#while the original was meant to be a reference to a song it didn’t come off that way

[mar3ggiata]

professional help, c4. The waltz of the Snowflakes.

simon riley x original character.

trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault, mentions of rape, trauma, sexual themes, swearing, use of alcohol and drugs.

song to listen to when reading this: Harden my heart, Quarterflash.

abstract: he can get fucked, and his captain too. it's Jude if you haven't noticed. I have nothing more to add really, he's an ass and I'm not getting paid enough to deal with this shit, see ya. also, forgive me for the swearing it's a real problem I know!!

Well. That didn't exactly go to plan. Simon Whatever, what the fuck is your problem? She called a friend while driving home. 'Salvo, io gli volevo mettere le mani addosso, stu scemu…’ She was going over the speed limit, holding her phone with one hand. ‘Una merda Salvo, mi hanno mandato via come una cretina, son andata, ho parlato, mi ha detto non si puoi fare guagliù, chi cazz si pe me dicr chell c’agg fa oh!’

Now, to all my readers, I will translate. Jude speaks dialect when she's mad, bare with her. Her voice usually drooped an octave when she spoke it to accommodate the guttural and rough sounds of her language. Swear words that would make your racist grandad cry. She was calling Salvatore, she met him in 2021, he was currently deployed in South Korea. She told him she wanted to hit him, she said, they sent me away without hearing me out, they said what you're suggesting can't be done. 'Scusa, cosa hai proposto tu?' She loved Salvo, he was so understanding, he could read her mind. It was refreshing, when she found out he was from the same country as her. Speaking a bit of Italian with him was a break from all the English, the accents and the words she didn't know how to pronounce. 'Cosa ho detto, ho proposto che lo seguissero, anche grazie al cazzo vorrei dire… ( I refuse to translate all the swearing, Jude.) Questi vogliono aspettare e non fare nulla, però mi fanno perdere tempo con ste cazz'e riunioni!' (This means, 'I told them to follow him, obviously. They don't want to do anything, they want to wait and see, and yet they make me go out of my way for these fucking meetings.')

Salvo tried to reassure her that it wasn't really her problem, to which she replied, Arash was her patient. He asked her about the captain, she commented he stood there, watched her argue with his guard dog Lieutenant without saying a word. Coward, she called him. Who's the Lieutenant, he then asked. She told him, maybe she messed up the name a bit, but he seemed to recognise him. 'No, veramente?' He asked. 'Il Fantasma'. That made sense, you know, the mask an all. He told her he was quite famous for his mask and his story, which he didn't fully know. Lots of trauma I think, you could work with him. She parked her car in front of the dance school and got her bag. 'Non me ne fott, possono fare quello che vogliono, non sono io che ci rimetto. Lui nu strunz, fammi dire…' She explained she didn't care anymore and that they could do whatever they wanted. He was a dick, that's what she added, probably referring to the famous Lieutenant.

The girls could sense she wasn't having the best day and didn't want to mess with her. They stood quiet and avoided their usual chatting. They did warm up, barre and some center, she sent them off early. 'Miss Alba, we're gonna start rehearsals soon? For the Nutcracker.' It was Luna that spoke. She almost forgot. 'Yes girls next time.' Shit.

The Waltz of the Snowflakes. That's what she was gonna have to teach them. The owner of the school was crazy, the piece was way too difficult for her class. She didn't have time or strength to explain the piece was not meant for girls that young, she would have to simplify it. She put on a video on her laptop, trying to remember the best she could the original piece. She stripped of her leg warmers and her black shrug. Her mind kept wandering off the meeting with Price, not letting her concentrate. She was mad. Not because she didn’t get her way, they were the ones dying in the Middle East, not her. But because it was fucking humiliating. As a woman as well, you know. Maybe she made a mistake, going in there looking all pretty. But again, why would she sacrifice herself just to earn some basic respect? After she failed her pirouettes for the third time, she decided it was time to go home. She would talk to Arash and, if needed, follow him on her own.

notes: Since this is a shorter chapter (I've been incredibly busy with uni and work), here are some details about Jude:

height: 5’2’’ - eye colour: green - hair colour: blonde

traits: mole on her cheek, slightly crooked nose. mole on her right butt cheek, scar on her knee. at least 30 smaller moles all over her body. small boobie queen.

if she was a colour: dark blue

if she was an animal: killer whale

if she was a place: a forest

if she was a food: spicy pho - motto: for the plot

favourite position in bed: on top/doggy

favourite part of her body: eyebrows, hips

what she looks for in boys: loyalty, someone stable, good manners, honesty.

tattoos: big flower on her back, her grandmas house on ribcage with ivy on it, lavander flower between breasts, dagger on right arm, wine glass and whisky sour ingredients. nike (goddess of victory) statue on left arm, goth looking stars and white ferrari doodle. oui, non written on both knees. heaven written on ankle made with stick and poke needle.

loves to talk about: time, space, her dog, humanity, world wars, greek mythology, vegan recipes, life after death.

do not talk about: her family, weight, fire, not being the best in school and at work.

she would like to: try hotpot, paint pottery, start a podcast, go on more hikes, visit thailand, get another dog, attend a wedding.

she will never: have kids, get married, go to australia, go skiing again after she fell, have plastic surgery, drink beer.

if you’d like to know more stuff about her let me know!!

notes: Salvatore, Salvo for short, is a common southern Italy male name. Salvatore means 'the saviour', Salvo means 'safe'. Full translation of the speech: 'Salvo, I wanted to hit him, this fucker. It went to shit Salvo, they sent me away like I was stupid, I went there I told them what I thought, he said we can't do that, who the hell are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?' 'Sorry, what did you say to them?' 'I told them to follow him, obviously. They don't want to do anything, they want to wait and see, and yet they make me go out of my way for these fucking meetings.'

'No, veramente? Il Fantasma' means 'no, seriously? The Ghost.'

notes: if you want to hear what the dialect sounds like you can hear it in the tv series 'Gomorra' on YouTube.

taglist:

@ummmmmwat @ghostlythots @sweetfemmefatal @natxpat @chavarriakeren647 @ravenmoore14 @farther-than-pleiades @internallyscreamings @hwromi @atoxicrat @cuti3maddi3 @deafeningkittenblaze @its-celeste @serene-hills @lexidoll12 @poohkie90 @lunatiquess

@warmedbythebody @katzykat @iristhemuse @azkza @keiraslayz @abbyandermine @jennyjencakes @dest-nai @corset-briefs @nutze-kekse @ilytsukiw @b3anspr0ut

@pondsblog @missyouzoe @fallenkitten @bigauthorrascalturkey @bethtay @angelynn-nicole @starluv @stargirlisworld @giyuuslittleslut @impossiblecupcakelight

@rkrivees-blog @ghosts-hoe @kam1snotverysmart @gauky76 @freyjaaasstuff @spicyspicyliving @scottpilgrimvsmyfists @courtney0-0 @shinchanboi @darling006 @my-therapist-hates-me

#cod mw2 #cod x reader #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #ghost fanfiction #ghost headcanons #simon ghost x reader #call of duty #cod fic #cod modern warfare #simon riley x you #simon riley #simon ghost x you #ghost mw2 #ghost x reader #simon ghost smut #141 headcanons #task force 141 #tf 141 #141 x reader #cod 141 #mw2 141 #cod #modern warfare #john soap mactavish #john price #captain price #kyle gaz garrick #gaz cod #gaz call of duty

[foxes-that-run]

You are in Love

This song has a new light after Say don’t go, she wanted him to say I love you and he didn’t, she’s searching for signs in silence

The 1989 Liner notes make a poem that tells the story of one single couple, which we all know is Harry Styles and Taylor. In September/October 2014 Taylor did a lot of 1989 media while heart broken minimising the relationship.

Taylor has said 'You are in Love' is about Jack and Lena. Neither Jack, who worked on the song or Lena knew that before this. Where, arms crossed, Taylors talks about crying and said the relationship she wrote 1989 (and it's 81 uses of the word 'love') about was infatuation. After Say Don’t Go, makes sense, she was hanging out for an I love you that seemed to come after the album.

In an Elle Interview she said she had been in love but was disappointed and that happily ever after wasn't real, but would be beautiful and mundane. She said the lyrics were things Lena had told her. (OK, weird chats between Lena and Taylor about burnt toast and the chains Jack doesn't wear.) In her Rolling Stone interview in the same time she sounded sad, RS said jaded:

In summary, like writing Clean in London closing the book (but leaving out that Style was written 2 weeks later) there is some self-preservation in discussing inspiration. It's Taylor's art, sharing vulnerability and her choice how it's presented.

I think this narrative also worked against them in long run, HS wrote Fools Gold about his hurt about it at the time. A lot of fans view that the relationship was less significant to them than their later (very recent) work indicates.

Playing live

You are In Love only made it on the setlist for 28 shows on the 1989 World Tour (at 54 Mins) and not at all on the Rep Tour. It was played at the 4 August 2023 Eras show.

When was it written / Working with Jack

In October 2014 Jack said to the Hollywood Reporter that it was the fourth song they wrote together. Jack's quote calls it "you were in love" I wonder if it was an error or the song was retrospective at one point. We haven't seen original lyrics for it. Jack said they were 5,000 miles apart when they wrote Out of the Woods and referred to a cancelled show in September 15, Taylor was in Cape Town, Australia and NZ in October - November so it was likely then, with YAIL after. Sweeter than Fiction was released October 2013. So we know it was written between September - November 2013. Taylor likely recorded the vocals in January 2014 when she was in LA. My guess is September 2013 after Harry and Taylor saw each other at the VMAs.

Lyrics

[Verse 1] One look, dark room Meant just for you Time moved too fast, you play it back Buttons on a coat, lighthearted joke No proof, not much, but you saw enough Small talk, he drives Coffee at midnight The light reflects the chain on your neck He says, "Look up" And your shoulders brush No proof, one touch, but you felt enough

The open sounds like remembering a moment, rather than in it, playing it back. This and the line of "Meant just for you" reminds me song Harry wrote for One Direction If I could fly about wishing he was with TS and sharing his vulnerability only with her.

Taking off a coat is also referenced in Style. "The lights are off, he's taking off his coat". This post has photos of You are in Love/haylor

Another Style reference with Coffee at Midnight "Midnight/ You come and pick me up, no headlights”

'No proof, one touch' is one of my favorite lines, it captures wanting to keep a part of their time together just for them and also how strong their connection is.

[Chorus] You can hear it in the silence (Silence), silence (Silence), you You can feel it on the way home (Way home), way home (Way home), you You can see it with the lights out (Lights out), lights out (Lights out) You are in love, true love You are in love

The song is about the feeling that love is something you feel rather than being told. It is silent, private and unseen. The open includes a reference to way home, home being an important concept of safety in HS and TS's songs.

[Verse 2] Morning, his place Burnt toast, Sunday You keep his shirt, he keeps his word And for once, you let go Of your fears and your ghosts One step, not much, but it said enough You kiss on sidewalks You fight and you talk One night, he wakes Strange look on his face Pauses, then says "You're my best friend" And you knew what it was, he is in love

As per Say don’t go, she’s searching for signs of I love you in silence

The mundane aspects of life are romanticized, letting her guard and past worries go. There is a similar idea in New Years Day where cleaning up after a party and in Keep Driving where mundane mornings are romanticized as here. "Maple syrup, coffee / Pancakes for two /Hash brown, egg yolk /I will always love you"

Taylor said she had not experienced being her lovers best friend at that time, to me the best friend line sounds exactly like 18 year old HS.

Taylor has worn a few shirts of Harry's, like the one at the top in the 1989 polaroids and these two. Harry also referred to this in From the Dining Table "I see you gave him my old t-shirt / More of what was once mine" Harry also wrote on Olivia “she’s lying in bed with my tshirt on”

[Bridge] And so it goes You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown And you understand now Why they lost their minds and fought the wars And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words

Harry also refers to a picture of Taylor in Sunflower Vol 6 "I've got your face hung up high in the gallery" it is not a literal gallery or office downtown, but a metaphor for showing everyone she is his person.

In Wonderland, Taylor also talks about loosing their minds "And in the end, in Wonderland, we both went mad". On Midnights a romantic struggle is called a war in The Great War. Here she is saying that the relationship was challenging, but the love made it worthwhile.

Taylor uses the imagery of dancing in a snow globe and fishbowl again in the Lover Video, which also references Harry. The imagery is that they are under the microscope, unable to escape being on display but being in that together here and in Lover is beautiful.

[Breakdown] 'Cause you can hear it in the silence You can feel it on the way home You can see it with the lights out You are in love, true love You are in love

Taylor is telling herself it’s love he’s not saying. Before say don’t go this song never had that element to me, but the silence is a bit :( now

The song closes with a warm idea that this love is present away in private quiet moments and that is what makes it a true love.

#haylor #1989 #1989 taylor's version #taylor swift

[fbfh]

rocks at your window pt. 4 - ricky bowen x reader

disclaimer: this series contains smut and chapter by chapter warnings, so as with all nsfw works, ricky is aged up to 18+!! ricky and reader are 18 and in their senior year

additionally, we're working towards a ricky x therapy plot so he's going to start expressing some symptoms of mental illness and bpd starting in this chapter but I promise he does get therapy eventually and has a good support system (he gets worse before he gets better yk) and obviously i'm not a professional and this is for entertainment so while I have done my research pls take this with a grain of salt!! or several!! /lh

!! contains some spoilers for season 1 of hsmtmts, and previous chapters of this fic !!

wc: 11k I know

genre: smut, slice of life/coming of age, one sided pining, fluff

pairing: ricky bowen x (afab she/her) reader

warnings: NOT PROOF READ AT ALL, more facebook messanger texts we'll politely pretend aren't facebook messanger, protecting carlos and seb during hoco (+ one use of the word homophobia), you're the dolly levi of the friend group, a LOT of hello dolly references??, TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF, ricky's falling HARD, antagonist!nina, one sided rina angst (like BIG gina angst), big red is ricky's temporary therapist, ricky has bpd, ricky kind of splits on gina??, ricky has anxiety too, dr phil and big red and natalie's emotional support hamster are the only consistant things in anyone's life, drama/general messiness, oral (m + f recieving), sneaky quiet late night don't wake up the parents sex, making out, ricky thinks you smell so good he has to bang you right now, "stay quiet or I stop", switch!ricky, switch!reader, calling ricky a good boy, praise kink, giggly sex, waking up the morning after to an empty bed but not at all on bad terms (and no ghosting)

summary: ricky works up the guts to ask you to homecoming. if you can navigate all the drama, maybe he'll get to rearrange yours after dancing together all night.

song recs: old friend - mitski, 10 minutes ago - cinderella (1997), dancing - hello dolly (1969), in love on valentine's day - paul sandrone, daniel farrant, james knight (spotify link bc it's literally not on youtube??? tracking down this song was a nightmare /lh), you turned the tables on me - billie holiday, born to be brave - nico iaciancio cover (bc that's what I think the original sounds like in canon), soulmate who wasn't meant to be - jess benko, perfume - new hope club

a/n: could I have split this up?? yes but I'm not going to. also congrats 2 me bc I'm officially in the 10k one shot girlie club!! this is the longest thing i've ever written and my eyes are burning. ricky has bpd, I knew from the moment I saw this motherfucker I was like "yup bpd and mommy issues" and I was RIGHT why is no one talking about this also go watch crazy ex girlfriend

EDIT: I FORGOT TO ADD THE LINK TO THE VAMPIRE DIARIES VIDEO YOU REFERENCE IN THE BEGINNING (obvious spoilers for vampire diaries lol)

tags: @yesv01 @afidiofobia @aliyahsutherland @hopefullhearts @afidiofobia @aliyahsutherland @matiere-detoiles @ifilwtmfc @uselesssapphickitten @nxstalgicnxbxdy @ggclarissa

There’s no reason to be nervous. Ricky has literally no reason to be nervous. You’ve been together practically 24/7 since… all this began. He ducks his head down and his eyes land on the smooth counter top of the booth you’re sitting in. Heat rushes to his cheeks as it so often does around you, as he remembers all the time you’ve spent together. He tries to pay as much attention as he can to your summary of the video essay on vampire diaries you’d watched while doing homework last night, even though his thoughts are racing, and all centered on you. On asking you something really important - but also like, totally not a big deal or whatever.

