#at the very least i might be able to record it and upload it somewhere??? it just sucks it’s an appletv exclusive lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fyeah-bangtan7 · 3 years

Text

V: “I have a desire to perfect one cool thing about myself”

As he’s being interviewed, V speaks his mind at a relaxed pace. But there was one moment where he kept on speaking without taking a breath. Look for that moment in the interview below. You listen to a lot of old music on vinyl. Has any particular artist’s music excited you since your last interview with Weverse Magazine? V: I was listening to Louis Armstrong’s music again. And I picked up some albums with a pretty jacket that’s also got a lot of really good hits on it.

How do you feel when you’re listening to those classics? V: I feel like I’m beginning to relax a bit. If I listen to a song when I’m feeling depressed and then really get thinking, the things that are frustrating me disappear, and I can feel myself becoming more peaceful. And it makes me picture things in my head. For example, some songs might make me think of seeing something in front of me while walking down the road somewhere at night when I listen to them. I think setting the mood for listeners is the most important thing. The mood will presumably be different for everyone, but for me, those songs are the ones that are good at setting a really beautiful mood in the moment.

You said that you got inspiration from artists of the past like Sammy Davis Jr. for your performance in “Dynamite.” Was there any artist who inspired you for “Butter”? V: Well, there was Billy Joel. When I shoot a music video, I think of a movie more than any one artist. And when I perform on stage, for some songs I think of the way movies like Reservoir Dogs look. For “Butter,” I watched a lot of teen movies. And musicals. After that I randomly ended up seeing a video on YouTube of some scenes from an old teen movie Johnny Depp did [which turned out to be the movie Cry-Baby]. The image I got from that was really intense. That’s the look I used in “Butter.”

“Butter” felt like a teen musical to me and now I know why. V: I did it like a teen musical, just like you say. When we shot the “Butter” music video, I really, really tried to shoot the part in the elevator so it would feel like a teen movie. Although a lot of takes were edited, so not all of it’s there. (laughs)

What kind of feeling do you get from that kind of teen movie that you find so charming? V: For me, teen movies show a youthfulness that’s appropriate for the age. I think there’s an appropriate mix of emotion, energy, and a completely different and peculiar mood that everyone necessarily experiences at that age. If you watch teen movies, they’re overflowing with energy and full of sunny emotion, but behind it all they’re not as bright as they seem. They are really bright, but the color itself almost feels like some kind of filter. They feel like they have a different filter than other movies, so I tried thinking of teen movies when we shot the music video and put on performances.

That teen movie feeling seems to be divided in two between “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.” By the looks of the thumbnails for the fancam focus videos uploaded to the BANGTANTV YouTube channel, “Butter” seems to showcase a really cool character, while “Permission to Dance” is more teenagers smiling brightly for children. V: The teen movie vibe in “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” are different from one another. We showed the sunny image people usually think of when they think of teen movies in “Permission to Dance.”

Do you think that going with the teen movie vibe influenced your vocals to be the new style that you used? In “Butter,” you still had your signature vocals but without the deep notes, giving them a new feeling. V: That’s because, when we’re given a concept, we have to come up with vocals that fit with the concept. I think my singing style matched up with the concept, so I feel relatively satisfied. There was nothing majorly difficult about actually changing the style itself, since unlike changing your voice, you only have to change your vocal technique. Having said that, even though the notes in “Butter” were high for me, I still hit them! (laughs)

I guess hitting the high notes was your assignment this time around as a vocalist. V: I’ve been working a long time to make up for my weak points. For example, I thought I was weak when it comes to high notes because I sing low parts a lot and I tend to sing in a flowing way. But I had trouble when we were recording “Dynamite” and I had to sing the high notes during the chorus. I got so mad (laughs) so I practiced a lot.

How does it feel to see the results you’re seeing with “Butter” now after all that effort? V: I’m just trying not to rest on my laurels. Like instead of savoring the feeling, I feel like I should go to bed early for everything I have to do the next day? Getting back in tiptop shape quickly is what’s important, so I haven’t really had time to bask in the joy very much. I’m just working hard at the work I had like I always do.In your

New Year’s greeting on YouTube, you said you regretted not being able to put on the show for ARMY you wanted, and that your 2021 resolution is to “follow my own pace and pattern” when you work on music. Do you think your personal pace and your professional pace are in step this year? V: No. [My professional pace is] fast, so fast. (laughs) We have a lot we have to get ready for since we’re always promoting. It can be challenging sometimes, but in a way, I think it’s also given me a good opportunity to become a little stronger.

I imagine it’s meaningful to do the work for your own songs, because you can slip into your own world. You also made “Blue & Grey” when you were having a hard time, and it consequently became a song that allowed you to empathize with many people and vice versa. Looking back now, what kind of song do you think “Blue & Grey” will be remembered as? V: I think with “Blue & Grey” I just wanted the song to let people know how I was feeling, and how we were feeling, at that time a little better. Obviously everyone was having a hard time, but I think I wanted to share those emotions with ARMY as-is, including the pains we went through in our growth process. And, to put it another way, I think I just felt like making it obvious. (laughs) I thought it was okay to be that obvious, seeing as I couldn’t put those feelings into words. I just hope people could understand how I was feeling; it’s okay if it becomes forgotten later on.

In the “BE-hind Story” interview on YouTube, you talked about the first line of “Blue & Grey”: “Where is my angel?” You explained how, when you have any kind of issue, you close your eyes and wish for your angel to come and think. Are there times when it seems like your angel understands your feelings, as you just mentioned? V: I get a ton of answers by doing it. I’m not religious, but whenever I have some kind of issue, I close my eyes and think about it. Is this right, the way I’m thinking about this, or not? They’re just yes or no questions, like, Does my outfit look good today? Instead of just worrying about what you should do, if you tackle it in the form of a question, you get a response with the answer.

I guess it could work when you’re looking for inspiration in your life, but what about for your music? In your previous Weverse Magazine interview, you said you make a note whenever you feel something. V: I write in my diary in hopes that it’ll help with writing lyrics and so I don’t forget those feelings. I do it constantly—I open up my diary whenever something comes up. I copy melodies that pop up in my mind, lyrics, and other things from my diary to my notes app temporarily, and when I’m taking a break or I get the urge to work, I open my notes and say, Let’s try this out today, and run over to the studio.

You released “Snow Flower,” featuring Peakboy by V, on Christmas Day. Is that another song you ran to the studio to work on after the feeling came to you? V: For that song, when I was drinking with some older musicians, we were talking about doing a song together, and then we were like, Well, do you think we’ll have time to do that? So we decided to do it right then since everyone was available. My mixtape was delayed, so I at least wanted to play a different song for ARMY, and I thought, since I’m a bit tipsy (laughs) I thought I should try writing something. So I made the song really quickly. In maybe three hours.

Even though you made it quickly, the composition is somewhat complex and it has the same unique atmosphere that “Blue & Grey” did. V: There’s times when I’m, like, in the zone (laughs) and can make a song all in one sitting, but when I’m not feeling it, I end up revising it more and more. And I don’t want the composition to be too obvious, so I try to change up the way the melody flows. With that kind of sharp image coming to you almost immediately, what were you imagining for that song? V: You might think “Snow Flower” is about a type of snowflake, but I was actually thinking about snow and flowers separately. I started hoping that flowers wouldn’t wither away and just keep on blooming on snowy days. But in reality, when it snowed, all the flowers were crushed, the world became blanketed in snow, and I felt like the flower buds turned into snow flowers. I wrote that song about how I felt after watching that happen.

It must be important to feel things intuitively when you’re trying to express yourself through song. V: If it sounds pretty to me: approved. (laughs)

On the other hand, as a member of BTS, you have a job where you have to deal with a packed schedule and keep various situations in mind. How does that make you feel? When you celebrated your Billboard Hot 100 win on V LIVE and the topic of your clothes came up, you joked that you wore them to give off an idol vibe. V: It’s fun. It’s fun, but I could also say it’s hard. The performances are fun. I think idols should shine in a way that’s suitable for their age, and it’s important to do lots of things for fans like ARMY. Not just performances, but also posting pictures, having conversations on social media, making content. We’re artists and idols, so we think each and every one of those things is important. That sentiment won’t change just because we’ve achieved so much success.

You recently held an impromptu event on Weverse for ARMY. V: I’m sure there’s lots of ARMY out there who are tired of not being able to see us in person. But since the only thing we can do for them is to be on stage and stuff, I was worried that we’re not doing enough for them. And I love being able to talk with ARMY so much that now it’s like a habit that I read their posts. I have a thing today. I have a test today. I’m moving today. Somehow I feel better when I hear their stories. When I end up reading things like about how ARMY are living or what kind of lives ARMY have, I can’t help but write a response, and because of that ARMY respond, so I try to become friendlier in a more fun way, too. I want us to be more than the Billboard number one Bangtanies—I want to be ARMY’s partner, their best friend, the friend who’s always by their side when we’re not on stage. It feels like business when I talk about communicating with ARMY. (laughs) I just want to talk with a close friend. I wanna talk with a close friend—that’s exactly how I feel. It’s been a long time since I could see my friend, ARMY. Usually when friends can’t see each other they keep in touch all the time. I can talk about all kinds of things like that with ARMY thanks to the Weverse platform, and because I can hear all about their lives, I think I was able to go on Weverse and hold that kind of event.

You’ve been talking about ARMY nonstop for a few minutes. I was going to ask you how you feel about ARMY, but I think you already answered the question. (laughs) V: They’re just, well, friends I would hate to lose. Friends who seriously give me strength whenever they’re around. Sometimes you find friends like that in life. It’s like that with the other members, and I have other friends who I can share my feelings with. And I have ARMY. So I can’t help but do whatever I can do to make those people smile and make them feel happy.

Well then, is there a song you’ve heard that you want to let ARMY know about? A song that shares your feelings. V: Umm, recently … “No. 1 Party Anthem” by Arctic Monkeys. When I hear that song … I get emotional, somehow. I don’t usually listen to a lot of rock music, but I can instantly feel the band’s emotions with that song. I seriously get goosebumps listening to it, and emotional, and just all kinds of feelings. It’s to the point that, as soon as I hear that song, I think about how I really want to live well.

That song really means a lot to you. V: Actually, I don’t really know what’s up with that song. I don’t even know the lyrics, but I’m quite clear on what sort of emotions the melody and the band’s performance give me.

Don’t you feel like that’s an emotion you want to express to people, as an artist? Like you don’t have to explain your messages in detail? V: I don’t know. I just want to exchange the good, and be the one to embrace the bad. So I have a desire to perfect one cool thing about myself.

So how close do you think you are right now to becoming an artist who has perfected something cool? V: I’ll say 2%. It’ll go up someday later. (laughs)

#bangtan #v #m:weverse magazine #210729

30 notes · View notes

gottawriteanegoortwo · 3 years

Text

Meeting Damien in a Dream

Many people in this fandom refer to Damien as a ‘man of their dreams’. A lucid dream that turns into a very strange encounter with Damien is probably not the reason for that.

In early June, I had a dream that I had documented in detail (1.4k words). I've spent time working on it and fleshing it out into a proper narrative that can be shared. In it, the reader (as in you and not the DA or a Heist!sona) is pulled into Damien’s waking world, where he has been placed into a life that isn’t his. But will your arrival cause upset? Or will you be able to give a bit of hope?

Word Count: 5,319 (yes, you read that right, hence the immediate read-more)

Alternatively, I’ve just uploaded this to AO3 if that’s easier to read.

There had been a lot on your mind when you collapsed into bed. Too many problems bounced around your mind as you tried to settle in bed. You lay there, counting your breaths and listening to the outside world while trying to lure sleep to you. It seemed elusive, until you closed your eyes and your grip on the waking world finally slipped.

Nights like these were ones that were endless. A dreamless sleep, followed by waking at a time that shouldn't exist, and finishing with utter exhaustion when morning eventually arrived was the normal running order. But not this time.

You gained awareness standing on the side of a road. It was still night, which made you panic for an instant. Had your restless mind prompted your body to get up and move? A quick glance to realise you were in your day clothes instead of your pyjamas helped ease that fear. You had successfully fallen asleep! But now you were mentally awake in a pitch-dark dreamscape. You tugged your shirt down as you gathered your bearings.

As your eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings, you learned you were on a quiet, suburban road that didn't match anywhere in your locality. Streetlights dotted the path on both sides of the road. You could see the entrance to a housing estate opposite you, and the entrance to a sporting field to your right. Where there were no streetlights, it was absolute darkness with no way to tell where the sky started. With no knowledge of what this dream location could be hiding, you decided to stick to the path and keep in the light where possible.

The decision to be cautious worked in your favour. A path of lights stretched out as far as the eye could see. Even if the gaps between them were growing wider, they were still spots of safety in the midst of the unknown. The next light revealed the road connected to a roundabout, but it was the furthest distance away. You took a slow breath, tapped the balls of your feet against the ground, and broke into a sprint. Something growled in the darkness. You could feel something cold close to the back of your neck. There was a strong presence of someone approaching, reaching out…

You skidded to a halt under the welcoming amber glow and threw an accusatory glare at whatever was behind you. Nothing was there. For now, you took the moment to catch your breath and decide where to go from here. If you wanted to know why you were here, you would need to cross one of the abandoned roads. Two options lay before you: go down the road on the left, or keep going straight.

“Hello?”

You jumped in fright and spun around. There was still nothing behind you. However, there was a man standing to your right, on the other side of the road. Glancing around, you realised no one else was in view, so you waved in reply. He seemed relieved and hurried over. As he steps into the radius of your streetlight, your eyes widen as a name slips out of your lips:

Damien.

The man froze, one hand lifting to his chest as though it would protect him. You could see him clearly. Though the hair was not combed back to perfection, nor was it long and unkempt like a man lost in the woods, there was no denying that you recognised him.

“How… How do you know me? Who are you?” He was wary, as though bracing himself for the worst. You gave him your name and explained that you knew he was a mayor that had been involved in a tragedy at a poker night. Though brief, it was enough of an answer to get a reaction. Damien’s hand trembled as he tried to decide how to take this. But just as you were about to question whether you made a mistake and said something that hadn’t happened, Damien smiled.

“You… You know.” The hand was lifted to brush through his hair as he let out a shaky laugh. “I thought I was going crazy. But y-you know those memories. I haven’t met anyone who knows what happened since -” You weren’t sure what cut him off, but he quickly reached out and grabbed your wrist. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to lose this opportunity just yet.” A wave of dizziness hit you, and everything went black.

The world around you slowly returned to focus like you had a sudden lightheaded spell. Damien was in front of you with worry on his face.

