#lightning boy studio

[vinni-dragon]

Kashimo! Kashimo! Kashimo !!!

I drew him on a shared canvas on Magma at first and then added some more values etc. in Clip Studio later on because I wanted to,,,

I'm really proud of that face

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Violence, spoilers

Title: Take Back the Night

Editor: Speedy180

Studio: Lightning Bear Studios

Song: The Phoenix

Artist: Fall Out Boy

Anime: Castlevania

Category: Action

Award: Otakon 2023 - Best Action

[akeaaan]

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

Jinu X fem.reader

And you taste so sweet Leave me wanting more soon as we get out the sheets

It was wrong. So wrong.

A demon hunter falling for a demon?

Unthinkable.

Yet, it happened.

Just like your mother—who once bore the same sin—you did too. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was a curse.

Lights are turned off Music is on Minds are unlocked This feeling is amazing

You remember the first time Jinu saw the marks blooming like fire across your arm. The room had fallen silent, but your heartbeat thundered in your ears. You’d never felt so exposed.

He didn’t speak at first. He just looked at you, eyes soft but heavy with something unspoken. Without a word, he pulled a piece of cloth from his jacket and knelt down, gently wrapping your arm. Hiding the truth. Protecting you from the world, from your friends, from everything that would shatter if they ever knew.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured, fingers brushing your skin. “Let me carry it with you.”

That was when the walls between you began to crack. Slowly. Dangerously.

You remembered the tension that buzzed in the space between you both, like lightning before the storm.

How he’d grin when you pouted over shared rehearsals— “You look like a kicked puppy,” he’d tease, flicking your forehead.

How he kissed you there, right between your brows, every time you got a move wrong in the studio— “You’re getting better,” he’d whisper. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

How your pinkies secretly interlocked backstage at Mnet when your group passed by the Saja boys. A forbidden moment buried in stolen glances.

And the kiss—

The first time his lips pressed against yours, desperate and trembling. You’d been wounded from an ambushed demon attack, blood on your side and your breath uneven. He held your face like it would shatter.

“You could’ve died,” he whispered, voice cracking. His tears clung to his lashes, unfallen. You kissed him before they could fall.

You remembered him yanking you into a quiet hallway during a fan sign event—risking everything just to feel your lips against his for a fleeting second. “Just one,” he’d said breathlessly. “Just in case we don’t get another chance.”

Liquor is all that we taste Your freckles lead the way I trace your constellations

Your fingers danced over the piano, notes rippling into the stadium like echoes of the life you once knew. The crowd roared. Your face flashed on every screen.

But your eyes searched for a ghost.

And then came the memory—

Now you're gone in the blink of an eye I try to remember what you look like

You remembered the scream tearing out of you, raw and broken, as Gwi Ma’s attack arced toward you. You remembered how powerless you felt, how small. And then—

Jinu.

He stepped in front of you without hesitation, the clash of impact blinding. Your ears rang. Your vision blurred. You didn’t realize you were crying until your feet ran.

“No!” You ran to him—he was already fading. Already slipping. “No, please... Jinu, please...”

He smiled, even then. His hand cupped your face with the last of his existence. “I’d do it again,” he said. “For you.”

Your hands trembled as you cradled his face, your tears spilling freely.

Orion's Belt in the sky Closest thing to you other than my mind

You traced the constellation on his chest, the one you always joked about.

Now it was all that remained.

He faded like a falling star— Gone before you could stop it. Gone before you could scream loud enough for the heavens to listen.

Now you're gone in the blink of an eye I try to remember what you taste like Replaying in my head The smell of your body still in my bed

You didn’t even realize the tear had slipped until it hit the piano keys — soft, but loud in your own ears — a drop of grief interrupting the silence between notes. It pooled in the tiny crevice between E and F, glimmering beneath the harsh spotlight, and for a moment, you just stared.

Then you looked up.

The stadium was glowing. Thousands of fans held up their phones, flashlights flickering like distant stars. Some swayed gently, others clung to their best friends, families, siblings… and lovers.

Lovers.

That’s what you two were — once.

His hands used to rest gently on your waist like you were something fragile, like you might break if he held too tightly. His breath always tasted like some awful mix of stage liquor and cherry lip balm. His freckles — you could never resist them — always reminded you of scattered stars. You used to trace them lazily, half-awake, half-drunk on him.

And now… all of it was just memory.

Hands on your waist Liquor is all that we taste Your freckles lead the way I trace your constellations…

You closed your eyes, pressing the tears back, though they fell anyway. Slipping past your lashes like everything else that had slipped through your fingers.

Your hands didn’t stop playing. Even when your chest ached, even when your throat tightened and begged you to scream instead — you kept playing.

Because this wasn’t just a song. It was the goodbye you never got to say. The apology you never got to hear. The version of love that died the moment he turned away.

I trace your constellations…

The final note rang out, long and lingering — like a heartbeat fading.

And then the crowd erupted.

Cheers swallowed you whole, but none of it felt real. Not without him beside you. Not without his hand reaching for yours in the dark.

He should’ve been here.

But he wasn’t.

And maybe he never would be again.

a/n: angst bcz i love you guys <3

[sevsevteen]

The set was all soft lights and fake laughter.

You sat between Mingyu and Joshua, smiling on cue, answering questions about the group’s upcoming tour. The interviewer - elegant, poised, all teeth and charisma - nodded along enthusiastically.

“Oh, it must be so hard keeping up with thirteen boys, right?” she said sweetly. “They must carry a lot of your weight.”

You laughed politely. “Actually, we all pull our own. They’ve taught me a lot.”

The cameras loved that.

Flash. Cut. Cue applause. Wrap.

But once the red light on the camera faded, so did the interviewer’s mask.

She barely waited for the director to call cut before twisting in her chair, speaking low to her assistant just behind her - but just loud enough.

“God, finally. If I hear the word teamwork one more time, I’ll throw up.”

You froze.

Mingyu's jaw tightened beside her.

“All that rehearsed 'we're a family' crap. Please. Half the group barely talks during breaks,” she scoffed, tossing her cue cards aside.

The assistant awkwardly tried to whisper something, but the interviewer waved her off.

“She’s cute, I’ll give her that,” the interviewer motioned her chin lazily toward you, not even trying to lower her voice now. “Pretty face, decent voice. But clearly riding on their tails.”

The room fell still.

Wonwoo, who had been grabbing water bottles, paused mid-step. Hoshi’s smile dropped. Even Vernon looked up from his phone.