“So apparently they just regularly bring characters back from the dead,” you inform him with a laugh, and take a sip of your coffee. He didn’t think people could look particularly cute while sipping something until he met you… until he got close with you. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty crazy,” he agrees, hoping he sounds normal. You glance up at him to make sure he’s okay. You can tell he seems a little distracted, and he knows he has to ask you. It’s now or never. 

“So…” he begins.

“Yeah?” you lean forward, already invested in what he has to say. God, he loves that. He loves the way you care, really care about what he has to say. He lets out a small, breathy laugh, that you mirror when you hear his.

“So, homecoming is soon,” he smiles, and is pretty sure you know where he’s going with this. Your eyes widen in moderate surprise.

“It is? Already?” you ask, pulling out your phone to check your very messy calendar. “Jesus, I thought we still had a few more weeks…” you muse, and Ricky smiles. God, how can you make everything - even being a little scatterbrained sometimes - so fucking cute? 

You look back up from your phone, snapping him back to attention. His breath is shallow.

“So…” he says again, and rubs the palms of his hands up and down his jeans. Why is he so nervous? He has no reason to be nervous. You’re silent, waiting for him to continue in a way that feels patient, encouraging even, instead of critical like it would be from someone else. 

“...Do you want to go? To homecoming?” 

His heart is in his throat.

“Like, together?” You take another sip. He’s so choked up, so worried you’ll say no. He nods. You smile. 

“Hell yeah,” you lean back and pull out your phone to text your mom, who is currently at a PTA meeting, about dress shopping this weekend, biting your lip as you type. Relief turns to elation as you discuss plans, coordinate rides with your friends, and get a plan together. He bounces his leg, getting really excited for all this. He’s never been one for school dances, but with you… it’s a whole different story. He can’t stop looking at you. 

“So, what color is your dress going to be? You know, so I can get a tie to match.” A light, happy chuckle dances across the table and you hum in consideration, glancing down at the scone in your hand, your favorite flavor that’s become somewhat of a signature with you and Ricky.

“Peach.” 

You both giggle.

“Perfect.” he smiles. You’re going to look so pretty in a peach dress. At homecoming. With him. A burst of kinetic energy waves through him at the thought. The atmosphere is nice, comfortable. It always is with you. You finish the bite of pastry in your mouth.

“You know,” you start, “maybe you should go suit shopping with your dad. It might be nice to have a guy’s day together.” 

His mom has been gone for a few weeks now, and he told you how badly his dad is struggling. He means well, it’s just… been hard on him. It might be nice, he thinks, really nice to go out and spend some time with his dad, have some fun. He doesn’t remember the last time they had a day like that together. He’d really like that, if his dad wanted to.

“Yeah,” he agrees, wondering when a good time to bring it up will be, “that would be nice.” 

Around the time you’re ready to head home, your phone lights up with a text from your mom, informing you everything at the PTA meeting went great, and she’ll fill you in on the details at home, and you thank her, informing her there’s a hazelnut coffee coming her way. 

It’s Friday night, and you have less than 24 hours to homecoming. You’re not sure how you were able to find a dress you actually like in the right color on such short notice, but somehow you managed. You and Ricky have been texting all day, filling each other in on how last minute shopping had been going for each of you. He was shocked at how well today went with his dad. He was bracing himself for the worst for a lot of the afternoon, but the day progressed and nothing bad happened. They even got dinner afterwards. 

Now, you’re sitting at your desk, finishing some homework while you facetime each other and fill him in on the whole cast’s plan to be there for Carlos and Seb tomorrow night. 

“And, like,” you continue rambling as you wrap up your science worksheet, “it’s so ridiculous that that’s even necessary, you know? Out of all the living things in the world, humans are the only ones who thought to make up homophobia.” 

“Right? Worst idea ever,” he muses. 

“Exactly!” you exclaim in agreement, looking up at your phone. You mutter something about how stupid people can be, eyes moving down and skimming your paper, double checking your answers one last time. Ricky watches you do this. Your desk light casts a warm glow over you, and he can see some of your posters on the opposite wall from  where you have your phone propped up. He knows exactly which ones they are, too. He has every detail of your room - and of you - memorized by now.

He’s supposed to be finishing his english homework, that’s the whole point of facetiming each other this late, to keep each other company while you work. Instead his papers lay discarded on his desk as he watches you, a look of fondness dusting his face. You tap your pencil against each question on your worksheet, eyebrows scrunched, mouthing the answers to yourself as you go. Occasionally you’ll stop, turning to your book to check a chart or vocabulary word, then erase your answer and select a different one. 

“And that’s why we proofread,” you mutter to yourself, and Ricky giggles. You look back up at him, smiling, then back at your paper for one last once over. 

“Okay, I’m just about done,” you say, putting your homework in your bag to turn in later, with a satisfactory sigh. Ricky glances at the time. It’s getting late already. He’s torn between wanting to make sure you get enough sleep, and wanting to talk to you all night. He watches you rub your eyes, suppressing a yawn. 

“We should probably go to bed now,” it’s more of a question, but you agree anyway. You pick up your phone and walk into your bathroom, grabbing your toothbrush as you say your drawn out good nights. 

Ricky thought he was nervous asking you to homecoming? Turns out that’s nothing compared where he is now, waiting for you in your foyer. Somehow your house had become the unofficial get ready spot for the girls and Carlos, and meet up place for everyone else. So that’s where Ricky finds himself, barely unable to socialize or talk with his friends, all his thoughts preoccupied with you. He hasn’t seen you all day; you and the girls have been getting ready together, and he’s been trying to teach Big Red to dance all day. 

Ashlyn comes down first. Her bubbly presence immediately eases some of the tension in the atmosphere from Ricky and EJ having to wait together in such close quarters. She waits with them for the others while they finish getting ready. It doesn’t slip past Ricky how nervous Big Red suddenly gets when she comes down the staircase. 

Natalie is next - almost. Half way down the stairs, a snap resonates off the walls, and she freezes. She looks down at her left shoe, the heel of which has completely snapped off.

“Oh my god,” she mutters, and walks carefully back up to your room. A minute later, presumably after she informs you about her wardrobe malfunction, Ricky hears your voice, faint and bouncing off the stairwell. 

“It’s okay, that’s the risk you take with stilettos,” you say, trying to calm her justified panic. He hears you say something about how Margot Robbie broke a heel at an award show a few years ago as your bedroom door closes again. 

The door opens, and Carlos appears at the landing. His face falls slightly as he realizes Seb isn’t here yet.

“It’s okay, he’s probably going to meet up with us at school.” Ricky comforts. 

“Yeah,” he agrees with a laugh at his own nervousness, “yeah, you’re probably right.”  Carlos takes a deep breath, and Ricky notices the swirly, metallic red pattern on his suit. 

“You look great, man,” He says, hoping to take Carlos’s mind off the unexpected radio silence from Seb. The comment is appreciated, but seems to catch him off guard. 

“Thanks,” he replies, “dude,” he punctuates with a friendly - very awkward - punch to Ricky’s arm. It’s more of a nudge, but he appreciates the sense of comradery nonetheless. 

Footsteps echo down the stairs, and Ricky looks up, stomach twisting in anticipation. Natalie emmerges, much more carefully this time. She greets everyone, then starts talking to Ashlyn about the shoe incident. Ricky is trying really, really hard not to look like he’s waiting for you, but it feels almost impossible to focus on anything else. 

Finally, several painfully long minutes later, he hears the click of high heels approaching the steps. He walks to the bottom of the stairs, heart thumping as you round the corner, and all the breath is pulled from his lungs at the sight of you. You descend the stairs, hair and dress flowing and bouncing with every step, glowing under the chandelier light. Your dress, mid length and flouncy, a peachy champagne that compliments your hair and skin tone perfectly, shimmers subtly when you move, glistening like starlight. 

Your makeup is understated and glowy, bringing out every beautiful feature you have - which is all of them. Your hair is perfect, glossy and voluminous. Your earrings look like little pink silk flowers, and there are matching, larger silk flowers on the side of your heels. Your nails are manicured a soft peachy pink, with little sparkling accents. You even smell like peaches, he realizes, subconsciously taking a step closer to the bottom of the stairs as you get closer. You seem to descend in slow motion as Ricky takes in every detail.

Your expression mirrors his the moment you see him. You did not expect him to look that good in a suit. It couldn’t fit better, the cut and seams of the dark fabric perfectly accentuating his physique. His tie matches your dress, the same shade of peach, and you bite back a smile. The expression on his face can only be described as a breathless wow, and it’s something you'll never forget. Your cheeks are warm and suddenly it all feels real. You find yourself very excited to have fun at homecoming with him tonight. 

You finally float down to the bottom of the stairs, stopping in front of him. It’s quiet for a moment, as you take each other in, face to face. You’re both struggling to find the words, thrown off guard by the energy in the air, by each other. Behind you, Ashlyn claps awkwardly.

“Alright, everyone ready to go?” 

You and Ricky both giggle at the same time, and his chest warms at how in sync you are. 

“Yeah,” You confirm, smiling over at Ashlyn and grabbing Ricky’s arm in a way that makes his heart palpitate, “let’s go.”

Standing with you on the dance floor, his hand on your waist as you attempt to teach him how to waltz, Ricky is so thankful for homecoming, for an opportunity to be close to you like this. 

“I told you,” he laughs, enamored with your optimistic determination, “I can’t dance.” 

“Yes,” you smile, “you can. You just haven’t had the right teacher.” His cheeks flush at your words, the feeling of your hands on his, and he’s hit with the sudden memory of the last time your lips were on his neck. 

“I think you’re probably right about that…” he mutters under his breath. You bite back a smile, adjusting the position of his hand on your waist. You step closer, and his heart beats faster. He watches your face closely as you explain the basics of a waltz, a box step. 

“Like in ‘Dancing’ from Hello Dolly.” you smile, eyes widening at the blank look on his face. “Oh my god, it’s a musical classic! Carol Channing played Dolly in the original broadway cast in ‘64, then Barbra Streisand in the film adaptation in ‘69.” 

“Wow,” he smiles. He loves when you talk about theatre and Broadway, loves the way your eyes light up. “They’re like, really famous, right?” You let out a light hearted scoff.

“Broadway legends.” You smile, “The movie was directed by Gene Kelly, too, it’s amazing. We should watch it this weekend, if you want to,” you look up at him, eyes glittering under the soft twinkling lights. 

“Yeah,” Ricky laughs, “definitely.” 

After a moment, you remember why you brought Hello Dolly up in the first place. 

“Right,” you say, memory jogged, “there’s a song called ‘Dancing’ where Dolly is teaching Cornelius and Barnaby how to dance so they can impress these girls who work at a ladies hat shop-” 

“Cornelius and Barnaby?” he asks with a laugh. 

“It takes place in 1890!” you say, jokingly defensive. 

“Right,” he agrees, “so a… ladies hat shop…?” 

“Totally era appropriate.” 

You’re both giggling, trying not to be too loud. You lean your head forward, resting it on his shoulder. The sound of your laughter, the feeling of your head resting against him brings back that warm feeling he always gets around you. It takes you a moment to regain your composure. It’s been like this all night, the conversation flowing like a river, always making each other laugh over something or other. 

“So,” you begin, once again ready to dance with him, “put your hand on her waist and stand.” You recite, moving his hand from your back to your waist and adjusting your posture. 

“With her right-” you hesitate, making sure you have the correct hand, then continue, “in your left hand. And…” You step back with your left foot, motioning for him to follow, then back and out with your right, then together. 

“One… two… three…” 

You repeat the steps.

“One… two… three…”

And again.

“One… two… three…” 

You look up at him, your smile blinding.

“Look, you’re dancing!” 

He looks up at you, excited, disbelieving that he got it so quickly.

“Wait, that’s it?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah,” you nod, “see? I told you you can dance.” You start to move again, and he follows, hesitant but slowly getting the hang of it. After a second, he says your name, voice quiet and still watching the ground. 

“Can you keep singing? It’s making it a lot easier…” he chuckles, hoping you can’t tell how much he loves hearing your voice. 

So you do. You sing quietly, just enough for him to hear, about dancing and how it’s the perfect excuse to hold someone you like close to you, as you waltz carefully around the room. An electric, intimate feeling ties you together as you weave through the room. It's like something clicked, he thinks, because it makes sense. This, dancing, makes sense. He’s pulled from his epiphany by your melodic voice. 

"We should do Hello Dolly, it would be so fun!" You giggle.

"Yeah?" He asks, smile mirroring yours, "Who would you play?" You let out a light hearted huff, considering. 

"I would love to play Dolly," you admit. You had always hoped to portray the classic role, dreaming of being able to follow in the footsteps of other iconic actresses like Carol Channing and Barbra Streisand. You barely get the sentence out when Ricky nods, agreeing. 

"You would make an amazing Dolly." You laugh, cheeks warm, flattered by his response. 

"Who do you think I should be?" He asks, that playful energy flowing comfortably between you as he raises his arm, spinning you around. 

"Well," you begin with a laugh, "if you played Cornelius we’d get to waltz together. But if you played Horace and I played Dolly we'd get married at the end." 

His heart squeezes at your words, imagination already taking off like a wild horse. Again, your melodic voice pulls him back down to earth. 

"But playing Irene would be fun too…" you sigh, twirling in his arms again, your dress glittering under the soft lights. Your hands return to their previous position resting on his shoulder and your waist, free hands clasped together, and you begin to move in tandem. You twirl and float around the room, feeling the music wrap around you like a warm blanket in autumn. 

In that beautiful moment between the two of you, he doesn’t just understand dancing, he realizes, he loves it. Like, a lot. He loves this, being close to you. He loves the connection between you, and he wants to keep dancing with you all night. 

He giggles, twirling you around in his arms again. On your way around, you see Carlos behind you at your table holding up his phone, a smile on his face. You’re glad he seems okay; Seb still hasn’t shown up and everyone’s been worried about both of them. A split second later, you’re back in Ricky’s arms, and your heart soars at the smile on his face. You’d been hoping dancing together at homecoming might help him in rehearsals. Based on how well he’s doing - and how much fun he seems to be having - you can tell your hunch was correct. 

After a few more songs, you begin to make your way back to your table. Ricky’s hand settles on your back, guiding you through the crowd. Two more people are seated there than when you left, and your eyes widen. 

“Oh my god.” you say quietly, “Gina and EJ came together?” 

Ricky glances up, gaze almost immediately turning back to you as you get closer.

“Oh, they did? I didn’t notice.” 

Fighting to maintain her poker face, Gina’s stomach drops at his words. Her eyes dart between you and Ricky, the way he’s looking at you. She grips her clutch tighter. This is really, really bad for her. Gina barely had a plan for making Ricky jealous and freaked out so he’d quit the show to begin with. She definitely did not plan on you waltzing into the picture - literally - and stealing away all of his attention. He can’t get jealous if all of his focus is on you. A sinking feeling begins to invade the pit of her stomach. 

Ricky’s phone buzzes with a text from his dad. 

“Hey,” he says, showing you the screen, “which shirt do you like better?” 

He’s been filling you in on his dad’s hot date he has tonight, and you’re both very relieved to see that he’s doing okay, putting himself out there. You look at the pictures, and consider.

“Hmm… the second one.” you conclude. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” he agrees easily. He loves how you always seem to be on the same page. 

“Wow,” comes EJ’s voice from across the table. He sounds really stiff. “I had no idea you were each other’s dates to homecoming.” He states, sharing a quick look with Gina he hopes no one notices. 

“Yeah, we are,” Ricky smiles, “we’re each other’s dates.” He doesn’t think it would be too far fetched to say you’re… dating. 

“Yep, partners in crime.” You smile, showing off your plastic ring. Ricky holds up his, kept on a chain, sitting right over his heart. 

“Aw,” Carlos says, an almost bittersweet undercurrent to his voice, “you guys are so cute.” He gestures for you to lean closer to each other. “Let me get a pic for my story!” 

Ricky does not need to be told twice. He throws his arms around you, pressing a kiss to your cheek as you hold his arm and giggle. It’s the perfect shot, the sincerity of the fun you’re having evident in the photo. 

Gina runs her tongue over her teeth. She really does not like that. 

Across town, sitting at a table in a shitty karaoke spot, Nina scrolls through instagram while Kourtney rants about the bitch who criticized her costume suggestions. Something about a lime green sweater? She’s not really paying attention, she’s too distracted by the hideous dress that Gina’s wearing. And the fact that she went to hoco with Nina’s ex boyfriend. 