“I-I’m so sorry, I acted without thinking about what might happen to you… Are you alright?” You nodded, and he sighed in relief. “W-well… Don’t be alarmed, but you appear to be incorporeal right now. I think I’m the only one who can see you.” Ignoring the request to keep calm, you felt your heart rate spike when you raised your hands and discovered you could see the path below you. When you locked eyes with Damien, it was clear how guilty he was and you forced yourself to calm down. He pulled out his phone and placed it to his ear, gesturing for you to follow him.

“My sleep schedule has been strained,” you noticed Damien was using the phone as an excuse to talk out loud and avoid glances from people passing by, “which means that if I get stressed, my ‘sleep’ turns into a waking nightmare. I find myself in a place darker than night, wandering aimlessly through snow, or ruined buildings, all while watching the movements of every shadow. I’ve never met someone there before. I’m sorry again for pulling you back without thinking. I had no idea this would happen, but I needed to know. I needed to hear what you had to say. How much do you know about - about what happened to me?”

You noted it was in the past tense. The events that you had watched already happened. You nodded, took a deep breath, and began giving some points.

Damien was a mayor. He had been invited to a poker night hosted by an old friend of his. The party host was murdered, which set off a chain of events. Ultimately, Damien’s body was stolen during a seance.

All the while, Damien was silent. The phone was still pressed against his ear, though his grip tightened once he realised there was a possibility he might be dead. You trailed off when his pace slowed to a halt, flashing a look to see if he was okay.

“Y-yes, I… I’m alright. It’s a lot to take in, but I did ask for it. But it matches what I recall.” He collected himself enough to flash you a smile you could never have imagined seeing off a screen (which was absolutely perfect, for the record). “Here we are. This is where I’m living. It might be the best place to talk without anyone hearing us. It’s starting to lighten up” Beside the entrance to a store was a locked door painted pale green. He unlocked and opened the door, gesturing for you to go inside. You climbed up the entranceway stairs and, after prompting from Damien, opened the door opposite the stairway.

A spacious living area was spread out before you. It was a contemporary design, consisting of an open floor-plan and a lot of white. There was a small sitting area to your right, with armchairs and couches facing a TV and an electric fireplace. To your left, there was a white couch in front of a coffee table, with a kitchen chair pulled up beside it. The room continued around a corner to reveal a small kitchen tucked away with a dining table at the far wall. You guessed the apartment was spread over two stores with how expansive everything seemed. Even so, you couldn't help but feel it lacked 'life', like it was a home plucked out of a magazine rather than one someone spent time perfecting. It was in opposition to Damien himself and how lively he was in the short amount of time you spent with him.

As you reflected on the unusual contrast, he moved to the large windows showcasing the view of the streets below. You followed him, gasping when you saw a portion of the city sprawled out before you.

“It’s a beautiful place, isn’t it?” Damien tilted his head to the side to acknowledge your arrival. "It's not the city I called home. I've gotten lost at least a dozen times since I was allowed to explore on my own. Yet, apparently I've lived in the city for five years."

Five years? You thought that fact an unusual statement to make, and Damien agreed. He turned from the view and knelt down beside a coffee table.

"I'm not from this place. Yet, one day, I woke up in a hospital." He lifted out a notebook and placed it on the table. It was a generic hardback notebook with "Journal" printed on the front in cursive. "Everyone kept telling me that this was where I belonged, this is what I was supposed to do… but I knew it wasn’t right. I couldn’t believe them when I have memories of living somewhere else entirely and none of a life I’ve apparently lived here. I don't have anywhere else to go, so I've begun writing to 'gather' my 'lost' memories." The moment you realised you weren't see-through, you reached out for it, only lifting it when he gave permission. It reminded you of the Detective's cork boards, with pages dotted with Polaroid photos and notes in a meat handwriting. In order to fit in, Damien was putting in a lot of work.

A click caught your attention, and you lifted your gaze from the book in time to see Damien lift the false bottom of the drawer to reveal a second, identical notebook. This one he opened on the table for you both to see.

"One morning, I woke up and I thought I was part of this place. It was only as I saw my reflection I remembered. Words can't explain how frightening that moment was. I thought it best to write my true memories down as well… I don't want to forget any more than I already have." His hand slowly brushed over a page as he gave a forlorn sigh. As much as you wanted to spring forward and offer to fill in the blanks, the two pages were dedicated to the "Dear Friend from University" - the only character without a set identity. "I've tried going to the library to find books on the matter or use their computers, but nothing comes up. I can't help but wonder if there is a deeper mystery to all of this. If what you say is true, then it further confirms my suspicions that something isn’t quite right. Could you pass me the pen attached to that book?" When you did so, he continued talking while writing, "Why only me? I cannot find any trace of what happened to anyone I knew. I checked an online article detailing the terms of mayors in my beloved city… My name wasn't there. Instead, it was as though one mayoral term was a 'blank', for lack of a better word." Your expression was grim as Damien wrote the question 'am I dead?' on the page. Though you decided against it at first, you asked if he knew the name 'Dark'. He shook his head, so you decided to try and describe him: a man around Damien's height, with black hair and grey skin. He wore a suit - either black or white depending on the source - and was surrounded by red and blue 'lights'.

"Actually… that does sound familiar." Damien's eyes widened in realisation. "I remember reading several articles in the paper about incidents around the country with a mysterious figure. The targets were always rescued before anything happened but all of them mentioned something about it… glitching in red and blue." You nod, advising Damien to keep away from that figure. Wherever it went, another man went too, you explained, one that dressed in red that called himself ‘Mark’. You were sure trouble would haunt Damien if he were to get tangled up in that web. Though Damien never spent time chopping wood in an abandoned forest, it was better to warn him about the Actor, just in case he too was hunting Damien. You didn't know the full story now that a character was displaced.

The next half an hour was dedicated to going through the 'past life' notes (that you noted was simply labelled 'brainstorms' on the inside cover). Where you could, you helped Damien fill in some of the blanks, but a lot of it was spent listening. He was elated to be able to talk to someone about his true memories without worrying how others would react to these 'concerning ideas'. When he caught himself rambling and apologised, you refused to accept it and urged him to continue talking. He would only do so on the condition that you had something to drink - something about ‘making sure you didn’t vanish’.

With his back to you, an idea struck as you snatched the 'past life' notebook. There were a series of frustrated scribbles and notes spread across the top of the page, but there was a gap perfect for a doodle. You sprung to work to draw a cat, until -

"You better not be doodling in there."

- Damien's voice overhead made you jump in fright and drop the pen. He laughed as he handed you a glass of water, admitting it was good to know you weren't going to fade again.

“Before anything else happens… Thank you. I’ve bottled all of these memories in my heart for so long that I thought I was starting to go mad and I was creating a fictional story. But meeting you, hearing you confirm everything… It has lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders. Mayhaps I am in a position where I won’t be able to do anything further to resolve ‘why’ I am here, but at the very least I can take comfort in knowing the ‘what’ and ‘how’ are true.” The ‘past life’ notebook was closed and put aside so Damien could open the ‘journal’ again. “And if I know who I am is true, then I can work on perfecting the act of pretending I lived here. It is as though I am cast in a play that I never received the script from. If you are able to stay long enough, you might be able to see the absurdities for yourself.”

This explanation made you start in alarm, and you frantically asked if Damien knew anyone that dressed in a maroon suit and carried a black cane, or a grey suit with a white shirt and red tie.

“No… Neither of those outfits sound familiar,” Damien admitted as he shook his head. “Then again, there are a lot of people I don’t know. If there is a man fitting that description, I may not have met him yet. Nevertheless, I appreciate the warning and will try to avoid him.” There was a short pause as he flipped through the notes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve made a friend of my own. Everyone here already knew me, or I met them through others. It’s been pleasant having the company without the expectations on me to fit in.” Your confusion was noticed, but Damien continued, “As wonderful as this new life is, and as nice as it is to not be working, I cannot shake the loneliness. Everyone knows too much about me, but I know nothing about them. Don’t get me wrong, they seem like pleasant people who have been so patient with me. Having a diagnosis of ‘amnesia’ is a good excuse to not remember things, but it’s been stressful. If I could leave, I would… But where else can I go if I cannot find anyone I once knew? I have no friends, no family here… It’s like I don’t exist at all beyond a small group of people.”

“Damien?”

The door to the stairs opened, and you both stared at the new entrant like deer caught in headlights. A woman in her early thirties entered the room, eyes wide at the unusual scene before her. Her blonde hair was tied in a messy bun that was starting to come loose. She wore off-white scrubs with an ID badge clipped on that helped you realise she was a nurse. Several seconds passed before she blinked and pulled on a smile.

“I didn’t realise we had company. I’ll be back in a moment.” She swiftly disappeared out the door. You looked at Damien in alarm, though all he offered in return at first was a light shrug as he got to his feet and helped you up. He waited until you both were making breakfast before providing context.

“Her name is Marianne, and she - supposedly - is my wife in this place.” He lifted his left hand to show a silver wedding band before resuming his slow stirring of batter. “When I woke up in the hospital, she was by my bedside, worried sick about me. Of course, this turned to sheer panic when she realised I didn’t recognise her. She ran out to find a doctor, and it was only then that I noticed a ring on my hand. It is… Troubling to find yourself in a position like this, much less with someone who clearly adores you. I am very fond of her, but I’m still undecided as to whether whatever sort of love I feel is genuine or simply platonic. I do not miss her when she is gone, for instance, but I enjoy her company when she is here. It’s another confusing layer to this mess I’m in.” His head tilted to the right at the faint sound of a click. “Though I will die on the hill that this little kitchen needs a little more colour to it.” Your eyebrows furrowed at the sudden topic switch, thinking that maybe your strange situation had finally started to turn into a normal dream.

“Damien, we’ve been over this. We had agreed on keeping the cupboards black because it is a contrast to the white of the sofas. Stop trying to persuade everyone otherwise.” Marianne had appeared behind you, a hand on her hip with an amused smile. She had changed into a summery pale blue shirt with dark skinny jeans and white sneakers. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, though a section each side was clipped back. “I only wish you told me we would be having a visitor before I left for work yesterday.”

“It wasn’t planned,” Damien countered, loosely waving his wooden spoon in self-defense. “I wasn’t going to leave my university friend without shelter for the night.”

“University friend? But I was at your reunion with your friends in your course last year.” You felt intimidated under Marianne’s suspicion, but you somehow steeled your nerves and shook your head. Improvising on the spot, you said that you were friends from university, but you met through one of the societies - the book club, you blurted when quizzed about it - and kept loosely in touch that way. You even had to fabricate a story that shared your woes of missing the one bus of the day home after travelling up specially to meet relatives. Only that you happened to meet Damien, you would have been stranded.

“Now, now. Let’s have breakfast so you can tell us how work went, Marianne.”

You had to keep your guard up during breakfast. You couldn’t taste a thing (a dream couldn’t be that perfect), which meant you were fully focused on Marianne’s questions once she finished talking about problems at work. What course you studied, why she never saw you and Damien meet before, what you were doing now. As you gave good answers, you could see her relax, which made your stomach knot in guilt. It must have been a terrifying thought to come home and see your husband talking amicably to a stranger first thing in the morning.

As you stood up, the room seemed to shudder a little. The kitchen table was cleared up, and Damien was being pushed out of the room by Marianne, who insisted that he needed to rest. With him out of the room, you were frightened you would find yourself in the middle of trouble. Instead, Marianne gestured for you to sit on the sofa while she sat on the armchair.

“I’m sorry for my behaviour earlier. I should never have asked such personal questions. I’ve been so worried about Damien, the last thing I’d want is someone taking advantage of his amnesia to hurt him. Instead, I should be thankful he met a friend on one of his late-night walks. I’ve been encouraging him to reach out to friends and family.” Ignoring the fact Damien admitted he didn’t have friends or family of his own here, you were quick to accept the apology, adding that Damien had mentioned something about ‘amnesia’ and a hospital. “Yes… Damien was involved in an accident a few months earlier that impacted his head more than anywhere else. Everyone said it was a miracle that he only had issues with recollection of long-term memories before the day he woke up, but there were so few resources available for us. We’ve had to resort to him writing everything down in the hopes something returns to him. I’m sure he showed it to you too?” You nodded and asked about the accident. Strangely, she didn’t answer, but instead rose to her feet and made her way to the photos on the wall.

“Damien is still the man I married three years ago. I still love him. Yet some days, it breaks my heart to remember he has forgotten me completely. Everything we have done together was brushed away effortlessly and we have to start over again. He never gave up on me when I changed careers to nursing, so I won’t give up on him - even if we have to restart our entire relationship.” You were tempted to repeat your question, only to decide against it. You got back up onto your feet to examine the photos as well. She was able to point out their honeymoon in Paris, a cute selfie of the couple on their first anniversary, and them in the middle of a group dressed in Victorian era clothing.

“Oh, this was the first production Damien and I were involved in - A Picture of Dorian Gray. We actually met through this theatre company.” You hummed in amusement at the sight of Damien dressed in plain, all-black clothes beside a lady in an elegant ball gown, before the words she spoke belatedly slapped you on the face.

They met through a theatre company.

You opened your mouth to ask the name of the theatre company when a loud series of knocks caught you both off-guard.

“Oh no, I completely forgot -” She cut herself off as she hurried to the door. You peered out behind her in time to see Damien trudging down the stairs.

“Is there another rehearsal happening here, Marianne?” he groaned.

“Yes… I’m so sorry. It slipped my mind!”

Damien opened the door, and you had to rub your eyes with your fists to make sure you weren’t seeing things. People dressed in what looked like dance costumes inspired by exotic birds began filing up the stairs to the living room. You scrambled out of the way, noticing Damien’s two notebooks were still on the table. Leaving them there could cause a lot of trouble for Damien, so you took it upon yourself to tidy them up. You hesitated as an idea crossed your mind. Grabbing Damien’s ‘past life’ notebook, you opened to the next blank page and wrote a quick message. In it, you made sure to mention you were proud of him for never doubting himself in these confusing times and that he was doing great. You signed your name, accompanied it with a doodled self-portrait and several affirming messages. The pen was returned to its proper place and you placed the notebooks in the same way Damien had them hidden in the drawer, just as he approached with relief on his face.

“Thank you. I don’t want anyone seeing those.” He knelt beside you and locked the drawer. The key was put into his shirt pocket. “These -” he gestured to the brightly coloured fiasco on the other side of the room, “- are my daytimes. There is always something happening, and it’s far too busy for my liking. On one hand, I'm encouraged to rest during the day, but I'm not able to when there's always something happening that I'm forced to help out with.”

