#atlanta duo

[wintercorrybriea2]

Clark Atlanta University Homecoming Step Show (1992) Photographs via the Robert W. Woodruff Library

#clark atlanta university #atlanta #georgia #b #duo #photography

[glassefactory]

#News #Releases #atlanta #duo #emerging artist #Indie #indie rock #New Music #new release #new single #psychadelic rock #release

[milfp1lled]

hi! i'd love to request a chessy x reader fic where reader is a friend of the twins when they're all in college ish times (of age) and reader is crushing on chess

The Chessy Trap

Pairing: Chessy x Reader

Summary: After noticing the chemistry between you and their housekeeper Chessy, your college friends Hallie and Annie decide to try and set the two of you up

or

Two times Hallie and Annie try to set an oblivious Y/N and Chessy up with each other and the third time it actually works

Warnings: Mostly just fluff. Very brief mention of homophobia, mentions of drinking/underage drinking, strong language.

Words: 6975

Note: The word count on this is absolutely atrocious and I have no idea how that happened. Sorry/You're welcome (depending how you feel about it haha). Hope you enjoyed it anyway!

Sorry for any mistakes! It's not been proofread (yet!).

"Parker-James family vineyards" you read aloud with a dreamy sigh as Annie drives the car beneath the archway sign at the entrance of the estate- there was lush greenery as far as the eye could see...miles away from the concrete jungle that was Atlanta, or the loud hustle and bustle of LA. You tilt your head skywards, closing your eyes to take in deep breaths of clean air and to revel in the feeling of the sun on your skin...it was even more beautiful than the way they had described it.

It'd been a long 6 and a half hour drive up to Napa (the three of you deciding to split the drive between you in two hour increments) but you were finally on the last stretch.

Hallie let out a leisurely sigh from the back seat of the jeep, stretching her arms up to cradle the back of her head.

"I know we're only here for a week, but trust me when I say this Thanksgiving break will be a blast...not to mention it's so needed! We have a pool, and there'll be music...also Chessy and Mom make the best thanksgiving dinner" she rambled talking at 50 miles a minute (as per usual).

You'd not had the pleasure of meeting Chessy before. Sure you heard of lots of stories about her and their butler Martin before, but you'd only gotten the chance to meet the second half of the duo when you were down in London.

Beside you, Annie nodded in agreement with her sister, eyes still trained on the road;

"It really will...and our Mum and Dad quite literally live on a vineyard so there's no need for Hallie and I to crack out those ridiculous fake IDs either" she grumbled in mock irritation.

You let out a hearty chuckle at that, "No fake IDs...are you sure?" You grin.

"Because I would like to see Hallie bring out 28 year old London expat 'Philomena Crocker' for a night out in Napa Valley" you quip, mimicking a British accent.

Taking one hand off of the wheel of the car, the Brit gives you a playful shove in response, Hallie on the other hand snorting with laughter,

"I have class and you don't!"

Back in your first year of college, Annie had (mistakenly) tasked you and Hallie with finding someone to make some fake IDs for the three of you so you could get into this trendy bar, which lead to the two of you selecting the most ridiculous aliases you could think of...it would be fair to say the Annie didn't take kindly to having to assume the identity of  'Talulah Higginsbottom' for the next two years.

The three of you had been friends for a while now, having met during your first year of college at UCLA.

Annie was a fellow English major and her abundant enthusiasm and charm meant that you quickly became fast friends and Hallie was your volleyball teammate; effortlessly hilarious and always bouncing with energy.

You first met her at volleyball tryouts mistaking her for Annie, the only other freshman trying out who you recognised, so you'd waltzed up to her to engage in conversation...only to find out that she'd all of a sudden adopted an American accept and in fact went by Hallie...because she was a completely different person who had no idea who you were.

In hindsight...after two seconds of conversation (accent aside) you should've seen it coming...where Annie was prim and proper, Hallie cursed like a sailor and said whatever she was thinking at any given moment. After that mix up you were mortified (Annie found it hilarious)...safe to say the three of you had been inseparable ever since.

You were known as 'The Three Musketeers' around campus—you'd taken a big sister role in their lives and you'd do everything together; study, go shopping, eat...get embarrassingly drunk at frat parties.

So when it came down to holidays, of course they'd offered to extend an invitation for you to spend it with them and their family...they'd considered you as such anyway at this point.

Before college you'd taken a year out post highschool to work and save up to move states after getting your dream spot at UCLA, but it just wasn't enough to cover everything, which meant you'd come to terms with the fact that you'd spend most of your time outside of the semester in California.

To fly from LA to Atlanta for thanksgiving just wasn't feasible...well that and the fact that you weren't exactly jumping at the chance to go home seeing as things between you and your conservative parents were on the rocks ever since you'd come out as a lesbian.

Your original plan for Thanksgiving was to spend it back in your dorm with some Seinfeld reruns and a Turkey microwave dinner to keep you company and you'd actually grown to accept that...it wasn't like you had any emotional tie to such a pointless holiday anyway...not to mention there were much worse places to be spending it than LA.

But of course, the twins weren't having it; outraged upon hearing this, demanding you spend it with them in Napa. You loved them and appreciated their offer, but first denied the invite, feeling guilty for intruding on their family thanksgiving...you knew that they came from wealth but regardless having them incur further expenses because of you made you feel like you were taking advantage.

Following this Hallie had barged into your room complaining and pouting about how not coming with them to California was 'so unfair' because they really wanted you there. Annie on the other hand, always leading with logic, had given you a stern 'talking to' about how not coming with them would be a "disservice to yourself" as they were making the journey regardless of whether you tagged along or not...not to mention you'd be able to join in with the driving which was a relief to Annie as she hated driving on "the other side of the road".

...eventually you gave in.

How could you possibly argue with that?

It wasn't like the stakes would be too high anyway. This would be the third time you'd met their parents as you'd spent the final months of last summer with them at their townhouse in London, (Their parents being convinced for some bizarre reason that you were Annie's girlfriend for the entire duration of the trip).

_______________________

As you near the house, you could already see someone standing in the archway of the door, clearly waiting for the car to arrive. Annie turns down the Britney Spears song playing on the radio to focus as she squints to see who it is before it dawns on her and she haphazardly parks the car, bounding into action to greet them.

"Chessy!" She squeals, uncharacteristically excited as she jumps out of the car, Hallie following closely behind as they sandwich the shorter woman in a hug.

"My gorgeous gorgeous girls! Every time I see you you've grown taller, there's gotta be something in that LA air I'm telling 'ya!"

"How was the drive up?"

Hiking her duffel pack further up her shoulder, Hallie raises her eyebrows up to her hairline,

"Oh it was just riveting...Annie forgot what damn country she was in and nearly wiped out a deer changing sides on the road!" she smirks with a chuckle,

Annie fake laughs in reply,

"Oh Yeah? Wow that's so funny Hal, how about you tell Chessy about the fact you made us take an hour-and-a-half detour to find a gas station because you needed another pack of smokes?"

At least to their credit...both of their claims were in fact true...your turn behind the wheel had probably the most peaceful time of the whole trip. You chose to put it down to the fact that you had the latest Gorillaz album playing on repeat, (But honestly, it was probably just because you didn't have a raging nic addiction and knew which side of the road to drive on).

Watching the exchange on from a distance you let out a breath of laughter that seemed to catch the attention of the trio, three pairs of eyes turning to look at you leaning against Hallie's jeep.

That was when you really saw her.

She seemed slightly shorter than you (you put that down to the pair of 6-inch wedges you had on) and was dressed casually, wearing a pair of beige Chinos, her button-up tucked askew into them, but regardless she had that kind of beauty that you couldn't help but notice.

To put it simply she was gorgeous. And boy, were you starstruck.

Shiny brown hair flying in the California breeze, the older woman shoots you a smirk before sliding her sunglasses onto of her head to get a better look at you. You hold your breath at the way her gaze rakes up and down your form as she walks over to you before holding her hand out for you to shake:

"And who is this? She asks without averting her stare from your face.

"Chessy this is Y/n...Y/n, Chessy"

This was Chessy? You friends had not given you the heads up that she was this...hot. Honestly, you didn't know what you'd expected.

"This is the famous Y/n!?" Chessy beams, her unwavering gaze rooting you on the spot.

"I've heard a lot about you"

"Uhh...I'm y/n" you gawk, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Real smooth.

Chessy chuckles as she lets go of your hand before giving your forearm a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah...I gathered that hon."

Hallie and Annie look between the two of you before exchanging a glance...you had no idea what for.

That damn twin intuition.

They could sometimes have entire conversations between them without saying a word and you were left clueless every time.

Elizabeth runs down the stairs, Nick hot on her heels and the twins head towards them, enveloping them each in a hug too, before the two parents turn to you.

"And y/n! so good to see you again!"

"Great to see you again Mr and Mrs Parker-James"

Elizabeth gives you a look and you correct yourself sheepishly,

"Sorry I keep on forgetting...Liz and Nick" before she pulls you into a hug.

"So how is college girls?" She asks the twins, and Hallie bursts into action, animatedly telling her parents about some scientific field trip she went on last week,

You and Annie look at each other holding back laughter.

Here she goes

This was about to be a long conversation, the twin would talk all day about her environmental science degree if you let her.

Then a blur of yellow runs out of the still ajar door, crashing into you and sending you teetering backwards slightly on your heels.

You manage to catch yourself (thank God).

Falling in front of a beautiful woman right after stumbling over your words like an idiot would've been the nail in the coffin for your ego.

You look down to see the sweetest looking golden retriever you've ever seen, pawing at your capris for your attention. Without hesitation you quickly crouch down to your knees in the gravel, letting him jump up and lick your face,

"Oh hi!" You coo in a baby voice, as you begin fawning over him,

"You must be Sammy!" You exclaim, leaning down to scratch his belly.

"Aren't you just such a good boy!"

"Huh..." Chessy states in confusion,

You shield your eyes against the sun to peer up at her through your fingers, the sun haloing around her chocolate brown hair,

It seemed fitting... Chessy had to be an angel.

"Sammy doesn't usually like strangers but he came to greet you first..." she explains,

"...Guess you must be special"

You bite your lip with a shy smile as you feel a slight blush tinting your cheeks,

Oh, Chessy.

"...I am."

__________________________

"Hey." you smile softly, hip leaning against the doorway of the kitchen,

It'd been two days since you'd arrived here and sure you'd obviously seen Chessy around (as expected embarrassing yourself each time by being a fumbling mess), but only now had you finally managed to work up the courage and confidence to say something to her without short-circuiting.

Chessy startles momentarily before turning away from the pot in front of her expecting to see Annie or Hallie,

"You scared the shit out of m- Oh! How you doing hon?" she smiles softly.

"You looking for one of the twins?" She offers.

"No it's okay...Annie is reading by the pool and Hallie will probably be knocked out taking her afternoon nap right about now..." you share a laugh with Chessy,

"I..." you smile shyly at the ground with a nervous giggle before looking back up to meet her gaze "I, uh, actually came here to see if you needed any help with anything?"

The housekeeper tucks a strand of messy hair behind her ear, a small smile blooming across her lips,

"Me?"

"Well...yeah."

"Do you even know how to cook?"

"Do I know how to cook!?...I'll have you know I worked at an Olive Garden in my teens!" you joke back pretending to toss your updoed hair over your shoulder.

Chessy pauses before bursting into loud laughter, clutching her stomach slightly. You noted how her entire face crinkled up, like her laugh was trying to force its way out of her, when she smiled unabashedly like that and you couldn't help but feel some sort of weird pride swell in your chest at being the cause of it.

...all you'd really done was tell a joke.

But making her laugh was addicting and you all of a sudden wanted more.

"Who am I to refuse the help of someone with such high expertise?" She quips grabbing another apron from the hook behind her and tossing it your way, as you grab it with a seamless catch.

"You can start on chopping the onions for the sauce" she points, and with a salute, you move to stand at the counter.

That you could do.

Surprisingly, you get a good rhythm going between the two of you, smoothly manoeuvring around each other as you focus on chopping and dicing, whilst Chessy takes the ingredients to the pot after you're done.

The only thing was you hadn't said a word to one another yet.

You opened your mouth to speak before clamping it shut immediately.

What did you say to her? What if you said something weird? That would be a nightmare; You didn't want her to think you were weird.

"So...you're an English major like Annie huh?" Chessy starts after a while, and you're thankful she's the one to fill the silence,

"Ya' planning on going to law school like She is?".

You let out an amused snort in reply,

"God no! After I graduate next year I'm not going back! Annie is as smart as anything but law school is not for me..." you state moving on to dice up some carrots.

"I think wanna teach kids: I'm pretty good with them and love being around them, so...but honestly I think I originally chose to major in it because I love to read...it's all I do."

You pause, reaching out your hand to pretend to smack yourself, "Sorry...I'm rambling.".

It was a habit of yours when you were nervous...Chessy made you nervous. Which you knew was ridiculous because she was so incredibly warm.

She was so disarming and open and welcoming and kind...so why couldn't you look her in the eye?

Chessy smiles, "No...it's cute."

She thought you were cute.

"I like to read too...I'm a sucker for a good romance novel..." she starts,

"I've been at this house so long though I think I've already read my way through all of the books on the shelves here so I'm starting to read the same ones over and over".

"I love romance novels too,” you begin, feeling a slow blush spreading across your cheeks,

"I brought some books from my collection with me this week so I could lend you some of mine?" you don’t look at her when you make the offer, trying to seem unbothered despite your heart beating out of your chest.

Chessy beams at you, "I'd love that.".

"So...do you think that love like in the books actually exists like that? ...in the real world?"

She pauses with a frown and you can tell she’s really mulling your question over, "I don't know...I mean I've been around for a while now and I haven't seen it yet but who knows".

"That's kind of a deep question to ask me over some pasta...you got your eye on a boy at your college?"

You laugh like its the funniest thing you’ve ever heard,

"I mean...I'm a lesbian so no boys...no 'girls' at the moment either though, I've not really clicked with anyone "

She gives you a look like she wants to say something but doesn't.

"What about you...I'm sure someone must've snapped you up by now."

You mean...look at her.

Chessy rolls her eyes at you as though taking what you said as a joke,

"Not at the moment...been on a couple of dates but nothing stuck...the dating pool in Napa is quite small let's just say"

Hm.

Chessy turns to look at you pensively with a tilt of her head,

"I know you want to ask...I can see you've got that look in your eyes"

You relent immediately,

"I heard that you and the butler, Martin were engaged a while back..."

This time it's Chessy's time to laugh and you're thrown off.

That wasn't the reaction you were expecting.

"That's what you were to afraid to ask me?" She looks up with a contemplative pause,

"It was around 10 years back now but, there's not really much to tell...we realised neither of us were exactly each other's type... I'm assuming you met Martin's partner Edward?".

You nod in understanding.

"Anyway..." she begins with a clap of her hands to change the subject,

"I'd say we just need to leave the sauce to simmer now, so I don't really need your help with chopping anymore...It could be useful to have someone roll out the pasta for me though"

Turns out that was something you in fact could not do.

"Is this how they had you kneading dough at Olive Garden?"she teases with a bump of her hip

"Shameful..."

"Here let me show you how to do it..." she offers gently, standing closely beside you

"Can I?" She asks hands hovering above yours, and you nod as she weaves your fingers together guiding you to follow her actions,

"You have to work the dough, see like th-"   Naturally of course, you tune her out completely. Too dazed by your proximity to her and the entrancing flex of her fingers as she kneads.

You weren't even going to let your mind go to that place... you refused.

But she did seem to know what she was doing. Chessy was really good with her hands…

The woman herself pauses before turning her head around to face you eyebrows raised.

"Did you get that?"

"Yeah...but I think I'm better off being on pasta sauce duty." You mutter, shaking yourself out of your daze as you walk back over to the pot,

"You're gonna quit just like that?" She chuckles and you shrug with a smirk as she gets back to work.

You look at across Chessy, the older woman trying to blow away a stray wisp of hair as she wipes her hands on her apron to no avail,

She mutters an expletive under her breath, opting to tuck her hair behind her ear with the side of her hand, leaving a huge white flour mark on her face (Chessy of course none the wiser)

With a chuckle, you lean forward to wipe the flour off her cheek with your thumb, pausing to admire how the flecks of light shining through the window twinkle in her sparkling green eyes.