“Look at this,” she says, showing Kourtney her phone. “She looks like she’s wearing a bedazzled tablecloth.” Kourtney looks at her phone, disapproval written all over her face. 

“And,” Nina says, gearing up to point out the obvious jab at her, “she’s with EJ.”

Kourtney knows where this is going. Before Nini can go off about how obviously Gina has it out for her, she takes a sip of her drink. 

“Is there anything on their stories?”

She taps EJ’s story and it’s just a boomerang of the food. 

“No, just-” Carlos’s story plays next and Nina almost pukes. Right there on her screen is Ricky, kissing your cheek, leaning into you like a cat. You’re in an unfortunately gorgeous dress, grinning so sincerely, your nose effortlessly scrunched. Next is a video of you two dancing. Like, really, properly dancing. She can’t believe you got him to dance - he doesn’t even dance in rehearsal when he’s supposed to! She watches the two of you ballroom dancing around the gym, breath speeding up slightly at the realization that he’s actually good. The sick pit forming in her stomach grows as she rewatches the video again. She wants to know why, after all the practice, all the failed attempts and his reluctance, why it works when you do it? Why isn’t she good enough? She dwells in the feeling for a few minutes. She scrolls through a few more hoco posts before finding one that has your account tagged. It’s private. 

“Kourt,” she says, showing her her phone, “you need to follow her.” 

“Why?” Kourtney asks.

“So I can see what’s on her instagram.” Nina says. She can’t let you know she’s lurking, so the obvious solution is to lurk through Kourtney’s account. Kourtney sighs. She requests to follow you. 

A few feet away from your table, Ashlyn gives you a look, gesturing subtly to Carlos, then to the hallway. Seb still isn’t here. 

“Hey,” you say quietly to Ricky, “I’ll be right back.” you smile, eyes flicking over to Ashlyn and Carlos. 

“Yeah, sure,” he says, watching you leave with them to give Carlos a pep talk. A soft smile kisses the corners of Ricky’s mouth, watching you in utter adoration. He lets out a small sigh, gaze lingering on where you stood even after you’re out of sight. 

Gina watches him watch you, his dark auburn hair glowing in the warm twinkle lights strung up throughout the gym. His eyes seem to sparkle with joy when he finally tears his gaze away, staring absentmindedly at the table. 

“EJ,” she says, “could you get me some punch, babe?” 

“Uh,” he says, clearly unused to the term of endearment, “sure… babe.” He heads over to the drinks, the tension between them thinly veiled. This seems to snap Ricky out of whatever his train of thought was, and he scoots closer to Gina. She watches him lean closer to her and begin speaking in a low, almost strangely intimate tone of voice. 

"Hey, you know EJ went through Nini’s phone before they broke up, right?” 

She raises her eyebrows. 

“Just… you know, be a little careful around him.” 

“I can take care of myself, Ricky.” She states incredulously.

“Yeah, of course you can.” he says, head tilted to the side with a little smile, like it should be obvious, “You’re so talented and ambitious, and - honestly, way too good for him.” He mutters the last part, but she definitely hears it. 

“You’re way too cool to get your heart broken by a guy who plays water polo.” He says, drawing a reflexive laugh out of her. 

“Just… take care of yourself.” he concludes, locking eyes with her before moving back to his seat. It’s only for a moment, but long enough for her to commit the color to memory.

“Right.” she says, working harder than she usually has to to keep her expression neutral. 

Later, between dances, you and Ricky catch your breath at the snack table. You take a sip of your drink, eyes landing on Gina and EJ, who are very obviously arguing. You nudge Ricky, motioning over to them.

“What are they saying? Wrong answers only.” 

He considers, then begins to narrate in his best EJ impression. 

“Ugh, Gina! Stop moving! I haven’t posted on instagram in 35 seconds and blurry so doesn’t fit my theme.”

You try to stifle the loud, beautiful laugh that brings warmth to his cheeks and a smile to his lips as your eyes lock, sharing a look so close he never wants to look away. 

“I said wrong answers only…” you say through muffled giggles. He stares at you, fixated. He’s blinded by your warmth, your beauty, and he can’t look away from you. His attention is snapped back to where it had been when you gasp dramatically, shock written all over your face. He follows your gaze to EJ, who’s dripping with punch, and Gina, who’s storming away from him.

“...Oh my god.” you say, already dissolving into laughter again, Ricky following suit. 

Soon you’re dancing again, pressed up against each other, swaying gently to the oldies playing softly over the speakers. Ricky can feel your body heat, smell your shampoo, and the way it mixes with your sweet peachy perfume. You smell so good, he thinks he could probably get high off you alone. His hand rests firmly on your back, holding you close to him, and his fingertips brush over the exposed skin peeking out over the straps of your dress. He traces your shoulder blades, your spine, feeling how close together your hearts are beating. One of your arms is wrapped around him, your head resting on his shoulder. Both your free hands are intertwined, and he loves the feeling of your fingers intertwining with his. He’s steeped in a hazy sort of ecstasy, spurred further on by your warm little breaths tickling his neck. 

He lets out a soft sigh, more content than he’s probably ever been. He feels you smile against his blazer when he traces the outline of the back of your dress. You hum softly to the music, singing along to a few of the words. He’s not surprised that you know this song, of course you would know a song this pretty and romantic. He hopes he’ll remember to ask you the name of it later. Dancing, he realizes, isn’t just fun - it’s amazing. He loves dancing. He loves dancing with you. After a few moments, he realizes there’s not many people on the dance floor. He doesn’t get why so many guys don’t like slow dancing; when you really love someone, isn’t any reason to hold them close to you a good one? He thinks it is. His heart flutters when you let out a breathy sigh against his skin.

You adjust your head on Ricky’s shoulder, watching Carlos across the room. He looks so… melancholic. You should go check on him. And Gina. And probably EJ. Christ, tonight has been a lot. You adjust your head again, facing towards him. 

“We should check on Gina,” you say reluctantly, murmuring into his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. He loves when you do that, loves how you know when people are hurting and what to do about it. But right now, he really, really does not want to let go of you for anyone or anything. Maybe it’s selfish, he thinks, maybe it’s selfish for wanting you all to himself like this, but he just can’t bring himself to let go of you yet. Maybe he deserves to be a little selfish sometimes. Maybe he should just give himself permission to do whatever makes him feel better. He holds you tighter, face burying into your neck. 

“After this song,” he breathes, eyes fluttering closed in your embrace. You nod gently.

“Okay,” you agree, voice so low he can barely hear it. 

Eventually the final piano chords sound, and he holds you tight as the last few, painfully bittersweet notes reverberate through the room. The song ends, and he lets go of you slower and more reluctantly than he’s done anything. 

You sigh, tracing your hands on his shoulders, slowly coming out of that cozy trance like state you’ve been in together.

“Okay,” you start, “let’s split up. I’ll check on Carlos, you can check on Gina, and I’ll have Ashlyn check on EJ cause they’re cousins.” 

He agrees, hit with a sudden wave of nerves about the confrontation. You can sense his hesitation.

“What should I say?” he asks, with a chuckle. He’d told you about how he warned Gina about EJ earlier in the evening, which you had agreed was totally the right move. He told you how she seemed irritable after the interaction, and wondered if he’d done anything wrong, if he could have handled it better. “I don’t think so”, you had said with a sad shrug, “some people just refuse to acknowledge the person they’re dating is kind of shitty.” 

You’re right, he realized, now ready to approach this with more compassion and less confrontation. You think for a second, then reply.

“You can apologize if what you said before came off wrong, that you didn’t mean anything bad by it.” 

“Okay,” he nods.

“And try to relate to her - you’re new to theatre, she’s new to east high, you gotta stick together, you know?”

“Right.” 

You send him a thumbs up as you part ways, looking for Carlos. After chatting with Carlos, he left to get some water. You see Ricky approaching you through the crowd, and stand up from your table, meeting him halfway.

“How’d it go?” you ask. He seems hesitant.

“She asked for a ride home.” Your eyes go wide with understanding. He knew you’d get what’s going on, you always know just what to do. 

“Oh, dude, the last thing she probably wants right now is to get in a car with EJ.” Ricky thinks that’s the last thing anyone would want. “If you want you can give her a ride, then come back and we can keep dancing.” He smiles, and agrees. Any plan that ends with dancing with you more sounds like a good plan to him. You quickly fill him in on how things are going with the Carlos/Seb situation in spite of its anticlimactic nature - no one can get a hold of Seb, and Carlos is really, really regretting this whole thing. You and Ashlyn are going to try and hype him up and turn the night around for him so it’s not a totally horrible memory to look back on, and Ricky agrees that’s a good plan. 

“I’ll be back really soon so I can help you guys out,” he says, hoping to extend the conversation a little, to stand close to you and talk confidentially with you just a little more. You smile, looking relieved at his support, and it makes his heart flutter. You touch his arm, sending him a knowing look.

“We need all the help we can get, so thank you.” you state with a chuckle. He tries not to be obvious, but he knows he can’t hide his flushed cheeks and dilated pupils. He hopes you don’t notice. 

You really didn’t expect to be the glue holding everyone together tonight, but you love your friends, so you’re not complaining. After a lengthy conversation with Carlos about how amazing he is regardless of who he is or isn’t seeing, and that there will be so many guys throwing themselves at him after high school, you finally get him out of his funk a little. You were about to go dance together and have a good time, because he shouldn’t let anything ruin his homecoming, when Natalie scurried over to you holding the side of her dress. 

“It snagged on the back of a chair and my whole leg is out, Angelina Jolie style.” She says in a rush, clearly getting more freaked out. You and Carlos share a look.

“It’s okay,” you say gently, “I have a sewing kit in my bag and I can have you fixed up in two minutes flat.” You look over at Carlos again, making sure he’ll be okay. He confirms silently, nudging you two towards the doors. 

“You go fix this wardrobe malfunction,” he says, already trying to pull out of the funk he’d been stuck in all night, “I’m going to warm up the dance floor. When you get back, get ready to dance your heart out.” 

He’s not all the way there, but he’s trying. You both agree, and you send him one last encouraging look before moving carefully to the hallway, trying not to let Natalie’s dress rip any more than it already is. You look back one last time as you pass through the doors, and finally, Carlos is out on the dance floor. You smile, excited to dance with him once you get back.

“God, I wish I had my hamster right now…” Natalie mutters, and you know if she needs her emotional support hamster, it’s pretty bad. 

A few minutes later, you have your sewing kit and Natalie’s dress is back to its former glory. She has on a fresh coat of lip gloss, just finished showing you pictures of her hamster, and is ready to head back out. You stay behind to touch up your makeup a little, telling her you’ll be right behind her.  As you’re walking back out, someone turns the corner at the other end of the hallway. You freeze in place, eyes growing wide as they land on none other than Seb. He smiles nervously, raising a hand to wave at you. Before he can, you let out a shocked squeak, scurrying back into the gym. His heart sinks. He hopes you don’t hate him, and he’s really worried Carlos is going to. 

When you enter, you see Carlos dancing his heart out. You don’t have time to be relieved, weaving your way through the crowd to Mr. Mazzara. You slam your hands on the table, avoiding the sound and light equipment he’s managing. 

“Mr. Mazzara!” He looks up at you, startled, as you begin to explain in a rush. He looks at you, a pleading puppy dog look written on your face, and sighs. 

“I suppose that’s fine…” he says, making a few adjustments to the switch board in front of him. 

“Thank you!” you say quietly, before running onto the dance floor. Carlos is finally in his element. He dances beautifully to the music, free and expressive. Right when the beat drops, a circle of spotlights go up. One lands on him, the other lands across the room on Seb, and they lock eyes in a moment that can only be described as magical. Ashlyn looks at the scene, straight out of a movie, then over to you. You high five her. 

“Nice!” she whispers. You can see it between them, the energy, the chemistry, the electricity. You look at Ashlyn, nodding toward your table. You both sit down, giving them some time to talk and catch up. You try to be subtle as you watch them talk, not close enough to eavesdrop, but watching their expressions, gaging how it's going. They're smiling, then they're laughing, and soon they're dancing together. It's going well, you think. You can't wait for Carlos to fill you in later. 

Sitting in Gina's driveway, a surprisingly more comfortable energy in the air than either of them had expected, Ricky tries to think of how to say what he wants to say. 

"Not quite the evil mansion with wrought-iron and gargoyles you were picturing?" She asks, a hopeful playfulness to her voice. She almost sounds nervous. 

"What? No…" he says. The comment takes him by surprise, snapping him back to attention. "...Well maybe some gargoyles." His joking tone and comforting energy has her giggling. She doesn't remember the last time she giggled. She feels his eyes on her, and tries not to look over at him. She does anyway. 

"You're not that bad, you know." He muses. She tries to control her breathing. She doesn't say anything. 

"Also," he continues, looking back over at the windshield, "I should thank you for that night at the skatepark, keeping me in the show. It means a lot, it's… a really big deal to me." He looks up and left at the top of the car window, mind already wandering about how if he had quit, he never would have gotten close to you like this, never would have fallen in… your arms the way he had that night. He can't imagine you not being in his life, and he has Gina to thank in part for that. He feels a sense of gratitude blooming for her. They talk a little more, and the feeling grows; Gina really is not that bad. He can feel a friendly bond growing between them, a sense of comradery. 

"So… now is probably a good time to ask about the whole drink thing," he starts with a chuckle. She ducks her head, equal parts embarrassed at her actions, and that he saw her at such a low moment. She lets out a sigh. The gesture reminds him of something you might do. He thinks you two would be good friends. He’s already imagining what you’ll say when he fills you in on all this, he’s excited to get your opinion. 

“...My mom moves around a lot for work. Like, a lot…” 

Once she starts, she can’t stop, and it’s not long before she’s unintentionally spilled her guts and her life story to him. She wishes she could stop talking, but it’s like she totally lost her filter with him. She’s always been so reserved, so calculated, and now she doesn’t even have time to think before the words are already spilling out. It’s a new feeling, being so candid with someone, and an unsettling one. 

She risks a glance over at Ricky, who’s just… listening to her. Taking in what she says. That somehow makes her more nervous than if he’d just ignored her or told her to shut up already. She wishes someone would tell her to shut up, she wishes she could. She finally gets to the end of her never ending stream of consciousness, and she’s stunned as they sit in the silence, Ricky really absorbing her words, her feelings. He reaches over and grabs her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze before letting go - a mannerism he picked up from you. Heat floods her chest, prickly and almost painful, hyper aware of where his skin just touched hers.

“You know, you-” She’ll never know what he was going to say, his words are cut short by the porch lights flashing through the windshield. Gina’s stomach sinks. She doesn’t want to go inside yet. She doesn’t want this moment to be over, but she has to listen to her mom. She reaches for the door, then hesitates. She turns back to Ricky, desperate to try one more time, to put herself out there, to plant some roots. 

“I meant what I said at the skate park… about you having your own style.” 

He smiles, looking down with a breathy chuckle. His leg is bouncing slightly, he can’t wait to get back to school and dance with you more, spend the rest of this magical night with you. 

“Thank you, that’s-” He’s cut off again, this time by the kiss Gina presses to his cheek. She’s out of the car and inside before he can look at her face. She holds her coat tight around her against the chilly rain beginning to drizzle down, and a second later, the front door closes and she’s inside.He lets out another chuckle, different this time. ‘That was weird.’ He thinks. He barely has the thought before his stomach drops, a sick, cold fear clutching him. What if you find out Gina kissed him? What if you find out and you hate him, what if he breaks your heart into a million pieces without trying? Or worse, what if you lose interest in him because you think he likes Gina? He can feel himself panicking at the idea, unable to stop the onslaught of all too real feeling anxieties wracking his mind, creating a pit in his stomach as he peels out of the driveway and makes his way back to school. 

No, no, that’s not going to happen. He’s not going to lose you because he’s not able to express how much he cares about you. He’s not going to let that happen. Trying to hold this panic at bay, he pulls out his phone as he walks through the parking lot towards the school again. How to show someone you love them. He types the words into google, skimming article titles, reddit threads, quora responses, until he finds himself at the gym doors. He sees you across the room, dancing in a group with Carlos, Ashlyn, Natalie, and Seb. ‘Oh, Seb’s here. That’s good,’ he thinks, a momentary relief that at least one or two fires had been put out tonight. He spots Big Red on the opposite side of the room, and makes his way over to him carefully, trying not to be seen by you. He can’t be around you until he figures this out, he can’t hurt you like this. 