The assistant gave a nervous laugh. “They were trending, though. Their last album—”

“Because of the other producers behind it,” she cut in coldly. “Not because of them. I mean, let’s be real - if they were really that good, they’d be solo by now.”

That was it.

“Excuse me?” Mingyu said sharply, standing.

The room turned.

The interviewer blinked up, all innocent now. “Oh? Did you hear that?”

“Loud and clear,” Hoshi said, voice low with fury. “You don't get to disrespect our achievements like that.”

“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “Don’t get so emotional. I’m just being honest. I figured someone needed to say it.”

Then she stood - heels clicking on the floor - and added with a smirk, “Besides, what are you gonna do? Hit me? You can’t. I’m a girl.”

And then - a shove.

A bold push to Hoshi’s chest.

He stepped back in stunned silence, fists clenching. He didn’t retaliate - of course he didn’t - but the tension in the room sparked like lightning.

And that was when you stood up.

Calm. Controlled.

Until -

"Ah!"

A hard shove right back into the interviewer’s shoulder. Not aggressive. But firm.

Balanced.

Equal.

“I think you're forgetting that I’m a girl too,” you said, stepping between them and the woman. “I have just as much right to speak up when someone crosses a line.”

“You!” The interviewer lunged with her hands up.

Wonwoo was by your side in a second, pushing you behind himself. His arm half-shielding, gaze trained on the woman like a loaded weapon.

Seungcheol was on his feet a second later, stepping forward to catch her wrist in mid-air.

The interviewer staggered slightly, stunned for a beat too long.

“Try me again.” You threatened, gaze unwavering as you pushed Wonwoo aside lightly.

The interviewer opened her mouth - but before another word could leave her lips,

Wonwoo stood beside, voice cold as stone. “Say one more thing about her. See if your mic is the only thing that cuts out.”

“That’s enough,” Seungcheol thundered, voice like steel. “We came here as professionals. And we expect the same in return.”

The interviewer scoffed, brushing herself off. “You idols think you’re invincible.”

“And you think hiding behind your gender gives you immunity,” Wonwoo said, voice like ice. “But harassment is harassment. If anyone touched her the way you just touched Hoshi, we’d be calling security.”

The assistant was already tugging her away, murmuring apologies. The woman huffed, storming off, heels clicking violently against the studio floor.

No one spoke.

The staff were frozen.

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.

“This interview’s over,” Jeonghan said coolly, stepping in. “Thank you for your hard work, we’ll be taking our leave now.”

The team walked out together - you at the center, flanked by members who barely blinked now without checking if you were okay.

“Hey,” Mingyu said, nudging your hand gently. “That was a legendary move.”

You nodded. “Yeah. I just… I couldn’t let her say that.”

Jeonghan placed a gentle hand on your back. “You handled it better than any of us could.”

You cracked a tiny smile. “My hand’s still shaking.”

“It should,” Seungkwan said. “You could’ve sent her flying.”

“She should be glad it wasn’t Seungcheol-hyung,” Hoshi muttered.

From the side, Seungcheol cleared his throat, clearly hiding a proud smile.

You met his eyes and smiled - tired, but fierce.

With a reckless action like that, you knew you were in for a lecture when everyone got into the van.

But for now, you knew your members would have your back no matter what - and so would you.

--

[5sospenguinqueen]

Just Another | Fernando Alonso x Reader

Summary: Fernando and his wife live busy lives between their children, his races and her music. That doesn't mean they don't find time to themselves

Warnings: Fluff. Suggestive comment. Pregnancy

Requested: Yes by anon

F1 Masterlist

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fernandoalo_official just posted

liked by aussiegrit, lance_stroll and others

fernandoalo_official home races are always special but more so when mi familia are in the garage. we shall give it our all tomorrow 🇪🇸💛 #españa

3,314 comments

yn_alonso can we have that wall in our bedroom

→ fernandoalo_official no but i will get it put in your studio

→ yn_alonso my muse 💛

landonorris mini alonso’s!! nobody told me they were in the paddock

→ fernandoalo_official because you fed them too much sugar last time and i got into trouble 

user i love when we get glimpses of the alonso family

→ user yes! it’s so rare. like, i appreciate that they’re private but something about dad nando does things for me

→ yn_alonso same 

→ user baby #3 incoming? 

liked by fernandoalo_official 

lance_stroll my weekends are so much calmer when y/n is in the garage 

→ astonmartinf1 same. tour ends when?

→ yn_alonso is he still terrorising you?

→ fernandoalo_official no! 

→ user aha, admin begging y/n to stop being famous in her own right so that nando behaves

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yn_alonso just posted

liked by kellypiquet, lewishamilton and others

yn_alonso thank you, london 🇬🇧 british crowds are always the loudest

4,416 comments

fernandoalo_official you performed beautifully, mi corazón

→ yn_alonso because i had my biggest supporter in the crowd

→ user you mean to tell me that fernando is supposed to be racing at silverstone tomorrow but stayed up late to watch his wife perform?

→ user and you can guarantee, she’ll be up early to go to the paddock with him

→ yn_alonso that’s love, darlings 

lewishamilton thank you for inviting me. always an honour to see you perform

→ user y/n and xnda collab when? 

charles_leclerc alex says thank you for inviting her

→ yn_alonso with how loud she was singing along, she is allowed always 

→ alexandrasaintmleux i think i’ve died 

user we were near where fernando, lewis and charles were. and the way fernando stared up at her

→ user omg yes. i got a video of him when she was singing the love song she wrote for him. i swear he didn’t blink once

user i love that they’re a secret couple but i also need more alonso family content

user anyone else think they fucked up the lighting for her concert? couldn't see the bottom half of her

→ user she wasn’t dancing as much either? 

→ francisca.cgomes she actually did an amazing job

liked by yn_alonso

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fernandoalo_official just posted

liked by jensonbutton, sebastianvettel and others

fernandoalo_official how is my youngest bebé four. they grow so fast. feliz cumpleaños, hijo mio. we celebrate at his favourite place in the world #disneyland

3,281 comments

user you mean his favourite place isn’t the AMF1 factory? 

