#Brian sure does know how to pull on the heartstrings

[not-the-coffee-machine4]

My god, something about the raw vulnerability Brian’s voice has will never fail to end me

[fangirl-writes]

Enough

Young!Roger Taylor x Reader

Queen is my latest obsession

Warning(s): Domestic fight, violence (Roger punches a wall), swearing. Angst. I used a gay slur in there once (f*ggot). It’s not an important part of the story, but a warning anyhow because I know some people aren’t comfortable with the word.

Notes: Angsty stuff here people. I hope I pulled on those heartstrings, but I added a happy ending so all’s well. Also I have no idea how record players work but I wish I did. Also I don’t think cheating is ever okay, but we all know Roger did it and I wanted to try something a little eloquent and angsty.

Summary: You and Roger get into a fight because you want to know why you aren't enough.

Roger threw his keys onto the table. “You’re being ridiculous, Y/N!”

“I am not! Roger why won’t you just give me an answer!”

“Because I shouldn’t have to! We’ve had this conversation before I don’t know why you’re getting so upset about this!”

“And I don’t know why you won’t just answer me!”

“I’ve already told you-”

“You haven’t told me anything!”

“I’ve told you enough!”

“Which isn’t anything!”

“Why the hell does this matter so fucking much to you!”

“Because I want to know, Roger!”

“It shouldn’t matter!”

“But it does matter!”

“Just to you!”

“Yeah because you won’t fucking tell me anything!”

Roger turned with an angry shout, flinging his fist into the wall behind him. The sound as the drywall cracked made you scream and Roger turned to you, hand still curled into a now bloody fist, the action not lessening his anger.

The silence that filled the air was suffocating as you stood there staring in horror at the look on his face, the blood coating his knuckles, and the gaping hole that was now in the wall behind him.

Roger walked passed you towards the door and gave it an angry slam on his way out.

You broke down, dropping to the floor and sobbing. You were still angry, still hurt, and still scared.

After about an hour had passed you finally got the strength to get off the floor and make your way to the phone.

You dialed the number that you knew by heart and waited as it rang in the otherwise quiet house.

“Hello?”

“Brian?”

“Y/N?” He said, hearing the heartbreak in your voice. “What’s wrong? Has something happened? Did Roger-”

“We had a fight. He walked out and hasn’t been back for a while and I’m starting to worry about him.”

“You’ve had a fight and you’re worried about him?”

You sniffed, wiping at your wet cheeks.

“God, Y/N, he doesn’t deserve you.”

“Would- would you just find him? I-I don’t think he wants to see me but he punched the wall before he left and his hand was all bloody-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, love. It’s not your fault he blew a gasket, okay?”

You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you, and felt even more tears falling down your cheeks.

“Y/N?”

You hummed in response, your throat tight.

“We’ll bring him home.”

That was the last thing he said before hanging up and you choked out another sob, letting the phone drop from your hand and swing from the cord as you found yourself on the floor again, back against the wall as you sobbed into your knees.

Thinking back on it now, it had been your fault the fight had happened.

It had been about Roger’s endless groupies you knew he fucked every time he was on tour.

You’d talked about it back when you first started dating and you’d told him you were okay with it. You’d talked about it with your friends and family who’d been concerned about it and you’d told them you were fine with it. The other Queen members had asked you about it, offering to watch him for you while on tour, but you’d told them it didn’t bother you.

Hell, eventually you’d convinced yourself you were fine with it.

It was fine. I’m fine. What he does when I’m not around is fine because at the end of the day he always comes home to me. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.

Then why. Why. Why did it take that stupid tabloid article to finally make you realize that you weren’t.

You don’t even know what compelled you to pick up the magazine. Usually you avoided picking up anything that even remotely mentioned the boys because you knew most of it would be slander. Calling Freddie a faggot or Roger a slut or John an absent husband. You hated those articles.

So then why? You asked yourself again. Why did you pick up that stupid tabloid?

Maybe it was because it was one of the few that mentioned you on the cover? Maybe it was because you were bored and wanted something to flip through? You didn’t remember and it didn’t matter now because the moment your eyes landed on that article it was over. And, at the moment, it felt like your stupidest decision.

Roger Taylor, Queen’s Sex Machine, Back At It Again.

After deciding his current girlfriend, Y/N L/N, wasn’t enough for the famous rock star, Roger Taylor was seen acting more than friendly with various groupies during his last tour. Our sources were not able to find a reaction from Y/N, making us suspect that she either doesn’t know about his sexual escapades, ignores them, or doesn’t care. How long will their relationship last if Y/N can’t fulfill Roger’s sexual needs? And how long will it take Roger to come to the conclusion he’s had enough of her?

Enough.

That was the word that kept playing back for you in your head. ‘Deciding his current girlfriend wasn’t enough’, ‘come to the conclusion he’s had enough.’

Why weren’t you enough?

You didn’t know how long you sat there, no tears left to cry and a whole in your heart. You felt numb. Whatever anger or sadness you’d been holding onto before was gone and replaced with an ache in your chest that wouldn’t go away.

It took a knock at the door to finally let all the emotions come flooding back to you.

Was that Brian? What if he didn’t find Roger? What if he did? Were you ready to face him again? Would he still be mad? Of course he’d still be mad. What would you say? Would you apologize? No, you don’t have anything to apologize for. Then what? If he was still mad, he certainly wasn’t going to apologize, that much you knew. What if he did apologize? ‘I’m sorry I caused you the worry, I’ll change how I live my life because you want me to’? No, that’s not what you wanted, you didn’t want him to change because of your outburst. What if he broke up with you? What if he kicked you out? You didn’t think you could stand going back to your family or friends and their pitying looks and ‘I told you so’s. ‘That’s what you get for dating a rock star’ they’d say. He finally decided you weren’t enough. Enough. Enough. Enough.

The knocking came again, this time harder and more persistent.

You rose from your spot on the floor and made your way to the door, every scenario going through your head as the knocking repeated.

“Y/N, darling, if you don’t open this door right now I’m going to break it down.”

You couldn’t help the small smile that made it’s way to your lips as you turned the knob and opened the door.

“I’d like to see you try, Freddie,”

Freddie Mercury stood on the other side of the door, a sad smile making its way to his lips.

“Brian told me what happened.”

The smile you tried to keep on fell at his words and soon you were in tears again, wrapped in Freddie’s arms.

“Oh, darling, oh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” He soothed, stroking your hair as you cried into his shoulder. “I saw that stupid article. I thought something like this might happen.”

You weren’t sure whether his words made you feel better or worse.

He brought you into the living room and sat you down on the couch, wrapping you in a blanket before leaving your side to approach the record player sitting on a shelf near by.

You and Roger spent many hours listening to Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles, sometimes even Led Zeppelin if you could talk him into it. He even danced with you to ‘Since I've Been Loving You’ on your anniversary.

You smiled as he flipped through the albums before deciding on one of their own: A Night At The Opera. The one that, arguably, put them on the map.

You closed your eyes as ‘Death on Two Legs’ started playing softly. It wasn’t their most relaxing song, but their music had a way of calming you down. Freddie knew this after seeing you in the studio with them multiple times, absolutely relaxed in the creative environment.

He occupied the seat next to you again, pulling you to his chest as an offer to snuggle into him.

You accepted the offer and smiled softly as you listened to the angry and bitter song. You remembered them telling you it was based on their nasty former manager, Norman Sheffield.

“His loss,” You’d told them back then. “He’ll be forever known as the man who lost Queen.”

“That’s exactly what I said!” Freddie had exclaimed. “It was like a movie scene! You should’ve been there, Y/N. It was a perfect exit.”

“Yeah and then we threw a brick through his window.” Roger added with a smug grin.

“Not our brightest idea.” Brian said.

“Never said any of you were the smartest lot.”

They’d shoved you around for that comment with laughter and good natured retorts.

The memory made you smile, the bad thoughts from before being driven away from your head as you remembered and snuggled against your favorite piano player as his voice drifted through the air.

You wondered if the song would’ve made you angrier if you didn’t know what it was really about and didn’t have the memory attached to it. You supposed it would have but you could only giggle at the lyrics now. It was bitter and mean, as Freddie once called it, but it was a great song.

‘Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon’ came next and you released a breath at the softer tone. The song reminding you of Alice in Wonderland and Singing in the Rain, films that you had watched as a kid. It was a short song, but it did wonders for your mood with its playful and happy tune.

It wasn’t until ‘I’m In Love With My Car’ came on that you realized he’d put the record on the B-Side.

You sat up from Freddie, a frown on your face, mood brought down again. 

“Change it.” You commanded.

“Sorry, dear, too comfortable here.” He replied, a smirk on his face.

You bit your lip, near to tears again, as Roger’s song played along in the background. The song he’d fought himself into a cupboard for and that you relentlessly teased him about.

“Freddie, please, I-I don’t-”

A knock interrupted your sentence and Freddie practically launched himself over the couch to get it.

The limber bastard.

You followed him reluctantly, knowing who would be on the other side of that door. The man singing a song about his car.

Freddie pulled open the door to John Deacon who was stood with a frown on his face that disappeared into concern as he noticed you enter the room.

