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thewhumperinwhite · 3 years

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And Then You Kill Me (part 5)

story masterpost

TW for: referenced dubcon; guilt and self-hatred; suicidal behavior; angst and misunderstandings; under-negotiated sexual behavior. Nothing directly nsfw here but it is very much The Morning After.

@whumpitywhumpwhump @favwhumpstuff

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Usually, the morning after he eats, Karim sits on the roof with a cup of coffee and watches the sun rise.

It’s half indulgence and half penance. He can’t actually drink the coffee, which makes the smell exactly halfway between comfort and torture. And, depending on the…volume, he guesses, of the person he’s fed from, he can only stand the sun for about an hour on a clear day. Though sometimes he stays longer than that, to feel it prickle and burn against his skin. It depends on how much he feels like a thief, how much his mouth still tastes like lies.

This morning, of course, is different.

On the one hand, he isn’t as full as he normally is. It’s cloudy out, but he still needs the sunglasses he borrowed from Diana ages ago, that take up half his face; and he pulls a cap down low over his ears and forehead, too, for good measure.

On the other hand, he didn’t say a thing last night that wasn’t true, and that feels so good he’s almost drunk on it.

There’s warmth in his belly that’s more than blood.

Karim leans forward, cradling the still-hot mug against his chest, and squints down at the street below him. There’s a little shop on the corner, where he goes for batteries sometimes; they sell some simple groceries. Karim’s never had a reason to buy them before. He can’t think of any reason he’d like better than this.

----

Art wakes up with a screaming headache and absolutely no idea where he is.

Which. What he’s learning—what it feels like it’s taking him forever to learn—is that no matter how many times you wake up naked on someone else’s couch and don’t remember how you got there, it never gets easier or better.

And then he does remember. And that’s much worse.

----

Karim pauses inside the door, in the act of setting down the single bag of food and drink he’s bought. He’s just realized that orange juice belongs in the refrigerator, and he doesn’t actually have one of those. He doesn’t eat, and it hadn’t seemed worth the electricity.

Possibly the boy can drink it all in one go? It’s been so long since Karim’s drunk anything that comes out of a bottle, he isn’t actually sure how much—

He’s still standing there, in the doorway, holding Diana’s sunglasses in one hand and the carton in the other, and then a lamp hits him in the side of his head.

It doesn’t hit hard enough to rock him backward, but it does crack in half, and land at his feet in three big pieces.

Karim stares for a moment, down at the wreckage, and then up to the bathroom doorway, where the boy he picked up from the docks is standing. He’s wearing his sweatshirt again, and he’s trembling.

“What was that for?” says Karim. The boy’s face twists.

“We had a deal,” the boy says, and that’s when Karim realizes that the boy is shaking because he’s very, very angry.

“…Huh?” Karim says. It’s the wrong answer, apparently; the boy makes an unintelligible noise and lunges for a ceramic vase sitting on a nearby end table. Karim scrambles to set the orange juice and sunglasses down (Diana likes these glasses, and she’s terrifying when she’s angry) and throw his hands up in surrender. “Woah—Hey wait!” The boy pauses, holding the vase like a grenade. He’s swaying slightly under its weight. Presumably like someone who’s lost about a liter and a half of blood. Karim kind of can’t believe he’s even on his feet right now.

“…I bought you some orange juice,” Karim says, hesitantly. “The internet says it’s good for—”

The boy throws the vase.

“Oh my god!” Karim says, ducking into the kitchen, more by instinct than any actual fear of injury. (He is full of blood and almost indestructible; and also the boy aims like someone who has lost thirty percent of their blood by volume.) “What is your problem?”

The boy gapes at Karim, and has to grab the bathroom doorway to steady himself.

“My problem,” he gasps, sounding like he wants to shout it but is too out of breath. “Did I fucking stutter last night, you asshole?” He presses his hand to his temple and closes his eyes; his head must feel like a rotten melon by now. “What part of dead by sunrise was too fucking complicated for you?”

Karim blinks at the boy. Feels borrowed blood rise into his cheeks.

“Oh, that,” Karim says. “I, um…” He has no idea what to say. “…Sorry?”

His apology—which is half-hearted, admittedly; for once it hadn’t even occurred to him to feel guilty about this—hits the boy like a blow to the stomach, and the boy covers his face with one hand and slides down the bathroom doorframe until he’s sitting in a little heap on the floor. Wearing his still-damp sweatshirt and nothing else, his bare legs splayed out to either side. He looks—small, and less alive, and ah yes, there’s the guilt Karim has been missing.

“—so fucking stupid,” the boy mutters, into his hand.

Karim puts the juice down on the counter. He wants to move closer, but that cannot possibly be what the boy wants right now.

“God dammit,” the boy says, and he turns away from Karim, and climbs forward, easing himself back up to his feet against the wall. “Fuck this,” he says, and then Karim realizes he’s crawling-stumbling-falling toward the door, like he’s going to leave that way, swaying and half-naked.

“Woah,” Karim says, darting out to catch at the boy’s shoulder, “Hold on a s—”

“Don’t fucking touch me,” the boy spits, spinning away from Karim’s touch. His back is against the front door again, like it was when he opened up so sweet and easy under Karim’s mouth and hands—what, six hours ago? Less? The boy is incandescent with rage for a second, his eyes—they’re green, an ordinary alive-person green, shot through with brown, and achingly pretty—almost glowing with it, and then his face shutters like an empty house and he says, voice cold and precise, “Get out of my way.”

Karim hadn’t even realized he was in his way. But the door opens in, so the boy really can’t get out unless Karim moves. Karim holds his hands up instead, leaning back out of the boy’s space.

“Just—just wait a second, okay?” Karim says. He tries to pitch his voice as low and nonthreatening as possible, like he isn’t looming over the boy whether he wants to or not. “Let’s just—can we just talk about this for a second.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” the boy says. He’s supporting himself against the door, but if Karim didn’t already know he wouldn’t guess how unsteady on his feet the boy is; his voice is steady and flat and colder than Father’s basement in January. “It’s my own fault for being so fucking dumb and gullible, fair enough, glad that worked out for you, now back the fuck off.” That last part is said with so much sudden venom that Karim actually does stumble back a step without really meaning to.

“Gullible,” Karim repeats stupidly, like if he can understand just one word of what the boy is yelling at him this will all make sense suddenly. And then—suddenly—it does, and he gapes at the boy.