→ astonmartinf1 or the paddock?

user whoa, you mean his favourite race car isn’t #14?

lance_stroll but he said his favourite place was my garage the other week

→ astonmartinf1 and to think, we let him sit in the car

yn_alonso well done, mi amour, you’ve upset the world of f1 by admitting that our son’s favourite race car is lightning mcqueen

→ fernandoalo_official i didn’t realise everyone would take it so personally 

→ yn_alonso now you know how i felt when our eldest said his favourite singer was gloria estefan 

aussiegrit the boys are growing so fast. looks like he had an amazing day

→ fernandoalo_official he said his favourite present was the remote control lightning mcqueen from uncle mark

→ jensonbutton but uncle jenson got him an electric ferrari?

→ user uncle mark and uncle jenson!!! 

→ yn_alonso the true loves of fernando’s life

liamlawson30 this is a party i can get behind 

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yn_alonso just posted

liked by estebanocon, alexandrasaintmleux and others

yn_alonso unfortunately, there won’t be a tour with this one so i’m cooking a few new songs… with a helper, of course 

5,533 comments

user wait, what does she mean no tour?! 

→ user apparently she’s taking a break :( 

charles_leclerc i see he’s putting uncle charlie's piano lessons to good use

→ yn_alonso he might end up replacing you on the backing track

→ charles_leclerc the student outshines the master 😧

astonmartinf1 hang on, i thought we were teaching him to drive an f1 car, not become an international music star 

→ yn_alonso you’ve already taken my eldest, and you’re swaying my youngest but i’m still fighting 

→ fernandoalo_official that’s why we need another

→ user omg he wants another baby! 

→ yn_alonso well done, mi vida

user so we’re not going to see her at zandvoort this weekend?

→ user holding out hope that this is a pre-scheduled post

→ user tbf, she’s about to have 3 weeks of nando so perhaps she’s soaking up some quiet time before he’s home 

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astonmartinf1 just posted

liked by lance_stroll, pierregasly and others

astonmartinf1 the alonso’s have entered the paddock #dutchgp

1,814 comments

fernandoalo_official and she’s looking beautiful doing it

→ yn_alonso flatterer 

user yay! y/n is here

→ user she was defo trying to trick us by making us think she was back home in spain recording 

user okay but the blue dress is gorgeous 

user she makes fernando look like just some guy 

liked by fernandoalo_official 

yn_alonso it’s nice to see how much i was wanted here

→ fernandoalo_official you’re always wanted by me, mi amor

→ yn_alonso yeah, that’s the problem

→ user ummm? i can’t tell if they’re being raunchy 

→ user well, they do have two kids only a year apart 

lance_stroll i can already hear a more peaceful weekend settling upon me

user i swear that’s a bump

→ user you can barely see her front?

→ user i’m telling you, from other angles, she has a bump

→ user nurse, she got out again

user she spent the entire weekend hiding in his garage?? what was the point in coming?

→ user maybe because she comes to watch her husband, not parade around for your pleasure 

yn_alonso posted a new story

alexandrasaintmleux replied (pic 2) yes but you look so pretty  → ynalo_private don’t let charles get you pregnant → it seems like a great idea at first until you reach the final trimester alexandrasaintmleux replied (pic 3) omg you had her! → congratulations, y/n. how’re you feeling? → i can’t wait to meet her

lance_stroll replied (pic 1) why do you insist on making fernando alonso thirst traps cross my instagram? → ynalo_private because you follow me and i love my husband  → and i repost all the ones fans make to show my support  → lance_stroll when is he retiring? → ynalo_private never lance_stroll replied (pic 3) baby girl alonso is here! and this is how i found out!  → ynalo_private in my defence, i just had a baby. critical thinking is not my strong suit right now → and this is how we told everyone 

charles_leclerc replied le bébé! oh, félicitations to you and fernando → how are you feeling? she looks beautiful

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fernandoalo_official just posted

liked by scuderiaferrari, lance_stroll and others

fernandoalo_official autumn break brings some new changes to mi familia 💛

11,331 comments

aussiegrit congratulations, mate. such a beautiful family

→ yn_alonso they’re looking forward to uncle mark joining us for family dinner on sunday, yes?

→ aussiegrit yes, ma’am. i’ll be there

jensonbutton a huge congratulations from brittny and i. we can’t wait to meet the newest member of the alonso family 

kimimatiasraikkonen congratulations

lewishamilton beautiful family 🫶🏾

landonorris was your weekend in paris spent with him trying to convince you to have baby #4?

→ fernandoalo_official who let you have access to your accounts again?

→ landonorris so yes

→ danielricciardo mate, you basically just told the world they spent a weekend away shagging

→ yn_alonso and thank you for that, daniel. you’re both off my christmas card list 

→ landonorris wait, no. we’ve not met baby girl yet!

user excuse me, is he trying to sneak in a whole extra child?

→ user we didn't even know she was pregnant!

→ user clearly y/n loves dad nando as much as we do 😏

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Requests are open. Carlos Sainz has joined the mix

[papayadays]

when it hits - ln4

: ̗̀➛ i know love by tate mcrae with ... lando norris (part of so close to what event) : ̗̀➛ in which a feature on your track sends your fans into a frenzy : ̗̀➛ faceclaim: lyn lapid

✧.* yeah it's only the beginning but it's happening quick, boy *.✧

liked by radvxz and others yourusername back in the studio because i’ve finally stopped procrastinating (i had inspiration)

user1 i love how the first two pics were aesthetic but the third one is just an oddball

user2 so is that her producer??

user3 idk but he kinda… 👀

user4 girl don’t even play right now

user5 so hyped for the new song!!!

user6 SAME i wonder what it’s going to be about

radvxz it’s going to be a good one 🫶

user7 BEABADOOBEE SPILL

user8 release it now please i beg of you

user9 two different vibes of music? is that what’s happening?

liked by mxmtoon and others yourusername i know love drops in 4 days at 4:44 est 💛

mxmtoon chart topper for sure 💞

user10 confirmed banger by beabadoobee and mxmtoon

user11 this will break the internet i fear

user12 LOVE???? HELLO??

user13 does that mean she’s dating someone !!

user14 oh this is going to be good

user15 she’s so pretty 😍

user16 i know right like i just need one chance

user17 i already love the vibe of this song

user18 angel numbers 🤨

liked by maxfewtrell and others lando drums aren’t too hard right?

maxfewtrell mate maybe stick to f1 yeah?

lando shut up i’m not that bad

user19 lando and max bickering like a married couple will never not be funny

user20 lando in his music era??

user21 not sure if you can consider this an era

user22 why is he playing drums outdoors? for the trees?

user23 lmao he needs to touch grass

user24 so the question is why drums all of a sudden

liked by lando and others yourusername i know love is now out!! art imitates life etc etc

user25 HELLO THAT SONG??