"Thanks..." she smiles staring back at you just as intensely.

"You're welcome"

You drag your gaze from those piercing green eyes down to her lips and back up again. You were so close. It would be so easy to kiss her if you wanted to.

And you really really did. At that moment you wanted to kiss her more than you've ever wanted anything in your life.

"Shit! The pasta sauce is bubbling over " exclaims Chessy and suddenly the moment is gone as you both spring into action.

____________________________ 1.

Turning to the next page of your book, Annie punctuates the silence with an exhausted sigh,

You ignore her.

She sighs again, this one even louder and more obnoxious than the last,

You slam your book closed throwing it onto your lap,

"Hmm...something the matter Annie?" You grin,

"Well...Chessy left her glasses on the table and is blind as a bat without them...do me a huge favour and go give them to her?"

You raise your eyebrow, Seriously?

"Well...I can't be bothered to go!?" Explains the Brit as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hallie looks away from the tv to join in on your conversation, frowning at her sister as though she had lost her mind, "Huh? Those glasses aren't eve-"

Annie cuts her off with a look.

Something was up here...but if you were being honest you were too happy to have an excuse to see Chessy to even bother to even attempt to figure out what.

You hesitate, before looking at your outfit, smoothing down your T-shirt,

You'd been laying around all afternoon...you didn't want to go in there looking like a mess.

"Well go on! If you take too long she's gonna confuse the salt with the sugar again" Nudges Hallie.

You don't move.

"...y/n?"

"Sorry it's just.." you shake your head, feeling like an idiot, you knew deep down you were being ridiculous but you couldn't help it.

"...do I look okay?"

The twins look at you, nonplussed and you can't say you can blame them, you normally oozed confidence so suddenly being flustered like this was even scaring you a little.

There was just something about Chessy that made you feel like you a teenager having your first schoolgirl crush again.

You laugh at yourself, discreetly fanning your face,

"It's just...you guys didn't tell me that..."

Hallie looks even more confused "Didn't tell you what?"

"You know...that Chessy was so.." a blush creeps up on your cheeks and realisation appears on Hallie's face as she turns to look at her sister, eyes wide.

Oh. Your best friend gives you an encouraging smile,

"You look amazing as usual...go and give Chessy her glasses princess charming" and you're shooed out of the room before you can even protest.

You don't even fully register the sensation of your feet moving until you find yourself in the entryway of the kitchen.

"You okay y/n?" begins Chessy, peering up at you from over her cup of coffee,

First thing you notice was the fact that she in fact already had a pair of glasses on.

You frown. "Uh...we saw you forgot your glasses so I was gonna bring these over to you"

She holds them up to her face to inspect them for a moment, perplexed before folding them again to place in her breast pocket.

"Huh. These are actually an old prescription so I'm not sure how they got there..."

You look liked a kicked puppy.

"But...thanks anyway Hon!" she smiles giving your shoulder a squeeze upon seeing the look on your face,

"Whilst you're here, I need someone to taste test this chilli for me...I mean I think it's the best thing I've ever tasted but who knows, I could be biased"

Loading up a spoon, she blows on it momentarily, hand cupped beneath it, before holding it up to you.

"Come on...I'm not gonna stand here all day!" she states with a snicker and you lean forward to allow her to slip the spoon into your mouth,

She shoots you an enchanting smile as you swallow.

"Good girl...was that so hard?"

What.

You chastise yourself for the place you just went to mentally before closing your eyes and taking a deep breath to compose yourself.

God, she was so hot.

"Come again?"

You'd said that out loud.

"The chilli I mean. The chili is so hot. But so good! I mean it's hot but it's like hot just to the right level. I think you'r--it's perfect!"

"The chilli! Really good"

You run a hand through your hair, face beet red as you turn around to flee the kitchen before things could possibly get any more embarrassing for you.

Chessy shakes her head with an empty chuckle as she turns to resume stirring the ladle in the pot,

Cute.

God she was losing her mind. _________________

2.

"Honestly don't worry about it sweetheart, do you want me to make you some soup?" You hear muttering outside your door and you poke your head out of the doorway, towel still wrapped around your hair to see what's going on.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Whispers the older woman as she turns around to look at you, her gaze wandering with a blush as she sees what you're wearing,

You look down at yourself realising you're wearing the skimpiest pair of pyjamas you own and scratch the back of your neck in embarrassment

"No it's okay...I'm an early riser, what's going on?"

"Annie was supposed to lend me an extra hand and tag along with me to the market to get stuff for the house and some last bits ready for the Thanksgiving dinner but she's not feeling well..."

You raise an eyebrow, Annie? Sick? That girl was never sick.

She shrugs throwing her hands in the air

"Never mind... I'll see if Hal is up to getting out of bed"

Both of you knew that hell would freeze over before Hallie 'don't bother me unless someone's dying' Parker-James got out of bed before eleven.

"No! No, I mean, you don't have to...I could go with you?" You offer, trying to hide the fact your heart was racing out of your chest.

"Chessy's face lights up

"I mean...if you're sure?"

"Yeah...you're in luck: I've got strong volleyball player arms so I can do all the heavy lifting for you too" you jest holding your arms up with a flex,

"Just give me a moment to change and I'll be down." ___

As you and Chessy walk back into the house arm in arm and rosy-cheeked from a day in the Californian sunshine, you're thankful that the others don't acknowledge how a trip to the market that should've taken an hour instead took you four. In return, neither of you opts to say anything about the fact that Annie who this morning was on her deathbed, seemed to have miraculously been cured of her illness upon your return.

And if the others catch you mooning over Chessy, whose smile was that little bit brighter that day, at the dinner table, they decide to chalk it up to coincidence and not say anything.

—

Chessy catches you after dinner, appearing slightly nervous as her hands are held behind her back.

"Hey I got you a little...you know, something to say thanks for your help today?"

she holds out a bouquet to you and you smile at her like you've just won the lottery.

You feel like you have.

"Freesias!" you exclaim giving them a sniff, practically bursting with joy,

"...you really didn't have to Chess" you beam, "I honestly had fun today...the market was fun.".

The housekeeper shrugs, eyes somehow managing to look even more glazed over over than yours.

"...they're gorgeous..." you begin shyly "...almost as gorgeous as you"

Chessy bursts into laughter,

"Real smooth. Do you use that trick on all your college girls?" She quips

You look back at her, eyes shining with reverence,

"Nope...freesias are my favourite so that's a compliment that I'd reserve for only the most beautiful of women" You state with a nod of your head.

Chessy giggles uncharacteristically before placing a hand over her mouth as though she didn't realise where the sound had come from.

Her laughter sounded like the tinkling of bells...you felt like your heart was going explode.

She shakes her head with a chuckle, "That's sweet" she murmurs, not believing you,

"I mean it. You really are! So beautiful…just gorgeous.”

You sigh, feeling yourself get lost again in those kind, soft green eyes.

You wondered what it would be like to kiss her...would she give you that same sweet laugh again? Or couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to trail your lips down her neck and see what kind of sounds she'd make.

You were getting ahead of yourself.

You've only known this woman for a couple of days and you were already acting head over heels for her.

"Sleep well Chessy." You smile sweetly with a sigh, before hurriedly turning to make your way up the stairs.

You miss the longing gaze directed at your retreating form as Chessy lets out a dreamy sigh.

__________________

"Hey, so I saw you helping Chess cook dinner again this afternoon...." Annie quips perching on the end of the bed,

"Oh Chessy! I'm so clueless I don't know how to roll pizza dough...can you show me how...with your mouth?" she mocks you, speaking in a high pitched voice and a faux American accent.

"That doesn't even make any sense." You deadpan,

Hallie bursts into laughter before joining in, giving you her best attempt of Chessy,

"Oh y/n hon, you're such a good helper! Can I sleep in your bed tonight so you can hold me with your big strong hands?" She jumps in, wrapping her arms around herself before launching into a round of kissing noises.

You bite your lip trying to stop yourself from laughing at your friends' theatrics...

"Real fucking mature guys...you're in your 20s by the way, just in case you forgot" you chuckle giving in to the humour of it.

Hallie ignores you, continuing with the kissing noises and you throw a pillow at her, the throw landing perfectly on her head with a satisfying thud,

Volleyball came in handy sometimes

"If you keep on fucking with me, I'm gonna put strawberries in your smoothies tomorrow morning when Chessy isn't looking" you tease, eyes narrowed as you give Annie a gentle shove

Your friend laughs, an inquisitive look on her face, "So what you're saying is....you're planning on waking up at the crack of dawn to help her cook breakfast..."

"Isn't that so interesting Hal?"

Hallie taps her chin, "Very Interesting..."

"You know what else is interesting Annie? The fact that Chessy has been making our friend over here special cups of peach tea like some kind of barista"

"...we don't even have peach tea in our pantry but I do know that it's y/n's favourite"

You pout, suddenly fascinated by a piece of lint on your sweater.

"Well...maybe she was just being nice and appreciated the help I gave her..."

Hallie placed her hands on her knees like she was sitting on a piece of top secret information before turning to face the group,

"Or...what about the fact that I saw Chessy reading y/n's copy of Great expectations yesterday"

"What!?" yells Annie in shock, jumping up with so much force she knocks her blackberry on the floor, the battery within it clattering to the floor beside it.

She looks at her sister mouth agape and Hallie nods her head enthusiastically in reply, "It's true! She was holding that book like it was a fucking bible or something"

"You tried to crucify me for even looking at your antiquarian book collection and Chessy has free reign over it after a couple of days!?"

"Oh you really do like her"

"What? No, I just lent them to her because she a- I was being nice! It was just a-...shut up." You stutter in resignation, face turning as red as the twins' hair

"Look anyway...does Chessy even swing that way?" You question inspecting your nails to fake casualness again.

Your friends look as you as though you were stupid.

"Seriously y/n? Do you know any straight women who own that many buttons ups? That's exclusively been her wardrobe for over 20 years by the way"

"she literally drives a pick up"

"Did she not tell you the story of why she and Martin split up?"

"Yeah because Martin was gay...so?" You question being met with a collective of groans at your obliviousness,

"Look y/n...none of us care that you've obviously got the hots for our nanny...but the tension between you guys at the dinner table is getting weird to the point that I feel like for everyone's sake you need to just go for it" explains Annie crouching down to talk to you the way a kindergarten teacher would to a student.

"Look we're all grown women here! Just sleep together and be done with it...you're grossing me out" adds Hallie with a playful eye roll

"Hal!"

Your best friends had the worst delivery you'd ever heard but maybe they had a point. Maybe you did just need to go for it. _____________________________

3.

It's just gone 13:30 when you pad softly into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you're still waking up from your nap.

"You? You're still here?" Snorts Chessy at the kitchen island, nose deep in today's paper but somehow still sensing you before you could even got a word out.

You perk up as you walk over to where she's stood.

"Oh please, you love having me around! You're definitely gonna miss me" You bite back, laughter in your tone

"Yeah..."

The truth is you and Chessy had been spending a lot of time together and tomorrow was your last day in Napa. You'd be lying if the thought of leaving the place, no, the thought of leaving Chessy didn't make your heart ache.

"You seem really invested in that paper...haven't even looked at me once...How'd you even know it was me?"

With a dramatic sigh, she neatly folds the newspaper before placing it on the table in front of her with a flourish and you grin as you finally get to see her face...it was quickly becoming the highlight of your day.

She was glowing... she probably had no makeup on either and still looked breathtaking. But that was just Chessy; stunning,even without trying.

"I don't know...just did." She explains simply, looking at you with a warm smile.

And boy was it warm.

You felt your insides turning to mush again and you lean against the countertop behind you to keep yourself upright.

Sure you were in California but Chessy had one of those smiles that you think could warm you up even on the coldest day...heck you reckoned her smile could probably melt the ice caps.

She casts an appraising look at your outfit, and you ask yourself if you imagined the lingering gaze on your chest,

"Where are you off to looking so sharp?" She asks after a while, eyes darkening,

Oblivious, you give her a twirl with your arms out by your sides before tucking your sunhat back under your arm

"You like?"

"you look gorgeous y/n" She remarks sincerely, gaze unwavering and you turn around momentarily, tucking your lips into your mouth to suppress your grin.

"I was supposed to go out for a picnic with the girls but, I overslept a little and now can't find them...I need your help with that actually..."

"I'm supposed to meet them at some spot by a tree? I was gonna walk down but I don't know where it is."

Her eyes light up in recognition,

"I know where they mean...but walk!?"

"It's at least a mile and a half out...on the trails...you're better off riding there"

"Riding?"

_____

Chessy watches on with her hands in her pockets as you reach out to gingerly to pet the horse,

Sure you were good with animals...but by that you meant ones that were a little...smaller. Like house pets.

Take dogs for example, (especially sweethearts like Sammy) they were easy; give them belly rubs and slide them a couple pieces of chicken and they'd be anyone's best friend.

"Hmm...that's Annie's horse..." The housekeeper states after a while,

"Hallie's horse is gone so I'm assuming they're waiting for you to catch up with them"

"I feel like I already know the answer, but do you know how to ride a horse?" Chessy asks softly,

"Uh, no" You reply incredulous with a head shake.

She sighs, a small smile on her lips before climbing on

"Guess I'm gonna have to give you a ride then...hop on hon" She starts holding a hand out and you look anywhere but at Chessy,

You had a feeling this wouldn't end well

"Today hopefully," she nudges and you sigh softly, taking her hand with a sheepish grin as she helps you get on the horse behind her,

"Never ridden a horse?...You city slickers" she playfully mumbles to herself with a soft shake of her head grabbing your hands to place them on her waist,

"Look it'll be fine...I'll take care of you" she reminds you, clearly sensing your nerves and you barely manage to suppress a shudder,

Take care of you huh?

"Actually I'm from a small town in Georgia." you quip in reply, refusing to acknowledge her first statement and admit your fear.

Chessy teasingly scoffs and you feel her shoulders shake with laughter, giving away the fact that she's joking,

"Yeah, yeah...that's what they all say. You holding on tight?"

You do as told, tightening your grip to wrap your arms around her waist as you lean your head against the older woman's back,

"Yeah."

And the two of you take off.

As the wind blows through your hair you take deep breaths to inhale the musky, floral scent of her perfume closing your eyes and as if it would somehow burn it into your memory.

She smelt like wood fire , and lilies and coffee and you suddenly feel that same pang in your chest at the thought of going home in a couple of days time.

You seriously really needed to get it together...it'd been 10 days. But you don't know if you could.

As you stop to a halt, Chessy expertly dismounts the horse, turning around to hold a hand out to help lift you down after her:

Or course you completely tumble head first and Chessy helps you to your feet, non-judging and patient as per usual.

"How are you so good at that?" You ask with a blush,

"I live and work on a 60 acre vineyard so I had to learn" she explains with a gentle shrug.

You turn to survey the scene:

There was absolutely no sign of Hallie and Annie.

The apple tree that Annie and Hallie had advised you to meet them at was indeed there, a picnic blanket laid on the lush green grass, adorned with a spread that you think belonged on a lifestyle magazine; candles nestled amongst a display of grapes and chocolate coloured strawberries, and fancy cheeses and glasses of wine.

It looked really romantic. Oh.

Hold on a minute...romantic candlelit meal? That sounded familiar.

Chessy crouches down to pick up a piece of paper wedged beneath the basket and unfolds it leaning closer so the two of you could read it:

Chessy and Y/N,

Enjoy your picnic! Thank us later :)

-Annie and Hal xx p.s don't do anything I wouldn't do! ;) -Hal

You look at each other in realisation clearly having just come to the same conclusion.

Hallie and Annie's matchmaking trap.

You really should’ve known...The twins had told you about how they got their parents (back together) when they were 10.... you'd even helped Hallie reenact a similar plan like this to set Annie up with a girl on the cheer team she had a crush on.

Step 1 and 2 were "spontaneous" meet-cutes and step 3 was a romantic candlelit dinner.