He led you toward the kitchen while the costumed visitors began rearranging the room to make space. Some of them were eager to see a new face and hurried over to chat. All you could see was the blurring of vivid colours until suddenly, they were waving goodbye and hurried off, leaving you standing beside Damien on the street as the sun was beginning to set. Your eyes darted around as you tried to gather your bearings. Marianne and another man were several paces ahead of you, absorbed in conversation.

“Are you alright?” Damien placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed it gently. “You vanished. I thought you had woken up. We’re currently going to bring you to the bus that you told Marianne you missed. Interestingly, she had insisted this was what we were doing, despite the fact you weren’t there at all. No one had noticed you were absent except for me.” The mention of getting a bus was on your mind and you asked how you could get a bus that didn’t actually exist, and no one knew where you came from. Damien hummed in agreement, throwing a glance ahead to make sure neither of you would be heard by Marianne and her friend. “My thoughts exactly. It only proves that something isn’t quite right here. We need to wake you up, in case something like that happens again. I don’t want you trapped here because of my impulsive actions, especially if you think danger might be afoot.” You wondered how you could be woken up. Damien couldn't think of a practical solution.

You felt a hand drape over your shoulder and yank you back a step.

“And here I thought you were going to run onto the bus without saying hello first!” Looking up in fright, you found yourself staring at a man. No matter how hard you tried, his face was a blur. All you knew for sure was that he was average height and wore a dark red zip-up hoodie over a white t-shirt and black jeans. “I didn’t even know you were in town. Why didn’t you call me sooner? It would’ve been a much nicer surprise than arriving at Damien and Marianne’s place and seeing you there!”

“You two know each other?” Damien asked. You shook your head just as you lost your balance and tumbled into the man when he gave you a tight sideways hug.

“Oh, we go waaaay back. My grandparents lived next-door to their family home. I’d spend most school holidays in the area. The amount of adventures we got up to back in the day! I know Marianne remembers my tales about how I got some of my childhood scars, but this rascal here was my partner in crime on those splendid summer schemes! Oh! I was just thinking about sending you an email the other day -” You were guided down the street where a bus was parked while the man prattled on. There was a small queue as they waited to board.

“That really is such a small world! Who would have thought Damien’s university friend was your childhood friend?” Marianne gasped. Damien, however, looked unconvinced, but stayed silent. “Wait wait, was this the house that had Flopsy?”

“The one and the same!” the man laughed. “I’m sure Damien knows all about Flopsy, the orange tabby cat with the longest ears I’d ever seen. Why, that darned cat was fond of climbing onto my shoulder to try and eat my hair every time I sat on the couch!”

You knew your family home and the occupants of it. Yet, all of a sudden, you had a clear memory of a boy with a long-eared cat trying to perch on his shoulder. You also knew what your neighbours looked like, but something was trying to override that with visions of an elderly couple in a cute cottage with a picket fence. You needed to get the bus home so you could visit family, and make sure everything was okay, right? You had a job to get back to in another town, that sounded right.

“- And you know, you really must come visit me next time you’re in town. We have so much to catch up on. Send me an email when you get back. We’ll arrange -”

You felt a warm hand taking yours before you were yanked back toward Damien. “They’re going to miss the bus again,” he blurted as he put a hand on your shoulder and guided you to the bus, "so get going and get home safe!” He pushed you and you staggered onto the steps of the bus.

In an instant, the fog that had settled in your mind dispersed as the fake memories vanished. You turned back to Damien, Marianne and the man in red. But as the door closed, you could finally see his face to realise it was Mark.

The door slammed shut, and you woke up with a start.

You untangled yourself from your sheets as you frantically made sure this was your room. Slow breaths helped ground you, and you focused on your hands as proof that this moment was a waking one. That was when you realised one hand was clenched tight. You opened it, and a piece of paper tumbled out. It had been neatly folded before it had been bunched into your hand, and you treated it with care as you spread it out and straightened it out on your lap.

The writing wasn’t yours, but you recognised it.

“Thank you for the unexpected meeting. You’ve given me the confidence to hold firm and figure out the mess I’m in. I hope our paths cross again. Keep safe until that day comes. Damien.”

#writersofmark #mayor damien #who killed markiplier #self-insert #Blue Soul (Damien)#(this fic was sponsored by the fact there's no internet in the place I'm staying in on my vacation #and so I'm using my phone as a hotspot and THAT died during the upload)#(I do apologise for the length but hey; I got it done :D )#(I'm just glad I got it done tbh)#(I think this is the longest thing I've written in second person; now I think about it...)

13 notes · View notes

nobody-knose--archive · 3 years

Text

finally got around to listening to sketches 3d today and man! man! oh boy! liveblog under the cut!

-piano. exactly what i was expecting

-vibrato huh

-ayyy that's some. funky percussion

-this is like the fullerenes or something. a song about an Interesting Lady

-and there's that one grainy string synth/sample that andrew uses a lot & also appears in hawaii part ii

-more percussion. this is so cool

-i wasn't expecting this to be quite so minor key

-man if that was courtney on the flute there i think that'd be sick

-sing it andrew!

-i'm already having a more cheery time than i did with nat

-zubin???

-i will absolutely have to review that voice

-wait what the fuck is happening to her

-darling you good?

-anyway. classic andrew horowitz funky out-of-tune synths

-rattle rattle

-more out of tune piano. what song is this

-oh shit!!! this is the song my friends like

-tambourine <3

-you & me? sides of a coin? good & evil?

-so weird hearing all these lyrics i've seen in the song channel sung aloud for real

-andrew is doing some good singing here. he's good at carrying the melody on his own even though i've not heard much of that from him in the past save fate of the stars maybe

-he's always been good at that percussion

-all different types of percussion. tinny little gong like it's the whole world & you acoustic

-tambourine <3 <3

-so incredibly weird knowing what the lyrics are going to be without knowing what the song sounds like. i know how these words go in order but don't know how the melody carries them

-interesting thing about sketches so far. it's very strong & powerful but it doesn't block out the world like other new songs will. i'm not being taken somewhere else it's more like the whole rest of the world is being highlighted

-alright what's next?

-7/4 hummingbird????? or is this 6/4???

-no no no it's 5/4 and doing funky things with the onbeat i love this

-asking questions to a little creature is the best kind of pasttime and i mean that

-man andrew mixed this really well he's just. incredible at that

-he's making each song distnict while also giving sketches a clear theme

-a minor turn. i like that

-now what could this be?

-not lemons & pears yet?

-daisy fingers hell yes

-another song about a lady

-spoke mostly harmony oh you clever man

-thank you andrew for doing more with time signatures than tally hall ever did. first 5/4 and now 6/8

-the combination of very out of tune & rough percussions and incredibly beep bloopy synths is so cool

-conversations with a lady. this feels like a story of andrew visiting another world and being like "might as well write some songs about the fellows and stories round here"

-the whole album, i mean

-i am inspired by you, andrew

-this whole album is everything i could've hoped for and more

-the interesting thing about it is how few questions i find myself asking. i'm just looking at this stuff i have and being like wow! &, cool! not what i usually do with new albums

-divine inspiration bay be

-that's like. the opposite of an 80s fadeout

-oh that is absolutely the little sfx from the beginning of perfect at the end

-wait speaking of at the end

-no this is have a nice day interludinal

-is this a polyrhythm? there's a 4/4 type thing in the background and the foreground is. not on the onbeat i can say that much

-man i am going to have a nice day

-he's a good musician, able to make so much music out of a single interval

-lemons & pears!!!!

-toy orchestra my beloved that's the fuckin toy piano bay be wooooo

-but man oh boy does this sound absolutely different with only a one single guy singing

-ukulele in the bg? toy orchestra <3

-interesting being able to actually hear like. all of the lyrics for real

-some of the little riffs are gone and there are quite a many more

-hello?

-oh okay

-yeah i heard about the fucking gunshots that doesn't mean i was prepared for them

-the chorus sounds so nice i love this

-guest vocals?????????? whomst????????????

-who is this lady i'm so curious is she from the old toy orchestra? that'd be amazing

-breakdown time and it sounds so similar to the toy orchestra one. man

-at the end is. not the end of the album

-i think the thing that's getting me and not prompting as many questions is the fact that like. i hear these songs and hear tally hall songs. andrew's singing & i could hear this on a tally hall album with ease. it's strange

-i think the hi-hat and other little bits in this song, for example, reminds me of ross

-andrew's always tried hard at rock, and percussion is a massive part of that-wait he's scat singing i can finish that thought later i love this

-his songs are also very easy to sing along to without meaning to. first time hearing them and here i go

-anyway percussion is a massive part of rock, andy's always had an affinity for percussion, i think that's what's making me think of tally hall so much, or at least be. comfortably experiencing this in the same way i would a tally hall album

-i can't say the same of hawaii part ii

-if there's anywhere that lists the credits somewhere i'd like to see if ross worked on this at all but. i'm pretty sure he didn't

-where am i-oh shit a crowd

-nowhere else this is a song i think i know nothing about

-all that shit i was saying about rock percussion and now there's a whole entire drumkit going here

-alrighty

-that is not only andrew singing! again! who are you

-.....casey shea?????

-you sound like casey shea sir??????

-you are either casey shea or someone else who sounds like a beatle (affectionate, instead of derogatory)

-good guitar shit

-is that a third voice or does andrew just sound like that?

-madi diaz???

-i'm probably just guessing her because of the rendezvous but. there's gotta be someone more

-a whole lot of love going on here and i do appreciate it

-is it 80's fadeout time now? hell yeah

-oh yes the rainbow connection! a cover and the final song of the album (not counting the bonus tracks, which i will be listening to)

-i think i may have heard this before? or at least the minor rendition

-stylophone?

-humming. classic move

-theremin??

-music box is also cool. i swear i won't just be commentating on the instrumence alright

-what on earth is this sample in the background. steadily getting louder

-man andrew is a great singer. the consistent double vocals/heavy vibrato suits him well

-i will assume these are samples from like. the muppets movie

-does sketches (3d or otherwise) have a pdf like hwptii & nat? i sure hope so because i will enjoy looking at it

-vocalizing again let's a go

-more gong wahoo

-bonus track time <3

-tomorrow & today is a song i know pretty damn well i hope he's more legible now

-mostly the same as the 2011 version but it certainly is updated i can tell. more echo on these beginning lines

-piano is stronger. there may or may not be some added flairs. not a whole lot blatantly changed but i can say. i'll remove the 2011 version and replace it with this one for charlie

-there's a riff in my right ear that i don't remember and i like it

-this bit right here is more legible in general thank god it was incomprehensible originally

-the stomping percussion is Goin places

-and to end the whole song- you know yesterday fueled by a listen of nat i came up with an abundance of thoughts on writing styles in tally hall and especially how andrew's songs go places and what the journey's like and while that essay really won't fit into this liveblog i really enjoy how tomorrow & today has no destination in mind and it's a gradual trip but you never look back

-such strong g&e vibes

-misfortune bay be! time to replace the other misfortune charlie has with this

-sheet music???? jenny where did you find this? [referring to the image used in the video she uploaded i listened to] also this is still not the whole song i know the original misfortune wasn't but it feels strange to start this far into the song

-chords my beloved i could fucking play this song i'm so hyped about that

-toy orchestra solid soda real <3

-the one and only studio recording toy orchestra did. this is some of the best evidence for steve gallagher's voice we have

-also the audio is higher quality than the yt upload i think

-oh a casio organ not a real organ. okay i can't complain

-i like the sound of the piano at least. also this is horrendously gorey i like it

-andrew horowitz horror writer extraordinaire

-these sound like the sorts of drum synths my electric organ has

-i actually can't tell if that one's a guest vocal or andrew just being a very very good singer

-this sounds like some sort of recording you'd take of your kid's music school performance

-oh it's over

-fuck that was good

#tally hall #shoutout to jenny yesac for uploading the version i listened to #and another shoutout to tallyall dot club for being my one-stop shop for charlie's tally hall mp3s #tis i #loolin liveblogs #i say this every time but if you want to know what the hell i'm talking about in these listen to the album as you read #and try to keep synced up as best as possible k #edu #anyway a few closing thoughts in the tags: andrew sure makes some good lengthy songs huh? less than nat but same in length #damn near all are over 3 minutes which i really appreciate. god why the hell wouldn't anyone listen to this album it's wonderful #i'm not sure if any of my guesses and questions about guest vocals & the like will be answered by anyone #but like. on that note. i have a sneaking suspicion i personally contain sketches knowledge few others have. only attained it very recently #as in like yesterday so good for me but. oh there's something to look forward to in about a month and a half #to the world and back again

13 notes · View notes

heartsandmuses · 4 years

Text

tiktok famous

for @stonyweek 2020 // prompt: “social media”

steve rogers/tony stark. rated g. 1.8k. universe: mcu.

Two months after the rest of the team gets TikTok, Steve finally caves and makes an account of his own.

He doesn’t tell anyone though, because while his grasp on technology is better than what most would assume, part of the fun is letting people think he’s completely helpless. It’s made for some pretty amusing afternoons, between Clint trying to teach him for an hour straight exactly how to empty the recycle bin on his laptop and Bruce attempting to talk him through uploading a photo onto his Google Drive, and Steve figures that the team’s exasperation at his supposed tech incompetency might make for a few good videos.

And it does — his popularity soars seemingly overnight, and it’s only a matter of days before people start to catch on to the fact that Captain America’s making TikToks now and barely a week before he’s amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.

Unfortunately, that means the team’s caught on too.

It’s a bit of a disappointment that he can’t continue to be—as Clint would say—a troll, now that they know he’s not as much of an old man as previously thought, but there’s still plenty else he can do on the app. In the week after his account gets verified, Steve isn’t sure how many videos he gets dragged into, but between all the dance covers Natasha teaches him, all the easy food hacks Bruce does, and all the workouts Thor records, he’s certain that he’s made an appearance in well over a hundred drafts for the other Avengers’ profiles.

Not that he minds all that much. It gives him a chance to explore the full scope of TikTok in a way he probably wouldn’t on his own.

— — —

It’s Peter who introduces Steve to the concept of TikTok “challenges,” which, really, consist of anything ranging from simple choreography to lighthearted pranks, and Steve takes it upon himself to scroll through the kid’s profile for some fresh ideas.

It’s a slow weekend anyway, no missions planned or battles to fight, and the renovations in the gym thanks to Hulk’s latest tantrum means that all team training sessions are cancelled until next week. Outside, rain patters against the windows of the common room; the TV’s on low, playing a rerun of some competitive cooking show that Tony, sprawled out on the other side of the couch, fell asleep in front of, having lost interest about halfway through. Steve smiles as he lets his gaze trace over Tony’s profile—his messy hair, the curve of his nose, the way his eyelashes fan over his cheeks—and when his eyes finally turn back towards his phone...