He moved to hug you, which you happily accepted. Hugging Freddie and Deacy was a comforting feeling that you desperately needed.

“Why’s this song playing?” He wondered aloud, more confused than anything.

The comment made you laugh.

“Y/N.”

You pulled away from John to face Brian who was giving you a similar look. It wasn’t pity, but rather a sort of concern. It warmed your heart to think that they cared for you so much.

Were you enough in their eyes?

“We found him walking. Had to take him to the hospital for his hand, but-”

“Is he still angry?”

“No.” Brian said, catching you by surprise. “I don’t think he’s been angry for a while.”

Your eyes swelled with tears as Brian motioned for Roger to come inside.

If you were in a better mood, you would have laughed. Roger Taylor waiting for permission to go inside his own home.

He walked passed Brian, avoiding everyone’s eyes and staring at his shoes.

The song changed to ‘You’re My Best Friend’ but nobody paid any attention to the music.

Freddie had an annoyed expression on his face and opened his mouth to say something until Deacy put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Silently telling him it wasn’t appropriate and that they’d lectured him enough for one night.

“Happy at Home” the song chimed, normally earning a snarky comment from Roger, but it seemed he wasn’t listening or at least not caring about the line for once.

“Come on, boys, I think we better leave these two alone.” Brian spoke up after a minute of silence. “Fred, I’ll take you home.”

Freddie seemed reluctant to leave. Whether that was because he was concerned or because he wanted to witness the drama of it all was unknown, but he followed the other two band members out the door.

You stood in silence for another minute as the song in the background faded into 39. A song you loved.

It seemed to be the kick Roger needed to finally look up at you with his gorgeous blue eyes.

“Hi,” He said.

“Hi...” You replied.

“I’m sor-”

“No.” You shook your head. “No, Roger, please don’t apologize, I don’t want an apology for something I started. No, Rog, all I want is an answer.”

“An answer for what?”

You blinked back tears as you asked the dreaded question again. “Why aren’t I enough?”

Enough. Enough. Enough.

Roger’s eyes swelled up with his own tears and he shook his head with a small laugh.

“Ridiculous, really. You’ve always been enough, Y/N. Always.”

“Then why?” You said, tears streaming freely down your cheeks again. You felt like you’d cried an ocean. “Why sleep with all those groupies on tour? Am I not pleasing you enough? Is that it?”

“No!” Roger exclaimed. “God no, it’s perfect! You’re perfect.”

“Then why?” you asked again, voice raising before dropping to a murmur as you hung your head. “Why?”

Roger took your face in his hands. “Please, don’t cry, love.”

You shook your head, palms digging into your eyes to try to get rid of the tears.

He hugged you to his chest and you felt your heart ache once again because, as mad as you were at him, you longed for his comfort.

“I think I do it because- fuck it, I know I do it because I’m afraid.” He said.

You sniffed. Afraid? Afraid of what?

“I’m afraid that one day you’ll you realize what a twat I am and I’ll come home and you won’t be there. I do it because I’m afraid of getting attached to you, even though I know I already have, because what if you leave me one day? What if you decide that I’m not enough for you?”

You looked up at him. “You're afraid of that?”

Roger feigned laughter, not meeting your gaze. “Yeah, the bloody rock star has feelings. Ha ha.”

“No.” You pull his gaze to you again, feeling about a thousand emotions at once. “Roger, I’ve spent the entire day wondering why I wasn’t enough for you and you’re here telling me that you did all this shit because you think you’re not enough for me? Me?”

You took a deep breath, trying not to cry again.

“I love you, Roger Taylor. And you will always be more than enough for me. No matter how many groupies you sleep with or how many times you hurt me or whatever the fuck those fucking magazines say about you because I love you more than I hate you and sometimes I really fucking hate you.”

Roger smiled sadly at you. “I love you more, Y/N L/N, and I don’t deserve you, not at all. You have always been enough for me and I promise that I will try harder to show you that instead of being the dickhead that keeps breaking your heart.”

You sniffed, burying your face in his chest again.

“Always.” He whispered into the top of your head. “You are always gonna be enough for me.”

“Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand. In the land that our grandchildren knew.”

You snuggled into Roger’s chest as ‘39 came to a close, his hand squeezing yours in a sort of reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere again.

“All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand. For my life. Still ahead. Pity me.”

“I love you,”

It was a whisper, barely above his breath but you heard it and you savored the sound of his confession in the sudden silence.

Roger pulled away from you, much to your displeasure and confusion and walked into the living room, making a beeline for the record player. You followed him, hoping not to look too much like a lost puppy.

He flipped the record and adjusted the needle.

He held out his hand as ‘Love of My Life’ started playing.

You’d have cried if you had any tears left.

You took it and he pulled you into a sloppy sort of waltz that made you laugh. The boy could sing, but when it came to dancing he was no John Deacon. You leaned your head on his chest, taking in his scent (cigarette smoke, scotch, and the smell of his lingering cologne).

“I really am sorry. For everything. I’m a terrible boyfriend.”

“I know. And I’m not going to forgive you, not for a while, maybe not ever, but we can move past it. Just hold me, yeah?”

And he did. He held you for as long as he could.

[nat-roman0ff]

all i want for christmas is us

all i want for christmas is us

an entry for @saintlymendes​ secret santa

for: nicole (@tell-me-when-ur-ready​)

-

words: 2,092 warnings: some swearing, angst, and cavity inducing fluff (it is christmas after all)

-

 Shawn looks down again at his phone, scrolling through the photos. Happy. Warm. Holiday season. Ice skating at his favorite park, kissing under the mistletoe, and posing in the matching pajamas his mum had bought for the entire family. A smile creeps up on his face and then disappears just when he starts to feel its warmth. 

 Last Christmas. 

 Last Christmas the photos were taken. Last Christmas they were happy. Last Christmas she had said yes to marrying him. 

 Now the photos just served as painful reminders of his current reality. Sitting alone in his half empty condo. He couldn’t bare to replace the things she took, just in case she decided to come back.

Odds and ends mostly; an end table she purchased at an antique store and lugged eight blocks back home on a hot August weekend, an ottoman where the two would sit on the floor across from each other and play cards all night over a bottle of her favorite red wine, an entirely empty wall that used to make up her vinyl collection. The half empty condo matched his half empty heart.

 Shawn locks and drops his phone to his chest with a thud, opting for the sting of its weight on his sternum over the stinging of his broken heartstrings. He still hadn’t cleaned up the red wine stain from the carpet when she spilled it last Christmas. Getting rid of that was the last bit of her still around and, well, he needed to still hold onto something. 

 Karen’s rung three times at this point. She knew it was going to be a hard day for him, insisted he spend the night Christmas Eve but Shawn declined and instead drank himself stupid until three in the morning and passed out on the living room floor next to her red wine stain.

 He thought about calling her, wishing her a Happy Christmas, or anything just to hear her voice. It hadn’t been a messy breakup, at least at first. She said it was too much too soon and the constant pressure from the outside world was starting to seep through their happy little bubble. 

 Time. It was always time that she needed. But after she returned the ring, the weeks faded into months and when he saw that first picture come up on his timeline he knew that their time had run out. 

 It was innocent enough; someone he knew through mutual friends but could never remember his name. Smiling, with her lips pressed against his cheek. 

 She was with someone else. 

 He blacked out that night, somewhere in the middle of a world tour in a foreign city and woke up the next morning by Brian dumping a glass of water on his head. He cried for a day and a half straight and then again when he had to tell his mum. 

 Time.

 Everyone said it was all he’d need to get over her; the love of his life. He’d known it from a very young age, before the fame, before they’d ever exchanged a wayward glance at each other. He knew she was going to be the one for him, for the rest of his life. 

 Until she wasn’t.

 Write about it. Was his first thought. Write until your fingers bleed and there’s nothing left in your head. Write out every memory, every feeling, every ounce of pain that courses through your God forsaken veins and then you’ll be rid of her. But Shawn couldn’t write. He couldn’t put down a single fucking word in the six months since she left. He just couldn’t describe it; there was no way to put into words how he was feeling, nothing that did it justice, nothing that captured the pathetic sadness that lingered in his bones about her.

 -

 It’s half past two when Karen finally got ahold of him. He’d lost track looking at photos, letting his memories replay on the walls of his condo over and over again. He watches the two of them dance in the kitchen at midnight and make love on the living room floor in the morning, wrapped up in each other’s arms. If he was miserable at home on Christmas, he was going to be even worse at his parent’s house. 

 Everything was the same as it was last year when Shawn finally walks through the front door of his parent’s home, right down to the smells. Except she’s not there. There’s a small box in the spot where the ring box sat last year on the tree and Shawn tries to blink away the onset of tears that threaten to come through. He wonders which cousin is getting engaged this year.

 Asshole stole my idea.

 “Everything alright, darling?” Karen asks in only that mum way. She knows it’s not. It hasn’t been for a while. 

 Shawn nods his head, “yeah, fine. Just...you know. I knew today would be hard.” 

 Karen smiles, “I know, honey. But they day’s not over yet,” she says with a wink.

 Something in Shawn’s heart flutters.

 “C’mon,” she starts, “let’s go open presents.” 

