BUT then, it got awkward when you see the boys shuffling to their seats.

Why is this awkward?

It’s awkward because you realised you had no idea where you were supposed to sit at.

The boys had already taken their seats, Hyunsuk, sitting at head end of the table, Jaehyuk and Jihoon, sitting facing each other, and then there’s Junkyu who’s sitting beside Jihoon.

Which meant that your option was to either sit beside Junkyu or Jaehyuk.

But then you noticed that Junkyu and Jihoon had already secured two sits on that one row so to even it out, it’s better if you sit next to Jaehyuk, right?

You slowly moved towards the seat beside Jaehyuk.

“Oh? Y/n, you’re sitting next to Jaehyuk?” Jihoon asked in all of a sudden, making you stop in your steps.

“Yeah…why? Was it reserved for someone else?” you asked.

“No~ Come here, sit next to me, y/n~” Jaehyuk said in a singsong tune.

This made you smile. You felt glad knowing that the person you’d be sitting next to was Jaehyuk. He’s been very friendly to you, and considering you’ve hung out with him and his dormmates, it only made sense that you were more comfortable sitting with him compared to anyone else in the room right now.

You sat down.

You had a smile on your face, feeling relieved knowing that you will feel less awkward being here by now, when suddenly you felt a cold, sharp gaze staring at you.

You lifted your head slightly and saw Junkyu sitting in front of you.

The moment both of your eyes met, he immediately looked away.

You blinked a few times. Was I imagining things or was he looking this way?

You turned your head away and focused on Hyunsuk who was talking about something to Jihoon, but then your eyes still lingered to look at Junkyu who was sitting opposite you.

Junkyu was looking down at his phone by now and you can’t help but feel like he was uncomfortable with your presence.

“Y/n!!” Yedam appeared at the doorframe of the private room.

Your head turned to look at him. You laughed a little seeing him struggle to enter the door with Junghwan by his side.

“Hey, hey, hey! No pushing!” You heard Mashiho said behind them.

Yedam immediately sat beside you, along with Junghwan following beside him as well.

You saw Jeongwoo shuffling to his seat beside Junkyu. You nodded at him. He too, did the same. The rest followed suit sitting in their respective seats.

By now, this was what the seating in the private room looked like:

Head and End of table:

Hyunsuk and Doyoung

Left Row of table:

Jihoon, Junkyu, Jeongwoo, Haruto, Yoshi, Asahi

Right Row of the table:

Jaehyuk, You, Yedam, Junghwan, Mashiho

Hyunsuk and Jihoon discussed on what food to order. After placing the orders, while waiting for the food to arrive, everyone in the room started making small talk with each other.

“Y/n, how did you get invited here? Didn’t you know, Junghwan and I got so excited to leave practice just now when we read in the chat that Jaehyuk sent us!” Yedam said happily.

You laughed a little at him, “Gosh, you’re making it seem like I’m the celebrity here,”

Yedam laughed as well, “Hey, we missed you that’s all,”

You smiled at him.

Junghwan, who was beside Yedam, moved closer to the both of you, wanting to join in on the conversation as well.

“Hey, hey, y/n noona, I practiced a new song today,”

“Oh yeah? Was it the one that you sent in the group chat the other day?” you asked him.

Junghwan shook his head. “This is another new one noona. It’s called Believe by Justin Bieber,”

“Oh my god! I love that album! I mean, it’s not a new song but that whole album was so so good!” you said excitedly.

Junghwan was excited too, knowing that you liked the song just as much as he does, “Yes! I’m still practicing the song but I’ll let you know if I’m done with it,”

You nodded happily, “Sure, Junghwan.”

“Wait, what are you guys talking about? Jaehyuk didn’t send anything in our group chat,” Hyunsuk interrupted the three of you.

Everyone stopped talking instantly. All eyes were on you, Yedam and Junghwan.

“I…I meant the group chat that we have with y/n…” Yedam said.

Hyunsuk looked at the three of you in disbelief. “What? You all have a group chat together?? All 3 of you??”

“Well, to be precise, it’s the five of us, hyung,” Jaehyuk answered.

“What??”

Hyunsuk’s face was lined with extreme shock. He was the one who met you first, and yet his other friends were already being closer with you compared to him! Just how??

“Yah, Junghwan-aa, since when did you start addressing y/n as ‘Noona’? Last time we checked, you were barely able to converse with a girl this close, let alone calling them noona,” Jihoon asked, amused with what’s going on around him now.

Junghwan blushed slightly, “Y/n-noona said I could call her that…” he said shyly.

Hyunsuk was still baffled. He was speechless. He didn’t know how to react to this, but he also knew this was shocking news to him. It was difficult enough to get you to have lunch with him, and yet how was it so easy for them to get along with you right away?

“Oh come on hyung, what do you expect? We hung out with y/n the other day when you sent us to go get my banana uyu from her place,” Jaehyuk added.

“Yeah, we realised we clicked with each other so ever since that day we’ve all been chatting each other in the group we made,” Yedam explained further.

“Even Asahi is in the group??” Jihoon mused.

Everyone turned to look at Asahi who was calmly drinking his cup of hot green tea.

Asahi took a slow sip from his cup, clearly unbothered by everyone’s eyes on him.

When he was done, he placed the cup on the table and said briefly, “Hmm yeah.”

This earned a hearty laugh from Jihoon. He started laughing out loud.

“Oh no, he’s laughing alone again,” Yoshi whispered to Haruto. “Someone help him,” he said, genuinely concerned with his hyung.

Hyunsuk wasn’t the only one confused. You were too. Wasn’t this supposed to be a casual lunch? When did everyone get so intense??

And to make it worse, you couldn’t stop catching Junkyu shooting glares at you. What is this guy’s deal??

You held in your breath, hoping to just wake up from this dream. This has got to be a dream. It’s so bad that you wanted it to be a dream. Please.

Haruto raised his hand in all of a sudden.

All the tension in the room suddenly eased when they all paid attention to him. You too, slowly released your breath that you’ve been holding in.

“What is it Ruto? Are you okay?” Hyunsuk asked.

“Can someone…tell me what is going on here?” He said, in his deep voice. He had an annoyed look on his face too, probably because of the atmosphere everyone was in just now.

Haruto eyed you as well, which made you grip your cup in your hand.

“And can someone please tell me who this is?” he added.

You could hear yourself swallowing your own voice. You weren’t sure if you should be speaking up or not right now.

“Oh, well, this…this is y/n noona,” Junghwan said, trying to answer Haruto’s questions.

Haruto raised an eyebrow at their maknae, “Noona?”

“I meant, y/n…” Junghwan corrected himself.

You scoffed silently. You were clearly sure that you were older than half of them there, and there you go, another guy you barely know, asking questions about you indirectly when you were clearly right in front of him.

Hyunsuk, Jaehyuk and Yedam heard your scoff even when you intentionally did it quietly.

You didn’t need to be here, you thought to yourself. You didn’t need this uncomfortable atmosphere on a day where you were supposed to be celebrating about the merge of your boss’ company with another prestigious company.

“Uhh, actually, everyone, this is y/n. I invited her to have lunch with us today. She’s the girl that helped Jaehyuk with his banana milk case the other day,” Hyunsuk said quickly in one breath. Thank god for his rapping skills.

When he heard you scoff, he was sure, you were upset with the environment he dragged you to be in.

You were still disheartened by what was going on in the room though. And just as you thought of opening your mouth to say something, the waiter arrived carrying your orders.

“Ah! Food is here, everyone!” Yoshi said as he helped receive the plates from the waiter.

You forced a smile at everyone and helped arrange the foods on the table.

You tried your best not to frown all throughout the time being in that room with them. It wasn’t that you were entirely unhappy being there, it’s just that it was too obvious not everyone welcomed you to be there, so why were you still hanging around there?

Your jaw felt tight as you chew on your food. You kept your head down, just eating and listening to some of them chat whilst eating their dish.

What you didn’t realise was that Hyunsuk kept eyeing you, concerned with what he dragged you into.

Hyunsuk was zoned back to focus when he heard Jihoon laughing out loud from listening to Jaehyuk’s joke in front of him.

Again, his eyes fell onto you. You were chewing your food slowly, and no one was talking to you.

Hyunsuk’s guilt tripled just seeing you all quiet and keeping to yourself in this crowded room. He was thinking hard, on how to get you to cheer up.

You on the other hand, were busy ignoring the people in the room, and busy eating your emotions away. You didn’t want to make it obvious that you were incredibly upset but the way you were breathing totally gave away how you truly felt, especially to Yedam and Jaehyuk since they were sitting beside you.

You were about to place your bowl of unfinished rice onto the table when suddenly, a pair of chopsticks carrying a piece of meat appeared.

You turned to your right and you saw Yedam, holding the end of the chopticks. He smiled at you and placed the meat in your bowl.

“Eat up, y/n. Don’t let the rice go to waste, okay?” he said softly.

Suddenly, tears flooded your eyes. You wanted to cry but you held it in. All your anger washed off when you saw Yedam’s kind expression.

You sniffled to yourself. Come on y/n! Don’t be all sappy and emotional! Your friends are here with you, don’t ruin the moment just ‘cause you are upset!

You nodded at Yedam and continued eating your food, not wanting to worry your new friends.

Suddenly, Jihoon, spoke up loudly, “Hey, Junkyu.”

His loud voice earned few eyes looking at him. Including yours.

Junkyu had already finished his meal and was looking at his phone when Jihoon called his name. His eyes looked up to see his friend beside him, “Yeah?”

Jihoon picked a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placed it into Junkyu’s empty bowl. “Eat up, okay? Don’t waste your food,” he said in teasing tone.

Junkyu, who was confused just as the rest were, furrowed his eyebrows at his bestfriend’s action.

“What? What’s wrong with you today?” Junkyu asked Jihoon, in a confused tone.

Jihoon giggled to himself by this.