Steve blinks.

Because the next video he lands on is tagged #KissYourBestFriendChallenge. And if he happened to miss the tiny print at the bottom of the screen, a text bubble pops up in the first few seconds with exactly the same words.

The video starts off innocently enough, with Peter and Ned laughing and joking around in what Steve assumes is Peter’s bedroom, both of them sitting on the floor with a half-finished Lego Death Star between them. Steve has the volume turned on low, but he can still hear Ned’s breathy Vader impression, as he holds up one of the figurines and walks it along the carpet. Peter laughs, and when his gaze shifts from the Lego figurine back up to Ned’s face, bright and beaming, his grin softens at the edges, expression turning into something much more... wistful and wanting and affectionate.

Something smitten.

Ned’s gaze meets Peter’s once again, and he trails off in the middle of his sentence when he sees him leaning in, closer and closer until their lips finally meet. It’s a tender kiss, a hesitant one, but Ned pulls away after a moment, partly in surprise and partly to search Peter’s face, a look of— of astonishment, of realization, coming over his own. And just like that, he leans back in and kisses him silly, smiling against Peter’s mouth.

Steve’s heart clenches, his eyes drifting back down to the bottom of the screen, and right next to the extensive list of hashtags, the caption reads: he feels the same way, followed by a row of heart emojis.

He’s known for a while that Peter’s been going out with Ned, but Steve had no idea that this is how they got together, and as he thinks about that look of mutual longing that they’d shared, he can’t help but glance back over at Tony, still blissfully asleep and snoring soundly.

— — —

Steve can’t get the idea out of his head.

It might have something to do with the fact that he’s spent the past few days going through the hashtag, watching as people have their dreams come true or—equally as often—dashed. But Steve’s a strategist, he needs to consider all possible outcomes before he can start to even plan, and while there’s a very large, very scared part of him that wants to call the whole thing off before it can even really begin, he knows, deep in his gut, that no better opportunity would ever present itself to tell Tony how he feels.

Steve’s brave, but he’s not the kind of brave that can go up to his best friend directly and confess his love to him. He’s learned that lesson all too well from silently pining around Bucky for the better part of a decade, and Steve knows he won’t be able to go through the same thing again. Even if Tony does reject him—which is a possibility he’s certainly preparing himself for—at least he’ll know for sure that he doesn’t have a chance, instead of being stuck in the familiar limbo of wondering and wanting and hoping.

And if that does happen, if Tony turns him down, Steve’s reassured by the fact that he can play it off as a joke, say it was all just for the challenge. That’s been his biggest concern in the past, whenever he would consider taking the leap and asking Tony out, the risk of something shattering between them. Their friendship, their closeness, what they have right now — none of it is worth throwing away just because Steve can’t tamp down his desire.

He’s thrown himself into some hastily thought-out plans in the past, but this one feels pretty foolproof.

— — —

Steve isn’t sure how it’s possible, really, but there’s just something about the sight of Tony laughing—crow’s feet crinkling at the corners of his eyes, lips curling into a grin—that makes him about ten times more handsome than he usually is. It’s just as heart-stopping as it is distracting, and it takes a good five minutes for Steve to even remember why he’d come down to the lab in the first place.

Officially, the excuse he gave Tony is that he needs some input on which TikTok to post next; unofficially, Steve’s just trying to calm his racing heart as he watches his best friend go through the entirety of his drafts folder, trying to muster up every ounce of courage he has, for one little moment. One little kiss.

“I think this one’s a real winner,” Tony says, turning the phone back towards Steve, and on the screen is a time-lapse of him sketching the Tower. He has a few others like that up on his profile already, quick little drawings of the common room or of the team, and Steve realizes with some embarrassment that if Tony went into his camera roll he would find more than a few real-time recordings of Steve sketching full pages of those warm, brown eyes and those long, fanning eyelashes. “The pranks and storytimes are fun and all, but I like the videos of your art the best.”

There’s such a startling sincerity in his words that it makes Steve’s heart skip a beat. He feels warm and nervous all at once, stomach churning and palms sweating, and he gets so lost in the adoring look in Tony’s eyes that he doesn’t notice for a long moment how close they really are. And it doesn’t stop, either. They just keep getting closer and closer and—

Steve’s leaning in, he realizes. He’s leaning in and he can see Tony’s tongue dart out to wet his lips, can see Tony’s gaze dropping to Steve’s mouth, can see a flicker of want in his eyes, pure and desperate, and that’s all Steve needs to know before he kisses him.

For days all he could imagine were the countless ways that Tony might let him down gently, pulling back with a laugh and a friendly squeeze to his shoulder, shaking his head and telling him that they’re better off as friends. But Tony doesn’t do any of that. He kisses back almost instantly, hands coming up to cup Steve’s cheeks, and Steve absolutely melts into the touch. It’s sweet and gentle and perfect, and now that he doesn’t have to worry about playing it off as a prank anymore, he pours everything he’s feeling into it — everything he’s been feeling, for all these years. All of his longing, his fondness, his desire.

All of his love.

The kiss seems to last somewhere between a second and an eternity, and when he finally pulls back to look into Tony’s eyes, he can see it all, every thought and feeling written out so clearly in his expression, a picture-perfect mirror of his own. Steve smiles, as a rush of relief fills his chest, and he can’t help but lean in again, just as his heart flutters and his stomach swoops and he thinks, with absolute certainty, he feels the same way.

— — —

JARVIS catches the entire exchange on video for him, along with the elated and impromptu make-out session that had ensued immediately afterwards, and while Steve plays back the footage of that initial kiss at least a hundred times, smiling stupidly at his phone, he doesn’t upload it.

It just feels too... intimate, too personal, for the rest of the world to see, at least right now. Steve just wants to keep the moment—and Tony—to himself for a little longer, and so, what he posts instead is the time-lapse of him drawing the large, looming Tower and the cityscape surrounding it.

— — —

Days later, he posts another sped-up sketch. This time, it’s one of Tony, with that big, gorgeous grin, that familiar twinkle in his eyes; it’s the exact expression that came over his face after Steve had kissed him, and it feels good, committing it not only to memory, but to paper as well.

But his followers aren’t completely clueless, he knows that, and it’s over the next few weeks—during which Steve gets a little more confident in uploading his drawings of Tony—that they begin to suspect something might be going on between the two of them.

Steve, of course, never outright confirms nor denies their claims, though he does, three months into their relationship, film that “walk into the room naked and record your boyfriend’s reaction” challenge, and that pretty much says it all.

#stony week 2020 #stonyweek #stony #steve rogers #tony stark #otp: put on the suit #ficlets #fics #my fics #my writing #mine #amy talks

113 notes · View notes

bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 years

Text

The Dragon Egg (Parts 4-6)

Long post because I neglected uploading for a few days. For @secrettunnelatla

It is all about fibs and careful twists. Change a few names and situations and suddenly Ozai is just a nameless man. A vague set of lyrics and verses on a page. A collection of words that shape the story of an abuser and his victim.

It is all the easier, picturing Zuko as the victim. Surely it can’t be her. Father treats her well; he has given her this recording studio. He has rewarded her for her three new singles with a newer car. He has given her nothing but praise for surprising him with so many new songs all at once.

Father buys her so many new stage outfits and lets her pierce her tongue and decorate it with genuine ruby. She has everything. He loves her. He is proud of her. It is only a hiccup, a lapse in judgment when he shows anything but affection. It is the alcohol that makes him smash the windows on her car. She doesn’t remember what he did it for but she knows that it was the alcohol because he has a brand new car waiting for her the next day.

And she drives it to Seicho’s house to deliver her birthday present. She will open the box and find a skateboard and tickets to see her show. Seicho is a delight and a somber presence all at once. In many ways, she reminds Azula of TyLee and that stings.

Sometimes she misses TyLee. Misses that sweet smile. Misses playing make believe in her backyard. Once upon a time, TyLee was going to be her drummer and they were going to tour from nation to nation in a bus with diamond studded tire caps. Once upon a time, she, Mai, and TyLee were going to be the rock trio that the world wouldn’t be able to forget.

And once upon a time, Mai decided that she liked Zuko more and TyLee decided that she liked Mai more. Zuko always had been the more lovable of the two. But Azula is the more successful. She has made a promise to herself that they would regret abandoning her for him when her faces is everywhere and Zuko is a sellout.

Seicho invites her inside, her friends are already there, a girl named Song, a girl named Jin, and a younger boy named Hide.

“Have a slice of cake or a whack at the pinata.” Seicho offers. She holds out a bat, wrapped with skull patterned duct tape and studded with nails. “You can have the first swing.”

Azula is sure that it would only take one good swing for the nails to shred the pinata. “I’ll have a slice of cake. I can’t stay for too long. I have a show.” There is a part of her, a very large part of her that wants more than a taste of this world. A simpler world where goals and aspirations aren’t make or break. “But I had to drop this off for you.” The skateboard in the box is expensive, it is more than enough to make up for not being able to stick around for the party.

Seicho’s face falls and Azula tells herself that it is only because she hasn’t unwrapped the gift yet. She knows that the smile is forced when she replies, “thanks, Azula. Maybe you can join us next year.”

Regret doesn’t hit her in full until she has already stepped back into her car. By now it would only be rude to change her mind and ring the doorbell again. Maybe this is why it was so easy for TyLee to choose Mai and for Mai to choose Zuko; she tends to choose her career over companionship.

She promises herself that after Audio of Agni, she will make more time for social obligations.

.oOo.

The stage doesn’t quite have its thrill tonight. The energy itself is excitedly frantic, vibrant with enthusiasm but it doesn’t quite reach Azula. It doesn’t matter, she is good at pretending. She knows what she is supposed to feel like--she has felt it before when the band was brand new, when Mai and TyLee were her backup vocalists.

So she emulates the vibe she is supposed to give off. She pretends like the crowds cheers and shouts and claps mean everything. She pretends like their liveliness gives her life too. Pretends like she can feel the music in her body and soul the same way everyone else does. But she only feels empty.

Empty and alone. A disorienting feeling when she is looking upon more faces than she can count.

All the while she sings lyrics that make her stomach squirm and her heart ache. If her father knew that he is the inspiration behind them, she’d have another song to write.

She doesn’t understand why singing these songs hurts so much. She is singing about Zuko and her father, not about she and her father. Or maybe she isn’t singing about her father at all, but a nameless father and his nameless child. Hell, it can be a mother too. Just a vague musical rendition of a dreadful parent who is merely neglectful on a good day.

It dawns upon her that she is the victim that she sings of when she finds herself getting teary on that stage. They think that it is part of the act. They think that she is a stellar actress on top of a damn good lyricist.

She doesn’t correct them. The only thing that sells more than sex is sorrow.

Things change after that. There is more attention, more interviews, more magazine photoshoots, and more simmering resentment from From Ashes To Phoenix. She basks in the limelight and relishes in Zuko’s envy. And with the spotlight shining so brightly, she can no longer see the darkness that had helped put it on her.

****

Seeing her on TV is hell. Even when she isn’t right in front of him, flaunting her riches, talents, and everything he could have had, she is still able to mock him.

These days, he can’t escape her. She is everywhere; on the radio, on the magazines, on the TV, and on posters. He even sees her in the hallways of Caldera Capital High. He sees her there, though she has been pulled out months ago for a private education tailored to her personal schedule. It is just one more thing for him to envy. He has to manage his band and school, of course his progress is slower. Sometimes stunted altogether.

And for his troubles he averages C’s and D’s--B’s if he is lucky--and music that is half done and not nearly what he had imagined in his mind. He knows that he is going to have to make a choice and he thinks that he has begun to make that choice a few months back. He has lost track of how many times he has stayed after class to discuss his grades. He wonders how uncle will take to him dropping out. Should he turn in the forms that are tucked away in his backpack and seal the deal there won’t be any turning back. He will have to make it big. It will be his only chance.

A gaggle of fangirls fawning over the brooding lonewolf with the choker and black nailpolish can only take him so far. It doesn’t leave the hallways. But he does, he evades the teachers and hall monitors and climbs his way onto the roof. Mai is already there, he can see the smoke trail.

“Want one?” She offers.

“I’ll take a drag from yours.”

Mai passes the cigarette. “Have you told your uncle yet?”

He takes his drag and passes it back. “No.”

Mai gives a little hum. “Make a decision and commit, Zuko. Either you tell your uncle that you’re dropping out or start hustling to fix your grades. You have to succeed somewhere.”

He flinches. She sounds all too similar to Azula. She sighs. “Sorry. I just worry about you, Zuko. Indecisiveness is going to ruin you if you let it.”

There are a lot of things that are going to ruin him if he lets them. To some degree he thinks that he is already ruined. That he should just fester in the failure. “I could use another drag.”

“Sure.” Mai replies.

He takes his drag and watches the smoke curl up to the mid-afternoon sky. Mai leans back with her hands behind her head.

“What are you doing up here, Mai?” He asks. “You can actually pass your classes, why are you letting me drag you down?”

“Zuko, I’ve never felt more...up. Sometimes I just need to get out of there.” She spares a glance to the door. “It’s suffocating and smells like cheap perfume and testosterone. I smoke at least a cigarette a day, gym class is pointless anyways.”

He chuckles. He feels right when he is on the roof with her. When he is with her in general. Pessimistic as she nihilistic as she is, he feels the most hopeful when he is with her. Even if it is just for a moment, Azula’s shadow doesn’t envelop and shroud him. Even if it is just for a moment, he can forget about she and her antics and everything her overachieving has helped steal from him. Even if it is just for a moment he can see, truly envision and believe in a reality where he strums his guitar before an arena full of adoring, audio hungry fans.

He makes a decision, he is going tell uncle that high school isn’t for him. That he is meant for...that he deserves better things. As the sun reaches its zenith, he decides that he will truly work for his dream.

****

The darkness floods right back in when she is away from the stage. When the lyrics that echo through the venue become a reality. She doesn’t know exactly what she has done. Maybe she has done nothing at all. He very well may just be in a bad mood. She is texting Seicho when he enters. “Hello father.” She greets with a smile.

He returns it with a blank face and folded arms. “What is this?” He slaps a piece of paper onto the table. He nods for her to read it over.

“It’s a…” she knits her brows, “a printout of our ticket sales.” She looks up from the paper. “What’s wrong with it?”

“How many tickets were sold for the first show?”

“It was sold out.”

“What about all of last week’s shows and the week before that?”

“Sold out.” She says again.