“Wait,” Karim says. “Do you—you think I was lying?” He almost expects the boy to deny it, except the boy is still giving him that same flat, blank look (with incomprehensible emotion underneath it, disgust and anger and maybe even hurt). “What—why on earth would I have—”

The boy looks at him. There are splotches of color in his cheeks, and his eyes are slightly too bright, and when Karim stares at him he tugs the hem of his sweatshirt down just a little farther, like he’s trying to cover his ass.

Karim takes a step back, dropping his hands to his sides.

“I wasn’t,” he says, nonsensically. “This is—Boy. I swear to you. I did not say a single thing last night that wasn’t true.”

There are big raised welts on either side of the boy’s throat, where Karim’s fangs went into him last night. The boy must have seen them, if he was in the bathroom; his reflection works just fine. They don’t look like hickeys or bruises or anything other than what they are. There’s no way the boy shouldn’t believe him, this one time when he only took what was given willingly, and not even all of that. There’s no way—

“Then explain it to me, asshole,” the boy says, and his voice is shaky with unshed tears. “Explain the world where everything you said is true, and I’m not dead yet.”

Karim wants—Karim wants. Karim wants to reach out and touch the boy. Karim wants to hold the boy gently, wants to wrap him up in something warm and safe until he tells him why he talks that way, why he wants to give his life—this thing he has that Karim doesn’t, that Karim won’t ever again—away so badly his voice trembles like that whenever he talks about it.

“It’s,” Karim says. His Father is always in despair about how bad he is with words. “Well, it’s just—I like you.”

Karim hasn’t told a lie in almost eight hours, now. This isn’t a lie, either.

The boy’s eyes go wide, surprise and then fear and then anger, and then without warning he dives down, flops onto his knees, grabs a shard of the shattered vase, and jerks it toward his own throat.

“No!” Karim grabs the boy’s wrist, too hard; it creaks alarmingly in his grasp, but the jagged ceramic piece falls from his hand and clatters to the ground. He wants to let go—the boy is far too still, his eyes too wide, and Karim already knows his wrist will bruise—but he can’t. There’s too much broken pottery and glass, and the boy is such a fragile thing.

The boy stares up at Karim. He is kneeling wide-eyed at Karim’s feet, and Karim can hear his shallow too-fast breath and his hummingbird heart, and it is almost more than he can bear.

The boy doesn’t scream, though; he doesn’t even call Karim a monster, or any of the other things Karim deserves. What he says, his voice tight, is, “They’ll find me,” and then, soft and desperate, meeting Karim’s light bulb eyes with his pretty dull alive ones, “Please.”

Karim doesn’t let go of the boy’s wrist. He gets carefully to his knees beside him, instead, meeting the boy’s gaze like it doesn’t even hurt.

“I’ve been killing in this city for nine years now,” he says, and there’s fear in the boy’s eyes, but still no fear of him. “They’ve never caught me.”

The boy’s eyes flicker. Karim has no idea with what. But this is the moment. He throws caution to the winds.

“Give me a week,” he says.

The boy stares at him.

“I like you,” he says again. The boy’s pounding heart hasn’t sped or slowed, so Karim keeps going. “You’re—I’ve never met anyone like you.” That’s true, like everything else he’s said, but he knows the boy won’t like it, so he presses ahead, fighting hard not to trip over his words. “I want to spend a week with you. Not to—we can do whatever you want. I won’t touch any way you don’t want me to. I know how to hide in this city better than anyone, no one will know where you are. And at the end of the week—” He swallows; he doesn’t want this to be a lie, but also the thought of it turns his stomach; he makes himself say it anyway. “And at the end of the week, I’ll kill you any way you ask me to. I promise.”

There’s a too-long moment of silence. The boy’s heart flutters painfully, and neither of them blink.

“…a week,” the boy says slowly, after an eternity.

Karim nods, maybe frantically.

The boy pulls his hand delicately out of Karim’s grip; Karim, useless heart pounding, lets him.

“For a week,” the boy says, “you’d better give me the flashiest murder scene in history.”

Karim grins, so hard it almost hurts his face. “Flashy,” he says, giddy and stupid. “I can do that.”

#and then you kill me #vampire whump #emotional whump #blood loss #suicidal whumpee #guilt and self hate #misunderstandings #the morning after #self destructive behavior #sexy vampires #whump #original whump #suicide tw

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fallingin-like · 4 years

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november 17

above the clouds by @gluupor [requested by @fuzzballsheltiepants]

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post!

this is an absolutely amazing fic that features airships, android!neil, and fantastic world-building. it’s a really fun and adventurous read, but still contains enough angst to break your heart. if you haven’t read this yet, drop everything and read it now. if you have read it, read it again.

okay i enjoyed this fic so much that i cannot put it in words. i remember when i first read it, i always get so excited when i see that you’ve posted and i read it in an hour, the time passing by so quickly. i couldn’t pull myself away and was reluctant to go back to real life after i finished reading. all your characters are so entertaining and as always, are integrated so nicely into this au.

things that stood out to me:

”over the khazak grass plains, year 1424 new era (ne), january” i just think that this adds a lot to the story so efficiently. we have a location and time and i just feel like this sort of title/header establishes a tone (makes me feel a steampunk/sci-fi kind of vibe). i’d be interested in how you came up with which locations and years to use?

”andrew shut off the engines and revelled in the silence. he could still hear the mechanical noises that resulted from keeping the gasbag at the appropriate pressure to maintain their altitude, but it was as quiet as it got aboard an airship.” i love this, mostly because i can relate to it? i’m really used to driving with music on, but lately i’ve been turning off the radio and driving in silence which is a really interesting experience, especially since i drive an electric car for work which is really quiet most of the time. also it introduces us to the airship!