 -

 An hour and two bags full of wrapping paper later the Mendes’ family is nearly finished unwrapping gifts. Shawn’s eyes glance over to the box sitting snugly on the tree branch. No one has reached for it yet, and as things are winding down he can’t help but stare at it, wanting to know the contents. It’s slightly larger than a ring box, but not enough to put anything substantial in it. 

 “There’s one more for you,” Manny points to the tree. 

 Shawn looks at the box and back to his father and he nods. Standing, he goes to the tree and opens the box with shaky hands. There’s a folded up piece of paper inside and he immediately recognizes her handwriting and that stupid gold pen he always hated. It smeared the edges of her letters, he never thought it would end up being something he missed. Shawn can feel the heat of his family watching him as he reads;

 Shawn,

 It’s been too long since we last spoke and I suppose I owe you a lot. See, time is a funny thing. It feels the most fleeting when you have none of it left and the most crippling when you’re looking down the barrel of forever. I needed time on my own, I needed time with other people. I needed to know that what we had was what my forever was meant to look like and to do that I needed to find out a little more about myself. So, as it turns out I actually DO like cucumbers, riding motorcycles, and being alone. But I still hate tomatoes, unicorns (don’t ask) and being away from you. I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve caused you. I know there’s never going to be a way I can take that away or make it up to you, but I want you to know just how sorry I am.

 Meet me tonight at 6 where we had our first date (yes, the first-first one, not the second-first one, you’ll know what I’m talking about).

 Love, Nicole

 His ears are ringing when he looks up - eyes immediately checking the clock on the wall behind him: 5:55. 

 “Fuck - I gotta go!” 

 Shawn runs to grab his shoes and jacket. It’s faster if he runs, he thinks. It’s not far and his car is packed in with his relatives in the driveway and it would take ten minutes just for everyone to move out of the way. He sets off as the snow starts to pick up, slipping and sliding against the sidewalk pavement, breath coming out in foggy puffs. 

 He runs to the park by the high school. It’s not far, and he thinks he can make it in time. His cheeks are frozen, and snowflakes keep getting stuck in his lashes but Shawn just runs to her. When he rounds the corner to cross he sees her there, sitting on that same old dingy swing set that has somehow (despite looked rotted for at least the last twenty years) has never broken. She’s bundled up in her winter coat, looking down at her boots absentmindedly drawing pictures in the snow with the tip of her shoe. 

 The park had been their halfway point when they were kids; perfectly in the middle of each house when they didn’t want to worry about being around parents. It had been here that they had their first date in sixth grade; a picnic of PB&J’s that ended in an unforecasted rainstorm. She didn’t mind, and they splashed and danced in the puddles and went home a dirty sopping mess and he was sure that was the exact moment he fell in love with her. Even though he wasn’t sure what that meant yet. As all things do when you’re twelve, the relationship ended just as quick as it started and it wasn’t until six years later that things actually became serious.

 But that’s another story for another day.

 He’s not sure what to say when he approaches her. His chest is frozen from heaving in the frigid air and she just looks up from the swing and stares. He’s not sure it was possible for her to get more beautiful, but she somehow managed to. Her cheeks were pinked like his, her hair sprinkled with tiny snowflakes. 

 “I know how much we both love grand romantic gestures,” she laughs.

 Fuck, he never thought he’d hear that laugh again and it literally warms his chest to. 

 “Nicole I -” 

 “Shawn I’m sorry,” she starts, “I have no way to ever make up what I did to you. I just...I got really fucking scared. You’re the only person I’ve ever been with and that terrified me. I didn’t know what it was like to be young and single or do something by myself. So I had to be alone -” 

 “What about that guy? The one you posted a picture with?” Shawn says.

 Nicole slaps her forehead with her palm, “Shawn, Joe is my friend.” 

 He sucks in a breath of air, “oh.” 

 “There was never anyone else,” she pats the empty swing next to her, “there’s never going to be anyone else.”

 Shawn sits beside her, it feels good to be this close again; to see all the little things about her up close that made her, her. All the little things he failed to appreciate before she had gone. 

 “So what does this mean now?” He asks. 

 Nicole reaches for his frozen hand and holds it in her gloved one, “I hope it means you still have that ring -” 

 Before she can finish Shawn pulls the chain of her swing towards him to bring her closer, and kisses her. Her lips are cold and chapped but so are his and there’s a brilliant warmth of familiarity that his bones recognize and he melts into her, wrapping an arm around her middle and holding on like his life depends on it. 

 (It does)

 “So how did you even pull this off? Shawn asks when he pulls away. 

 Nicole smiles, “Karen helped me.” 

 He snorts, “I knew it.”

 The park is so silent Shawn swears he can hear the snowflakes hit the ground, trapped in their own personal snow globe. They sit quiet for a moment, and Shawn is still trying to process what just happened. He can feel her still lingering on his lips; the same sickly sweet lip gloss she always wore. 

 “Do you want to go home?” He asks, looking at her through snow flake lined lashes. 

 Nicole nods, “I’d really love that.” 

 Shawn threads his fingers through hers and they walk hand in hand back to the Mendes household. He feels the gold circular piece of metal against his chest. He’s worn it there for so long he’s forgotten he has it. 

 He stops them in the middle of the sidewalk and bends down onto one knee onto the snow, reaching under his shirt and jacket to snap the engagement ring off the chain he wore around his neck. 

 “Will you marry me...again?” 

 Nicole nods frantically, “yes! Now get up before your jeans get wet.”

 Shawn stands and pulls her into a kiss, threading his fingers through her hair until the both of them are out of breath. 

 “Hey Shawn,” she starts, lips still ghosting against his, “Merry Christmas.” 

 He smiles so hard it hurts his cheeks, “Merry Christmas, my love.”

[princecharmingmendes]

Heartstrings | Chapter VIII | Shawn Mendes

“ ‘It’s like a best friend, but more. It’s the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It’s someone who makes you a better person, well, actually they don’t make you a better person… you do that yourself because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever. It’s the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens..you’ll always love them.’ - unknown”

“Shawn was a huge believer that the ‘soulmates’ situation’ was the most stupid thing on the planet, specially since it was such a rare thing to find someone with the same mark as you. He would do anything he could to prevent the so called 'destiny’ from happening, but could he?”

hi, here i am with another chapter and i hope you like it, and please give me some feedback. 

                                                    *masterpost*

*Word Count: 3.5K+.

*Warnings: cursing and I guess that's it!

*Posted: April 30th, 2020.

                                                   -*-

The whole unofficial detention thing with Shawn wasn’t that bad as I thought it was going to be. Okay, maybe the first two days were pretty awkward, but as the week moved forward we actually were able to talk normally and even have some fun in the middle of a bunch of books. I was starting to feel as if things were slowly going back to normal and I was actually pretty pleased by that. It’s not like the old times where we’re inseparable, but it was something, and I actually missed that a lot and it felt good to have, at least some part of it back. He still had his whole bad boy exterior and was the same heartbreaker, but he always played the cold hearted person anyway, so this was his ‘normal’ to people who didn’t know him for real. Which was not my case. I still had his jacket on my room, waiting for the day he would come upstairs or remind me to give it back to him.

The library thing was over and I was afraid things with him would change since we weren’t forced to be on the same room every night for at least two hours. Even though I was pissed for having to do that, it was still nice to spend some time with him. Mel was so sure things were normal again and that we’re going to get married or something, and people say I’m the hopeless romantic. But I won’t lie that when I unlocked my phone on my way to my class in the morning and saw a text from him saying that he wanted to talk to me after my last class today, my body didn’t tingle. Oh well, he’s going to make me go mad someday.

Today was being a pretty boring day and classes were actually not even catching my attention. I just felt a little bit lightheaded, and when Tyler sat beside me on my last class it was a bit harder to concentrate. To be honest, who said economics was important? Well, maybe a few people, but right now, I couldn’t care less. It got worse when I felt his eyes burning holes on my face, making me fake interest on the teacher even more, writing down random stuff on my notebook. But I simply couldn’t pretend I didn’t felt his fingers brushing my forearm lightly, so I just sighed softly, turning my head on his direction to see if it was a mistake or something like that. But Tyler actually grinned at me and whisper a quick ‘need to talk to you later’ to which I just nodded and got back to look at the teacher.

If I couldn’t concentrate before, now I was a lost case.

I had already pictured at least a thousand different reasons to why he would want to talk to me. Did I do something stupid? Does he need help with this subject? Does he want Mel’s number? Well, I hope not, that would crush my heart and she was pretty serious with Mike since the party. Okay, maybe Shawn was right when he said I get sort of attached. As the possible scenarios played on my head, nothing prepared me to the class being dismissed and everybody leaving. So I got up and started to get my things ready to go meet Shawn outside the building. I was so engrossed with the possibilities of what Tyler would want with me that I almost forgot that for me to find out, I was supposed to stay and talk to him. I just noticed that when I was almost out of the building and I felt someone holding my arm, which made me turn almost instantaneously and met his confused frown.

“Oh, hi, Tyler, I’m sorry, forgot you wanted to ask me something”

“Oh, it’s okay, you’re not busy or late for something, right?” he asked with a breathtaking smile playing on his lips.