The only thing was...what had been step 1 and 2 of the girls' plan?

Chessy bursts into laughter

"They set us up on a picnic date huh?" She smiles shaking her head looking at the spread,

"We've been parent trapped..."

You look across at Chessy and for the first time since you've met her, she looks unsure of what to do.

"Look..." you begin,

"we might aswell enjoy their effort before we head back...I suppose the food does look good" You smile and Chessy relents, her hand sitting on the small of your back as she guides you to sit down beside her.

She gives you a look you can't quite recognise before picking up one of the glasses of red wine, and downing it in a single gulp.

It you didn't know any better you'd say she looked...nervous.

That made two of you.

For the second time today you have to stop yourself from losing your cool. The goosebumps forming on your arms give you away regardless.

"You cold?" Whispers Chessy, taking off her button up without a second thought and draping it over your shoulders

"I get to wear one of the Chessy's famous button ups?" you hum as the taller woman smooths it down over your shoulders 

"I know," she agrees playing into your joke, "Guess you must be really special."

She's wearing a tight tank top beneath it and you give an appraising glance at the cleavage now on show, in turn earning a smirk from Chessy. Your gaze then drifts down to the freckles dusted on her arms and you reach out to skate your fingers across them, smirking at the way Chessy shivers.

"...I am."

"...I'm really gonna miss you when I go." You sigh sadly after a while,

Chessy takes your hand in hers, "I'm really gonna miss you too."

You look up at her in surprise, being met with a pensive look from the older woman.

Just go for it y/n. Fuck it.

With a shuddering breath you allow yourself one last glance at her plump lips before leaning in an-

Chessy places her hands on your sternum to stop you a sheepish look on her face,

You frown.

Were you being rejected? Oh, God this was humiliating.

You quickly began to pull away to stand up but she doesn't release her grip on your arm,

"wait...please?" she begs, looking at you conflicted

"Look, you're in your 20s...you sure you want this?”she explains

“Don't you want a nice college girl who's your age? That would be a lot less complicated..."

"I'm sure a hot young thing like you wouldn't have any issues finding someone in your class."

That's all this was about?

You shake your head with a smile, looking at her like she'd just said the most ridiculous thing in the world,

"Sure, I'm young. But Im also a grown woman. I know what I want and I want you."

"You're witty, outspoken and gorgeous , and compassionate...I've just...I've never met anyone like you and I won't forgive myself if I don't at least tr-"

you're interrupted as Chessy cuts you off with a bruising kiss and you let out a squeak of surprise before relaxing into it with a whimper,

You push her onto her back with a giggle, straddling her waist as you lift your hands to her cup her face, trying to pull her as close to you as possible.

Her lips were soft and warm against yours and she parted them slightly with a groan to allow your tongue to slip inside. Chessy tasted sweet; like red wine and strawberries and future lazy afternoons spent cuddling beneath the napa sun...like hope.

Breathless, you begrudgingly pull away from her, leaning your forehead against hers, up close like this you could see every single little detail on her face;

The laughter lines that were deepest beside her eyes, the way the slithers of sunlight, peeking through the leaves of the tree illuminated little specks of brown that danced around in her eyes, her swollen pouty lips that now had your lipstick all over them

She was the most gorgeous thing you'd ever seen.

You let out an airy laugh but you couldn't pinpoint what at...relief, happiness,just general amusement at the situation?

You got the girl. You really did need to thank the twins later.

Chessy chuckles too, turning to press a soft kiss against your palm, hands slowly snaking up your thighs.

"...Just incase we haven't covered it already...I want you too."

#first ever fic on here ahhh #used to writing full on chapters on ao3 so writing short oneshots will be a learning curve #chessy x reader #chessy #the parent trap #wlw fanfic #genuinely was terrified to post this

[cultofdixon]

My Sunshine

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • The prison collapse scrambled everyone and Daryl thought he had lost his everything. But when the group got in a bit of a pickle with a stranger community, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel • ANGST/SFW • TW: Injures / Scars / Canon Violence / Cannibals / Execution / Fire

Requested by: Anon

Everyone has their special someone. Whether that be a boyfriend/girlfriend, partner, or best friend or even a family member. Someone that makes life worth living for.

Daryl had her. His sunshine. His partner in crime. To anybody else looking at the two, Y/N was the complete opposite of Daryl.

The two were similar when it comes to being a more quiet duo. But Y/N was more of the shy, sensitive type unlike Daryl’s intense, thick-skinned type.

The moment he knew he was in love with her was all the way back to their quarry days. She may have been in her own little world while surrounded by others who wanted nothing to do with the Dixons at the time unless for hunting purposes…but she would always try to include Daryl on everything “group related”. Nobody liked Merle. Even his own blood but he tolerated him.

“Hi…” Y/N gently taps Daryl’s shoulder startling him out of his thoughts while he was skimming a squirrel. “My bad…I was wonderin’ if you wanted to sit with us. While we cook and eat what you and your brother caught for us”

“Uh…” Please god just say yes man. “Nah. I’m fine here”

“Oh…okay, well”

Well? Daryl looks up at her with curiosity before watching her walk away as a frown slowly brought itself on his face. I should’ve said yes.

The archer flinches once more when he spots Y/N has brought her camping chair to be beside him and his little campfire set up. As she sat down she went through her pack taking out a protein bar for herself and the man sitting beside her who happily took it.

“Ey, you gonna share with me?” Merle adds joining his brother like usual as Daryl was about to answer for her when Y/N tossed him the one she was holding. “Score”

“Y/N yea—-“

“I have more” Y/N pulled out another one from her pack before leaning back in her chair. She was met with a confused look written on his face. “Glenn isn’t the only one that can smoothly go through an infested city”

With half the bar in his mouth, Merle snorted amused waving the other half toward her. “I like her”

And he did. Well, they both did. But Merle didn’t like her in that way, surprise surprise. He didn’t mess with her except for his usual remarks toward everybody. In a weird way of putting it, Merle gave Daryl the “Merle seal of approval” for Y/N. That she would be good for him. And that’s when Merle was really Merle.

“You should tap that”

“What the fuck, Merle”

Y/N was a part of the Atlanta group and before she left, Daryl expressed heavily for her to be safe and that’s what sparked their mutual flame. Hell when the herd came through their campsite and Daryl came to the mess, he thought he would’ve lost her to. But to his surprise, he watched Y/N ripped the head off a walker that managed to pin one of their own and met its demise when it got too close to biting.

She can definitely handle herself Daryl thought as his heart continued to race watching her stumble a bit. He quickly shot the walker that approached from behind her while she dropped the head and crushed it under her boot.

The human ray of sunshine turned around to find the bolt before whipping back and locking onto Daryl who ran over to her.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost you” and that was the first deceleration in words by the archer himself.

After the CDC and the time on the farm, the two have gotten closer and not only did Daryl take his own bolt but also the bullet…is when Y/N returned the same level of feelings since the quarry.

“You really scared me today…”

“‘M sorry sunshine”

“Daryl…” Y/N brought herself to lay down beside him looking him in the eye as Daryl wanted to reach over and pull her close but they weren’t there yet…until she spoke once more. “I’m falling in love with you…I can’t lose you, okay?” She whispers to him to keep in mind of the sleeping people in the house as Daryl reaches toward her wiping away the stray tear that fell when she said those words.

“C’mere, I ain’t going anywhere” He whispers back, resting his hand on her hip waiting for her to get close enough to wrap his arm around her.

The two had their own little bubble that popped every once in a while, because the world didn’t know when to calm down. Daryl thought he had scared Y/N off when he was enraged at himself for not finding Sophia sooner but she had the one thing he lacked which was patience. She kept her distance but not far enough for Daryl to get any negative idea that she hates him.

One quiet moment from the storm of grief flooding through, Daryl brought himself to sit beside Y/N on the porch of the farm house. No one interrupting the two or wiggling their way into their bubble. All Y/N did was scoot herself right beside him gently taking his hand into hers, letting him know that she’ll be there. Even through all the scary moments.

Their growing relationship wasn’t a secret, but was unexpected to others. When the time going from house to house for a place to stay through the winter, Daryl would always ask Y/N to come with him to go hunting or sweep the near by houses and she would always agree. Extending her hand for him to take and that was the most physical touch they would do. Especially in front of others.

“When did that start happening?!” Glenn questions out loud the second the two left as Maggie laughs.

“You’re blind as hell, Glenn”

“It was obvious” Carol laughs a bit with Maggie leaving her friend even more confused.

“I didn’t see that comin’” Rick adds as Lori rolls her eyes with a smile.

“You didn’t see them hang out all the time before you came back into our lives” She smiles with a little laugh escaping her lips before bringing Carl close to help him warm up.

Walking through the quiet streets as the snow started to fall onto the two. Daryl stops and admires Y/N who parted from him to look up and watch the snow fall on her. A moment of peace he will engrave in his mind the sight before him. Her smile. Her contentment. She was happy, and so was he.

“I love you Y/N” He declares watching her attention from the snow land on him as her smile never faded for a second.

Y/N brought herself back to Daryl standing before him with that beautiful smile of hers as she looks up at him.

“I love you Daryl” She smiles warmly as the archer took his opportunity, resting his hands gently on her face and brought his lips against hers.

Their snowy first kiss is one for the books…

The times at night, Daryl took every chance he got to hold Y/N close in his embrace when most of the group would be sleeping. Not that it mattered if they looked, but he preferred when everyone was asleep so that he could leave small kisses to the top of her head and temple. Cherishing every part of her in the comforts of his arms.

When the prison was their new home, Daryl didn’t like the idea of sleeping in a cell and slept on the catwalk for the first few nights. He didn’t expect Y/N to join him, but she wasn’t ever leaving his side any time soon. Especially when Merle died.

One thing she’ll remember during the moments before Merle’s Hail Mary…

“You’ve always been close to my baby brother”

“I’d like to believe he’s always been close to me and we’ve slowly became comfortable with each other. That lead to more”

“Promise me something?”

“It’s nothing murderous is it?” Y/N teases getting a laugh from the older brother. “I promise whatever it may be, Merle”

“I know how much he cares about yea. He’s always cared about yea. Loved yea even…can yea just promise me…you’ll be there for him even more when I’m no longer here”

Oh Y/N knew in a way that Merle was going to sacrifice himself in some way. He may be an ass and people may not like him…but he loves and cares for his baby brother.

So he did it for him, even if it left a scar on Daryl’s mind…the pain that lingered by leaving the world.

Y/N returned to the prison after spending a few hours in the yard, to be met with a worried Daryl when she reached their shared cell. When the Woodbury folk infused themselves, they decided it was time to move from the catwalk.

“Where you’ve been…”

“Digging. Burying. Uh. Which reminds me…you can’t tell Rick who the other body is”

“Did yea kill somebody? Did somebody hurt yea that yea had to defend yourself?” His panic got caught in his throat that he wasn’t there to protect her, but his thoughts quieted when she rest her hands on his chest looking up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.

“Merle deserves some respect in death.” She whispers feeling his hands gently place themselves on her face watching her sigh and the tears threaten to spill. “I’m so sorry for your loss, my love”

The archer himself cried for the loss of his brother and it pained him watching her cry. He learned when Merle died that Y/N lost her family in Atlanta before Glenn saved her.

They both lost what was blood.

But now they have a new family. Just the two of them…and one with those they formed bonds with since the quarry

“D?”

“Hm?”

“You’ll always come find me if we’re ever separated…right?”

“I will always find yea, sunshine. But it’s gonna take a lot to pull you away from my embrace”

Even if that thing was the Governor’s return and the collapse of the prison. Daryl never hated himself more in any other moment except for when he escaped alongside Beth…and didn’t find her on the way out. Didn’t find her in the nearby tree line. Didn’t even find her a few miles out.

A part of him was blaming himself and another wanted to set the whole world on fire if he didn’t find her.

The days have past and Daryl found himself sitting outside the car beside Rick while Michonne and Carl slept…blaming himself for everything that happened since the prison collapsed.

Losing Y/N

Losing Beth

The Claimers

When the group made their way to Terminus after reading sign after sign on the matter when following the train tracks. Rick decided it’d be best to go through the side, unexpected and to get an idea of everything. But what he didn’t expect was some of the residences that weren’t their people, wearing their belongings. He didn’t hesitate to raise his gun and didn’t stop his brother when Daryl suddenly ripped the necklace off a person’s neck.

“WHERE DID YEA FIND THIS” He snaps causing them to tremble and step back. He didn’t get an answer and his mind tuned out Rick’s words when he noticed Hershel’s pocket watch.

________

“I got yea somethin’” Daryl whispers to Y/N while she ate breakfast with him at one of the picnic tables.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, my love”

“That’s too damn bad. Cuz it made me think of yea” The archer states going into his pocket to hand her a small pouch.

Y/N set her spoon down brushing her hands off before inspecting the pouch about to make a joke that that was the gift but given Daryl’s waiting excitement for her reaction, she decided against it. She finally opened the pouch pulling out a gold necklace with a charm of the sun.

“You get it right? Cuz you’re my sunshine” he knew how cheesy that sound but watching that already amazing beautiful smile of hers grow.

“Well. Help your sunshine out” She gestures for him to put it on her as she held her hair out of the way for him to clasp it before leaning into her kissing her shoulder and bringing her flush against his chest. “I’m honored to be your sunshine, my love”

________

The four was forced in the train car not knowing what to expect. But Daryl’s mind was on the obvious, that Rick had to ask for him while he panicked.

“What happened to Y/N?”

“No idea” Glenn immediately responds with as Maggie smacks his chest gesturing to the anxious archer.

“She came with us. I was with her since the prison collapsed. Last I remember was her being lead to medical, then things turned sideways and now we’re in this train car” Maggie frowns watching the worry write itself on Daryl’s face. “We’ll find her”

He never expected for this to be the way he found her

Daryl, Rick, Glenn, and Bob were taken to this room that looked exactly like a slaughterhouse. The archer was forced to his knees first in front of this trough with Rick beside him as he noticed Gareth, the one that seemed to be the leader, dragging this unknown person given by the sack covering their head. They were forcefully placed on the opposite side of Daryl who was currently gagged. The two randoms on the other side of Bob were suddenly butchered in front of them, the blood spilling into the trough and they suddenly knew exactly what was happening. Or what was gonna happen.

“Take the fucking bag off her head. I want her to watch us kill the ones she wouldn’t stop yelling about finding her” Gareth snaps as one of the two butchers behind the group grabbed the bag ripping it off her head.

Y/N.

No.

No no NO

Daryl looked at her, scanning her person right then and there. Noticing every cut, every bruise, and taking note of each one that’ll add to a minute the second he gets his hands on the leader to strangle the living daylights out of him for however long the damage done to his girl adds up.

The explosion rang through the facility and the second Gareth left to investigate. Y/N somersaulted backwards driving her foot directly in one of the butcher’s family jewels causing him to fall while Rick manages to break free and stabbing the other butcher then taking care of the other that Y/N knocked off his feet. Rick cut Daryl out after getting Y/N and the two didn’t wait another second before latching onto the other.

His anxiety got stuck in his throat when he tried to speak. He was relieved but still freaking internal as Y/N shook in his embrace trying not to fall apart. They still had to escape.

Thank god for Carol

Everyone regrouped, along with their new friends they’ve meet before the hell sanctuary. Daryl quickly assesses Y/N’s injuries as her eyes were checking his.

“Are you alright, D?”

“I’m fine. You don’t gotta worry”

“Well…fuck…I’m sorry but I just can’t not…” Y/N suddenly started tearing up feeling Daryl’s calloused yet gentle hands take a hold of her face. “They killed and ate people in front of me…and I was mentally dying at the fact that I lost you to that hellish place. I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m fine! I’m fucking terrified!” She cries holding his wrists. “I don’t ever want to lose you. I can’t lose you. I love you. I love you so fucking much”

In that moment Daryl couldn’t contain it inside any longer as he felt the tears fall off his cheeks as his hands moved to her hips. He felt her hands find purchase on his neck bringing him down enough for her to press his forehead against hers.