Again, Yoshi voiced out his concern about their hyung’s behaviour, “Oh no, there he goes again. Someone, really, is Jihoon-hyung okay?”

Jihoon chuckled at his friend’s remark. He bit on the end of his chopsticks and had his gaze focused on you.

And that’s when it hit you.

“H-hey!” You said, louder than your usual tone.

Jihoon laughed out loud when he saw how red your face went. It turns out that he was teasing you and Yedam earlier. He had seen Yedam giving you his piece of meat and he felt that it would be fun to tease Yedam’s sappy behaviour.

But he didn’t expect you to react this way.

Jihoon was clearly amused by you.

Ignoring Jihoon’s laugh, Hyunsuk asked you, “What is it, y/n? Is everything alright? Why is your face red? Was the food too spicy for you??”

You shook your head, embarrassed that you’ve created this much commotion by now.

“Aishh, Jihoon really can’t stay still, can he? He had to tease y/n like that,” Yedam said, slightly laughing as well.

“Oh? But what happened?” Jeongwoo asked.

Yedam smiled at the rest of his gang. “Ahh, I noticed y/n was quiet so I added some meat into her bowl, that’s all…” his voice trailed off, realising what he did, and now he felt shy about it.

“OOOOHHHHH YEDAMIE LOOK AT YOUUU,” Jaehyuk jeered, teasing his friend as well when he noticed Yedam’s shy smile.

The rest of the room went wild with cheers in all of a sudden.

You were perplexed by this, like??? Everyone was so intense just now and in a split second, everyone was having fun making fun of each other???

“Oooohhhh I didn’t know y/n would be your kind of girl, yedamie,”

“No wonder you’re all excited about meeting her just now! Did you guys know?? Yedam literally finished up the new choreo in 10 minutes CLEANLY after he got the text from Jaehyuk!”

All the loud commotion made everyone in the room crack up. Yedam was defending himself and facing all the teasings his friends were giving, and most of them who weren’t teasing were laughing along loudly, clearly enjoying this atmosphere.

Your eyes travelled to look at Haruto, who was also laughing along with Yoshi beside him.

And then you braved yourself to look at Junkyu who was in front of you.

There he was, laughing out loud with his mouth wide open and slapping the table with his hand when he sees Junghwan trying to feed Yedam and talking in a baby voice, still imitating Yedam on his gestures towards you.

Jaehyuk and Jihoon began singing while clapping their hands, “Yedam and y/n sitting on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n—”

You started laughing as well, loving how warm and playful they are towards each other.

Now, your laugh wasn’t loud or anything, but it was audible enough to make everyone stop what they were doing and turned their attention to you.

Your laugh slowly faded when you noticed everyone’s eyes on you.

You cleared your throat. “W-what?”

“Y/n...you laughed!” Hyunsuk exclaimed.

“Erm…yeah? I know how to laugh too you know,” you stated matter-of-factly, as you giggled, thinking that what Hyunsuk said was funny to you.

“Oh but noona, you rarely laugh! You’re always just smiling politely at us,” Junghwan added.

You rolled your eyes slightly. You smiled at them again, “Oh my god! This is normal. Please, can we just go back to teasing Yedam here?” you said as you side-glanced Yedam.

Yedam elbowed you slightly, “Hmph, you’re one to talk, they’re all teasing you too, you know,”

You let out a light laugh. “Fine, but really, it was a nice moment.”

“What is?” Junkyu asked.

You were surprised he actually talked to you without glaring at you this time.

“I mean, it was nice to see you all have this roller coaster bond. I like how it’s easy for you all to cheer each other up by just simply being yourselves with each other. It’s…nice.” You said.

“Ew, y/n-ssi, I think you’re getting all sappy from being friends with Hyunsuk-hyung,” Doyoung said.

Few of you laughed at this, including yourself.

“I’m just saying,” you said.

“Sure, sure y/n. Now yedam-hyung, tell us again how you were being all sweet with y/n again,” Haruto said, holding in his giggles.

He was clearly enjoying this too much.

You rolled your eyes at this, “He was just being nice y’all, like, chill,” you said.

Yedam nodded and smiled at this.

Jihoon and Jaehyuk eyed each other for a while before singing again,

“YEDAM AND Y/N, SITTING ON A TREE, K-I-S-S-“

“Oh my god you guys!” You laughed out loud. This time you were lightly hitting Jaehyuk beside you to get him to stop.

Everyone in the room started cheering, asking you to hit Jihoon as well.

You laughed along with everyone, simply enjoying yourself being there now.

Hyunsuk, who was worried about you, was smiling to himself now. He was glad that you were smiling and laughing now. He was glad…that he brought you to meet them.

The lunch ended after you all spent 2 hours just chatting and getting to know each other at the restaurant.

By now, you were all about to leave the restaurant, and waiting for your transport to go back home.

“Oh, so you’re all not going on that black van thingy?” you asked, surprised that they’re all waiting for cabs instead.

“Nah, it’s not a scheduled event, this lunch, I mean,” Hyunsuk said.

“We usually take our own rides when we have our own personal outings, so that it wouldn’t be too obvious, you know,” Jihoon added, explaining further.

“Huh…I didn’t know it was like that. This is something I just knew.”

Jihoon chuckled. “Come on, y/n. We need our own private moments too,”

“Alright, I get you,” you said to him, lightly giggling.

A cab arrived in front of you all, and you checked your phone to see if it’s the one you booked.

“Oh! This is my ride. I’ll be leaving first then,” you said as you waved goodbye to them.

The rest of them started saying bye and waving their hands at you, as they watched you enter the car.

As soon as your cab disappeared from their sight, the rest of the boys started crowding around their leaders.

“Wait, I thought Jeongwoo once said y/n lives in the same apartment block as us? Why can’t we just split cabs with her? That would’ve saved us more,” Mashiho wondered aloud.

Jeongwoo shook his head at this, “Hyung! It’s obvious we can’t do that. Y/n doesn’t know we live there. Well, I think she doesn’t know. I mean, I told her last time that I was just coincidentally there because I was visiting a friend,” he said, sounding unsure with himself.

Hyunsuk blinked at this. “Huh…so, none of you ever mentioned that we all live in the same apartment block as y/n?”

“No…” Yedam said.

The rest shook their heads as well at this.

“That’s weird. How can she not piece it all up? I mean, it would be kind of dumb for her to believe Jeongwoo when he said he was just visiting a friend there. I mean, Jeongwoo was taking out the trash! Who would take out their friend’s house’s trash for them??” Junkyu said.

Everyone looked at Junkyu at this point.

“What? I’m just saying.” He shrugged.

Hyunsuk pouted at this. “Hey, don’t make it sound like that. Y/n is not dumb. She’s just nice, that’s all,”

“Pfft. Hyung, you’re so smittened by her. You keep defending her,” Haruto said.

“What? Noooo. I was just protecting her, that’s all. She’s a nice friend,” Hyunsuk replied his dongsaeng.

“Yeah, besides, doesn’t Hyunsuk usually defend the rest of us too? Our hyung is just kind and caring towards his friend,” Jaehyuk added.

Hyunsuk grinned and playfully pinched Jaehyuk’s cheeks when he heard this.

“Aww our Hyukkie is a nice and caring friend too,” Hyunsuk cooed.

Doyoung interrupted them this time, “Oh? So…if it isn’t Hyunsuk who likes her, then…could it be Yedam?”

“What? Noooo!” Yedam laughed at his dongsaeng’s remark.

“Nah, Yedam has always been nice to everyone. He takes care of his other girl friends nicely too,” Asahi said, finally saying something in the discussion.

Junghwan and Jeongwoo nodded at this.

“Yeah! Yedam-hyung, you’re the best!” Junghwan said.

Yedam chuckled.

“Huh? What do you mean, doyoung? Are you implying that someone in this group should like y/n??” Junkyu asked aloud.

“Ahh no, no. I was just wondering you know…”

Junkyu scoffed out loud. “That better not happen. I wouldn’t want a girl causing a ruckus in our group just because one of us likes her,”

“What does that mean, Junkyu?” Yoshi asked, confused with what Junkyu is trying to say.

“I mean, if one of us likes her, and she likes someone else in the group, OR if more than one of us likes her, wouldn’t that cause us all to break apart??”

This earned Junkyu a light slap at the back of his head by Jihoon. “Ow, hey!”

“Aish, there you go overthinking stuff again,” Jihoon said in a nagging tone.

“I wouldn’t want us to break apart….” Junghwan said in a sullen tone.

“We won’t!” Jihoon said, assuring his members. “Besides, the chance of someone liking y/n is definitely there. And I just know who it might be,” he added.

“Oh? You can tell?” Mashiho asked.

“Definitely,” Jihoon smiled, his eyes glancing over at his best friend not far from him.

“Who, hyung?” Junghwan asked, feeling amazed at how his hyung is able to have this kind of premonition. Jihoon hyung must have special powers or some 6th sense stuff, he wondered to himself.

“Who cares who it is. Now, where’s our ride??” Junkyu said.

Haruto checked his phone, “Uh oh.”

“What? What is it Ruto?” Hyunsuk asked, worried.

“I uhh, I forgot to press the book button for our rides…”

“Oh come onnnn,” Junkyu whined.

The rest of the group giggled at Haruto’s honest yet cute mistake.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we can just book again now,” Asahi said, smiling. He whipped out his phone and immediately booked two 6-seaters for them.

“Thanks, hyung,” Haruto said to him. Asahi nodded briefly at his friend.

They waited for their ride again this time, hoping that it’ll arrive soon.

While waiting, Doyoung asked again, “No, but really, hyung. Who would you predict to end up with y/n if it so happens that one of us likes her?”

Junkyu pouted at doyoung when he heard his friend still not dropping the subject of you.

Doyoung laughed when he saw Junkyu’s cute expression. “Alright, alright, we’ll stop talking about her,”

Jihoon on the other hand, simply smiled knowingly to himself. His eyes glanced over at Junkyu for a while.