I turned around to see if Shawn’s jeep was parked outside or if he was there already, but I didn’t see anything, so I just turned back to Tyler.

“No, not really, just waiting for a friend”

“Oh, great... so I just wanted to ask you, actually I was meant to ask this earlier this week but... well, we don’t have many classes i common so...”

“Ask me what?”

“I saw you leaving the library late this week a few times”

“Oh, yeah, some sort of punishment or whatever”

“In college?”

“Yeah, I guess”

“Damn, you and Shawn must have done something really bad to end up in detention”

“Me and...? Oh... no! We didn’t do anything wrong together, he was already doing that when I was told to do the same, for totally different reasons”

“Ooh, that makes more sense, even though I never pictured you to be the one to get in trouble, Y/N” he said with a light chuckle and I just shrugged.

“I guess you’ll never know, right?”

“Yeah, like you and Shawn, everyone’s wondering what’s happening”

“Me and Shawn?!”

“Well, everyone knows you two know each other for very long and stuff, but you two seemed pretty cozy at Brian’s party and the library dates or whatever”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I saw him dropping you off at your dorm room a few times recently, you went upstairs with him and you were wearing his jacket... not to seem weird, I haven’t been following you, it’s just I have a friend that lives on your dorm and I happened to see you two a few times”

“Oh...”

“So... Is there something serious going on or you two just... I don’t know, friends, I guess...?” he asked and mumbled a low “if he’s even able to do that”

“Shawn have always been an amazing friend and we’re...”

“Hey, honey” the guy we’re just taking about said from behind me, making me turn around to face him and I felt my face heating up “oh, hey, dude”

“Shawn” Tyler said nodding his head to him as Shawn grabbed my backpack from me and swung it over his shoulder.

“Hi” I said quietly, watching them both closely and I swear I was completely lost.

Shawn smiles softly at me and I did the same in return.

“Hi, you ready to go? Oh... I didn’t interrupt anything, right?”

“Actually...”

“No, hm, yeah, we can go” I said cutting Tyler off and I could feel his gaze on me.

“Great, let’s go, honey, nice to see ya, dude” Shawn said with a cocky grin on his lips as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and started walking me to his car.

“Bye, Tyler” I said turning my face to wave at him as he did the same with a frown on his face.

“So, I need to ask you...”

“Hey, not cool, Shawn” I said hugging my books tighter to my chest as soon as we were far enough from the building so Tyler couldn’t hear us.

“What?” he feigned a innocence that didn’t match his personality and his boyish grin.

“You know what I’m talking about, that little show over there, I know you don’t like the dude, but I do and I was actually talking to him”

“First, it was about me, so I deserved to know and second, he’s just trying to get in your pants”

“Maybe I want him to” I murmured crossing my arms as I sat on the passenger seat on his car and he just looked at me crossing his arms before he closed the door that he sweetly opened for me.

“Y/N, we both know that’s not the wisest idea when it comes to a guy like him”

“You’re not my father to tell me what to do”

“I know that-“ he said closing his door and entering on his side “-but that doesn’t mean I don’t know you and that I can’t give you advice”

“Fair enough... and hey... did you listen to it?”

“A bit, yeah, the last part, I was actually looking for you when I heard my name”

“Well, isn’t it crazy? He thinks we’re together! I need to tell him we’re not!”

“Why? I think that’s brilliant”

“Are you insane?! I kind of want to kiss the dude, him thinking I’m with you doesn’t help me!”

“Actually, it does, and you should thank me for stopping you from saying we’re not” he said starting the engine and pulling off.

“You lost your last brain cel?”

“Hey, not cool”

“How does that help me?”

“Well, he actually has been paying more attention to you to find out if we’re together, second of all, he actually came to talk to you about something non school related and he might want to prove to you that he’s better than me”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“That’s Tyler, the guy hates me”

“Why?”

“I’m just better than him”

“Shawn...”

“I’m not saying this to be cocky or whatever, it’s the truth, but please tell me all I said didn’t make any sense”

“Well, I guess I lost my last brain cel”

“Why?”

“Cause you might be right” I said and he laughed.

“I’m hurt but at the same time a bit happy... is that possible?”

“I guess, if you didn’t have an ego the size of this car it wouldn’t have hurt you so...”

“Fuck you” he said and I giggled, making him smile.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“To help on a project”

“Oh no... which one?”

“Mr. Blanchet’s class”

“No way, I already did mine and it sucked”

“I know, but if you don’t help me I’ll fail”

“Have you tried studying before?”

“I can’t get what the man says!”

“Try harder!”

“Please, Y/N, pretty please, I could play your fake boyfriend in return, just help me out, I would even do all your work for the class you just left, please, baby?” he practically begged and I took a deep breath.

“I really don’t want to...”

“But you will?”

“Can we discuss what I would get in return a bit better and in more detail?”

“Yes! We can go back to my place and I will even order sushi for you, the guys aren’t there anyway”

“You’ll pay?”

“Of course” he said with pleading eyes.

God, he has to be desperate.

“Okay”

“Oh my God, thank you so much”

“I didn’t agree to it yet”

“But you agreed to listen, which is a start”

“You’re right”

“Thank you” he said grabbing my hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.

It was weird, but it felt good and I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up when he was clearly happy that I would be helping him.

                                                  -*-

“So... What exactly I’m gonna have in return for helping you with that damn project?” I said as I sat down on his huge white couch that was really comfy.

“Whatever you want, really”

“Desperate, aren’t we?”

“A bit, to be honest” he said chuckling and running his hand through his curls “but I remember how much you complained about it and I tried to start it, but I don’t even understand his subject”

“Well, I guess no one does”

“How did he even become a teacher?” he asked as he placed my backpack by the door and took off his boots.

“I have no ideia”

“Okay, first of all, I guess I promised you sushi”

“You did”

“But it’s like five now, so we could find something in the kitchen and then order”

“That’s okay” I agreed getting up to meet him on the counter of the kitchen.

“Great, I don’t know what we have”

“Probably nothing, I don’t even know how you guys survived”

“Mum comes here from time to time to cook something and freeze it, and we also go grocery shopping”

“So what do you have, smart pants?”

“This” he smiled triumphantly holding up a bag of chips.

“How are you even alive?!”

“Dunno” he said going through his fridge “what do you want to drink?”

“Nothing”

“Really?”

“Yeah”

“Fine, I was thinking, besides playing your fake boyfriend or whatever, that I can do your works from your economy class, and you can suggest something”

“I’ll think of something as we go”

“So you’re up?”

“Yeah, whatever, how would you be my fake boyfriend again?”

“Well... we could hangout around campus and do couple-ish things?”

“Like...?”

“Maybe we could work on my project on places people could see us, I could hold your hand or whatever, people already think we’re together anyway”

“But what about your hookups?”

“I guess they would have to stop for a while...? Like, this wouldn’t last that long, it’s just until you get his attention, right?”

“Are we in high school again? Detention and trying to make the boy jealous by being all over another?”

“I just suggested, you seemed interested”

“That’s fair”

“Are you in or not?”

“I’m not kissing you, by the way”

“What?! What kind of couple we’d be?”

“There are couples who don’t kiss, dummy”

“I know that, but I guess everyone saw me kissing someone and you dated a guy before and kissed him in public!”

“Not kissing you”

“Fine, I guess we’d have to work this out somehow”

“You said yourself that people already think we’re together and we never kissed-“ I started and he stared at me with hooded eyes “-in public, we were teenagers and it was a game!”

“But we kissed”

“Shawn, I was fifteen!”

“We still kissed”

“Whatever” I said feeling my face heating up and he chuckled.

“You’re cute, but okay, we can work this out” he said like it was the most obvious thing on the planet and my heart almost stopped.

“Fine”

“Pick your order, I’m going to change into some sweats” he said handing me his phone unlocked and climbed up the stairs.

As I was going through the options on the menu he received a text from Melissa, which was weird, but since I didn’t want to be nosy, I didn’t want to open it and I didn’t, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading the beginning of the text which was something like ‘did you tell her? dude, she deserves to know’. And I swear I never wanted more to open their chat and see what the whole conversation was about, but I stopped myself before I could go through his messages, cause that was obviously wrong. But I can’t deny I was extremely curious to why my roommate and former maybe still best friend are talking about, and else, since when they’re that close?!

“Hey, were you able to decide it yet?”

“Mmhm” I mumbled looking up from his phone to be met with a very good looking Shawn.

He was hearing some sweatpants and a thin white T-shirt, that was hanging a little tighter than usual on his trained torso. And he’s your friend and you shouldn’t be staring at him, so before he could notice, I looked down at his phone.

“Your usual?”

“Yeah, well, I can’t make any mistakes if I order my favorite”

“True” he said grabbing his phone and ordering “where do you want to sit?”

“The living room is fine, can I take a look at the subject first? Just so I could remember a bit of it?”

“Yeah, I got my textbook and a few notes I took”

“Great” I said going to the living room and sitting on the floor by his coffee table.

“What do I do?”

“Just wait a second, I just need to situate myself”

“Sure” he said laying down on the couch and starting to scroll through his phone as I looked through his notes.