Ricky approaches Big Red with an intense energy he has trouble reading, before Ricky starts to speak. 

“Dude,” he says, voice intense and hushed, “Gina kissed me on the cheek.” 

“That’s great!” 

“No, it’s not!” Ricky says, clearly very frazzled. Okay, that’s where this is going. 

“That’s awful!” Red course corrects as Ricky fills him in on the car ride with Gina. As he tells Red everything that happened, Ricky finds himself kind of hating Gina right now. Why would she do this to him, why would she put him in this position? Does she hate him or something? He thinks she must, there’s no other reason for her to sabotage his relationship with you like this. She must hate him if she’s trying to ruin the most important thing in his life. 

“Listen, I really, really like her…” his eyes keep flicking over to you, gaze magnetized by your presence, “like, a lot. How can I make sure I don’t fuck this up? Because I can not fuck up with her.”

“Woah, man,” Red starts, trying to help Ricky ground himself a little, “chill out. In all fairness, cheek kisses can be platonic.” 

“Right,” Ricky nods, starting to feel assured, and Red continues. 

“So, if Gina wants to date you when you’re… kind of seeing someone, she has to make that more clear to you.”

“Right.” Ricky states, agreeing. He really hopes she doesn’t. 

“I think you’re okay,” Red says, sensing his energy changing already, “just make sure she knows how much you like her. Make it really, objectively obvious.” 

Yeah. He just has to make it obvious. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says to Red, his eyes locked on you as you laugh at something Carlos says, making his stomach twist and tingle, “I just have to make sure she knows how much… I like her.” 

Red watches him make his way over to you, a spring in his step and a plan in his mind. Thank god for Dr. Phil, Red thinks, or else there’s no way he’d be able to help his friends navigate all their drama. He chuckles at the thought, watching Ashlyn fix the strap of your dress. 

Ricky checks his phone one more time on the way over, looking over a chart of love languages one more time. He’s not sure what your love language is, so he’ll just have to try all of them and see what you seem to like best. Gift giving and acts of service aren’t really options right now, so tonight he’ll focus on words of affirmation, physical touch, and quality time. If he has to drown you in all five love languages at once to make sure you know how he feels about you, he will. 

“Hey,” he starts, watching your reaction nervously, scared you somehow already hate him. You turn around at the sound of his voice, eyes lighting up. 

“Hey!” you smile, “You’re back!” you grab his arm, pulling him in closer to the group. 

“Seb’s here,” you say, and he smiles, relieved at your reaction. 

“Hey, man,” he smiles. 

“Fill me in later,” you say quietly, referring to giving Gina a ride, and he nods, a little bit ready to forget the whole thing. 

Now that all the drama, wardrobe malfunctions, and late entrances are out of the way, you and what remains of your friends spend the rest of the night like you intended; dancing, laughing, and taking great pictures together. Later on into the night, everyone’s just about had their fill of fun and the party starts winding down. You split up, most of your friends piling into the Salt Lake slices delivery van so Red can drop them off. After some more hugs and laughs, you finally part ways, climbing into the passenger seat of his orange Volkswagen Beetle. 

His heart is thumping as you grab his hand and squeeze it a little once you’re on your way back to his house, causing a fresh wave of heat to rise to his face, and god he's nervous right now. His mind is still screaming at him that you're going to hate him, that he has to prove his feelings to you. He lets out a small little laugh at the gesture. 

“Well,” you start, tired from the night, but thriving off the energy between you, “that could have gone way worse…” 

“Yeah,” he laughs, nodding in agreement. You talk for the whole drive back to his place. You’d planned on staying over tonight since Ricky was driving and you figured it would be late, plus your mom’s car is at the mechanic so she’s using yours until some time tomorrow. You exchange sleepy chuckles as he parks. He checks his phone one more time as you leave the car, opening an article of women submitting stories about how they knew a guy loved them in a new tab. He sees a text from his dad - the date went well, he hopes Ricky and you had a good time at homecoming, and he’s going to bed so try to keep the noise down when you get back. 

“My dad’s asleep,” he says softly, unlocking the door. He guides you inside, hand resting low on your back, and closes the door quietly behind him. Walking quietly from his foyer to his room shouldn’t have been a problem, but standing in the darkness with Ricky, you both suddenly find it hard not to start giggling. Hushing each other, you quickly sneak up the stairs past Mr. Bowen’s room, down the hall to Ricky’s room. He barely closes the door and flicks the lock closed before dissolving into giggles. You kick off your heels, glad to finally take them off, and grab a makeup wipe from your bag. He digs through his clothes for a second before handing you a big t-shirt to sleep in. 

“Thanks,” you say, throwing away the makeup wipes. He gazes at you, watching you transition from formal and made up to casual and comfortable, your beauty unwavering. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen anyone as pretty as you before. You watch him take off his jacket and tie, and undo the first button or two of his shirt. The action sends butterflies to your stomach and heat to your core. You glance away. You stand up, seeing if you can reach the zipper of your dress. Before you can ask, you feel Ricky behind you. 

“Need some help with that?” He asks, closer to your ear than you’d expected and resting his hands on your waist. You both chuckle.

“Yeah,” you state, voice low and soft. He moves slowly, unzipping the back of your dress, careful not to snag the delicate fabric. You feel the bodice loosen around you, the end of the zipper stopping at the small of your back. He doesn’t move away. You can feel his breath fan over your shoulder, hand still resting on your waist. 

His face is so close to yours, and he mutters your name softly before pressing a kiss to your jawline, then another and another. He moves down, burying his face in your neck as he continues to press hot, open mouthed kisses against your skin. He breathes in your perfume, peachy and sweet and intoxicating. He nips at your neck causing you to gasp, his hands moving below the draping fabric and directly onto your warm skin. You sigh at the contact. He pulls you closer to him, holding you tight as he sucks on your neck. Your dress is slipping off your shoulders, barely on at all anymore, as he begins to feel you up, touching you and caressing you so tenderly. 

“Ricky,” you sigh. Your voice sounds so pretty when you’re like this. 

“God, I-” he breathes, barely catching the words before they’re out. He lets out a nervous laugh, causing you to giggle in his grasp. He shushes you through his own laughter, his hands never ceasing the way they rome over your body. 

"We have to be quiet," he says, turning you around in his arms, pressing himself up against you, trying so, so hard not to kiss you yet. 

"I can be quiet…" you state, a jokingly incredulous tone in your voice. You stare each other down, and he tries not to break first, tries not to smile or laugh, but god, it’s impossible not to smile when he looks at you. Before he can crack, before he loses all composure and bares his soul for you, places his heart eternally in your hands to do as you please with, he pivots. 

"Yeah?" He asks, and you feel the energy change, growing electric between you. "Is that a challenge?"

His tone is dangerous and he watches your eyes get wide. A second later he has you pinned against his mattress, pressing playful nips and kisses against your skin as muffled giggles and sighs escape your pretty mouth. His hands move down, grabbing your exposed skin as he kisses you harder and harder, riling the both of you up. You tear off the little remaining clothes either of you has on and he begins to roll his hips against you, grinding his hot, throbbing member against your heat. You let out a breathy moan, louder than before, as he continues to rock his hips against yours. 

“That wasn’t very quiet,” he murmurs into your ear between kisses to your cheek and jawline. Your chest vibrates against his, and a wave of relief washes through him. You don’t hate him. He loves that feeling he gets when he makes you laugh, he wants to make you do it again. 

“I can stay quiet,” you insist, already swept away by his touch, distracted by the warm kisses and bites he’s planting on your neck and chest. You’re even more distracted by the feeling of his fingers making their way down, brushing against your clit as they come into contact with the arousal dripping down your folds. He smiles, realizing if he can get you this turned on, this touchy, you must like him. He pushes his fingers in, finally met again with the cathartic feeling of your cushy, bumpy walls squeezing and folding around him. Arousal gushes, dripping down his fingers as he begins to stimulate the tight, sensitive muscles stretching around his fingers. He dwells on the feeling for a moment, maybe two, before you’re moaning again. It makes him laugh. 

“I sure hope you can,” he says, another dangerously playful look on his face, “cause if you get too loud…” He watches you for a split second, hanging on his words, anticipation written across your face, “I’m gonna stop.” 

Your stomach flip flops, exploding with butterflies at his words. Before you can look at his face, before you can gauge how serious he is about following through on his threat, his lips are on yours again. He kisses you, mouth open, tongue already prodding into your mouth. You’re lucky, you think, that he’s unintentionally muffling your noises with his mouth. You’re really lucky, because he quickly finds your g-spot, and there are a couple moans you couldn’t hold back if your life depended on it.

Every sigh, every gasp, every beautiful heart pounding moan Ricky elicits from you sends a fresh wave of relief and reassurance through him. You don’t hate him, and you’re not going to. You could never when he’s this good, this devoted to you. It’s impossible for him not to be when you’re so good to him. You’re so responsive to his touch, you’re totally on the same wavelength. 

You must know what he’s telling you through his actions, through the way he looks at you, the words he’s had to bite back from spilling out more than once. You wouldn’t be dripping down his fingers and moaning into his mouth and grabbing at him like this, you wouldn’t be in his bed if you didn’t feel the way he does about you - or even something close to it. He’ll happily take whatever you want to give him. Of course he wants it all, he wants to completely take over your heart, but just a little bit will keep him happy until he can.

“Right there,” you whine against his lips, “fuck, just like that… feels so good…” you mutter. 

‘See?’ he thinks, ‘You don’t say stuff like that if you don’t like someone a lot, much less moan it…’ 

It’s working. His plan to not lose you is working, he just has to make you cum so hard you can’t think straight, as many times as possible. And he’s going to, because there’s no way he can risk losing you. So he brings up his thumb, rubbing it over your clit as he curls his fingers against your gummy walls. It’s euphoric and overwhelming, and you barely have time to tug his hair before you’re cumming and pulsing around his fingers. 

You squeeze and clamp tight around him, and he can’t resist anymore. He needs his tongue inside you, he needs to taste you, feel you squeeze his tongue and cream into his mouth. So he pulls away, already missing the feeling of your mouths against each other, and gazes at you, breath fanning across your cheeks, eyes locked. He takes you in, thumb caressing your cheek while the other continues to fondle your clit. After a moment he’s able to break his gaze away, and he moves down, pushing your legs open. You heart thumps in your chest in anticipation as he begins to lick and suck on your heat, tongue flicking into your drippy hole. 

As soon as he gets a taste, he wants more. He stretches out his tongue, going to town on your cunt. Every sigh and tug of his hair, every attempt to muffle your moans makes him more eager to have you gush your sweet sticky cum all over him. This time he has some experience, and he’s making the most of it. He finds those spots inside you that make your eyes roll back, switching between them, bumping his nose against your clit, drawing stifled moan after stifled moan from you. One slips out, for real this time, and he pauses. It takes all his willpower; your scent is intoxicating and your taste is addictive, but the look on your face when you realize he’s standing by what he said is totally worth it. 

“I told you,” he murmurs against your core, the vibrations and tone of his voice sending electricity through you, “we have to be quiet…” Your hand is clamped over your mouth, and you nod. Your timing couldn’t be better, because you don’t have time to finish the gesture before he dives back in. After that, it doesn’t take much to send you over the edge. 

You give him everything he’s wanted all night, squeezing and gushing all over him while he laps up everything, holding down your hips while he shoves his tongue deeper inside you. It’s always surprising how far inside you he’s able to get it. You whine and moan, choking out praise as he already begins building up another high. He’s throbbing, desperate for anything you’ll give him, and he wants to make you say more shit like that. He wants to be good for you. 

“Oh god- fuck, Ricky!” you choke out in a whisper, one hand tangled in his hair, the other clamped over your mouth. You’re already close again, he can feel it. He knew this would work. He knew he could prove to you how much you mean to him. He doubles his efforts, squeezing your thighs and grinding his face against your pussy, still dripping from the last times he made you cum. His eyes are half lidded and locked on you, watching your face, the way you squirm below his touch, the way your tits bounce with every movement. You’re not sure how long it is until he has you absolutely gushing and convulsing around his tongue again, but every moment is filled with ecstasy. 

“Fuck you’re good at that…” you murmur, hand now playing with his hair instead of pulling it. “You’re one of the good ones, huh?” 

You probably could have knocked him out with a feather. Your words reverberate in his mind, and his cheeks flush. One of the good ones. Yeah. 

He’s throbbing harder than before, almost painfully turned on. He climbs back up over you, but before he can reach into his nightstand for a condom, you flip him over, straddling him. You look down at him with those beautiful eyes that hold every star in the night sky, biting your lip in that endearing way of yours. Your hands are warm on his shoulders, and he’s stunned at the suddenness of your action, and really eager to see where you’re going with this. He could watch you like this for hours, freezing this moment in time forever, eternally content with you, the way you touch him and look at him. You lean down closer to him, breath tickling his cheeks. 

“My turn.” 

You smile, the words coming out in a hushed giggle. Before he can blink, you’re grabbing his rock hard cock, squeezing it in your hands and teasing the tip as you spread around the precum already dripping down the side. He watches you, eyes wide and excited as you open your mouth, wrapping your lips around him. Your mouth is velvety soft, warm and wet, and he has to try not to cum on the spot. You pump the base of his cock, taking more of him in your mouth, and he tries not to buck his hips. He tries so hard not to move at all, tries to be good for you while you work your magic on him. He lets out a long, low moan. Suddenly you freeze, popping your lips off with a small wet noise as you look up at him. 

“Stay quiet or I stop…” you tease, throwing his own conditions back at him. He nods, panting at your words. “Good boy.” You murmur under your breath, but he definitely hears. Good boy. He can feel the oxytocin flooding his brain, and you barely get your lips around him and start bobbing your head before he feels it.

“I’m close,” he chokes out, and you look up at him. He watches a smirk appear at the corners of your eyes before you drag your tongue along the bottom of his cock. It’s more than enough, and he watches in utter awe as he shoots his load into your mouth, and you swallow all of it. The sight is enough to have him throbbing again. He bites back more moans, desperate for you to keep going, for you to call him a good boy again. You bob your head along his length, tongue dragging along the vein on the underside of his cock. 

One hand comes down to fondle his balls, and a choked moan slips out. He never knew he could feel this good. He never knew one person could make him like this. You continue to lick and suck, squeeze and pump and rub, and soon he’s fighting another orgasm, hoping to bask in the feeling of your mouth around him for just a little longer. His prayers are in vain, he realizes, as he shoots another load of sticky, salty cum into your mouth. You have no trouble taking this one either. You continue to suck and lick, riding out the last of his high, before finally releasing him with a soft pop. 

Thoroughly fucked out, he watches you climb up next to him, awestruck. You grab a blanket, pulling it over the both of you, and moving his face to press a few more kisses to his lips. Your tastes mingle as your tongues connect, and Ricky doesn’t think he’s ever tasted something that delicious. He wants more of it. It’s only when you eventually pull away that your eyes land on the clock behind him. 

“Christ, it’s late,” you murmur. You blink heavily, Ricky mirroring the action, and you trace your thumb over his cheek, just looking at him a little longer. You tug the blanket up a little higher, snuggling up next to him. He holds you close on instinct, still trying to process everything that happened tonight in spite of how exhausted he is. It hits him suddenly, and he struggles to stay awake so he can appreciate the kiss you press to his jaw, the warm feeling of your hand on his chest.

He tries so hard to stay awake, to look at you for a little while, because no amount of time with you feels like enough. He refuses to acknowledge the heavy way he blinks and squeezes his eyes, trying to force them to focus on you, but he can feel himself losing the fight against the deep sleep he’s about to slip into. This night was a success, he thinks. He did a good job.

Late morning sunlight streams through his window, finally dragging Ricky back into the waking world. He looks over, missing your presence, and finds his bed empty. As he rolls over, he’s struck by the sweet, intoxicating scent of your peachy perfume. It’s all over his pillow, his sheets, his blankets. His whole room smells faintly of your scent. He buries his nose in the pillow where you’d slept, breathing it in, taking him right back to last night. 

Eventually, he checks his phone. It’s later than he’d expected, but he’s greeted with a text from you, bringing an immediate, even bigger smile to his face. 

He sighs, lovestruck. He doesn’t want to get out of bed, doesn’t want the scent of your perfume to fade. He just wants to bask in it. 