”neil would eventually man the flight deck for night watch as he didn’t require any sleep” i am immediately invested in this version of neil and want to know EVERYTHING that he is capable of doing

andrew is wearing a scarf that nicky knitted for him!!! that is adorable! both nicky doing this for andrew, but also andrew wearing it!

your description of the monster is amazing. i would love to explore it. on the ground though (i am afraid of heights and not as brave as andrew lol) i saw that you were inspired by the mortal engine series and i can definitely see aspects of this both here and in later portions of the fic although i only watched the movie which was… interesting haha. were there any other sources of inspiration? i found that this reminds me a little of the films ‘alita, battle angel’, and a little bit of ‘castle in the sky’ as well

having little glowing things in their lamps instead of fire? woah that’s so cool

”neil was futzing around inside it with a tiny screwdriver” LOVE the word futzing. i’ve not heard it before, but it feels right. also it’s kind of cute that they are all helping each other out on the ship

algae bricks and beetle bricks? do they just,,, bite into it? because that feels so chaotic to me. lol mix into water and make it into mush? i am currently very grateful for the food i have

”jealous, aaron? don’t worry; i’ll come service you once i’ve got andrew settled tonight.” NEIL, YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME

”’better do it in the reclaimer,’ said kevin, taking him literally. ‘we need to preserve water if we’re headed to palmetto before our next resupply.’” one of the many things that i love about your writing is your amazing characterization of mr kevin day. what a legend

”he wasn’t entirely sure why he wasn’t telling the others about wymack’s summons; there was something about it that put him on edge and he wanted to keep it to himself for now.” oh nO this is bad news!! you did a great job of introducing this undercurrent of worry into a scene that had just been so light and funny

“‘yes, i did,’ said andrew, keeping his voice steady. ‘last week before we headed into the plains.’” my stomach dropped at this point, memory problems are always so scary because it’s so hard to tell what the source of the problem is. andrew’s calmness is directly contrasting this, but it feels like it takes effort which is even scarier!

”andrew had spent his childhood shutting down any emotions. they’d been a liability in the type of life he’d led” and ”he had been destined for a short life with a brutal end. sometimes that seemed preferable to how much caring about other people could hurt. he often cursed those responsible for how his life had changed” ahhh this is so sad, but also really soft? because he’s come so far? and he’s opened himself up and let himself be vulnerable by caring

hearing the backstory of the twins is so interesting to me, you do a great job at both establishing this world that these characters are living in and how they fit in with it

”andrew was left with little choice but to do something nice to shut him up” i think this is one of the most andrew-like sentences to be ever written haha

”by all rights he should have died in the slums, but instead-and andrew was never sure exactly how he’d done it-he’d attached himself to andrew and aaron, like a barnacle that they couldn’t remove and grudgingly came to care about” cute!!! the tone is really andrew-like too

woah all these languages are pretty cool! i like the idea of having a common trading language, and the idea of having mandonese and spanglish is interesting.

”that seedy is mine” I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THIS AT FIRST BUT THIS IS SO FUNNY. lowkey reminds me of the lego movie haha. also seems fitting of kevin to collect ancient artifacts, even if he doesn’t really know what they do

ANDREW AND AARON AS GANG LEADERS YES PLEASE. i absolutely love it when people have such a great reputation. very exciting to hear that drake is not going to be an issue in this fic!!! wait a second… andrew and aaron were 16? so small!

hmmm i am interested how kevin got stuck in shanghai?

bad news that wymack is asking neil to stay on the ship. all this mystery and hiding is making me feel like things are not looking so good

”he’d forgotten again that it was bee whom andrew wanted him to see” NOOOOO

ohmygoodness the usbee. do they pronounce it uzz-bee? because that’s definitely how i picture them saying it and it is so funny to me.

”i informed you that people are after you because i actually care about what happens to you, you miserable little gremlin” i really can never say it enough, but i love the way you use affectionate insults like this so so much.

”’oh, you know,’ said andrew idly, ‘those that slay together slay together.’” NO BIG DEAL.

”a nobody who got the drop on you. better luck next time” NEIL I KNOW THAT YOU REALLY CAN’T HELP IT BUT PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF AROUND SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW IS SO DANGEROUS

”’this time, it was eavesdropping,’ said neil brightly” he’s so enthusiastic!! cute!!

”how do you travel now?” i am also interested in this!! for all i know, he just slides through shadows and pops up wherever andrew is haha

”neil flicked his fingers dismissively. andrew’s eyes narrowed at the performance. he wasn’t this dramatic, was he?” i am very sorry to break it to you, but andrew minyard you are one of the most dramatic people ever

ooooh dang neil is good. does his android body not process poison? also where did he get the knowledge that andrew was going to be set up anyway?

”within a few hours neil had forgotten the whole conversation, but he retained the knowledge that andrew had forced him to see bee and wasn’t happy about it” noooo why is this happening, it’s so heartbreaking to see neil forgetting things (also feels extra-bad because alzheimer’s runs in my family and this could definitely be me in the future which is Scary) and i Hate when andrew and neil are fighting because andrew is just trying to take care of neil!!! ;-;

”mickey, the mouse-shaped god of old america” OHMYGOODNESS

as startling it must have been to andrew, hearing about the moriyamas previously owning neil, i’m curious what was going through neil’s mind during this conversation. it must be so disorienting, not remembering your past. all of a sudden, you just started existing

”’shoot them. escape on the monster,’ said andrew. that was their usual plan for hostility they didn’t want to deal with.” i mean, i guess that’s a pretty solid plan. LOL

ohmygoodness katelyn also having red hair and blue eyes? “andrew always pretended not to notice that he and aaron had suspiciously similar taste in people, gender notwithstanding” LOLOL

”neil’s tension was ratcheting higher the longer they stayed in the region, something which he wouldn’t explain to andrew’s satisfaction.” ahhhh we! need! better! communication! what is neil hiding?

I HATE THAT NATHAN IS GOOD AT ACTING. YOU MAKE ME WANT TO BELIEVE HIM SO BAD EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HE’S LIKE SUPER SUPER EVIL AND IS GOING TO HURT EVERYONE NEIL AND ANDREW KNOW.

thank you andrew for knowing better and for always thinking ahead. i feel like i can really trust you to take care of neil (and you, gluupor to take care of these characters even if sometimes you break my heart while doing so)

andrew: mawp mawp mawp mawp mawp mawp (LOVE THIS)

”wymack had always said it was because andrew had a death wish but it was really just because he liked going fast” this is really cute! both in this fic and in the series, andrew is like this and he had so little enjoyment as a child, was forced to grow up so quickly, and i’m grateful that he gets to have these little things

”’’M not,’ muttered andrew, too hot to put any effort into lying” so cute!!!

