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singsangseung · 2 months

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Smile For the Camera

Hi pookies! I am so sorry this fic is coming out late,I have been so slammed with work – due to me working second shift(booo) and just life :( But, I am still here to deliver another installment of my valentine’s day collab! I LOVE seungmin and this idea has been sitting heavily in my mind for so long. (sorry for any typos or grammatical errors, but nevertheless enjoy!)

Pairing: Seungmin x Fem!reader

Summary: Photobooth sex….i don’t know what else to say honestly LMAO

Warnings:public sex( in a photobooth), dirty talk, fem!reader, unprotected sex(don't be silly wrap your willy), cumming inside(don’t!!!!), forced close proximity, established relationship, italicized texts indicate flashbacks/ the past, exhibitionism, rough sex( i don’t know),fingering, reader is referred to as pup/puppy(pet!play)

MDNI!! 18+ ONLY!!! AGELESS,OR BLANK BLOGS AND MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!!YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! MDNI!!!

˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲

For as long as you and Seungmin have been a couple, you have been fiends for a good photo booth. Any time that either one of you happened to spot one while out in the world, you had to take a picture. Sometimes the pictures were posed, some of them candid snaps of your relationship.

Smiles. Frowns. Pouts. Kisses, peace signs.

You two loved photo booths.

There was just something so nostalgic of sitting in that crammed booth, behind the curtain, the countdown on the screen, getting to capture sweet moments only the two of you would know about. It made you and Seungmin feel like two high school sweethearts. And each time you would look at your past strips of pictures, it only brought smiles to your faces. Recalling the sweet endearing memories in your mind.

Your favorite strip of pictures came from your first date. The first picture of the two of you sat side by side as you simply smiled. Second was you placing a kiss on his cheek. The third is a picture of him kissing your cheek. Fourth was you two making a joined finger heart in front of you and lastly was your first kiss.

You could recall the whole day so clearly and easily.

Your first date. Seungmin picked you up at 4:30pm to take you to Lotte World. The whole day was so fun. Holding hands, sharing the greasy treats as you blissfully walked around the amusement park. “Oh! Oh, seung! A photo booth, we need to take pictures,” you gleefully exclaimed as you tapped his arm and bounced on the balls of your feet in pure joy. “Okay, okay. Let’s go, cutie.” he smiled down at you, before you dragged him to the photo booth.

After inserting your token game card, you pulled him to sit beside you. Looking at him, with a smile on your face, you giggled and scooched closer to him in the already small booth. “What should we do?!” you posed, as the automated voice of the camera began its countdown to your first picture. “Um, smile?” He teetered back, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, a little nervously. Laughing, you leaned into him as you both shared a smile at one another before the camera click.

3. 2. 1. Click

One down, four to go. “What next, cutie?” he asked, playfully squeezing you to his side. 5.4.3.2…. Then you were kissing his cheek. Blushing, he made a slightly shocked face as the camera shutter went off and a blush rose on his ears, neck and cheeks. “I- was that okay? Sorry if it made you uncomfortable,” you rambled out, a matching blush rising on your cheeks. “N-no! It was okay, I promise! I-i liked it!”Seungmin smiled at you, neither of you hearing the next countdown.

“I have an idea for the next one,” he smiled as he saw the countdown on the screen. “What is it?” You smiled, carefully swinging your legs across his lap. 3.2.1. Then, he was kissing your cheek. Oh. oh, you liked that, you thought to yourself. His lips were soft. Smiling, you blushed and covered your face. “What’s got you so shy, cutie?” he panned, pulling your hands away from your face. You were so cute, the thought in his head. “Nothing! I- good idea,” you blushed and giggled, booping his nose. “Agreed, it was a pretty good idea, huh, cutie?” Seungmin teased. “Yes, now the next picture. Finger hearts?” You pondered, looking at him with shiny happy eyes.

“Sounds good,” Seungmin answered. Turning towards the camera, you held your hand up in front of you. Your left index and middle finger forming half the heart and a bright smile on your face;still holding a light blush on your cheeks. “Min,hurry,” you whined. Chuckled, he used his right index and middle finger to complete your heart. “Okay,aish.” He chided, before letting a smile grace his own face as the camera went off again.

You had one more picture left.

Seungmin had been wanting to kiss you all day. But, he could never find the right moment to. And if this wasn’t the perfect opportunity yelling at him to kiss you, he;d be a fool. The perfect opportunity to kiss you was being handed to him on a silver platter. Ever since you two had gotten to the amusement park, he had been waiting for a good time to kiss you. Your lips looked so soft and shiny from your gloss. Was it flavored? What flavor would it be? Strawberry? Cotton candy? He wanted to find out.

Now, now he was going to kiss you and if he didn’t….well, he hoped you would kiss him. As long as he got to feel your lips on his, he would be happy. Bashfully looking up at him through your lashes, you smiled. “What should we do? There’s not that lon-” you tried to get out, your eyes flittering from his eyes to his lips. Gently, he cupped your jaw in his hand, his eyes fluttering shut and his lips were on yours.

It felt so nice. Your lips tasted like strawberry gloss, soft as clouds and pink like a bunny’s tongue. So caught up in the kiss–your first kiss– neither you nor Seungmin had registered the shutter of the camera going off. Smiling against your lips, Seungmin placed a few more pecks, before he was pulling away. “Was that okay?” the whispered hushed words came from his lips, blushing softly.

Nodding, you reached to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind his ear.”Mhm, was more than okay,” you blushed,a gentle smile on your pretty lips. “Can-can we do it again,” you wondered aloud, “I liked it….a lot.” of course. That first kiss wasn;t enough for him. So, cupping your cheeks, he closed his eyes and pulled you in for a kiss.

It was slightly more passionate, compared to the mere press of your lips on one anothers in the picture. Now, your lips were intertwined,locked,slotted together. A gentle push and pull rhythm as you sighed against his lips and slotted your hands around his neck. Sadly, the moment had to come to an end. Pecking your lips, he pulled back and smiled. “Hi,”He whispered, smoothing your hair. “Hi, minnie.”

Sliding out of the booth, you gathered the two strips of pictures– one for each of you, of course– and examined the pictures. They were cute. You and Seungmin were cute. “Aw, look at us, cutie,”he tickled your side, his arm winding around your waist. “Mhm, we look pretty cute,”you giggled out, leaning to press a sweet kiss to his cheek.”Very cute, this,” he waved his strip of pictures,”Is going to stay with me forever.” playfully, you pinched his side. “It better.”

That, now, was 3 years ago. And ever since, you have become obsessed with photobooths. Going as far as to rent one for birthdays and holidays. Whenever there was a photobooth, it was guaranteed that you and Seungmin would pay the fee, climb in the booth and get your pictures.

It has also become your anniversary tradition to go to Lotte world and recreate your first date photo booth pictures. So, now you had 3 years of the same pictures, the only things that changed was your hair and outfits. You recreated the same poses, wore the same happy smiles, and sat in the same booth in the same position as you had done that day 4 years ago. Your legs over his lap and his arm around your shoulders.

That’s what brought you to the present.

Your 4 year anniversary. Lotte World. Holding hands, exchanging kisses, sharing food and sweet treats. You had been at the park for a few hours having decided to go at a later hour of the day, reliving and reminiscing on the memories you made in the prior years. “Remember how we shared a funnel cake, honey?” Seungmin asked, ask you two stood in line to get that same funnel cake. “It was so good, no wonder we get it every year we come here, bubs.” You giggled, nestling into his side as you gently rubbed his stomach. “It may be sweet but not as sweet as you, my love.” he giggled, as you slowly approached the counter. “So corny, you are, bub.” you pinched his side and snorted.

Once Seungmin paid for the funnel cake and you two had sat at an empty table, you giggled as you fed each other. “Oops, you have a bit of whipped cream on your lips, bub,” he cooed, leaning to peck your lips to rid you of the sweet airy treat. “Got it, bub.” He smiled, as you rolled your eyes. He could be so corny and cheesy sometimes, but it was a side of him that only you knew. “Thank you, bubby.” You snickered, feeding him another bite of the fried dough to him.

Hours passed, you went on rides, ate more food, took breaks to sit down, snapped cutesy pictures together or of one another. The thought of your annual anniversary tradition of the photo booth had never left your mind. It was always your favorite part of going to the park. Being able to have a physical remembrance of your special day and the memories you two made. Sure, it was cheesy, but you loved being able to pull the glossy strip of pictures out and remember those moments.

“It’s getting close to photo booth time , baby,” Seungmin teased you, swinging your intertwined hands between you. Oh, you knew. You could never forget. I mean, how could you? It was a sweet and endearing reminder of your first date, your first kiss and how much you and seungmin have been together and in love. “I know, bubby.”

Luckily, the park wasn’t too crowded that day, or the people were just gathered in other areas of the park. Whether it was rides, or food or games to win a prize. They just weren’t gathered near the photo booth. Seungmin,internally, was grateful that he had more space around the booth. For he had a sinister little idea plotting and brewing in his pretty head.

Fuck you.in the photo booth.

Pulling your hand towards his mouth, he placed a loving kiss to the back as he guided the pair of you towards the booth. It still looked the same. Dark blue, the words ‘Photo booth’ printed in a large font over the side, photoshopped images of couples snapping silly pictures and the ‘₩2670’ price. The curtain looked the same; white with blue stripes. Slightly tattered from years of use. But, nevertheless the same.

It always brought back a rush of memories.

Smiling, you watched as Seungmin swiped his game card and pulled you past the curtain and onto his lap. “I paid for two strips, bubs. One of our anniversary tradition pictures,” he stated. “And for the second one?” you asked, slightly confused.”It’s a surprise. I don’t want to give it away,though.He winked at you before starting the timer. “Assume position, bub.”

Akin to the last 3 years, you sat across his lap with his arm around your shoulders. Recreating the poses was second nature, for you two. And you loved recreating them, knowing it added to the ever growing collection of photo booth strips you acquired over the years.

Just you two smiling. It was simple, yet effective. Conveying the joy you two felt. “Smiiiileeeeee,bub.” Seungmin cooed at you, as you pinched his side. “I knowwww, remembered how we did this last year and the year before -” you whined as you smiled at the camera. “Yes I do, I remember very well, actually.” he chided back, nonetheless wearing an equally love and joy filled smile on his face.

Flash. Click.

Onto the second picture. Kissing his cheek. Something you have done millions of times over the past 4 years of your relationship. “You ready for these lips?” You poked at him, puckering your freshly glossed lips. “Oh yeahhhh. Always baby. Lay it on me,” he smirked, as the countdown voiced with its automated voice. With a smile, you leaned in and connected your lips with his cheek. Mwah. the smacking sound of your lips echoed through the small booth, as the camera shutter sounded.

“You ready for my lips,” he teased, with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Eh, I don’t know, minnie,” you joked, sticking your tongue out. “Wooooow. That’s not what you say in bed-” he jeered, as you deadpan stared at him,your cheeks flushing strawberry pink. “Can you not talk about our sex life in public, dawg?” You whined as he pulled you closer into his side. “Embarrassed, cutie? I’d say our sex life is pretty goo-” he emphasized the last words before you were smacking a hand over his mouth. “Aigoo! Anyone could have heard that! Children could have heard that. Do you want JYP to scold you, again?”

Ah, he could remember getting scolded the first time. Then the second..and third..and fourth. One for him announcing your relationship without having discussed with him before. The second time because you were caught kissing and dispatch had made a whole article about it.

‘Kim Seungmin of Stray Kids Seen Kissing His Girlfriend at the Han RIver.’ that was a good one, seungmin had thought to himself. In all honesty, he didn’t care that your relationship was out and open. You were comfortable with it and he liked being able to be with you and affectionate in the wild. Sorry Stays.

Gasping, he pressed his lips against your cheek. “Dawg? Who are you calling dawg, madame?” He mumbled against your cheek, as the shutter went off. “You, meong meong,” you smiled, a laugh escaping your lips. “Oh shush, you goober.” Seungmin mocked you as he gently cupped your cheek, in the same fashion he did all those years ago, and brushed his nose on yours. “Hi,” He whispered, leaning closer towards your face.

Flickering your eyes between his eyes and lips, you smiled. “Hey, there,handsome.” You cooed, hearing the familiar automated voice.

Click, and a flash. In an instant, Seungmin captured your lips in a soft kiss. His lips slotted between your own, unlike how they were just pressed together in your first year picture. “Mmmm, you’re wearing that gloss,baby,” he breathed against your lips, his hands around your waist to pull you in a straddle on his lap.

“Of course, it’s your favorite,” you mumbled, tangling your hands in his hair, “wore it the first time we kissed.” You melted against him, pulling him closer for a deeper kiss. “Mhm, I know, baby.” fuck him, he was already getting hard. He grunted, feeling you softly rock your hips against his own, causing blood to flow to his dick and harden him in his jeans. “We still have one more round of pictures to take,” he breathed, sliding his tongue in your mouth.

This time they would be a lot raunchier

Nodding, you rocked your hips,”uh huh. What did you have in mind, minnie?” You panted, feeling wetness pool in your panties. Pulling away from your lips, he sucked his earlobe into your mouth,”Gonna fuck you like this.,right here…right now.” he groaned the last part into your ear.

Whimpering, you pressed yourself more rapidly against his bulge.”Yeah? Gonna fuck me?Gonna take me in here while the camera’s going?” You cackled, angling your head to suck a bruise onto his neck. “Fuck yeah, going to wreck your pretty pussy,baby.” He goaded, tangling a hand into your hair and reaching the other to unbutton your jeans.

“Bet you’re drenched for me,yeah?Grinding against my fucking cock in public. If only everyone knew what a dirty little girl you are. My dirty little girl. Just a little puppy who always wants to play.” the words reverberated and echoed through the booth. His voice an octave lower. You had always thought of fucking in the photo booth, but you never thought it would happen. Then again, so did he.

Rolling your hips against his, you recanted into his ear. “Oh, I'm dirty? Who’s the one who started this whole scenario? Who’s the dirty one now, dawg?” You barked softly at him. “You were the one who pulled me on your lap and got hard. So, i think you’re the dirty puppy, Seung.” You chided, reaching your hand down to cup his hard dick over his boxers.

Hissing, he looked at you as his chest slightly heaved. “You didn’t stop me though. You’re just as dirty as me, pup.” He laughed venomously, shoving his hand into the front of your panties. “Just as I fucking thought, you’re drenched,” he smirked, running his middle and ring finger down your labia.