I completely lost track of time as I was reading through his notes and the textbook of the subject, I only noticed it took me a while to understand everything when he got up to grab our dinner, I must have been reading for at least an hour. He got back inside and said he was just going to grab stuff so we could eat on the living room. So I cleared the coffee table for us to be able to eat in peace and not ruin any book. He sat down beside me with the containers and turned on the TV on a random show. We were eating and chatting as the show played on the background when Brian finally arrived, being the noisy person he is, he almost gave a heart attack.

“Hey, du- hey, Y/N! What are you doing here? How are you?” he asked throwing his stuff on the couch “you ordered sushi!”

“Shawn did, actually, and hi, Bri, I’m helping him with an assignment” I corrected him as Shawn just waved at him from beside me.

“You’re too good” he said giggling “I’m going to take a shower, talk to you guys later”

“Okay”

I turned back to Shawn as I heard Brian climbing up the stairs and offered to explain the main parts of the subject and get what he wanted to do with his project. He just agreed and started listening as I was explaining, and we were both taking the stuff to the kitchen to get rid of the garbage and get everything in place at the same time. He was patiently listening as I kept on talking, interrupting me every once in a while to ask me a few things that still weren’t clear to him. Once everything was ready we got back to the living room and I sat down on the couch, getting rid of my shoes. Shawn placed his head on my lap as he started to say what were the directions for his paper and what the teacher expected.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him to get up, and he wasn’t bothering me by laying on my lap, so I just let it go. He kept on explaining and I zoned out a bit, ignoring his words, focusing only on his voice and his curls that were pretty inviting, and I didn’t even noticed I started playing with them till he stopped talking to look up at me. I gave him a sheepish and he just kept on talking, so I forced myself to pay attention to the words that were actually leaving his mouth and they made sense. So we kept on discussing a bit until I was too tired to think and I just let my head fall back on the cushions.

“Okay, time to get you home” he said getting up and offering me his hand.

“But we didn’t decide anything”

“I know, but I got the subject and what I should come up with for our next meeting, that could be tomorrow on a lunch date” he said pulling me to my feet.

“Okay” I agreed defeated, rubbing my eyes to keep myself awake.

“I’ll just grab my wallet and my shoes upstairs, it’ll take a second” he warned me as I pulled my sneakers on.

Before I could reply he went upstairs. As Shawn was going through his room, Brian leaned on his doorframe with a smirk on his lips.

“She still here?”

“Yeah, I’m taking her home now, where are the other guys?”

“Practice and girlfriend’s place”

“Oh, okay” Shawn said as he put on the first pair of shoes he found and grabbed his wallet.

“So... you two?”

“What about us?”

“Weren’t you trying to keep her away or something?”

“Yeah, that was a bad idea”

“So you’re dating?”

“No, she’s helping me with a project and I’m helping her with Tyler”

“What?! Are you insane?! He’s the biggest idiot!”

“I know” Shawn sighed “but I’ll just... be around, I guess”

“Did you tell her?”

“Tell her what?!”

“How you feel about her”

“And how do I feel?”

“You fell for her and you don’t want to admit it”

“I didn’t”

“Shawn... I saw you two downstairs, you’re looking at her like she was an angel, she was playing with your hair and you two were just like a couple, when are you going to believe you two are fucking soulmates?”

“Brian... dude, that doesn’t even exist, so what? We have the same birthmark”

“The exact same!”

“This means nothing”

“Stop lying to yourself and embrace it, that’s rare and you got lucky!”

“You are way too close to Melissa to believe in this bullshit”

“You are way too far up your ass to not believe”

“I gotta go, need to take her home” Shawn said getting up and going downstairs to meet her by the door.

“Hi” I said looking up from my phone “what?”

“You just look tired”

“I am, but I’ll sleep as soon as I get home”

“Sorry for keeping you up”

“It’s okay, you bought me sushi”

“Then let’s get you home so you can rest, honey” Shawn said offering me his hand and I took it without even thinking about it.

“Tell Brian I said bye”

“I will” Shawn said closing the door behind us.

Little did I know the red haired boy was just at the top of the stairs watching the little interaction with a smile plastered on his face.

                                                   -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

let me know if you guys would like to be on a taglist for this series or anything else

and i’m sorry if i forgot anyone, i don't know if the links are actually working, so please send me an ask or just comment down bellow!

[oohlovergirl]

You’re Brian’s Younger Sister, and Roger Tries Flirting with You || PART 2 [Ben Hardy!Roger Taylor x Reader]

Pairing: Ben Hardy!Roger Taylor x Reader 

Word count: 1460

Contains: light smut!

A/N: The part two of this piece has been so requested, so here it is!! I really hope you guys enjoy it and thank you for all the support that I’ve gotten!! You all are the best!!!!! Also, I’ve started to get requests, so I’m working on those right now! (If you want to request anything, message me!) Also, I am sleep deprived. Okay goodnight!! 

PART 1

You didn’t tell him you were going. In fact, you didn’t even know you were going yourself. It was really a last minute decision, actually. But here you are in the crowd of people watching your brother and his band perform at this small pub. You, specifically watching that blonde, green-eyed drummer. That blonde, green-eyed drummer who currently has a cigarette dangling from his mouth, head bopping lazily to the music. 

You see him look up from his drum playing, scanning the crowd with a little smirk on his face. And your eyes meet. It was almost comical––the double take he takes when he sees you. You wiggle your fingers at him with a playful smile, and he laughs, shaking his head, before looking down to focus on his drumming. 

Maybe it was just you, but during the rest of the show, it seemed as if he was playing more intensely than before. At the final cymbal smash, you make your way over to the bar and order a scotch. 

––––––

“You made it.” You hear a deep voice say next to you as you sit at the bar. 

“Yeah, I heard the drummer of this band is mighty fit, so I had to see it for myself.” 

“And what did you think of him?” 

“Hmm, I thought the bassist was cuter.” 

“Still mean, I see.” 

“Still cute when you pout, I see,” you retort and notice that his eyes are bright with amusement. 

“Hey––”  

“Rog, dont even think about skipping the afterparty. You missed the last four,” Freddie scolds, coming up from behind and interrupting him. 

Roger groans, “You’re joking?” 

“Nope––Y/N, darling, you are more than welcome to join us! It’s at my place,” Freddie offers, a warm smile on his face.  

Roger raises his brows at you, a question in his eyes. You shrug. 

“I’ve never been to an infamous Queen afterparty before.” 

––––––

When you arrive at Freddie’s house, the music is already booming, and the room is already filled with hordes of drunk partygoers. Roger stretches out his hand, and you take it, letting him lead you through the crowd.  

“I know somewhere we can go that’s a tad bit quieter,” he says before grabbing two beers and leading you out the door and to a little nook in the backyard. Roger reclines down on the grass, and you join him, stretching out your legs, and leaning on your hands behind you. He lights a cigarette, taking a deep drag, and then offers it to you, which you take. 

You guys talk. Talk under the night sky with the booming music and the excited chatter that only occurs when the whole room is shit-faced as background noise. You guys talk about everything and anything, your beers become forgotten on the grass next to you. And it seems as if you and him are the only people in the world. Perhaps it’s because of the hedges blocking him and you from the rest of the party, the soft light of the moon illuminating your faces. Perhaps it was because he’s looking at you like you are the only person he wants to spend his time with. And he makes you laugh––real laughs––telling you all kinds of stories about their experiences creating music, touring, performing. You laugh especially hard at the story he tells of him accidentally spitting in Brian’s hair during a show, and Brian never noticing. You throw your head back, grasping at your sides, tears springing into your eyes. 

What you don’t see is that whenever you tilt your head back and laugh, his eyes brighten. And when your laughter trails off and you wipe your eyes, you look up, and he’s staring at you. 

“What?” you ask, a little shy all of a sudden. Perhaps it was due to the intensity in his green eyes or the way your faces were mere inches away from each other, so close you can see how long his lashes are. 

“You’re beautiful,” he responds, quietly. Almost reverently. Any other time, you would’ve scoffed. But––this time––this time you smile, a blush tinting your cheeks. 

“So cliché, Mister Taylor,” you whisper.

“Is it working?” he whispers back, his eyes flick down to your mouth. Instead of replying, you lean forward, brushing your lips against his. A little hesitantly. And he grasps your jaw with two hands, pulling you closer, deepening the kiss. He tastes like cigarette smoke and beer, but you don’t care––don’t really notice. You probably taste the same. You gasp in his mouth, and he slips his tongue in. He sits up straight, not breaking the kiss, and you crawl into his lap. 

“So does this mean you think I’m cuter than that bassist?” he asks, panting slightly. 

“Shut up,” you say through a breathless laugh, reconnecting your lips, wrapping your arms around his neck. His hands quickly take off your jacket before holding onto your waist and then making their way beneath your shirt, stroking the sensitive skin there. Your hips jolt against his, and he groans quietly, stoking the growing fire deep within you. Pulling away to catch your breath, you gulp down the fresh night air, and he takes the opportunity to pepper kisses down your neck. He undoes the first few buttons of your blouse before shoving your collar down to your shoulder, sucking love marks onto your skin, drawing out small whimpers from you. And you start grinding down on him, moaning at the friction from his rough jeans. Your forehead is pressed onto his cheekbone, and he can hear you panting into his ear. 