user26 right? “new love, new plans, new script” ate down

user27 imitates life 😧 who, what, where, when and how is she dating

user28 lando you’re not slick i see you in the likes

user29 who’s lando?

user30 lando norris, f1 driver for mclaren

user31 icon behavior tbh: dropped a new single along with her single status

user32 WAIT guys hear me out… lando posted him playing drums and now he’s in the likes

user33 girl bye 💀 there’s no way some lightning mcqueen bagged our pop queen liked by lando

user34 lando out here trying to steal liam's role as number 1 cars fan

user35 this song is such a banger idek who it’s abt at this point

liked by lando and others yourusername my biggest inspiration, everyone! @/lando thank you for letting me put your drum playing on my latest release babe 😚 who knows, maybe i’ll have you sing on the next one? love you lots x

lando finally let me comment on your posts? 😮 thank you for inspiring me as well and putting a smile on my face you’re the best singer in the world and i love you so much

user36 beyonce is coming to get your ass for that

user37 PLS 😭

user38 so some car guy did indeed bag my queen 💔

user39 ME RELISTENING TO I KNOW LOVE RN TO HEAR LANDO

user40 help same

user41 waittttt that’s so adorable bc wdym he inspired her to write this

user42 how tf is no one else shocked that they’re dating

user43 oh we so are we're just good actors and mad we didn’t see it coming

user44 they’re such a cute couple like the last pic???

user45 OTPPPPPP

user46 if i had known all it takes was to play drums i would’ve impressed her first

lando too late mate

[kaliforniahigh]

You usually left Noah to his own devices when it came to recording, writing and producing. You knew he got very focused whenever he was in there with the boys.

But tonight, every single one of them has already left the studio, passing by the living room to bid you a quick goodbye before making their way out of the door. They all looked tired in their own ways, and you wondered how long it would take for your Noah to leave the studio.

You tried to busy yourself watching videos on your phone and scrolling through social media. But as the time passed, you realized it was close to 11PM and you haven't even had dinner yet. Your stomach was rumbling and your eyes were beginning to feel tired. So you made your way to the studio to check on your boyfriend.

Opening the door slowly, you saw him sitting on the chair in front of the computer. You could see the back of his head and his ever growing hair that you loved to grab on to and run your fingers through. He wasn't even moving, just blankly staring at the screen in front of him, and you knew it was time to try to get him out of here.

His broad shoulders were being hugged by his black t-shirt. You loved him in everything he worn, but a basic black t-shirt would always be your favorite.

You lingered by the door for another couple of seconds before you knocked, only loud enough for him to hear and turn around on his chair to finally land his eyes on you.

"Hi, baby", his voice was low and a little raspy, clearly tired after a whole day of singing and screaming into the microphone.

But what caught your attention were his drained eyes. You felt a little guilty for finding the sight before you completely adorable, but you couldn't help it. Besides, you knew he got extremely soft and touchy when he got tired, so that's why you made your way over to him, his arms already extending towards you to rest on your hips.

You got closer to him and ran your hands through his hair, he sighed in pleasure and encircled his arms around you in a hug, resting his head on your tummy. You could feel the ends of his hair prickling your skin through the fabric of your shirt.

"It's already 11PM, baby. You need to eat and go to bed", you told him in a small voice, almost a whisper. The room was quiet and despite the cold lightning, you felt a sense of comfort being here with him.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, honey. I didn't realize it was this late", he murmured into your shirt, but didn't move his head at all.

"I'll get something ready for us to eat, and then I'll be back to get you once it's done, ok?" you asked him, but he made a sound of complaint and you felt his arms tighten around you.

"Want you to stay here. Haven't felt you all day", he nuzzled his head closer as if to get his point across and convince you to stay. He never had to convince you to stay, your favorite place would always be with him.

You moved around a bit in his embrace and settled yourself on his lap, straddling his hip. The position didn't feel sexual at all in this moment. You were both craving some sense of closeness - him more than you - and the feeling of each other's body heat, so you decided to give him what he wanted before you would have to inevitably get up and fix you both something to eat.

You rested your head on his shoulder and he started to move his hands up and down your back.

"How was the studio session today?", you asked him, wanting to know if the reason he was staying here so late was because he was struggling with something, or because it was going so right, he didn't want to stop.

"Started good, but then we hit a brick wall. The guys left to clear their heads and I stayed here to try and sort it out", he mumbled into your neck. You knew that he felt more responsible than the other guys, and you always tried to tell him that this is a team effort, but you knew your boyfriend would always work himself to the bone regardless. And that'd when you would gladly step in.

"How about you also get out of here to clear your head? You can wait for me on the couch while I get dinner done", he knew why you were so adamant on him eating something. Having watched him go to bed without eating one too many times. The thought of you worring about him so much filled his stomach with butterflies. He loved being cared by you.

He finally nodded, realizing he wouldn't get anything done this tired and hungry.

You got up from his lap and he stood up after you, taking your hand in his and leading him out the door. Making your way to the kitchen, you thought he would situate himself on the couch and rest for a bit, even doze off for a while. But he followed you to the kitchen and made a personal home behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder.

You smiled to yourself, knowing there was nowhere you'd rather be right now. From time to time you gave him a piece of whatever you were cooking - and he gave a hum of appreciation, telling you it was good - and from time to time he gave you a kiss on the neck.

Noah was forever grateful for your presence in his life, knowing that he needed you to bring him back down when his head got too far up in the clouds. He didn't know what he'd do without feeling the heat of your body and your delicate hands on his skin at the end of a rough day.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Any headcanons for Erik Campbell as a father? Preference for female reader (I love your posts)

Erik as a father - HC

warning : fluff, emotional, no use of Y/n

info : Hi dear anon of course i have some hc for Erik as a father, and thank you so much that you like my works for him. Thanks for the request and happy reading ;)

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

°Since he has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Erik and her have never really thought about each other, neither at family celebrations nor when they slept together. It wasn't until a few years into their relationship and a proposal later that Brenda hinted at becoming a grandmother that the young couple wondered if they were ready.

°They weren't...whether he had knocked her up planned or unplanned, when she came out of the bathroom completely beside herself with the test, Erik almost fell over before he took her in his arms, “Whether you want to keep it or not, I'm always there. I mean, someone has to pass on these cool tattoos,” he tried to loosen the sitaution a little, but it was hard for him when they both decided to keep the little pile of cells for now.