“I’d be lost without my sunshine”

#cultofdixon #the walking dead #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfiction

[lily-174]

Are You Okay? - Daryl Dixon x reader

not my best fic! but this is to let you all know i have opened my requests for twd characters! since i have had a long break from writing i am back! so will be catching up on requests

**

it was strange, your relationship with daryl. it wasn’t one you could explain very well. after joining the group back in atlanta you originally couldn’t stand the older man, but by the time you settled into the prison you’d become close friends having saved each others lives multiple times.

you’d slightly become more then just friends, the way you’d subtlety check on eachother, always be around eachother, the way his hands would linger on your body slightly longer then needed. even going to the extent of falling asleep leaning against him at campfires after escaping the farm. you cared for him and he cared for you.

despite the slight age gap and the way you both had complete different opinions on certain topics you were a duo, but no matter how much you cared about daryl you tried to never let yourself get to comfortable. you and daryl were both assets to the group, both clear protectors. but you had your doubts sometimes believing you were becoming a liability. thoughts sometimes becoming overwhelming, your brain beginning to play tricks on you. and dangerous ones at that.

daryl had noticed how you’d slowly distanced yourself from him and the rest of the group, the way you’d volunteer to go on watch alone and avoid conversation and eating with the whole group just tending to stay alone in your cell, a part of him wanted to bring it up. he didn’t like what was going on, and he had a bad feeling. he was worried.

a few weeks past and your behaviour hadn’t changed only stayed consistent with avoiding him and the rest of the group, the bags under your eyes growing more noticeable then before daryl’s worry was only increasing, he’d decided minding his own business wasn’t working anymore and he’d somehow bring it up with you when you got back from the supply run.

you’d made it back, only just. a gash down the side of your face and a injury to your leg made getting back to the prison after your supply run hell. pain plagued you with every step you took. approaching the prison gates you caught sight of carl. you needed pain meds, each step you took the pain increased making you believe you could’ve broken a bone.

rushing through the gates carl had opened for you, you felt yourself exhale a breath of relief. you were safe, well no where was safe. but the prison was as close to safety as possible. your head throbbing you could barely understand the words coming from carl as you fought the urge to pass out.

“y/n are you okay?!” daryl heard carls panicked question. turning from his position on the field he caught a glimpse of your weak figure limping away from the young boy, noticing the crimson blood covering your clothing daryl felt his heart drop.

throwing his crow bow over his shoulder he ran towards you, the closer he got the more worried he became, noticing more injuries as he got closer to you. his heart racing as he finally reached you.

“y/n? what the fuck happened” his hands cupped your face as he examined the wound across your cheek the look on his face one of concern as his worry filled eyes met yours his thumb gently brushing underneath the wound.

“i just- the walkers there was so many of them” daryl caught the unsteady breaths between your words and pressed his lips to the top of your head leaving a gentle kiss.

“you need to see hershel?” you nodded gesturing down to the bottom of your leg covered by your blood soaked trousers dar nodded taking your arm over his shoulders in an attempt to help you walk.

taking a few steps with daryl supporting half of your weight was helpful but the pain still plagued your body, not only from the injury to your leg and face but your rib cage. almost every part of your body simultaneously hurting with each step you took.

“daryl” you managed to whisper as your energy was now draining quickly, black dots clouding your vision the pain you were experiencing now becoming too much along with malnutrition from the meals you had been giving away to other survivors in the group.

your legs buckled as you lost consciousness for a second the only thing stopping you from hitting the floor, daryl. he lifted you into his muscular arms. your head leaning against his chest as you slowly gained consciousness, lifting your head from his chest he slowly reassured you as he walked back up to the prison with you safely in his arms.

“i got yer sweetheart’ , just wait until your back on yer feet then i’ll give you grief for this huh” he cuts you off just as you were about to open your mouth, a small smile coming up on your lips as he uses the nickname that gives you butterflies. drifting in and out of consciousness as he walked into the cell block calling out for hershel.

“hershel!” daryl yelled his voice hoarse as he walked into the cell block, carol and hershel hearing the commotion as he laid you down on one of the bunks, your body limp as he did.

“yer gotta do somethin’” daryl ordered as carol tried to calm down the panicked man and hershel began working on you.

“daryl-“ your hushed voice making daryl rush to your side as hershel cut the leg of your jeans to reveal your ankle that had swollen to double its size.

“i’m here” daryl gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear his hand resting on the top of your head while hershel tapped your ankle to give it more support.

“carol i need gauze; get some water and food too shes malnourished” daryl raised an eyebrow at those words, it didn’t make sense since getting to the prison they’d had plenty of food, sufficient meals on top of what daryl would bring back from hunts there was no reason for you to malnourished.

when carol came back hershel had patched you up best he could as you fully came back around daryl’s hand in yours, you weren’t used to this more caring side of daryl the concern in his eyes.

“y/n just rest i’ll talk to rick, drink and eat you need it.” hershel explained putting the small selection of food on the side of the bed before getting up, you just nodded at his words as he left the cell leaving you with daryl.

you were fine just tired, you wanted to go back on watch what you were supposed to be doing today instead of going out. going to sit up daryl immediately stopped you.

“what’d yer think yer doin’?” he asked wanting you to lay back down the concern in his eyes only growing as he made you lay back on the bed.

“daryl i’m supposed to be on watch” he scoffed grabbing the few packets of food hershel had left on the bed and opening them wanting you to eat.

“didn’t care bout that while out on a supply run did ya? now eat.” he ordered passing the food to you with a stern look, sighing you took the food and began eating.

the exhaustion slowly crept up on you as you ate looking over at daryl who was watching you closely his brain filled with thoughts. wanting to know what was going on with you.

“what the hell is goin’ on with yer? not eating? not talkin’? now this” daryl ran his hand over his face as he looked down at you, you felt weak telling him about the issues you’d been having. the trucks your brain had been playing on you but you told him anyway. the walkers you’d hear while you were sleeping that weren’t there. the way you never felt safe.

“darlin’ you could’ve told me.” he sighed holding your hand, his thumb gently caressing the soft skin of your hand. you stayed silent looking up at the other bunk.

“look y/n i ain’t good at this talking shit. but i care bout yer. i can’t have yer being reckless and gettin’ hurt like this. whatever’s goin’ on with yer head i’ll help.” daryl continued, you knew he wasn’t one for talking about stuff like this and with whatever you and daryl were you knew he cared about you. but you cared about him in a different way.

“come here” moving over on the bed you tapped the empty space beside you wanting daryl to lay with you, you were exhausted and the only way you knew how to feel safe was with daryl and that’s what you needed. he’s what you needed.

“please just stay with me.” he looked at you with a pained expression and squeezed onto the small bed lifting his arm so you could lay your head on his chest, his arm wrapping around you as you got comfortable. the warmth from his body almost instantly enveloping you with a sense of safety and comfort. daryl could feel how your body relaxed as he held you.

“get some sleep sweethear’ imma be here when yer wake up” he whispered gently rubbing your arm, only for you to move and look up at him. holding eye contact your body’s so close. the butterflies in your stomach mixed with the exhaustion making you want to close the gap between you lips.

“daryl.. i love you.” the look in his eyes softened as he held eye contact with you his arm around you tightening around your waist as you enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.

“i love yer too darlin’” you didn’t expect him to say it back, you didn’t expect to say it yourself. but it was true you loved him. looking down at his lips you couldn’t hold back anymore and closed the gap between you. pressing your lips to his you revealed in the feeling of his soft lips as he gently kissed you back.

he was more gentle then you thought he’d be, but maybe he was holding back because you were injured and he was. he didn’t want to hurt you further and he didn’t want you to over exert yourself. so when he finally broke the kiss he looked into your eyes a small smile on his lips.

you gently laid your head back on his chest his arm securely holding your body completely loosing yourself in the happiness of being with him. being safe with him, having kissed him.

while finally feeling safe and at peace you closed your eyes moving into a comfortable position as close to him as you could possibly get and relaxation took over, as you finally fell asleep.

#twd #the walking dead #twd daryl #daryl x reader #daryl x you #daryl x y/n #daryl dixon #daryl dixon fluff #daryl dixion x reader #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixon fic

[dyns33]

All fine

I'm still not done with Shane.

I did a little Reader!Rick x Shane, even if I already wrote something a bit similar.

"I know. It's fine."

It had taken a long time for Shane to come to Y/N, his eyes indicating that he was finally ready to tell her the truth.

Before, they had been very happy.

They had met at work, at the Atlanta police station, first forced to work together despite their differences, then becoming friends, lovers, then married.

When Y/N had taken a bullet, Shane's face was the last thing she saw before losing consciousness.

"No. Baby, no. Shh. Shh, shh, shh. You stay with me, okay ? It's okay, you stay with me. You're not leaving me. I love you, baby. Stay with me. No, stay with me ! Y/N !”

What happened next, Y/N still didn't fully understand today. She had been taken to the hospital, and Shane had come to see her every day while she was in a coma, and then the dead started walking.

The first thing her husband had wanted to do was go get her, not caring about the chaos and danger. But Y/N hadn't woken up, and moving her would mean killing her, so Shane had barricaded the door so she wouldn't be eaten in her sleep and left, crying.

According to him, he had been a coward. An asshole. He should have stayed in the room with her, until the end, so they could die together, or he should have been there when she finally opened her eyes.

But he was afraid. He didn't want to die.

He had found a group of survivors, including his best friend Rick's wife and son, who had not survived.

Shane had never looked at Lori before. He had always seen Rick's wife, nothing else, and he didn't look at other women since he was married anyway. He wasn’t really looking at her now, even though he thought Y/N was dead. He just felt alone and hopeless.

When Y/N had arrived at camp, it had been over a month since the apocalypse had started, and two weeks since he had been secretly sleeping with Lori.

She didn't want others to know, especially her son, because they would ask too many questions. He didn't want the others to know because he was ashamed. He felt like he was abandoning Y/N again. The fact that she was alive didn't help.

Oh, he was happy she came back. He had kissed her again and again without being able to stop, crying like a baby, refusing to let go and apologizing.

"Everything is fine." she told him, without knowing what he was really talking about.

Nothing more happened with Lori after her return. It wasn't a problem, she wasn't jealous, her son was her priority, and Shane continued to do everything to protect them.

Strangely, it was Andrea who was less accepting of the situation. Not only had she guessed what their leader was doing in secret, waiting to be able to taste him when Lori had finally thrown him away, but she found him too nice, too gentle, since his wife had returned.

"You seemed to have more balls before, but I guess she's the one calling the shots in the couple."

"You know what ? Yeah, exactly." Shane muttered, standing very close to her. "She's the one who decides. She's always been the brains of our duo, and I the muscles. She says, I do."

“And you don’t mind being a good doggie ?”

"Don't think I'm a good doggie. I bite when necessary, and take care of problems without her needing to know."

The threat was clear enough, and Andrea seemed to calm down for a time. Her remarks hadn't managed to disturb Shane, but it was true that the dynamic of their relationship had always been complicated, at work and at home.

Very dependent, very possessive, very jealous, Shane always needed to receive Y/N's approval, to know that she was proud, to feel her eyes on him.

He had done some bad things since the end of the world, but one was worse than the others, and he didn't dare admit it to her, too afraid of losing her.

When he finally found the courage, it had been almost four months, they had found refuge on a farm, and Lori was pregnant.

“I made a huge mistake…” he began, sitting down next to her during her shift. "I thought you were dead. I really thought you were dead."

"I know."

"No, listen. I really need to tell you…"

"Shane. I know. It's okay."

One of the reasons he fell in love with Y/N was because of her intelligence. Her ability to deduce things, which helped her a lot to understand him when he wasn't able to speak.

She had noticed his behavior, Lori's behavior. She had seen the signs. And on top of that, Andrea had spoken to her.

Y/N had known for weeks, saying nothing, waiting for him to come to her. And now that it was done, she promised him that everything was okay, touching his back and smiling.

"… No."

"What no ?"

"No !" he repeated, jumping out of his chair, suddenly furious. "Everything's not okay ! You should yell at me ! Hit me ! You can't act like you don't care ! I cheated on you, dammit !"

“Calm down, please.”

"Hit me ! Insult me ! Do something !"

“Shane…” Y/N sighed as she tried to touch his cheek, continuing to respond with gentleness instead of the violence he expected, that he demanded.

If she had done that to him, he would have gone crazy. He would have killed the guy, and he would have wanted to hurt her, and since he loved her too much for that, Shane would have hurt others, himself, before doing something really stupid.

He had thought she would react the same way, and like when she returned, he was not relieved that he had been wrong.

"You don't fucking care !"

"I do care ! I understand."

"You understand ?! You were rotting in a hospital room for a few days and I was already taking off her panties !"

"You were desperate ! You were alone ! It doesn't feel good, I wish it didn't happen, that we were together, that you didn't touch her, but it happened, I understand why, I love you and I don't want you to torture yourself about it anymore !'

Yes, Y/N had always been the brains of their relationship, and the heart, and everything in between. Shane just felt like an idiot who was lucky to have her, completely clueless as to why she was with him.

Before, she had forgiven him for a lot of things, the outings in bars, the fights, the fits of jealousy. He wasn't perfect, but she accepted him.

Nothing forced her to stay with him, now that society was in pieces, their rings no longer meant anything, and he had clearly proven himself to be nothing but a cowardly bastard.

Despite this, she had chosen him. He had been her first thought, her goal, and she had returned to him without the slightest hesitation, not suspecting what he had done.

“I abandoned you…” he sobbed, falling to his knees. “I let you get shot, I left you in that hospital, I cheated on you…”

"None of this is your fault. Nothing. You were there to help me, you closed the hospital door. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't done that. You held on because she comforted you, otherwise I would have found a group that would have told me you were dead.”

"I'm too cowardly to die."

"Stop it. Please stop. You've been upset for weeks, I see the look in your eyes. Sometimes… Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been easier if you'd left the door open."

"Don't say that !" he yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I love you ! I love you so much…I don't want to lose you…"

"I'm here. I love you too. Shane, I love you more than anything. It's okay." Y/N said, kissing him tenderly, pulling him into her arms, like she did after every pointless argument.

"She is pregnant."

"I know. It's okay. We're together, everything's okay."

The world was still shit, and it didn't seem like a quick fix could be found, but Shane decided that as always, he just had to listen to his wife and she would know what to do.

And if that wasn't the case, he would fix the problem without her knowing, and it would be all fine.

#shane walsh x reader #shane walsh #shane walsh imagine #shane walsh fanfiction #the walking dead

[iamthenerdqueen]

The Red String of Faith

Idol!AteezXOCs Soulmates!ot8AteezXOCs OCXOC

slight twigger warnings: Polyamory, group of 10, two OC's -feel free to replace one OC with yourself if you'd like- ,eventual smut, listen this is an idea me and my best friend had and is something for fun read at own risk, not edited as always

Next

A/N: Enjoy :)

‘To say that the last twenty years had changed the landscape of society would be a vast understatement. Since the United Nations formally recognised and protected soulmates in December of 2000 the world had experienced a social shift. Monogamy was still practiced and certain cultures still heavily encouraged monogamy regardless of soulmate connection, but it had become more common for people to realize that they were in what is known as a ‘soulgroup’. A ‘soulgroup’ is a group of soulmates with three or more links among the soul connections. ‘

At this point Lyra had to stop reading the book in her hand, her job was fantastic most of the time. Except for right now as she struggled through the boring book about soulmates and soulgroups that had been complained about by a patron of the library system. No matter how far they had come in the last twenty years, the bible belt of the south was still the bible belt of the south and the concept of multiple soulmates or soulmates of the same gender were still considered wrong to many people. 

This was nothing new to the twenty-one year old, Lyra and her soulmate Arcelia or Lia as she preferred to be called had known they were soulmates since they were in high school. The two of them both being girls was a hot topic for the first few weeks, but it died down relatively fast when people realized that the two were platonic soulmates. They were friends before they both turned sixteen, and after Lia finally turned sixteen everything made sense. They were made for each other, just in another sense. 

But that was years ago, now no one cared (for the most part) and the dynamic duo went about life as usual. 

Lyra was beyond grateful that she worked the morning shift, getting off from the Library at one. She would be home before twenty after and then on the way to the Ateez concert before two o’clock, that’s the plan at least. 