“I don’t dare to say, but I just have a strong feeling who might fit her best,” he said, still smiling and glancing over at Junkyu again.

To be continued…

#treasure #TREASURE IMAGINE #ygtreasure #treasurefic #treasurefanfic #kim junkyu #kimjunkyu #junkyu scenarios #junkyu x reader #junkyufanfic #junkyufic #alltreasuremembers #treasuremembers

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missorgana · 3 years

Text

everything i do (gonna think of you)

pairing: finn/poe dameron

fandom: star wars (sequel trilogy

rating: teen and up

word count: 4690

warning: swearing, alcohol

summary: Finn and Poe are on a break. Neither of them are okay. But Finn hears Poe singing about him on the radio, and they'll be okay. Always. (musician poe, artist finn, long distance break-up + getting back together)

(it’s been ages but my space bfs, it’s good to be back!! a long overdue installment in my finnpoe alphabet series. did not expect e to be the most difficult letter to work with !!! thank you to Cat / @wendigostag as ALWAYS for beta reading and supporting my messy ideas 🥰 love uuuu. enjoy??)

read on ao3

“And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, I’m sure!”

The audience erupts in a half-laughter, half-cheer, and the host smiles, looking a bit too tired for his age.

“Tonight’s special performance is by someone who has, quite frankly, taken the whole of America - and dare I say the world? - by storm!”

Previous cheers resurface, louder and more certain than before. Even a few wolf whistles, making the presenter laugh as well.

“Here to perform his new single ‘cardigan’ from the debut album ‘folklore’, Poe Dameron!”

Quite literally everyone in the studio goes crazy, and as the camera directs towards the stage, a light turns on and reveals the curly haired man in all his glory.

He smiles slyly to the audience. A few noises, bordering on the line of screaming, makes him chuckle, but he puts all his focus on the guitar. Snaps, strums, and as the piano starts accompanying him, a soft voice forming strange and unfamiliar words.

Finn wipes the tear away in frustration before it even gets a chance to move, just tiny droplets stinging his vision. He’s sniffling, and biting his cheek, staring at the already half-empty bottle of red wine on the table.

Never in his life has he ever felt more pathetic, that’s true.

He doesn’t know why he’s watching this. And judging by the two texts pinging in on his phone, his best friend Rey somehow knows he’s doing it, too.

His vision’s too blurry to type, he thinks. Fuck it, pour another glass of wine. Who cares?

On the screen, Poe smiles while singing each word. But Finn knows the man better than anyone in that studio to know that it’s not really a smile. It’s the kind that his boyfriend- ex-boyfriend put on at their last FaceTime call. The one where he suggested they took a break.

He figures he should turn off the television when the performance comes to an end. No need to rub anymore salt in the wound, as Rey said.

Yet Finn sticks around for the interview because… because what? He hates himself? He hates Poe?

Neither. Maybe he misses him. Of course he misses him, enough to fight back the sobs, far from sober. But he’ll fight that obvious realisation, as well.

“Thank you for coming in tonight!” the host tells the singer, who thanks him in turn for the opportunity. Always the golden boy. The image of polite, kind, heart full of love, yet so goddamn stubborn.

“Mothers love me.” Poe had told him, back in college, the smug idiot. Finn’s mother loves him.

It’s mostly questions about the album, the upcoming tour, pictures of his parents and his pearly whites gleam when he speaks of them, how proud they are of him. It envelops Finn like a warm embrace. Huh. They haven’t hugged in five months.

They haven’t seen each other in five months.

Then the host starts grinning like a maniac, and he’s got a hunch what’s coming now is what he’s been wanting to ask all along, “Evidently, you got a lot of ladies who love you here.”

Audience cheers. Poe runs a hand through his hair. He’s so nervous, it’s adorable.

“You got a special lady in your life?” a question that quiets the audience significantly, still, waiting.

The singer glances at his shoes like they’re the most fascinating thing in the universe. Finn can’t hold his glass still, because, yeah. He looks like he’s thinking about it too hard. He wants to save him from that situation.

And although it feels like a million years pass, it’s probably only ten seconds before the reply settles, “Not at the moment, no.”

The crowd is nothing less than thrilled. And not only women, as the host implied, nah, everyone in that studio recognizes what a heartthrob Poe Dameron is. Finn couldn’t agree more.

What he knows about his ex-boyfriend that the strangers in the TV don’t know is, obviously, that Poe’s not interested in the ladies.

So does his family and close friends, anyone out of show business, really.

He also knows why his ex-boyfriend isn’t out to the public about his sexuality, yet. Or he’s got an idea. Maybe. Finn convinces himself of that, because then, he can also convince himself that he’s not the only one still feeling he’s being torn to pieces by this breakup. Feels better.

Although the screen connecting to his boyfriend’s call tugs on his heartstrings with its familiar warmth, Finn is, above all, pissed.

And for some reason, he feels ashamed for that. He knows he shouldn’t.

Poe hasn’t been home in a month. He was supposed to be here two weeks ago, but due to press bookings, credit to his boyfriend’s brand new agent, he called Finn late at night apologising like a broken record and promising to make it up to him.

And it makes him feel like shit.

Every apology made him feel more guilty for… harboring his time. Which is crazy, because they’ve been going steady for three years. They talked about this, the possibility of long distance, and knew, definitely, that it was gonna be hard, especially since they’ve been attached by the hip for so long.

Thing is, this has happened three times now, and it’s made Finn question himself.

Is he good enough for Poe? then later, another thought creeps in, Is Poe tired of him? or… is he not in love with him anymore?

Finn feels like he’s going crazy.

And even when he sees his boyfriend’s soft curls and eyes full of sunshine pop on his phone, it’s those thoughts that still inhabit his head. Fuck.

“Baby!” Poe says, excitement gleaming right through him and into Finn’s bedroom. They’ve been talking about moving in together, but, well, with long distance, mostly only talk for now. He’s off chasing the fame, which he deserves more than anyone, thank you very much, and Finn’s already booked up with art galleries and auctions eagerly grasping for his paintings. It feels like they’ve made it.

Except, “Phasma’s got me on Jimmy Kimmel! Like, can you believe that?!” his boyfriend spills out everything from this week, and it warms Finn’s chest, his gut, all the way down to his toes. But at the same time, this being Poe’s first words to him stirs weirdly alongside that warmth.

His career’s important. Of course. Finn’s happy for him, like, over the moon, all the way across the solar system happy.

He wants him to be successful. So then… then why does it feel like Poe prioritises it over them? It’s probably him overthinking it, he reasons. Again.

Finn can definitely feel he’s supposed to be sleeping right now; that’s another thing, cursed with being in vastly different time zones. He listens, smiling half-tiredly, thoughts wandering to everything and nothing.

Which is why he finds himself, all of a sudden, replying to his boyfriend’s, “I, uh, I’m actually writing you another song. Don’t laugh, please,” with, “A secret kind of song? ”

It takes Poe by surprise, visibly, and it takes himself, as well.

Finn bites down on his tongue in the cringe of it all. His boyfriend’s blinking, slowly, probably waiting for some sort of elaboration, but when he has no idea what to say, Poe inquires, “What do you mean?”

He sighs. Wholeheartedly, wistfully, nostalgic.

Finn thinks about when Poe asked him out, driving up to his window in true cheesy romantic comedy style and having offered to write essays in exchange for a school marching band performance.

Their first date, eating cotton candy and the curly haired boy insisting on trying and failing to win Finn a prize, until finally facing defeat. He won Poe a prize instead, first try, so the previous grumpiness faded in a matter of seconds. The butterflies threatened to burst his stomach the entire day.

Their first time, clumsy and awkward, teeth clanging in kisses and stupid buttons in Finn’s shirt being stuck and they laughed until they were out of breath. It was more perfect than anything either of them could’ve imagined.

He thinks about this, because neither of them were out before they got together.

This coming out thing? It scared the shit out of Finn. He was so lucky to have a supportive family, supportive friends. The school was a mixed experience, but he and Poe were in it together. His boyfriend tried to play it cool, but he knew how scared he was, too. He knows like the back of his hand, almost.

And this concern, it makes him feel so guilty he might vomit.

“I just… I was just wondering if you wanted to be official.”

“We are official, Finn.”

“No, I-I mean, public.”

He gulps around the growing lump in his throat. Poe goes scarily quiet.

This is also something they’ve talked about before. Fame is so new, it’s a whole new leap, learning how to handle all this, so it didn’t bother either of them to be secretive about their relationship, so to speak.

Their close network still knew, obviously, but the music industry, Hollywood, that’s way, way different than Finn’s newly established and growing network of artist connections and colleagues.

It wasn’t a problem. Until it was.

Coming out is personal. But ever since his boyfriend said he wanted to go public, then didn’t, as they were both on edge, then decided they should move in together and go public to slam down journalists linking Poe to a member of a girl group he met last summer, then didn’t.

It’s happened a couple of times. And finally, it seems, Finn is coming to terms with being tired of being ready and then backing out.

He’s terrified. Terrified of Poe being embarrassed of him, which he knows sounds crazy, also. But fuck.

“Baby, we’re gonna do it,” his boyfriend reassures him, but he’s distraught now, “You know we are. My agent just talks about my image, you know, I need to make sure-”

“Your image?”

That… that pisses Finn off. Conclusively. Because what the fuck?

“Phasma thinks we should do it at Christmas, season of love, you know?” Poe smiles shyly, he always loved the holidays. And he just doesn’t know how to react. “She’s fine with it, like, she didn’t ask me to fake being straight, like the guy I talked with before. Just-

“Are you embarrassed of me, Poe?” he finds the words slipping out before he can stop his mouth.

His boyfriend’s eyes widen significantly on the small screen, opens and closes his mouth several times, and there’s definitely a yell from somewhere in the studio, but Poe ignores it completely, “Of course not. Finn, I’m the luckiest guy in the world because of you. I just really… really think we need to time this right.”