°In the early months, they were both doing their best, taking tips from their family, reading books and listening to parenting podcasts at work. Together they joked about names, bought and resold things until the months progressed and Erik was fascinated to see that his wife was carrying their child, “The prettiest ball I've ever seen,” he said proudly, placing his hand on her increasingly round belly as he realized what they had both created.

°Of course Brenda, Stef and Julia had immediately searched through all the magazines, colors and furniture that looked pretty and cute, but Erik's “We have our own idea, but thank you all” as he stood in front of the door with the wooden sign that still had no name engraved on it. Taking his wife's hand, they opened the future nursery together and immersed the family in a colorful and dark sea of colors. Erik had painted the walls black, his wife had added little rainbows and decorated the furniture with little bats and lightning bolts.

°Even on the day of the birth, when Erik almost had several accidents while driving to the hospital with her, they were not prepared, the rest of the family had to pack their bags for the hospital. He was with her the whole time, holding her hand, cheering her on and trying to give her the support he would want. There was the fear of losing both of them, his own family history, the deaths of the past, but when he heard the small shrill cry of the child, Erik also had to cry when he saw the most beautiful thing: his wife holding the little creature in her arms.

°A little boy with dark hair and his mother's eyes was the first grandchild of the family and the new generation of Campbells, “He's so little” Erik sniffled and wiped away tears as he cried again when the little hand closed around his finger. It was emotional, special and overwhelming for both of them but together with the support of the whole family they always had each other to lean on. Whether it was in the hospital or at home when they had to get used to what it meant to care for a little human being.

°When Erik took the early shift at the studio, the first thing he did was look after the little one, drinking his coffee while holding it in his arms. Above all, he proudly returned a few days later, on his forearm, next to the tattoo for his 'father', a lettering of his son and his wife, “The most important people” he had announced and he was quite enraptured when his wife had gotten pircing stickers with the first letters for him and his son.

°When he had to go out later he still made sure that the little one had everything he needed, it was important to him that his beloved got enough rest, “It's important that you get your strength” he made clear when he accompanied her to the gymnastics classes and cheered her on from the sidelines with the little one in front of his chest. Erik took every opportunity to rub everyone's noses in how incredible his wife was, how pretty she was and what a cute baby she had with him.

°Erik is a good father who would do anything for his wife and son. He is always there when you need him and does his best, even on stressful days he tries to manage everything somehow and when the son is asleep in the crib he always gives his wife a kiss before they can both at least sleep for a few hours before the crying starts again...but if you ask Erik this was the sound of the happiest marriage and the comforting feeling in his heart that he had done everything right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@butchrgoth , @nearest-x-dearest , @captainthomasrobbie , @monkeydoll5 , @zombiepoe , @starry-eyed-wild-child , @porterroths , @amandalove1355 , @mythicalcowboyatheart , @rhaenyrathecruell , @aashy723 , @luluscoff1n , @fapqueen , @sadslasher13 , @everdxen-mellark , @yearsbecomingcool

[chroniclesofskz]

Harmonies of Desire

Chan is hard at work but Y/N was going to make him know how hard he was. 😏

Chan, a member of the renowned boy band Stray Kids, sat hunched over his laptop in the quiet sanctity of his home studio, surrounded by the soft glow of recording equipment and the faint scent of freshly brewed coffee. His eyes were glued to the screen, his fingers dancing over the keyboard as he composed a new track. The digital beats echoed through the room, a rhythmic heartbeat that matched the tempo of his creativity. His girlfriend, Y/N, lounged on the plush couch nearby, scrolling through her phone with a hint of restlessness in her eyes. She'd been watching him work for hours, her own thoughts and desires simmering beneath the surface.

"What do you think of this melody?" Chan asked, glancing up from his screen and breaking the silence.

Y/N feigned interest, peering over her phone. "It's good," she murmured nonchalantly. "But you know what would make it better?"

"What's that?" He leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips.

With a mischievous grin, Y/N slipped off the couch and onto her knees, her eyes never leaving his. She crawled under the desk, her hands tracing the fabric of his jeans as she approached his legs. His eyes widened in surprise, and he stifled a gasp as she started to massage his thighs gently, moving higher and higher. The music playing in the background seemed to fade as he felt her warm breath against his skin.

"What are you doing?" he managed to ask, his voice strained.

Y/N looked up at him through the gap in the desk, her eyes sparkling with playful challenge. "Just trying to help you get inspired," she said innocently, her hands now dangerously close to the growing bulge in his pants.

Chan's breath hitched as she boldly cupped him, squeezing lightly. He swiveled in his chair, trying to compose himself. "You're a distraction, you know," he said, his voice gruff with restrained desire.

"Oh, am I?" she purred, leaning closer.

With surprising strength, he unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down, freeing his now fully erect member. She watched with rapt attention as he kicked his jeans aside, his eyes never leaving hers. The sight of him, exposed and ready, was like a bolt of lightning to her core. She knew she had him right where she wanted him, and she wasn't about to let the moment slip away.

With a seductive smile, she knelt back down and took him in her hand, stroking him gently. His breathing grew heavy as she leaned in closer, her hot breath dancing over his sensitive skin. And then, with a swift motion, she took him in her mouth again, this time with more finesse and determination. Her tongue swirled around the tip, tasting the precum beading there. He groaned, his hands gripping the edge of the desk tightly.

Y/N's eyes watered slightly as she deep-throated him, her throat muscles contracting around his length. She could feel him getting harder, his body tensing with every stroke. He was so close, she could almost taste it. The sound of her own gagging only spurred her on, pushing her to be even more aggressive. She wanted him to remember this moment, to crave her every time he sat in this chair.

With a growl, he reached down and grabbed her hair, pulling her off with a gasp. "You're a naughty girl," he said, his voice thick with lust. "Distracting daddy at work."

Y/N looked up at him, her eyes wide and her lips swollen from her efforts. "I just want to make sure you don't forget to take breaks," she said, her voice a sultry purr.

"Breaks, huh?" He smirked and stood up, lifting her to her feet. "Fine. Let's take one." He turned her around and bent her over the desk, her skirt hiked up to expose her bare bottom. "But you're going to regret distracting me like that." He brought his hand down hard on her ass, the sound echoing through the room. She yelped in surprise, but there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

The atmosphere shifted, the tension in the room thick with desire. Y/N's heart pounded in anticipation as she felt his hands caress her skin, his breath hot on her neck. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You're going to get what you asked for, baby."