Your breath hitched in your throat. “Seung fuck-” you creaked, rocking your hips onto his hand. “Look at you, all fucking desperate. Yet you tried to play me, as the dirty one.” He sneered, sinking his fingers in knuckle deep. “Oh! O-oh fuck!” You cried, throwing your head back, eyes pinched shut and lips open.

Flash. Picture one

“Yeah? Feel good, pup?I bet it does. Your walls are so warm and wet on my fingers.” Seungmin hotly whispered into your ear. Whining, you raised your hips before lowering them, causing Seungmin to cackle and fuck his fingers faster into you. “Calm down, pup. Let me give you what you need,” He cooed, a touch of sarcasm and a pinch of venom lingering in his voice. Faster, his fingers went. Smacking against your pubic mound. Still, you rocked your hips, frantically chasing your high.

Panting, you mewled and bounced on his fingers, humping his hand. “You really are a fucking puppy aren’t you? Fucking humping me, and panting like some bitch. Come on, I can tell you’re close. Cum aaalllllll over my fingers.” He scoffed at you, picking up his pace and pressing the palm of his hand against your clit.

“Yes—hngggg– yes! Fuckfuckfuckfuck! Please, minnie, gonna cum! Please can I cum?!’ The broken cries and wails vibrating the walls. You really hoped no one was around because, um, they were in for a surprise..

‘Kim Seungmin was caught having sex with his girlfriend in lotte world photo booth.’ you could see it now….but Seungmin probably wouldn’t care. In fact, he would probably laugh and just smirk about it, even if JYP was reprimanding him. Some snappy comeback, or rebuttal tumbling from his lips. “What can I say? We’re adventurous,” he would probably say something like that. Some smart ass remark.

Fucking his fingers faster into you, all you could his was your moaning and crying, the lewd wet smack of his hand against your cunt and his snide remarks. “Yes, puppy. Cum on my fingers,” He ridiculed, feeling the clench of your velvety walls on his fingers. “Know you’re close, pup. Come on now.” He tutted, feeling you bouncing against his fingers. “Promise, gonna cum soon!” You cried brokenly, fucking yourself against his hand faster. “A-almost there, minnie! Oh-oh fuck! Fuuuuuccck!” You gasped, the breath being ripped from your chest.

You saw nothing but whiteness, cloudlike almost? Did you die? From an orgasm? ”Gooood puppy. There you go, cum for minnie,” he taunted you, feeling the continuous clench and release of your walls and the stream of your cum. “Soaked my fingers so good, puppy. Take a look,” he ragged on, pulling his hand out of your pants to show you his hand now shiny in your cum.

“I-wow….” you blushed, your chest still heaving. Sucking his fingers into his mouth, Seungmin groaned. “Tastes so fucking good,too.” He gloated, licking his digits of every last drop of your cum, before lickint it off the palm of his hand. “Could drink your cum all day every day, pup.” He snickered, hoisting your hips up to pull your leggings and panties down.

“Oi, what are you doing?!” You rushed out, bracing your hands on his shoulders. “I;m going to fuck you….so i need your pretty pussy out.” He recanted, as he narrowed his eyes at you. He was serious?! “Are you out of your damn mind, Seungmin?! We could get caught!” You whisper yelled at him. If he was being truthful. He could hear nor process or care about any of the words you just threw at him. He said he was going to fuck you and he was going to follow through on his words.

So, in one ear and out the other your words went.

Lighting his hips slightly, he pushed his own jeans and boxers down to his midthigh. Boing. His dick sprang up, hitting his abdomen. “What? Did you say something,pup?” He blinked at you, grabbing your hips to lower you to his cock. “Seungmin! Are so so fucking serious?!” You jabbed at him.

However, at that moment all he cared about was getting his cock buried in your pussy. “Yep.” was all he replied, holding his shaft in his hand before lining it up with your entrance. “Seung, we can’t fuck in public!” “Puppy….you just rode my fingers, be so real.” He pointed out. Well, he had a point but fucking?! That was another level. “No!Put your dick away, they could see us! All that’s separating us from them is a cur-” you tried to ramble out before he was sinking you fully onto his cock.

Throwing his head back with a breathy groan, he smiled. “Fuuuuck,pup! Feel so good on me!” He bleated, as his eyes fluttered shut. “S-seung, no!” You tried to pull yourself away before he could do more. But, he wasn;t going to stop.

Planting his feet on the floor, he pulled your hips back onto his. “Fuck, come on, puppy.” Seungmin whined, starting to fuck up into you. It did feel good, you couldn’t lie.”But, we’re in pub-” you tittered back before he delivered a sharp thrust.

Oh, fuck it.

It felt too good. Hopefully, no one would walk past or worse….try to use the photo booth. Click. The camera snapped a shot of seungmin with his head thrown back and a groan escaping his lips. “Feel so good minnie,” you moaned, rocking yourself on his cock. “ know pup. Your cunt is so snug around my cock.” He grated, letting you ride him.

“There we go, ride my cock like that. Such a good puppy,” he murmured. Rocking your hips against his, you dropped your head to his shoulder. “Hnnnng–fuck! So big, so deep! Minnie fuck!” You cried, rising and dropping your hips faster.

Shutter.

Your head in the crook of his neck, his arms on your hips and the top of your ass was all caught on the frame. “Yeah? Feel me so deep,pup?”You nodded, your breath catching in your throat as he snapped his hips up into yours. “Y-yeah! Hhhnnnggg fuuuuuckkkk! I do! I do!” You mewled, as he held onto your hips firmly to piston in and out of you.

“Fuck! Turn around, pup, turn around,” he panted. Using his hands, he spun you to face the camera, his cock never leaving you. “Wh-huh?” You slurred, feeling drunk on his cock as you managed to sling an arm around his shoulders. “Fuck, legs up,puppy.” he whispered, more to himself, as he hooked your knees over his forearms. “Minnie, fuck! Move, please please please!”

Click. Picture three

“Careful what you ask for,pup,” he barked at you before pummeling his cock into you. If you weren’t cock drunk before, you sure as hell were now. “Hnnnng! Fuuuuck fuck fuck fuck! So good, so so good,minnie!” You sobbed, your eyes closing as your senses became overwhelmed by pleasure. “Yeah? I know,pup. You feel so good around my cock,” he hummed into your ear.

Shutter. Picture four. Your head thrown back, his lips against the shell of your ear.

Your chest was heaving, sweaty and slightly blotchy. Crying, you gripped a hand into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“I-hhhnnngg-fuck! Right there!” Minnie right there!” you begged, feeling the nudge of his cockhead against your sensitive gummy spot. “Right here? Huh pup?” he asked, punctuating each word with a precise thrust that punched his cockhead into your g-spot.

He was sweating and so were you. “Y-yes! Fuck yessss! Right right there! More! Want to cum,fuck!” You bawled, feeling your end coming soon. Letting one of his hands leave your hips, he grabbed your jaw and pulled you in for a searing kiss. You were clenching around him so hard. It wouldn’t take you long to cum. “I know,pup. Can feel you clenching on my big dick. Going to give me another one?” He sniveled out, still bullying his cock into you, at an almost animalistic pace.

Weeping, you nodded vigorously and begged.”Yes!yes–hnnggg–yes! Going to cum again for you, minnie! I’m so close! PLeasepleaseplease!” You wept, your legs twitching in his firm hold. Oh, youwere so fucking close. Holding on by a thread, by the skin of your teeth and you didn’t know how much longer you could hold on.

Fucking into you harder, Seungmin nodded. His own orggasm started to grow and claw at him. “Fuckfuckfuck! I’m close, too, pup.” He groaned, barreling into, so fast you could feel your body jostling from the force. “A-ah! Ah ah a, minnie! Gonna cum! Gonna fucking cum-fuck!” You spattered, your toes curling in your socks. “Come on, fuck. Come on, my good pup. Lemme breed you! I’m so close!” he groaned, holding your hips strongly, hard enough to leave bruises.

Finally, you broke. Your dam broke and you collapsed onto his chest, as you were seized by your orgasm and ir demolished you. “Cu-cumming! Yes! Yesyesyesyes YES! Fuuuckkkkk!” You blabbered, coating Seungmin’s cock in a generous layer of your cum.

Pulling his lips against yours, you wailed. “Yeeeesss!Minnie fuck meeeee!”

That was what it took for his own orgasm to take a hold on him. Stilling his hips, his dick twitched before stalling and spurting genrous ropes of his cum into your walls. “Fuuuuuck! Yyyeaaaah, puppy! Take my cum.” He called out, the words being swallowed by your mouth. His cum filling you felt warm, and welcome. “Yeah yeah yeah, such a good puppy,” he barked into your mouth,holding your body against his.

Ding. the last picture, your orgasmic faces as you unraveled and used each other’s mouths as vessels to moan into.

Panting, he pulled your body flush against his and kissed your hair. “Fuck, that was intense,baby.” He chuckled, chest heaving as he wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. Intense indeed. Collecting your breath, you nodded and felt your face. You were warm to the touch. almost like a fever. “Fuckng hell it was. But, if we got caught, I solely blame you.” You poked, smacking his thigh. “Oh come on. Don’t say you didn’t enjoy it cutie.” he joked, kissing your hair. “I didn’t say i didn’t enjoy it –because I DID– i just said if he got caught it’s your fault. “ You snickered back. “Okay but also your fault because you were loud.”

“Me? Loud? I would never! I am a classy lady with decorum!” You giggled, pulling your panties and leggings back up. “Classy? Decorum? I just fucked you in a photo booth, my lovee,” he chided, with a smack to your ass. “It was your idea, doofus!” You rebutted. “Okay and? It was amazing, don’t lie!” he laughed, pulling his own jeans and boxers back up. “If i say it was amazing, will you shut up?” You rolled your eyes playfully.

“Shut up? After I just gave you an earth shattering orgasm? How rude of you,cutie!” He pouted, smiling at you with a loving gaze as he fixed your hair. “Still my pretty girl, you are.” He cooed, as you blushed. “You;re so cheesy, you know?” The words escaped your mouth as you giggled and grabbed his hand.

Ushering both of you out of the photo booth, you quickly grabbed the strip of pictures and tucked it into your purse. I may be a cheesy doofus, but only for you.” Seungmin conceded, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Yep, definitely a cheesy doofus,” you poked fun at him. Snickering, he pulled you into his side, the two of you walking away from the booth. “Shut it. You’re just as much of a goober as I am,” he laughed. “Am not.” “are too.”

Smiling up at him, sat by his side at a food stand, you smiled. “Hey minnie?” You perched, bopping his nose. Looking up from his burger, he raised his eyebrows and mumbled around a mouth full of food. “Yeah?”

“Happy anniversary.I love you”

“Happy anniversary, cutie. I love you more.”

˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲˱ 𓈒 𓈊 ┈ 𓈒 ˲

⁂Copying, translating,reposting,stealing,paraphrasing or claiming my words is STRONGLY PROHIBITED⁂ ©SingSangSeung 2023

tags; @straykeedz-recs ✪ @straykeedz ✪ @moonjxsung ✪ @blankdyean ✪ @kaciidubs ✪ @jinnie-ret ✪ @jilixthinker ✪ @itsnotmydejavu ✪ open-

a/n: hi guys! I am sooooo sorry this is coming so late! I have been so busy with work and have been so tired! Anyway’s I hope you enjoy it. However, this indicates the start of my break. I want to bring you guys my best and not hate myself as much so I won;t be writing for a bit. But, my asks and requests, as well as inbox, are still open! XOXO

#skz smut #seungmin smut #skz hard thoughts #stray kids imagine #seungmin skz #seungmin x reader #minnie #nessa x ju collab ♥️#valentines collab

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angelofthenight · 10 months

Note

hey listen yk how Yan polite reader *USE* to be together with reader right! right what if reader started dating another person

(new follower also I only have crumbs of this guy

Purge Leader x Reader: Yan!Headcanons Pt.2

Warnings: Yandere, Dark themes, Paranoia, Stalking/Spying, Jealousy/Possessiveness, Emotional cruelty, Murder/Gore, Non-Con, Kidnapping, The Purge being its own warning

Word Count: 1.9k

( BRO SORRY THIS TOOK LIKE YEARS???😭😭 )

Part 1

Requested: @narcozmx-blog @iskamr

♡ You genuinely didn’t expect to fall in love again after everything you’ve been through

♡ You thought your emotions were far too distracted and invested in fear to ever feel feelings like that ever again, especially since last time you indulged in attraction it cost lives

♡ But then someone just came around at the right place and right time while you were at your lowest and told you all the things you wanted to hear

♡ They were so selflessly honest. You didn’t have to read in between the lines, there was no guessing game about what they really meant, and no mind games. All things you had to suffer through in your past relationship with him

♡ You didn’t want to put their life in danger just because of your selfishness. You even warned them off your predicament with the purge after their pursuing flirting never seemed to falter

♡ They didn’t care. In fact, they said they would dedicate their life to protecting you if you’d have them and let them be yours and let yourself be theirs

♡ So for multiple months, you felt true happiness again and peaceful bliss. They made you feel safe and secure and you never looked over your shoulder when you were in their presence. In fact, sometimes it felt like your life was normal and nothing bad ever happened to you. As if you didn’t spend every night thrashing and whimpering in your sleep. You forgot how cruel the world really was when staring into their eyes, angel orbs staring right back at you

♡ They told you that you both would save up money to move to a country where the purge doesn’t occur at all. Any country you wanted

♡ That proposal made you so happy, beaming over the edge with joy and sentimental tears

♡ But as Purge Day grew closer and closer, a deep pit slowly began to rot in your stomach, pinching your insides every once in awhile. And when the date was just a month away it grew clear to you and your lover that you did not have enough money to run away just yet. Enough for the plane and a hotel for a couple days. But not enough to make a safe start in a brand new country

♡ You had to stay in America for Purge night. You had to survive one last purge

♡ Your lover had never seen you as such a mess of a person before as you became obsessed with the countdown to the dreadful night. You had so many panic attacks, mental breakdowns, hyperventilating meltdowns, and sobbing sessions

♡ They had told you of many sanctuaries you could hide, wealthy families who were generous enough to offer safety in their homes, bomb shelters, places no one would think to hide in

♡ They didn’t understand that you’ve hidden in those places before. And he found you every single time. No matter what building you hide in, no matter what state you ran to, he would find you

♡ They reminded you that all you had to do was survive for only twelve hours

♡ Why didn’t they understand how much can happen in twelve hours? How much mental pain and irreversible trauma you’ve been forced to endure every single purge

♡ They tried to comfort you by mentioning that you’ve survived every purge so far and you are still a free individual

♡ They didn’t understand that it’s not about you surviving, it’s about whoever is standing in his way surviving. You wanted to break up right there and then to spare their life, but they refused to leave your side

♡ All you had to do was make it through one purge night then you can run away across the ocean

♡ You whore. You bitch. What the hell did you think you were doing?