#ricky bowen smut #hsmtmts ricky #ricky bowen x reader #ricky bowen imagine #ricky hsmtmts #ricky bowen #hsmtmts imagine #hsmtmts smut #hsmtmts #rocks at your window #also your moms pfp is lorelai gilmore cause shes cool not bc its a face claim or smth #yk

[the-pink-album]

So 1989 TV is here and this is it. This is the re recording I was waiting for. It means a lot to me for so many reasons, and it felt like a good moment to talk about the why.

As much as I love Red and all too well and beging again are so dear to me, and therefore I was so excited about Red TV, truth is I wasn’t a fan when the original album came out, and less so for the other two albums we have Taylor’s version now. So I couldn’t quite go down the memory lane for those. I don’t have the connection of being in the fandom in that era.

But i do have that connection with 1989. Is when I first got to really know about Taylor. It was a funny road, getting there: see back at the end of 2014 two things were happening: i really loved blank space and shake it off. So much so I wanted to check the album. I liked it. I was also becoming a Harrie. Bc somehow even if I didn’t follow 1D blogs he was all over my dash, and I tried to resist it, I didn’t want to stan the guy… I was in my mid 20’s way over boybands… it feel silly to be so taken by a 20 year old guy.

So… while I was in denial I was still watching interviews and following along Harrie content on tumblr and on a few they mentioned Taylor. And that’s how I was introduced to Haylor… and the Pandora Box was opened.

And then there was Style. An amazing pop song on it’s own. But also a song about Harry Styles and how it ain’t the easiest to let the guy go… and it sounds over the top but I never had quite the thrill as singing that song when you’re in the process of falling for a certain artist. It made me feel happy, silly and young. It was in ways like falling in love but without the risk of getting your heartbroken. And Taylor gave me the soundtrack for it, and I don’t think I would have become a Harrie in the way I did if it wasn’t for Style.

Style isn’t the only Harry song in 1989, and in the process of getting through those, of seeing Harry through Taylor’s eyes I got to know her too, and she was amazing. Her lyrics were something else (the amount of love i also have for You’re in love… is insane). And so along with a Harrie, a lowkey swiftie was born. (Nowadays while I still would say i’m more of a Harrie than a swiftie, I love Taylor, I feel for her and if I could I would love to tell her I’m going to be forever grateful for Folklore in particular those two songs that feel like she wrote them just for me)

I went from checking tumblr on my free time to endless scrolling between two fandoms, both of which where also touring which meant really fun times here, (and crazy ones too) and if it came with a lot of discourse, fandom fighting, (and getting to know Taylor in a very particular point of her life) also i the moment, those were really happy times. (Yes, even when Harry was clearly 💔 at the 2015 BBMA) I really loved being here for all of it.

2015 was the year that brought me to the two artists that would be a huge source of comfort for the years to come. I often refer to 2015 as my last happy year, in reality it’s just that it was the last time I felt young and carefree and the world didn’t seem as overwhelming. It also gave me friends here that while I don’t talk much to them nowadays they were there for me when life got my heart broken, and to this day I still remember the wise things they told me. I will always remember that year with a fondness and smile, bc nothing has ever been as so naively happy since.

So I’m really excited to revisit and album that was a huge part of that time in my life. It will also remind me of Haylor, I just can’t separe it from that album and in truth I love that. Since 1989 the glimpses we get of Haylor are like Harry said once the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever. Theirs is quite the tale.

So 1989 TV for me is a really special time, that will never be not haylor related, and i’ll be in that headspace for a while. Yes, i know the album is about her, and reclaiming it for her, not about a relationship. But as Taylor herself would say, these songs are also about us, and I want to remember the why and how I came to love her so.

#taylor swift #harry styles #1989 tv #haylor

[eoieopda]

thoroughfare: texas (kth)

I met you there in Texas, somewhere on the thoroughfare / On the side of the road in some torn up clothes, with a pistol in my pocket

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader Type: Multi-Part (1/5) ⇢ Masterlist Word Count: 1.6K Summary: You didn't have an escape plan when you left your old life behind, but you did come across a get-away car. Content: (Series) American Roadtrip AU; strangers to lovers; slow-burn; angst; smut // (Chapter) References to past relationship violence (not depicted); hitch-hiking; mention of blood (heel blisters); reader has a gun in her possession (not used); tw: Texas. A/N: This was originally going to be a one-shot, but now it's going to be a mini-series of vignettes! Here's state #1 on their 5-state trip West. Based on Ethel Cain's song by the same name.

DISCONTINUED

Freedom is a fickle thing. 

You spent your whole life waiting to leave home. To live on your own terms, with what you owned depending solely on what you’d earned yourself. When you got on that bus in Birmingham, that’s what you thought you were driving towards: a new slate.

Independence that made your giddy stomach flip with anticipation — a roller coaster going up, up, up. You knew it wouldn’t be easy, starting over alone, but nobody said it would be this hard. 

Not that you’d have listened if they did. 

For a while, you made it work. You found a hole in the wall to live in and a job that filled both your pockets and your pantry. You made friends, and you made time for yourself. You took the knife you’d stolen from your brother on your way out of town and whittled yourself a place in the world. And you were fine that way, accountable only to yourself.  

Free, you'd thought, free at last. 

Then he came along.  

That green-eyed, black-hearted son-of-a-bitch slithered around your heart like a copperhead, hissing honeyed words into your ear all the while. He was easy to love and that was precisely the problem. It made him impossible to leave.  

The thought must have crossed your mind a hundred times or more. You repeated those plans like prayers in your head every night before you climbed in bed beside him. But you didn’t leave and then you couldn’t. Eventually, it became too difficult to tell what he gripped tighter: your finances or your wrists. 

The only thing that hit harder than he did was the realization that you’d cornered yourself in a trap you'd built yourself. In doing so, you took a match and kerosene to any bridge leading somewhere familiar.  

Safer.  

Now, you stood on your front porch with all you could carry shoved hastily into a duffle bag. Burdens all slung over your shoulder; you took your first deep breath in recent memory. The thought spread over the open air when you exhaled a rueful laugh: if you had any matches left on you, you would’ve lit this place up, too.  

Instead, you’d opted — for once — to extinguish a fire. You’d do the wise thing and snuff out the flame before the backdraft could turn you to ash, too. Tucked into the back of your Levis, unloaded, was the revolver you’d stolen from the lockbox under the bed. If he was stupid enough to look for you, he’d find it pressed between his brows.  

Would he remember in that moment that he was the one who taught you to shoot? 

You set out on foot from there, leaving everything too heavy to hold in your wake. With the hot wind cracking like a whip against your bare legs, every step you took was erased mere seconds after being imprinted in the dirt. Having no path back home — to him — meant there was only one way left for you to go. 

Decidedly underfunded and underfed, you were thankful to be above water for the first time in a long damn time. The wind resistance made each step harder than the last, but you were grateful for the way it breathed life back into your bones. You greeted the burn of that effort like an old friend; with muscles no longer atrophied from all that time spent crouching in place. 

So, you walked, and walked, and walked over that arid ocean until your blistered heels begged you to stop.  

Three miles outside of San Antonio, you finally heeded their cries. You sat down, roadside, with your denim shorts in the dirt and your duffel bag behind you. Initially, you intended for that duffle to anchor you through unrelenting wind. Though forceful, it didn’t alleviate the heavy heat weighing down your shoulders. Thankfully, that duffel served a second purpose: it kept your tired frame from collapsing under the unforgiving, south-central sun. 

The only chill to be found was the Ruger’s cool metal against the sweat-slicked small of your back. Despite its capacity for violence, its hard presence against your skin felt safer than the blanket you carried with you through childhood. It didn’t entirely prevent your eyes from scanning the area for any hint of movement — but it sure as shit helped. 

As you watched dust swirl in miniature twisters across the cracked asphalt, you wondered if this town had always been so peaceful. Though run-down, it wasn’t as ugly a place as it felt. Maybe there was some timeline in which this could’ve been home.

Maybe —

As soon as that thought crossed your mind, the quiet you relished was replaced by the squeal of balding brakes. With a groan, you clambered to your aching feet just in time to eye the pickup truck slowing to a stop in front of you. Your right hand shielded your eyes from the glaring white overhead; your left moved slowly until it rested at the base of your spine.

Shit!

It wasn't loaded, but he didn't need to know that.

The stranger’s charming smile triggered something feral in the cellar of your brain. Fight or flight? He seemed to sense the panic in your pulse, even with the distance. Slowly, his hands left the steering wheel to be held where you could see them.  

“Hey, baby, don’t run – I'll take you anywhere you need to go, so long as you can point me to the I-10.” 

You blinked at him, then glanced down at your worn-out Doc Martens. By now, you were sure there was blood pooling in your socks. Worse, there was dirt sticking to every droplet of sweat on your body, turning all your hard-fought softness into something coarse.

If I end up dead, you thought, at least the truck I’d die in is air-conditioned.  

With a shrug, you grabbed your duffel off the ground and tossed it into the truck’s bed. He was beaming at you through the window when you crossed back to the passenger side. He was magnetic, you’d admit, but you knew better by now than to trust a charmer. 

His excited hand slapped the steering wheel as you settled in beside him and the way you flinched wasn’t lost on him.  

“Ah, sorry to make you jump, doll. I’m just glad to have found someone out here,” He chuckled through a sheepish smile.  

Rubbing his hand nervously over the back of his neck, he elaborated: “I’ve been driving around for a while, looking for a single soul to give me directions. Until I saw you sitting there, I thought I’d never get back to the highway.” 

“What made you think I’d help?” You asked with a flat tone and furrowed brow.  

If you could admit he was magnetic, you could admit that you were the opposite. Your stony gaze was more likely to repel others than attract them. The thing is, you neither wanted nor intended to be that way. His warmth was as confusing to you as his apparent faith in others. 

Had he met “others”? Awful, the whole lot of them. 

The stranger put the truck back into gear and resumed his southbound route. “You look like someone who knows where they’re headed,” He hummed, “Someone who wouldn’t steer me wrong.”  

Your disbelieving cackle caused him to glance over at you. Even the bemused twitch of his eyebrow didn’t undermine the self-assured grin lighting up his face.  

“The only place I’m headed is anywhere else.” With a sigh, you rolled your neck to face forward. Smirking, you gestured beyond the windshield, “And by the looks of it, you’re headed further away from the highway.” 

“Shit!” He muttered. With no one nearby to get in the way — or, more importantly, to cite him — he abruptly turned over the double-yellow to correct course. His tires nipped at the gravel when he ventured slightly off the road. “See? Kismet.” 

“Kismet?” 

Another glance your way, another smile.  

“Means fate,” He explained, though you already knew the definition of the word.

It was his hopefulness that confounded you, as well as the gratitude you didn’t do more than the bare minimum to earn. Then there was the way his uniquely boxy, mega-watt smile never seemed to leave his face. He held out his hand to shake before you could ask what the hell he was so happy for.  

“Taehyung,” he offered.

You supplied him with your hand as well as your name. Then, you gave into the ongoing conversation he seemed so intent on having. “Where’s the highway leading you, Taehyung?” 

“West,” was his reply and it earned him an eye roll and a snort. Of course, he was headed west; it was the only direction his chosen route could take him. Undeterred by your reaction, he looked back over at you and asked, “Wanna see it with me?”

“Why west?” You asked. Deep down, you didn't care. The only question bouncing around your skull was why me?

He had stars nestled in the warm brown of his eyes as he looked at you. That spark — that authentic, puzzling optimism — was the only reason you didn’t laugh right in his face when he answered: “’Cause love’s out there and I can’t leave it be.” 

At this, you grimaced without meaning to. He couldn’t be that naïve, could he? Thinking he’d find some fairy-tale ending where the sand met the sea? 

“Honey, love’s never meant much to me,” You started, but you quickly — and unexpectedly — turned on a dime when you watched the light in his smile start to waver, “But I’ll come with you, if you’re sure it’s what you need.”

Tagging: @borahae-k @i-purple-buff-bunni @pamzn @myimaginationsrunningwild @nonbinary-demonbrat @mgthecat @btschimeyplanet @yoongiphoria @tornparts

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#re: thoroughfare #bts #bts army #bts v #bts taehyung #bts kim taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts angst #bts series #bts imagine #bts scenarios #kim taehyung fanfiction #kim taehyung fanfic #kim taehyung fic #kim taehyung angst #taehyung fanfiction #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fic #taehyung imagine #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #taehyung x y/n #taehyung series #kth #jade writes

[134340am]

come again, see you soon

todoroki shouto x gn!reader, 1k words, no quirks + cw food + sfw based on this silly little headcanon

“hello, welcome.”

the smooth, deep tone of the new employee behind the counter had you looking up from your phone in surprise. 

as per your usual wednesday afternoon routine, you made it to the on-campus froyo shop just in time to catch their student discount window from two to five p.m..

over the semester, your weekly visit to the humble dessert spot has become the number one thing you looked forward to every midweek—a sweet treat to comfort yourself after the gruelling three-hour seminar you have to put yourself through every wednesday. 

on a normal day, you’d be greeted with the cheerful chirp of a green-haired boy you’ve come to know as deku—who’s been the one to serve you your weekly cup of happiness with a bashful, but genuine smile.  

today, however, you were met with a pair of the most breathtaking grey and turquoise eyes you’ve ever seen, staring earnestly back at you.

“um, good— good afternoon,” you stutter in greeting, and inwardly cringe at how easily you were affected by this new employee’s striking good looks.

aside from his outrageously beautiful eyes that follow your figure as you walk up to the counter, you also found yourself enamoured with the sharp slope of his nose, the cute tufts of red and white hair sticking out from under his cap, and his pouty pink lips that part to speak—

“what can i get you today?” he asks, and you feel your heart clench at the way his voice sounded much deeper up close. his words seem to flow into your ears the way your favourite song does, settling in the back of your brain in a cloudy haze.

while a part of you was still bummed you wouldn’t be seeing deku’s sweet smile today (which also meant you won’t be getting extra toppings or a chance to talk about the new all might movie coming out later—which is probably why deku’s gone, anyway), you were still thrilled at the sight of the handsome young man standing before you. 

what a treat, especially after that hellish quiz, you thought to yourself, and in no way were you referring to the cup of frozen yoghurt you were about to purchase.

“you can take your time,” the pretty boy says. silence ensues for a brief moment, before it was interrupted by the sound of m&ms being stirred around. 

that was when you realised you were spacing out, staring straight at the pretty boy’s face without saying a single word. embarrassment floods your being, and you feel the back of your ears start to heat up. 

“um, sorry ‘bout that. i’m ready to order,” you explain, gaze dropping from the stranger’s face to his name tag. shouto, it reads, void of any decoration. somehow the simplicity suits him. “can i please get an original, regular cup? um, please.” 

pretty boy—shouto, you mean—blinks once, twice. 

“sorry, but we’re out of original.” he points to the signboard behind him. a big OUT OF STOCK, SORRY! :( sign was plastered over it, written in bold blue letters that you definitely wouldn’t have missed, if not for your momentary weakness in the face of one very charming stranger. “we have strawberry cheesecake, though. it’s our new seasonal flavour,” he continues, pointing at the signboard right next to your beloved original flavour.

“alrightsurethen.” your words come out in a rush of air you didn’t know you were holding in. heat rises up your neck to your cheeks, and you cringe again at how unnaturally you were acting. 

if shouto thought anything of your behaviour, he didn’t say anything. you take your time marvelling at the way his broad back tapered down to his slim waist, his plain black tee shirt cinched in by the contrasting soft beige of the froyo shop’s standard issue apron. you made sure to avert your eyes quickly the moment he turned back with your cup, now filled with a towering swirl of red and cream. 

“your toppings?”

“um, strawberries, granola, and…” you trailed off, eyes fixed on the way shouto’s lithe fingers wrap around the little plastic scoop in every topping bin. “...gummy bears.”

he raises an eyebrow at your unusual topping choice, but you decide against saying anything more to avoid embarrassing yourself further.

shouto rings you up and that went by smoothly, thank goodness, because you don’t think you’d be able to handle a minute more interacting with a man as attractive as him. it helped that there was barely anyone in the little shop, with most students still stuck in their afternoon classes.

shouto sets your cup atop the glass counter with a napkin and a loyalty card. on closer inspection, you realised the card had three stamps on it, indicating three visits. free upsize, reads the text compacted in the fourth bubble.

before you could present shouto with your old dog-eared, half-filled loyalty card, or ask him about the two extra stamps he must have given you by accident, you were interrupted by the gentle baritone of his voice. 