But nothing goes perfectly to plan, like the door Lyra currently was fighting with. The door’s finicky, you have to pull it slightly toward yourself but make sure not to turn the handle at all or it wouldn’t open, Lyra’s trick was to struggle with it until Lia would come and open it. No rescue today however as Lyra walked into their shared apartment she saw that Lia was on stream. 

Most days this wouldn’t be a problem, Lia streamed on Twitch for a living and was pretty damn good at it too. Albeit, most people are good at The Sims but her over 9 million followers on the platform put her within the top 15 streamers on the platform. Pretty damn good at it in Lyra’s opinion. 

As quietly as she could, Lyra entered the office space her soulmate used to stream in. Putting a quick finger to her mouth she signaled for those watching the stream not to rat her out, it was a running joke that Lyra would attempt to scare Lia during her streams. But just like always, Lia’s fluffle was quick to point out her presence before she fully entered the room. 

“Welcome to the stream, Lyra. What’s up?” Lia turned from her screen to face the new comer in the room, shifting her headset to free one ear to fully hear the brunette standing near the office door. 

Excitedly bouncing toward the streamer and her set up, Lyra greeted the stream, “Hi bunnies! I’m stealing her early today because it’s ATEEZ DAY!” Turning from the monitors and mic, Lyra looked to Lia, patting the hand she had extended in a greeting with an unusual amount of energy for the bookish girl. 

“It’s just about 1:30, we have to be out of here by two to make it to Atlanta in enough time, Lia.” Lyra’s tone was calm despite her obvious excitement about the concert. 

“No way, is it already?!,” Lia quickly checked her phone which had been sitting face down on her desk, “crap! It is! I am so sorry guys, but I have to get off and rush, IT”S ATEEZ DAY!” The Lia’s vibe went from calm to chaotic as she turned back to the stream. 

Taking this as the que that they were about to rush before heading out, Lyra said a quick goodbye to the stream, “Bye buns! I have to get ready for my passenger princess duties!” Before making a beeline to her room to change from her business casual library clothes to something more age and concert appropriate then quickly adding some eyeline to her work makeup to better “fit the vibe” as Lia would regularly put it. 

There are four things Lyra learned at the Ateez concert.

Everyone was happy to trade little nick nacks and the small bunnies they brought were a huge hit

Lia has A LOT of fans who are also ATINY 

Apparently people make soulmate compilations of them being quote “cutest lotonic couple on the internet”

Never let Lia chose your concert outfit with blind faith, you will be in heels and a crop top

Librarian core was a vibe in Lyra’s opinion, just not a great one for trying to feel hot in the front row of a concert according to her best friend and soulmate. Lia was the fashion savvy one of the two, and had given Lyra very little room to say no to the outfit she had out together for her.

The two were both decked out head to toe in black, the vibe most fans had gone with for the concert. Lyra had to admit she felt hot, the crop top Lia had put her in crossed over itself a couple times and tied in the back which paired nicely with the black shorts she wore on top of a pair of fishnets. The red accents in her accessories pulled everything together. Lyra couldn’t help but feel a bit exposed, confidence wasn’t her strong suit. Being a curvier girl with her midriff out made her want to hide. The only saving grace was she got to show off her tattoos on her right leg which were normally covered by dress slacks. Lia was in her element, being a bad bitch came naturally to her. 

Lia’s confidence in her curves only added to her aura. She knew how to present herself to the world and didn’t care what anyone else had to say about it. Her ‘concert fit’ as she had dubbed it on her instagram story right before they two walked out the door was a bit more on the nose with its Ateez inspiration. A cute shin length black skirt, and black shirt were nondescript on their own, but her choice of a small black hat and the silver jewelry along with the chunky heeled boots that sat in the backseat as she drove screamed HALA HALA.

 The two looked similar enough that they didn’t clash with each other but had a bit of individual flare mixed in. The only thing that the two had that was exactly the same was the lipstick the two had decided to share, a blue-red lipstick that contrasted with their mostly black clothes very well.

In high school, their choir teacher had once told them they blanched each other out. Lia, the outgoing, confident, and loud social butterfly. Lyra, the shy, quiet, and reserved loner. Together, they were able to be more confident if needed in  Lyra’s case or calmer in Lia’s. More than anything, however, together the two could only be accurately described as chaotic. 

The front row of the venue was split into three sections, the center, the right of the stage, and the left of the stage. 

Lia and Lyra were on the left side of the stage, a strategic move to avoid as many of the strobing lights as possible for Lyra’s sake. She hadn’t had a seizure in years, but they always aired on the side of caution. Being some of the first to their section was a blessing as neither wanted to have to weave in between other concert goers to get to their spots. 

“Excuse me?” a small voice called from the right of Lia, “Are you Lia? From liasfarm? On Twitch?” 

A girl who couldn’t be older than 14 was seated next to Lia with what seemed to be her mom on the other side of her who had obviously encouraged the young girl to say hi. 

“Oh yeah I am, Hi,” Lia answered with a bright smile always excited to meet one of her bunnies in person, and even more delighted to see them in a place like this. 

“Wow! I’ve been watching you since you were playing Stardew Valley!..” The shy girl quickly faded into an excited one as she began telling Lia how long she had been watching her streams and how much she looked up to the girl who just so happened to be seated next to her

“You’ve been watching since then? I only played Stardew for like two weeks when i started in 2020 before going to The Sims. What’s your name?” Lia had started streaming right after the pandemic hit to give her something to do in her spare time which quickly turned into a full time job and now two years later it was a career. 

“My name is Taylor.” The young fan was suddenly shy again not expecting Lia to keep the conversation going.

“It’s nice to meet you Taylor! Are you excited to see Ateez? We got lucky and were able to change the tickets we got in 2020 a few weeks ago, fate huh?” Lia was as charismatic as always, Lyra thought watching the interaction before realizing the girl had spotted her and sent her a small wave.

“Hi Lyra! Oh my god, mom this is the best night ever,” the girl glanced back at her mom who was watching the interaction closely before continuing, “I love Ateez! You actually introduced me to them when you talked about them during one of your streams, the one where you were making the Slytherin common room…” the two talked nearly non-stop for the half hour they had before the concert officially started.

Lia was touched when Taylor explained that she didn’t really have friends and had decided to go to online schooling just before the pandemic because of bullying. Lia almost cried when Taylor’s mom said her daughter saw her as a friend and comfort person.

“Oh! And I make LiRa edits on Tiktok, you two are literally so good together. I hope that my relationship with my soulmate is just as good as y’alls, platonic or not,” Taylor explained as the lights started to go down causing the two girls on her right to grin. They loved the support they got from Bunnies and the internet general. 

Lia laughed before whispering to the now group of four that they would be the loudest fans in the whole place or she would die fighting for the title. One thing that neither Lyra or Lia had noticed during the concert was the little red string that attached them to each other had become visible to them again.

But it not only connected them to each other, there were several threads trailing off. Maybe it was the darkness of the venue or the excitement that kept the two from realizing the change. 

And so, they went about their time without concern, acting as a group of four with Taylor and her mother, screaming at the top of their lungs all night. Feral was the only way to describe them when Ateez surprised the crowd with a performance of Pick It Up right before the raffle drawing for the meet and greet after the show. Due to the lessening Covid restrictions and efforts to keep everyone safe, fansign generally was done through a plexiglass barrier for this concert, but they were trying something new to ease back into normal high touch. 

One lucky VIP ticket holder and their party would be allowed a backstage meet and greet for a few minutes after the show. 

“Okay Atiny!” Hongjoong began from center stage, “I have the winner of the raffle in this card, who will join us backstage after we do our normal high touch!”

The crowd went crazy, screams from all over rang out as everyone was excited to see who won. It was insane that no one seemed really upset that it would only be a small group, sure some people would be jealous if they didn’t get chosen but everyone knew that this was one step closer to getting back to how things were before.  

“The winner is…” Hongjoong started while opening the card and the rest of the boy-group gathering around to join him in the announcement, “Seat F 73!” The whole group yelled in somewhat unison with Mingi being just a second or to behind the rest, but just as enthusiastic. 

The realization dawned on Lyra first, she was the very end of the front row at F75, so that means two seats over won.

“Taylor, Oh My God! You WON!” Lyra yelled over the screams of the other Atiny in the venue as the group searched around for their new winner

“Taylor, Yay! I’m so happy for you,” Lia screamed just as Lyra had while excitedly giving the young girl a side hug and a huge smile. She felt like a proud older sister seeing something amazing happening to such a deserving fan. 

Taylor seemed to be in a bit of shock even after Lia let her out of the huge, turning her head to her mom as if to check and see if this was real life. 

“This is so cool, i’m so happy for her!” Lyra said as she turned to Lia as Taylor began talking to her mom, probably working out the details for after the show. 

“I know! She is so sweet, they couldn’t have drawn a better seat. She really deserves this” Lia said, half watching the encore, half answering Lyra. 

Before they knew it, the concert was over and the lights were coming up in the venue. The only downside to being in the front row was having to wait for others to file out first, or at least Lyra and Lia were because crowds were not their ideal situation. 

Before going, Lia wanted to bid Taylor a quick goodbye and thank her for being such a good concert friend. She was surprised to see Taylor and her mom still beside them, looking as they were about to try and get the duo’s attention as well. 

“Lia! Lyra! I have a question before you leave!” Taylor seemed more confident and comfortable now than she had during the whole concert. 

“What’s up friend?” Lia answered her attention fully on the young girl now, Lyra coming to stand on Lia’s left also intently listening to the question at hand

“Would you two like to be part of my party and come backstage with us?”

The question and offer of sorts through both girls for a loop, the two shared quick look both feeling awkward. They didn’t want to take advantage of the girl and her mother’s generosity nor did they want her to feel like she needed to invite them to go with her just because she was a fan.

As Lyra readied herself to decline on behalf of the both of them, Taylor’s mother interrupted

“I know it might seem a little awkward, but please don’t feel obligated or like we're only offering because Taylor is a fan. I actually suggested it. You two have been great to share this concert experience with, which is why we are asking. It’s just us and the party limit is six. We don’t want this opportunity to go to waste, please?”

Lyra and Lia were still a bit apprehensive to accept, but it seemed like fate had already decided that they would be joining the mother and daughter, when a security guard walked up asking if they were the winning party. 

The group hadn’t realized the main part of the venue had emptied out, before Lia or Lyra could decline Taylor answered

“Yep! The four of us are the winning party, my mom can show you our ticket information for confirmation.”

And just like that they were being escorted to a private green room to wait while Ateez did the normal high touch before coming to visit with them. 

The room was nice, large enough to accommodate what would become 12 whole people in a matter of minutes. Some snacks and other refreshments had been spread out across the room adjacent to the several chair and two couches taking up most of the space. 

Lia looked calm on the outside, if anything a little quiet, but her anxiety was through the roof with the whole situation. She was scared that she was taking advantage of a fan by getting swept up in this offer but also felt that it would be extremely rude to try and leave at this point. 

Lyra was anxious as well, not only did the situation put her in an extremely social situation when her people battery was already low from the night, but she had just noticed the string of fate. 

There it was in all its bright red glory, connecting her to Lia as always but eight new strings had appeared leading off behind the door on the other side of the green room. Lyra turned to point out the change in their string to Lia, only to see the subtle look of panic across her soulmates face which was quickly masked with a bright smile as Taylor came to sit in a chair near them. 

“Is this your first time doing something like this? You two look a little nervous.” Taylor's Mom, Vivian, asked. Her voice washed over the two anxious soulmates like a calming blanket. She seemed so comfortable in this setting and it helped bring the stress down,

“Yeah, we’ve never even done normal high touch before and were nervous for that,” Lyra laughed out trying to take some of the pressure off of Lia, who despite the break in the tension with the new conversation was still very anxious. 

“It’ll be just fine, I work in the music industry in Atlanta. Taylor and I have been around the block before. Taylor’s Dad plays for the Atlanta Falcons also, so we’ve been exposed to this type of stuff for a loooong time.” Vivian’s words were somewhat calming, but also made a lot of sense. It also raised an entirely new set of questions, for both Lyra and Lia respectively. 

Before they could fire off with any of their questions, the door opened. 

In walked the stars of the night, all eight members of Ateez, in all their sweaty, tired glory. What was most alarming about their entrance was the red string leading between all of them and coming back to attach to the threads connected to Lyra and Lia. 

Both of whom are now painfully aware of the changes in their thread and exactly who it connected to. And it seemed that all eight members were just as aware that they were staring at two girls who completed their soulgroup. 

A/n: Again not edited, i know its a bit of a mess but tis something from me so the expectations were low

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez fanfic #ateez soulmate au #ateez scenarios #ot8 ateez x reader #ateez x reader #ateez x you #ateez smut #mingi #ateez x y/n #wooyoung #ateez fluff #jongho #seonghwa #hongjoong #ateez san #yunho #yeosang #woosan #ateez x oc #ateez drabbles #ateez seonghwa #ateez hongjoong #ateezedit

[taylooraaye]

It'll Work Out - Chapter 1

Summary: When Gail Force, a producing duo, gets asked to join HYBE and work with a boy group under their company, they did not think that they would be meeting their Fated Mates. 

Pledis had been bought by HYBE, and Seventeen now needs more producers.

Disclaimers: Hi! Just a few disclaimers, this is a Seventeen A/B/O AU, and there will be smut at some point in the story. This is technically an OC fic but you are more than welcome to read as Y/N. This is something that I and my best friend are coming up with together. I don't have a set posting schedule yet so bear with me.

Hello Gail Force,

I am the Recruitment Liaison from HYBE labels. We are currently in the process of expanding our music production department.

Based on your previous work with BIGHIT and other Korean labels, we would love to invite you out to meet with us and discuss the opportunity of a permanent position on our music production staff.Your work comes highly recommended along with a positive reputation within the industry.

Below is attached a detailed description of the position, the standard production contract, and the company's health and safety promise. Please respond to this email or contact me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx with any questions or concerns as well as to schedule a formal interview and conference if you are interested in the position.

Kind Regards,

Recruitment Liaison

Music Production Department

HYBE Corp.

The email had come as a shock to both girls, while they had worked very well when they collabed with BTS, this was not the outcome that they had thought would happen. Vienna was the one that had opened the email in the first place, having called over Piper to make sure it was not a joke.

“Are you seeing this?” Vienna was still in disbelief, they had been in the industry for years now, and collabing with BTS had opened some opportunities for them with smaller companies but it was never permanent positions. Piper had sat there for about five minutes rereading the email making sure it was not fake before she had decided to say something.

“Call the number you whore!” she had begun to hit Vienna to try and get her to hurry up.

“Wait! What time is it in Korea?” The other girl had begun to look up what time it was. It was 4:00 PM in Atlanta so it was well into the early morning in Korea. Being that early in the morning the girls had no choice but to wait at least three more hours so it could be a reasonable 6:00 AM in Korea.

The waiting was the worst for the both of them, they were people who liked having the instant gratification of going and buying in the store instead of ordering online. Once it had hit 6:00 AM there was a fight to see who would not have to call, both girls having anxiety when having to make phone calls.

“It's technically your turn to make the call.You have the better customer service voice.” Piper had made a good point but if Vienna was being honesty, she was not giving up that easily.

“But I was the one that found the email, I saw it now you have to make the call.” Vienna had started to pout at Piper. Vienna was the younger of the two and really knew how to get her way with the older girl. All she had to do was bat her eyes at her and she would fold. Piper had given up at that point realizing that she had already lost.

“Hi, This is Piper, one half of Gail Force, I was giving you a call regarding the email that was sent.” She had sat down in their studio to give them a call and was now regretting everything as her anxiety started to rise. Vienne was waiting not as patiently, she had her ear pressed up against the phone that Piper was holding to try and hear what they were saying. It was not a comfortable position at all but she needed to be able to hear what was being said.

“So you want us to come to korea for a permanent position, Who are we going to be producing for?” The older girl was getting annoyed with the person on the phone. The email was real but they would not give them any more information besides that someone had recommended them for this position and that they would be working with a boy group.