♡ You really thought you could be with some other person and he wouldn’t know?

♡ You had to know he was watching you. You were just trying to piss him off. You’re like a child rebelling. That had to be the answer. Why else would you lower your standards, and yourself, to the level of dating some lowlife nobody

♡ You were his. His only and his forever

♡ Outside of the Purge, he was always watching you. Watching you go about your everyday life. Stalking you. Spying on you. Following you

♡ He used to approach you many times, just to mess with you and mentally antagonize you, knowing you couldn’t do anything about it other than running away. As if that did anything. Even some of his purge friends, ones you’ve grown familiar with on Purge night through the years, would wave ‘hi’ to you in public. He knew it drove you mad, and he loved that

♡ He loved how sensitive and reactive his toy was. He loved his fragile little plaything

♡ But when he sees you with some walking piece of shit, his anger boils underneath his skin so hot he wants to claw his own skin off

♡ He was most furious at the observations of little quirks you also did when you were officially his

♡ Like rubbing your fingers over their knuckles, always pulling them by their neck to get closer during make outs, needing to take a bite out of their food first before digging into yours claiming it was to make sure theirs wasn’t poisoned, softly bumping your nose against theirs before you kissed them

♡ You did all of that stuff with him. And now you were repeating all your little quirks for them

♡ They didn’t deserve you. No one on the face of the planet, both dead and alive, did. He was the only one for you

♡ He was going to make you realize that. No matter what. And he didn’t care how many lives he had to brutally slaughter or casually destroy to do it

♡ But just like with your old best friends and everyone else who stood in his way, he had to wait till Purge night to butcher that scum

♡ He daydreamed about how he would do it. He loved when he axed your friends but he thought this specific person deserved a special death. He fantasized about killing them in front of you, imagining all the different ways he could do it. All those thoughts made him smile to himself

♡ He fantasized chopping off their limbs one by one so they would die slowly, drilling out their eyes, slamming a chainsaw right down their head, stabbing every inch of their skin so their corpse would be unrecognizable, gutting them open in front of you. All of this as you would cry rivers from your eyes, begging him to stop

♡ And once the execution was carried out, he would immediately go down on you right on that floor, right next to their body

♡ He was coming for you. Him and all of his friends

♡ Even from the far corner in the small kiln room of the abandoned middle school your lover had found, you still heard the distant, almost muffled, sounds of their laughter

♡ How did they find you? How did he find you?

♡ Your courageous lover held their gun tightly in their hands, having it concentratedly aimed at the locked and barricaded door. You hugged their arm as your eyes never once left the door, your heart pounding so loud and heavy you feared it would give away your location

♡ What two hours felt like two minutes, they were closer than ever. You heard them roam the art room just outside your door as they giggled to each other, none of them bothered being quiet

♡ Suddenly they were slamming a battering ram against the door, two swings broke the lock and four more swings tumbled your barricade down. You fearfully and shakingly whispered your lovers name repeatedly in their ear, needing to know they were getting ready to shoot even though they’ve never killed anyone before

♡ The barricade had fallen and the door opened without anything else in the way. Your lover fired five bullets as soon as they saw someone in the doorframe. You witnessed the first two people in line fall backwards. When more people stepped in, your lover’s shooting never stopped

♡ Your heart coldly stopped at the haunting sound of the clicking of the gun. It was empty

♡ Your fate had been sealed into doom

♡ Your lips quivered uncontrollably as your masked ex boyfriend suavely stepped into the room, carelessly stepping over his fallen friends. He slid off his mask to reveal his malicious smile and cocky gaze. “Smart of me to let them go first.” He said with a humored snicker. It made you nauseated

♡ “Thank you for keeping them warm for me, but I’ll take it from here.” He said as he positioned his axe in both hands, his cheshire cat smile widening down at the two of you. The very same axe he used on your highschool best friends, the very same axe that started it all. How fitting it would be the one to end it

♡ It all happened so fast, your lover bolting up to try to wrestle the axe of his hands, and then you heard a sickening sound of a swing and a slush

♡ You were paralyzed from your spot on the ground, your mouth only parted but shaking as if you’ve been splashed with freezing water. Your eyes wide open as if you had no eyelids, your waterlines overflowing like pitchers, never ceasing the ongoing streams of tears down your cheeks. Your fingers were clutching onto the hair closest to your scalp

♡ You were frozen in absolute terror and traumatizing grief. Watching him hack the one you were going to run away with apart from their stomach, crimson blood and entrails spilling out like cutting open an egg sack

♡ He chopped away until their torso was mutilated and their body was now in two. He took heaving breaths as he ran a hand through his hair to smooth out the locks that fell in his face

♡ He turned to you with that Cheshire grin and eyes that were the embodiment of a danger sign, fresh beads of blood vaguely dripping down his long face. His expensive clothes were stained with splatters of blood. Their blood

“Happy Purge, my dear.”

♡ And then he intended to do exactly what he had been fantasizing about for the past months. To fuck you right on that ground, right next to your bloodily mangled ex lover

♡ And that’s exactly what he did. Unbuckling his pants as he stalked toward you with strides and a taunting smile. You whimpered with terribly shaky sobs as you tried to scramble away backwards while still on the ground

♡ He grabbed your ankle and tugged you closer to him, lunging down at you to forcibly pry open your thighs and force his arousal into you

♡ After the deed was done and he buckled his pants back up, he hurdled your torso up to make your red puffy, exhausted eyes look into his excitedly dilated ones

“Our games have been much fun, but I think it’s now time for you to come home.”

#the purge x reader #the purge #reader insert #the purge 2013 #purge #purge 2013 #polite stranger x reader #polite stranger #polite leader x reader #polite leader #purge leader x reader #purge leader #yandere #yandere x reader #purge x reader #horror #slasher x reader #slasher #rhys wakefield

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splatoon-countdown · 3 months

Note

What’s gonna happen to this account after side order comes out?

Well, I'll stop counting down for Side Order, obviously. But I plan to keep drawing Agent 8 every day, until at least 100 days of doing it total. I'll probably upkeep the blog and still talk to everyone, and if another Splatoon related thing is announced, I'll countdown to that, too. Even though the blog was made for a Side Order countdown, I think it'd be nice to keep it up and still keep posting even after the fact. It's fun to interact with the community! Plus, people have shown interests in my personal agent interpretations, so I'd be glad to share more! So don't worry, I'm not going anywhere

#ask #anonymous #not a countdown

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f10werfae · 2 years

Text

Hottie By the Bar

Pairing: Chris Evans X Reader

Word count: 1,024

Summary: Y/n catches the eye of a familiar man by the bar, which can only end in her favour

Warnings: none

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Requests are open!

Likes, Comments and Re-blogs are appreciated♥️

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(Y/n's P.O.V)

Burning. That’s the only way to describe the feeling in my throat each time I down another shot of straight up vodka. The girls and I had decided to go out tonight to celebrate Grace's 30th birthday, a brilliant excuse for us to get absolutely wasted.

The atmosphere of the night club had me feeling all sweaty and clammed up, my blue skin tight mini dress may as well be melting into my skin.

“Alright girls, one more round of shots then we hit the dance floor alright?!” Stacy shouted over the loud music, holding her shot glass up in the air. With one final countdown, all six of us had managed to down it in seconds, all of our faces contorting with the strong taste.

“HERE WE GOOO” Lacey shouted, already drunk out of her mind, she grabbed my hands instantly starting a chain of links between us as we all got up together.

With all our heels clicking against the floor, my hair flowing behind me, bar the few hairs starting to stick to my neck due to the sweat.

“THIS IS OUR FRICKING SONG GIRLS” Lindsey said with her hands in the air, all of our hips starting to sway to the beat, our hands running up and down our bodies. Within moments the adrenaline had gotten to me and I had found myself out of breath, with the way us girls were dancing together you’d have thought we were in one massive relationship.

“Hey Y/n, that hottie by the bar keeps staring at you” Grace said wiggling her eyebrows at me, a drunken smile playing on her lips as she stepped back from me.

Shaking my head at her, I turned to look at the bar to see a pair of eyes staring at me, their dark hair styled messily. He sure was hot, no doubt about it.

Sending me a smirk, he turned back towards the bar, bringing his glass back up to his lips.

Feeling the alcohol start to take its affect, I left the girls on the dance floor and headed towards the bar, sitting on the coincidentally empty seat next to this fine man.

Sitting beside him, my chin rest atop of my palm as he turned to look at me.

“Can I buy you a drink, pretty girl?”

“I don’t see why not” I said giddily, watching as he ushered for the bartender to come over with the move of a finger.

“A (favourite drink) for the lady please, put it on Evans”

“What a gentleman” I said smirking back at him

Sipping slowly on my new drink, I felt his hand brush away the hair over my shoulder, “You sure are one fine piece of art”

“I could say the same for you, you’re really sexy” Yep I could tell I was already drunk, but who cares at this point

“Oh you think i’m sexy yeah?”

“Mhm, now come dance with me” Stumbling to stand up, I felt his hands ghosting over my waist as I pulled him by his bicep to the dance floor.

With my hands around his neck, his hands holding onto my waist protectively, his head dipped into the crook of my neck. Our hips grinded and swayed together to the beat of the song, wandering touches were definitely felt here and there.

“You are so f*cking gorgeous”

He whispered into my ear, his lips placing the tiniest kisses on my neck, his arms going up to let me swirl around.

The smell of our sweat and perfume filled the air in an intoxicating way that left us both wanting more. Interlacing his fingers with mine, I felt the coldness of his wedding ring, looking at it only made me smirk even more.

(Time Skip - The Next Morning)

A pounding headache was definitely expected when I woke up this morning, feeling confused and dazed I looked to the time to see I had slept in already to 11am.

A strong arm was placed around my waist, the memories of last night placing a sweet smile on my lips as his cologne filled my nose again.

Turning around in my bed I turned to look at his face, his eyes already open looking down at me, his fingers dancing lazily over my naked figure.

“You were so hot last night baby, got me all bothered” Chris said, his hands now caressing my face.

“Not my fault my husband was busy sending me bedroom eyes by the bar” I replied back cheekily, his deep chuckle sending vibrations through his chest.

“I thought the agreement was that us boys would stay away from you girls, let you celebrate Grace's birthday, huh?”

“Well you know I can’t stay away from you” I whispered back interlacing our fingers once again, our matching wedding rings glimmering in the morning sunlight.

“God the way you were dancing all up on me, had me going feral bub”

“Yeah well, i’m hoping you got your fill last night, because my body is absolutely aching” With a groan, I tried to raise myself up out of our bed, the throbbing pain below definitely being noticed.

“Come on let’s go shower and get some food into us” Chris said getting up easily, still in his birthday suit, walking over to my side of the bed and picking me up into his arms easily and into the bathroom.

“Wanna shampoo my hair please” I asked with my arms wrapped around his torso, my head still banging from last night.

“Of course honey”

“How the hell are you not hungover” I asked confused, seeing as he was just going about things normally.

“Well baby, I wasn’t the one downing straight Vodka, I can actually hold my alcohol. Plus someone needs to look after you”

“Hey I can hold my alcohol, but thanks that’s pretty cute I guess” I said embarrassed, feeling his fingers start to massage into my scalp, before he lifted my head up to pull me in for a passionate kiss.

“Cute yeah?”

“Yeah whatever just keep kissing me Evans”

“look at you getting all bossy Mrs Evans”

#chris evans imagine #chris evans x reader #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans oneshot #chris evans rpf #romance

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purpleajisai · 4 months

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Madara Week Day 2 - Christ/Antichrist

The Saviour of this World and the Christ: A comparative analysis of Madara Uchiha and Jesus Christ

It’s Christmas time. Christians all over the world are preparing themselves for what they consider one of the most joyful holidays in the year: the birth of the Messiah, He who came to redeem the world. Meanwhile, the Madara enthusiasts are making a countdown for the birthday of the man who tried to save the ninja world by sacrificing his very self. In this meta, I intend to explain the connections, similarities and differences between Madara Uchiha and Jesus Christ that I’ve found over the years. I would also recommend to read “Is Madara our Lord and Saviour?” by @al-hekima-madara-blog for another very interesting meta on the topic. This is my contribution to day 2 of Madara Week, hosted by @uchiha-event.

A quick note before I start my rambling: I will be using the Douay-Rheims translation of the Bible (Roman Catholic translation), but there shouldn’t be any problem for readers of Protestant background as the difference between the Bibles used by both denominations are in the Old Testament and our focus will be the New Testament.

“I am here to save the world”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 677

For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.

John 3:17

What is the purpose of Madara in this story? One would be tempted to say “because every shonen needs a villain”, but I think his purpose as a character was to expose the flaws within the shinobi system that ultimately corrupted a man who desired peace into someone whose sense of reality became so warped by the situations in his life that he started a war to achieve said peace. Madara didn’t make the Eye of the Moon plan to be evil and act dramatic, he made it with the final objective of launching an eternal dream that would guarantee no more conflict and the ideal life for anyone within it. He’s already been past judging the world, he wants to save it at the expense of himself. This is similar to how God is presented in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament: we first see a God who insists that his law is followed and that chastises those who trespass and disobey in several ocassions. But once we reach the New Testament, he becomes a loving figure that intends to save people from eternal doom in hell (”reality is hell”, anyone?). The point is that we have a man whose purpose in the world is to cleanse all forms of evil thorugh his being and who wants to bring salvation to anyone, regardless if the world agrees or not.

“I come here to bring you light and joy in a life that’s beyond this reality”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 626

Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live.

John 11:25

What does Madara mean when he says that “you can’t see it”? After following the storyline we conclude that he’s talking about the Eye of the Moon plan. Let’s add some tangents here, the people who were directly involved in the plan and helped Madara one way or another. They had no clue about what would happen exactly but they were convinced by the prospect of a peaceful life free of their struggles. In a certain way, they believed in Madara. The exact same thing can be seen with Jesus, who promises eternal life beyond the death of the physical body. Nobody knows how Heaven looks like but the believers trust him on that promise.

“I bring peace”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 661

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world

John 16:33

Notice how Madara refers to the current state of the shinobi world as “Hashirama’s world”? In Christianity and the Bible, it is a common practice to separate “the world” and “the believers” as entities with entirely different mindsets and values. Madara sees the world as direct consequence of his nemesis, Hashirama, just as Christians see the evil in the world as the direct consequence of the sins of Lucifer. To “overcome the world”, when applied to Madara, refers to how he intends to use a power whose source is unknown (the power of the Sage of Six Paths) in order to end the paradox of Hashirama’s world. He is going to achieve peace to overwrite the current world and install his own world where the paradox is solved.