“I,” Finn starts, but he’s barely sure where he’s going with the sentence. All he knows is that he’s scared Poe might tell him that all this time meant nothing to him. He doesn’t know why he leaps to that, but he does. His boyfriend might find something better than him in the limelight, “I know. You’ve told me, and I get it, I do. It’s just difficult being so far away from you, and then…”

He feels himself drifting off into a cloud of numbness and nothing, but Poe interrupts the sentence, “I thought you’d be more supportive of my career.” Finn nearly jumps. The words don’t sound cold, per say. But it’s weird. The good old butterflies flutter hesitantly, sort of in question.

“I am, darling, I-” he sighs again, “I’ve always been. You’ve just seemed like you’re ready, and I got the feeling that your agent didn’t want you to, and-” “Phasma wants it.”

“But on Christmas, Poe. This Christmas. I’m just scared you’re…” Finn shakes his head at himself, decides to be completely honest, because that’s how relationships work. Right? “Waiting for the moment to end this.”

“End this?” his boyfriend’s voice raises just an octave, looking perpetually confused. He also, admittedly, looks pissed. Hurt. “Do you want to break up with me?”

“No! Why would I-

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

Finn rubs his eyes, feels like they’re on goddamn fire. Poe’s biting his lips, rummaging around after moving what he assumes is a more private room than before, and avoiding eye contact. They shouldn’t be doing this on the phone. They shouldn’t be doing this at all.

He wishes his boyfriend was next to him, so he could curl up on his chest and sleep the entire weekend. It’s all he wants.

Ultimately, Finn makes the suggestion, “Baby, I’m sorry, I just… why don’t I call you next time you’re free? Or can you… are you getting back anytime soon?”

He doesn’t know how to describe this feeling, what’s happening, in any other way than it seems like Poe’s on a different planet than him, drifting in a meteor rain.

What Finn doesn’t expect least of all is his boyfriend’s answer, “Nah, you know, if you feel like that, we should take a break. A breather.”

And Poe smiles, but he sees through that bullshit. It doesn’t reach his eyes.

He’s trying to play it cool. Fuck. Why are Finn’s eyes stinging, now?

“A break?”

“Yeah.”

That’s so much to process. Fucking process it. The protests are bubbling under his skin, boiling and ice cold at the same time, but he doesn’t get the time when the yells on the end of the world resume.

“I really should go.” Poe tells him, but he doesn’t sound like he wants to.

“Poe…” he tries to breathe around the butterflies currently panicking inside of him. He’d scream at them to stop for just five seconds, if he could. His boyfriend’s already getting up from the seat, which is why Finn pinches the bridge of his nose and tries not to look at him, “Okay. Okay.”

The silence that settles between them, then, until they end the call in confusion and boiled up emotion, is far from the comfort they’ve been accustomed to. It ends without a goodbye. Without an I love you.

So, naturally, he gets absolutely zero sleep that night.

Whenever Rey told them they were being overdramatic, she was probably right. This is no exception.

Ever since the damnation of their FaceTime call, Finn tried to get into his head what went down. Namely, him and his boyfriend speaking over each other’s heads. It settles in the morning, the realisation that Poe assumed the worst of what he said, while he himself didn’t understand why he couldn’t come home . Just one day. Just to talk this out.

But in a recognizable stubborn fashion, his boyfriend ignored his calls and texts for the weekend. Finn tried so, so hard not to get pissed again. But also, Poe actively avoiding him made him want to cry. Not being able to just hear his voice made him want to cry.

Naturally, the following week, when his boyfriend decided to reach out, Finn became the one to ignore all forms of contact. It felt like they were walking in circles.

This is new and raw territory.

Finn and Poe don’t fight. It’s a basic law of the universe.

Which is why he doesn’t blame Rey for widening her eyes in shock at this new development. He also knows that she wants to intervene, badly so, given how protective she is of them, but because she’s lovely she always somehow knows when Finn needs his own space to think. Or scream into the void a little bit, whatever does the trick.

He’s pretty sure she didn’t expect this to go on for four months, now. He sure as hell didn’t expect it.

But… they’re both to blame. Finn’s pretty much dug himself a hole in the ground filling up with all his feelings, and as every week passes by, waits for his boyfriend to make the first move. He expects Poe to do the same. Nothing’s moving forward.

So, if Rey didn’t know him as she did, she’d ask him why.

Why don’t you just call him? He could. When his boyfriend stopped ignoring him, that is. Thing is, Finn’s world is sort of crumbling right now, and a confrontation with that isn’t something he can handle, he thinks.

It’s the thought of losing Poe for good. It’s the thought of Poe thinking Finn doesn’t want him anymore, when in fact he fears the exact opposite.

After watching that interview, though, he could breathe a little easier, he’ll admit.

And it’s weird. He felt inherently about a hundred times worse during it. The day after, he just kept thinking about Poe and his stupid curls and his nervous smile and what he might be doing while Finn was helping his sister with the dishes.

Maybe it’s knowing his boyfriend- ex-boyfriend (?) is okay. Does look more okay than himself.

It calms him. The next day, it makes Finn want to burn up all their polaroids and mail the ashes to the singers’ hotel in a massive envelope. As said before, this hole is deep, too deep, making it difficult to be rational.

A week after the interview, he’s just about on the edge to complete numbness.

Maybe he’s been reading those hilarious dumb gossip magazines whenever his boyfriend was on the cover. Shut up. If he acknowledges the ridiculousness of that, it’ll only make it worse.

Finn feels weak for being this torn up after a breakup… or break. He’s had breakups before Poe, but none of them hurt like this. Does it ever just fucking stop?

Apparently not, because when he picks up the phone with Rey’s name flashing, Finn expects it to be another question of what’s going on. How he’s doing, or not even a question, but an order to let her in as she’s probably already standing in front of his building carrying ice cream and bad horror movies.

He doesn’t get why she doesn’t just use the key he got her already, but it’s still endearing. Except, “Turn on the radio.”

“What?

“Finn, turn on your radio. Trust me.”

And so he scrambles around, the determination in her voice definitely not something to mess around with. Finn eventually uncovers it underneath the mountain of Poe’s vinyl records, and while his best friend doesn’t even tell him what station she’s referring to, he’s got a feeling about it. Also, it’s the first station that pops through the speakers when he turns it on, so.

Then, he has absolutely no idea what to listen for. The hosts are making some jokes about the song they’re gonna play next, thereozing about a “lost love” , and Finn’s about to ask until he realises Rey’s hung up on him, and a text.

just wait. u won’t regret it.

It’s too ominous for his best friend’s usual shenanigans. He’s a little worried.

But unlike the last hellish, unbelievable four months, Finn doesn’t have much time to worry, before the voices announce, “We present an exclusive live performance from our new favorite heartthrob, Poe Dameron!”

Oh God. Oh God, oh shit, oh my god.

Naturally, Finn’s anxiety kicks in like a punch in his gut.

In fact, he’s about to pull up his best friend’s contact again, sick of hearing the single that Poe wrote for him and not even being able to revel in the feeling anymore. Only it’s not ‘cardigan’.

Four months ago, a few days before they decided to take a break, his boyfriend sent him a couple of voice notes, containing lyrics and guitar pieces and other bits for the album he wanted Finn’s approval on. He always wanted his opinion first. It makes him all warm again.

This song, however, is brand new, unheard to everyone’s ears. Including Finn.

“I'm doing good, I'm on some new shit

Been saying "yes" instead of "no"

I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn't though

I hit the ground running each night

I hit the Sunday matinée

You know the greatest films of all time were never made”

The melody has the same calm like the other songs he’s heard, an image of fairytales and bare feet dancing in the woods and stars twinkling in the night.

The melancholy is unfamiliar, though.

“I guess you never know, never know

And if you wanted me, you really should've showed

And if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow

And it's alright now”

Finn’s thumb hovers over Rey’s contact name, but he can’t bring himself to move.

It’s the alright part. Except, despite how much he tries to lie to himself, he swears to everything god that his boyfriend’s voice breaks over the word. It’s subtle enough that the interviewers could pass it on as him being hoarse, he reasons, but Poe can’t fool him.

He wants him to be okay. Actually, no, because being okay means not missing Finn like Finn misses him, and that would hurt more than anything he can imagine. But also, he’s too far away for a reassuring hand. That’s why he wants him to be okay.

“But we were something, don't you think so?

Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool

And if my wishes came true

It would've been you”

For some reason, it’s only then it settles into Finn’s mind.

Oh.

The song keeps going, and his emotions keep going, from the chaotic jumbled mess he’s become accustomed to a quiet buzz. He feels like his breathing’s slowed down, and a pocket in his heart is being emptied onto the floor.

Poe feels exactly the same way, he imagines. He has to.

Finn’s abandoned his phone somewhere unknown between the couch cushions, and he’s stuck staring at the empty wine bottle he hasn’t had the energy to get rid of, his microwave dinner half eaten, until his ex-boyfriend’s song comes to an end.

‘the 1’ is the title. He doesn’t know if he’s crying or not, which sounds a bit dumb in his own head.

“Poe Dameron!” one of the interviewers yells obnoxiously, clearly trying to hold in their excited giggling, “Those were quite emotional lyrics. I’m guessing there’s a story there somewhere?”

Finn could roll his eyes into the next century at that comment. Jesus Christ.

The singer’s complained about these kinds of people before, of course, he chuckles, politely, hesitantly, probably spinning the best way to avoid opening that door of vulnerability on open air, “I think everyone writes from their own experience, really.”

His voice has the same elegance and softness and gruff that makes Finn think of home, despite the tinny speakers and distraction that vibes off of him, all the way over in the states. It’s unbelievable.