“Fuck, Y/N,” he hisses, hands gripping your hips tightly, helping you move along him, his eyes closed. 

“Rog,” you groan, and he looks at you, his pupils dilated, eyes hooded, absolutely loving the way his name sounds coming out of your mouth. And he’s starstruck when he sees you: you with your lips red and swollen, hair messy, brows furrowed, cheeks flushed with such a pretty pink. And right then and there, he knows that he’s absolutely, positively, fucked. That he’s already falling in love with you. 

He reaches underneath your skirt and––

“Oh for fucks sake!” Brian shouts. 

“Oh fuck!” Roger exclaims. 

“Shit! You scared me!” you yell at your older brother. He’s standing at the entrance of the little nook, looking down at his feet with one hand covering his eyes. He looks back up, mouth open in disbelief. 

“Can you leave? We’re busy,” you say, making shooing gestures with your hands. Brian sputters, at a loss for words. Roger chokes, coughing into his hands, and Brian shoots him a glare.

You see John’s face pop up from behind Brian’s shoulder, and he quickly covers the youngest member’s face. You snort. Your brother whips his head around to give you a death glare. 

“I was just getting to know Roger a little better. I mean, we really hit it off at your birthday breakfast,” you say while adjusting your shirt. Brian pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, waving his arms in front of him. He points at you, “Car. Ten minutes,” he says before walking away, John and Freddie trailing behind him. 

He stops a few feet ahead of you. “Ugh!” he says in disgust and then continues on his way. You see his curls jiggling as he shakes his head, face in his hands. 

“I think they’re cute together!” You hear Freddie exclaim to Brian. 

You bury your face into Roger’s shirt in a fit of giggles, and he cups your head to him, pressing a gentle kiss to the top as he laughs too. You sigh. 

“I should probably go. I’m pretty sure Brian’s having an aneurysm right now.”

“Y/N!” Brian yells for you across the lawn. 

“Coming, coming,” you grumble, pulling yourself off of Roger’s lap. 

“So, when am I gonna see you again?” he asks, his eyes sparkling up at you. 

“Bye Roger,” you tease, waving at him. 

You take a few steps, leaving him still sitting on the grass. You stop. And you turn around to grab his face and give him a long kiss. 

“Oh my God. Y/N!” Brian yells. `

“Call me,” you whisper before springing back up and skipping towards your brother. 

“I don’t have your number!” 

“You know where to get it!” you call back, blowing him a kiss. 

He watches you leave in awe, watches as you cheerfully loop your arm through the arm of a disappointed Brian. He flops back down on the grass with a content sigh, looking up at the stars, smiling to himself, a certain emotion tugging at his heartstrings. One day, I’m gonna marry that girl, he thinks. 

[tottwritesfanfic]

I was tagged by @humandisasterbuckybarnes (I totally didn’t even notice at first because I’ve been away from Tumblr, sorrryyyy!)

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

OOH. Well. This actually goes back a long way! The ‘tott’ part of TottWriter is really an acronym for the title of a series of fantasy novels I started writing in my teens. (They’ve undergone a lot of revisions since then.) I picked TotTWriter as a username when I joined a forum in 2006 because it summed up how I saw myself at that time, and it just sorta...stuck. As for what the acronym actually is? Gotta wait and see. 

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).

Ohgosh. Well, I think that one’s gotta be my Digimon fic Hope’s Fire, on pretty much all fronts. It’s my oldest, longest fic, and it’s posted on both Ao3 and ff, so it’s had plenty of time to accrue attention. 

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

My Ao3 icon is a picture of a pen and paper roleplaying character I rolled a few years ago. (And was drawn by @iddstar, not me, because I am Not An Artist and Vic very much is.)

After finishing this I’m dropping the rest of it beneath a readmore, because it got a teensy bit long, and I complain bitterly if these hog my own dash.)

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

You know, I feel bad talking about regular commenters, given how irregularly I actually manage to post anything these days. I feel like it’s more appropriate for me to grovel and thank those people who have stuck with me this long. (I’m particularly grateful to @ittybittymattycommittee​ because it has been A While. You’re wonderful.)

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

I’m...I mean, there isn’t really a particular one? I have a few which I’ve read multiple times, but I tend to read the really long fics, which make regular re-reads a bit trickier. I absolutely want to go back over fics I’ve loved and enjoyed and experience that again, but it’s tricky when they take so long, and I have so little time. 

...Actually, probably my most re-read fic is a YoI one called Rumble In Detroit. It’s a goddamn masterpiece which appeals exactly to my sense of humour. (Also only 6.4k, so totally readable in one go if you’re me.)

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I’m really bad at bookmarking. I’ll read a fic, think, “This was awesome!” and then just...forget to bookmark it and pull my hair out later wondering what the hell it was. I scroll through my history to find stuff entirely too often. I have 53 bookmarked fics, and it should be way more. 

Conversely, I am very prone to hitting that subscribe button. I have ten pages of the dratted things apparently, and okay, some of those are now completed fics, but...every now and then I get an update notification and can’t remember what the actual fic was. 

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

...I mean, angsty ones? I don’t really have a preferred setting tbh, although more often than not there is something fantastical about what I write. Generally with my fanfiction I try to mix things up a lot more than my original fic. I make a point of trying to do as many different types of story as I can. Statistically though, Apocalypse/Dystopia scenarios and (surprisingly!) Soulmate AUs work out as the most common though. 

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

25 brave souls have signed up for my infrequent update notifications (bless all of you), and the stats page shows me as having 201 bookmarks. 

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

I mean, I’m pretty sure people judge me for what I already write. I’ve got fics tagged with MCD, after all, and I’m probably straying into shipping wars with at least one of my stories. I’m plenty nervous about the reaction people will have to the end of some of my fics, but I figure...ehh. I write these stories because I love them, and I share them because someone out there is bound to find them passable. 

The only thing I won’t write under this name is explicit NSFW stuff, which is because, hey, I’m hoping to get YA fiction published someday, you know? I don’t want an underage reader looking my name up (see question 1 for why they might know it) and finding something like that.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

It’s funny, because this is something I technically am better at than I used to be in years past, but the main thing is actually sitting down and writing more regularly. Despite appearances, I’ve actually written a lot of fanfic recently (Secret Santas mostly), but I could have done more than that if I’d been able to manage my time better. Also if Life hadn’t come along to mess up my day, but, hey. Go figure.

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I guess it’s a bit of both? I never used to set out to write ships at all, because for me, relationships are secondary to plot when writing, but they do seem to happen more than they used to. I’m a big multishipper though so I like to mix it up.

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

I have 33 works on Ao3 in total. Of those...some are oneshots, 12 are in-progress multichapter fics and...um...one is a complete multichapter fic. Whoops.

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

*coughs and moves on*

For real though, I posted about this recently and it’s...including original fiction, we’re talking more than thirty, possibly over 40 by now. I very deliberately don’t keep track.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

It’s a bit of both really. Sometimes I get an idea, and it’s too fragmentary to really do anything with, so I just sorta leave it in my head to fester and ferment. If I forget it, it probably wasn’t worth saving, but if it gets to the mindworm stage I write it down in my nearest notebook at the time and expand on it a bit.

...If it’s a really fun idea, I then track down that notebook later on and copy it out onto the computer where I can actually find it again.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Not for yeeeears! My sister and I started co-authoring a story back when we were teenagers, but we never actually finished the project. I really enjoyed collaborating though - it’s fun to combine forces and see what each person brings to the table!

16. How did you discover AO3?

I honestly cannot remember.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Hahahahaha...no. It’s okay though, I’m not doing this for fame or attention. I just get these stories in my head and the only way to remove them is to write them out.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

I don’t! I...honestly can’t think of a name, tbh. Names are my nemesis, why would I add more to my life?

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

WELL. 

I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. Probably since I was 6 or 7 (I can remember stapling paper together at school to make a “book” to write in). Probably I was doomed from the start, but the works of Tamora Pierce, Brian Jacques, Tolkien, John Wyndham and Sir Terry Pratchett are what shaped me from my teens onward. Those are the books I read which make me want to write my own. 

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Look, it’s really tempting I know, but don’t share online just yet. If you’re just starting out, you really are far better off keeping your work between you and trusted friends. I always look back and marvel at how damn lucky I am not to have had regular internet access until I was 18.  

You see, it meant that all my early stories - from when I was figuring out who I was as a writer, and how I wanted to write - are tucked safely away where no one can shit on them. And people do. Not everyone of course, but some, and those first few years as a writer are the most fragile.

Every author builds up a thick skin over time, because trolls are gonna troll. But it’s hard, when you work on something and do your best, and someone leaves a shitty comment about it. To my mind, the most important thing you can do as a beginner is to shield yourself from that nonsense until you’ve found your feet. There will be time yet to post your stories. Wait until you can leave it to one side for a week and come back and not despise it. (Some level of “ohgodno” is expected for your own work pretty much forever, but you should at least feel some level of pride in your work first)

...it’s hard and it’s pretty unrewarding at first, I won’t lie. But think about it like this: beginner violinists often sound awful. No one wants to hear that. But if a musician can stick it through; work past the squeaking and the cringe-worthy missed notes... What you end up with is something which can reach right into someone’s heartstrings and leave a permanent impression. 