“thank you, please come again.” he says, a soft, polite smile adorning his face. 

“yeah, um, you too,” you mumble, your brain short-circuiting, and whatever concerns you had melted away on your tongue when you take your cup from shouto and feel his fingertips brush against yours. 

“i will.”

“sorry, what?” fuck. what did you say again? 

“i will come again,” he nods, eyes shining with a hint of mirth and mischief. “i’ll be here tomorrow till sunday, two to closing. if you want to visit, that is.”

“o-oh! um, sure!” you squeaked out, barely containing your elation. does this mean he wanted you to come back? and see him? “see you, shouto.”

you wave your cup awkwardly, suppressing a yelp when the swirled tower of yoghurt sways precariously, already melting. 

shouto smiles, an indescribable fondness in his expression. “see you soon, y/n.”

a/n: thank you for reading! reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated <3

(masterlist)

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki shoto x reader #shouto x reader #shoto x reader #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #shouto fluff #shoto fluff #bnha imagines #yuna writes

[seducetheimagines]

Stay Alive For Me - Matthew

(Art goes to its original owner.)

Matthew/Gender Neutral Reader Warning(s): References to Depression, Negative Thoughts Song: Truce - Twenty-One Pilots AO3 Work Under The Cut

It seemed like everything was so easy. When Lisette did it, it seemed so simple. She was the center of attention, with everyone wanting to do anything for her. It was exhausting trying to do everything right when no one could see how hard you were trying. How did it become so complicated? Why was it so complicated? Whenever you would constantly come into the dining room or living area with swollen, red eyes, it seemed like the Incubi brothers knew something was wrong. Most of them did not understand what was happening, but Damien did. There was no way he could avoid hearing your loud, horrifying, and degrading thoughts. It was critical for Damien to reach out to Matthew since he knew you were close with him. When Damien broke the news, Matthew almost broke down in tears. He cared so much for you, and it broke him to know that you thought less of yourself; like you were unimportant. He understood that you were only human, yet he wanted to tell you how much he cared for you. Human or not, it did not make him love you any less.

Now, the night is coming to an end, Oh The sun will rise, and we will try again. Oh

As Matthew approached where the sounds were coming from, he felt his heart break. As you dried your face before lunch, you were on the floor. A light sigh escaped his lips as he approached and sat down, resting a hand on your shoulder. Seeing your best friend as you wiped your face, jolted you into reality. “Damien told me everything,” Matthew said softly, causing you to sigh heavily and you looked down at your hands; the hands that did not feel like yours half of the time.

Stay alive, stay alive, for me. You will die, but now your life is free, Take Pride In what is sure To Die.

“It’s not like I don’t like living here,” you told him as you leaned against him. “In Lisette's case, everything seems so effortless, but in my case, I try so hard but achieve nothing. As for me, I must struggle to get everything I need, while she gets everything she wants!”

I will fear the night again, Oh

I hope I'm not my only friend. Oh

Stay alive, stay alive, for me. You will die, but now your life is free,

Matthew sat there and listened to you, his heart aching for you. He understood what you meant, and he wished he could take the pain away from you, so you didn’t have to deal with it. He placed his hands on your cheeks and had you look at him. The look in his eyes made you feel deeper for him. “Please, (Y/n). Stay alive. For me. Please?”

Take Pride In what is sure To Die.

You teared up at that as you smiled and nodded, wrapping your arms around him and you pulled him into a tight hug.

“I love you, Matthew.”

#matthew seduce me #seduce me the otome #seduce me #sam seduce me #james seduce me #erik seduce me #damien seduce me

[mieux-de-se-taire]

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

Bullets, while an absolute mess, is one of my favorite MCR albums. I think it’s underrated and deserves more love, though I get why it doesn’t appeal to everyone. These are my thoughts about each song on Bullets, not including covers and other tracks they performed in that era.

Romance - Not too much to say, a simple but nice album opener, I like the old-timey vibe and how it speeds up a little in the second half

Honey - one of my favorites off Bullets and the second song to catch my eye, big fan of the lyrics and vocals in general, especially the contrast between the softer slower parts and Gee’s screaming, I also really like the layering. In terms of meaning, I think it’s about an ex-girlfriend of Mikey’s, which I heard in a radio interview from 2002 (I don’t remember which one), though I think we’re all familiar with Gee’s iconic intro. Additionally, there’s a music video based on the Japanese horror film Audition, and it’s really fucking weird

Vampires - another of my favorites from this album, I really like the build, my favorite part is probably around 4:10 when he sings “I’ll never let them hurt you”, I adore the ending (starting about 4:26), I especially like the whispers at the very end, I love how frantic and desperate the whole song is. I’m pretty sure the song is about alcoholism/people who encourage your bad habits and drag you down with them, though I don’t recall where I read/heard that. Also, fun fact, Vampires was the song that originally got Geoff Rickly from Thursday to produce Bullets: “Saavedra sent him a CD of a song called ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’ and it blew Rickly’s mind. ‘I called them right away and said, “This is really cool. I’ve never heard anything quite like it.” You could hear their influences, I heard some Thursday, some AFI and some other things in there but it was unique enough – and especially for a band only a month old. I was really impressed.’” (Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance, 35-36) Also, the video -- the gothic aesthetic, the low quality camera, the bad lighting, the awkward angles, the bad early 2000s editing, Frank’s hair -- I love it all

Drowning Lessons - more great lyrics, I love the middle part (2:16-2:43), the end is great where it fades out and then comes back with a different riff and then fades out again, a very fun song, such a shame that it’s never played live

Our Lady of Sorrows - a fun, punchy song, a lot of great screaming, especially at the end, I love the riff(? guitar thingy) at 1:20, my favorite part is 1:34-1:47, also Gee’s favorite lyric (at least at one point) “Oh how wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying”. Not sure what this one’s about other than a knife fight

Headfirst for Halos - I feel bad, but this is one of my least favorite songs from this album, I don’t even have it on my MCR playlist, still a fun rhythm and guitar part with comically dark contrasting lyrics. I’ve heard it’s based in part on Peter Pan with the references to pixie dust, thinking happy thoughts, and flying home

Skylines and Turnstiles - the song that started it all, I didn’t really like it the first time I heard it, but it really grew on me and now I love it, some of the best lyrics from Bullets, dark and beautiful and hopeful, especially given the context of 9/11, my favorite song intro from this album

Early Sunsets over Monroeville - I’m shaking and sobbing, my favorite song from Bullets and one of my favorite MCR songs overall, the first song to really catch my eye (more like grab me by the throat), beautiful and heart wrenching and amazing and so fucking sad and devastating, every time I listen to this song I either start crying or get really close, everything about this song is divine and gut-wrenching but starting at 2:12 it just destroys me completely, the lyrics, his fucking screams, the rawness, I mean “And there’s no room in this hell / There’s no room in the next / And our memories defeat us / And I’ll end this direst”, I’m never going to recover from listening to this. Also, fun fact, Gee’s performance of Early Sunsets was so powerful that “‘Afterwards, everybody just left and went outside to smoke cigarettes because they couldn’t deal with looking at him after he had sung that,’ says Rickly. ‘He had just ripped himself open in front of everybody. He’d taken it so far that it was uncomfortable for anyone who was friends with him. They hadn’t seen him as Gerard the singer, they still saw him as their buddy Gerard. It’s a little scary to see someone do what he did.’” (Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance, 61)

This Is the Best Day Ever - like Headfirst to Halos I don’t have this on my MCR playlist, I just feel somewhat lukewarm about this song, though I really like 0:40-0:47 with the fun guitar part and rhythm of “Every hour / On the hour”, and I love the build during 1:05-1:20, it’s not as interesting melodically as most of their other songs but it does have some pretty fun variations, especially considering how short it is

Cubicles - another song that I was initially dubious of but warmed to a lot, I like the whole song but I especially like the switch at 1:56 and then how it builds through 2:54, my favorite part is at 3:11-3:28 with the cool guitar riff and the fading our vocals and the repetition of “I think I’d love to die alone”, overall a very nice song that I rarely seek out to listen to but never skip

Demolition Lovers - a brilliant album closer, another one of my favorites, probably my second favorite on Bullets which is funny considering I thought it was kind of underwhelming the first few times I heard it, everything is great from Gee’s emotional delivery to the builds throughout the first half to that break at 2:50, and then that simple quiet melody with the guitar slowly joined by the drums and then finally Gee’s voice so tenderly at 3:33, fucking beautiful, and then how it picks back up at 4:09 with that great guitar solo before Gee returns at 5:04 with so much desperation and pain, absolutely amazing song, very strong end for Bullets, and definitely the most coherent narratively

I intend to go through all of MCR’s albums and then their other work in later posts, and I’m thinking about ranking the songs in each album as well. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions with me.

#mcr #my chemical romance #i brought you my bullets you brought me your love #honey this mirror isn't big enough for the two of us #vampires will never hurt you #drowning lessons #our lady of sorrows #headfirst for halos #skylines and turnstiles #early sunsets over monroeville #this is the best day ever #cubicles #demolition lovers #album review

[pa-stella]

I'm sobbing as I send this but can I get smiling between kisses with kuujyu ;;;;;;; 💜💜 thank you in advance

Wait, why are you sobbing?? Nooo!! I hope this little thing will cheer you up! More laughters than smiles, but I hope it's okay. Summary - Jyushi: *can't accept compliments* Kuko: *that Lady Gaga meme* Title: Addictive Fandom: Hypnosis Mic Pairing: Kuuko/Jyushi Prompt: Smiling in-between kisses

Jyushi’s room was exactly like its resident. A little quirky with many small details inspired by a specific aesthetic. Kuko, who was not used to such rich furnishing, had always been fascinated by the room. Even if there was a giant moon shaped lamp on the wall, the place was relaxing and calm… a good refuge from his everyday routine.

Every time he didn’t want to deal with the tasks given by his father, the young monk would declare that they would continue their training outside the temple and Jyushi would understand in an instant what he meant. They would stop in a nearby conbini to buy a few snacks and go straight to Jyushi’s house. Kuko would never confess it, but it had become basically a habit for him. 

They would usually play video games or watch a movie for the entire afternoon, but that day Jyushi had decided to continue sketching the outfits for his band's next concert, so Kuko busied himself with his manga collection. The small bedroom was silent if not for a visual kei playlist coming from the pc.

“Kuko-san.” Jyushi called him at some point, almost startling him. “I need your opinion.”

“On what?” He asked and got up from the bed to move near the armchair the other was sitting on.

“I’m trying to come up with a cool embroidery design to add on our jackets.” He explained as he showed him his tablet. “ArgoξOrchestra’s new song has a lot of references to the Western zodiac, so my idea was to create a decoration combining each member’s sign constellation… what do you think?”

Kuko looked at the sketch and nodded. Jyushi had recreated the logo of his band by using some of the stars of each constellation. He had to admit it was cool. “It looks great, but I thought you didn’t feel good enough at embroidering to do big projects…”

“Well, as you often say, I won’t get better if I don’t keep practicing…” Jyushi murmured and opened another file on the tablet. “I’ve been working on smaller projects for some time now.”

“Pretty good advice, I gave you!” Kuko chuckled while sitting down on the arm of the chair to look at the other pictures. “You’re already talented, so just imagine what you’ll do when you've mastered the art!”

“Oh.” Jyushi nodded and tried to hide his face a little, but Kuko caught the faint blush that had appeared on his cheeks. The visual kei singer loved compliments, but he still couldn’t handle them if they came from people he really cared about. The monk glanced at the abandoned manga (surveilled by Amanda) on the bed and at the tablet… they had both finished with their own things, so it would be okay to tease Jyushi a litte, right?

“You’re also so creative… look at these designs!” 

Jyushi blushed even more, hiding behind the tablet. “There’s no need to lie now, Kuko-san…”

“Are you calling me a liar?!” He pretended to be offended and took the device from his hands to place it on the nearby shelf. “I’m telling the truth. Talented, inventive, original…”

As Jyushi tried to cover his face with his hands, Kuko grabbed them and forced him to look up. “Kuko-san…”

Seeing him so embarrassed made the monk smile in an affectionate way before he continued with his list. “...unique, humble…”

“That… that has nothing to do with what I create��” The other protested and Kuko rolled his eyes.

“I’m trying to create a mood here.” He whispered. “Dummy…”

“H-Hey!”

Before he could add anything else, Kuko gave him a peck on the nose. “...a little too whiny…” 

At that, Jyushi giggled a little.

“...kind…” He said and moved to leave a kiss on his cheek.

“Kuko…”

“...attractive…” He kissed him on his lips for an instant but, when he moved away, he felt Jyushi grab his jacket and tug. He smiled. “...eager…”

This time Kuko took his time with the kiss and he actually struggled to pull away. “Have I already said attractive?”

Jyushi laughed out loud. “Yes, you have.”

“Mmm… so damn attractive, then…” 

“Don’t tell me you already finished the words to describe me.” His voice was a little deeper now, more similar to the one he used in his narcissistic chuunibyou’s mode. 

“You just made me remember one: cocky.” They both chuckled and shared another brief kiss. Kuko moved to get up and go back to his manga after that, but Jyushi grabbed his hand.

“I wasn’t joking, Kuko-san. G-Go on…” He was blushing again, embarrassed by the request he was making, but a little more confident after Kuko’s words.

“Let me think.” The monk smiled and slowly sat down on Jyushi’s lap. His lips were almost on the other’s when he whispered one last word.

“Addictive.”

#kuko: #talented. brilliant. incredible. showstopping... #writing? in this economy? #hypnosis mic #jyushi aimono #kuko harai #kuujyu #i wanted to write something cuter and in the end it's just about two dorks being in love

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Putting this behind a “keep reading” link because it’s entirely unimportant, and because I specifically said several weeks ago, several times, that I would stop discussing Daniel Kitson’s music taste.

Okay. Okay. Do you know what I think? After relatively extensive research, what I think is that Daniel Kitson doesn’t even know that much about music. When I first listened to the 2006 radio shows he did, I was really impressed by the range of artists and how they were all from different places. Anyone can get into one indie music scene, but he’d clearly found different ones from different continents and knew all these different record labels and that seemed amazing.

But I got to this thing in about the sixth episode, and I’ve now heard that episode about three times, and every time it’s bothered me. Which is that he really liked the Jeffery Lewis song that’s about Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel song, but in this episode, he mentioned that he didn’t even know the actual song. Not just that he wasn’t super familiar with it, he’d never heard it before last week. He knew Jeffrey Lewis was singing about another song, but had no idea what it was.

It was 2006, a long time ago, but he was still almost thirty. Who doesn’t know about Leonard Cohen by almost thirty? That’s one I’d expect, for lack of a better term, regular people to know. As in, I have all my mostly Canadian, some British and American and some other places, folk and country music. That’s the broad definition for the music I’m into, and there are artists within those broad genres who are really famous and anyone who’s into any part of those genres will know about them.

But at the very top of those genres, there are just a few artists that I’d assume people know about even if they’re not specifically into that type of music. Leonard Cohen is one of the few. Leonard Cohen was one of my go-tos when I was in school, if people were talking about music and asked me what I liked, and I needed to scramble to come up with an answer that they’d probably have heard of. They might not be fans of Leonard Cohen, the might think it a bit weird that I was listening to old people music, but they’d at least know who he was. Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Young were my top artists I could reference and assume people would know what I meant. Everyone knows those guys.

A somewhat lower hit rate, but there is a decent chance of getting the name recognized, is Bruce Cockburn. I’m not sure I could expect this outside of Canada, but in Canada, I think I could say Bruce Cockburn’s name to most people and they’d have at least heard it before. And generally, I’d consider a level of fame that’s “a decent number of people who are not specifically into folk music will know the name” equivalent to “any actual music nerd for any genre that crosses over with folk music at all should definitely know the name, and it’s weird if they don’t”.

And he didn’t know Bruce Cockburn either! He played the Barenaked Ladies’ cover of one of Cockburn’s best songs on a couple of radio shows for years, without acknowledging that it was a cover, and then one day in 2023 mentioned that the song was originally written by a man named Bruce whose last name he wasn’t sure how to pronounce. I mean, he clearly did know how to pronounce it and was just expressing confusion as an excuse to bring up the word “cock” (which is not how you pronounce it, it’s “Co-burn”), which is mildly amusing but not the sort of thing you say if you’ve known about the existence of Bruck Cockburn for more than a year. Which I can confirm, because it was funny to me for the first year or so that I was into him, and then I stopped noticing it, and for me that was the year between age 10 and age 11.