He nods. “Yes, sold out. What about last night’s show?”

Azula swallows, “1,684.”

He drums his fingers on the table. “Would you like to tell me what happened?”

She thinks that it could be a lot of things; that night had also been the night of the high school homecoming baseball game, people might have been short on cash, the time slot had been a tad earlier than usual. All of these answers seem like excuses--she should have a performance more compelling than baseball, she should have had a performance with spending money on, she should have pushed for a more favorable time slot. “It was a smaller venue.” She says at last much.

Wrong answer.

“I was selling out all of my shows.” He slaps the page and she flinches. “These aren’t metal legend numbers, they aren’t even Audio of Agni numbers.”

She wants to point out that he probably hadn’t been selling out all of his shows when his band had been as young as hers is. Instead she very quietly promises, “I’ll do better, father.” She must and she will because he is right. Only 1,684 tickets sold in a venue that could hold 2,000 people? That is embarrassing.

“Maybe if you weren’t fooling around with that tattoo artist… you won’t be seeing her anymore”

“Wh-what?” She sputters. “No, that’s not it! Seicho isn’t a distraction!” She realizes too late that she has gotten too loud.

She closes her eyes and tenses for the strike that is sure to come. When it doesn’t she cracks an eyelid. He hasn’t even closed the distance between them. She allows herself to relax. It is only then that his hand snakes out and finds her cheek.

Reflexively her own hand comes to rub it. She bites the sides of her cheeks and swallows down the cry that is waiting to come up. More than anything she hates knowing that she has failed him. That she has disappointed him. These moments are few and far between, she makes sure of that. But they are still there and she has just given herself one more ill mark. Has put herself one step closer to ending up like Zuko. “I’ll do better.” She says again when she finds the words.

It was never like this before. She glares at the empty bottles. It was never like this--he used to love her. She used to be is gleaming little star. He would yell at her, sometimes until his face went red, but he has never hit her before. She looks at the bottles, but it might be that she has finally made enough mistakes for him to see her as a splendid failure instead of his rising rockstar.

She takes out her phone and taps the screen a few times before holding it up, “see no more distractions. I deleted her number.” She forces a smile. “I needed to focus on memorizing my new material anyways.”

At last he returns the smile. The tightness in her chest slackens, giving way to an optimistic and relieved fluttering in her tummy. He ruffles her hair, “that’s my girl.” He gives her a small hug. “I should know better than to doubt you.” He smells so strongly of booze.

But she has satisfied him. She is still is gleaming little star.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Zuko #Mai #TyLee #Azula/Background Character #Azula/Cupholder girl #Maiko #Fanfiction #2021atlasummerevent

2 notes · View notes

bastillewolf · 4 years

Text

Midnight In Sheffield (VI)

Pairing: Alex Turner/Reader

Summary: When a soon-to-be-wedded insomniac author heads back home to visit her parents, she comes across the likes of a mysterious musician whilst on her sleepless escapade in the AM.

Notes: I just don’t understand how Mark is getting so much hate??? Absolutely adore the man, so much fun to write problematic characters. But seriously, he needs to check his inbox, because I think multiple death threats have been sent already. Love you lot!

Sorry this took me so long, by the way. I had to rewrite it because the first draft was shit. And I think I’m just gonna throw the uploading schedule out the window, because it’s not fun that way for me anymore. I want writing to still be something I can find relief in, not stress.

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

Song recommendations: Dance Little Liar by Arctic Monkeys, or A Tragic Fate from the Professor Layton soundtrack

Chapter VI - Mad Sounds

When she was younger, her parents were thinking about divorcing. And that’s really something to deal with at such a young age. So, she found solace in the only things her mum had lying around; books.

Books had been the only reliable thing in her entire life. The words were solid on paper, the storyline was set, and it had an end and a beginning. Nothing she had to go through; she only had to be a spectator from above, able to criticise people for the mistakes they made and commend heroes for their virtuous adventures.

It’s why she would describe her life to be something of a book. However, it was a story that seemed to have no ending. An intricate plotline that just kept on going, daring her to just mark the page and close the cover on it whenever she was getting sick of it. To just leave those heavy chapters weighing her down behind her, never to look back.

She felt like she was only at the middle of the story, where things should be going easier, because she could just leave her book open without the pages turning on their own because of the stiffness of the brand-new cover.

She had it all, really; though sometimes still in doubt, her parents were together, she had a man she could rely on who she would marry, and a nice apartment to get back to.

She barely felt the raindrops touching her face, as her entire body appeared to be numb.

She stood there, in front of the restaurant, for what seemed like ages, until the bells of the church struck eleven, and she was still unsure of why she was unable to move any of her limbs.

Warm hands touched her arms, comfortable, yet firm. They must have noticed how cold she was getting, because they draped a dark jacket over her shoulders. “You’re shivering,” she vaguely heard, “Let’s get you somewhere warm, shall we?”

She nodded, the events of the evening finally playing back all over again. Her stomach felt heavy, and her heart was beating at a faster rate than it usually was. “Do you think he’ll come back?” she muttered.

Brown eyes swept over her, and a chill went down her spine. She couldn’t tell what they were thinking; she only saw a calculated determination to make sure she was okay. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly, “But I know he wouldn’t want you to have caught something by the time he gets back.”

She barely gave a nod of her head, which was enough indication for Alex to tuck her under his arm, and walk her through the empty streets of a rainy Sheffield. At the very least, the downpour would hide the fact that hot tears were silently slipping down her face.

She must’ve looked like a real mess; standing shivering in a soaked wet dress in front of a brick building, tucked tightly between other brick buildings, as Alex fumbled with his keys. Once finally catching his bearings, he was able to twist the lock open, and push back the door that were adorned with gleaming golden numbers reading ‘505’.

It was a shared complex, with an apartment downstairs and one up, which was Alex’ place.

She shouldn’t have been surprised, really, but the home was quite cosy, most likely because of it’s size, and if she had to describe its contents in a few words, they would be ‘retro simplicity’.

Brown leather couches which looked very well worn made up most of the living room, along with a radio that sat upon a wooden cabinet stashed with liquor of all sorts. One of the walls was almost entirely covered by built-in shelves, holding many books and records alike, but leaving just enough room to be able to open the door on that very same wall.

The radio was still softly playing old tunes, with hints of soul and jazz. The rain tapping against the windows had almost drowned the sound out completely, if she hadn’t been standing so close to it. Alex turned up the volume a tad.

“I recognize that song,” she said, “my mum used to play it a lot when my grandmother passed away. It was her favourite song.”

“She had good taste,” he replied with a friendly crook of his mouth. He staggered off to the kitchen, and she heard him put the kettle on as she hesitantly took a seat on one of the large sofa’s. If it hadn’t been leather, she wouldn’t have even dared to step close to them.

“I know it’s not much. But it’s home.” He handed her a steaming cup, and almost simultaneously drew a blanket over her lap. He suddenly paused, and glanced up at her, “I’m sorry, I just assumed you took milk and sugar.”

She shook her head, “That’s the way I like it.”

He hummed, and sat down in front of her on the coffee table.

“I should apologize,” he said.

She gave him a questioning look, inviting him to explain.

“I crossed the line with the way I was acting back at the restaurant. I was being a total arse, and quite possibly just ruined any chance of maybe remaining in touch with you altogether. I’d understand you wouldn’t want me to come to your wedding. Hell, you barely even know me.”

Her gaze didn’t waver from his, as she took a moment to think. “For some reason, I feel like I’ve known you all my life. I can’t say I’ve ever met someone who I was able to talk so freely with from the get-go, and I can only say that it sort of frightens me.”

“Why?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“I suppose you can understand that it might seem quite odd to my fiancée that I’m parading about town with another man in the middle of the night, one I met only a few evenings before at that.”

He gave her a look. “That’s not what I was asking.”

“Why were you being an ass towards Mark?” she continued, decidedly avoiding the question.

He hesitated, his hands gripping the edges of the table a bit tighter, as if they kept him from falling over or summat. “Annoyance. Jealousy, perhaps.”

“Jealousy?”

He huffed, “Don’t tell me you didn’t quite figure that out yet. You’re a writer. I see someone being lousy towards a pretty girl, or anyone just around a pretty girl, for that matter, when I know they could be doing so much better. It bothers me.”

“So I’m just a pretty girl?”

“What would you want me to think of you as, then?”

He got her there. But she wasn’t yet willing to let it all go. “And what would be so much better for me? You? You barely even know me, perhaps I’m a horrible person. Perhaps Mark is the one that could do so much better.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. But I didn’t see you walking away from an argument.”

She stiffened slightly in her seat, thinking back on all other times they had had a fight. “Mark is just… he needs to cool down. It’s just his way of handling things, and I can only respect that.”

“And what happens when he doesn’t cool down?” he daringly asked.

This time, the look she gave him was a clear warning. He had indeed crossed boundaries tonight, more so than what should even be considered okay if they had been close friends. But they weren’t, and she was starting to take notice of the fact that she was quite easily giving her trust to this man.

“I can honestly say, and smack me across the face if you must, but after that brief meeting we had, I knew you shouldn’t marry him. You don’t fit together, and that’s not because of your lack of trying or incapacity to agree on certain things, but it’s because I can tell that there’s something going on between you that you don’t want to talk about.”

She didn’t slap him. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was as if he had smacked her across the face with a harsh reality she had been trying to hide. And only then did something she had been wondering since the moment she met him cross her mind once more.

“You’re…” Yes, that must be it. “No, never mind.”

He shook his head, “Humour me.”

“Don’t start laughing at me.”

“I never would.”

She got off the couch, and strode across the room with a sudden surge of energy she hadn’t been sure could still muster up before. She looked out across the window, over the smoking chimneys of old Sheffield, and it was as if everything just clicked in her mind.

“You’re… You’re not real, are you?”

He didn’t respond, but she didn’t need him to.

“You’re just a figment of my imagination,” she muttered, her thoughts finally able to form into verbal words. She looked down at her hands, as if they were the only thing that kept her from spiralling. “A hallucination of a chronic insomniac. You’re nothing but a dream, a test. I’m just dealing with a lot of emotions and stress, and this is all a coping mechanism…”

“A test?” he asked distantly.

“A test to see if I’m really ready to get married.”

When she heard him hum, he was a lot closer than she expected, and had already felt the heat radiating off his chest on her back before he’d even made a noise. Turning around, she was met with a dark pair of eyes, a gaze so intense she felt like her feet were suddenly cemented to the floor.

His shirt was sticking to his chest, leaving nothing to the imagination, and the fringe at the top of his head was as messy as her ragged breaths.

“If I’m just a dream, how can I do this?”

She didn’t stop him when he tilted his head, nor when his warm lips met hers with a gentle fire. Passionately, and slowly, they moved against hers, until the tingling sensation it sent through her made it impossible for her to refrain. And so, she kissed him back.

Nothing like what she’d ever felt with anyone else, something almost too good to be true. Like first kiss, hesitant and new, but with an unrealistic perfection. It shouldn’t feel this way. Her hand running across his wet chest shouldn’t make her want to pull him only closer. Her hips shouldn’t feel such satisfaction as he squeezed them and pulled them against his.

Her eyes opened, not even having realized she had had them closed right as skin met skin, and when she wasn’t met with a curly bush of brown, but only a slicked back messy fringe of pure perfection, she panicked.

“I… I have to go.” It was barely muttered against his lips, but he’d heard it.

He was unable to say any more, as she had somehow already rushed through the room and down the steps. And as the front door slammed shut with a finality, she had left him. And he continued to spend his night like any other night; all alone.

Last night had felt like a dream, something that didn’t sedate the terrifying realization she’d had when the dots finally connected. She lay awake all night, her eyes barely blinking as they continued to glare at the red digital numbers on her alarm clock, until she turned it off precisely a minute before it would start blaring.

She had thought about just staying in bed for the rest of the day. She had also thought about calling Mark. But Mark would call her, those were the rules. If he called her, he had cooled off and everything would be fine again. It would all go back to normal, and she would never go to town in the dark again. Not ever did she have to see his face again.

But her plans went out the window to just keep waiting underneath her comfortable sheets, which had made sure her dress was dry by now, when she heard her mum open the front door and invite people in.

A few minutes after she was called to join them for breakfast, and that she shouldn’t have to worry about wearing her pyjamas like she always did.

So, she did the sane thing and got changed into her pyjamas, cleaned her face of all blotches of makeup and headed downstairs.

At the dining table sat a couple who appeared to be around her mother’s age, with greying features, but kind eyes. They seemed vaguely familiar, so she was unsure of whether she had to introduce herself or not. If she somehow did know them, she would look like a fool.

But thankfully, her mother took notice.

“Grab a plate dear, and join us.” She did as was told, as her mother continued to talk about how she met the couple in one of her group couple therapy sessions, ones she and her father still attended regularly.

She’d only gotten to point of introducing them to her when she had already sat down, something she was thankful for, because if she hadn’t been, she would’ve most definitely fallen over.

“These are mister and missus Turner.”

Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach, as her eyes met the brown orbs of what was most assuredly Alex Turner’s mother.

“-They were just telling me about their son.”

And oh, how she wished she could’ve just closed the book by now.

***

@alexbandguy86 @bettyschwallocksyee @fookingsummertime @juicebox-baby@darksydork7 @edgythought @ssadderdaze @h0twasabi @rogerseyeliner @zcars777 @toolateformcrtooearlytoleaveemo @rosemallowss

#Arctic Monkeys #Arctic Monkeys Fanfic #Alex Turner Fanfic #Alex Turner #Alex Turner x Reader #Alex Turner/Reader #The Last Shadow Puppets #TLSP #AM #Humbug #whatever people say i am that's what i'm not #Miles Kane #Nick O'Malley #Jamie Cook #Matt Helders #favorite worst nightmare #TBHC #Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino #Midnight In Sheffield

83 notes · View notes

pondermoniums · 4 years

Text

How to tell a Harringrove fic is written by Ponder:

(Because I’m a broken record who feels like ranting. Master list at the end if you need reading material <3)

1. 85% of it is in Steve’s perspective. This goof’s sense of humor and clumsiness is just TOO easy to channel *coughs*

2. These bois wind up in a metropolitan area at some point (if not the entire time). A city just unlocks a certain personality freedom that is fun to write (and these bois need a lot of personality freedom, yaknowhati’msayin’).

3. Billy has at least one Power Bottom love scene. That being said, I love me some switching. Why restrict them to tops and bottoms?