”stop and take a look? sure, why not? i don’t think we’ve got anything else pressing taking up our time right now” I CANNOT GET OVER HOW FUNNY THIS FIC IS

”’old news,’ said aaron. ‘we’ve moved on. now we’ve decided to crash into the sea’” it turns out that sometimes i actually really like aaron! now is one of those times.

oh my goodness, neil speaking only spanglish and BITING. “neil spat several curses at him before literally spitting as well” the scary thing is, this is still in character for neil haha

that’s so sweet of wymack to give andrew his ship!! ahh he’s such a soft character and i’m glad that all the foxes have someone who is taking care of them

what a beautiful way to wrap up this fic! also i feel strangely glad that nathan wasn’t actually the one to invent the tech needed to create neil. he’s too gross and evil to create such an intricate and wonderful person like neil.

BURIED IN ASH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS WHAT

WAIT VALLEY OF SILICA LOL

oh dang yellowstone supervolcano. i’ve learned a tiny tiny bit about that and it’s actually pretty scary thinking about the consequences of it erupting and also knowing there is basically nothing we can do to stop that from happening and also very little we can do to predict it

andrew and neil are so so cute ahhh

also quick shoutout to the amazing art featured in this fic! so beautiful.

i love the flashbacks that you include. they provide valuable information and understanding of how the characters have developed, but it also gives a bit of a break from the intensity of the main plot. we get a little time to breathe and recover.

as the story travelled to different areas of the world, it was really interesting to see how you included history into it. i think my favourite story was the volcano and the ash-winter that followed. kind of scary to think of the possibility of that actually happening, because even though we have pretty cool tech, i don’t think things would go well. you do such a great job with your world-building, i never found myself confused about what was happening, the geography of it, the new tech, and the politics. i loved how you were able to smoothly include canon events/characters/things and have it work so well within this au.your descriptions are so so good and make this fic really immersive, i feel like i’m experiencing them with the characters.

definitely one of my favourite things about your writing is how you consistently do such an amazing job of incorporating humour and little character quirks into the fic. it really shows how much skill and talent you have because it’s always effortless and reads so easily. it fits well with the characterization and tone of your fics. i will forever be a fan of your dialogue and all the interactions between everyone seemed so realistic.

i’m continually impressed by your consistently marvelous storytelling. you manage to captivate me no matter what subject you choose. thank you so much for writing this!!