~ a week later ~

The girls had decided that they were going to take the position after a lengthy call on what HYBE was prepared to offer them to get them to sign a contract. HYBE was going to set them up with an apartment since finding one at the last minute was not going to go over well, along with that each girl got their own production studio. While they were a producing duo, when producing they had different sounds when working.

They were hoping that once they got into korea that they could get to their new apartment and get some unpacking done but HYBE had wanted them to come in to the office to official sign the rest of the contract and meet part of the group that they were going to be working with. The plane ride was not that bad but being omegas in their own little “not pack” it was hard not being able to scent each other to calm down, and now having to go straight to HYBE ment that they would have to put off scenting each other ever more. Once at HYBE, they were meant to be meeting with Bang PD.

“So, we just want to get some more information for our Health and Wellness department, If you could just fill out these forms, that would be great.” Bang DP had explained while handing them to form.

“Are your heats regular?” Vienna had read the question before Bang PD could react. His face had turned a firey red before he could tell them to not read the question out loud. “Please dont read the questions off, I do not need to know what is being asked on them.” The girls having turned red themselves at his awkwardness,jsut continued with the questionnaire.

On the other side of the building, the Leader line of Seventeen was exiting their practire room when they were met with a few member of BTS.

“OH! Are you all headed to your meeting with Gail Force?” Namjoon had questioned them as they were passing. Seungcheol having realized what they were talking about had spoken up “yes, we are going for our initial meeting with them. You have work with them before right?”

“Yes, they worked with us on Map Of Seoul 7 after Jungkook had begged Bang PD to get them to work with us.” Jungkook started pouting at what Namjoon had reveled. “They are pretty intense when it comes to producing, it probably one of the only time that i have been intimated. “ Yoongi had added. Picking up on what Yoongi was up to, Jungkook decided to get in on the action.”They are like 6’6” and really macho Alphas. They give Namjoon a run for his money.” Namjoon having to turn to conceal his amused face decided that they needed to head out. “Well, you all should be heading over, dont want to be late.”

As the leader line was heading to the meeting Hoshi decided to speak up. “ do you think they were telling the truth? Namjoon seemed to be laughing at the end there.”

“Well, they have worked with them before, there is not a reason for them to lie.” Woozi was already annoyed with the situation and Hoshi was not helping. Woozi was under the impression that Seventeen didnt need more producer, he was more than able to do it and now he was going to be made to work with more people.

The walk over to the meeting room was not long and as they got there, Hoshi had to ask another question. “What do we do?”

Seungcheol being the Pack Alpha decided to speak up “Hold our heads up and puff our chest out. We are also Alphas.”

Opening the door, they wre not met with the picture they BTS had painted for them, sitting in the room were two girl on the shorter side, one was stacking bottles atop one another and the other acting like she didnt know who she was.

“Um, are you both with Gail Force?” S. Coups was still holding the door handle incase they had entered the wrong room.

“Hi, yes we are Gail Force, Im Piper and this is Vienna. “ the older girl had introduce the both of them.

“Is it only you two?” S. Coups was in disbelief at the two girls that were in the room. “See i told you BTS Sunbeanim was joking with us!” Hoshi was now pouting at Woozi and S. Coups since they did not believe him. The two girls were giggling at Hoshis outburst.

“They tend to do that, they think its funny since we are both Omegas.” Vienna had explain after her giggles had died down. “ we are going to have to text them again.” she added on.

“Wait, You both are Omegas? we have been looking for Omegas.” Hoshi had sat down as he began to talk. S. Coups give him a bewildered look. “You can not just say that to people, Its not common for people to ask that is the states.” S. Coups had sat beside him while he was scolding him. Woozi was the last to sit but he had yet to say anything.

“I am very sorry about him, we are technically looking for an Omega for our pack but he should had no asked that especially since we all just met.” S. Coups apoligized to the girl on the behalf of Hoshi.

“Its okay, we understand that some things are done differently in Korea.” Vienna was trying to not laugh as she talked. Piper was still in shock at what Hoshi had said, her mouth still open with shock. Vienna had nudge her to get her back to earth.

“You do know that you both can take off your scent blockers right?” S. Coups was saying this for more of his sake, he did not like have part of his pack around people that he couldnt smell. While the only other two with him were Alphas as well, it didnt mean he liked it any less.

“We are okay keeping them on, we are still getting used to the scents here in HYBE.” Vienna was planning on sticking up for herself and Piper if she had to. They were unmated and in a foreign country they werent just going to go around without scent blockers on. “Bang PD told us that we did not have too as well, but until we are more comfortable her, we arent going to be taking them off.” She had added also.

“If anything, you all should be wearing one. Yall are stinking up the office.” Piper wasnt going to admit that she actual thought someone out of them smelled amazing but she also wasnt going to allow these alphas to think they were entitled to smell them just because it makes them uncomfortable.

Woozi having sensed that the girls were getting upset decided to step in before the other two could put their foot further in their mouths. “We were just making sure you both knew that we and the company value our omega workers and would not make them wear scent blockers.” Woozi having defused the situation moved onto a different topic. “You both have worked with BTS?”

“We have, about a year ago, we each produced a song with them. We are a duo but we have different sound when it comes to producing.” Piper had begun to explain the dynamic of their duo, “I work mainly on softer music and Vienna is usually the go to for harder sounds. “We look forward to working with you both.” S. Coups added in to the conversation.

Piper having realized the time decided it was time to cut the meeting short. “It has been great to meet y'all but we need to head out and get to our living arrangements.”

A/N: I hope y'all like this so far. it's my first time writing fanfic so it hope it's good.

#seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen carat #seventeen fanfic #choi seungcheol #jeonghan #joshua #jun #hoshi #wonwoo #woozi #dk #mingyu #the8 #seungkwan #vernon #dino #seventeen smut #seventeen x reader #OT13 #Seventeen love

[scottpetersen]

Compare/Contrast of Webby Vanderquack and Lena Sabrewing And Luz Noceda and Amity Blight

Ok. Here I’ll be doing a compare/contrast between Webby Vanderquack and Lena Sabrewing from the DuckTales (2017) TV series and Luz Noceda and Amity Blight from The Owl House TV series. It occurred to me that these 2 duos have quite a bit in common but are also a bit different. Also, Spoiler Alert for the DuckTales (2017) TV series and The Owl House TV series. With that out of the way, let’s dive right in.

Both members of both duos used to be on different sides before growing to love each other. As shown in the episode ‘The Beagle Boy Breakout!’, Lena used to work for her aunt Magica De Spell to bring about the end of the McDuck family before, as shown in the episode ‘The Other Bin Of Scrooge McDuck!’, she really grew to love Webby and tried to tell Scrooge about Magica before she took control of her body. And, as shown in the episode ‘I Was A Teenage Abomination’, Amity used to be a bully that Luz helped Willow stand up to before, as shown in the episode ‘Lost In Language’, Luz and Amity teamed up against a monster and grew to love each other. Another similarity between them here is that they used to be on different sides because of an abusive relative. As shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 1: The Night Of De Spell!’, Lena was a living shadow created and controlled by her aunt Magica to bring about the end of Scrooge McDuck and the McDuck family. As shown in the episode ‘Understanding Willow’, Amity was pressured into turning her back on Willow years ago by her mother and father. The difference between them here is whether or not Webby and Luz knew they were on different sides from the start. As shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’, Webby didn’t know Lena used to work for Magica before finding out later on whereas, as shown in the episode ‘I Was A Teenage Abomination’, Luz knew Amity used to be a bully right from the start. Another similarity between them is that both duos seemed to like each other as more than just friends. After all, in the case of Webby and Lena, they seemed to admire every little thing about each other as shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’ where Webby seemed to really admire the fact that Lena wrote a poem and, as shown in the episode ‘Friendship Hates Magic!’ where Lena seemed to really admire how Webby used her library card. And, in the case of Luz and Amity, as shown in the episode ‘Escaping Expulsion’, they blushed as they were standing back-to-back. The difference between them here is whether or not it was confirmed that they were romantically in love. As shown throughout the DuckTales (2017) TV series, it wasn’t exactly confirmed whether Webby and Lena are in love or not. And, as shown in the episode ‘Knock, Knock, Knockin’ On Hoody’s Door’, it was confirmed that Luz and Amity are in love.

Both duos have a member who is very optimistic and cheerful. For Webby and Lena, there’s Webby who, as shown in the episode ‘Daytrip Of Doom!’, was incredibly optimistic when it came to hanging out with Huey, Dewey and Louie. And for Luz and Amity, there’s Luz who, as shown in the episode ‘Witches Before Wizards’, Luz was very optimistic and cheerful when it came to being a witch’s apprentice. Also, another similarity between them there is that their optimism paid off in the end when it came to Lena and Amity. As shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’, Webby’s faith in her relationship with Lena caused magic to flow through her Friendship Bracelet that brought Lena back to help fight Magica. And, as shown in the episode ‘Understanding Willow’, Luz’s faith in Amity paid off in the end when Amity befriended Willow again and stopped bullying her. The difference between them is how Webby and Luz respond to authority. Webby seemed used to obeying authority figures as shown in the episode ‘Escape To/From Atlantas!’ where she was baffled when Louie lied to his uncle Donald about where he is whereas Luz seems to rebels against authority as shown in the episode ‘A Lying Witch And A Warden’ where she brought snakes to school. Furthermore, their mentors also shared the same sentiment about authority. As shown in the episode ‘From The Confidential Casefiles Of Agent 22!’, Webby’s grandma Bentina Beakley was a spy who followed protocol. And, as shown in the episode ‘Something Ventured Someone Framed’, Luz’s mentor Edalyn Clawthorne was a rebel who disregards rules.

Both duos have a member who was quite cynical and pessimistic. For Webby and Lena, there’s Lena who, as shown in the episode ‘The Beagle Boy Breakout!’, Lena was cynical and pessimistic to the point that she doubted Huey, Dewey and Louie cared about Webby. And, as shown in the episode ‘Lost In Language’, Amity was cynical and pessimistic to the point that she used to think that interacting with Luz would somehow get her in trouble. Also, another similarity between them is that both Lena and Amity had an abusive relative who stood between them and Webby and Luz and who they later stood up to. As shown in the episode ‘Jaw$!’, Lena’s aunt Magica threatened her into going against Webby but, as shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’, Lena later stood up to her and helped the McDuck family take her down. And, as shown in the episode ‘Escaping Expulsion’, Amity was threatened by her mother Odalia into letting Luz, Willow and Gus get expelled from Hexside before later standing up to her and helping Luz, Willow and Gus get accepted back into Hexside. The difference between them is, just like with Webby and Luz, how Lena and Amity respond to authority. Lena doesn’t seem to respect authority figures as shown in the episode ‘Terror Of The Terra-firmians!’ where she argued with Beakley and wanted to go on an adventure whereas Amity seemed to be obsessed with the rules as shown in the episode ‘For The Future’ where Amity said that she kept trying to organize a student council but Principal Bump thought that she was too obsessed.

Both duos have one member who is a normal being and the other member who is a supernatural being. As shown in the episode ‘The Shadow War! Part 2: The Day Of The Ducks!’, Webby is a normal being while Lena is a living shadow. And, as shown in the episode ‘I Was A Teenage Abomination’, Luz is a normal being while Amity is a witch. The difference between them here is what kind of supernatural being Lena and Amity are. As I already pointed out, Lena is a living shadow whereas Amity is a witch.

Well, that’s all for this post.

See you all next time.

#disney #ducktales #ducktales (2017) #webby vanderquack #lena sabrewing #the owl house #luz noceda #amity blight #spoilers

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 10, Number 2

Ballister

It’s a leap year, so we all get an extra 24 hours to listen to February music.  Why not try some of these selections from our endless piles of when-i-get-to-its?  We’ve got unhinged beatmakers and noise-addled Canadians, smashing, grabbing jazz men and psychedelic post-punk.  And really a lot more.  February always seems long.  This year it’s even more extended.  Use your time wisely.  Play records. 

This month’s contributors include Patrick Masterson, Ian Mathers, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Tim Clarke, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw, Jim Marks and Andrew Forell. 

8ruki — POURquoi!! (33 Recordz)

This ain’t your mother’s TTC. Bilingual Parisian 8ruki takes most of his cues from Atlanta, acting with a whole lotta Whole Lotta Red in mind and squeezing 22 songs into his third album — about right for contemporary hip-hop in this vein, which frequently abandons ideas after less than two minutes and leaves a trail of incomplete sketches in its wake; like others his age, 8ruki has evolved to consider this less a bug (especially for stans forever thirsty for the next “project”) than a feature, the default mode of working. I don’t know what good it would do to comment on a song called “Andrew Tate!!” or “Elon Musk!!” at this stage other than to suggest the guy’s just being (what the French call) a provocateur, but peek elsewhere and you’ll find an unexpected beat switch on “VAris//PIENna,” not to mention a world-shrinking reference to the Golden State Warriors; the high-pitched squeaks of “CA$h!!” and “GIVENCHY MARgiela!”; the string sample and rolling bass of “EDQuer!!”; and a whole lot more to enjoy. Ignore the annoying tendency to turn caps off halfway through a song title; this is a fun record with a lot going on that’s even better if you more than half understand it.

Patrick Masterson

ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT — “Darling The Dawn” (Constellation)

The credits for this duo’s second release are deceptively simple; Ariel Engle (La Force, Broken Social Scene) as just “voice” and Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt Zion) as just “noise.” But there are whole worlds contained in voice and noise, and there’s a sonic, emotional, and political complexity here that makes it feel much weightier and more elaborate than the work of any two people. (It also had one of the best song titles of last year in “We Live on a Fucking Planet and Baby That’s the Sun.”) There are distinct songs here, even some refrains, but the whole of “Darling The Dawn” also feels like one long ebbing and flowing movement, culminating in lovely, shattered grandeur with the closing one-two punch of “Anchor”/“Lie Down in Roses Dear.” Shoegaze without guitars (although not without occasional strings or drums, from Jessica Moss on violin and Liam O’Neill, respectively), emotional noise music, kosmiche played in a paupers’ graveyard; it’s hard to know what to call what ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT does, other than impressive. Maybe voice and noise is enough description after all.

Ian Mathers

Ballister — Smash And Grab (Aerophonic)

In Chicago, the smash and grab game is strong. People aren’t just breaking windows but driving vehicles through them. Ballister apply that spirit of aggressive enterprise to performance on this memento of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love’s reunion at the Catalytic Sound Festival in Chicago in December, 2022. The reeds wail and probe, the strings splinter and scrape, the drums smash rhythm in the air and reshape them. And that’s just in the first few minutes. Over the course of the set, they find ways to apply that assertive spirit to quieter passages and slower passages, fashioning rough thickets and inconsolable laments from the same rough material. While Dusted does not recommend literal application of the album’s title when acquiring it, we confidently predict that you’ll find the record sticking to your fingers, obliging you to return it to the playback device for another go around.

Bill Meyer

Cuneiform Tabs — Cuneiform Tabs (Sloth Mate)

The Sloth Mate label is the psychedelic tendril sprouting from the flourishing vine that is the modern Bay Area post-punk scene.  There’s certainly an affiliation with Famous Mammals, Children Maybe Later and others of that ilk, but there’s a tendency to stray from traditional idioms that is unique to the Sloth Mate catalog.  Violent Change, headed up by the imprint’s owner Matt Bleyle, is at the center of this sub-underground cabal, coming across like a garage punk band noisily banging out Face to Face-era Kinks jams after gobbling some mind-altering flora.  Sterling Mackinnon’s The False Berries on the other hand is a lo-fi ambient electronic project that recalls the early beat-inclusive work of Christian Fennesz.  Bleyle and Mackinnon collaborate remotely under the Cuneiform Tabs moniker (the latter musician is based in London, England).  The cross-pollination works incredibly well, with the most listenable aspects of each unit rising to the forefront.  When it appears, Mackinnon’s Dan Bejar-meets-Marc Bolan warble acts as a foil for Bleyle’s deeper crooning.  Similarly, the former’s atmospheric tendencies highlight the beautiful melodies hidden beneath the latter’s noise-baked tunesmithery.  Cuneiform Tabs’ psychoactive sonorities require work to decipher, but the endeavor is certainly worthwhile.       