4. Vampires are probably mentioned, if not outright used in plot. I have an obsession.

5. Billy gets very comfortable with pet names almost immediately. Baby and sweetheart in particular.

6. Billy takes care of Steve at some point. I’m weak to care giving, okay.

7. Steve is close to his mom and dotes on her. (Probably vice versa too.)

8. Risotto makes an appearance. Because it is delicious.

9. Dancing. Much like Elizabeth Bennet, I think dancing is the sexiest thing and require my bois to dance.

10. I find some way to make them stop smoking.

11. There’s a cat. Some how, some way, there’s a cat.

12. There’s a valid reason for Billy’s mom leaving (even though I might not out right include it in the story).

Bonus: Billy leaves for some reason, inducing pining.

• Fic List • (none of these are finished lol)

Dracula Has a Mullet

Billy’s a vampire and it’s a season 3 rewrite. I want Steve’s glorious neck to get an unreasonable amount of attention, what can I say? It also already has an epilogue story being uploaded alongside it.

Honey Sweet

A siren_au so our bois have wings and Steve becomes a musician after Billy breaks his wings. A lot of doting since Billy is a man of actions, not necessarily words, and between taking Steve to physical therapy as well as his band sessions, enemies -> friends -> lovers.

Last Choice

After being cheated on in his last 3 relationships, Steve goes to a gay club to let off some steam. Of course he meets Billy, but somewhere between a bisexual awakening, a lot of neon and glitter, working in a university coffeeshop, text messages and catching the flu, maybe they both find lasting love in NYC.

Omega is King

King Steve is omega and grey ace. Billy is alpha and has the opportunity to join Steve for one of his heats. Neither of them is ready for a week spent in one bed together.

Two of Cups - a witchy companion chapter to Omega is King

This one shot takes place in the same settings as Omega is King, but a little later. It’s an alternate_au where Steve has some modern witchy habits like reading tarot cards, etc. Billy has already moved into Steve’s house since they are full-blown mates, but the story centers on Billy figuring out Steve’s witch habits. October vibes, what can I say?

Out of Water

Mafia_au, anyone? Steve, the princely heir of a graphic and deadly underground business, has framed his death to escape the city and his family’s web. He now works across the country in a new city under a new name as a humble barista in an artisanal coffee shop. However a long time member of that web, Billy Hargrove, finds Steve and they have to decide what they are: old friends, old lovers, or enemies.

~ Honorable mentions for the wips ~

~ Ancient Greek Au. I saw amikoroyaiart‘s art, and things happened. Billy is Spartan and Steve is Athenian after the Pelopponesian War (Sparta won). Everyone is in Athens for turn of the century/new year celebrations (400 BC, and ancient Greek new year happened in July, how appropriate), but a fight between Billy and Steve has Steve being sent out of the city (Papa Harrington sends him to their country villa). Billy goes with him because he’s a cheeky shit who’s taken a liking to this rich dingus. I’m trying my best to make this a one shot. I’m terrible at short stories so let’s just expect failure.

~ Soul mate_au that’s a mixture between “you see in black and white until soul mate unlocks color,” and “you see your soul mate in your dreams but you can’t see their face until you meet them in real life”. But Billy and Steve’s first meeting goes badly. Billy leaves Hawkins and Steve moves in with Jonathan in NYC. Major mental health tw because Steve falls into depression, seeks therapy, gets anti-depressants and sleeping meds so he can sleep dreamlessly. But this cuts Billy off from having dreams too, and it scares the shit out of him, inducing him to work on finding Steve again. Also Steve works at a Drag Queen bar with Robin, and the Queens are his fairy god mothers.

~ *cough* *cough* a Twilight_au because I was inspired by someone else’s au, who will remain nameless until I write/post about it. (I don’t want to prematurely put them on blast lol). Billy will be a werewolf, but Steve will be a hybrid vampire and they will have to navigate not only their own relationship, but their prologue. Because they’ve been reincarnated, and their first go-round at managing their differences did not end well...

~ Fae_au featuring makeup and soulmate dynamics. The fae are able to sense soulmates, but the fae are so goddamn tricky to work with that it will be a goddamn miracle if Steve and Billy can get along long enough to actually do useful things, like, you know, make out. Steve will probably be an oblivious member of a long bloodline of fae/human while Billy is a changeling (fae who was raised by humans).

#harringrove #pondermoniums #fic recs #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #wips #if anyone takes these wips you better heckin' tag me OR ELSE

20 notes · View notes

rakuyokoyo · 3 years

Text

I was able to guess Bakugo’s hero name correctly a year ago (BNHA293 Spoilers)

So, uh... I don’t know if anyone else follows me here anymore (I know I haven’t been updating Romance Dawn but that’s on its way, 2020′s just been a shite year) but if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’ve talked a TON about how my ideas in One Piece actually manifested itself into the canon, YEARS after I initially conceptualized them. I can’t talk specifically about that because it’s spoilers, but one thing I can talk about is the reveal of Bakugo’s hero name.

Obvious chapter 293 spoilers.

—

If you’ve never read any of my stories before—hello, I’m Kana and I write stories here. My BNHA story hasn’t been uploaded formally yet because I’m still in the editing process, but I’ve written a lot of posts about it here, here, and here.

I woke up early today to do some schoolwork and I saw a Tweet that discussed this upcoming weeks’ spoilers, which included Bakugo’s hero name. And imagine my surprise when I first read the comments, then the panel. Turns out, I was actually able to guess Bakugo’s hero name almost a year and a half ago.

(Yes, she has a lot of nicknames for them).

On the right hand side, the created date shows July of 2019 and that’s the earliest record I have for calling Bakugo ‘Dynamite’. The regular font (such as ‘Small Might’) shows some minor, fun nicknames that Kana calls the boys, whereas the bolded ones are the ‘real’ nicknames she addresses everyone by. The fact that the MAIN nickname Kana always called Bakugo by ended up becoming his actual hero name in the canon BLOWS MY MIND and I’m so happy because I think it can be used in a significant way in the story.

—

So in my last post too, there were a bunch of (omitted), and that’s because I was hiding parts of the plot and Bakugo and Kana’s nicknames for each other. In this one, I actually use ‘Dynamight’ instead of ‘Dynamite’. It’s not clear in the Japanese since both sound the same, so we’ll have to wait for the official translations to find out which one it’s going to be. I initially started off by calling Bakugo ‘Dynamite’, and then ‘Dynamight’ later on because I was debating on which one suited him more. Now, I won’t have to wonder because I can just go with whatever Hori decides to make canon!

The first screenshot is showing the part of the chapter that I wrote in my post:

(and as you can see, the created date is August of 2019—I unfortunately no longer have the modified dates for the chapters since I re-edit all my chapters constantly).

And the second part that was completely omitted in the post is here:

Please excuse the god-awful writing, this is why I never post drafts ( ; ω ; ). There’s a SHITTON more examples I could potentially show, but I’m sure you can tell that my editing skills aren’t the best and I think you get the point. When I search up ‘Dynamite’, all the chapters on the left sidebar have moments where Kana’s called Bakugo ‘Dynamite’—and it’s a lot of chapters.

(I hadn’t realized I even had a chapter called ‘Dynamite’...)

—

I even talked about this AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK with a friend on Discord.

My username ‘rkyky’ is ‘rakuyokoyo’ without any of the vowels and I can’t modify anything on Discord without there being an ‘(edit)’ next to the message so you know at the very least, this is true and not modified after the spoilers.

—

So yeah. I know this isn’t that special and I’m sure somebody somewhere else has also come up with the same nicknames, but as someone who writes and thinks about these characters 24/7, watching headcanons become ACTUAL canons is something that’s exciting and a bit frustrating at the same time, because it would’ve been INSANE if I’d published it first. But alas, my slow writing cripples me as always (ಥ﹏ಥ)

The new hero movie about the Three Musketeers also gave me a heart attack because I thought their theme was going to overlap with mine, but it didn’t. There’s a specific team name I’m going to use to address a team consisting of Kana, Deku, Todoroki, and Bakugo that starts with J and ends with ts. Feel free to guess!

I hope this was somewhat of an interesting read for you guys! My Koyo Predicts also seems to be going well, so I guess we’ll see what ends up sticking or not. To be COMPLETELY honest, I kind of wish his hero name was Ground Zero or something else, because I wanted Dynamite/Dynamight to be personal between Kana and Bakugo, not to mention how I’m sure every BTS fan will now equate Bakugo to the song, Dynamite... but I guess I’ll take what I get.

Meanwhile, please feel free to check out my One Piece story, or the movie spinoff of my BNHA story called Torch:Bearers!

Till next time,

-Koyo

#mha293 #bnha293 #dynamite #dynamight #bnha #mha #deku #bakugo #bakugou #bnhaoc #mhaoc #todoroki #hero name #tbenotes #i cant believe this actually happened #koyopredicts

8 notes · View notes

catflowerqueen · 4 years

Text

In one of my many earlier posts, I mentioned that the Infinity Train, realistically speaking, is going to have to change at least a little bit due to the repercussions left in Amelia’s wake. On thinking of it further, I have to wonder how often that sort of thing happens. Like… how often does the train “update” itself? (Aside from the creation of new cars, which probably happens pretty regularly) Does it ever update itself? Because surely there have been other people who were suffering with the same or similar problems to Amelia. Tulip even mentions some parallels after watching her tape. So, the question then becomes… why was Amelia the first (or at least, the first we are aware of) passenger to actually be able to unseat One-One as the conductor? In all the time it has been around and with all the passengers that had to have boarded it, I find it very hard to believe that no has at least considered it before her. But then I thought… maybe it isn’t that others haven’t wanted to, but that it wasn’t until Amelia that anyone could actually be able to. What if the train doesn’t do regular updates on itself?

Consider the technology we’ve seen on the train so far. Disregarding the specific “themes” inside the cars, they all seem to run pretty much the same—there are orbs underneath the floors and behind the walls that control the scenery, and such things can be changed and accessed through the porters and stewards and changed and manipulated via disconnecting and changing some wires around. Furthermore, the steward can be controlled via specific tones and frequencies. Now, consider what Tulip and Amelia were able to do all throughout book one—they could use coding and engineering to manipulate the train and cars. Amelia used phreaking not only on that one telephone, but all throughout the book. But consider this: She mentioned in her tape that this ability was a new one, implying that it had only recently been figured out. And think about some other technology the train utilizes—while the memory robots and number machine are pretty cool and futuristic, what are they storing the memories on? VHS-looking tapes. As in, an older form of technology.

What if the only reason that One-One hadn’t lost control before is that the train had that sort of technology from the beginning, but humans are only now catching up? I mean, if the train can change its appearance so drastically to lure on passengers (look at how different Tulip’s and Grace’s first look at the train was!), then who is to say it even always looked like a train? All we know about it is that it has been running for at least a century—and as the industrial revolution shows, a lot can change technology-wise in a single century. And the train itself might inadvertently be contributing to that. If people come out of watching movies like Star Wars wanting to create lightsabers, then I find it very hard to believe that no one would have stepped off that train and then immediately started to recreate some of the technology they saw in the cars.

If that’s the case, then it’s highly likely that something like Amelia was always going to happen. If it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else. And they may have managed to screw things up and make even more of a mess than she did, considering all the new technological leaps that have happened in the meantime since she’s been on the train. Again, consider Tulip and all she managed to do. Amelia presumably had to do all her work from the engine car, at least initially, but Tulip was able to repurpose and reprogram things all the way from the ball pit car.

There’s a saying that at a certain point technology can become indistinguishable from magic—and I think that humans are or will shortly reach that point in regards to the train.

And in a way, it might be a good thing that Amelia and Tulip arrived when they did and shook things up, and that One-One actually got the chance to personally interact with and help a passenger—and that it was Tulip who he interacted with. Think about some of the after-effects—now the passengers actually get a video telling them what they are supposed to be doing when they arrive on the train. I’m pretty sure that the main reason One-One recorded those is because of his memories of how lost and upset Tulip was in the beginning, and how her lack of knowledge about the number and what was going on contributed to that. And even if there was some sort of video before Amelia took over, we know that the ones we saw in book two have to be new given that One-One introduced himself as One-One, rather than his old name of “One.” And now that he’s met Lake, and seen that it’s possible for passengers to re-board the train, he will be able to make even more changes to help things run more smoothly and adapt.

And speaking of Lake and Jesse… consider the fact that Jesse brought his cell phone on the train, and was using it to take pictures. Humans only would have been able to do that fairly recently, all things considered. Jesse’s phone may have been destroyed, but what about some of the other people boarding the train? Would the images stay on their phones after leaving? Could their phones automatically upload images to the Cloud even while on the train? How much of Jesse’s early issues with his number stemmed from the fact that his watching that video of his brother over and over again might have made it even harder for him to start to move on—much like the way in which passengers who watch their own tapes risk getting trapped in their memories?

For that matter, why are they even still using VHS tapes to begin with? Is it just for the ambiance or something? I mean, I can see how it might be necessary to have them on physical tapes initially, given the way the passenger farm works, but why can’t the porters convert that all to digital and store it on flash drives/straight into the mainframe afterwards? We know they use computer technology! Amelia was messing around with it when she sent Tulip’s door away! …And are there just a bunch of cars dedicated to holding all those tapes somewhere on the train? Because that’s a lot of tapes to accumulate over time.

Anyways… I guess my point is that the train has its own journey to make in regards to how it functions, and it probably needs to be more active about it, just like the passengers. The world is changing, and it needs to change along with it to remain helpful and grow. And it’s something that was always going to happen from the start.

…I think I might have had something else I wanted to expand on with this idea, but I’m too tired right now to try and remember what it was.

#infinity train

11 notes · View notes

comicgeese39 · 3 years

Text

Writing A Will During Lockdown.

Writing A Will

Content

Provide Our Wills As Well As Probate Solicitors A Phone Call Today.

What Occurs If The Recipient Of The Estate Passes Away Prior To The Testator?

See Why Kwil Is The Most Flexible Method To Compose Your Will.

Frequently Asked Questions: Wills And Inheritance

Please Finish The Security Check To Accessibility Www Emgsolicitors.com.

Exactly How We Can Aid You With Writing Your Will

You can name as numerous executors as you like in your will, though the optimum number who can look for probate to provide your estate is four. It makes good sense to call at the very least two or 3, in case any one of them pre-decease you or later on choose they do not want to work as an administrator. Typically, your will must be clear on what will happen to a bequest if the beneficiary pre-deceases you. As an example, whether it expires, mosts likely to their children, or goes to another person rather. When you leave a bequest to a class of people, such as 'my grandchildren living at my death', make it clear whether that includes expected children, so maternities are covered. Telling a close friend, loved one or perhaps your solicitor what your objectives are is not nearly enough.