“I intend for you to acquire new identity within me”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 665

If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

I picked two of the letters in the New Testament in purpose, you may have noticed that the previous quotes come from the Gospel of John. Because the Gospel of John is a retelling of what Jesus did and said, whereas the letters (mostly from the apostle Paul) are reflections of the lives of the apostles after Jesus was gone. Similarly, Obito becomes Madara once Madara dies in the cave and walks in his shoes. Yesterday, I wrote a bit more about how Madara decomposed his humanity for the sake of his dream of peace. Here, we have Madara giving up his identity to anyone who embraces his goal, similarly to how Jesus signifies a brotherhood of believers. Madara also never writes down his autobiography or gets a space to present his POV, just as how all of what we know from Jesus is from the people close to him, not by his own word. In a sense, both become an entity for like-minded people to work towards a certain goal.

Thank you for reading this far, if you have any questions please use the ask box. It’s always a pleasure to have discussions and to talk about my favourite anime emo man.

#madara #madara uchiha #uchiha madara #naruto meta #purple's meta #madara week 2023 #madaraweek2023

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smalltendencies · 6 months

Text

Voretober Prompt: Drink (TSPUD)

Heyyo! While I was sick with COVID, I took the time to try and feel better by writing. I wanted to do prompts from Voretober, but I won't really have a lot of free time so for now this is all I got. Some of the headcannons used in this are from other TSP vore blogs that I thought fit the Narrator well such as mawsnclaws and s1desn4cks.

Relationships: The Narrator and Reader (can be romantic or platonic. It's left up to you)

(TW: contains soft, safe, nonsexual G/T vore and extreme cuddling)

Word Count: 3,139

“Feeling a wave of disbelief, Stanley decided to go up to his boss's office, hoping he might find an answer there.”

The Narrator spoke the line into the microphone like a crisp record. It was a feat that he was able to keep the same tone, the same emotion, through the fifth playthrough today. It was enough to make anyone go insane.

And apparently, the monotonous repeating of the same story over and over again would bring even the protagonist to his knees.

“Stanley continued to- Oh, no! Oh, no no no no no no no no no no no no, not again! Stanley! What is so intriguing about that closet? Your fascination is absurd! Stanley! Don’t go in that-!” He was cut off by a loud bang. The sound of a door slamming shut signaled that Stanely was no longer listening to the Narrator, opting to take a much needed break from the parable.

“That closet has no significance to the story whatsoever! What does he see in it?!” The Narrator grabbed for his hair, scowling at the microphone like it was the man himself. No doubt Stanley would stay there for a while. Left to his own devices, he would nap in there for at least an hour. He couldn’t hear the Narrator in there, and he couldn’t be forced out of there unless the Narrator physically made him. And that was something he didn’t feel like doing today.

Beside the Narrator’s desk on a side table, a borrower who somehow got stuck in the parable as well was watching the exchange in apathy, used to the love-hate relationship the two fostered.

“Maybe if you didn’t blow him up every few resets, he wouldn’t go there.” You shuffled through a stack of papers. Since you weren’t Stanley, you had nothing better to do than read the rejected scripts that the author forgot to throw away. And it's not like you could be a stand in protagonist while Stanley rested or a side character considering your size. The Narrator was patient, but not patient enough to wait 10 minutes for you to walk through the first room or climb up steps one by one. There's only so much time a parable could take without losing the interest of its readers after all.

You were much safer with the Narrator where he could watch you.

“But that's his choice too! If he listened to me, then we wouldn’t do the Countdown Ending!” Seeing what you were up to, he gave an exasperated glare. “And could you please not mess with those? I’ve neglected to throw them away, but that doesn’t give you the right to snoop.”

You dragged another piece of paper to the edge, walking across the large printed words to read another line of dialogue about Stanley and the bucket’s mock love story. “I’m not snooping, don't worry.” You waved him off dismissively so he could continue. Even if he was just venting at this point about Stanley not listening to him, you still tried to lend an ear.

The Narrator’s fear of isolation made you sit through each of his long winded lectures. When he garnered enough courage to admit how he felt about what happened with the Skip Button, it came with the reluctant admittance that you were a support for him. Despite your nature, just the knowledge someone else was there to offer input, to listen, gave him solace- especially in these moments where Stanley was unavailable. So you tried your best to help stave off any anxiety in exchange for him not smiting you for bothering his parable.

(It made you wonder if the Narrator would even let Stanley have these ‘breaks’ if you weren’t around to take his place)

“Back on topic, yes. He knows what happens when he doesn’t listen. Getting blown up by a nuclear device, getting crushed, going mad, falling to his death, the infernal bucket dying! None of that would happen if he just followed the story.”

You nodded in confirmation. You omitted from reminding him that most people don’t like doing the same thing over and over again, even if it means doing a more pernicious path was the only option, but that’s an argument for deaf ears.

Running out of material to read, you go searching for the next activity while the Narrator was distracted.

The scripts he was working on at his desk was your next target. His typewriter was pushed to the side while he narrated. It gave you time to stand on it and read what he had so far. The jump wasn’t far from his side table to his desk where he pushed them beside each other for your convenience. Readying yourself, you went to take the leap.

You were closer to the edge than you thought, and when one foot lifted, you felt your other slip over the side before you could spring off. You followed suit, your whole body going over the side and missing the other platform.

You were falling.

Time didn’t slow down like the books always said. Rather, it seemed to go faster, fast forwarding to your rapid descent to the ground below. Even the horrid brown carpet wouldn’t cushion the fall enough to keep you safe; you were at the very least breaking bones. You chose to close your eyes and remain ignorant of when impact would happen.

Somewhere above you, aside from the wind rushing in your ears, a voice shouted in shock.

The sensation of your stomach dropping from the fall was abruptly halted by someone catching you. From the warmth radiating off the surface and the way your body sunk slightly into the ground, you registered it as the Narrator's hand. The world moved around you as your own hands moved under you to help you sit up.

Your near death and the vertigo had your head spinning to where you didn’t register you were being lifted to be eye level with the Narrator, scanning you over again and again to make sure you were ok. Large yellow eyes directed a worried but harsh narrowed glare at you.

“You need to be more careful! I thought I wasn’t going to catch you in time!”

You weren’t listening to him, trying to get your panicked breathing back to an even rhythm. He didn’t care of your plight, continuing to berate you.

“You are just like Stanley, honestly- What if I wasn’t here? Or I didn’t see what happened in time? You could’ve died!” While you understood he was yelling out of panic, it hurt your ears where you were so close to him. You shrunk back from the noise, covering your ears to block out some of the volume. Everything felt overwhelming, taking in all the senses and emotions at the same time, and Stanley still wasn’t out of that closet so the attention was completely directed at you and-

“There is only so much I can reset! Stanley automatically heals sure, but I don’t know what happens to you-” He finally paused his tirade to study you again, seeing you cower from him as much as you could when the only place you could be was his grasp. He felt guilt choke his throat, his fingers instinctively curling around you more as a barrier from moving any further.

He coughed awkwardly, “I apologize for speaking so loudly. That was unbecoming of me.”

The Narrator’s other hand slowly moved to your level, carefully trying to maneuver his finger to stroke your head. He wasn’t used to the range of emotions humans (and human adjacents?) normally dealt with, and he was even worse at comforting others with said emotions. If only Stanley would come back to break the tension…

“But I won’t apologize for what I said. You are quite fragile my dear. My goodness, it isn’t safe anywhere for you. I thought that my office was the perfect place for you so I could keep a watchful eye, but it appears I was wrong.”

His moment of guilt was gone, replaced by his usual lilt of knowing and slightly condescending, “I was right about you being too adventurous. Sometimes, I have half the mind to put you in a box so I know you can’t get into trouble.” A box sounded awful. Hard, uncomfortable, and terribly boring. You didn’t doubt he would go through it too, remembering how he treats Stanley when he veers off course too much. The Games Ending where he left Stanley alone like a grounded child didn’t leave your mind.

“Of course, I could conjure up a box of some sort…” he hummed in thought, watching you with interest. The one hand that was comforting you left to prop his head on his fist. The one you were on slowly moved away from him, lowering to a point where you assumed he would drop you back on his desk. Any concern from earlier was put away, replaced with a grin.

“But where’s the fun in that?”

His hand turned vertically and before you knew it you were sliding and falling once again. There was no warning or time to catch your breath as you landed in liquid hot enough to miss when you swam upwards to hit air. Moving your arms and legs to keep yourself stably afloat and stationary, you took a moment to take in what the fuck just happened. But it didn’t take long to understand after seeing the porcelain white walls around you and brownish black liquid you floated in. The overly strong citrus smell clogged your nose and made you want to cough out your lungs.

The smug bastard of course dropped you in his tea.

The Narrator looked down at you in amusement, no doubt finding humor in the situation. If you were clueless before, you definitely weren’t now. It was obvious what he planned to do (and you had half the mind to let him since it’s not like you disliked it). The clink of metal against glass alerted you back to the present. His tea spoon tapped the side mockingly, and slowly came to stir around you in lazy circles, making the whirlpool in the middle spin you around with it. The current wasn’t powerful enough to take you under, but it was definitely annoying to paddle against.

The pull abated as he scooped some tea, along with you, up out of the cup and toward him. You instantly felt the loss of heat that the tea supplied, shivering in the cold air. It encouraged you to lay down in the meager supply you had if only to get a little more warm.

“I recall you saying you don’t appreciate going down with my tea like some pill, so I won’t put you through that again for a while... But I figured I’d let you steep so you at least taste good going down.” At this point, the loss of adrenaline from earlier, the heat, and having to move so much to stay afloat left you torpid. All you could do was weakly glare in annoyance and shake from the rapidly depleting temperature.

He laughed in amusement, not intimidated at all by your meager defiance; if anything, it spurred him on. Bringing you closer, you braced yourself to be swallowed, only to be given an experimental lick like a simple taste tester.

The Narrator floated his spoon back over his drink. You watched him in confusion, seeing the way he frowned slightly and shook his head. “No, you definitely need to sit for another minute or two.”

He unceremoniously dropped you back in, watching as you broke to the surface gasping for air before nonchalantly going back to stirring as he talked offhandedly, “Funny to think I just picked a random tea today because I didn’t expect this to happen. I don’t know what tea I would’ve picked if I did know. A Chamomile? Cinnamon Chai? You can give me your input on what you would prefer later.” Just when you felt like you couldn’t paddle anymore, you were once again scooped up. He maneuvered just so to where there was barely any of the liquid taken along with you. You curled in on yourself, hoping to stave off the chill this time. The Narrator grinned at you in an innocent facade, “But in all honesty, I think Bergamot is the best tea to pair with you.”

Maybe he noticed how tired you were, or maybe it's where he knew Stanley could come back at any point, but he didn’t waste another moment before opening his mouth and inviting you inside. At this point, the warmth that it emitted and the darkness seemed like a good place to rest. You acquiesced, closing your eyes and waiting.

He smiled more genuinely at the sentiment, appreciating how much you trusted him at this point. With the tip of his tongue, he cautiously slid you off the spoon onto the middle of his tongue. Not bothering to open your eyes, you let the light that penetrated your eyelids slowly fade to black as the access to the outside world left.

There was no point in moving, choosing to lay down content on the soft surface below you. The yellow hue always intrigued you, knowing that the physical form he picked to interact with Stanley and you still didn’t look quite human. It was endearing and uniquely the Narrator.

After letting you lay there for a bit, he carefully moved you, rolling you like candy to coat you in saliva and taste the residual tea. You felt him hum in satisfaction, and it made you wonder if he lied earlier and planned it this whole time. This went on for a bit, letting him do what he wanted without resistance. He proceeded to focus on pushing you to the roof of his mouth without hurting you, keeping you there while he sucked off the extra moisture to swallow along with the extra saliva.

Satisfied, he lowered you back down, nudging you forward gently to rest at the front. You were sitting up to where your back hit his teeth. His tongue stopped trying to taste, settling to lay on your legs like a large weighted blanket. It was analogous to sitting in a chair with a quilt on in the cold winter; the whole gesture was soothing in a way you hadn’t felt for a long time.

In this position, you could see the back of his throat like a dark, looming cave. Maybe if you first met the man, or with anyone else even, knowing you were inside a person that could easily just bite through you would instill you with a sense of fear that froze you in place. You would desperately claw your way out. Let your survival instincts kick in and fight tooth and nail.

In this circumstance, however, you chose to lean your head back and sigh happily. If you focused over his breathing, you could hear him shuffle with papers outside. You couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not with the teeth blocking your view, but you didn’t question if he was also enjoying this. It seemed you both were going to rest like this together until Stanley returned. This whole moment was an understanding. Something special you both were able to share as a form of reassurance, comfort, and trust. And so, you didn’t mind the view or the way you felt saliva pool around your legs. Even when you were inevitably swallowed and sent to his stomach, it would be welcomed knowing you were as close to the Narrator as you could be- where he was content knowing you were safe.

You don’t know how long you closed your eyes, but you were certain you dozed off at some point. The feeling of the Narrator slowly tilting his head back woke you. It was gradual, giving you time to stop him if you wanted to leave. But you didn’t. Rather, you moved to crawl to the back where his throat awaited your entrance. You just wanted to rest.

Finally, you let the gravity take you, letting the muscles of his throat firmly grab you and push you downwards.

It never took long to reach his stomach. He designed his physical form that way, figuring the esophagus squeezing around you was too cramped. You dropped gracelessly into his stomach, swaying with you like a hammock. You were glad no one was here to see the embarrassing sight of you scrambling like a turned over beetle to sit upright, but your host still felt it judging from the way he huffed at the feeling of you frantically moving.

Eventually, you settled in a comfortable position, laying down and sinking into the lining. You felt the walls press against you, one side more firmly- The Narrator pressing a hand on his middle where he knew you were. His simulated heartbeat didn’t falter once above you, a nice white noise that paired with the sound of his organs working around you. It was your cue to fall asleep.

It didn’t come as naturally as you thought it would. It was hard to sleep when you took the time to just relax and enjoy the presence of another all around you. You had to force yourself to close your eyes and count when he inhaled and exhaled. Slowly but surely, your exhaustion came back full force.

Just as you felt your mind go cloudy, you felt the world vibrate around you. Your eyes snapped back open in alarm. It jostled you some, but not enough to force you to move. Even if it did, the hand that was still pressed against you from outside wouldn’t let you move too far.