Bryon Hayes

Mia Dyberg Trio — Timestretch (Clean Feed)

It’s tempting to take the title of Timestretch ironically, since this Scandinavian trio compacts a lot of action into 43.18.  There are 14 tracks, all but three composed by bandleader and alto saxophonist Dyberg. But more likely, it addresses this paradox; while the music never feels like it’s in a hurry, there’s a fair bit going on. Tonally, Dyberg shifts easily between slightly sour and just sweet enough, and her phrasing is mobile, but never busy. On a few unaccompanied tracks, she unburdens herself more directly, mourning for those laid low by conflict. Bassist Asger Thomsen anchors the music with stark, strategically placed notes, and adds dimension with occasional sparse, bowed comments.  But it’s drummer Simon Fochhammer who gives the music shape, sometimes with a quick rustle, other times by building an eventful structure around his partners.

Bill Meyer

Kali Malone — All Life Long (Ideologic Organ)

Swedish composer and organist Kali Malone takes a rigorous, structured approach to making music, crafting deliberately pared-back and laser-focused pieces that make the listener acutely aware of the shifting harmonic dynamics within thick layers of sound. This 78-minute album presents an intimidating edifice to a casual listener, but it is organized to allow curious immersion in more easily digestible sections. The longest tracks are organ pieces stretching to around 10 minutes in duration, aching with melancholy. However, there are also shorter vocal and brass pieces that deviate away from held drones into more spacious, overlapping progressions that are, on occasion, almost buoyant. All Life Long feels like music for a less easily distracted age; to be patient enough to bear witness to its full, solemn unfolding requires commitment, but how often do you hear music this awe-inspiringly pure?

Tim Clarke

 Michael Nau — Accompany (Karma Chief)

Accompany rides the line between cosmic country and garden variety indie pop, its gentle melancholy enlivened by radiant runs of twanging guitar. “It’s an impossible life to get over,” Michael Nau croons in “Painting a Wall,” sounding beaten down but not quite broken, grounded in the ordinary but yearning for transcendence. Nau, you might remember, fronted the indie chamber pop Page France in the early aughts and the slightly more countrified Cotton Jones in the late ones.  This fifth solo album hits its peak in plaintive “Shape-Shifting,” where an otherworldly echo sheathes both Nau’s voice and the rumble of piano, and a glow suffuses everything, making it more.

Jennifer Kelly

Note — Impressions of a Still Life EP (The North Quarter)

Manchester’s Note hasn’t been around all that long — the earliest traces of his Soundcloud only reach back to October of 2021 — but just within the last year, he’s demonstrated a knack for fusing airy, sultry R&B moods with the breaks n’ bass of UK dance music’s storied past. Late January’s Impressions of a Still Life EP out via The North Quarter imprint, helmed by Dutch producer Lenzman (himself a veteran of labels like Metalheadz, Nu-Directions and Fokus), is another fine example: Aside from the stirring “Vespertine” that debuted last summer and features poet and spoken word artist Aya Dia, plus “Cold Nights” that came in November, Note fills out the EP with three additional songs of varying speed and mood. The best might be “EVR,” which again features a vocalist, this time singer-songwriter Feeney. Employing deep bass, fluttering percussion and featherweight piano flourishes, the production here is top-notch Brit-inflected R&D&B. Watch this space.

Patrick Masterson

Plaza — Adult Panic (Self-Release)

The novelist and rock critic (and one-time Dusted writer) Michael Fournier spent the pandemic on Cape Cod with his wife Becca, he learning the bass and she the drums.  Adult Panic collects 11 spiked and minimalist cuts from this experiment, almost entirely instrumental (there’s a shouted refrain on “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog”) and rife with lockdown agitation. The drums are pretty basic, a skitter of high-hat with snare on the upbeats, but the bass parts wander and jitter intriguingly. The title track has a Slint-ish post-rock open-ended-ness, repeated riffs left to linger and shift in the air. “The Tomb of Santa Claus” moves faster and more insistently, letting surf-like bent notes flare from rickety architectures. The whole experience is rather dour and claustrophobic, right up until the end when “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog” clatters into earshot and the two Fourniers seem to be, finally, having some fun.

Jennifer Kelly

Caroline Polachek — Desire, I Want to Turn to You: Everasking Edition (Perpetual Novice)

I’m not gonna sit here and tell you all about how big Caroline Polachek’s 2023 was; if you were paying any attention to the conversation, you already know Desire, I Want to Turn to You was universally, justifiably acclaimed. The Everasking Edition tacks on seven additional songs, five fresh out the box, one an acoustic rendition of “I Believe” and one a cover. Regarding the latter: Anyone paying attention to the machinations of the modern music business will know the name Jaime Brooks, who was half of Elite Gymnastics and now works as Default Genders in addition to unflinching commentary on whatever the fuck is going on with Billboard charts and the ugly realities of how no one’s getting Spotify royalties. “Coma” was originally theirs from Main Pop Girl 2019, a beautiful, delicately skipping adrenaline rush of a love song. Polachek doesn’t radically reinvent what’s already great; instead, she leaves the music alone and takes ownership of the rendition with her lower pitch and breathy delivery. A heartfelt nightcap on an imperial year, you couldn’t have scripted that Valentine’s Day release any more perfectly.

Patrick Masterson

Proton Burst — La Nuit (I, Voidhanger)

When the wife of storied French comics artist Phillipe Druillet died in 1975, Druillet poured his grief and rage into an idiosyncratic graphic narrative, La Nuit (1976); it’s full of mutant biker gangs, Druillet’s signature fever-dream architectural forms and hair-raising violence. French thrash metal weirdos Proton Burst loved the book, and in 1994 they produced an album-length project, part response, part soundtrack to the comic’s maniacal intensities. I, Voidhanger has given that Proton Burst record a deluxe reissue, including the original music, an extended live performance of it from 1995 and a booklet including eye-popping images from Druillet’s comic and an essay. If you’re in this for the music, the real treat is the live set, which is nearly as unhinged as Druillet’s illustrations. The band rages, rants, foments and froths—and is that a harp? Who knows. Like the original graphic narrative, what matters here is the volatility of the feeling tone, more so than any sense-making (or sonic) throughway. Lose yourself in the violence of it. Maybe that feeling of dislocation gets closest to the irrational agony of loss Druillet drew La Nuit in the teeth of, some 50 years ago.

Jonathan Shaw

Mariano Rodriguez — Exodo (self-released)

Mariano Rodriguez is an Argentinian guitarist in the Takoma school tradition with a large and high-quality back catalog. He often focuses on playing with a slide but is equally adept at playing without one and sometimes incorporates experiments with sound, as on Huesos Secos (2020), and fuller traditional instrumentation, as on Praise the Road (2017), into his recordings. Exodo, released late last year, is a set of mainly guitar soli. The playing is typically inspired, impressive without being flashy, and the compositions are tuneful and well-developed. Included is a 12-string anthem (“Lazaro”), Rodriguez’s signature slide work (such as on “The Desterrados”), bluesy 6-string meditations (“Diaspora”), and a couple of experiments with studio effects and overdubs (“The River and the Blind”) and drone (“Mother of the Road”). Over all, Exodo is a fine set of tunes that flows cohesively.

Jim Marks

Twin Tribes — Pendulum (Beso de Muerte Records)

Pendulum by Twin Tribes

It’s unclear precisely which tribes are twinned here, but if the music on Pendulum is any indication, it’s the deathrock freaks (with their long-standing romance of moldering, undead bodies) and the coldwave kids (who like to dance in place, furiously, disaffectedly, bodies frosty for entirely different reasons). Twin Tribes hails from the bastion of moody electronic music that is Brownville, TX, and somehow these Latinx fellows have managed to survive their local cultural climate long enough to release three LPs, a live tape and a whole bunch of singles and remixes. Pendulum refines the essential sonic template laid down in 2019’s Ceremony: tuneful, shimmery synths; snappy, brittle rhythm tracks; baritone vocals about zombies at the disco. If that sounds like fun, it surely is—but you’ll have a hard time convincing the kids in black eye makeup to crack anything like a smile. This reviewer can’t help it. The songs are too good, the vibes are way too goofily gravid. Dance, you flesh-eating misfits, dance.

Jonathan Shaw

Volksempfänger — Attack of Sound (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)

Attack Of Sound by Volksempfänger

Attack of Sound’s swirling boy-girl harmonies instantly call to mind shoegaze luminaries Slowdive, but Volksempfänger’s noise-strewn guitar latticework is more aligned with The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Furthermore, the Dutch duo’s melodic flavor is as sweet as 1960s AM radio.  Ajay Saggar (Bhajan Bhoy) and Holly Habstritt combine these disparate sonic strands to create tidy noise pop gems, which they wrap in Phil Spector sonics.  The wall of sound approach imbues each song with a pulsating thrum.  This is the beating heart of their sound, underpinning the delightful vocal harmonies, shimmering guitar melodies, and waves of coruscating feedback.  The pair attains a balance between saccharine and savory aromas: dream pop wistfulness (“What the Girl Does” and “Your Gonna Lose Hard”) interchanges with propulsive garage rock (“How We Made It Seem” and “Damned & Drowned”).  The album closes out with the kaleidoscopic psychedelia of “You’ve Lost It,” introducing yet another aspect of Volksempfänger’s oeuvre.  This last-minute shift in mood adds a quirky sense of quietude to an otherwise exhilarating journey.   

Bryon Hayes

Ian Wellman — The Night the Stars Fell (Ash International)

The Night The Stars Fell by Ian Wellman

Recorded in the fire swept forests and deserts of Southern California, Ian Wellman’s The Night the Stars Fell plays like a Disintegration Loops for natural disasters. Wellman’s treated field recordings encourage the listener to subsume themselves in the natural rhythm of the wind that fanned the wildfires much like Basinski’s seminal work. While Disintegration Loops drew its potency from the association with 9/11, Wellman’s project is a more deliberate meditation on destruction. He coats his field recordings of deteriorating human structures — railcars, homes — and landscape ambience with short-wave radio static and decaying tape loops. There’s a concentration on both the violence of the destruction and the desolation of the aftermath. Huge swells of sound are interspersed with howls of wind, coruscating swathes of static and the creak and crank of burnt timber both natural and manufactured. The Night the Stars Fell is an absorbing evocation of nature’s power. 

Andrew Forell

Wharfer — Postboxing (Self-Release)

Postboxing by Wharfer

Wharfer’s Kyle Wall has long made the kind of shadowy, pared down indie-folk singer/songwriter music that elicits comparisons to Bill Callahan and Will Oldham. This time out, however, he ditches vocals and verse chorus structure entirely and enlists Chuck Johnson (pedal steel), Ian O’Hara (acoustic bass) and Duncan Wickel (violin) for a set of ambient, piano-forward reflections. These tracks are quietly riveting as, like “Wishing Well in White Noise,” the blend the chalky, elegiac tones of the piano’s upper registers with limpid pools of sustained pedal steel. Not quite ambient, the piece swirls and rounds to its own subtle rhythms, a faint thunk of bass ordering it forward. “Alto” brings the long, bowed vibrations of violin into the mix, then a sprightly sprinkle of pizzicato strings. And in the title track, a ritual voice flickers in and out of focus, but only as tone and texture. The piano carries the narrative, as string washes build and bass notes drop in and seagulls cry in the distance. It’s a subtle but powerful voice on its own, and you don’t miss the words one bit. 

Jennifer Kelly

#dusted magazine #dust #8ruki #patrick masterson #all hands make light #ian mathers #ballister #bill meyer #cuneiform tabs #bryon hayes #mia dyberg #kali malone #tim clarke #michael nau #jennifer kelly #note #plaza #caroline polachek #proton burst #jonathan shaw #mariano rodrigues #jim marks #twin tribes #Volksempfänger #ian wellman #wharfer

[cartoonemotion]

hiii. after watching class of 3000 what character interactions do u think would be most fun to explore. I almost typed explode

YAAAAY this is such a good question !!!!!! honestly as an ensemble cast i feel like class of 3000 overall balances itself and its cast interactions out pretty well (lil d, eddie, and philly phil maybe get some more extra centric episodes in my opinion though. granted it makes sense for lil d since there was an interview where andre said that the character was supposed to in some way kind of be based off him as a kid/his experiences in school)

ALL THAT TO BE SAID !!

pretty much tamika and anybody else. being fully transparent, this is bias cuz tamika is arguably one of my faves of the show and while she does actually get moments to shine i feel like shes just a liiiittle underutilized. when they start using her to set up gags about eddie being clearly infatuated with her instead of that being more of a consistent background detail it starts really negatively effecting the writing of both characters imo. she and madison have some charming bits and that episode where theyre paired up together but i would have also loved to see more of a dynamic between her and kim !! kim's very artistic and expressive and wants to be something of a trendsetter but is obviously (for very reasonable 12 year old reasons, i think) invested in still being apart of the "in" crowd and other people's perception of her, and i think that mirror's tamika's whole thing of being cool and tough but being afraid that that image might be compromised if she lets more of her softer side come through (her collecting dolls, baking cookies with her goofball dad, and actually really enjoying very mushy displays of affection for example) rather nicely ! plus their instruments (turn tables, misc percussive instruments and the harp) would go nicely together imo

I ALSO THINK tamkia and lil d would be fun to explore !!!!!! they kind of start off strong in the beginning of the first season but theres less of it as the show goes on which is a shame ! its funny to watch them squabble almost like siblings but its very clear that they still like and care about each other-- i mean in one episode where tamika goes to hang out with some other girls lil d laments that he misses her threatening him and when she shoves him he exclaims "we missed you tamika !!!" very earnestly !!! it would be nice to explore tamika's side of that yknow !!!

maybe the writers thought philly phil and madison were too similar since theyre both kind of eccentric goofballs to have them paired up more often but i think they could play off each other really nicely ! after all madison is supposed to be more of a ditzy but friendly hippie type and philly phil's mostly just socially inept and kind of clumsy, i think you could find a lot of comedy potential balancing that

i also think philly phil and kam could have gotten more screen time as a duo, seeing as they have the whole geek and nerd dichotomy going on. kam is more of a skeptic whereas philly phil seems to be more willing to believe in things like aliens and santa claus and unicorns even though hes a "man of science", i think it was a real missed opportunity to not have him and kam maybe get into friendly arguments about it or something, or maybe realize they have converging interests (like kam's belief/enthusiasm for bigfoot)

i like lil d and eddie's friendship ! it read to me like eddie was the closest to lil d out of everyone in the group, and i say that even without taking "eddie's money" into consideration (even though thats a great showcase i feel like as to what im talking about !) like everytime lil d needs to pay for something and hes just like "its whatever eddie's got it" eddie just does with very little to no complaint, idk !!! i just like em. plus i think they illustrate again some of the stuff andre was talking about in his goal of exploring the culture of atlanta and his own experiences there since lil d and eddie come from bankhead and buckhead respectively, and him (andre 3000 i mean) mentioning that he went to school on the other side of town with a whole bunch of ppl including the mayor's kids lol

i just love sunny's little individual mentor moments with the kids in general !!!!!! obviously he and lil d are big one and kind of the show's highlight for obvious reasons, but i also really love the one on one moments he gets with kim, which happen way more often than i initially expected !!! i would have loved to see him sort of guide and mentor again tamika a bit more too again to possibly help her reconcile both elements of her identity as both a no-nonsense butt-kicker and somebody with more "childish" or "girly" interests. and also him and philly phil, just because i think. it would be zany. and good for hijinks.

#THIS IS SO LONG OOPS ! #class of 3000 moment #class of 3000

[fymoonbyul]

[ARTICLE] MAMAMOO Announce First-Ever U.S. Concerts: See the 9 Cities on Their Arena Tour

Tickets go on sale later this month for the stateside shows as part of the girl group's "MY CON" world tour.

Nine years into MAMAMOO‘s career as a leading, chart-topping K-pop girl group, the quartet has announced their first-ever tour dates for the United States.