#above the clouds #aftg fic review #raelle writes

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calistapledger · 7 years

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

“What. The. Fuck?” was all I had to say when Dominic’s voice announced that Annelise was the new Queen on the screen. Poor Izzy and Vad, they were robbed. At least if either of them were picked, the kingdom would been in good hands, but now? Annelise barely ever said anything. I can’t trust a Queen who I never knew. Aly, who had his arm lazily slung around me, sat up at the profanity. “I don't think I've heard you swear before.” I pointed frantically at the screen. “HE'S AN IDIOT FOR NOT PICKING VAD OR IZZY!” I stood up abruptly, remembering the two girls and made my way to the phone. I waited as the phone rang. She finally picked up on the third ring. “Izzy? Is that you??” I had to make sure, the last time I called Cia I had dialled the wrong number. “Yes it's me. Cal! You won't believe this, Dom made his final decision.” “Yeah I saw, and Aly called me out for swearing, what a wuss! Are you okay? I want to beat his royal ass.” Sympathy rung clear in my tone. She laughed before responding, I liked cheering her up even momentarily. “It's good to hear you and Aly are still close.” She sighs, resigned. “Yes I'm fine I guess. I should have seen this coming.” “Oh! I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry, you were all so busy with the Selection. I should have called. I'm studying in Angeles Uni now! And I've just moved in with Aly recently. I thought either you or Vad would be a shoo in for Queen.” “Oh my god Cal! You moved in with him! That's amazing!” I smiled, knowing news about Aly and I would make her happy. She has always been his number one fan along with Cia. “It's not that amazing, we aren't getting married or anything. It was convenient since the dorm room fees were going up. But yeah it's been fun living with him. So what are you going to do now?” “You will get married in the future! I tell you that. I don't know what to do, I'm still in Angeles right now.” I rolled my eyes at the marriage remark. I widened my eyes when she mentioned still being in Angeles. Now, I had to visit her. “Maybe I don't want to get married.” I said in a cheeky manner before revealing my excitement with her still in town. “YOU'RE STILL HERE? I'M COMING OVER, which hotel are you at?” “It's called The Xhibition.” Her laughter was like having endorphins pumped into your brain, you could be at your absolute worse, yet Izzy’s laughter can cure it. “I know where that is! I'll be right over, stay put Faulker, your human care package is coming over.” I turned away from the receiver to yell at Aly, “ALY I'M GOING OUT TO MEET IZZY!” “I’m right here, darling.” He said from the couch. I forgot he was by my side moments ago. I smiled cheekily before kissing him on the cheek. I then went to get ready and made my way to her hotel. *** Within 20 minutes, I was in her room, raving about the treatment I received. “Izzy, they knew me as a Selected and let me right up. It's amazing.” “All the benefits of being a former Selected.” She chuckled while I smirked lazily. “Being a Ledger never had these perks.” I navigated her bed, sat on t and patted the spot next to me. When the bed dipped with her weight, I turned to her seriously, “Now, are you really okay?” “To be honest, he did break my heart and I was hurt. But someone really nice helped me to sort my feelings and emotions out and now I'm okay.” “Awww, come here you.” I hug her tightly, “He doesn't deserve you, an absolute sweetheart. You should take all the time you need to feel better but may I ask who helped you with your emotions? Debs?” I had my suspicions that it wasn't Deb but I didn't want to assume otherwise. “No, not Debbie.” She smiles nonchalantly. “Just some guard.” Her voice lightened up when talking about the guard. I giggled, because it reminded me of me when I first took a liking to Aly. “I know I shouldn't be encouraging this because you do need time to heal, but he doesn't sound like some guard to me.” “Aw Cal, I'll be fine and he's my friend so we will see. You go focus on you and Aly, and keep me updated.” She made it sound like goodbye and I teasingly narrowed my eyes at her. “Isabella Melisende Faulkner, are you kicking me out?” “No, no! You're more than welcome to stay.” I could tell she was smiling kindly. Then we hear a crash, I turn to see a figure sprawled onto the floor. “Cal, you should meet someone…” She says shyly. I quickly connect the dots and follow the man’s silhouette as he gets up from the door. I clicked my tongue at him at my revelation. “Ah, so you're the reason Izzy is kicking me out.” I have never heard anyone whip their head towards me as fast as Izzy did when I made that faux accusation. “No no, I'm not kicking you out. Thomas was just leaving.” She turns back to Thomas and I assume she was gesturing to him to leave. I tittered at the gesture before assuring her. “Iz, I was teasing. You deserve to be happy, like how you and the girls helped me with Aly, I'll leave you two be.” I looked over at Thomas’s blurry silhouette, “Hurt her and I will kill you. Just because I'm blind doesn't make me less of a threat.” I give him my sickly sweet smile. “Bye now, promise you'll visit Aly and I soon, I'll text you our address.” I turned to smile at Iz normally and hug her tightly. “Cal you're crazy! And yes I promise I will visit you!” “That's why you love me.” I winked at her. I passed her, her care package and said my final goodbyes and left. One girl done, one more to go. *** I was worried about Vad. Izzy liked Dom but I’m sure Vad was in love with him. I mentally prepared myself to tread carefully with her as I waited for her to pick up my call. “Hey Vad, is that you? I'm really sorry I've only now used your number. I just heard the news and honestly, What the fuck.” It was incredibly liberating to swear. I remember the girl from Bonita who first entered The Selection; so innocent and naive. Primp and proper, God, how was I ever that girl? “Hello to you too, Cal!” “Are you doing okay? I know how much you liked him.” “Don't worry about me. Sure, my feelings got hurt, but hey, that's just how things like the Selection work.” She sounded incredibly dejected. I felt awful, I wish I could ease her pain. “I'd like to very much beat up his royal ass.” I tried to lighten the mood. “Don't bother, I'll move on someday.” “Well who says we can't start the process now? I just ended my visit with Izzy, are you still in Angeles?” This girl needed cheering up and I planned to act as her Fairy Godmother of Moving On for the day. “Yes! I still am! I'm at the Hotel Gautier!” “I'll grab a cab over, I'm not sure that is. Stay put, Leventhorpe and be ready to be pampered.” I giggled and she laughed along before responding, “Well, Ledger! Get ready for one of the craziest days of your life too.” She was truly an amazing girl, my only regret now was not spending enough time with her during the Selection. 20 minutes later, I was in her room, repeating my raving to Vad. “I still cannot get over the perks of being a former Selected, they recognised me instantly and gave me your room key!” She came closer and opened her arms to me. “Well, you're definitely one of the more unique girls! It's so nice to see you!” “Aww you are too. It's great seeing you. Again I apologise for not contacting you since I left, it's been crazy and I can tell you all about that later but first, I brought you something!” I hand over the care package. While Izzy’s was filled with muffins and lovely smelling soaps and other items of soft pampering, I got Vad some hard hitting stuff. It reflected their personalities and also it was a scale of how much moving on they had to do. “It's everything you need to get over that ass.” “Is it Vodka? I'm kidding, you're too sweet for giving me this!” I was right to get her alcohol. “More like Vadka,” I giggled before listing the other items in the package, “and ice cream, facial masks and trashy magazines. This is the royal treatment you deserve.” “Aweeee, thank you so much!! Now, I want to hear about what you've been up to since you've left!” We moved to her bed for a good ole catching up session. I breathed in deeply before delving into the shit show that was my love story with Aly. She listened intently, providing encouraging comments when appropriate. She congratulated me on being accepted into Angeles Uni and told me that Aly sounds sweet. Honestly, where was I when this girl was in the Palace? She was a saint and Dominic was an idiot for letting her go. “I'd love to meet this "Aly" sometime! But wow, what are you studying? Engineering?” “He's working today unfortunately. Yep engineering is my major and I'm minoring in Creative Writing, my brother actually shares the same class it was a huge surprise.” I remembered Eurus almost picking a fight with Aly and shook my head, shaking away the memory. “Well, maybe I could meet Aly the next time I visit Angeles. It's great to hear that you're here with family too!” “'Visit'? This isn't permanent?” I could hear my own voice drop with disappointment. “I'm going back to college in Hudson this January, actually.” She turned her head away, probably to hide tears, I don’t know why I can’t see them. “And, I'll be visiting my sisters in Europe for the next three months. I feel like it's good to lay low for the next few months.” “Aww no here I thought I could call you up if Aly and I decide to elope. I giggled to lighten the mood. “Laying low would probably be best, I'm going to miss you.” “I just need to stay away from anything about the Selection, but if you do need a wedding planner, you could always call me! I'll be happy to flyback for you.” “Awww thank you! But Aly and I are taking it slow but I'll hit you up if I ever come to Europe in the next few months.” We hugged it out and as I pulled away, I smirked at her. “So craziest day of my life huh? I feel like we're just gonna drink and watch stupid movies.” “Well, I was thinking of shopping, drinking, and stupid movies... so you're 67% right.” She laughed, she really as obsessed with her stats. While Izzy’s laugh was endorphins, Vad’s was like Christmas bells. Sometimes, it was comforting to just be able to listen rather than see. “Oh no, shopping...I'll be honest I've never been much of a shopper.” My tone was sheepish. “You're with me! Shopping is one of my favorite past times!” Why wasn’t I surprised? “How do you handle all the walking?” I chuckled. “Very comfortable shoes.” She laughs. We spent the rest of the day playing drinking games, - the amount of scandalous things I found out about her - watching Disney movies because those are the best and we ended the day with shopping. I was extremely exhausted but Vad had picked amazing outfits for me, well according to her. I could only see so much but I’ll admit the colours were fabulous. I practically collapsed by the time I reached home. As always, Aly was there to catch me. “Promise me, you’ll do all future shopping. It is extremely exhausting.” He could only laugh at that as he pulled me into a comforting hug. It felt nice to be in his arms and not dying under the weight of shopping bags. Vad held onto 20 bags effortlessly, it was astonishing. “Come on, let's get you to bed, sleepyhead.” He lifted me bridal style and walked towards our bedroom. “Thank you, Wakeyhead. I love you.” “Wakeyhead? That's new. I love you too.” I was fast asleep in his arms before we even reached the bed.

#Calista P Ledger #Girls Just Wanna Have Fun #selectionoc #fic #Calystair #Evadne Leventhorpe #Isabella Faulkner #Vad and Izzy

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thephotopitmagazine · 4 years

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“You don’t stay in the music industry for 25 years because you love the music industry. You do it because you love music.” – Robb Flynn

Truer words couldn’t have been spoken that night by the lead vocalist of Machine Head. The metal band from Oakland, CA formed back in 1991 and released their first studio album Burn My Eyes back in 1994. The album was a huge success for them and they went on to release 8 more studio albums, live DVDs and two live albums. The most recent album they released was Catharsis on January 26, 2018. Over the years the band member line up has changed leaving Robb Flynn as the only remaining original member. After the band toured for Catharsis they took a break and decided to head back out to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Burn My Eyes. And they had some special surprises for the fans attending this tour. First, it was just Machine Head with no supporting acts. Three hours of Machine Head music. Second, the band would play the entire album of Burn My Eyes in its entirety. Machine Head is Robb Flynn (vocals, guitar), Waclaw Kieltyka (guitar), Jared MacEachern (bass), and Matt Alston (drums). I was fortunate enough to review their show at House of Blues Orlando on January 26th.