It is more secure, preferably, for you to review your will regularly, as well as absolutely whenever appropriate tax obligation or probate regulations change. Your executor or administrator will be accountable for the repayment of any tax obligation due on your death. This can consist of any kind of outstanding income tax, resources gains tax obligation as well as inheritance tax. You will also need to obtain an evaluation of the home for the purposes of probate.

youtube

Your estate will be split and may most likely to individuals you did not choose. Preparing a will offers you manage over who inherits your estate. A basic person will can be composed from as little as ₤ 100, but increase to around ₤ 400 depending on intricacy. Joint wills, which you obtain with each other with a spouse, can cost in between ₤ 200- ₤ 600, as well as a mirror will costs around ₤ 250 for both.

If you have actually not registered the civil collaboration, and have not made a will, your companion will not be automatically qualified to anything. So if you are intending to register a civil partnership, have signed up a civil partnership without thinking about the effect on your will, or have actually not made a will anyway, take advice. Providing that you have actually experienced a legally binding ceremony, your civil companion will have exactly the very same civil liberties as a spouse would certainly. The solution to this question depends partly on the condition of the kids concerned. If your will might no more show your dreams, you require to upgrade it. If you left a will but did not name the executors, or if none of your called executors agrees to act, after that among the recipients under the will can apply for probate as an administrator. If you did not leave a will in all, members of your closest family members will inherit and also can make an application for probate.

Provide Our Wills And Probate Solicitors A Call Today.

Selecting the appropriate legal professional to draft your will is important, and also we understand you'll have concerns. Below are some of our regularly asked concerns as well as articles to aid you learn more. I would like to position on record my grateful thanks to you for all your hard work in the effective completion our Wills and Power of Lawyer, however all the effort has been finished. It has as constantly been a satisfaction to talk and also consult with you and also we are most thankful for your sensible advice and guidance.

Who keeps a will?

When probate is granted, the will is kept by the Probate Service and any member of the public can get a copy. If you want to search for the will of a person who died recently, you can apply to the Probate Service for a standing search to be made.

At https://sonning.directwillstrusts.co.uk/ Creating Lawyers will aid you prepare for the future to the last information. By answering a couple of brief inquiries on our website, you can find the ideal lawyer to prepare your will. A specialist wills solicitor can generally prepare a will in a fairly brief space of time depending upon the complexity.

What Happens If The Recipient Of The Estate Passes Away Before The Testator?

You maintained us notified throughout as well as offered suggestions when needed, which was particularly valuable. I understand I have actually obtained the highest degree of solution as well as exceptional value for money.

We were rather in the dark as to exactly how a lot of this functioned and also you did a truly fantastic task of maintaining us up to speed up! Absolutely if will writing services newbury of our pals require similar transportation services in the future we'll make sure to advise you and also Mogers Drewett. Over the past year I have had reason to make use of the services of Mogers Drewett in regard of the fatality of both of my parents.Whilst my Father's death was prepared for, my Mom's was really unexpected. sign up have no hesitation in advising you.

See Why Kwil Is One Of The Most Adaptable Method To Write Your Will.

In both cases, there are policies laying out the position for who can apply. It makes good sense to select people who are proficient at administration, have a little bit of economic sense, as well as are credible. You might additionally wish to take into consideration calling a professional executor.

A certain threat to watch out for is the 'forced heirship' guidelines that use in some countries. These say that a proportion of your property must pass by law to specific of your beneficiaries (frequently only those in your bloodline - not your spouse's family), whatever your wishes, as well as whatever it claims in your will.

Despite the fact that possessions passed to your spouse are excluded from inheritance tax on your death, you need to consider what will occur when they pass away. Making a will is an important part of your inheritance preparation, assisting to make sure that your properties will be passed on to the appropriate individuals. If you are preparing common-law marriage, marital relationship or a civil partnership, you need to think about prospective legal issues if one of you passes away or you different. Our group of professional legal representatives will minimise the amount of time you need to invest in our office. Your lawyer can give expert legal recommendations with telephone or video clip calls in order to take your instructions. Making a Will ensures that individuals you wish to profit when you die receive your estate. Holmes & Hills are skilled to be able to compose a Will that is dressmaker made to fulfill your particular demands.

What is a living will vs a will?

As you can tell from above, the main difference between living wills and last wills is their function. While a last will directs the distribution of assets after a person's death, a living will gives directions regarding the medical care of someone who is still alive although unable to communicate her wishes herself.

A straightforward will can be drafted as well as signed within 1 to 2 weeks. If your will is likely to be uncomplicated, with really few assets, it is feasible to do it on your own. However lots of worry that they may fill it out improperly, or it won't become legitimately viable when the time involves reference it. Talking with a professional can help you recognize if you need your will to be composed for you. If you pass away without a will, you haveno say in what happens to your money and properties.

Frequently Asked Questions: Wills And Also Inheritance

Make a note of your checking account numbers as well, but for security maintain it separate - provide it to your executor, or at the very least tell them where it is. The Probate Pc registry will take a look at the application from your executors, as well as may ask questions. This can be vowed at the Probate Pc registry or at the office of any type of commissioner of oaths - usually a neighborhood solicitor. You ought to keep the original somewhere safe and off your property - for example, with your bank or your lawyer. Your executors will require the initial when they look for probate, not a copy.

Coronavirus Update - It's company customarily for all of us at Mogers Drewett. Please do contact us if you require any of our solutions we are here to help.

As gone over a couple of weeks back, I will likely be in touch in the following few months when my companion wants to buy into your house to ensure that we can get her name on the deeds. I would certainly wish to take this opportunity to thanks Matt for his work throughout our house acquisition.

A variety of charities including Age UK & Save the Children enroller a Will writing system in November annually.

Wills supplies a premium service that has the will published and also bounded and uploaded to your residence address.

Searching for clear, friendly support with developing or upgrading a Will?

All Wills are produced online in simply 15 mins, the Will is after that inspected by a team of specialists and sent to you for finalizing as well as seeing.

The legislation in England as well as Wales states that the law controling foreign residential property is the law of the country in which the residential or commercial property is situated. Whether you can throw away that building in your UK will, or you need to make a local will, relies on the legislation of the nation in which your residential property is situated. Frequently you will require to make two wills - one in the UK and one abroad - and also both should correspond. Registration of the civil collaboration invalidates any type of existing will, unless the will was formulated in assumption of this registration.

Most of us have a tendency to place points to the back of our mind that doesn't call for instant interest; making a will is a timeless instance. A Will is an effective lawful document allowing you to let those who you love and respect benefit from your estate.

We would never ever consider going to anyone else for our legal needs. We wish to thank you for your specialist handling of the conclusion sale of our residence the other day. Your interactions with us were extremely understandable as well as we have been extremely pleased with the efficient service that we received. Now I am safely inside the new house I would love to thank you for your excellent handling of the conveyancing for the purchase of Pinkwood. I will have no reluctance in suggesting you wholeheartedly to anyone trying to find such a solution in future.

I would certainly have no doubt in recommending your services to others in the future. Determine who receives your properties-- You can make sure that what you have is offered to individuals of your option, such as relative, good friends or even your favourite charity.

#how to write a will #free will writing #best will writing service #will writing in uk #will writing in united kingdom #how to make a will #make a will in UK

1 note · View note

dansnaturepictures · 4 years

Photo

Five of my favourite pictures I took in May 2020 and five of my most popular images online for the month (as of yesterday morning)

The five of my favourites are;

1. One of my favourite butterflies the Adonis Blue at Martin Down

2. One of many young Starlings in the garden seen this month

3. A lovely flower at Lakeside

4. Sunny day at Lymington

5. Sunny day at Lakeside Country Park

Then as this is the fifth month of the year and five plus five makes ten I thought I’d fill this photoset up with five of my most popular online pictures in May. This is done using interaction to the tweets they were included in when I uploaded them as new pictures on the days taken. So its five pictures that were in five of my most liked/retweeted/replied to tweets in May. I just added each tweet’s number of those interactions together like I do to chose my weekly pinned tweet out of my most popular new photo tweet over the weekend/week prior. Twitter is one of the main places I upload my photos on my account Dans_Pictures. I must say the most popular the Marsh Fritillary I took two separate pictures of the same butterfly which I included in the same tweet as I always do for the same species/similar views. So for this I just chose my favourite of the two photos. Below are the captions to the rest of the five pictures in this photoset, in order of how popular they were on Twitter so 6. the most 10. the least.

6. Marsh Fritillary butterfly at Bentley Wood

7. Five-spot Burnet moth at Bentley Wood

8. Collared Dove out the back

9. Yellowhammer at Stockbridge Down

10. “Rex” the regular Feral Pigeon that comes to our garden out the back on Bank Holiday Friday

Well this has been another month, to the backdrop of this huge national and global fight against coronavirus that continues, that has been brilliant for walks, photographs and wildlife sightings and listing for me. Its been a truly very hot and sunny month which has been great, with summer temperatures of late it felt really and signs of summer here and there. This lent itself well as always for taking so many types of photos for me, I’ve so far taken over 270 photos this month. With photos taken each day every day since 19th March still this smashes what could have been my record in April which only just touched 200 in total.

The blue (by water) and sunny scenes really lent itself well for me to take so many landscape photos I was proud of, as did for landscapes and wildlife photos being able to travel a bit further afield safely due to lessened restrictions and this surely also pushed up the amount of photos I’ve taken overall. On one last note for my photos this month continuing on from some older ones I got in during April I got two more of my photos published in the Hampshire Chronicle in the Hampshire Chronicle Camera club page of a Magpie which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago and a Lakeside Mute Swan photo from this month I have literally just seen a copy of the latter in there as I write this. Alongside Twitter and Tumblr the Facebook camera club group among a few others have been a wonderful community to be a part of and really rewarding for me right now.

As the main part of my hobby I’ll always mention birds to assess a month and this month I was very happy to see lots at home and on walks and be able to get quite a few decent year ticks despite the whole situation. These were of spring time birds I really needed to see and had waited for, both common and a little bit rarer, and top birds I’d already seen this year cropped up too for sensational wildlife moments. I have seen nine bird species for the first time this year in May, up from April and my most in a month since February. This meant my year list which had been the highest amount of birds I’d seen on given dates compared to my previous years before lockdown recovered and confirmed its place within my top 6 year lists based on what I had seen on these dates getting back into the top 4 at times too like it is right now.

I’ve continued a smashing development in my butterfly season, year list wise its way out in front two butterflies ahead of what I had seen last year at this stage my highest ever butterfly year list total making it the highest amount of butterflies I’ve ever seen at the end of May. I really feared for my butterfly year a sacrifice I was more than happy to make of course when the need for lockdown became apparent just as spring truly dawned. But with further afield walks possible just in time to get to certain habitats to try for certain species coupled with seeing a lot the butterflies I might normally see at further afield locations more locally I have only so far not seen one butterfly that based on previous years I would have probably done at this point and that one we usually see if anywhere in the south on the Dorset coast understandably somewhere we’ve not been able to get to yet at least. I’m onto summer butterflies now too seeing my first of what I call the summer species the Meadow Brown and Large Skipper this week. I got ten butterfly year ticks in May. Most have fitted into the theme of my butterfly year so far that nearly ever year tick I’ve got has been either my earliest ever or second earliest ever sighting of the species in a year. So that’s why I’m into the summer batch of species a little now and my year list is doing so well by my standards as well I guess.

Its also been a brilliant month of dragonflies, damselflies, moths and flowers for me too. With such species as the foxgloves another key sign that summer is coming for me and my favourite flower, various orchids, Large Red Damselfly, Beautiful Demoiselle, Southern Hawker and Broad-bodied Chaser to name a few seen throughout the month. I got eight year ticks for this list this month making it the highest I’ve ever ended May on for dragon and damselflies seen too treble what I had seen at this stage last year my highest ever total then as I said yesterday evening. Its been one of my best ever years for seeing and photographing all of these groups I dip into now and again so far. A little deeper delve into beetles occurred for me this month too finding many Swollen-thighed beetles on flowers lots of times my first ever this year seeing lots of Green Tiger beetles at Hut Wood on a glorious day lovely to focus on the little things of nature more for this specific group. Spiders in my house has lent itself to that theme nicely too. I even had some very close mammal encounters with Roe Deers in thick grass at Lakeside on my daily walks.

There’s not much change next month. I will very likely be working at home the whole way through it still so I expect to see a lot more and take lots of photos still. I should have some long overdue annual leave too the final week of June which should have been our Anglesey holiday which we’ve rightfully postponed until next year. I hope to get to explore some brilliant places on walks that week too. Thanks for all your immense support again this month, I wish you all well and hope you are staying safe.

2 notes · View notes

tiaragqueen · 5 years

Text

Bee In Bonnet

✂ Pairing: Yandere! Kim Namjoon x Reader

✂ Word Count: 3,5k

✂ Trigger Warning: Mentions of sex and death, obsessiveness, manipulation, stupor

✂ This story is fictional and for amusement only. I don't believe any of the members would do this in real life. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day!

Do not re-upload my writing to another website or use it without my permission.

[Edited]

***

If you like my writing, please support me on ko-fi!

"Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can’t help falling in love with you?" - Can’t Help Falling In Love [Elvis Presley]

Namjoon knew what he felt was wrong.

He knew he shouldn't have gotten close with you.

No matter what angle you see it, no matter how many times you'd try to defend it, their relationship would and always be forbidden. Because this wasn't a fictional world where you can date your own boss.

No, you weren't like that. You kept your relationship strictly business. Just like any other decent worker would do.

He knew it. He acknowledged it. But that doesn't mean he liked it.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he could automatically erase every sentiment that had bloomed on his chest. The very same sentiment that would eventually drive him into the pit of unquenchable desire.

Jimin crouched on one knee before you, holding out an opened crimson velvet box. A silver ring – not too big and not too small, either – encrusted with little diamonds and a bigger one in the middle laid inside. You tried to laugh at the cheesiness of his proposal, knowing just how romantic Jimin could be, but joy overpowered any hilarity that you found from this situation. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you let him take your hand gently and put the ring on your ring finger.

It fit, just like what you expected.

Jimin had always been an attentive person. It was a trait that attracted you in the first place, and for him to buy the ring you were eyeing at the mall a few days ago warmed your chest.

Your female colleagues cooed at the sentimental scene, shouting congratulations. Some even expressed their envy for being proposed by such a handsome man. The males were busy patting Jimin’s back like proud brothers they were – being familiar with him due to his frequent visit – and whispered innuendos on what to do during the honeymoon. Overwhelmed with the barrage of compliments and attention, you hid your glowing face on to his chest. Jimin giggled, stroking your hair with such loving eyes that made your nape reddened even more.