You heard about this phenomenon once or twice from Stanley when you actually got to see him, but you didn’t really believe him because it hadn’t happened to you yet.

The Narrator was fucking purring.

He probably thought you were already asleep after how tired you were earlier, but he was mistaken and now you knew his (not so terrible) secret. He would never live it down if you told him. Not like you would, afraid he wouldn’t let himself do it again if you let him know you knew. Everything was too much to stay awake though. The heat and humidity made you more tired than you already were. The sounds lull you to sleep like a lullaby. Hopefully you could stay in here for a few hours.

As your consciousness was fading, you could faintly hear the sound of a typewriter clicking slower than usual where he only used one hand. The Narrator was willing to wait for Stanley now, the weight he felt inside him a reminder that he wasn’t alone.

#g/t vore #soft vore #safe vore #tsp vore #nonsexual vore #extreme cuddling #the stanley parables #tspud #voretober 2023 #my writing #believe it or not I am not a Bergamot tea fan #Fruit teas give me a headache #Honey tea all the way #I'm not British but hot tea slaps

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writergirl3 · 1 year

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Favourite 4 Town Blogs

Sooo...I've been having real bad writer's block. Like, can't get anything on the page. So, I've been re-reading all the 4 Town content on here that pretty much made me fall into this fandom.

I'm sure most of you already follow these amazing blogs, but I wanted to show them some love.

Maybe it would be cute if people reblog this with their favs, y'know, spread the love?

Anyway, check them out!

⭐️@wondero28: One of the first blogs I found on here and it's a firm fav. Also think they're revamping their content, which is exciting!

⭐️ @4townlove: Stumbled on this gem a few months back, their writing is 👌🏼 Also, we have crazy amounts in common😂

⭐️ @miniimapp: Genuinely used to get so excited each day in December for their countdown to Christmas posts. Their hcs are some of my favs!

⭐️@shiroichiban: Not sure if they're active anymore, but I still head back to their master list full of cute pieces of writing.

⭐️@4townl0ver: Another fav, super active and their artwork is amazing!

⭐️@magicbratt: Relatively new find for me, but I really like what they've written so far and can't wait for more content.

I'm sure there's more, but here are a few favs just to start with. Us 4Townies are pretty starved, so reblog this with your own fav creators to satiate us all🧡

---

Musing Meaninglessly Masterlist

#4 town #4town #4*town #turning red #4 town headcanons #4 town aaron z #4 town jesse #4 town aaron t #4 town robaire #4 town tae young

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allamericansbitch · 9 days

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just my food for thought: taylor's approach to promoting ttpd feels very much like big kpop releases (with the street pop-up, doing very limited promotions beforehand but dropping album versions with different names and even having photocards in her album and the album and lead single mv to drop on the same day ) and i understand that it also harks back on the generally short attention span people have with music these days, and saying that i miss her old rollouts doesn't mean she just has to bring them back because i want that, but i also would have loved a bit of a gradual build-up.

i honestly don't mind that the majority of people know who and what that album revolves around, since that is another thing i as one person can't change and i know that doesn't matter to me when i listen to the songs, but i honestly don't look forward to the fact that people will dig through the album for the most scathing lyrics, post them for viral moments, and then move on in a week or two bc then their attention will go to something else. this doesn't even feel like a real 'era' because the era is basically non-existent, which says something when taylor has marketed herself as the queen of album eras. i just wish she'd build on the theme of the album more, make it more of an era and work to make the songs just breathe for a while, you know?

while midnights wasn't my favourite album she ever did i genuinely really liked it (and same on the love for glitch!) for the way she wrote the album and the central theme of it being her contemplating her life, her actions, and her relationships - but all of that got lost in the wash like three months later and we never returned to looking at the album that way. you and the other anon were so spot on in saying that once it got the "heartbreak album" stamp (which ,,, it legit doesn't feel like a heartbreak album to me and still doesn't?), people never really came back to it or to listen to the songs and see anything else in them. i enjoy taylor's music and i like coming back to songs weeks, months, and even years later, as with any artist i listen to, and to see how i feel about them now. but it feels like that is never happening again bc the promo tells the majority of people one thing, they will listen to the album for two weeks except for two stand-out songs that become general faves, and then it's back to engaging with the commodity of the brand taylor swift, which to me feels like defeating the purpose of releasing an album aka a big body of work to stand on its own through time!

i don't know if that makes sense. in any case i love the discussions on your blog. feels like there is an entire different discussion about artists not being perfect humans, not even being likeable sometimes, and these people still releasing art that you as a listener (or watcher etc) will relate to and/or enjoy. i don't have a clear answer how to engage with that or how to look at that but the space and conversations on your blog have definitely made me keep thinking about it though it's something i have been pondering on for most of my adult life.

ah, sorry for this wall of text! i just really, really enjoy the open conversations on your blog and your general view on things. i don't know i feel on friday, but if you just want to discuss songs (if you listened, of course, if not that's also fine, i just enjoy seeing you post) i definitely love doing that even as just one of the anons on here. thank you for always putting your honesty and your love for music forward, sarah, it's why you're one of my favourite people to follow on here. 💜

i just wish the promo for this album made it feel like she was actually excited and proud of the album because right now it doesn’t. she’s not doing anything for it, and if she is, it’s being outsourced to other companies who are the actual ones doing the work (spotify with the library or the lyric messages, or instagram doing the countdown) so it really comes off as like she doesn’t care to put the effort in herself leading up to it.

And the thing about everyone moving on like a week after, you’re so right. it’s obvious a universal issue, everyone’s attention span is getting shorter everyday, but with taylor and swifties… it’s so bad. every release is forgot even days afterwards and the fans ask for another one. fans are speculating that she’s gonna drop rep tv the same day ttpd comes out… like they’ve already anticipated that they’ll move on the same day after getting it so they want more. and i feel like, while it’s impossible for taylor to fix the global attention span issue, i feel like proper promotion would help combat it within the fandom. like her releasing a first single a month or two before the album comes out would build anticipation, but also force people to slow down. here’s a teaser but now you have to wait, teach the fans patience kind of thing.

and that last part made me tear up that’s so sweet to appreciate what i have to say. i’m so happy you enjoy following me. messages like this are the exact reason why i love to have my inbox open and have these amazing, mature, open minded conversations and it sucks im gonna have to close my inbox for a short while when the album comes out but i will definitely post my opinions once i spend some time with it! ily anon thank you 💗✨

#anonymous #answered

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riddlcr · 1 year

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Hi, I just found your blog and your Riddler master list, and I wanted to ask if you have a list of Riddler stories from outside of animations and live action to recommend?

i had once thought about making a riddler master list for comic book appearances but it became too much and redundant as you can find a frequently updated list complied on Comic Vine. many of the classics can be found on the rec post @deanky made.

here are a few more of my personal favs...

Detective Comics ➥ it's PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR RIDDLER BBY!! i'm a slut for the reformed riddler era and detective comics do not disappoint. - #822 riddler tags along with batman on a case. - #824 riddler and penguin being bffs - #828 riddler still hanging out with batman and not taking the hint - #845 not the best run but riddler talks fondly of query and echo 💕 - #837 has a lot fun interactions between reformed riddler and reformed harley.

Zero Year (Batman 2011) ➥ he's an edgelord supreme with killer aesthetics. it's not a perfect run but it's fun and i love how whimsical riddler is. zero year spans over issues #21, #22, #23, #23.2, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29, #30, #31, #32, #33

The Flash (2011) ➥ building on zero year, riddler's trying to "build an empire" in central city. i'm not in love with his arc here. but i do love the art style in issue #50 + ruthless riddler hits me in the sweet spot. not enough riddles tho. kind of ruins his whole mo. build up for the arc starts on issues #48 + #49 and riddler shows up in #50, #51, #52

Gotham City Sirens ➥ The art style is beautiful and his characterization a wonderful blend of wit and charm. Bonus! Great interactions with Harley, Selina, and Ivy 💖He's only in Issue #8 for a few panels but gets more play in #9 and #10.

Gotham Underground ➥ i'm a slut for riddler interacting with other rogues and this series is pack full of it. another goodie from his reformed era. good food for any riddlebird fans too. he shows up in issues #1, #2, #3, #7, and #9.

Countdown (2007) ➥ it's very... comic book-y. you can ignore the whole main plot just to appreciate how fun riddler is in issue #42 (the only REAL issue he's in).

Trinity (2008) ➥ another comic book-y, everyone is involved and there are twenty different side plots running in tangent, rec. but one i can't shut up about. i LOVE this run. instead of your usual riddler, we get ENGIMA, the antimatter riddler. i'm not linking individual issues but here is a reference of all the issues engima appears in.

#if i keep going it will get too long #this is enough #riddler #dc comics #mango talk

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marcussour · 2 months

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So, for the like 3 of you that maybe have wondered where have I been the last weeks, well, basically playing FF7 Rebirth and chilling on cohost.

Thing is, after the whole tumblr selling our data to train ai models fiasco, I was kinda in shock and decided to leave this place. I uninstalled the app from my phone, did backups of my blogs (which I wasn't gonna delete, just stop uploading), went to cohost and started posting there (it's super chill btw, it's like early tumblr mixed with old twitter, in case you're wondering). All while processing what to do next, because frankly, we've all felt that tumblr is somewhat on decline and seeing all the bad stuff it's CEO has done as of late -including threats of nuking the site this year-, the last few years always felt like there was an invisible countdown on this website all the time.

But still, I'm not gonna pretend I'm not gonna miss it, if not tumblr per se, certainly some of the people I've met here who are my mutuals of many years, many of which I've become friends with. Also, despite everything, I still think this is a good platform for posting art. Cohost has its good things (like being WAY more relaxed about NSFW stuff), but there are more file size restrictions, photosets are limited to fewer pictures, etc. There might be some ways to improve that besides what the staff there is doing, since cohost lets you edit posts in many more ways than tumblr (read somewhere that it was tumblr, but for hornier and more linux savy people), so there's also that.

Anyway, after processing everything that happened, and understanding that one way or another, my art's probably gonna be scraped from the internet nevertheless, even if tumblr offers an opt out option (that doesn't even consider the people that tumblr decides to sell our stuff to, let alone the fact that it also arrived so late that we probably everything was already scraped to begin with) even if I glaze it or whatever, I kinda made peace with what happened. I'm still weary about uploading, or where to do it. Yes, I know that I don't have huge numbers or a distinctive enough style for people to copy, but I also know that, nevertheless, not only my art, but the things I've written, the photos I've taken, etc., all has been fed into that slot machine of generating content. If anything, with the days I've noticed I'm way more angry at techbros as usual, and especially tumblr ceo and part of it's staff -I know that not everyone agrees with him and that there are good people in the staff, but there's also sycophants, professional "yes man"s and the like-.

So, after all that, I thought, well, might as well go back. But the thing is that, after spending a couple of weeks away (and missing the posts I imagine came up here both about the Cerveza Cristal meme and about Toriyama's death, among other things), coming back here has been weird, like, for better or worse, it has lost its appeal. I've read a couple of posts before writing this one and I was like "has it always been like this here?".

So, what now? I have no clue. I don't think I'm gonna download the mobile app again, if anything, I've noticed how much time it consumed to just check tumblr with the frequency I used to, so I don't feel like doing that anymore. I think I might pop up here from time to time, maybe return to live blogging Critical Role and Candela Obscura. Will probably like more stuff than the one I post and reblog. Still deciding if I should post new art stuff here, we'll see.

Anyway, if any of you have cohost, you can find me there

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soft-edging-kittens · 2 months

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got any fave audios?

Good question.

It'd be hard to pick a favourite because they are all amazing in their own way. I do have a particular soft spot for "countdowns" though.

Also a few that stand out as special.

A (I thought) SFW mutual admitted they really wanted to hear one of mine. After they sent me one they made while still wet.

Another mutual let me control their vibe until they came then sent an audio of it. They let me post that one.

Jess was always amazing but the 15 minute audio of her being fucked on a beach... chefs kiss.

Having gone back through my tag I'm also sad how many audios I've reblogged are now flagged or from deleted/deactivated blogs.

#ask #anon #audio #sound on

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ace-writes-stuff · 2 years

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Those Good Days Passed | Chapter 2

| Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader |

A/N: Hello again, friends! As you can see, I’ve made a new writing blog! Long story short, I didn’t realize that most of Tumblr’s tools can only be utilized on one’s main blog, so I decided to separate my writing completely and make this! Hopefully, this will help out with some house cleaning stuff in the future! Thanks for your support and understanding - yall literally made me blush when you started asking for a taglist on the first chapter! That is all :)

Summary: First days can be hard, especially when you work with Eddie Munson and your little cousin comes in with some strange requests.

Contents & Warnings: Fem!Reader, Reader is over 18, Multichapter Fic, Reader rides a motorcycle, MINORS DNI

Previous Chapter: Cabin in the Woods

Word Count: 4.3K

Chapter Two - First Days & Final Countdowns

The sun was barely making its way through the trees when the birds started chirping outside your window. The cabin was great. It was cool in the daytime with the aid of a bunch of box-style air conditioning units that only made weird sounds half the time they were on, and it was warm at night either because you had a fire going or the heat from the day hadn’t entirely burnt off yet. Truly, you couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay the summer.

It also helped that the cabin was free.

Nevertheless, you genuinely enjoyed staying there, especially when you were a kid and the leaking pipe in the bathroom wasn’t your responsibility to fix while your uncle was away. Seriously, why did he leave you in charge, knowing he had a leaky pipe?

As the bird's song grew to the point where you couldn’t ignore it any longer, you sat up in bed with a groan. All that driving and running around yesterday had really done a number on you. Not to mention how Dustin and his older sailor friend had peer pressured you into eating way too much shitty fast food from the cafeteria. It was delicious at the time, but now you just felt sluggish. Which was a problem because during all the commotion of getting a job, meeting Dustin’s new friends, then having to cart him all the way back home after he dragged you out to the highest point in Hawkins to set up his ‘miracle of science’ that would allow him to talk to his ‘totally real and not made up’ girlfriend, you had completely forgotten to set the alarm to get up for work.

9:07

That damn alarm was taunting you with its stupid bright red letters as you scrambled to throw on some clothes, narrowly avoiding falling onto the floor as your legs got caught in your jeans. Luckily, you had just enough sense last night to throw your bike keys onto the hook before drifting off to dreamland, so there was no need for a search and rescue mission between couch cushions. It saved you a bit of time not having to look for them, but that didn’t mean you weren’t barreling down the quaint little Hawkin’s roads trying to make it to work on time.