It’s rare to get a band willing to play a full three hours without support bands. The last band I saw to do that was Rush, so I was excited to get a full three hours of Machine Head music. We were told there would be a short intermission between sets with the second set being Burn My Eyes. There was a solid crowd waiting patiently for the band to take the stage. The lights dropped a track of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” played as the band took the stage. And when they did take the stage there was a huge roar from the crowd. You could tell these were true hardcore fans of Machine Head and the smile on Robb’s face showed how pleased he was to see such a great crowd. They kicked off their set with “Imperium” from their 2003 album Through the Ashes of Empires. With thunderous drums and heavy ripping guitars, the fans immediately started moshing and jumping on the floor. Robb’s guttural voice echoed through the venue. They followed up with “Take My Scars” from The More Things Change… from 1997.

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Metal Head was full steam ahead rocking the fans out with a selection of great music. Robb was quite impressed with the mosh pit asking them to “open that circle pit up!” and urging them to mosh harder and faster. He asked at one point how many hardcore original Machine Head fans were there and about less than half the crowd cheered. When he asked who was there seeing Machine Head for the first time, the majority of the crowd roared, which made him smile and say, “Welcome to the Machine Head family!” I was very pleased to hear them play “Locust” and “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)”. What really thrilled me was having them play “Aesthetics of Hate” and giving Waclaw the opportunity to perform a phenomenal guitar solo with a spotlight focused on him. There are not enough metal shows that include guitar solos. I don’t know why these seem to have disappeared from the format of shows, but it was great that Machine Head let Waclaw show off his guitar shredding skills.

Robb then came out with an acoustic guitar to talk to the crowd about various things, strumming the guitar every so often to keep the one-note going. During this, he explained the story on how Machine Head had been banned from House of Blues Orlando after their 2014 performance stating that the management didn’t appreciate their outspoken views on war, politics, and such. But, the powers of be changed somewhere and invited Machine Head to return and after 16 years of being banned they were thrilled to play on the House of Blues Orlando stage once more. This drove a huge cheer from the crowd. It was at this point where he talked about how we gather together for the love of our music and to forget about things in the real world for a while. During this time is when Robb also stated “You don’t stay in the music industry for 25 years because you love the music industry. You do it because you love music.” Right after they broke into “Darkness Within” from Unto The Locust. Robb led the House of Blues Orlando crowd into a “Ohhhhhhhh” held out note and got them to continue it for at least two minutes. It was so cool to watch and see a huge grin on his face, to which he thanked the crowd for doing it.

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They finished off the first set with their cover of Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name” from The Blackening and then “Halo” also from the same album. During the end of “Halo” they fired off confetti into the crowd along with firing off the fog machines on stage for a glorious sight and wrap to their set. Robb announced they were taking a 10-minute break and for the crowd to stay where they are. Their full setlist from Set 1 was:

Imperium

Take My Scars

Now We Die

Beautiful Morning

Locust

I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)

Aesthetics of Hate (with guitar solo)

Darkness Within

Catharsis

From This Day

Ten Ton Hammer

Is There Anybody Out There?

Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)

Halo

It was now time for Set 2, which would be the entirety of Burn My Eyes. I was thrilled to get to hear this album from cover to cover live. This album sold over 400,000 copies when it was published under Roadrunner Records in 1994. At the time it was Roadrunner Record’s best selling album for a debut band. The album tracks speak up to unfortunate events like the L.A. Riots and the Waco siege along with raising awareness to physical, mental, and substance abuse. It is a masterpiece of music and lyrics and now the crowd would get to hear it from beginning to end live. But, for those who didn’t know, the other surprise Machine Head had that night was performing Set 2 would be original guitarist Logan Bader (replacing Waclaw for this set) and original drummer Chris Kontos (replacing Matt for this set).

They all walked out bare-chested (though Robb still had on his denim vest) to a track of “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies” which is track 10 of the album. So if they were playing over the speakers, what would take it’s place during the play of the album? They kicked it off with “Davidian” the song about the Waco siege of 1993. It’s a solid song the Machine Head was on fire with Robb belting out lyrics, Logan doing jumps as he played, Jared going hard and heavy on the bass, and Chris banging out the drum notes. It ran goosebumps up my arm. They immediately followed into “Old” keeping the vibe going in the venue. The crowd was absolutely loving this with the hardcore Machine Head fans moshing in the pit hard. Robb once again urged them to open the pit up wanting to see the biggest circle pit ever. He was also pleased to see how many women came out to see them. He said the tour so far has been “a sausage fest” and he appreciates seeing the female Machine Head fans coming out to party on a Sunday night. He asked for the women in the crowd to scream and nodded and smiled at the loud screams from the ladies.

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I found myself headbanging and singing along to them along with the fans standing near me. I could feel myself smiling through this set getting to experience this unique opportunity. Robb called out for the crowd surfers since he hadn’t seen any all night and they started showing up fast. Between the mosh pit and the crowd surfers the energy from this House of Blues Orlando crowd was magnetic. It was as the fans kept feeding off each other’s energy and that kept feeding Machine Head to play on through the night.

When they reached the track where “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies” hit, the band had a surprise for the fans. Chris Kontos started it off with a little drum solo of Rush’s “The Rhythm Method” paying homage to their drummer Neil Peart who passed away on January 7, 2020. I felt my eyes water hearing those notes as I am a huge Rush fan and knowing I’d never hear Neil play that every again live. Chris started off a drumbeat that sounded familiar, but it wasn’t until I heard the guitars did I recognize it as Metallica’s “Sanitarium”. They ripped out that song with all of them doing a great cover and then jumped into a short bit of “Angry Chair” by Alice in Chains. Machine Head jumped into Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy” which really had the crowd moving hard and then switched into Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” which got the crowd even more hyped up. But, the crowd truly went nuts when Robb said “Who doesn’t like some SLAYER!?” and performed some “South of Heaven” and finished with “Raining Blood”. It was by far one of the best musical medleys I’ve ever seen performed.