Everyone was happy. Everyone was smiling. All, except one.

Namjoon stood in the threshold of his office, jaw stiff and hands clenched so tight the knuckles turned white. He hadn't expected to see this kind of thing during a break; the only time where he could meet and chat with you over a hearty lunch. Work has been very hectic lately, and he figured taking you out to that new café down the street would ease his stress.

Yet, here he was, watching future husband and wife basking in the spotlight.

It was terrible. How could that man be able to freely hug you with those disgusting limbs, while Namjoon had to resist his urge to even touch a single strand of your hair?

Because he was respectful like that.

And because he already knew you were taken.

Namjoon hadn’t planned for this to happen. For his feelings to go out of control. You were smart and cute, yes. He liked cute things and people.

But the more time you've spent together, the more time his opinion of you rose. Higher than any other woman he'd met before.

You were unknowingly charming, hardworking, ambitious, and other positive adjectives he could think of. If anyone were to ask him to write a novel about you, he'd surely do it in a heartbeat. And possibly create a new one for your angelic appearance.

The cover would be your concentrated face because that was when you looked at the cutest. Not that your other expressions weren't cute either. It was simply his favorite amongst many photos he'd captured without your knowledge.

Well, everything you did enchant him anyway. Even your elated smile of finally being Jimin’s fiancée.

Namjoon sighed, skulking back into the office. The hollow thud of the closing door echoed like a broken record in his ears.

If only it was him that put the ring on your dainty finger and proudly stood beside you.

If only it was him that you hugged.

If only you loved him, he would surely give you everything. The world, the sky, the universe. Everything that you wanted, he would gladly give it to you.

Except he couldn’t have you, could he? Because you already belonged to someone else. Someone other than him.

And it hurt. It hurt not to be with the person you love, no matter how much you pray or wish to the stars.

Why did fate have to be so cruel to him? Sure, he could have anything - anyone - in a flick of a finger, but why couldn't he have you? Was it wrong to love you? Was it wrong to want to make you happy?

But you were happy, weren't you? You were smiling brightly, brighter than he'd ever seen before, with Jimin. If Namjoon wished for your happiness, then he'd have to be prepared to see you in another man's arms. Because that's what true love is, right? If you can't have them, then you have to let them go so they can seek their own happiness somewhere, anywhere.

Of course, he understood. He was famous for his intelligence, after all. But it didn't make the heartbreak any less painful.

Namjoon glanced around the place. Despite the papers that scattered on his desk and a few items of furniture here and there, it was still empty. Funny that he had been working here for years, and yet it was the first time he'd felt this way.

Sighing, he shuffled towards the rolling chair and plopped down. His body felt so, so heavy. Like someone had put the weight of the world on him. He unlocked his phone and stared down the bright screen. It displayed a selfie of you and him, standing in the snowy sidewalk. You looked cozy wearing that dark coat, wrapped in a red scarf. He remembered that he used to sling an arm over your shoulders, pretending that the scarf was a red thread of fate which connected the two of you.

It was obviously a delusion, but Namjoon just wanted to enjoy the moment. The moment where he was the boyfriend protecting you from the cold, and you snuggling up to him like a cute girlfriend you would be.

Oh, how wonderful it must be if that could become a reality.

Namjoon frowned. Well, he supposed he could get rid of Jimin through an assassin. He didn't look particularly strong. In fact, he seemed rather... fragile. So it would be an easy job for Namjoon.

No, he shook his head. If the news of Jimin's downfall ever reached your ears, you'd surely spiral down into depression. It was what most people tend to behave after the death of their loved ones. Namjoon refused to see you sad and, inevitably, lower your work standards.

He needed to think of something nonlethal, yet enough to make you change your opinion on Jimin complete. But the question is, how? How could he think of anything unrelated to death, when his brain was already filled with Jimin's gruesome demise? What was the least painful route?

Think, Namjoon, think!

It was obviously easier said than done because hours after the proposal ended and his employees had long gone back to work he still hadn’t had an inkling of an idea. God, was it hard to think of anything less toxic...

Glancing at the reminder that glued on to the wall beside him, an idea immediately popped on his head. Namjoon gasped before snickered, finding it amusing how he hadn’t thought of that before.

The most used excuse in the business world. How silly of him to only finding it out now.

He snatched his phone from the tabletop with the eagerness of a child about to receive their present and sent a short, yet detailed message to you. Pressing the send button, he rested his head against the cushioned backrest and hummed. Now all he had to do was carry out the second phase.

A giggle pierced through the quiet evening. Namjoon reached out a hand to grab the air, pretending that it was you atop of him. Everything would go according to plan, he was sure of it. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind using his high intelligence for... unrighteous purposes.

You came.

Of course, you came. How could you relax after receiving such an emergency text from your boss? Not to mention, it was sent half an hour after you went home. As much as you wanted to spend more time with Jimin, you knew that it would have to wait. Besides, you were sure that this meeting whatsoever wouldn’t take so long. Hopefully.

To be honest, you didn't know that you had a meeting tonight and even thought of refusing.

But orders are orders, anyway. If you wanted to keep the job, then you have to obey your boss.

You smoothed out the wrinkles on your maroon dress. It was the dress code because apparently the meeting was held in some fancy restaurant in the city. It wouldn’t be appropriate to wear formal clothes, although that was what you were planning before you read the postscript.

Screw that. You didn't want to add other dirty clothes on to your already piling up laundry, but it was bound to happen soon. Might as well finish this quickly, so you could go back to cuddle Jimin in his full chubby glory.

The dress was a gift from Jimin after your first date, along with a bouquet of red roses that had withered the next week. It was your favorite dress among others, for some reason. Thus, you resolved to only wear it for important matters.

Although Namjoon wasn't aware with that fact, it didn't hinder him from smiling appreciatively at the sight of your amazing looks.

Standing up from his seat, he approached your confused figure and held out a hand.

“Good evening, [Name]. You look gorgeous, as always.” he greeted, exhibiting the persona of a gentleman. Namjoon kissed the back of your palm, letting his lips lingered against the soft skin. It smelled coconut, must be new body lotion. He had to buy it later.

“Good evening, Sir,” you mumbled distractedly, paying no heed to the rather intimate gesture. Pursing your lips, you glanced around the empty restaurant. Where the heck was everybody? “Um, I thought it was supposed to be a meeting...?”

“Indeed,” Namjoon nodded patiently as he pulled a chair for you to sit in. “A meeting of you and me.”

He didn't mention that he had excluded this small detail from you, but you were still clueless it was almost endearing. Understandable; you must have read the text in a hurry.

“... What?”

Namjoon ignored your quiet inquiry and instead seated himself in front of you. Even such a simple action was so elegant in your eyes. You wondered if a graceful class existed in rich people's worlds because he might be mistaken for a butler due to his smooth movements and impeccable suit.

Without wasting another time, Namjoon poured some red wine into one of the glasses. Your glass.

“Here, drink it.”

You reluctantly took the glass from his hand and took a wary sip. The cautious side of you kept telling that he might have adulterated the drink, even though you saw it with your own two eyes that he did nothing to warrant such suspicion.

“Thank you...” you muttered. It tasted the same as other expensive wines you'd drunk before. Namjoon was too kind to do vicious things such as poisoning.

Namjoon proceeded to ask you some questions - nothing too intrusive because he still respected your privacy; yet - and filled wine after wine in your glass until you were inebriated. You weren't aware of your own condition until you abruptly stood up and almost fell headfirst on to the table.

Good thing Namjoon was there to save you, otherwise you'd go home with a huge bump on your forehead. Jimin would fuss over it like a mother hen he was, and you didn't think you could bear the onslaught of questions so late at night. Especially when you just wanted to hit the hay.

Slurring a soft thank you under your breath, you attempted to leave but to no avail. Namjoon watched you struggling while still maintaining his grasp around your stomach. How could he release you when he already had you in your weakest and vulnerable moment?

“You’re drunk,” he whispered huskily in your ear. His other hand twirled a lock of [h/c] hair that framed your darling profile. “I know a place where you can rest.”

Somehow, the gesture managed to lull you into sleep. The world grew darker in each second as you nodded dumbly and blacked out on his arms.

The next day, you woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Recalling the past, or at least the event that led to this situation, proved to be a challenge. You sat up against the headboard and massaged your head, hoping to assuage the headache for a little. It wasn't until memories from last night suddenly rushed in like a flood; the text, the meeting, the conversation, and the... loss of consciousness.

Eyes widening at the size of a saucer, you ripped the blanket from your body only to discover a myriad of hickeys littering the skin. From the neck, chest, stomach, thighs, even legs. There was no area left uncovered, and you weren't sure what to fear more. The hickeys or the throbbing pain in your vagina.

Tears welled in your eyes. What have you done? You promised to yourself that you would give your virginity after marriage, and now here you were. Laying naked on someone’s bed. Or more specifically, your boss'.

This was infinitely worse than having a one-night stand with someone because the person you've slept with was the same one who you encountered nearly every day.

What would your parents say later? No, what would Jimin say later? He had always been a possessive one; it took you almost half an hour just to convince him to let you go. Now, you had broken the promise you'd made both to yourself and him.

You were such a terrible human being.

A door opened to your left. Namjoon - the cause of your current mental breakdown and possibly more in the future - strolled inside, carrying a tray of steak and hot tea. You immediately pulled the blanket back on to your nude body, trying to retain what was left from your dignity.

If you still had any, that is. You doubted its existence now.

“Good morning, honey.”

Honey? You gripped the seam of the white comforter, resisting the urge to lash out. How dare he called you with that nickname when you had no special relationship prior? No, that wasn't what angered you the most.

It was the fact that he had tricked you into the so-called meeting. Or maybe you were the dumb one here. Either way, you were boiling.

“Did you sleep well? I hope so. I have changed the bed and set the air conditioner so you would be more comfortable.”

You frowned, finding it ridiculous the lengths he'd gone through just to satisfy you. As if. “What are you talking about?”

Sighing, Namjoon put down the tray on the nightstand and started to crawl towards you.

“S-sir?” Screw your nervousness. Why did you have to fucking stutter in front of the one person you were supposed to be brave towards? Now he knew just how much you began to fear him; his little smirk proved that to you. “What are you-?”

A hand stopped you from falling backward from the bed. You stared wide-eyed into his darkened eyes, chest heaving at the thought of tumbling and possibly have a concussion. It was a rather unlikely scenario, but it still scared you nonetheless.

The hand lingered on your back, before slithering lower to grasp your waist. You shivered at the coolness of his palm and put your hands on his broad chest to push him away.

“Sir, I’m sorry but I have to go now. Jimin must be worried sick and I-”

“Do you think he’d still accept you, after what you did with me?”

You fell silent, hands slowly slid down and fell on his bent knees. Somehow, while you envisage Jimin's reaction, you hadn't thought that he would probably call off the engagement. A one-night stand, however accidental, is still a form of disloyalty.

Simply put, you've indirectly cheated on him.

Jimin might be understanding in some aspects, but nobody told you that he'd accept this betrayal. It was understandable if he chose to break things off. Still, you refused to see him leave and abandon of what could've been a happy ending; you loved him too much to let him go.

“Bold of you to assume that he’d still love you after having sex with another man,” Namjoon mocked, his other hand went to pat your bare stomach. It churned at his touch, and there was nothing you desired more than taking a bath. Who knows, you might be able to cleanse some of his germs from your body.

But of course, it wouldn't magically solve everything. You've slept with him, for goodness' sake!

“... And carrying his sperm. You know what will happen right?”

He did what-?

“No...” The severity of the situation finally dawned on you as you shook your head frantically, hair whipping around. “No, no, no!”

This must be a joke. It had to. There was no way you’d be pregnant with his baby. No way. Nuh-uh, you refused to believe it. This must be a dream; a nightmare.

God, how you wished you could just wake up and forget all of this ever happened. You couldn't stand another minute with this crazy man. You wanted to get out.

But the door was behind him, and if you wanted to escape, then you had to face him first. After that- what? Running to the police station stark naked? What would people say later? They must think that you were a lunatic, while the true one was this CEO who somehow managed to impregnate you.

What did you do in your past life to deserve this kind of reality?

“You’ll get pregnant.” There goes that dreaded, absolute unnecessary answer. But it wasn't over yet. Namjoon was still hell-bent on shaming you even further as if this bombshell wasn't enough for you to digest.

“I'm not!” you screamed, dismissing the fact that you literally shouted at your boss. Something that you used to not have the guts to do considering he could be quite intimidating if he wanted to.

But now, you just couldn’t give less of a shit.

“I’m not and I’ll never be! Jimin would still accept me cause he’s my fiancé! Now let me go, you freak!”

Namjoon threw his head back and laughed. It was the kind of laughter that send chills down your spine. You never thought that you'd lived to see the day where he would finally lose his sanity. He'd always been the calm, composed one. So what caused him to snap?

“Really?” He ignored your flailing limbs and gripped your waist, leaving indents of his nails on the skin. “Then how about you? Would you still accept him after what he did?”

The struggling ceased as you frowned. “What the fuck do you mean?” He really needed to stop giving you confusing questions and be straightforward already.

Namjoon reached out to take a remote from behind you and pushed the red button. It flickered on, conveniently displayed a piece of breaking news regarding the discovery of a young woman’s corpse in some nondescript apartment.

"It was such a hassle to find the exact location. But with a bit of hard work, nothing can't be achieved."

You ignored him in favor of watching Jimin thrashing about when the police took the body from the bathtub. A torrent of tears streamed down his cheeks as he begged them to touch her; to hold her for one more time. He looked desperate and heartbroken. Normally, the sight would've saddened you too.

And now, you weren’t so sure anymore.

“He might have proposed to you,” Namjoon murmured provocatively, kissing your jaw like a husband appreciating his wife's body. “But that doesn’t mean his heart fully belongs to you. You’re just another woman in his life, you know?”

You bit your lower lip. It stung, you admitted, it stung because it was the truth. And there's nothing more painful than the truth being shoved on to your face, forcing you to accept it as though it's that easy.

There was nothing left to say anyway. At this point, you didn’t know whether you should feel betrayed or ashamed. It was an agonizing mixture.

“Do you know that girl? She is, and will always be his love. After all,” he inclined his head slightly and bit your earlobe. “Nobody forgets their first love, even if they want to.”

#yandere bts #yandere bangtan sonyeondan #yandere bts au #yandere namjoon #yandere kim namjoon #yandere rapmonster #yandere kpop #yandere au #yandere namjoon x reader #yandere kim namjoon x reader #yandere rapmonster x reader #namjoon x reader #kim namjoon x reader #rapmonster x reader

242 notes · View notes