To your surprise, when you had finally made it to Tape World’s doors sporting your sleek new blue employee vest, the place was still locked up. With eyebrows raised, you took a second to check your watch.

9:30

You weren’t early, but you weren’t late either, so where was Eddie? You peaked inside, but no dice. Was he late?

After another minute or two, you built up the courage to knock on the closed glass doors. Maybe he was just in the back organizing a few things and forgot you were coming?

“Eddie?” You tried calling out, thinking that maybe he had heard the knocking and assumed it was just an over-eager customer trying to beg their way into an early store entry.

“Yes?” His voice answered, only it wasn't where you expected it to be. Nope! Instead of being in the store, he was standing right behind you. You hadn’t even heard him until he was right up on you.

“Holy shit-” You gasped before letting out a laugh as he threw up his hands like you had somehow also surprised him.

“Woah! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I probably should have announced myself, huh?” He was quick to apologize. “I got here early, so I thought I would just go ahead and grab us those breakfast sandwiches I talked about yesterday.”

It was at that point you finally noticed the two decently sized tinfoil-wrapped squares he was holding in his left hand. How sweet. He had grabbed you breakfast for your first day. You almost wished he had taken you with him though so you could have had a chance to meet some more people your age. It was a little embarrassing that you had to rely on your little cousin and his surprising number of older friends to keep you company through the summer. Nevertheless, you took the breakfast sandwich that was offered to you with a quick but genuine thank you.

Shortly after that, the doors were unlocked, and the two of you were using that same glass display case he had hopped over yesterday as a makeshift breakfast table. The sandwich was…nice, in a greasy comfort food sort of way. Definitely not a well-balanced breakfast, but it was still a decent way to start the morning, especially because you hadn’t had time to grab anything to eat in your rush out the door. It also helped that the sandwich was free. Couldn’t complain about free food.

The register was next on the agenda after the quick meal, and damn, was that stupid thing way more complicated than it needed to be. You had to press like fifteen buttons just for one sale to go through, and that was if they decided to pay in cash. Checks and credit were an entirely different beast, and by the end of Eddie’s miniature crash course, you were beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed.

“Now you’re looking at me like I’ve got three heads,” Eddie remarked with a lopsided grin, referencing the conversation you two had had only a day prior.

You dropped your head forward between your shoulders in defeat, laughing at yourself for a moment. Working the cash register truly couldn’t be that hard. It just had a learning curve, right? Maybe after a few sales, you’d be an expert. You were usually pretty good at picking up things like this, but for some reason, it just wasn’t clicking at the moment.

“Oh, trust me, by the end of the day, I’m going to make this register my bitch.” Perhaps it was false confidence, but you figured you’d at least be somewhat proficient with it by closing time, and if you weren't, nobody could say that you just laid down and took it.

“Those are some bold words coming from someone who just tried to charge me six hundred dollars for a cassette.” Eddie snarked, ripping the mock receipt from the top of the register and holding it out for you to read.

Sure enough…

$600

“Oh, come on! I just forgot to add a decimal!” You groaned, snatching the receipt and chucking it into the garbage. “Give me another one! I swear I got it this time.” The determination to get this right was practically flowing through your veins at this point, but Eddie was already making his way back towards the front of the store.

“As much as I would love to watch you struggle some more, we’ve gotta open in less than a minute.” The keys jangled around loudly in his hand as he swung them around a few times before inserting them into the lock. “Better luck next time, Henderson!” He announced loudly as he pulled the door open with a dramatic flair.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him. The guy was like a walking cartoon character. All long and lanky limbs, flailing about like a medieval fool. It was ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous though was that it was actually starting to grow on you.

“Mark my words, Munson!” You tried to sound serious as he approached the counter again, but you broke as he leaned forward into your space.

“Go on,” He prompted, big brown eyes staring right back down into yours as a smirk pulled at his lips.

You hesitated for a moment. You knew what you wanted to say, but it was like the words had gotten lost on their way out. Your mouth fell open, but just as you were about to speak, Eddie leaned forward again.

“Oh? What will she say?! I'm quivering in anticipation!” And he did. Quiver that it is. Hell, he practically shook his whole body. He even brought his arms up to his chest before covering his cheeky grin with both ring-clad hands.

“Go to hell,” You scoffed jokingly, rolling your eyes again before pushing the big dufus away like you would somehow remember to function if you got your personal space back.

“Oh, I’ve been, sweetheart.” Eddie claimed, then leaned over the glass counter like he was about to whisper something of the utmost importance, “and they named me king!”

It was dumb. He was dumb, but he still made you laugh. Harder than you had laughed in months, actually. There was just something so endearing about the way he held himself and galavanted around like he didn’t have a care in the world. Maybe he didn’t, but you seriously doubted that. Nevertheless, the guy was funny, and you really had to hand it to him.

Just as you were about to say something extremely well thought out and definitely not the first thing that came to mind, the door chime dinged. It was…Dustin? What was he doing at the mall so early? Especially after the night you two had had.

“Do you have anything educationally Russian in here?” He asked, and wow, that was a sentence you never thought you’d hear from your little cousin, but at this point, you really shouldn't have been shaken by anything he said anymore. The kid was weird, but the good kind.

“I’m sorry?” Eddie answered, squinting his eyes and jutting his head forward in utter confusion, and to be honest, you had half a mind to do the same.

“Why do you need something educationally Russian?” You paused for a moment to think back. It wasn’t a new band. It definitely didn't have anything to do with D&D. Maybe he was researching that little Russian girl that had been roaming around Hawkins around the same time as that Byers kid went missing? But why now?

“No time for questions. I’ve already wasted enough time waiting till morning. I really need this now, so do you have it or not?” The impatience was practically dripping from Dustin’s voice.

Till morning?

“Dustin, is this why you were acting so weird last night?” You accused, folding your arms across your chest and fixing him with a look. Dustin’s demeanor immediately changed. He stood up straighter, and his eyes flicked from Eddie, back to you, then around the store, before finally settling on you again.

“Weird?” He scoffed, “I wasn’t acting weird. Why do you think I was acting weird?” Dustin was definitely acting weird. He had practically been silent the whole way home. At first, you thought that maybe it was because his totally real girlfriend hadn’t answered his many, many calls, but now with him asking about Russian tapes, you just knew that something was up.

“C’mon, kid. You know you can talk to me.” He used to come to you for everything, but the time apart had done a number on your relationship. Still, the two of you were close, and no amount of time could ever change that.

Dustin’s face contorted slightly as he thought about it. It took him a moment to come to a final decision, but when he did, his eyes flicked over to Eddie.

“It’s okay. He’s cool, aren’t you, Munson?” You reassured, throwing a hand up to pat Eddie on the shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally cool. The coolest.” Eddie crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodding in agreement but still looking completely lost at what was happening. You couldn’t blame him though; even you felt like you were falling behind a bit.

Despite all that, Dustin still beckoned the two of you closer, looking cautiously around the store like he had done before. You and Eddie acquiesced, leaning down into his space to hear him out. It was then, in a quiet voice, he said,

“I intercepted a secret Russian communication.”

Well, that was the second thing you never thought you’d hear from your little cousin, but it looked like today was just chock full of surprises.

“You intercepted a secret Russian communication?” Eddie repeated slowly, his eyes wide, as he took a moment to glance over at you, but Dustin was already snapping at him.

“Don’t say it so loud! You’re going to attract attention to us! We don’t know who could be listening!” The kid practically shouted in a hushed voice, dragging you two closer into a huddle while throwing nervous glances over his shoulder to ensure Eddie hadn't outed you all.

“Dustin- Relax. There’s no one in the store.” You tried to soothe, but he still seemed skittish.

“Do you have the tapes or not?” He asked quietly after a breath, keeping his eyes closed this time.

Unfortunately, you had only been working at Tape World for a little over two hours at that point, so you had absolutely no clue if you had what Dustin was asking for. Eddie, on the other hand, had the place practically memorized by now, and with only a few short minutes of him sweeping through various tape-filled aisles with his tongue poking out slightly in an effort to stay focused, he came back with a handful of ‘Russian for Dummies’ tapes.

Almost immediately, Dustin was shoving them into his bag and trying to head toward the door. You, of course, went to stop him, but Eddie beat you to the punch.

“Woah, woah, woah, little gremlin. You gotta pay for those.” There was no malice in his voice, but he was beginning to sound a bit exasperated by your cousin's eccentric behavior, and as much as you loved him, you really couldn’t blame Eddie for being a bit vexed.

Without a word, Dustin shot you a pleading look. You had the money to cover him, but you were also really hoping to use said money for something other than a beginner's guide to Russian.

“How do you even plan on translating this secret message? It's not like you can just pick up a language from listening to a few guides.” You prodded, hoping it might knock some sense into him, but this was Dustin, so it didn’t.

“I can’t, but Robin can,” Dustin explained. “She’s got magic ears from band. She's already got a few words translated from just the recording and a dictionary. With this,” he held up his bag with the tapes, “she’ll be unstoppable.”

“Hold on. Rewind. You got Buckley translating this?” Eddie questioned, which seemed to surprise Dustin.

“You know Robin?”

“Yeah, we’re both in band. Which means,” Eddie took a finger and tapped the side of his head. “I’ve got magic ears too. I can help.”

As enthralling as this all was, it was only a matter of time before someone else came waltzing through the doors and ruined the secrecy of the conversation. You relayed that to the group, but Eddie and Dustin seemed more interested in bickering back and forth on whether the metal head was worthy enough to help in his quest to become a Hawkins- no, an American Hero. However, almost on cue, a small group of young girls entered the store, followed closely by a larger group of adults, possibly their parents, so you all were forced to decide on a game plan.

“Fine,” Eddie conceded, “You take the tapes to the sound wizard, and during our lunch break, we will meet you at…”

“Scoops Ahoy.” Dustin finished, and Eddie suddenly looked distraught.

“Scoops? As in the Scoops Ahoy where Scarrington works?” Munson practically groaned.

“Look- do you want to help or not?” Dustin remarked shortly. Eddie huffed at the display before giving a curt nod.

“Fine. Fine. We’ll reconvene at Scoops and decipher this stupid message. Clear?”

And Dustin was practically out the door as he called back, “Clear!”

What the fuck had just happened?

Secret Russian communications? Magic ears? Either you had gotten boring while you were away, or Hawkin’s had become a lot more exciting.

That didn’t exactly matter at the moment though, because despite the promise of a grand adventure come lunchtime, you still had to work for at least the next couple of hours. Thankfully though, as soon as Dustin left, things really seemed to pick up. Between the group of young girls and their parents, the pack of jocks, and the small group of young teenage boys you could have sworn you had seen before, there was barely any time to think about the insane conversation you had just had.

That being said, the closer it got to your lunch break, the more anxious you felt. It wasn’t a pit in your stomach type of anxiety though. No, it was more of a something exciting is about to happen kind, which was only exacerbated every time there was a lull in the customer load, and Eddie would drift back over to you and start speaking to you in a horrible Russian accent.

“Is zis not ze tape you are looking for, Keptin?” Seriously, it was like he was mimicking Checkov from Star Trek. Wait. That was exactly what he was doing!

“Are you saying I look like William Shatner?” You questioned with a laugh, plucking the cassette he was holding out to you. “Because personally, I like to think that I give off more Bones vibes. I even took a first aid course last semester.”

“She knows Star Trek too? Be still my beating heart!” Eddie commanded jokingly before throwing his head back and clutching his chest like he might faint.

“Oh, Ha Ha.” You scoffed before pushing him out of the way. “You’re so funny, Eddie. You should audition for Saturday Night Live! The crowd would just love you.” The sarcasm was practically dripping from your voice as you popped the cassette Eddie had handed you into the player.

As the rocking synths of Separate Ways by Journey filled the little store and the patrons slowly filtered out, you helped Munson prepare to momentarily close up shop. It was only some minor organizing and making sure that the register was locked and the amounts were correct, but by the time you two were finished, you were practically vibrating.

It had been so long since you had a proper adventure. Sure, there was the very real possibility that Dustin was completely overreacting and the Secret Russian Communication was just somebody messing with him last night, but for now, you wanted to keep your hopes up.

Eddie seemed less than convinced but just as enthusiastic as he flicked off the lights and held the door open for you.

“What a gentleman,” You teased, and instead of rolling his eyes or tensing up, he doubled down on the act of chivalry, bowing his head, and extending a hand out to beacon you forward.

“Of course, m’lady. Only the best for the co-ruler of Tape World.” He stated, dropping his voice an octave like he was trying to imitate a knight or something else heroic.

“Oh? I’ve already been promoted to co-ruler?” You questioned with a quiet laugh as Eddie locked the door to your little kingdom.

“Oh, yeah. Just wait until you can work the cash register, then you’ll really have some power. I might even let you choose the music one day, princess.” How was he such a nerd yet such a charmer all at the same time?

“Yeah, yeah, your highness,” You rolled your eyes, trying to look annoyed instead of flattered, “Less chatting, more walking! We got a quest to complete.”

And with that, the two of you set out for Scoops Ahoy. It was a long and perilous two-minute walk, but somehow you both made it relatively unharmed. There had been a close call with a spontaneously combusting milkshake, but you still managed to make it to Scoops alive and clean.

Surprisingly though, when you arrived, there was no one at the counter. There were customers eating, so they had to be somewhere close by. Perhaps in the back?

DING DING DING DING

The sharp sound made you jump. You looked around to find the source, and it was Eddie, slapping the service bell around like it had insulted him.

“Jesus, Eddie! What is wrong with you?!” You grabbed his wrist to stop him from ringing the bell again, but it was too late. The little wooden window behind the counter swung open with more velocity than you thought was possible, and standing there, looking at you, was Steve Harrington.

“What?!” The sailor snapped before realizing who you were. “Oh. It’s you! We’ve been waiting for you all-“ but Dustin pushed his way into view, effectively cutting Harrington off.

“Hurry up and get in here!” Your cousin commanded before slamming the window shut again with a loud Clack!

For a second, you and Eddie just stood there looking at each other. What the hell were you two getting yourselves into? Still, you eventually made your way past the counter, and before you could even knock, Dustin flung the door open and pulled you both inside.

“Woah, cool it, Gollum!” Eddie hissed, brushing himself off after the door was slammed closed again.

The room was small. Well, it was the same size as Tape World’s backroom, but with what could only be described as a translation station, it seemed a lot smaller.

There were Russian characters on a whiteboard, and a girl was sitting at a table, sprawled over a piece of paper with about a sentence worth of translations on it. That wasn’t the only one though. There had to be at least a dozen sheets with various Russian words scribbled all over them next to her. She must be the one with the magic ears.