And that is every bit worth the slog.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

A bit of both! I have at the least a rough outline (sometimes a lot more than that) for almost all my stories before starting, but I generally add to and amend it as I go. 

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

I think maybe once? It really wasn’t too bad though, so I just left it be. I’ve been stupidly lucky with my readers and love all of you.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

I was about to say NSFW stuff, and then I remembered confession scenes, which differ from NSFW in that I actually write those sometimes, and they take approximately five hundred times longer than literally anything else, including the smut which I hate writing so bad I practically never do it. Confession scenes are freaking hard.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

TOO MANY. For real though, I have 3 secret santas, 3/4 active HQ fics, Hope’s Fire, and more which are sorta lurking in semi-activity beyond that. I have zero chill.

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

...I mean it’d be great if I could finish an ongoing story, NGL.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Nope! I try to stick to one during NaNo, but outside that life just sorta gets in the way too often.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

I mean, the answer is yes either way, but I tend to distinguish the various phases of my writing? age 6-12 was half-arsed writing. Just sorta jotting down stories and not really thinking too much about them. From 13-16 I was so preoccupied with writing and finishing my novel that I didn’t leave room for such trifles as quality control. 16-24/5 was slow but steady improvements. 

At 25 I realised hot damn, I have a lot to learn, and that is the point at which I consider that I started getting better for real.

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

You know, it sorta depends? Assuming we’re talking fanfic only (or, sorry, but my novel beats them all), I actually...really like the Trinacrifom series? 

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

It was for a telephone prompt, it’s less than 600 words, nope, I’m not sharing it XD

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

I mean I’d like to say something like “getting paid for it”, but we all know I’m still gonna be here writing fanfic instead of my original work.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

For me it’s actually the ideas! I keep getting them pop into my head.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

…Actually finishing things.

33. Why do you write?

At this point, writing is a little like breathing for me. It’s my identity. It’s who I am. I have so many ideas in my head and the only way to get them out is to write them, so I do. I hope that people enjoy them, certainly, and I want to think my words have an effect of some kind, but ultimately storytelling is hardwired into me and I don’t know how to stop.

Oh! Tagging. Right, after that textwall how about I pass the buck to someone else, hehe. @draculasstrawhat, @lethesomething, @iddstar and @quinnlocke as well as anyone else...if you wanna, you know? (No one’s obligated tho)

[mashitandsmashit]

America’s Got Talent: Champions 2 - Final Results

Alright, I'll try to keep this brief, since there's not a whole lot to talk about aside from the results that I already knew ahead of time...

Let's start with the performances...First of all, why didn't Alexa get to do anything!? Were the dogs unable to show up or something!? Even Hans got to introduce that mash-up performance! Couldn't they have done a video of her or something...?

KISS is always a lot of fun, said mash-up gave Marcelito a chance to show off a little more range, and V.Unbeatable reprised their Quarter-Final performance from last season, but with the drummer from Blink-182 to jump over and snatch his drumstick! (And on a side-note, V.Unbeatable has helped me to appreciate Indian dance music!)

Kseniya's performance was as slick as ever, though the story (assuming there was one this time) was VERY hard to follow...So I guess we have a swan that turns into a princess falling in love with a king who is actually the moon...or something? Maybe it's just one of those avant-garde pieces...Meanwhile, Angelina gave some of her best vocals, and Tyler does seem to legitimately be developing his craft as a violinist! Maybe he'll be at Lindsey Stirling's level one day!

Speaking of whom, if I ONLY heard she was appearing in this episode, and not who she performed with, I would have guessed Tyler to be her co-performer...But I guess Silhouettes fits pretty well...Problem is, I think they both compromised each other a bit; Neither was at the top of their game here...But I ain't hatin'! Who do you think I am, Piers Morgan? And I can't help but wonder if the story being told was about her, or just some random girl whose dad is out at war...Either way, they sure know what kinds of imagery pulls at the heartstrings...They even had another dog in it! In fact, at first it looked like a cross between both of their previous performances this season...

Shin and Colin had a pretty solid trick, even if it wasn't the best we've seen from either of them...I guess they compromised each other a bit as well...Honestly, it was MOSTLY a Colin Cloud performance FEATURING Shin Lim...Still evoked the usual question of what methods went into bringing this all together...And also the question of how Howie never read Bieber's name before...

And finally Kodi Lee, giving his best performance since “Bridge Over Troubled Water”! He really is a treasure! I'm glad he didn't come back for this year's Champions, since we all know he would have won again...Best wait until there are more champions to compare him to, to even the playing field...

Which brings us to the results...As you can imagine, I am very happy for V.Unbeatable living up to their name this time! I guess this is AGT's way of making it up to them for not even making the Top 3 last season (as even other acts that deserved to win but didn't have done in the past). This also makes them the first official group act to win any kind of AGT season (even if it's not an official one).

That being said, I won't deny that a major factor that contributed to this victory is what AGT Champions viewers would refer to as “recency bias”. It's why most of last year's finalists were from the previous three seasons, and why the Top 3 this year were all from the previous two (two of them being just last season). Most of the show's current fans probably weren't even watching it during its earlier seasons...But acts like V.Unbeatable and Tyler Butler-Figueroa are still fresh in their minds!

It's also why Shin Lim won last year's Champions, as his victory from the previous season was also fresh in their minds, and why Kodi would have won this year if he was a contestant, and why it's a good idea for them to wait a year or two to bring back each season of the main show's winners...

V.Unbeatable was consistently the second most popular act last season, so they were the next one down...The only reason they ended up in Fourth last season is because everyone in the city of Detroit supported the choir, and I'm also convinced that Howie's getting all of the producers to give as many votes as they can to the comedians in the Finals every year...I mean, how else do you explain Ryan Niemiller SUDDENLY being more popular than V.Unbeatable, or even Samuel J. Comroe finishing over Courtney Hadwin and Ketterer the Batterer!?

Anyway, congratulations to them! They've done Vikas proud!

This season has been...well...quite strange...I'm happy that less singers made the Finals, though even as one of the few people who still enjoys both Hans and Boogie Storm, there's still no denying that if this was a regular AGT season, things would have been quite different...For one thing, Brian King Joseph might have been in the Finals ALONGSIDE Tyler, Voices of Service would have surely made it there as well, etc. I guess in the end, it's just like last year, where acts like Paul Zerdin and Kenichi Ebina would have fared better...

It's also interesting how we didn't have any comedians or magicians in the Finals this year...Instead, this was the season of acrobats! I mean, they weren't necessarily abundant, but the fact that three of them made the finals, they all made it into the Top 5, and one of them ended up winning with another as the runner-up, definitely shows a success with these types of acts that we've never seen on this show before! I suppose one may suspect some rigging on the producers' part, but I still can't help but wonder if this may serve as foreshadowing of what to expect in the following season of the main show...

Speaking of which, I am very curious about what to expect in Season 15...Will Heidi and Alesha stay as the two female judges, or will they get new ones? Will the winner of the season be the Golden Buzzer of the first episode again (as seems kinda common lately). What kind of act will it be, and will it check off any of my quota boxes (group, adult female or comedian)?

Nonetheless, I will see if I'm in a good enough situation by then to try the livestream idea that I've been going on about...I'd love to set an example of what a REAL judge should do!

Also, I hope to hear back from frankensteindr soon...It appears that he's been unable to post his own thoughts on this season lately, though his likes on my first two posts tells me that he's still around...Frank, if you're reading this, I'd love to hear your reviews...But I understand if life's being a little complicated for that right now...And if you wanna talk about anything, I'm here for ya!

Anyway, in conclusion, this was an interesting season with some pretty nice results...I guess it could have gone better, like if Brian made the Finals, or if Angelina and Marcelito ranked higher than they did, but still, I appreciate its departures from regular seasons...

Things are very complicated for me these days, but hopefully I'm still here to discuss Season 15...Hope to see you all then!

[hemcountry]

'THE THIRD DANCE' OPENS A NEW CHAPTER FOR SIMON CASEY

Sometimes, when an artist brings out a new album, you’ll hear them refer to it as the album that they ‘always wanted to make.’ And sometimes, they’ll actually mean that, too, because it’s only logical that an artist should get better, or refine if you like, what they do and how they present themselves to the public as their careers progress. But sometimes, that whole, ‘It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make’ line, is just that, a line.Something to say. As far as Simon Casey and his latest collection, ‘The Third Dance’, goes, that line is no-where in the script. It doesn’t need to be. Because the passion with which every word is infused when the Ballycumber man speaks about this album is evidence enough that this is a seminal moment as far as his recording career is concerned.

Make no mistake about it, Simon has long since taken his rightful place among the ranks of Ireland’s most instantly recognizable and best-loved voices. And not just of this generation, either, but of the last fifty years or more. And by an easy stretch at that. With the release of this brand new album, ‘The Third Dance’, however, the first page on a chapter of career-defining significance has definitely been turned.