As the next step in the act’s “MY CON” world tour that traveled across Asia in late 2022 and early 2023, Whee In, Solar, Moon Byul and Hwa Sa will visit nine arenas for their inaugural Stateside tour. The U.S. leg begins in New York on May 16 before wrapping in Los Angeles on June 4. Venue information wasn’t immediately available at press time beyond shows in arenas.

The tour dates will mark MAMAMOO’s live Stateside return as well. The group has not performed in the States since appearing at the 2019 KCON Los Angeles festival. The trek is presented by Mammoth Inc. and Sugar Monkey Live.

The new “MY CON” tour dates follow the group’s latest EP, Mic On, released in November of last year, which included the single “Illella” that peaked at No. 5 on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart. Beyond group activities, the members have remained active with their solo music and projects. Solar and Moon Byul even teamed up as a duo for MAMAMOO+ for 2022 single “Better” and have new music together coming out later this month.

Tickets go on sale on at 10 a.m. local time on March 29 via Ticketmaster. VIP tickets from Wonderwall will go on sale starting from next month. See the full U.S. tour dates below.

MAMAMOO 2023 MY CON U.S. Tour Dates

May 16 – New York, NY May 18 – Baltimore, MD May 20 – Atlanta, GA May 22 – Nashville, TN May 24 – Fort Worth, TX May 27 – Chicago, IL May 31 – Glendale, AZ June 2 – Oakland, CA June 4 – Los Angeles, CA

#mamamoo #era:mic on #t:info #t:article #230316

[sleep-can-wait]

My Gift To You ~ College AU Part 3

Aru hated to admit it, but they were lost. She and Aiden stood in front of a dilapidated building, peering into the open doorway and eye-balling the spiders that were scuttling across the walls and floor.

Backtracking to how they got there, their friend group, who called themselves the Potatoes for no apparent reason other than 'Brynne said so', went to the annual carnival that was hosted every year in Atlanta.

It had everything from flash mobs to rides to junk food. Naturally, Aru dragged them all there, fighting tooth and nail to haul their stupid butts to the damn place. Aiden was the only one who easily agreed to come.

While walking parallel to thousands of stalls and treading the dirt-packed road, the couple had gotten distracted. Aiden started taking photos of everything and Aru stared in awe at the ginormous fuzzy panda that was hanging on a nail in one of the prize booths. When she snapped out of it, she realized everyone was gone.

She had quickly tugged on Aiden's elbow and told them their predicament.

"I'm afraid we have just been abandoned by our so-called 'friends'."

They both decided to wander around, trying to find the others in spots the Potatoes would most likely be at. But perhaps they had gotten carried away again, because moments later they halted at the door of the haunted house that was at the edge of where the festival was held.

Also, she and Aiden were holding hands again when she was fairly certain they weren't before.

And that is how they got up to this point. Aru looked thoughtfully at the house, then at Aiden. He saw it and tried to back away but couldn't because of the fact that they were still holding hands, and apparently, he didn't want to let go.

".... I'm afraid to ask, but what?" She grinned.

"I have an idea."

"Oh no." He groaned.

"You haven't even heard it!" Aru protested.

"Please, since when are your ideas good-?." She clamped her hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his sentence.

"Just hear me out. What if we go through the haunted house and whoever screams first loses and has to give the winner a gift? It can be anything, as long as it's nice and the other will like it."

"But-"

"Chicken?"

"Never." Aiden huffed. "Alright let's do this. Prepare to lose, idiot."

Aru smirked. "You wish, nerd." They signed their names on the clipboard hanging near the entrance and entered the dark hall.

To say the least, it was really hard. Eerie music floated through the corridors, and there were six of them. At random intervals, realistic monsters would pop out.

The actors who were playing them stood awkwardly, however, when neither victim looked terrified, before walking away. Then they both would continue as if nothing happened, but that was a lie. Aiden was shaking slightly and Aru was gritting her teeth.

In the third part, things really started to get scary. They got chased by murderers, Bloody Mary, the government, you name it. The duo were just leaving the fifth hall when one of them finally screamed.

They had just escaped Pennywise and Aru was full-on shaking by then. She despised clowns with every inch of her body. Both of them were running at top speed, glancing back every two seconds to make sure they weren't being followed. Aiden was not looking too good, but was much better off than her.

Why couldn't he have the clown phobia? Aru thought grouchily, glaring at his stupid, beautiful face.

Pennywise was still a bit in the distance so both of them didn't expect it when a corpse hanging from a noose dropped down from the ceiling. Aru stuffed her fist into her mouth and bit down hard. But Aiden wasn't fast enough.

He screamed and jerked away, instantly falling down. Distantly Aru thought how unfair it was that his voice still sounded pretty even while shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Once the dead body was pulled back through the ceiling tile, Aru helped Aiden up. He sighed.

"I suppose you win."

"Yeah," She smirked at having another victory over him. "Let's finally get out of here."

Once again, they were standing in a daze outside of the haunted house, but this time they were facing the other way.

"Um, could you close your eyes?" Aiden looked a bit nervous, fidgeting with Shadowfax's strap. Aru gazed around and spotted a weeping willow with fairy lights dangling from each branch, deciding that was the perfect place to finally rest her legs.

She walked over and sat down, with her back pressed against the tree's trunk, before reciting something Hira had taught her.

"I think this tree is very appropriate, you know?" Aru grinned. "It means mourning and loss. And you are right now grieving over having lost to me!" Aiden's mouth twisted into what he tried to play off as a grimace, but was definitely a pout.

He quickly covered Aru's eyes with his palms, probably to hide his sulking. "No peaking, and I am not!." She laughed, but shrugged her shoulders in agreement, closing her eyes.

She heard the sound of his footsteps fade and waited in the leftover silence. She hadn't realized how lonely it was when he wasn't by her side, hand ready to hold hers.

To use up the time placed in her hands, Aru amused herself by blowing away the leaves that landed on her face and shaking out the ones that fell on her hair.

She also didn't notice how tired she was until her butt hit the ground and was tiring quickly. She had just started to doze off when she heard someone whisper her name.

"Shah?" Before Aru could jump up, firm hands held her steady on the ground. "It's me, don't open them yet." She crossed her arms but uncrossed them as Aiden entwined their hands together.

"What took you so long?" He went silent for a moment.

"Would you believe that I am terrible at aiming?"

"What-?" A warm hand cupped her cheek, dislodging a few leaves in her hair, his other softly squeezing their already clasped hands. Lips pressed against her own gently. The scent of clean laundry and cooking spices wrapped around her.

Aiden Acharya was kissing her.

It was only for a second, but it seemed much longer. Her eyes flew open as he pulled away.

"Was that-" He breathed out. "Was that okay?" Aru probably looked just as stunned as him but couldn't stop a smile nonetheless.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was great." They both hesitated, before connecting and pressing against each other again, Aiden going back to his original position.

Aru panicked, unsure what to do with her free hand this time, but instinct took over and she slipped it into his hair, tangling in his soft curls. They didn't break apart as fast this time.

After pulling away, they just sat under the willow tree together, not really saying anything. Their hands were still woven together and resting on Aiden's leg. Aru wasn't sure about him, but that was her first kiss.

Lame, she knew, but it was just that she had never really liked anyone romantically before and even questioned herself if she was aro-spec. That all changed when she met Aiden and suddenly she was a high schooler in love. And they had only started dating a couple of weeks ago.

After a few minutes of trying hard not to randomly smile out of nowhere, Aru nudged Aiden and broke the silence.

"What were you saying before? About the aim thing."

"Oh," He looked flustered. "I didn't want to take any chances with the kiss, so just in case you hated it or felt uncomfortable, I was going to use the prize I won at the Ring Toss booth to apologize or bribe you into forgetting it ever happened."

"Where is it now?"

Aiden went behind the tree and came out with a giant stuffed animal. The panda she had been eyeing before they got lost. Aru's eyes lit up and Aiden sighed.

"I'm guessing I won't be able to keep this then?"

"Nope!" She said cheerfully, before adding, "But we can share."

"I'll take what I can get."

"Next time, I'll win you a prize Wifey." Aiden scoffed.

"No way!"

"Who's gonna stop me?"

"Then I'll win you more prizes than you can win for me."

"Are you challenging me?"

"I don't know am I?"

"Are you?"

"Yes, and I believe I will absolutely leave you in the dust."

"You wish."

"Prepare to be overwhelmed with tons of stuffed animals, Shah."

"I'll overwhelm you first." Both of them jogged off, Aru gatekeeping the panda the entire time, and played as many games as they could before being found and dragged away by the rest of the Potatoes.

Bonus: Aiden finally won and shoved all his stuffed animals at Aru with a well-deserved smirk on his face. Aru did the same but was still kinda grumpy about losing.

-----

I'm sleep-deprived, but here is this! Tell me what you guys thought of the kiss and I always accept constructive criticism :) My next oneshot will be on Mindy but I have no idea what to do so I'm begging you guys to please give me suggestions for them.

Hope you enjoyed! Going to sleep now.

#aru shah #the pandava quintet #tpq #rick riordan presents #roshani chokshi #aruden #aiden acharya #aru x aiden #college aru shah

[i-will-not-be-caged]

Free Books!

It's Stuff Your Kindle Day(s), so a bunch of romance authors have stuff for freeeee today. I've read some of what's being offered, so I figured I'd give you a list of recs. And I'm even gonna put it below a cut to save your dash

The Endgame by Riley Hart When an out-and-proud Senator from California sets his sights on a beautiful man in a bar, he has no idea he's a closeted professional football player from Atlanta. Between texts, phone calls and secret meetups, the two men fall in love. The odds are stacked against them, but this is a game both men plan to win. Keywords: sports romance

My thoughts: this is one of my absolute all time faves. Seriously, I've read it so many times now. I don't even really know why, there's just something about it

Lost Touch (Mismatched Mates) by Eliot Grayson After a year of imprisonment and experimentation, Ash is finally free—but not unscathed. Amnesiac and unable to feel pleasure or pain, he’s at the mercy of his rescuer: an alpha werewolf who promises he’ll protect Ash no matter what. But if Drew can’t control himself, Ash could suffer a worse fate than the one he escaped… Keywords: M/M, alpha werewolf, knotting, no mpreg

My thoughts: I don't remember a ton about this series, much less this particular book, but that's par for the course for me. I liked it enough to read the whole series, so take that for what it's worth.

Egotistical Puckboys by Eden Finley and Saxon James Ezra and Anton are doing it "for the team" in this rivals to lovers hockey romance. With a price as cheap as our guys, see where it all starts for the PR nightmares of the NHL. Keywords: Hockey Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers, Teammates

My thoughts: if you read hockey romance, you've probably heard of this author duo. Their stuff is always fun and funny, and definitely not the most inaccurate hockey books I've read.

Devil's Dance (Rebel Kings MC, #1) by Garrett Leigh Opposites attract. The outlaw biker and the accountant. Straightlaced vs straight to hell. Strap in for this bestselling angsty MMM romance. Keywords: Biker romance, MC romance, poly romance, MMM romance, MM romance

My thoughts: I'm not often in the mood for angst, but when I am, Leigh is my go-to. While labeled MMM, most of the full triad relationship is actually in the second book, so it might be helpful to know that going in.

Pick Me (Sunday Brothers) by May Archer A laugh-out-loud rom com about a lumberjack-loving, cow-phobic human ray of sunshine who moves to small-town Vermont for a temporary gig at an apple orchard… only to find himself falling for the quirky town and a certain gorgeous, grumpy man who’s got “permanent” written all over him. Keywords: mm romance, small town romance, grumpy/sunshine, age gap

My thoughts: if you like small town shenanigans with quirky supporting characters, May Archer's Sunday Brothers series is for you. Think Stars Hollow, but gayer

Right As Raine (Aster Valley) by Lucy Lennox As the first openly gay professional football player, I can’t afford to make any mistakes, on or off the field. And the absolute biggest mistake I could make right now would be to fall for Mikey Vining, my best friend, employee and, more importantly, Coach’s baby boy. I might fantasize about Mikey at night-—every night—but actually touching him would be a serious personal foul. Keywords: mm romance, football, forbidden romance, sports romance

My thoughts: another one where I don't remember a ton of details, but I've never regretted picking up a Lucy Lennox book

The Necromancer's Light by Tavia Lark Lonely, touch-starved necromancer Shae will die without human touch. His new paladin bodyguard didn't know cuddling would be part of the job. MM High Fantasy Romance. Keywords: m/m, gay romance, hurt/comfort, huddling for warmth, grumpy/sunshine

My thoughts: I'm obnoxiously picky about gay fantasy and Tavia Lark's stuff scratches the right itch. I didn't like this series as much as her Perilous Courts series, but it was still good.

Natural Twenty (Roll for Love Book One) by Charlie Novak A gruff florist falls for an anxious bookseller with a broken heart in this low-angst contemporary MM romance featuring Dungeons & Dragons, secret flower language bouquets, steamy dreams and sofa smut, and melt in your mouth sweetness. Keywords: Contemporary M/M romance with a low-angst HEA, spice and sweetness.

My thoughts: Novak does low-angst SO WELL. This whole series is just a warm hug.

Shades Of Lust (The Carnal Tower Book One) by E.M. Lindsey Stone is well aware he can’t mix business and pleasure, but when August comes to him with a proposal for a trade—seven paintings for seven nights with Lust—he can’t say no. Not when it means he’ll be able to have August exactly the way he wants him. Stone has every plan to strip August down to his very soul, but the longer the week goes on, the more Stone comes to realize that August might very well be his undoing. Keywords: Virgin Hero, Disabled Character, Bisexual Awakening, Mental Health Rep, M/M

My thoughts: not my favorite series of Lindsey's, but their disability rep is always on point and the writing is top notch

And here's the ones I'm downloading, all because I've enjoyed other stuff from the authors:

Favor (Forever Family Trilogy Book 1) by Kiki Clark Jeremy knows better than to fall for the hot guy doing renovations on his house--especially since that guy's his brother's best friend. And most likely straight. Except... why is the smokeshow of a contractor smiling at him like that? Keywords: m/m, bisexual romance, brother's best friend, blue collar character

Lacuna by N.R. Walker Lacuna is a 92,000-word MM love story of swords and sorcery, action and adventure, and fated romance. Two kings in a game of chess they were never supposed to win. Keywords: Fantasy, gay romance, fated lovers, swords and alchemy

Between the Pipes (Watkins Glen Gladiators #1) by V.L. Locey Between the Pipes is a low angst, age gap gay hockey romance that features an outgoing young goalie, a cautious older race car driver, two families who are not above meddling just a bit to see their loved ones happy, lots of on-ice and high-speed action, and a straightaway sprint to a happy-ever-after. Keywords: Hockey romance, age gap, low angst, family, M/M

Go forth and read!

#book rec #stuff your kindle day #mm romance

[warningsine]

Holy shit.

#mr. and mrs. smith #phoebe waller bridge #donald glover #A series based on the Brangelina film which pays homage to Hitchcock's film.

[hazellevessque]

Aiden Headcanons that no one asked for but I can’t stop thinking of and need to let out of the chaos that is my brain:

-So in school when you have to watch a movie but they give you questions to answer as you watch, before the movie starts Aiden just fills out the entire thing. He’s watched all of these movies before (because Aru) and then just relaxes while all his classmates struggle around him.

-During the gap between ToW and CoG Mini and Aiden actually became super close (underrated duo by the way. They’re iconic)

-Idk if this is canon or not but he lived in NYC before moving to Atlanta. It’s where Brynne lived and where his dad moved back to so…yeah.

-It’s canon he’s in honors science but he’s also in honors/AP every other subject. He’s smart like that.

-He’s never needed braces or anything like that. Apsara genes coming in clutch.

-For the Potato movie nights one day Mikita made them watch the first 4 episodes of Indian Matchmaking and Aiden and Rudy got super into it for some reason and they kept screaming at the screen and it became a whole thing

-His last period teacher lets him out early so he’ll just wait outside Aru’s classroom. Not in view, but when you turn you see him. Everyone then turns to Aru and is like, “Oh my god. Aiden Acharya is waiting for you.”

-Star Wars fan

Okay bye

#headcanons #hcs #aru shah #tpq #the pandava quintet #aruden #yamini kapoor mercado lopez #aiden acharya