“Alright! Just so everyone is up to speed. Eddie, this is Steve. Steve, this is Eddie. Robin and Eddie already know each other, but Robin doesn’t know my cousin, so uh… this is her,” Dustin introduced weakly before picking up the recorder on the table.

“This is the Russian communication I intercepted with Cerebro last night. So far, we’ve got ‘the week is long, the silver cat feeds.’ According to Robin, we’ve got about half of the message, but there’s some tricky words at the end we’re still trying to figure out.”

“The message also makes zero sense, so we think it’s coded.” Robin threw in at the end before giving you a tight-lipped smile and a small wave. “The tapes have helped a bit, but most of its conversational, and these Russian dudes sound like they’re just saying random stuff.”

As Dustin played the tape, you tried your best to listen for any familiar words, but alas, you didn’t know a lick of Russian. Eddie, however, was doing that thing with his tongue again, so he must have been onto something.

After a few minutes of replaying the message over and over again, Eddie snatched up the Russian dictionary and furiously flipped through the pages. “I think he’s saying colors in the middle. Play it again.”

Finally, he settled on a page and showed Robin as the message was repeated once more. Sure enough, it was a match. As Buckley scribbled the corresponding words up on the board, he went to play the message again.

This time, it was Robin who caught on first. For a while, it was just the two of them bouncing dialogue off of each other, but somehow, at the very end, you managed to guess a word or two.

By the end of lunch, the message was mostly deciphered, but it still made no sense.

“The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west.”

“Maybe it's some sort of Russian lullaby? I swear that music in the background sounds familiar.” Steve tried but was almost immediately shut down again.

“Yeah, Harrington. I’m sure the Russians are planning to sing our government to sleep so they can stage an overnight Coup d’état.” Eddie remarked, rolling his eyes as he started for the door. “C’mon, Henderson. We’re already late.”

“Sorry, guys! Maybe we’ll think of something tomorrow? How hard could a top-secret encoded message be to decipher?” You were trying to stay positive, but the thought of this all being for nothing was really starting to get to you.

With one last wave to the Scoops Troop, you and Eddie were out the door and shuffling your way back towards Tape World.

“How long were we in there? We definitely blew past our lunch break,” Eddie snorted, making you glance up towards the giant clock that hung in the food court.

As you marked the time, you couldn’t help but notice the color of the clock's hands. “Huh, funny. It’s the same colors from the message. Blue and Yellow.”

“Spooky! Maybe the evil Russians are working to take over Starcourt mall! Those bastards!” Eddie teased, shaking his fist in the air like he was actually upset.

“Oh, shut up, Munson. I just thought it was a funny coincidence.” It was bizarre, but you could just be seeing patterns where there were none at all. Nevertheless, you decided to leave the mystery-solving until tomorrow and focus on figuring out that damn register for the time being. Still…

“When blue meets yellow in the west.”

#eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #ace writes #fix it fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson st4 #Those Good Days Passed #minors dni #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson fix it fic #multichapter

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redheadspark · 1 year

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Winter Prompts, Round 1!

Hello my lovelies!

I hope you all are doing well in November and you have a great time with the Holidays this upcoming week!

I have a few new followers here on my blog: WELCOME! I'm so happy you're here and I hope you like what I write! If you ever get lost, come to the Navigation Page! I know December is not here yet, but I also know we are all going to be beyond busy when it's officially Christmas season next week, so I figure I can get a head start with a new Prompt Session! Now I will do TWO Sessions, not just one, and I'll make sure to do them right before we all travel to see loved ones for Christmas, so don't worry!!

This Prompt theme is:

Christmas and Winter Prompts 🎄🎁❄️

Here are my rules with this prompt sessions:

1.) You maybe chose ONE character from my list that I have Here . It’ll have the list of characters that I write for or have written for in the past.

*(If you have a character not listed that you wish for me to write, PLEASE MESSAGE ME AND CLEAR IT WITH ME FIRST TO SEE IF I CAN OR WILL DO IT!)*

2.) The Prompt list found below has two sections: Scenario and Dialogue. You may choose ONE FROM EACH, not two from one and two from another. Also, Please provide the number AND the line that you wish for me to write for you so I don't get confused!

*I write out the request I get as first come first serve. I will try my best to fulfill every request that comes my way, but please bear in mind I work full time as a teacher. Because of that, I’ll be busy most of the day so please be patient and I’ll write on my spare time as much as I can :) *

3.) You can request in my ASK box neither as yourself or anonymously. Although I would LOVE to give you a shout if you request as yourself, anon is perfectly fine!

4.) I will close this prompt session Sunday, November 27th, at 3:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time or California USA time).

5.) Have fun and enjoy! If you miss this request session, don't worry! I'll do another December Prompt session around December 4th!

*Prompts created by @mirclealignr* SCENARIOS;

Decorating the tree

Dancing in the snow

Present shopping

Gift giving

Wrapping gifts

Making a gingerbread house

Gingerbread house competition

Snowball fight

Sledging

Mistletoe

Christmas baking

Christmas market

Making snowmen

Christmas party

Watching Christmas movies

Dancing to Christmas music

Going ice skating

Christmas dinner

Making Christmas dinner

Fake dating for Christmas Ball

Secret Santa

Both reaching for the last cookie

Making Christmas decorations

New Years Countdown

NYE Party

DIALOGUES;

"Stop trying to get me to walk under the mistletoe.”

"That should be our Christmas card this year."

"Why'd you turn the music off?"

"I know we said no presents this year but..."

“I hate Christmas shopping.” - “I love Christmas shopping!”

“Do you want to put the star on the top of the tree?”

“What do you think? Like the tree?”

“Open your stocking!”

“It’s snowing!”

“What are you doing?” - “Making a snow angel.”

“Do people even use nutcrackers?”

“Do you still believe in Santa?”

“You’d make a cute elf.”

“Look! Reindeers!”

“Is that supposed to be a snowman?”

“Do you have any carrots?”

“This is the best gift you could’ve given me.”

“You have snow on your eyelashes, looks cute.”

“Come here by the fire.”

“Please don’t make me wear this, I look ridiculous.”

“You’ve really made my Christmas this year.”

“I thought you were going home for Christmas.” - “Well, I couldn’t leave you all alone.”

“I’m never letting you convince me to go carolling again.”

“Hey, if we don’t find someone by midnight…you and me…maybe?” - “Ask me properly and I might consider it.”

“Here, you can have one of my gloves.”

“What are you wearing?”

“Did you get us matching pyjamas?”

“You look so beautiful in the snow.”

“It’s bold of you to assume I haven’t eaten my entire advent calendar.”

“Christmas hot chocolate is not normal hot chocolate. Where are the marshmallows?”

“Smell this candle, it’s amazing.”

“Aren’t you going to write your letter to Santa?”

“I’ll let you sit on my knee.”

“You’re my Christmas angel.” - “Wow that was…intense.” - “Just take the compliment.”

“Will you be my new years kiss?”

“But I wanted to be Santa this year!”

“Did you make me a tinsel crown?”

“I can’t get the star on, would you give me a hand?”

“Looks like you’ve had a few drinks!” - “You haven’t had enough if you’re noticing. Come on, bar’s over there.”

“Will you make me a hot chocolate?” - “Name all the reindeer and I will.”

Once again, This Prompt Session will close at 3:00 PM PST on Sunday, November 27th.

Happy Writing!

Tagged: @a-lumos-in-the-nox @botanicalbarnes @heartofwritiing @basicrese @hottpinkpenguin @heliosphere8 @virtueassassin

#azriel x reader #acotar fanfiction #benedict bridgerton x reader #bridgerton fanfiction #eddie munson x reader #stranger things fanfiction #druig x reader #eternals fanficiton #marvel cinematic universe #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #oliver wood x reader #harry potter fanfiction #joseph quinn x reader #barry keoghan x reader #shang chi fanfiction #shang chi x reader #jack russell x reader #werewolf by night fanfiction

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newmusickarl · 5 months

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Top 50 Albums of 2023: #10-1

10. Lost In A Rush of Emptiness by Bleach Lab

It’s safe to say, 2023 has been a year of some fantastic debut albums. This Top 50 countdown has already seen incredible first outings from the likes of SIPHO, Barry Can’t Swim, Blondshell, CASisDEAD and Holly Humberstone all featured, and now the big Top 10 features no less than four debut records. However, with two of those coming from well-established acts taking on new projects and another one more a final testament, I think that means London-based quartet Bleach Lab technically take my debut album of the year title.

Lost In A Rush of Emptiness is an utterly stunning debut, one that I’ve found myself constantly reaching for during these cold, dark evenings. Similar to the Mitski record on the previous blog, this is an album that demands you stick on your headphones and just dive into the whirlpool of gorgeous sounds with which you are presented.

Bringing together elements of shoegaze and melodic indie rock, gorgeous flourishes of strings and the softly spoken vocals of frontwoman Jenna Kyle, it’s an album that will leave you completely entranced from the get-go. Particularly worth diving into is the majestic opening trio of All Night, Indigo and Counting Empties, along with Smile For Me and the astonishing 7-minute closer, Life Gets Better. They may still be in their infancy, but between their EPs and now this debut, Bleach Lab have proven they already have the knack of creating music in which you’ll want to just completely immerse yourself.

Best tracks: Indigo, Counting Empties, Smile For Me

Listen here

9. CACTI by Billy Nomates

Albums released in January always have the hardest job of sticking it out to make year-end lists. So, the fact this sophomore album from Tor Maries, AKA Billy Nomates, has made it into my Top 10 of the year is a testament to its greatness. A record which won the inaugural 5-9 Album of the Month title, CACTI is an addictive, pulsating record that delves deep into isolation, politics and relationship breakdowns.

Whilst her self-titled debut was impressive, it’s clear CACTI is a huge step up. On her debut you could very much hear the similarities to her frequent collaborators in Notts’ duo Sleaford Mods - politically charged punk with spoken word vocals and some DIY electronics. Whilst CACTI still carries that raw punk energy, partly due to the album being recorded in Tor’s own flat, there is a noticeable uplift in the songcraft and vocal performances from her previous effort.

It's simply littered with sublime moments too, with the first five songs particularly strong. Balance Is gone is an invigorating opener, black curtains in the bag is a soulful electronic track whilst blue bones (deathwish) boasts a powerfully anthemic chorus. It doesn’t let up in the back half either, as spite with its grungy guitars, fawner with its bare bones acoustics and blackout signal with its air of finality all leave their mark too.

In a year of some difficulty for Billy Nomates, I hope she leaves 2023 proud of what she accomplished. Internet trolls will sadly always make noise, but they will never achieve anything like what Tor has crafted with CACTI. A personal, resonant record that simply beams with her wonderful, unique artistry.

Best tracks: Blue Bones (Deathwish), Spite, Blackout Signal

Listen here

8. Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek

2023 set a high standard for pop records, but arguably none left a bigger mark than Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by American alt-pop artist, Caroline Polachek.

Back in February, Caroline gifted this album a few days earlier than planned, releasing it on Valentine’s Day. It was a date that felt fitting, given this album’s undeniable passion. Sonically it’s a mesmerising listen, with Caroline throwing the kitchen sink at this one by incorporating bagpipes (Blood and Butter), Spanish Flamenco guitars (Sunset) and even a children’s choir (Billions). There’s also a blockbuster collaboration with both Grimes and Dido (Fly to You), two artists whose influence you can hear frequently across many of the album’s other highlights.

Although the individual moments themselves are full of vitality, the beauty of this album lies in the sonic journey on which it takes you. From the Tarzan-like cries of introductory track Welcome To My Island, the Charli XCX pop stylings of Bunny Is A Rider, the Eurovision glow of I Believe to the folk-dance of Smoke, Caroline delivers a vibrant explosion of sound at every turn.

Colourful, uplifting and filled with endlessly fascinating sonic exploration, Caroline owned 2023 by delivering a masterclass in experimental and art-driven pop music, earning herself countless new fans along the way. Rightfully one of the most acclaimed records of the year, this is without a doubt one of the 2023’s defining albums from any genre.

Best tracks: Welcome To My Island, Blood and Butter, Butterfly Net

Listen here

7. Chaos For The Fly by Grian Chatten

He may only be four albums into his career, but Grian Chatten has already forged himself a formidable legacy. Before this year, Grian had a 100% track record of getting into my Top 20 Albums of the Year, with all three Fontaines D.C. records making it in there. So with 2023 seeing him drop his first solo outing, I was obviously curious to see if it could live up to the standard set by his work in Fontaines. I’m pleased to say it absolutely did and Grian deservedly earns himself another Top 10 finish for the second year running.

Here’s what I had to say about the record, when I reviewed it back in June:

“Inspired by a late-night walk through the worn casinos and bars of Stoney Beach (around thirty miles north of Dublin), the album was essentially written in Grian’s mind that very same night, as he jotted down lyrics and clearly envisioned the sonic direction which he wanted to take with this solo project. Knowing it wasn’t going to be a Fontaines album, he still teamed up with regular producer Dan Carey to bring these songs and the tales of murky coastal glamour to life. The result is one of the best albums of the year so far, a dazzling dose of melancholic splendour that strengthens Grian Chatten’s position as one of the finest songwriters working today. Lead single The Score opens proceedings and sets the scene perfectly, instantly transporting the listener to a lustful evening in Madrid on this sun-kissed acoustic track. Follow-up Last Time Every Time Forever then flies us instantly back to that dilapidated season town in Ireland, with Grian illustrating imagery of seagulls and slot machines with sweeping strings, flashes of synths and some gentle vocals from his partner Georgie Jesson. It’s a poetic early highlight, with memorable, wonderfully written lines like “Without a chance, I'm king of every single thing, and it’s the cheapest spend, to make a dead heart sing.” The brilliant Fairlies then rounds off this opening trio of singles, with its stuttering strums and resplendent chorus. Supposedly written under the influence of a lot of beers, it makes poignant lines like “The boat is drifting in, the weight is cast, how can life go so slowly and death come so fast?” even more impressive. With this incredible first solo effort, Grian continues to justify the hype and prove his greatness, with this album for me more than able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the three exceptional Fontaines records that are already out living in the wild. While it may lack the raw primal power of those records, it more than makes up for it with a wealth of rich instrumentation, accomplished musicianship and engaging, vivid stories. Whether you’re a Fontaines fan or not: sit back, hit play and revel in the chaos.”

Best tracks: Fairlies, Season For Pain, All of the People

Read the full HeadStuff review here

Listen here

6. PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE by Christine & The Queens

Whilst I’ve always been a fan of Christine & The Queens’ records, I’ve maybe enjoyed and appreciated the music without the albums necessarily ending up in my year-end list. This has all changed in 2023 though as Red (formerly Chris/Christine) delivered without a doubt the most ambitious record of the year, which has also ended up being one of my most played of the last 12 months too.