Simon’s brand new album, ‘The Third Dance’

Named in honour of his latest single, the achingly tender and touching true story, ‘The Third Dance From The End’ (from the gilded pen of songwriter Noel O’ Farrell), this collection of songs is by far and away the most accurate reflection yet of Simon Casey as an artist. In fact, the passage of time will surely come to show this album as being the milestone moment which finally marked, in the greater musical consciousness of the nation, Casey’s transition from that of the consummate, professional entertainer, to that of a recording artist who has surveyed the lay of the land in front of him, before confidently charting his own course to the destination of his choice. I caught up with Simon last week to have a chat about both the album and the single.

“Well ‘The Third Dance From The End’ was written by a local man, Noel O’ Farrell, from Mullingar. Everyone would probably know Noel from Midlands 103 where he presents The Saturday Mix. I remember listening to the song one day when we were both out on The Stars In The Sun show (for more details on next year’s tour, check out www.travelescapes.ie) over in Spain. Now, every time I hear a good song the ears prick up, ya know? I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. After hearing the first verse and chorus of ‘The Third Dance From The End’ I just had to say to him, Noel, look, this is a song I’ve just got to record. And he was delighted to give it to me, thank God. It’s a very personal song to Noel because it’s about his friend’s dad whose wife had very recently passed away. And I suppose Noel had asked that question that can always be a bit awkward at times like that: How are ya doin’? And the answer he got was, ‘Not that well, but I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got so many years of happy memories. And the truth is, I never would have been with my wife only for she asked me to dance at the third dance from the end.’ Now a lot of people these days mightn’t know it, but years ago the third dance from the end at the dances was the ladies choice, when a woman could ask a man to dance and not just the other way round. So his wife asked this man to dance, and the rest became history. The song was inspired by what was really a true love story. And even though part of it was a broken-hearted man, the song has turned out to mean so much to so many people. And that’s why it’s been a privilege for me to record it. And it’s been getting such a huge reaction all over the place – especially since I put the video up on Facebook – from all over the world, it’s been amazing. I’ve had loads of people telling me that it could be their story. So it’s definitely after pulling on a lot of heartstrings, and I think touching people in a very positive way, too, despite the sadness at the heart of it.”

Simon’s last album, ‘On Song’, was also a big hit with fans.

‘The Third Dance’, definitely has a very strong country vibe about it, in comparison to past releases…

“There is, there’s a big country vibe goin’ through it alright, cos’ country’s been what I’ve always loved. I suppose if you look back over the years, even to the You’re A Star (talent contest in Ireland on which Simon first shot to fame) days which is coming up on fifteen years ago now, but even then my very first song was Randy Van Warmer’s ‘Just When I Needed You Most’, and nobody had heard that song in ages. But it did the business for me [laughs], got me into the auditions! Then my biggest weeks would have been when I did ‘Desperado’ and ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ later. I’ve always loved American country, so a lot of the songs on this album are one I would always have loved. Like the Randy Newman song, ‘Feels Like Home’, which was a big radio hit for me about six years ago, but hasn’t been on an album before this. ‘Another Day Gone’, from Hal Ketchum, was another big one on radio for me. And one of the more recent ones is Alan Jackson’s ‘As She’s Walking Away’, with Ray Lynam. So I think, and hope, there’s something on there that will appeal to nearly everyone. I’ve also recorded Vince Gill’s ‘Go Rest High On That Mountain’, which I think is a very, very special song.”

Simon on location for the video shoot for ‘The Third Dance From The End’

Is there a song, or songs, on that album that Simon thinks might surprise people?

“Yeah, I think so. It’s a song that I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. My mother bought it for me as a single, I think, when I was about ten, another one by Randy Van Warmer, called ‘Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes’, and I just thought it was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. And I still think that. So I’ve recorded that one as well. It’s a song Randy wrote about his dad and never getting to say goodbye to him. There’s a beautiful sentiment in the song. And again, it’s another one that when I sing it at something like a remembrance service, the song is massive. People were always coming up to me afterwards asking where could they get it, so it’s one that I’ve always been meaning to record as well.”

Simon with songwriter Noel O’ Farrell

And not only is the vibe of the album very much country, but it strikes me as a collection of particularly emotional songs, too.

“Absolutely. If you look at them all, I think there’s great meaning in these songs. ‘Feels Like Home’, ‘Simple Love’, ya know, songs that are what life’s all about. At the end of the day, life comes down to your family, your friends, and being happy. Then songs like ‘Go Rest High On That Mountain’, and ‘Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes’, ‘Living Prayer’, and ‘Someone Else’s Star’, the Bryan White song, there’s emotion at every turn nearly! But at the same time, things are nicely balanced because you have songs like ‘Hey Soul Sister’, ‘Something About You Baby I Like’, and ‘You Never Can Tell’, songs that have that ‘lift’ to them that life needs, too. Making people want to well up is all grand as long as you give them reasons to smile and laugh, too, ya know [laughs]. But yeah, certainly overall, there’s definitely a lot of emotion on this album. Emotion, fun, and a cool, country vibe the whole way through.”

Simon presents the current Rose of Tralee, the Offaly Rose Jennifer Byrne, with a copy of his new single.

So where can fans find Simon over the coming weeks, and hopefully get to enjoy hearing some of the new album in a ‘live’ setting?

“Well I’m really looking forward to a show that’s coming up in Ballymore on December 14th, because I’m headlining a major concert there and it’s going to be an absolutely beautiful Christmas show. And that’s exactly what I love. As a performer, it shows like this one [will be] that I live for. I’m also doing a very special concert the week before that in Athlone where I’m guesting with the Army Band of the 2nd Brigade. So again, that’s going to be different, with such a big band, ya know. So I’m really looking forward to those shows. And since ‘The Third Dance From The End’ came out loads of different radio stations have been reaching out to me as well. So I’ll be doing A Night With The Stars with Shannonside Northernsound, and then one with Highland Radio up in Donegal, and another down in Killarney. I’ll be all over the place [laughs]. But I have to say, I do feel a little bit blessed at the moment, to be honest, with all the attention the single has been getting. It’s definitely a song that I know I’ll sing, and love singing, for the rest of my life. No matter what.”

So this will hardly be the last time Simon will work with Noel, then?

“Noel has written some amazing songs, he really has. And ya know, a local guy, from Mullingar, but what a talent. And he’s actually written a few more for me, but I’m not going to say too much about them at the minute. But they’re definitely songs that I’ll be recording for another project, probably in the next year or so. I have a lovely Irish ballads album nearly finished as well, and that’s something I’d love to tour with as well when the time comes. I grew up listening to country and listening to folk, so it’s kinda hard for me to say I’m just one and not the other. I think I’m both.”

Simon with the Sunday World’s Eddie Rowley and Father Brian D’Arcy after picking up an award earlier this year.

And speaking of touring, what does 2018 hold in store? Will Simon be taking ‘The Third Dance’ on the road?

“Yeah, the hope is that we’ll do that. By tour, I mean a mini-tour, something like little theatre shows because that’s something I wouldn’t have done since the You’re A Star days either. But it’s something I think I’d feel very at home doing. I did the Reeling In The Sixties tour a few years ago with Ronan Collins and the Swarbriggs, and that really sparked the idea of theatres. Theatres are a completely different kind of show. You have everybody almost in your face, but I love that. I love it. And I think some of the songs on ‘The Third Dance’ would lend themselves beautifully to those environments too.”

We couldn’t end our chat without mentioning Simon’s long-time musical partner, Paul Skelton, who has found the spotlight turned on him recently as his own new album, ‘Goosebumps’, topped the dance charts both here in Ireland and in the U.K.

“Look, Paul is just a great guy, and he’s been gigging with me for years. I’ve been giving him advice – I’m not tryin’ to take the credit now [laughs], cos’ everyone’s been giving him advice -, but I said to him you’ve got to just get out there and actually do an album. Show the world how good you are. I think everything happens for a reason, and in its own time. Paul’s been like us all, wonderin’ when is the right time to do something, ya know. But listen, the success he’s had over the last number of months has been incredible, and not before time. And it couldn’t be happening for a nicer guy. ‘Goosebumps’ is well-titled, I’ll tell ya, because that’s what it gives you. He’s an amazing talent and there’s no-one happier than me to see it happening for him.”

Two Offaly legends, Simon and Mundy.

I couldn’t agree more with Simon where Paul is concerned, and it’s true to say that there’s more than a few people who would also describe Simon himself as an amazing talent, and rightly so as well.

There are songs on ‘The Third Dance’ with such genuine depth of emotion that you can feel every word soar from Simon’s own heart to yours, every line delivered with the grace of a man who has mastered his craft. But there are also songs that celebrate the joy of simply being alive. There are songs that remind us how music offers shelter to the soul when storms rage, and songs to become the soundtrack to hours of love and laughter spent in the company of the ones who matter most to us. In every track, from the opening ‘I Own The Road’ to the album closer ‘If You Don’t By Now’, this album reveals shades of Simon Casey the man, and the artist, as a father, husband, son, and friend. And as ever, of course, as a showman.

This isn’t just a new album for Simon Casey. It’s a whole new chapter, because ‘The Third Dance’ is his most intimate body of work ever.

It’s out now. And it’s already a first-rate classic.

‘THE THIRD DANCE’ OPENS A NEW CHAPTER FOR SIMON CASEY was originally published on HEM COUNTRY