And he keeps making arguments about Loudon Wainwright being better than his son Rufus, and sometimes bringing Rufus’ sister/Loudon’s daughter Martha Wainwright into it, but frames it as arguing about who’s the best musician in that family. While never mentioning, in the many times it’s come up, that Rufus’ mother and her sister had many years as the very successful Canadian folk music duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and were much better than anyone else in their family. I mean, it would be fine if he disagreed that they were better. I guess it would be fine, because people are allowed to be wrong. It’s weird, however, that he clearly didn’t know they existed, or he’d have at least mentioned them when listing members of that family.

I think Kate and Anna McGarrigle are a level of fame below Bruce Cockburn – I wouldn’t assume anyone not specifically into folk music would know them, though I also wouldn’t be shocked if someone did. But they’re more famous than most of the Canadian folk singers, and certainly big enough so someone into that genre should know about them. Especially someone who clearly knows their family so well.

Russell Howard and Jon Richardson used to do this too - constantly talk on their BBC 6 Music radio show about how they were both obsessed with the great Rufus Wainwright, and sometimes they’d mention his dad. I think that may be why Kitson brings up the comparison so much in the 2006-2008 era of his radio shows - he keeps discussing the “Rufus vs. Loudon” debate as though that’s a really common argument for people to have, even though I don’t think it was a particularly common debate, I think it was just an argument you’d frequently have if you, like Daniel Kitson circa 2006, were friends with Russell Howard and sometimes mentioned to him that you preferred Loudon to Rufus.

Anyway, the point is that personally, I’m not very familiar with the work of Rufus or Loudon or Martha Wainwright, but I know who they are and I have a couple of albums by each of them, just because I’m a big fan of the McGarigle sisters, so by extension I also know their family exists, and I’ve listened to some of their stuff. That extension should work the other way. Daniel Kitson is now the third British comedian I’ve heard (as well as Jon Richardson and Russell Howard) go on about that musical family yet never mention that Rufus has a mother and she’s better than all of them. It’s a trick question, the answer to the Rufus vs. Loudon debate. A trick like in that riddle about the doctor. The best musician is actually his mother.

When I first heard Kitson’s old radio show, I assumed he must know all the major things I know about – not all my small-time Canadian folk singers but at least all the big stuff – since he knows so much more than I do about a vaguely overlapping music genre. Which is a huge logical fallacy - making the assumption that anyone who knows a lot of stuff I don’t know must also know all the stuff I do know. Because the route to knowing all the stuff I don’t know passes through knowing all the stuff I do know, right?

But seriously, pitfalls and logical fallacies aside, I don’t think it’s weird for me to have assumed he’d be familiar with the work of world-famous singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, by the age of almost thirty, when he was really into a song about Leonard Cohen. That’s why the song about Leonard Cohen was written. Because Jeffrey Lewis was writing for an audience of the sort of people who are into Leonard Cohen, and who’d relate to his story about the time he talked to a girl about a Leonard Cohen song.

In that sixth radio episode, which I didn’t hear until several months after I’d heard the first five, Daniel Kitson said he’d only just listened to Leonard Cohen’s music for the first time, and only did so because it was the thing that the Jeffrey Lewis song was about. Then he played Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel song back-to-back with Jeffrey Lewis’ song about it, and said it’s amazing that two songs as great as that can both exist.

Which I also took issue with, because you can’t put those on the same level. I like the Jeffrey Lewis song. I don’t like it as much as I like the other Jeffrey Lewis songs that Kitson has played. The Chelsea Hotel-based one is a bit too close to the reason why I spent many years specifically saying I disliked anything labeled as “indie rock”. Because folk festivals keep bringing “indie rock” singers in, taking up spots that would otherwise go to folk singers, in an effort to draw a younger audience. But also because, according to the vague assumption I held for many years, songs that get lableled “indie rock” are just guys telling stories about how sad they were that a manic pixie dream girl didn’t sleep with them and/or stopped sleeping with them, set to a simple and un-innovative melody. Listening to those older Daniel Kitson radio shows has made me change some of my anti-indie rock prejudices, as I’ve really enjoyed a lot of the music he played, and my favourite thing I’ve discovered from his radio show has been Jeffrey Lewis. But that particular Jeffrey Lewis song is very much just one guy telling stories about how sad he was that a manic pixie dream girl didn’t sleep with him, set to a simple and un-innovative melody. With the twist that it references a Leonard Cohen song. I mean, despite this flaw it’s not a bad song. But you can’t compare it to the actual Leonard Cohen song. It’s in a different league. It’s like comparing a tribute band to the original band.

When I look at it all together, it appears that Daniel Kitson may specifically know fuck all about Canadian music. Even Canadian music of his preferred broad genre that got big enough to be internationally popular. Technically, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen evidence that he knows who Neil Young is.

I didn’t realize this until I went over the radio episodes again and wrote down all the songs in them (which I did do recently, for reasons that involve me making very productive use of my limited time on this Earth), but there isn’t even that big a range. In the 2006-2008 radio episodes, I’ve realized, this was just a guy who liked to buy local indie rock albums, discovered a few Americans, and was really obsessed with the entire country of Australia. Which is fair enough, Australia has clearly worked out for him.

When I looked at it, almost all of the interestingly international music he played was from one Australian record label. Which is fine, there’s no obligation to know about lots of music from lots of different places. A huge proportion of my music collection is from Cape Breton Island off the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, with quite a bit more being from mainland Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the couple of surrounding provinces. It’s just that I initially got the impression that Daniel Kitson impressively knew about all this different obscure music from all over the world, and once I look closely I realize it was really only from one place, because he liked touring there.

Anyway. I’m now almost done talking shit about the opinions of a comedian whom I hugely admire, but not quite. Last week I made a post, which I’ve now deleted because I was paranoid about it, about hearing an old Daniel Kitson recording in which he called out a specific blog on Twitter and, to my horror, Tumblr, which was about how great he is, and Kitson said he didn’t like that guy. He said that some years ago, but not enough years ago for it to not absolutely freak me out. It literally gave me nightmares, and kind of made me want to delete everything I’ve ever put on the internet and then hide under my bed for the rest of my life. Which I did think a bit about doing, but since then have calmed down a bit and decided it’s probably all right. He’s probably not still checking Tumblr. No one thinks Tumblr still exists in 2023.

But I was still a bit concerned, and weirdly, something I listened to this morning kind of broke that. I recently heard him encounter an audience member who does boxing. And he was really weird about it. Seemed very impressed with this person’s fascinatingly exotic hobby, but also concerned for their safety, and kept saying he could never do anything like that.

I forget, sometimes, how weird this sort of thing seems to anyone else. I’ve done a bit of boxing throughout my life, as when you do one combat sport you generally end up dabbling in lots of them at some point, training out of martial arts gyms and jumping into other stuff. I haven’t done much boxing, but based on his reaction I think I’ve done enough to concern him.

And it’s the logical fallacy again. It seemed so weird to me that he would be freaked out by something I do, because he does all these incredible things that I could never do, my brain just assumes anything I can do would be no big deal to him. Obviously that makes no sense in this situation, but I got so much cognitive dissonance from hearing him say boxing is some really impressive but scary thing.

And it did sort of break a little of the bit of the way I’d been freaking out at the fact that apparently sometimes Daniel Kitson goes on the internet and hates anyone on there who talks about him. Like. He’s not that intimidating. He’s scared of boxing and he didn’t know who Leonard Cohen was until he was almost thirty. I lie awake at night dreaming of having even a fraction of his ability to do what he does, but he couldn’t do what I do either. I’m way better at beating people up than Daniel Kitson is. I don’t need to be that concerned about him.

It’s completely faulty logic, makes no sense whatsoever. In terms of logic, “I don’t need to feel intimidated by how Daniel Kitson might read Tumblr and hate me, because Daniel Kitson doesn’t know as much as I do about Canadian music or combat sports” is about as rational as the time I was competing at the national championships and we had to fly there, and I’m scared of flying, but another team was also on our plane and that team is coached by this woman who’s won three Olympic medals, and I thought: “It’s fine, [woman’s name] is a famous multi-year Olympic medalist, she’s way too important to die in a plane crash going to as comparatively small a tournament - by her standards - as university nationals, so therefore, this plane won’t go down.” This is a case like that, of: sometimes irrational anxiety can be beaten by irrational explanations.

[dj-fresh2def]

Eminem Curtain Call 2 Album Art Breakdown and Reception

When it comes to the hip-hop and rap genre, not many artists can tout the same amount of influence and popularity that Eminem does. The 49 year old wordsmith has been putting rhymes to prose for the better part of his career now. Now he’s all set to do it once again as he begins hyping up his upcoming album release, Curtain Call 2.

Serving as the much anticipated second part to the original Curtain Call, Eminem’s Curtain Call 2 is set to be a grand compilation of allhis work so far. Crumbs of this are sprinkled throughout the album art for the new record, which was teased earlier by the artist himself to drum up excitement for the new release. 

The prospect of a new Eminem record is always an exciting one. So, let’s get right into tearing the new album art down to find what secrets it hides on djfresh2def.com, your best source for music news, as well as the greatest place to download free mixtapes!

Eminem Curtain Call 2 Album Cover Overview

The original Curtain Call served as a ‘Greatest Hits’ album for Eminem, featuring a lot of his best work from earlier in his career. This would cover his biggest songs from The Marshall Mathers LP,The Slim Shady LP and The Eminem Show in addition to a few outliers. Also on the album were four new songs, made specifically for Curtain Call itself. For Curtain Call 2, we’re expecting something similar.

Eminem’s Curtain Call 2 is sure to feature many of the rapper’s newer hits and singles, which covers a pretty impressive body of work. We’d be surprised if songs like ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Rap God’ didn’t make the cut considering how eponymous they’ve become. We’re also expecting a few deeper cuts on the album, and finally a few new, original songs to round things off.

The album art this time around seems to also hint at this, with many nods towards the artist’s various albums. At face value however, Eminem’s Curtain Call 2 album art is pretty simple. Smack dab in the middle of the record is Eminem himself, doing his popular goat horns sign. Flanking him are bright red curtains, as he’s laid against a dark background and some highlights.

Four number indicators in the shape of pills also appear on the album cover, with random number sequences on them. This works in tandem with the little “1 to 4 can play,” message on the album, with both having only the number 1 lit up. Other than that, we get other bits of imagery referencing Eminem’s career and achievements so far.

Now that we’ve given the general art of Curtain Call 2 a look through, let’s start breaking it down further. There are quite a few hidden references and messages in the album art, some more juvenile than others though. We’ve listed what we’ve found in the next section, so read on to find out more, and also check out our site to download free mixtapes!

Hidden References In The Eminem Curtain Call 2 Album Cover

So first of all, let’s break down the most simple part of the Eminem Curtain Call 2 album art. The random number sequences here don’t point towards anything themselves, but are meant to be read upside down. Flipping the album art reveals that they say “BOOBSS,” “HES ILL,” “HELLISH,” and “ASSHOL,” which fits Eminem’s more juvenile side pretty well. 

The little number 3s in the bottom left and right corner also say “E,” once flipped, which… probably just stands for Eminem. Nothing too special, but it is what it is. This opens things up so we can talk more about the references on the album art however. Also, before that, do check out our site to download free mixtapes and find out more rap related news!

First off, the most blatant reference here is the jet from Kamikaze, making an appearance. Kamikaze was one of Eminem’s more well received albums over the past decade, so it only makes sense he’d pull some songs off of it. The buildings right under Eminem are reference to Eminem’s hometown of Detroit, while the devil horns are often associated with The Marshall Mathers LP2.

Over on the left we have Eminem with a shovel, dressed in his garb from Music To Be Murdered By. ‘Godzilla’ was one of Eminem’s most well received singles, so we’re sure it’s going to be on Curtain Call 2 by default. The ghost flying out opposite of the jet is a reference to his collaboration with Royce da 5’9” Bad Meets Eviland its follow up Hell: The Sequel.

Along with that, we also get references to 2009’s ‘Relapse’, 2010’s ‘Recovery’, 2013’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’, and 2017’s ‘Revival’, all grouped into one package. It’s set to become one of the most impressive collection of hits that any rapper has put out to date, especially if you’re a big fan of Eminem’s recent releases.

Regardless, it’s quite fascinating how many references were fit into this album art, though whether it works cohesively or not is another story completely. The Eminem Curtain Call 2 album art was surprise dropped on the rapper’s Instagram page, along with a release date and the hashtags #Relapse, #Recovery, #MMLP2, #Revival, #Kamikaze, #MTBMB and #MTBMBSIDEB.

Social Media Reaction To The Eminem Curtain Call 2 Album Art

Social media has so far been split on the new album art, with some finding it hilarious and cool, while many others are ripping into its more juvenile elements. The more outspoken section of the internet seems to be bashing it non-stop, with many points of criticism being raised against the album art.

Many of the complaints towards Curtain Call 2’s album art have called it out as being corny and too self referential. This is especially noticeable when contrasted with the first Curtain Call’s more understated and simple approach to album art. Others yet are calling out Eminem, now almost 50, for continuing to be juvenile in his work.

On the more positive end, some fans find the detailed artwork to be fun, and opens the door to speculation on the tracks. For many fans, the juvenile humor is also perfectly fitting for Eminem, who’s never shied away from being silly in even his more serious works. It also works well as the album art for a compilation album, with so many little nods to his career so far.

Of course, Eminem himself seems to be riding the wave of criticism and positive feedback just fine. He’s not at all new to controversy, and he even seems to revel in some of his more contentious decisions here. If anything, it seems more like a calculated move for the artist, one that benefits the fans just as much as him.

As conversation and discussion surrounding the album ramps up, fans still remain unsure as to what the final track list will look like. Some unreleased tracks are set to appear on the album, and fans are also expecting to see his recent collaboration "From The D 2 The LBC" with Snoop Dogg to make an appearance.

Despite all this, even the fans bashing the album art are excited at the prospect of new Eminem music. The rapper’s vast catalog of work is as influential as his presence, and having the best he has to offer in one single album along with some new tracks is always going to be appreciated. We’re looking forward to the release of Eminem’s Curtain Call 2 on the 5th of August, 2022.

Outside of that, keep up to date with the latest in rap music and culture on djfresh2def.com, the best place to download free mixtapes and find out the latest in music news.

#Eminem #curtaincall2 troll #artwork #rap #free music #mp3 download

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Hocus Pocus 2

“Hocus Pocus 2″ is the textbook definition of a shameless cash-grab, but feels a bit more malicious when you consider how it weaponized nostalgia and how effective it was.

Becca is turning 16 during this year’s Halloween. She and her friend, Izzy, are interested in witches and the occult and always have been. They’re given a candle by giftshop owner, Gilbert, as a present for Becca’s birthday. The girls go to the woods to light the candle and realize it’s a black flame candle. It is said that if a virgin is to light a black flame candle, the Sanderson sisters will return.

For those of you who read my review for the first “Hocus Pocus”, you would know that I wasn’t a huge fan. This was partly due to the fact that I didn’t have the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia because I didn’t grow up with that movie. It was also partly because I reviewed it for what it was rather than what it meant to other people. The way I look at films and even review them are a little different now and I do believe I was harsher to the first film than I should’ve been. I see now that the first movie comes with the novelty of rediscovering hidden innuendoes for a lot of adults that grew up with it. In terms of the jokes and subject matter, it wasn’t like any of the other Disney movies at the time. “Hocus Pocus 2″ should’ve focused on what made the original so beloved and expanded upon that, but instead focused on what made the original so beloved and tried to emulate it. A lot of this movie is bending over backward to try and fit as many references to the first film. They’re not even clever with their callbacks. A lot of the time, the jokes were the same jokes that the original was telling. While the original film had an iconic musical number, I wasn’t a huge fan since I thought it just felt too ‘Disney made-for-television’ movie to me. “Hocus Pocus 2″ doubles down on the musical numbers and crams in worse song choices. A lot of the original cast members don’t return for this movie, but that’s probably because a lot of them have quit acting altogether. That’s fine, but a bigger reference to them would’ve been nice to see. What this movie introduces as new is lackluster. Becca and Izzy were really uninteresting. They have an affinity towards the occult, but it’s not really frowned upon in this world. It’s treated like just another hobby akin to knitting or gaming. Their friend, Cassie, is so underutilized that she might as well shouldn’t have been in the movie to begin with. The only purpose of her character was to give some drama to Becca and Izzy, but the reasoning is so laughably bad. It’s clear to me that this movie was made not because they had a great idea for a story, but because the actresses for the Sanderson sisters are getting older and it’s now or never to cash in on the nostalgia of the original. It’s clear to me that this movie had no business existing other than to make money on Disney Plus.