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Machine Head finished out the set with “Block” and thanked the crowd from coming out, got a picture of the crowd, and then started throwing out handfuls of guitar picks, drumsticks, and signed drumheads. I was lucky enough to get one of the picks that was unique for this Florida show. Their full setlist for Set 2 was:

Davidian

Old

A Thousand Lies

None but My Own

The Rage to Overcome

Death Church

A Nation on Fire

Blood for Blood

I’m Your God Now

Sanitarium/Angry Chair/Seek & Destroy/Bulls on Parade/South of Heaven/Raining Blood

Block

You can find Machine Head’s music and merchandise HERE.

Three hours, 25 songs, and a crowd filled with energy and enthusiasm. I cannot describe the level of excellence of this Machine Head performance. THIS is what a metal show should be. This was definitely one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Do yourself a favor and catch them if they are on tour by a city near you.

From The Pit To The Crowd: Machine Head – House of Blues Orlando – Lake Buena Vista, FL – January 26, 2020 "You don't stay in the music industry for 25 years because you love the music industry. You do it because you love music." - …

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cataleena-blog1 · 6 years

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Background Story

Kim Ji Hye Elouise Cataleena Fleu 3rd January 1995 Current FC: Kang Seulgi

Early years: Paris

In one of the hospital room in Paris, at early dawn of the 3rd January 1995, a little girl was born, and that little baby was named Kim Ji Hye. Her parents are originally from Korea and were currently residing in Paris. Her dad is in the hospitality industry and he was working in one of reputable hotel in Paris. He was there to prove himself, that he could be successful without any of his family’s influences. So Elouise as her firstborn, arrived in the world in Paris and her French God-parents gave her a french name: Elouise Cataleena Fleu.

Younger days, back to Korea.

Not long after Elouise turned five years old, the small family was called back to Korea. At that time her dad was finally trusted by her Grandfather to be involved in the family hotel business.

When Elouise turned 10 years old, unfortunately, her birth mother passed away due to serious illness. And that had affected her in so many ways. Especially because her mother was the only source of love in her family, where love is a rare commodity. Her dad was too preoccupied with work, trying his best to not disappoint anyone and his grandparents are the old-fashioned type, who kept criticizing everybody including Eleanor everytime they met, from Eleanor’s hair is not well groomed, to the way she speaks or even the way she moves her legs.

Elouise’s mom and dad.

Elouise’s mother is Park Soo-hee, she came from a small family, not too well-off but was closed knitted and loving. She ran a flower shop when she met Elouise’s Dad. He has come down to order a bouquet for his mother’s birthday. And that instant moment has inevitably planted seed in their relationship. A timid and serious guy like her dad found the little cheerful florist Park Soo Hee just like the color that he has craved in his black and white life.

Her Dad is Kim Ji Sub, born as chaebol, he is the sole son of Kim Hotel Group. Kim Hotel Group is a five-star-hotel group chain; it has fifteen hotels/resorts spreads in Asia. He is a quiet man yet ambitious, always tries his best to prove himself in front the shareholders (which mainly consists of his extended family) and his own parents as he doesn’t want to be labeled as unworthy predecessor.

Their marriage was not easily approved, yet their love and determination conquered it all.

Growing up in Kim Family

Elouise grew up in a tough family, his dad always wants the best for his one and only child, history seems to repeat itself in Kim Family. It’s kinda hard when her best was never good enough. She was forced to grow up fast since she was a little, to be strong, even he banned her from crying over her mom. He said not to ever cry over something that you cannot change.

Because of that, it could be said that Elouise didn’t really have much of good memory in her childhood other than memory of her late mother and her small family in Paris. Even though Elouise grew up in an overflowing household, she didn’t have many toys, to be honest. She was forced to grow up at such a young age and her days are filled with endless tuition, and maybe that’s why she is still so young at heart, having endless adoration towards cute and child-like things.

Her dream

In the midst of her never-ending routine, Elouise found a safe haven. A place where her adrenaline runs wild. It is when she is engrossed in dancing and exercises, some of the extracurricular activities that his grandmother has prepared for her to be a lady of the house.

Strangely the sweats somehow represent her tears that never had a platform to be released. And because of that, once Elouise turned 21 years old and she finally can access the trust money that her mother has left, Elouise gathers all her strength to start a new chapter of her life; away from the big gate of her family residence. She took a temporary leave from her study and finally moves out from her dad’s house to live in her own apartment. It’s her first time ever living far away from home and she is loving it. And with the not-so-little trust money, she rents a place in Gangnam and she opens a boutique dance studio, where she conducts dance classes.

It’s not an easy task as her father is surely against it as he has his own plan for his only child, for her to finish her degree and help out in family hotel business.

Her love life

Since more than a year ago, Elouise has been in serious relationship with someone totally opposite of her. They met by chance and he has become her source of comfort and strength. Eventhough in front of others, Elouise is a strong independent woman, but in front of her love, she is totally smitten. She clings and dotes all affection towards him.

She has everything that she could ever wish for in life, except love and he is the only thing she ever wanted. In his eyes, she sees love without prejudice. In his arms, she feels the warmth. In his voice, she hears the acceptance. In his heart, she found her home. And that’s it, she unpacks all her heart baggage in front of him and surprisingly he embraces every one of them.

He loves her first without her social status or her background and he supports her in every way possible. And when her insecurities are acting up, and she gets defensive and destructive, he knows how to calm her storm, never given up on her or on them, not even once.

She had never been loved like that before and she loves him so very much.

Her other half is currently in Japan, pursuing his own life for their greater future.

Being apart is not easy, but this couple is determined to make it work.

#roleplay #bio

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mavwrekmarketing · 7 years

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Image copyright Epic

Image caption Zara Larsson’s hits include Lush Life, Never Forget You and Ain’t My Fault

In Sweden, she’s been a star since she was 10 – but Zara Larsson has her eyes set on global domination.

Aged just 19, the star has racked up seven hits in the last 14 months, including the tropical pop smash Lush Life, which spent more than a year on the charts.

Along the way, she’s collaborated with Tinie Tempah and sung the official anthem of Euro 2016, but the highlight of her year was supporting Beyonce at Wembley Stadium.

“It was the best show on a tour I’ve ever seen. Wembley’s such an incredible stadium. It’s definitely one of the stadiums I want to stand on and have my own tour, one day.”