The interview keeps going in the most standard way possible, a couple more questions Poe subtly circles around (including about dating, obviously), some jokes, and they eventually get to that segment where the listeners can call in and ask their own question to the dreamy man.

Some are boring, some are weird, some are intrusive, some are just teen voices in awe of his relatability and what not, mountains of flattery which his boyfriend is all too shy and starstruck to handle.

Finn bites his lip.

They repeat the number of the radio twice. The programme ends at nine. That means about forty five minutes of fan questions.

He shouldn’t. This is ridiculous. But what if… what?

Poe’s voice somehow carries his hand to fish the phone up again, though, like a strike of magic. And then the tone sounds, one, two, three, and it’s too late to take it back now. Shit.

“You’re live! Can our next lucky listener introduce yourself and your question?”

He tries so hard, desperately so, to swallow around the lump in his throat, seeming impossibly massive. The eerie silence is simply too painful to bear, though, so Finn squeezes his eyes shut hard for two seconds, before forcing the reply out.

“Yes, uh, hi. This is Finn Solo. From Pennsylvania.”

A beat. “Pennsylvania?! Well, honey, that’s actually Poe Dameron’s home state, isn’t it?”

Two beats. The singer clears his throat. “Yeah.” Clearly, he recognizes his voice in an instant. Well, obviously, he’d be shocked if he didn’t. Still, Finn feels like curling up in a ball and hiding from the world. He wonders if Rey’s listening, right now.

The interviewer seems unfazed from Poe’s hesitated answer, or they just choose to ignore it, he supposes. “The floor is yours, Finn. Ask ahead!”

So… how is he supposed to do this, again?

This is the worst idea Finn’s had in his entire life. Seriously. And he accepted Rey’s dare to swing all the way up and around the swingset in fifth grade, he’s well aware of what reckless looks like. This is it.

Still, he’s stuck now. Poe’s listening to him. Kind of forced to.

And against his own better judgement, Finn silences the million overthinking thoughts in his inner ear by simply saying whatever hits him first, “Did you mean what you said? In the song?”

Seconds feel like fucking hours right now.

“Sorry, can you-” one of the hosts start, but he feels moved to continue. “When did you write it?”

It’s low, the feedback of his boyfriend’s microphone can just be made out. He prays that was only comprehensible enough for Poe’s own ears, because Finn could never possibly live with himself if he outed the person he loves most in the world. Seems so, given the interviewer once again asks the singer in confusion.

“What do you say, Poe? Do you need, uh… for him to elaborate?”

“No.” the man says simply, shyness seemingly having faded away in a glimpse. “Finn, I wrote this back in May.”

Four months ago. Same month as their FaceTime call.

“Only a week after our call. Took me five hours. I needed to get every word just right.” Poe says those words so steadily it shocks Finn. His hand feels numb and itchy around the tiny device, and one of the hosts gasps.

“I-” he starts, but has no idea where to go, where to turn. Finn didn’t expect any of this tonight. A deep breath is needed, “Do you mean… you wrote it about me?”

He feels like an absolute idiot for asking, even doubting it, but given the emotional rollercoaster he’s been through up until now, he’s grasping for straws of confirmation. Poe chuckles, barely audible.

“All my songs are about you, darling.”

What the fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Another gasp is heard in the studio, a little louder this time, but he sends a silent thanks, still, to them being too taken aback to intervene.

Okay, these are definitely tears in Finn’s eyes, now.

One rolls down, cool against his hot cheek, and he almost wants to laugh widely, processing what’s happening over and over in his brain.

What’s mostly replaying is the nickname that he’s missed… too much.

If they were in the same room, in front of each other, alone , he could say and ask a million things. This conversation is impossibly too vulnerable for open air, but Finn really thinks, really, that this step was needed. At least, it’s something he’s been longing to hear.

Instead of breaking down in the happiness and sadness he’s feeling, instead of talking about the miscommunication they’ve been the victim of, he smiles. Can’t stop. It’s hurting his whole face, actually, but his chest feels endlessly lighter.

“If… uh,” Finn chuckles at himself again, him and his stupid emotions, probably laced obviously in his voice, “Is there a chance that you still want to write songs about me?”

Poe laughs back, warmer and wobblier than before. “Of course. Of-fucking-course. There’s no one else I’d rather write about.”

Those hosts over there are probably freaking out big time, but Finn can’t bring himself to care much.

They sigh rather in unison. Him and his boyfriend. Breathing shaky and yet steadying themselves, almost. Together.

“Okay. Okay. Thank fuck,” he finds himself sniffling, “Okay.”

“They’ll always be about you.”

21 notes · View notes

peaches-writes · 3 years

Text

'christmas ornaments’

skz of christmas day 4: christmas party with hyunjin

member: hyunjin wc: 1.3k genre: fluff, bare minimum soulmate au, established relationship au, college au, comedy warning: explicit language note: pls i wrote this during midterms

Okay, okay, okay, socks! Where are my socks—ooh, a cookie! This doesn’t look two weeks old, I think I can eat it? Wait, wait, that’s not what I’m supposed to be looking at! What am I looking for? Um....uhhh....

Socks? You try suggesting to the voice in your head, letting out an actual chuckle in your physical setting so he won’t hear it from your thoughts. Baby, you’ve been looking for socks the past three minutes.

Right, socks! Thanks Y/N! Hyunjin physically puckers up on his side and telepathically sends you a kiss with an imagined sound and you burst out laughing in your head as a response. Bruh, where’s my kiss back?

Maybe if you��re already on the way to the party like you said fifteen minutes ago, you’d be getting all the kisses you want, dumbass. You point out with a roll of your eyes, bursting into more giggles when he starts whining in between unconsciously narrating whatever he is doing as he prepares to leave his dorm. Next to you in the backseat of Yeji’s car, Jeongin looks up from his phone to give you another comical judgmental stare over your ‘weird’ soulmate connection. What’s taking you so long, anyway? You’re probably just dressed in a white robe like one of the three Kings or something.

Excuse me, I made a lot of effort with my costume! The boy huffs, his train of thought finally shifting focus from looking for his socks to actually wearing them. You assume he’s finally moved on from it. It’s going to blow your mind and win me the best costume award at the party!

“So what’s hyung’s costume?” Jeongin asks as if on cue, sitting up properly when the edges of his Northern star costume starts to wrinkle ever so slightly. When you shrug and shake your head in response, he scoffs and adds, “I’m telling you, he’s probably coming in as baby Jesus.”

“That or as a Christmas tree.” You supplement, Hyunjin quickly protesting in your head at this comment. “He’s yelling at me, hold on!”

Y/N, we as a society have progressed past the need to dress up as Christmas trees! Hyunjin simultaneously exclaims matter-of-factly, informing you in between that he’s now on his way out of his dorm. On that note, I saw Minho come out his room in a Christmas tree costume a while ago because he really doesn’t give a shit so of course I wouldn’t let myself be caught in the same thing.

You sigh, feigning exasperation. So what are you? Honestly, I’m surprised you managed to keep this from me for two weeks.

There’s a large pause after, a faint echo of Minho and Jisung’s voices yelling at Hyunjin to get in the car filling in for your boyfriend’s lack or response until he’s settled enough to think, Like I said, you’ll find out with everyone else later!

You shake your head in disapproval in front of Jeongin this time, crossing your arms over your carefully constructed mug costume. “He’s really laying it on thick this year, Innie.”

Your annual Christmas party at the Campus Radio’s club room is officially communicated to the student council under your senior Chan’s name but it’s mostly you and your friends calling the shots on the specifics. In particular, it’s usually Minho and Jisung who decide on the costume theme—which just so happened to be Christmas ornaments for this year.

Because of this, you arrive at the club house seeing all of your friends and blockmates filling the large expanse of the designated dance floor with their life-sized ornaments. You see Chan waddling around as a snowman, Felix handing cookies around as Rudolph, Chaeryeong in her Mary-inspired attire, Sana in a replica of Mariah Carey’s Christmas album outfit, and even Changbin comically showing up as a Christmas Ham wearing one too many questionable-looking fishnets and patterning his red cheeks to the food’s netted texture.

“Y/N!” Felix bounces up to you and Yeji with his Tupperware or cookies and a bright red clown nose on his face. It makes the two of you giggle, especially at how it still sort of makes him look like a clown despite the antlers that go along with it. “Ha, I see you’ve brought some milk! Care for a cookie to go with it?”

You look down on your big red and green mug covering your casual attire from your waist all the way down to your knees with a laugh, taking out a bit cookie cut-out from under the Japanese paper ‘milk’ wrinkled around the rim of the mug. “Sorry, Lix, I already got my own cookie!” You joke, the punchline effectively toppling over the boy in laughter. You take a cookie from his Tupperware anyway and return your fake one back inside its designated pocket lining the inside of your costume mug. “So, has Hyunjin arrived yet?”

“You tell me.” Felix pouts. “We’ll start the program in five minutes and from what I remembered he volunteered himself to host.”

“He probably chickened out.” Yeji teases with a shrug, earning her a disapproving frown from you. “What? Why do you think he’s being all secretive with his costume?”

“Maybe they’re just stuck in traffic or something.” You point out, whipping your head around for your any signs of a dramatic entrance from your boyfriend and his two roommates. “When we turned to campus, they were already out of their dorms.”

And, as if on cue, the main double door entrance where you previously came from bursts open with a loud thud and releases bright light and cheap smoke effects from the other side (you’re quite sure it’s just from Chaeryeong and Chan grilling meat right outside).

“Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas everyone!” Santa Claus Jisung prances in the room with a red Jansport bag of your program’s game props and mini prizes. Minho the Christmas tree trails along with red and green balls for dangling earrings. “Did you guys wait long?”

“Hi, guys.” Minho waves curtly with his most passive smile before smacking the back of Jisung’s head. A few of your friends then crowd around the two when Jisung starts handing out pre-program candies.

“And where’s your boyfriend?” Yeji nudges your side as the two of you watch your two friends in secondhand embarrassment.