Without another word, he brought his hand down again, delivering a sharp spank that made her jump. The sting of pain mixed with pleasure, sending a jolt through her body. He didn't stop there, alternating between hard smacks and gentle caresses, painting her skin with a fiery blush. She could feel her pussy growing wetter with every hit, her body begging for more.

Chan stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Y/N's ass was a delightful shade of pink, and she was squirming with need. He reached between her legs, slipping his fingers into her drenched folds. She moaned, pushing back against him, silently begging for his touch. He smirked, enjoying the power he held over her.

"You want it, don't you?" he murmured, his voice a low rumble in the quiet room.

"Yes," she breathed, her voice needy. "Please, daddy."

With one swift motion, he yanked her panties to the side and plunged into her, filling her up completely. She screamed, the sensation overwhelming, and she knew she'd never felt so full, so alive. He began to pound into her, each thrust driving her closer and closer to the edge. The desk creaked beneath them, a symphony of pleasure accompanying the music still playing faintly in the background.

Her legs trembled, and she gripped the desk's edge, her nails digging into the wood. "Chan," she moaned, her voice barely a whisper.

"That's right, baby," he grunted, his strokes becoming more erratic. "Take it all."

Y/N felt her orgasm building, her body tightening around him. She could feel his own release approaching, his grip on her hips tightening. He leaned over her, one hand tangled in her hair, the other planted firmly on the small of her back, pushing her into each punishing thrust.

Their eyes met in the reflection of the computer screen, and she saw the hunger in his gaze, the raw, unbridled need. It was a heady feeling, knowing she had this powerful, talented man at her mercy. But it was also terrifying, because she knew that she was just as much under his spell.

With one final, deep push, he came, his warmth filling her. Y/N's own climax followed, a burst of stars in her vision as she saw nothing but white. They both stood there, panting and spent, their bodies entwined.

"I think that's enough inspiration for one night," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

Y/N could only nod, her body still trembling from the intense pleasure. "Definitely," she murmured, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. "Now get back to work, daddy."

[melita-m]

Ok so I decided to scrap the textures on my latest aftg models and start from scratch.

I’ve never really been interested in texturing so I always just half assed a painterly look post production in the compositor. I love drawing and I love 3D modeling but I’ve never been able to combine the two so I decided to watch damn near every 3d hand paint tutorial I could find on YouTube and I definitely think it was worth it.

I will now be spending my week sculpting and texturing a Maserati, are there any head cannons/ extra content about what the make/model and colour it is?

( And for those interested lightning boy studios camera mapping tutorial was the most helpful. )

[theformulaimagines]

Untitled. 2017 [part 1]

Time will go by, and you'll forget all that was between you and me, you and me. No, I won't wait for you, but know this, that I loved you. For the last time, the last time, for the last time, the last time…

Pairing: Kwon Jiyong x fem!singer reader

Plot: You loved this man. Ever since you were kids. But when self hatred runs deep everything breaks under the weight of it.

Warning: english isn’t my first language, angst, this has two or three parts, mentions of: depression, stress, heartbreak, friends to strangers (to lovers later(?))

2004

You giggled while you heard the door fall back shut. The moment you turned around you saw Jinyong walk up to you. Timid. Which would’ve confused you if you hadn’t felt the exact same way.

„Now?“, you asked, voice hardly above a whisper. Your best friend nodded before taking two big steps forward and pushing his lips on yours. With every other person in the world, it probably would have been awkward and embarrassing, not with Jiyong. With him, it was delicate and felt right.

Maybe because it was Jiyong. Your Jiyong.

2014

A heavy sigh fled your lips while you were looking down at your phone. The kind of sigh that lingers for a while before it needs to find a way out. There was no denying that Kiko was absolutely enchanting. A one-in-a-billion kind of woman. With a face straight out of a magazine. Your chest muscles tighten while you see the new pictures, taken only a few days ago. His hand lays on her cheek. A peaceful smile played on both of their faces, while she leaned into his touch.

He declared that he didn’t have a type. Which was obviously a lie. „Are you okay?“, someone near you asks, however, their voice is so far away you almost don’t hear it. For some bizarre reason, the only thing you were able to hear was the muffled sound of your already breaking heart. It had begun to crack a while ago, but now it was in two chunks. Laying in your ribcage.

No wonder Jiyong never looked your way when girls like Kiko existed in this world. You‘re pretty. Yes. Stunning even…when the lightning is set up right. However, you‘re not beautiful. You swallowed thickly and perked up.

„I‘m fine.“

No, you weren’t. You were far from being anywhere near that. The man you’ve been in love with since you first met had a type, and you figured out that you didn't fit into that.

You started dating as well. An idol from a well-respected boy group. And while the news of your relationship wasn't well received by his female fans there was one person who loathed it more than anyone else. Jiyong. The man who was asking every single girl he met if he could call them by your name. In their troubled on-and-off relationship Kiko wasn’t Kiko…no, she was Y/N. Which led to their countless breakups.

“Why don’t you go for the real thing?“

„You know I can’t.“

2017

The studio was chilly when you walked through the door. Jiyong was sitting next to mountains of papers, notes, and empty coffee mugs.

He asked you for advice. Which, he never asked anyone else about. Maybe you should’ve known by then that he loved you. He hoped you did. He had never been good at talking about his feelings without using metaphors. His reality always had to be hidden in plain sight.

He played the tracks. One by one. And you listened. Arms crossed, head tilted to the side. „I like it.“, you let out after a few moments of silence:“ It‘s honest.“ The man in front of you hummed in response. The anxiety lines, that were covering his features were deeper than usual. Quickly you pulled her gaze off of him, terrified that in a few moments, your view could turn blurry. Rather, they glide over the notes.

„It‘s good.“, you whisper. Which wasn’t a surprise to you:“ Since when…have you been working on this?“

„A while.“, he answers, running a hand through his hair.

„Is this about-?“

Jiyong looks away. He grabbed one of the coffee mugs, bringing it up to his lips. The cold liquid tasted sour, and he swallowed thickly before setting it back down on the table. „It‘s about a lot of things.“, he then responds, licking his dry lips. His fingers play with one of the volume knobs on the console.

„I‘m sorry about that by the way.“

„Don’t. It wasn’t just you. We both changed, right? Over time priorities change.“

„No, I mean Kiko.“ At the sound of her name Jiyongs’ jaw tenses and he leans back in his chair. He wants to look at you, but he just can’t. So he stares at his own reflection.