★

Watched on October 13th, 2022

#Hocus Pocus 2 #September #2022 #Horror #Children's #Comedy #Fantasy #PG #Anne Fletcher #October 2022 #1 star

[topknotstrunk]

Review Everything 24 - Evangelion 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon A Time:

It’s the little details I love. Mari signing her song for her own entertainment while she waits to be deployed, the Grip Shoes literally having Grip Shoes printed on them, Mari’s blast impact crosses being pink, little things that make the world feel real and lived in. It’s one of my favorite details about eh original show, too.

Kinda cool getting to see everyone in their plug suits, but I do miss when the boys also had boobie armor.

Seeing other locations besides Middle of the Ocean, the whole earth, and Tokyo 3 was pretty cool. I dislike the red wash that literally everything has but that color is from the 3rd impact and hey, Post-Apocalypse gonna Post-Apocalypse. It’s really cool seeing normal color restored when the red gets wiped out, but the red is difficult to look at while it’s there.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the high-octane Eva battling things that weren't other Eva with the pilots all verbally sparring with each other until Mari’s fight at the beginning of this movie. Watching her pilot her injured Eva like a driver in a Fast and the Furious scene was incredibly fun. I really like Mari a lot, and I’m glad we get some screen time where she’s the feature this time.

At the same time I cannot get over how goofy the Wunder and half the enemy robots are. It really lives up to its name of being a Wunderwaffe with how goofy it is and all the shit its expected to do. Wunder being a battleship plus an arc to hold a backup of all the living material is… weird. Why would you bring your arc into battle where it could be easily destroyed? I guess having it be able to protect itself is smart, but its secondary nature, and the thing we see it spend most of its time doing benign fighting feels like bad strategy. At least they launched them into space for the final battle.

Speaking of big, silly robots I wonder if the row of walking robots in the Paris scene were meant to be an on purpose reference to the Can Can or not. Because if it’s not, that’s pretty funny, and if it is that’s hilarious, and either way it makes the enemy a little difficult to take seriously as a threat

I don’t know if this is actually true or if this is a thing I’ve picked up from Japanese media as a trope and am now projecting onto this movie, but my understanding is that Japanese culture has a much stronger “it takes a village” mentality when it comes to kids than the US has. And overall they seem, from an outsider’s perspective, to value the safety and comfort of everyone as a whole as highly or maybe more so than personal safety and comfort. If that is true it really does shine through in the way everyone is treating Rei in this movie. Sure, she’s a fuckin’ weirdo, but who isn’t these days? What’s more important is to answer her questions, teach her some stuff, and get her up  and working as a valuable member of society who can take care of herself and contribute what she can rather than mock or shun her. One thing benefits your personal emotions in the short term, and the other has the potential to benefit all of Humankind in the long term, with the guarantee of helping the person directly and those around her in the short term. Like one small example of this attitude is when Rei is helping plant rice seedlings and when she trips and falls backward onto all the hard work they’ve just done the ladies helping her learn to plant rice have a chuckle at her fall and then help her fix the issue. She isn’t scolded, she doesn't get in trouble or get punished, because Rei being comfortable and confident in her rice planting skills and everyone getting along is more important. It was cool to see that element of Japanese culture I’ve come to expect be true.

The depth of Shinji’s grief and trauma really hits in this movie. The joke in the fandom is that he’s a screechey little baby but he’s gone through a lot of shit, and this time it really feels real. Like this is how someone in that situation would actually react. It’s difficult to watch, but that’s part of what makes it work so well.

Most of the rest of the animation was either gorgeous to watch or impressive. A lot of the CG heavy scenes were not to my taste but I could recognize the skill that went into making them.

The one thing I was really hoping for from this final Rebuild movie was some forward movement. I want the story to go on, not loop back in on itself and start over again. Just because Shinji spends a lot of his time navel gazing doesn’t mean that the whole franchise should. I wasn’t looking for a good ending, or a bad ending, or even really an ending at all. I just want the story to start to move on, a hint that there is something more for these characters then to be stuck in a perpetual hell of Eva and Angel battles. And that’s pretty much what I got. Of course, I have been burned before, but until something comes out that argues this isn’t the ending of this version of Eva’s reality, I will believe that the ending we’re presented with is the true one.

I like the return, at the end of the movie, to Shinji talking to his Dad. The flashes of still images and sketches were a cool Homage to the original series that didn’t stick around long enough to become too corny. In this show based on inspiration from Christianity it made sense that Shinj’s Father was like Shinji in many ways, that Shinji had to atone for the sins of his Father, that Shinji had to sacrifice himself to rescue everyone. Being as big a Madoka Magica nerd as I am, it felt a little weird to have Shinji have his Madoka moment, but it worked, so that was all right. Seeing parallels in this version of Eva to two of my other all time favorite media, Madoka Magica and The Dark Tower series, that obviously says more about me and my interests then it does anything about Eva, but still. Indomitable Human spirit rising over and over from the ashes, ready to try anew once more, hoping for each result to be just a bit better than the last time. That’s the good shit. And man was getting to see those blue ocean waves at the end of the movie cathartic.

A criticism that has nothing to do with the movie but I want to complain about it anyway: Amazon’s X-Ray feature needs a retool. At 8:11 into the movie X-Ray is crediting Kaworu as being in the movie which, for me, was spoilers. I want the feature to either only ever show actors that are actively on screen [which I believe was the original intention] or for it to have to wait to show actors until AFTER someone says their name in the movie. I have this same complaint with  Closed Captioning. A character should be labeled something like Unknown until the audience actually sees who it is. Don’t tell me the reveal until the audience not using CC would also get it, geeze.

In summary: I think I liked this movie best out of all the Rebuild series. We really needed some time for Shinji and Rei to develop as characters, and Shinji was able to carry that growth forward through the movie. I am sad this is all there is to watch, but happy that I finally sat down and watched the movies, because now I’ve seen all of Eva.

Overall: 8/10

#review everything - anime #review everything - movies #anime #3.0+1.01 thrice upon a time #eva #neon genesis evangelion #evangelion #text #gifs #TK’s content #fandom #spoilers #madoka magica #the dark tower

[the-plot-blog-thing]

(originally published on 11/12/20)

DTVA/DTS TAGTEAM TWEET-ATHON MOVIE #44: PIGLET’S BIG MOVIE(2003) 

Well, at least you tried...

This is what I consider movie #2 in the “Anime Pooh” quadrilogy. The movies are fairly standard in their openings, but slowly grow more melodramatic as they go on, coming to an overly dramatic climax.

Also, there’s a strange focus on Roo, who is the stand-in for the plucky shonen protagonist. He’s not in this one all that much, but he’s still more present here than in other movies in the series.

But regardless, this is definitely a direct sequel to The Tigger Movie, as they reference it several times throughout. It feels like they wanted to do for Piglet what The Tigger Movie did for Tigger.

I feel like they had a good idea for an opening and ending to this movie, but had no idea how to stretch it to 75 minutes, so they just padded the middle of this movie with what are essentially TV episodes. And this one wasn’t even meant to be a show!

The segments are cute enough, though I’m not sure if I would say they get their point across that Piglet is braver than he seems.

The Kanga segment is just uncomfortable, and just serves to show that Rabbit is racist against kangaroos for some reason. And the less said about the bath scene the better.

A lot of the characters besides Piglet all seem really “jerkass” in this movie. It’s not abominable, but it’s reaching it’s apex, especially with Rabbit.

Also, I feel like a movie called “Piglet’s Big Movie” should probably focus on Piglet’s perspective more, instead of how others feel about him while he isn’t actually there.

The ending is just really over-dramatic, though not nearly as pure anime-feeling as The Tigger Movie’s ending.

The animation is really great, actually. I feel like DisneyToon has finally gotten the hang of 2D animation, and know how to make it look really good.

(Oh yeah, DisneyToon is finally here. Jungle Book 2 was the first movie to use the name in the end credits, and this one follows suit)

The music just really takes me out of the movie. It’s all of these pop renditions of songs which I think were from the original book? Regardless, they just sound bad.

It’s not helped by the fact that the end credits just play over one of the music videos for these songs. It’s really quite awkward, and just makes the filmmakers look lazy.

Ehhhhh...this is just sort of boring. It didn’t actively insult my intelligence, but I feel like it would’ve been a lot better if they actually wrote a real movie instead of 3 shorts. 

2.5/10: Why is the poster for this movie just a shot of Piglet’s ass? Who approved that?

#disney #dtva #disneytoon #piglet's big movie #god why did i have so much to say about piglet's big movie #what lockdown does to mf #archive #dizquels44

[randomvarious]

Today’s compilation:

Oldies but Goodies, Vol. 2 1987 Doo Wop /  Pop / R&B / Pop-Rock / Girl Groups / Soul / Rock & Roll

RIP to the Los Angeles radio DJ legend Art Laboe, who passed just ten days ago at the age of 97. Laboe's record label, Original Sound, managed to blaze quite a trail for itself when it came to music commerce, because they were really one of the first labels to capitalize on nostalgia by pioneering the concept of the oldies compilation. While they also released new music, what Original Sound really became known for was taking hits by different acts from years past and repackaging them all into brand new LPs.

And those LPs happened to sell like gangbusters. Volume 1 of Original Sound's first series, Oldies But Goodies (also the name of Laboe's radio show), reached #12 on Billboard's album chart in 1959 and managed to stay on that chart for a total of *183 weeks*. And other volumes charted too. So, when you're digging through dusty record bins or used CD stacks, or scrolling through YouTube or Spotify and you see all these low-budget oldies comp titles, you can thank Art Laboe and his Original Sound label for really nurturing that whole industry into existence.

But Oldies But Goodies appears to have been something of an iterative series. Officially, there's only 15 volumes, but as new music continued to come out, volumes would continue to get re-released with updated track-lists, sometimes replacing the entire set of songs from the original edition of a respective volume. Plus, original editions were released on LP, but with the advent of both the cassette and CD—mediums that allowed for longer runtimes—this meant that not only could Original Sound reissue their whole series on new media, but they could also add somewhat fresher songs to keep things a bit more contemporary. The series had started out as primarily doo wop-centric, but as time wore on and pop, rock, soul, and r&b continued to evolve, so too did the Oldies but Goodies series.

So, here's a box set of five different volumes from the series, released in 1987, one year after the release of the series' fifteenth and final volume. It's an eclectic bunch of hits from a bunch of different genres, spanning the early 50s through early 80s. And while most of these selections were pretty damn big hits in their day, this set also appears to have some local Los Angeles flair to it too, with some hits that didn't perform all that well nationally, like the Frank Zappa-co-penned "Memories of El Monte," a 1963 doo wop metasong of sorts that was made in tribute to the dances that Laboe held at El Monte Legion Stadium, and was led by Cleve Duncan of The Penguins ("Earth Angel"), who makes multiple references to and mimics parts of songs that were played at those famed El Monte dances. Zappa also plays xylophone on it. And it didn't chart nationally at all, but Laboe loved it and it's since become something of a local LA classic.

And then there's also some tracks that were released on Original Sound itself, like the great late 50s instrumental, "Bongo Rock" by Preston Epps, a song that got covered by the Incredible Bongo Band in the 70s, which has since become a hip hop-sample staple. And in case you couldn't tell by the name of the song or the name of the group that famously covered it, the song's got bongos and it rocks 😎.

So anyway, for those keeping score, it looks like this five-CD set of 82 songs is comprised of the 1987 CD reissue of Volume 3, the 1986 CD reissue of Volume 5, the 1986 CD reissue of Volume 11, the 1987 CD reissue of Volume 14, and the 1986 CD reissue of Volume 15.

RIP to a radio DJ king and a guy who changed the game when it came to selling music. I've got a couple more Laboe comps in the near offing, so stay tuned for those as I continue to explore his legacy ✌.

Highlights:

CD1:

The Monkees - "I'm a Believer" Lesley Gore - "It's My Party" The Turtles - "She'd Rather Be With Me" The Beach Boys - "Surfin' Safari" Frankie Ford - "Sea Cruise" The Del Vikings - "Come Go With Me" Betty Everett - "Shoop Shoop Song" Preston Epps - "Bongo Rock" Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns - "Don't You Just Know It" The Shields - "You Cheated" The Platters - "My Prayer" The Penguins - "Memories of El Monte"

CD2:

The Skyliners - "Since I Don't Have You" Bob & Earl - "Harlem Shuffle" Jean Knight - "Mr. Big Stuff" Dion - "The Wanderer" The Shirelles - "Mama Said" Johnnie Taylor - "Who's Makin' Love" Bobby Lewis - "Tossin' and Turnin'" Bobby Day - "Rockin' Robin" The Dominoes - "Sixty Minute Man"

CD3:

The Diamonds - "Little Darlin'" The Kingsmen - "Louie Louie" The Soul Survivors - "Expressway to Your Heart" The Angels - "My Boyfriend's Back" The Righteous Brothers - "Soul and Inspiration" The Dixie-Cups - "Chapel of Love" William DeVaughn - "Be Thankful for What You Got" Bobby Hebb - "Sunny" Betty Everett - "You're No Good"

CD4:

Bill Haley - "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" Martha & the Vandellas - "Dancing in the Street" The McCoys - "Hang on Sloopy" The Chiffons - "He's So Fine" Lou Christie - "Lightning Strikes" The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" Alicia Bridges - "I Love the Night Life" The Dramatics - "What You See Is What You Get" Dionne Warwick - "Don't Make Me Over" The Crests - "16 Candles" The Platters - "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" Jackie DeShannon - "What the World Needs Now"

CD5:

Joe Hinton - "Funny How Time Slips Away" Barbara Lewis - "Hello Stranger" Al Wilson - "Show and Tell" Tierra - "Together" Gladys Knight & the Pips - "The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" Dionne Warwick - "Walk on By" The Turtles - "Happy Together" Roy Head - "Treat Her Right" The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack" Shocking Blue - "Venus" George Baker Selection - "Little Green Bag" Bill Deal & the Rhondels - "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)" War - "Low Rider"

#doo wop #pop #r&b #r & b #pop rock #rock #girl groups #soul #soul music #rock & roll #rock and roll #classic pop #classic rock #oldies #music #50s #50s music #50's #50's music #60s #60s music #60's #60's music #70s #70s music #70's #70's music #80s #80s music #80's

[odysseywritings]

What’s the story behind your MC(s)’ name? tagged by @druidx thank you so much!

I think I answered this before about a year ago but I don’t mind refreshing

Haven came up one day out of the blue while walking down a nature path. I wasn’t liking his original name because it felt too alien and it made people think he was one instead of being raised by them. It must’ve felt safe because the word haven just popped up and it just clicked, with the added haven-wolf being next to it because it sounded very fantasy along with rolling off the tongue. I wanted to go with something more Slavic but it’s a pretty unorthodox name itself, and I made sure his last name fit the bill more closely.

Lomana had more of an evolution. I finally settled on it when I combined her original name (which was fully Native American and it didn’t feel right taking a real name from a less populated culture into a more fantastic world) with a new one. Loma, depending on the origin, can have Spanish, Sanskrit, and Hopi. Mana similarly has Japanese and Polynesian roots. It seemed fitting to make her be the offspring of a mixed marriage because of the etymologies.

//

For the band, it was much simpler because more names meant less time to dawdle

Vic for victory which felt apt for a rock singer even if it’s really subverted by his private life boobery.

DD Sinner was a mix of Judas Priest’s KK Downing with his song Sinner and it had a really cool ring to it.

Roxy was based on Roxy Petrucci of the band Vixen along with having a “rock” sound in the name that fits her wild lifestyle

Grave just sounded cool lol

Rob Crimson had another JP reference with its singer Rob Halford and Crimson coming from heavy prog rock band King Crimson.

Tagging @ayzrules @howdywrites @bloodlessheirbyjacques @perringwrites @avrablake @writtenbyrain