Yeah, Jinnie, where are you? You ask back to your boyfriend, peering around for any sign of him.

I’m over here! Hyunjin answers telepathically to you almost immediately, his voice growing louder as he now approaches the door. Prepare yourselves!

In front of you, Hyunjin then decides on making his dramatic entrance with the goofiest grin on his face that makes you, Yeji, and Felix smack your hands up to your temples in unison.

Of all the Christmas ornaments Hyunjin could pick, he just had to go as the whole Nativity scene. Balancing a life-sized diorama of Jesus’ birth right in front of his body—complete with stick, Styrofoam, and cellophane figures of the Mary, Joseph, and the Three Kings—your boyfriend’s head fits right on the scene as a replacement to the baby Jesus Christ while his hands hold the sides of the manger’s pillars all the way down to his waist.

“Hey, guys, sorry we’re late!” Hyunjin announces dramatically, briefly covering his face with his hand at the sight of everyone giggling at his costume. “Got a bit stuck in traffic—and I might’ve also gotten stuck on our car before getting here—but is everyone ready for the program?!”

Hyunjin gazes over to you last, his comically confident grin turning into a more sheepish one at meeting your eyes. So? Like it?

Jesus Christ, Hyunjin, you pretend to cover your eyes in front of him which makes him laugh instead of sulking as you intended.

Ha, see? You’re already getting into the joke of it! He points out, gesturing to his head stuck on a mini manger made of plastic straws. You’ll have to tell him that he looks like a baby lion with this set-up later. Get it? Because I’m supposed to be Jesus in this costume?

Just get to MC-ing, Hyunjinnie...and we’ll have to talk about you stealing my Best Costume Award later!

december 20 (kim seungmin)

skz of christmas (masterlist)

m.list

@skzwriternet

55 notes · View notes

geeks-universe · 3 years

Text

& To All a Goodnight.

Dean Winchester x Reader

Request: For requests could you do a dean x reader where they spend Christmas together and it's a lot of fluff?😳😳

Requested by: Anonymous

Holidays were never really celebrated at the bunker.

If you were being honest, most of the time you weren’t even sure what day it was, let alone preparing for festivities regarding some day that was probably tied to some horrible historical event.

But, if you were being more honest, you really did love Christmas.

It wasn’t so much the religious connotations- which had grown considerably more complicated when you considered your relationship with angels- but more so the idea of holiday cheer, and an unexplainable magic in the air. As a kid, you had loved Christmas. You celebrated from the beginning of November, right up until the day itself, baking cookies, watching cheesy holiday movies, and decorating every square inch of the house.

After losing your parents, and the subsequent descent into the life of a hunter, you hadn’t really been able to celebrate. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to, though it was considerably a difficult time for the first couple years, but you hadn’t had a chance. You were constantly on the go. The closest thing to a home you had was the warm embrace of Dean Winchester and the backseat of the Impala, which Sam had argued he was too big for. (He was, but you liked sitting shotgun.)

With the bunker though, you had an opportunity to celebrate like you hadn’t in years.

And you did.

Sam and Dean had left for the week. Well, five days maximum, if Dean were to be trusted, but you knew him well enough to know that meant seven days minimum. You had cracked a couple of ribs on the last hunt, and with Castiel MIA, you were stuck healing the old-fashioned way.

Never one to be cooped up for an excessive amount of time, you had gone all out with the decorations. Every room had an overwhelming amount of Christmas cheer, save Dean and Sam’s room.

And the tree!

Oh my goodness, the tree!

You had gone out and got a fresh tree, straight from a Christmas tree farm. Red and gold adorned the green needles, creating a homey atmosphere among the living room typically used to unwind after rough cases. You decided on a star to put atop the tree, as opposed to an angel. (It was bad enough you had them popping up in real time, you didn’t want them to ruin the Christmas cheer.)

You hadn’t stopped there, either. You bought and wrapped both Sam and Dean enough gifts to fill out the empty base of the tree. Dean had confided in you once that he couldn’t even remember what a normal Christmas was like, so you were determined to give the boys the best one yet.

And, when four whole days had passed of decorating, you moved onto baking. Chocolates, cookies, pies- you name it. You had gone slightly overboard, but the boys still weren’t back yet, and Christmas was slowly creeping closer.

Would they be back in time?

You certainly hoped so. They hadn’t given you an update in nearly a full day, but you had a 48 hour rule- 48 hours before any of you unleashed hell upon whatever case the one who hadn’t contacted was working on.

Though, after putting away all of the goodies, you’d snuggled up on the couch and put on a cheesy, and wholly predictable, Christmas romantic comedy while waiting for your boys. You were worried, and it took three and a half movies before you were able to fall asleep, but eventually, to the gentle lull of Christmas music, your eyes slipped shut on Christmas Eve.

Sam and Dean were practically dragging themselves into the bunker by the time they made it home. It was a long haul back, and they hadn’t even managed to check in with you.

Dean had been adamant about making it back before Christmas. He had been holding onto a special gift for you for months, and maybe it was a little cheesy, but he couldn’t wait to see your face when you opened it.

“Wow.”

Sam had been the first to step back into the bunker, and Dean couldn’t see over his giraffe of a younger brother, so he was left to wonder what “wow” meant. He wasn’t left waiting for long though, because as soon as he got through the door, he saw the decorations all placed precariously throughout the room, making the bunker feel a little more like a home.

“So much for rest,” Dean muttered, already preparing his worried, yet heartfelt speech about why injuries were not to be taken lightly.

“That’s exactly what I need,” Sam hid a yawn behind his hand. “I’m heading to bed, I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Dean waved him off, following the string of multi-colored lights to the living room. You had a habit of waiting on the couch for him when he was gone, like you thought you could stay awake a few extra hours just in case he made it home early. It brought a smile to his face.

As expected, you were stretched out of the couch, clothed in an old, oversized t-shirt of his. His blanket was wrapped snugly around your body, and the corner of your lips were pulled up like you were having a good dream.

Unable to help himself, he slipped his phone from his pocket and snapped a quick photo of you. He had an album in his camera roll, labeled with just a heart, that consisted solely of the photos that made him fall a little more in love with you.

It was created the day after he met you, and there were already several hundred photos in it.

“(Y/N),” Dean called softly, careful rousing you. As a hunter, you were sometimes a little too aggressive if you were suddenly woken up.

“Dean,” you whispered back, your eyes still shut, but the beginnings of consciousness seeping in.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he replied, dropping down onto his knees to get closer to you.

By the time you opened your eyes, he was right there, running his thumb along your cheek.

“How’d the hunt go?” You inquired, leaning into his touch.

His lips quirked up.

“A few bruises, Sammy’s hair got a little messed up, nothing serious.”

You breathed a laugh, reaching up to cradle his head with your hands. He kissed your wrist as you did so.

“Looks like Santa got here early,” Dean commented after a moment, nodding his head in the direction of the tree.

“Guess so,” you stated, failing to keep the smile off your lips. “Hope you’ve been good this year.”

His brows raised, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Darling,” he drawled, “You and I both know I haven’t.”

You giggled at his silly joke, moving to sit up so you could embrace him a little better. He took the sudden vacancy as an opportunity to slip into the spot beside you. His arms wrapped more firmly around your waist, tugging you onto his lap.

“I missed you,” you hummed, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

“Of course you did,” he teased, pressing his lips to your cheek. He stayed there for a moment, letting the warmth of your skin seep into the cold whispers the days without you had brought.

“I’ve got a present for you,” he said suddenly, shifting a bit to pull the gift from his pocket.

“I think you’re supposed to open gifts on Christmas,” you reminded him, listening to the strong beat of his heart against your head.

“I mean, it’s passed midnight,” he argued, holding a small box out in the palm of his hand.

It was made of wood, and had a symbol you didn’t quite understand carved into the smooth mahogany, but you took it with a smile nonetheless.

“You didn’t have to get me a gift,” you stated. You had meant for this Christmas to be all about him and Sam.

“Open it,” he urged, ignoring your objection without hesitation.

You rolled your eyes good-naturedly, popping the box open with a soft click.

It was a necklace. The chain and pendant were both a shiny silver, though the pendant was shaped like a compass. You gasped, reaching out to run a finger along the craftsmanship.

“It’s beautiful,” you told him. “Why the compass?”

Even in the dim light provided by the Christmas decorations, you could see the red on his cheeks.

“So you’ll always find your way home to me.”

It was very much an un-Dean thing to say. He had, in recent months, been exceedingly comfortable with you, and had allowed himself to say some of what he had hidden under his gruff, macho exterior.

It was endearing.

He clicked his tongue against his teeth.

“It’s made from the knife you stabbed me with.”

While that sentence would sound totally bonkers from anyone else, and honestly make you question whether you should be in jail, the story wasn’t quite as cut and dry as Dean made it seem.

You and Sam had to perform a ritual to force the creature possessing Dean out of his body. In order to do so, you’d had to get some amount of blood. However, the creature had made it nearly impossible, and in the end you’d sent the blade through his hand.

Cas had been there to heal him up, but Dean hadn’t let you live that one down ever since. It had been used in one too many guilt trips.

“I was-”

“Saving my life, I know, I know,” he interrupted with a laugh.

You lightly pushed against his shoulder.

“You’re a jerk,” you claimed, admiring the gift. It was really pretty, and the details were immaculate.

“But you love me,” he sing-songed.

“I do,” you agreed, leaning up to kiss his jaw. His eyes slipped shut as you did so. “Somehow.”

“Funny,” he retorted dryly. “Now let’s get you to bed, since you obviously didn’t rest while we were gone.”

Yeah, you were definitely expecting some sort of a lecture on your inability to rest, despite being injured. At least he’d let you cuddle some before launching into it.

#dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x y/n #dean winchester x you #dean winchester imagine #supernatural imagine #supernatural x reader

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46inpm · 4 years

Text

MLQC Housemates Going on a Disney Cruise

I want more chaos!! Also I’ve had my fair share of Disney cruises

The pandemic made our Disney cruise get cancelled so I’m sad😶

Part 1

Victor - Red, Lucien - Purple, Gavin - Blue, Kiro - Orange, Shaw - Green, MC (You) - Pink

There’s a good time every year where everyone got a chance off work so you guys decide on a vacation

When searching through places you discovered cruises and Disney was the best to go on

Kiro and you made a PowerPoint to get everyone on board

“If we go on a Disney Cruise not only will it suit all are likes but there’s bonuses that other cruises don’t have. For example, their private island, Castaway Cay.”

“Their food is top notch. You won’t eat the same food twice since there’s different places to get food. For dinner we rotate restaurants with high quality dinner and dessert.”

Gavin and Lucien were easily convinced and Shaw didn’t mind as long as he wasn’t bored

It was mostly to convince Victor since he wasn’t the biggest Disney fan but once Kiro showed him the adult lounges and food, he’s on board

Their destination would be tropical like Jamaica and Cozumel

Everyone packed and made sure that they checked everything off the list

Victor had to practical pack for Kiro since he was forgetting EVERYTHING and remind you

They flew to one of the ports a few days before boarding and had fun

For some reason Victor woke everyone up at 3 in the damn morning at the hotel

“We’re going to be late.”

“We don’t board until five hours.”

“That’s my point.”

Kiro and you were amazed at how big the ship is when driving towards it like little kids

When you boarded the ship, lines of employees announced a welcome to the...Li Family? Victor registered everyone as his family

Lucien took photos of everyone as you waited for them to let you to your rooms

When going to your separate rooms next to eachother you couldn’t help but put magnets on other’s doors

You decorated yours with princesses, Kiro had all his favorite characters, Gavin had a sky and ocean theme, Shaw was rock and roll with a few characters, Lucien was the most aesthetically pleasing

Everyone’s door had a different mickey logo with your names

As annoying idiots you put a whole bunch of magnets on Victor’s door because he didn’t want to put anything on it...let’s just say that only the door handle and room number was visible

It took him awhile to take off the ones he didn’t like and you couldn’t help but burst out laughing

The send off party was a blast Shaw was enjoying the music, Gavin and Kiro were dancing with you, Lucien was watching the ship move, and Victor was drinking some alcohol

Dinnertime was awesome as your servers were amazing at what they did and the food was to die for that even Victor was highly impressed

A bunch of girls kept coming over to your guy’s table to ask Kiro for a photo or an autograph which he didn’t mind but a table of hot men did get a lot of attention

At destinations Lucien made sure that Victor didn’t jam pack the schedule which caused a lot of tension between the two

The beaches were fun but a lot of women kept trying to cuddle close to the guys who just weren’t interested (I mean a group of abs🤤)

Lucien and Gavin shown that they did their research as they would give fun facts on a few places mostly to impress you

When you went on tours you would sleep on one of their shoulders back to the ship because the heat and walking was terrible

“You better not do anything to her while he’s asleep.”

“Geez, you’re such a stick in the mud. Why would I do something on a bus full of families?”

Fun fact you almost didn’t make it to the ship in time due to the guys mistaking a girl who was already on the bus instead of you

Kiro was freaking out, Shaw was like “dang”, Lucien believed you would make it back in time, Victor had to stop Gavin from flying off the boat to find you because a whole bunch of people will see him

There was so many activities that you split your time between each boy like bingo, trivia, cooking class, character meets, comedy shows, baby races, golfing contest

Gavin, Shaw, Kiro went on the slides on top deck while Lucien and you watched a movie on the big screen near the pool

Took a while for Victor to join everyone from the adult pool since he won’t admit it but it was boring and he was lonely

Each night was a different dress up so everyone dressed their best for professional photos

When everyone dressed in their suits and dresses, all moms and dads couldn’t help but look in envy at your gorgeous, handsome bodies

For pirate night you ate dinner in your costumes but Victor, who may not say, was a little bit embarrassed as almost the entire restaurant were already dressed up

The party on deck was a whole lot of fun with the show and the fire works

Gavin liked pointing out which one you should look at while Shaw was hammering down on the alcohol, Kiro was telling Lucien the time he was in a pirate show

“MC, look at that one to the left. Looks like the sun.”

“The sky is full of colors. It’s funny because I tried looked at the water and I couldn’t see anything.”

“A few months ago I stared on this short special called ‘Sailing Forward’. Maybe in the future I can be on a Disney show or movie!”

“I remember watching it with everyone. You were quite convincing for the character you played.”

“Shaw, stop drinking. You’re going to look indecent infront of little kids.”

“You can’t stop me, old man. I’m getting as much as I can.”

You all huddled together to watch the colorful sky in the night with nothing but water surrounding you

At Castaway Cay everyone snorkeled with Lucien taking photos underwater as you looked at the fishes and sunken statues

Victor would probably be in the adult side of the island for awhile until he gets lonely is just sitting around while the others are sliding down a water slide

Gavin leads the way when you bike around the island and Kiro even fell from his bike but wasn’t even bothered

You guys are booked for a group spa treatment and it is heavenly to hear the waves

Kiro cries when he has to say goodbye to the staff and the characters

They all asked to take a group photo with him since they obviously know he’s a huge celebrity

You guys brought home an album worth of photos even though Victor didn’t think it was needed

“Digital copies aren’t enough! We should put this in the living room.”

“Fine, whatever you say. At least I got some photos of you and the others being dummies.”

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youarejesting · 4 years

Text

Limited Edition.2 Tiny Tan

[FULL MASTERLIST] [Limited Edition Master list]

Beta: N/A Rating: All audiences Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Fluffy Fluff, Adventure. Pairing: Bts x Friend!Reader Words: 1.3K

Summary: It is your first time buying proper merchandise, there are new chibi figurines and the first person to order will recieve a limited edition set. But what happens when BTS have gone missing without a trace and a few days later you receive your package. The box says congratulations, you open to find your limited edition figures, they look so lifelike. OH WAIT! it’s cause they are.

When you came to you heard talking, it wasn't particularly loud, but it was definitely noticeable. There was a dull ache in the back of your head and reaching behind you to gently touched the area with your fingertips. It sent a searing pain through your body. The floor hadn’t been merciful.

"Ow ow ow" you whined, checking your hand to see a small amount of blood. With a sigh you took your phone from your pocket and tried to take a picture of the wound, it was like a big egg on your head that had the tiniest cut from the impact. Nothing serious.

"She is alive, so at least we didn’t kill anyone" A voice took your attention, you looked to the top of your desk where there was a small gathering behind a collection of eggs.

"Tʜᴀɴᴋ ɢᴏsʜ!” another voice spoke and you peeked to see another face peeking back at you.

"Excuse me miss, where are we?" Namjoon’s voice was a little weaker than you had ever heard him before, but still so strong. He must have been trying to be brave for the others.

"Are we in a parallel universe where humans are twenty-foot? Are you a Titan?" Taehyung asked

"I- you are BTS" you breathed hopping onto your knees and scooting closer, so your nose and eyes were the only things visible over the top of the desk. "Why are you moving, you were meant to be chibi figurines?”

"Wᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ BTS ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴅᴏʟʟs," Hoseok protested but when your eyes landed on him he squeaked and coward behind their little area.

"If you say you are real, how did you become like this?" You blinked pressing your face into your hands "I have lost the plot talking to figurines, hallucinating that they are moving and talking"

"No, We are real please help us" Jungkook climbed over the barrier of multicolored eggs and walked into view. Despite the protests of the others.

"I am crazy, absolutely crazy" You mumbled and went to poke him. He didn’t flinch holding a brave face and grabbing your finger with his hands and shaking it.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jungkook said throwing you a smile.

“Jungkook, comeback she could hurt you!” Jimin whispered but you heard it easily.

“No, I wouldn’t I swear,” Trying to convey how gentle you were with your expression.

“Don’t worry, I know, I can feel it, you’re an Army” he pointed at you with a sly grin. Your cheeks flushed so red Jungkook pretended to warm his palms on your cheeks as if your face was a fire on a winters day. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have bought our figurines”

“Actually it’s my first time buying the merchandise” You whispered your face growing warmer again from his teasing. A few had stepped out by now and you watched them slowly navigate your desk. Taehyung walked forward and waved with his tiny hand. It was hard trying to wave your hand as small as you could back in an effort not to scare them.

"Big Lady, I am hungry," Taehyung said

You opened and closed your mouth, pouting and looking down at yourself. You knew he meant because you were physically bigger but you couldn’t help think that he was talking about your size.

“Nᴏ, ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ” Jimin called smacking Taehyung’s arm and scolding the fellow 95’er whose eyes widened. He bowed apologizing.

"What do you eat?" You asked politely, their stomachs growled, you were truly curious about what and how much they could consume. What would you feed them? crumbs?

"Anything" they grinned, the prospect of food always made the boys happy. You had seen enough RunBTS to know that.

"Um, I can take you to the fridge, if you would like?" you held out our hands.

None of them moved. What was wrong? Did they still not trust you? “Is something wrong?”

"I don’t like the idea of being carried" Jimin pouted eyeing your hand and peering over the side of the table. It made sense you would be carrying them up high and if they fell they would definitely be hurt.

Taking a deep breath, you leaned back against your bed and tried to think of how to carry them. "Oh, Um, I could carry you in the pocket in the front of my overalls but it might be a tight fit, I could probably carry five of you"

Jungkook nodded jumping into the pocket before grabbing the fabric of your overalls and climbing up to your shoulder almost falling and grasping your hair. You laughed and Taehyung watched Jungkook with bright eyes, he wanted to sit on your shoulder too. Five of them moved closer and you gently placed them in your front pocket so their heads peeked out. Seokjin and Hoseok were shy but soon the pocket was full, leaving Taehyung grinning his hands in the air.

"Pɪᴄᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ" He called up to you. You laid your hand on the table and he crawled onto the palm sitting down. Moving your hand slowly to your shoulder, he pulled himself up beside Jungkook, the two sat holding onto your hair so as not to fall.

Slowly standing not wanting any of the boys to slip out of the pocket of your overalls or off your shoulder, you began your short walk to the kitchen.

"you’re really warm" Yoongi placed his squishy cheek against your chest. Jungkook was singing quietly by your ear and you were blushing.

On the way to the kitchen, Namjoon must have seen the news was playing on the tv and asked you to stop and turn it up. Grabbing the remote you pressed the volume button until the reporter’s voice was clear.

"Korean members of the group BTS have gone missing, their manager and CEO had this to say" you all watched silently

"We are unsure of the member’s whereabouts, but we are doing everything in our power to find them, we will not rest until the boys are returned home safely and justice is delivered to those who took the boys"

"The band had just recently launched their figurines and one lucky member even received a limited edition set. The boys will hopefully return safely before their next scheduled album release.

You looked at them, now believing that this could be more real than you first thought, this wasn’t some sort of fever dream, though you still didn’t rule out hitting your head and you were now in a weird coma. "So, how did you end up as limited edition figurines? Do you remember anything?"

"I remember being in the factory," Jungkook sighed his voice was so close to your ear you jumped making the two on your shoulder slip and pull your hair slightly.

“Sorry” You helped them back up onto your shoulder and they moved closer, both hugging the side of your neck and you bit your lip. Your neck was super ticklish.

Seokjin patted your chest looking up at you. His dark eyes and handsome features present even in his chibi form "I am really hungry now, miss"

Continuing your journey to the kitchen, pulling the double doors of the fridge opened with a small gust of cold air revealing nothing on the shelves.

"You haven’t got any food?" Yoongi mumbled disappointed, your face heated up and Taehyung whispered. “Her ears are red” the two grabbed the shell of your ear giggling.

You tried to ignore them and went to the cupboard and looked inside. Another blank, there wasn’t really anything to cook anything for them to eat. Sighing deeply, you reached for your phone, "I will order food, for now, I will have to go shopping later, what would you like?” you helped them all onto the bench and held the phone.

"Hᴀᴍʙᴜʀɢᴇʀ!" Taehyung ran at the touch screen and pressing buttons, it was cute. An average-sized button for your thumb was huge and he used his whole hand to select what he wanted, which was none other than his previously declared hamburger.

How can I save this to receive and read updates?

‘Follow’ and turn on ‘Notifications’ so you never miss an update

Add your name to a ‘Tag’ list [HERE]

‘Reblog’ this post with the hashtag #BTSLE (Limited edition)

Or you can ‘Like’ this post (but good luck trying to find it a week later, we both know how many things you like a day, perhaps we will meet again in the future.)

If you like this give Chibi boys a little love 🥺

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thekillerssluts · 4 years

Photo

DIY Magazine, October 2020.

Interview TALKING ‘BOUT MY GENERATION: WILL BUTLER

Talking to Will Butler is a bit like trying to have a conversation with a human magpie. Hugely enthusiastic and with a constant giggle on the go (“I have a nervous laugh, so I laugh at more things than I should…”), the 37-year-old has a tendency to veer off down strange tangents, taking your original point but then getting distracted or excited by some other new, shiny train of thought in a different direction.

You can tell he’s smart - not just booksmart, but the kind of smart where you can practically see the cogs turning at 100mph. “I love knowledge for its own sake,” he professes at one point. “I believe in it to a fault. I think it’s worth knowing all this shit, for no other reason than just knowing that it’s true.” And it’s this attitude that’s filled the three years since ‘Everything Now’ - he and his Arcade Fire bandmates’ society-skewering fifth LP.

In that time, amid world tours and festival headlines, Will has had two more children - twins - and went to Harvard to study a masters in public policy. He also found time to record ‘Generations’ - a second solo effort that takes the brilliantly all-over-the-place nature of 2015’s ‘Policy’ and hones it into something that’s more pointed, though still clearly fuelled by the same curious mind. Or as he puts it: “The first [album] it’s like, ‘I’m at the market! There’s some eggplants! Oh there’s a nice sausage guy! And OK cool I’ll get some of those and these!’ But then ‘Generations’ was much more like, ‘I’ve been storing these bones in my freezer for two years and now we’re gonna boil this down to make the pure essence of the beast’.”

Like most debuts from artists splintering off from their main projects, ‘Policy’ had been born from accumulating a collection of material that didn’t fit with his band. Unlike most, Will had just been nominated for an Oscar (for his soundtrack to Joaquin Phoenix film Her) before its release, “so that was a confidence boost,” he notes amiably. Conversely, the essence of ‘Generations’’ particular beast seems a far more targeted one - one intrinsically linked with the intense political conversations the musician had found himself wrangling with during his recent studies.

“I always want whatever I’m making to emerge out of what I’m living and for it to help me understand how I’m living better, so going to policy school was certainly part of that artistic project as well as the ‘what do we fucking do?’ project,” he explains. “I jokingly say that I was radicalised at Harvard, which is basically true. I was in a mid-career programme, so there were 25-year-old geniuses but also people in their middle age who’d worked in the UN in Pakistan or the government in Mexico. They had this whole perspective of how fucked everything is across the whole globe so it was… educational.

As such, his second brims with a sense of palpable unease for a society that’s not only crumbling before our eyes right now, but has been doing so intermittently for decades and centuries. The twinkling, finger-clicking patter of ‘Close My Eyes’ belies the all-too-timely despair beneath it (“The photograph is new / But I seen that same headline, and I got to dance to keep from crying”), Randy Newman-esque closer ‘Fine’ digs right back to “George Washington and all his slaves,” while ‘Not Gonna Die’, he explains, was written in direct response to the November 2015 Bataclan shootings.“All these things hit different people in different ways, but that was so close to home,” he says. “It was Christmas after that and I was shopping in Manhattan; I walked into Sephora and it was super crowded and I thought, there’s a lot of people in here, where would I go [if something like that happened]? And I got so mad. It fucking worked. You made me scared. I’m not gonna die in Sephora on 5th Avenue but you made me think about it, you fucking pieces of shit.“Mike Pence was writing about it before he was running for Vice President, like, ‘We need to make sure we don’t have any immigrants come in because the immigrants can do this to us here’. And it’s like, I’m not gonna be killed by a woman fleeing violence in Guatemala!! The terrorists and the people saying ‘Be afraid!’: what you’re doing is working, and I AM afraid, and fuck you.”

Perhaps most interestingly, however, ‘Generations’ doesn’t just point the finger outwards, it also poses questions of the singer’s own inherent part in it all. “A big chunk of this record is asking: What’s my place in American history? What’s my place in America’s present?” he explained in a previous statement about the album. “Both in general, but also extremely particularly: me as Will Butler, rich person, white person, Mormon, Yankee, parent, musician. What do I do? What can I do?”

“It’s basically like, ‘My God, how did we get here?’ - that Talking Heads line,” he continues now. “The record is at times literally a conversation with people arguing back and forth, and there’s a lot of questions raised and the answers aren’t answers - you just end the conversation in a different spot. There’s something to that process of discussing and coming to some sort of revelation only to find out what’s lacking there, and then you move onto the next conversation and find out what’s lacking there. I was pleased that the material felt cyclical and of a piece, and you feel like you’re in a different spot than you were at the beginning.”

Because yes, his latest might not provide all the answers - “This is a musical work and I don’t know what the end notes are,” he admits - but ‘Generations’ does emphasise the importance of asking the questions and having the conversations, both with the world and with yourself. And if you can have them over an album of musically explorative, rich and often perversely funny new offerings? All the better.

Next, he’ll return to the fold to begin work on Arcade Fire’s sixth opus. Writing for that had originally started in New Orleans before the pandemic hit, but the band “don’t have the file management down to really do it at a distance,” he chuckles. “Win and Régine are always demoing and working, and I’ve done a little. We always work on a record for about a year and a half and we’re not off that pace yet, we’re still weirdly on track…”

You can bet by the time that record lands, he’ll have chalked up a handful of other accomplishments to his name, too; lord only knows the political battleground of the coming weeks will give him enough food for thought. And in the inquisitive mind of Will Butler, thought and curiosity are clearly the most nourishing tools of all. “You can write a love song that’s super true, but can you write a history song that also is? And if it comes out right and there’s some value in it, then what does that mean?” he muses. “It’s about just trying different angles to express something true.”

‘Generations’ is out now via Merge.

Butler’s Bits

‘Generations’ is undoubtedly an album rooted in politics and society - this much we know. But it’s also a record that digs into the musician’s relationship with other parts of the human experience…

HUMOUR “It’s a coping mechanism and it’s also a worldview. There’s not exactly a cabaret scene in New York but the comedy here is quite musical and there’s a lot of comedians that interact with people in interesting ways. They’re a bit younger than me - I’m the oldest millennial - but there’s something in that spirit that feels relevant.”

RELIGION “I grew up Mormon and I’m still ethnically Mormon. It’s like The Smiths song, ‘Meet Me At The Cemetery Gates’ - ‘Keats and Yeats are on your side, and Wilde is on mine’, you lose, haha. I’m sure Yeats is such a fucking asshole but that’s my heritage. The classic lineage of the Western canon is how I grew up.”

ADULTHOOD “I have three kids now, and it doesn’t make me worry about the future so much as it’s made me learn so much about humanity watching them - watching how it all goes into the ‘this is what humans are’ mill. On ‘Policy’, the protagonists are a motley crew of rag-tag whatevers, whereas this is much more a coming of age novel - not like a teenager becoming an adult, but an adult becoming a worse adult…”

As featured in the October 2020 issue of DIY, out now.

#Arcade Fire #will butler #generations #interview #the HOT Butler

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