„Well, it was complicated. It had nothing to do with you.“, he lied, his voice sounding much more careful than before. He hoped you didn’t catch up on that. But you did. „I never said that.“ Your words were cutting deep and he wondered if you realized that. Almost to the bone.

„Things happened. It wasn’t fair to her, or me, or-.“ He paused. Concerned that if you were looking too close you could catch a glimpse of your name etched into the whiteness of them.

[jellyfishyy]

BLUE COLLAR PATRICK ZWEIG X BALLERINA READER

SUMMARY: When a ballet studio renovation forces her to rehearse in the backroom of an industrial garage, the last thing she expects is an audience.

content warning: mild langague, MxF

It started with the music one boring Saturday

Patrick was under the hood of a car when he heard it — muffled strings, the kind that didn’t belong anywhere near motor oil. At first, he thought someone left a radio on. But then it happened again the next day. And the next, and so on for the whole week

It was always in the late afternoon, bleeding in from the back wall of the garage — soft piano, sometimes violin, sometimes silence followed by a sharp thud, like something hitting the floor.

The fourth day, he walked back behind the storage unit and found the source: the old industrial backroom, now cleared out and lit with harsh fluorescents, was being used as a makeshift dance studio. And right in the middle — pink tights, a black wrap top, a low bun that was coming undone — was her.

She was standing on her toes, arms curved, sweat running down her spine. Focused. Light. Fierce in a way he hadn’t expected.

She didn’t see him, not yet, so he stepped back before she could.

But now he was curious, of course he was, who wouldn't be?

They officially met on a Friday. She had come out for air, towel around her neck, clutching a water bottle like her life depended on it

The garage door was half-open; Patrick was smoking outside, leaning against the frame.

Their eyes met.

"You the one dancing through the walls?" he asked, exhaling smoke, eyes unreadable.

She blinked. "You the one revving engines like it's a demolition derby?"

He smirked. “Touché" he already liked her, fierce, he tought

She looked at his grease-stained hands, the rolled-up sleeves, the disinterest carefully painted across his face. He looked at the ribbon marks around her ankles, the polish on her toes and the stubborn way she didn’t look away from him

"You always rehearse in a warehouse?" he asked.

She shrugged. “You always live in one?”

His smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, reluctant but real. “I work here.”

“I dance here.”

“You any good?” he asked

“Come see for yourself,” she said

He didn’t. Not that day.

But the next week, she left the door cracked. And he lingered longer by the wall. Watched the shape of her silhouette in the mirrors. The way her body moved like it was made of glass and lightning at the same time.

She noticed. Of course she did.

One afternoon, the music cut out halfway through a piece.

She muttered something under her breath, crouching beside her phone, clearly annoyed.

Patrick knocked twice on the door frame. She looked up

“Power strip,” he said. “That back socket shorts if you don’t wedge something under it"

She arched an eyebrow. “You spying on me now?”

“Fixing your problem,” he shot back, but there was no bite to it.

She smirked and stood. “You want to help, grease boy? Hold my phone so I can restart.”

He stepped in without hesitation. Their hands brushed as he took the phone, and for a moment, they were both still. Too still

She stepped away and spun into the first move like it cost her nothing — but Patrick didn’t leave

He watched the whole thing. Start to finish. Didn’t blink.

When it was over, she turned toward him, chest rising and falling, sweat beading at her collarbone

“Well?” she asked

He ran a hand through his hair, eyes narrowing slightly. Not with disapproval — with something deeper. Respect. Fascination.

“You’re not bad,” he said, voice low.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “That’s it?”

Patrick walked to the door, flicking his cigarette to the ground as he went.

Right before leaving, he looked over his shoulder

“Don’t fall for me, ballerina,” he said. “I’m bad for your posture"

She laughed, full and unexpected. “Please, i have better taste in disasters"

But that night, neither of them could stop thinking about the other.

Thanks for reading!

(Ask box in profile ♡)

[sugarkillsall]

So I wanted to make a 3D model of my recent hoppip art and it kinda got out of hand lol this was rly fun to play around with Blender's toon shaders and get the 2D look I wanted!!

Big huge shoutouts to Lightning Boy Studio's Blender toon shader tutorial and to Xetirano's Blender Parralax Shader tutorial . They are both amazing and taught me a lot, please check them out!!!

[sweatyracoon]

Their Favorite Part of You! Skz! Reactions

A/n: They all seem so sweet when it comes to affection, and it made me want to write this. I love them so much. HYUNG LINE!

Summary: Their favorite part of your body, both in and out of bed ;)

Warnings: Fluff, compliments, pet names, suggestive, smut? Language, insecurities, silly boys

Bangchan: Friend!Reader - Back

It’s no secret that Chan likes hugs. He hugs everyone around him, even staff. But when he hugged you, he preferred to be behind you during the embrace. He loves the way he can feel your back flex when you squirm against him. You’re a shy person, and he loves seeing your ears flush at his touch.

Everyday, he wrapped his arms around you when he was losing motivation or was annoyed, just to be picked back up again when he finally feels you relax as he tightens his grip. You were soft on his hard body, calming his nerves.

In Bed!Chan - Your wrists

He loved grabbing your wrists, either to pin them, or to place them on his body.

He would hold them, grounding himself to not be too harsh. Wrists were small and sensitive, so to be sure he couldn’t hurt you, he would put most of his focus on them, which he didn’t mind. It helped ease him knowing it would be difficult to hurt you this way.

He would bring your hands to his pecks, slowly drifting downwards until your palm rested on his bulge.

“Oh, please, babe…” He moaned, feeling your hand rock against him. “Don’t tease…”

Lee know: Friend!Reader - Thighs

He loved that when you stood, your legs looked so thin. They were sharpened pencils, frail but strong. He thought it suited you. But when you sat down next to him for the first time, his eyes widened, and all he could do was stare.

The fat of your thighs pushed against the chair, causing them to widen, naturally. Lee knows did the same, but he still was shocked seeing it happen to you. Your thighs were much larger than he thought.

After that, he had often welcomed you to sit in his lap, wanting to feel the softness of your flesh against his own. Not in a dirty way. He was curious.

When you finally gave into his request, he relished in the weight that pressed against his meaty legs, feeling secure. He kneaded the fat of your thighs while talking to one of the guys next to him. It just felt natural. It didn’t even bother you.