Although she’s already scored a number one single and album in her home country, Zara is starting from scratch in the UK – and releases her debut album, So Good, this week.

Outgoing and dynamic, she talked the BBC through her career to date. Here’s everything you need to know (and a few things you probably didn’t) about Sweden’s latest pop sensation.

She suffers from sleep paralysis

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption The star first revealed her condition in 2015

Writing on her Swedish-language website two years ago, the 19-year-old revealed she frequently has episodes of sleep paralysis.

“Oh my God, it’s scary!” she tells the BBC. “Basically, you wake up and you literally cannot move. Your brain is active, but your body is not yet awake.

“It’s weird. It lasts half a minute maybe – but it kind of feels like you’re trapped there for half an hour.

“I get it a lot when I’m stressed out, or when I have a lot of things going on.”

But Zara says there’s an upside, too. Often, as she falls asleep, she’s overcome by a sense of tremendous wellbeing (to paraphrase a certain Blur song).

“It’s like a wave comes over me. Energy is just vibrating through your body and it’s awesome.”

She’s shaken off her talent show past

Image copyright TV4

In 2008, Zara entered Talang Sverige – Sweden’s version of Britain’s Got Talent – mainly because there was no age restriction, unlike X Factor or Swedish Idol.

Singing a heavily-accented, but vocally powerful, version of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, she won the contest, and its 500,000 krona (42,600) prize.

“I sounded like a little guinea pig!” she laughs. But, incredibly, the contest led to nothing.

“Nobody really wanted to sign me, which I was devastated about,” she says. “I was like, ‘oh my gosh, my career’s over and it hasn’t even started yet!’

“I didn’t really want to do anything with Nickelodeon or Disney, so I just went back to school.”

The break may have saved her. Rather than becoming novelty act, washed up before she was a teenager, Zara re-emerged as a bona fide pop artist on her 15th birthday, with an EP that turned people’s heads.

“When I released the first song, a lot of the people didn’t even recognise me,” she says. “And the people that did were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s her!’

“So in Sweden, the talent show is like super-irrelevant. And that’s great because usually it’s very hard to wipe off that kind of Got Talent stain.

“It just stays on you – but it didn’t for me.”

She doesn’t listen to other bands at festivals

Media captionZara Larsson plays ‘So Good’ or ‘So Bad’

…As we discovered when we played a game of “So Good or So Bad?” with Zara (watch above)

People think she sounds like Rihanna

Image copyright Getty Images

When Zara released Lush Life in January last year, a lot of people thought it was Rihanna’s comeback single.

“I don’t know where it comes from but even my mom is like, ‘You sound like Rihanna,'” says the singer.

“I was very confused because I’d never really listened to her until pretty recently. It’s not a bad comparison to have but I’m never going to be Rihanna, and I’m not trying to be.

Don’t expect her to hold back on social media

From the moment Zara fired up her Instagram, pulled a condom over her leg and called out guys who “think they’re too big to wear protection”, it was clear Zara wouldn’t be sticking to the record company script.

Since then, she’s voiced her support for Kesha – who is suing famed record producer Dr Luke for alleged sexual assault – and engaged in a war of words with R&B star Chris Brown, calling him “a sexist, homophobic, transphobic trash”.

“That’s who I am,” says the star. “I don’t really have a ‘vision’ of who I want people to see me as.

“I just post whatever I feel like.”

Her dad could have you killed (probably)

Image copyright Zara Larsson / Instagram

Image caption Zara and her father in earlier times…

Larsson was born in Stockholm at the tail end of the 1990s, moving to the suburbs when her younger sister Hanna was born.

She was always singing – showing off to her parents’ dinner-party guests; and serenading “ladies on the subway, when I was like three”.

But she didn’t come from a musical family. Far from it.

“My dad was a military man, working in Navy intelligence,” she says, “so I know he can keep secrets, definitely.”

While the exact nature of his job remains classified, Larsson swears he was the model parent.

“He’s great and he’s funny. You can ask him whatever and he always has the answer. Even if he doesn’t, he will never admit it. So we had a lot of debates and discussions. That’s the reason why I’m interested in everything.

“Now he’s actually studying again – he wants to be a professor in war science.”

Potential boyfriends beware.

She won’t sing lyrics that disrespect women

Image copyright Sasha Haagensen

Image caption The star says “if you’re not a feminist, then you must be sexist”

Zara’s breakout hit in the UK was Never Forget You – a duet with British producer MNEK that was written in just two hours.

“We work really well together,” she marvels. “It’s just no question marks. I feel very relaxed and honest and open with him. “

The collaborated again on Ain’t My Fault, a sassy, sexy club track that became Zara’s fifth top 20 hit, late last year.

“We wrote it in five minutes,” says Zara, “Originally, it was about me stealing someone else’s man. I was saying, ‘It ain’t my fault that you’re not cute enough for him.'”

But after submitting the song to her record label, the singer had second thoughts.

“I was just like, ‘Wait, hold up, I can’t sing this’. It just didn’t feel right. It felt like I’d broken the girl code, and I didn’t want to do that.”

Exercise is not her friend

Image copyright Getty Images

As a child, Zara attended the Royal Swedish Ballet School.

“I was very flexible,” she says. “It really taught me a lot about discipline and how to use my body. But these days I’m about as flexible as a erm, a safe!”

In fact, she’s so out of shape that a brief session with her personal trainer ended in disaster.

“I ran 200 metres and my trainer said, ‘That was a great job, you ran pretty fast’.

“I said, ‘I know!’ so he told me to do it a second time. And when I came back, I threw up.”

Her goal is to keep improving

Image copyright Zara Larsson / Tumblr

Image caption Zara met her idol in 2014 – and promptly burst into tears

“I’m on my way to becoming a true performer,” the star wrote shortly after singing Lush Life on The Voice UK last year. So, does she not consider herself a fully-qualified pop phenomenon yet?

“You’re never finished,” she says.

“My inspiration for performing is Beyonce. I don’t think Beyonce ever wakes up and thinks, ‘Oh great I’m Beyonce, I’m just going to chill today.’

“She wants to be better, she wants to do bigger things and she wants to keep on evolving.

“That’s what makes her great, and that’s what I want to do.”

Zara Larsson’s album, So Good, is out now on Epic Records; as is her collaboration with Clean Bandit, Symphony. She also plays the Isle of Wight Festival in June.

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].