Seeing Christine & The Queens at Best Kept Secret festival over the summer and then catching Red’s subsequent Glasto performance turned out to be quite essential for understanding the concept for this complex triple album. Whilst of course the record can be enjoyed on the surface, Red’s full vision becomes clear once you’ve deduced the narrative arc at the heart of the record. Essentially it tells the story of an Angel coming down from the sky, enjoying all our earthly pleasures, falling in love and then eventually returning through the ��sky door” to the “Big Eye” in the sky. What’s more, the role of the Big Eye character is played by none other than Madonna, who acts as the narrator throughout this three-part journey. Underlying within that story are heavy themes of grief, as Red lost his mother in 2019 and that loss is still very much present here, with some truly heartbreaking lyrics being delivered at times.

As you can tell there is a lot to unpack with this one - it’s massively ambitious, deeply personal and at 90-minutes long, it can admittedly be quite self-indulgent in places. So whilst this definitely isn’t an album for everyone, as someone who adores concept records that play out almost like novels, the scope and artistry of this album has drawn me back in time and time again over the last six months.

The first two parts in particular are really special – Tears can be so soft draws shades to Massive Attack whilst Marvin descending is full of soulfulness. Over on part two, He’s been shining for ever, your son channels Kate Bush, Flowery Days is a stunning ballad and 070 Shake collaboration True Love is just a really fantastic pop song. A special mention also to Mike Dean, whose production throughout the record is superb as always.

This is a record where Red swung for the fence and ended up producing something quite beautiful and unlike anything else all year. An unapologetic, uncompromising, and utterly staggering work of art, the originality and imagination of Christine & The Queens’ music continues to be unmatched.

Best tracks: True Love, He’s been shining for ever your son, Tears can be so soft

Listen here

5. Strange Disciple by Nation of Language

A couple of months back when indie-pop trio Nation of Language dropped their brilliant third album Strange Disciple, I saw someone call them the undisputed band of the 2020s so far. Given the quality of their first three records, I think I’d be inclined to agree. Already named as Rough Trade’s Album of the Year for 2023, Strange Disciple is the sound of one of the most exciting new acts of the last few years, operating at the top of their game and crafting some of their very best songs to date in the process.

Here’s what I had to say about the record, when I reviewed it for HeadStuff back in September:

“On this latest opus Nation of Language very much give the fans what they have come to expect from them, which is retro-inspired tunes in the vein of great bands like New Order and OMD. There are no radical sonic direction changes, so if you enjoyed their first two records the good news is you’ll likely love this one as well. This is simply Nation of Language having now mastered their sound, taking it to grand new heights. Some of their finest tracks to date can be found here, songs of romantic adoration and unhealthy infatuations backdropped against playful synth melodies that just make you want to groove. Opener Weak In Your Light gets proceedings off to an exhilarating start, bouncing along on a minimalist synth beat whilst front man Ian Richard Devaney’s impassioned vocal performance steals the show. Spiritual title track and lead single Sole Obsession is then one of the trio’s finest outings to date, with its infectious bassline, pulsating electronics and Devaney’s vocal tones once again gliding resonantly across the hypnotic sounds on display. It’s a stellar opening combo which will see fans old and new jiving with joy. There is no mid-album slump to be found either as after a thrilling first half, Nation of Language just keep the highlights coming. Spare Me The Decision is another career-best moment, with a meandering bassline and siren-like synths as Devaney achingly sings “You weigh on my mind, all night.” The guitars then takeover once again, as Sightseer gracefully echoes in reverberating melancholy before Stumbling Still injects the album with a scintillating rush, a track that sounds guaranteed to become an instant live favourite. A New Goodbye then moulds together some delicate yet somewhat operatic moments with a catchy chorus, whilst closer I Will Never Learn ties things all together with lyrics about being broken and imprisoned in a never-ending cycle of addictive obsession. There is no doubt this is some of Nation of Language’s best work, with Strange Disciple coming marginally closer to matching the greatness of their debut than that of its (also fantastic) predecessor. That said, it’s an opening trilogy of albums most other bands could only dream of, and if there is one thing I would say going into the next record is I’d like to see how far Nation of Language can push their sound from this point.”

Best tracks: Sole Obsession, Spare Me the Decision, Sightseer

Read the full HeadStuff review here

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4. Lullabies From The Lightning Tree by Sad Boys Club

A hugely bittersweet entry into the countdown now as we arrive at the first and only album from London-based quartet, Sad Boys Club. Having released this record back in May which I hoped would be a launch pad onto the next stage of their career, this November saw Sad Boys Club sadly play their final show before disbanding and going their separate paths. As a result it’s an album that’s gone up a notch in my estimation, shifting from one of my most played of the year and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, to one of the year’s most important and monumental releases.

In many ways, Lullabies From The Lightning Tree isn’t just about Sad Boys Club and a lasting memory of their incredible talents and the joy their music brought. It is a reminder also to support up-and-coming musicians in any way you can, as you never know how long they will be around in this current climate of nostalgia-act obsession and streaming underpayments. That’s maybe a bigger discussion for another day, for now let’s take a minute to discuss what makes this Sad Boys Club album so special.

As their name suggests, the London-based quartet very much wore their influences on their sleeve. At times you’d find them channelling the goth-rock of The Cure, at others the melodic emo of bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Sunny Day Real Estate. Sometimes it may even be the shimmering indie-pop of more contemporary bands like Spector and The 1975. However, whilst the inspirations behind their music were always clear, Sad Boys Club’s uniqueness lay in them bringing together all these touchpoints to forge a genre-defying sound that was entirely of their own making.

This mission statement is laid out straight away on thunderous introduction Peak, which sees frontman Jacob Wheldon at his most Robert Smith-esque as he describes deep seas and fires burning. Fully living up to its name, Delicious is then an addictive alt-rock banger filled with tasty hooks and poignant lines like “I guess the love that stretched miles wide was maybe only ever inches deep.” It highlights one of the record’s biggest strengths which is Jacob Wheldon’s heartfelt, nuanced lyricism.

The album then hits another peak with lead single To Heal Without A Scar (Is A Waste of A Good Wound), an indie-rock anthem where Wheldon sings of his own instincts to self-sabotage so that he can remain creative and inspired to write songs. Throughout the track he confesses to pushing himself to the brink for his art, with “one hand on the canvas, the other on the curtain” before then exclaiming “it’s never a car ‘till it crashes.” Eventually it hits boiling point around the three-minute mark, with a seismic instrumental breakdown exploding around Wheldon as he empties his lungs into the delivery of the words: “I am pursuing you Life, to the end of the earth, across an Amazon of portable TV screens.”

The band then save two of their finest moments for a strong finale, with Cemetery Song, 20/5 showcasing Sad Boys Club at their darkest and most vulnerable. With his honest words surrounded by a beautiful arrangement of soaring strings and folky banjos, Wheldon reflects on living with his brother during a particularly tough period. It is a stunning piece of songcraft, that is both a real gut-punch but ultimately quite uplifting too. (You’re) All I Ever Wanna Do then brings the record to a close amidst a triumphant soiree of blues rock, a wonderful love letter from the band to each other.

As I said at the start, this record should’ve been the launch pad for this band but it seems life just had other plans. It is a mighty shame we won’t get any more new music from Sad Boys Club going forward, but I am also so grateful I have this treasure trove of an album that I can turn to now whenever I need it. As a final parting gift to their fans, it’s damn near perfect.

Best tracks: Delicious, To Heal Without A Scar (Is a Waste of a Good Wound), Cemetery Song 20/5

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3. No Joy by Spanish Love Songs

You know when an album comes along and just seems to get you? Says all the right things that speak to your soul and as a result, it resonates with you like nothing else. Well, that is exactly what this album from American rock outfit Spanish Love Songs does for me. Whilst this may not be the most revolutionary instalment of this list, this is a rock record that uses sentiment and lyrical prowess to emotionally hit you hard, then pull you back in time and time again.

Although I named it as a runner-up to Genesis Owusu’s record back on the August edition of the 5-9 Album of the Month podcast, as the weather has turned a little chillier, I’ve found myself constantly listening to it. Packing the same punch as its predecessor Brave Faces Everyone but with more refined production and songcraft, you can hear how Spanish Love Songs have matured on this effort. Whilst die-hards may well prefer the rawer sound of their earlier efforts, No Joy is the one that has clicked with me the most.

Lyrically very dark and intense, the music counteracts the darkness of the lyrical themes and balances it perfectly, with instrumentation that is both cathartic and uplifting. Lifers is a stop-you-in-your-tracks opener, full of vivid imagery with a great central riff and a big chorus. Then you’ve got an awesome trio of singles, Pendulum, Haunted and Clean-Up Crew, with the line in the latter “Fuck the garden and the yard, we can barely tend to our own dreams” particularly cutting.

The second half is then more of the same, but that certainly isn’t a negative. Mutable boasts atmospheric synths that help set the mood, whilst Exit Bags is a really tender penultimate track. Finally, Re-emerging Signs of the Apocalypse delivers the triumphant climax this album deserves.

So, whilst it’s admittedly not going to win any originality prizes, No Joy is a record that I just absolutely adore. With hard-hitting songwriting that makes for a stunning collection of tracks from beginning to end, Spanish Love Songs prove they are a band making soaring rock anthems better than anybody else in their scene right now.

Best tracks: Pendulum, Haunted, Clean-Up Crew

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2. Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers

So here we arrive at my runner-up Album of the Year for 2023 and in many ways, it is the record that has most defined the year for me. From listening to it on repeat when it first dropped back in February, to catching their jaw-dropping performance at Best Kept Secret festival over the summer, to then rooting for them to win the Mercury Prize in September. An album as adventurous and joyous as any released in 2023 – my No.2 album for 2023 is of course Heavy Heavy, the awe-inspiring fourth album from Scottish trio, Young Fathers.

An album that rides a hugely uplifting sonic wave from start to finish, Young Fathers convey their message more through mood than through lyrics most of the time. As a result, it plays out like a celebration happening right between your ears, with the vibrancy of the music shining through and leaving its melodies happily lodged in your brain. Rice starts it all off with this wonderful tribal jubilance before I Saw draws comparisons to Tame Impala’s Elephant with its stomping beat, with both tracks showcasing glorious layers of vocal harmonies and a fascinating variety of sonic textures.

Tell Somebody is then beautifully atmospheric, with organ-like synths and gorgeous echoey vocals reverberating beautifully around the space. Shoot Me Down has a hip-hop style sample at the start and then gracefully shifts into this incredible explosion of gospel vocals at the end. Holy Moly is then one of my favourite songs of the whole year, with its fierce guitars and euphoric vocal harmonies.

I could go on and on about the magic of this record, but I think this is one of those albums you simply must hear if you haven’t already. Life-affirming and year-defining, it’s only personal sentiment and my love for this next record that has stopped Heavy Heavy from being named my 2023 Album of the Year.

Best tracks: Holy Moly, I Saw, Tell Somebody

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1. Lies by LIES

A day later than planned, but finally here we are then!

If you’ve been following this blog, the 5-9 Album of the Month podcast or my music writing in general this year, then this self-titled debut from American Football side project, LIES, being named my 2023 Album of the Year should come as no surprise. A record that was my frontrunner at the mid-year mark, ultimately no record has been able to blow me away in the same manner as this symphonic and frequently dazzling opus from cousins Mike and Nate Kinsella.

As a big American Football and Owen fan, when I saw Mike Kinsella had a new project with his cousin and bandmate Nate, I was instantly intrigued. The amazing string of singles released towards the end of 2022 - Blemishes, Echoes, Corbeau, Summer Somewhere and Camera Chimera - only heightened that intrigue further. So much so that in the January episode of the 5-9 Album of the Month podcast, I said this was the album I was most looking forward to hearing this year. So even with a load of hype and anticipation, this record still managed to deliver and exceed my lofty expectations.

Beginning life as fourth album sessions for the next American Football record, when it became clear these songs were their own thing, the Kinsellas decided to further expand their sonic boundaries. As a result, you get an album which is the sound of these two maestros just playing about the studio, going on all these ambitious sonic adventures and taking their songcraft into weird and wonderful new directions along the way. Because of this, it ends up being a record that has everything I want from an album in 2023 - there’s heart, there’s eclecticism and there’s a daring nature to push their sound to places it’s never been before now. Beyond that, it’s just spellbinding from start to finish.

Opener Blemishes is a stunning, upbeat love song about unconditional adoration for someone despite their flaws, that eventually transcends into this amazing swirl of strings. It’s not the only orchestral moment on the record, as Echoes boasts brass horns whilst Knife begins super quiet with distorted vocals and harps, before then erupting into an ominous swell of pianos, strings and Mike’s anguished cries. Similarly No Shame, which is one of my favourites on the whole album, starts out as this gorgeous softly spoken piece, then in the final two minutes transforms into this glorious wave of cinematic strings that lifts you into another dimension. It all really is like a carefully constructed symphony at times and there’s almost no words to describe the feeling I get when I listen to these songs.

But it wouldn’t be a Mike Kinsella record without some visually descriptive lyricism and I’m pleased to say this album has that too. On Resurrection, one of the opening lines is “I bit my tongue until it bled, blood in the sink, blood in the bed - if memory serves even the wedding dress was red.” It’s a striking thought and that dark, emotional imagery being painted is classic Mike Kinsella at his best. After that line, the song then instantly crashes into this combination of playful guitars, pounding drums and sparkling synths, which is just wonderfully hypnotic.

The cousins have said Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails were two of the biggest influences on this project and Camera Chimera is the song where you can really hear that influence coming through. Filled with atmospheric synths and guitar textures reminiscent of The Cure, it ended up one of my favourite songs of 2022 and a year later, I love it just as much.

Whilst I appreciate this album won’t be for everyone and some will find it overindulgent, as someone who adores Mike Kinsella’s music and just loves the experimental direction him and Nate took with one, it ultimately became the album I personally connected with the most this year. It is simply one of my favourite artists, delivering an album that sounds like it was made specifically for me with what it offers.

With the emotional heart of an American Football record and the cousins Kinsella just pushing their sound into these majestic realms that take my breath away every time I listen to them, it’s without a doubt my Album of the Year for 2023.

Best tracks: Blemishes, Resurrection, No Shame…and the rest!

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Thanks so much for following the countdown, I hope you enjoyed it – still to come this month, my Top EPs, Songs and Live Shows of the Year!

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