While walking past each other, he would even pinch your thighs just to see you yelp. He loved getting those reactions from you, nd it quickly became his favorite sound.

In bed!Lee Know - Thighs

Of course, it is the same. He would love kneading your thighs during an intense make out session, swallowing your whimpers. He loved it when you squirmed away when he grabbed too hard. It didn’t hurt you, it just felt too good.

He loved seeing the way your skin moved when he undressed you. The pressure moving it in a way that water does at a sudden impact.

He loved licking up your thighs, leaving hickeys and finger imprints, kissing every freckle and beauty mark, swallowing every bit of you he could.

He loved controlling your movement from your thighs, moving them however he wanted. You never fought, knowing of his fetish.

He loved masturbating with your thighs, and loved seeing his cum glisten on them. Breathing heavily, he would look you dead in the eye, and move down, licking his mess clean with his warm tongue.

Changbin: Friend!Reader - Hair

He loved seeing your hair bounce when you moved. It was so majestic, he couldn’t help but stare. Even when you spoke to him, he never made eye contact, looking at how your hair shined at the harsh lightning in the studio. He loved seeing it sparkle.

When you turned towards a sound, it was almost like your hair was waving at him, making him smile internally.

When you finally dyed it from your natural color, he was enamored. The peachy color clashed against your skin in the nicest way, showcasing your inner beauty. The color caught his eye always, and he could recognize you within a crowd just from it alone.

He was obsessed.

Months after realizing he was in love with your hair, he finally asked to feel it, your hair now a lavender shade.

“Sure,” You answered with a kind smile.

He was super giddy, happy to finally feel his weakness.

And it was so soft. He wrapped multiple strands around two of his digits, his eyes trained on the actions his hands were doing. He didn’t was to mistakenly pull, so he was slow.

“You look so happy, Bin,” you said, grinning. His face turned red immediately.

“Shut up,”

In bed!Changbin - Your face

He loves holding your face as he kisses you. When he’s fucking you into the mattress or the countertop. He loves seeing your expressions, the way your nose scrunches when he teases you. The way your eyes tighten when he flicks your sensitive buds. How your mouth opens in a silent scream when he finishes inside you.

He could cum from that alone, without even being touched.

But he loves touching you, especially when you’re making those faces. He sometimes even shoves his fingers into your open mouth, moaning as you close your lips, obediently sucking on them.

Hyunjin: Friend!Reader - Eyes

It doesn’t even matter if you’re talking to him directly or not, this man will just stare deep into your soul. He loves the color of your eyes, and the gold specks that line your iris. Walking art, if you ask him.

He has tried many times to replicate it while painting, but without the real model in front of him, and no photos to copy, he was lost. Thirteen canvases later, he gave up, now looking at the many eyes that stared back at him. None of them were familiar. That’s how he knew he failed.

Minho saw these paintings and sent a few to you, hoping to tease Hyunjin. You didn’t tell the ferret resembling man, not wanting to embarrass him. Instead, you asked him,

“Hey? Do you paint people?”

He looked at you oddly, “Yeah…? Why?”

“Wanna paint me?”

He immediately got to work. You were standing in front of him, so close that he could see every freckle and blemish. He was going to paint a portrait.

In bed!Hyunjin - Hands

He loved holding your hands in bed. It reminded him that you were truly there. He saw you as a goddess/god, and relished in your presence.

You always made sure to squeeze every once in a while, seeing Hyunjin blissed out so early on. It was a system that just seemed to fall in place. It was reassuring.

Hyunjin loved it when you rose him, tilting his head back with light moans. His right hand held your waist, helping you move while the other grasped your hand, squeezing it so hard to ground himself. He didn’t want to lose himself with you. He wanted to feel you fully.

Your hands helped him do just that.

[kilesplaysthings]

How the LaDS boys would act if you/MC were a manga/comic artist

Was inspired to do this after watching some of the show Zatsu Tabi the other day lol it’s a cute show! Just a bunch of cute manga authors traveling around Japan

⭐️ Xavier:

Has read his share of manga, his preference is sci-fi, so he’s very supportive of your works

Is more than happy to be a reference model for when you need to figure out how to draw characters fighting and action scenes. He’ll also give detailed pointers about different fighting stances, especially with a sword

Doesn’t see the need for you to have any other male reference model. He should be good enough. That goes for even observing random people while you’re out and about

Many times if you’re together while you’re working on a draft, he’ll take the opportunity during this time to nap. He doesn’t mind the quiet moments you need sometimes to work. It’s peaceful to him

To celebrate you finishing a big milestone of your draft, or if you get your chapter that’s due done early, he’ll treat you to a delicious meal. ❤️

He has a special nook in his apartment set aside for you if you want to do some work while you’re over.

Is not ashamed to use his lightning speed to help you get to your publisher to make sure you get your next chapter turned in on time lol

Owns all your works that have been published, displaying them front and center on his bookshelves

🐠 Rafayel:

Isn’t a big manga reader, but it’s a form of art, so of course he supports it!

The Mo art studio is not just his studio anymore. Now it’s a place for you also to work on your manga! And if you have a team, he makes a place for all of you to work together.

Is very curious about what you do. You don’t just draw things, you also tell a story with it! He will ask about your plots and characters and how it develops.

You never need to worry about having art supplies with him. You don’t have something, of course he has it!

Will be more than happy help you ink your panels or coloring them if you ask him

If you will allow him, he will give constructive criticism about your drawings. He will also help you with parts of your drawings that you think need improvement

Some evenings are just spent quietly between you two, with him painting and you sketching out your drafts. There’s been times when you both pull all nighters together because you’re both so deep in your work. You guys had a nice, lazy day afterwards to recuperate

When your works make it big, he will happily make an art exhibit of your manga art ❤️

❄️ Zayne:

He has read some manga when he was younger. Owned a few series that he liked to read in his downtime. Either way, he’s proud of whatever endeavors you devote yourself to, so of course he supports you ❤️

If you decide you want to try writing a medical drama manga, he’ll get quite excited and be happy to offer advice on how the hospital runs and how doctors work to make sure you’re 100% accurate

He’ll quietly work on his charting while you sketch away. Even though you’re both working, he enjoys the quiet. It’s pleasant, because even though you’re both working, he’s with you

However, being a doctor, he is very strict with how long you work. There are times when you’ll go without eating and once he found that out, he won’t stand for that anymore lol

He’ll quietly suggest you take a break and will legit monitor you as you drink some water and eat the food he puts in front of you. Fast food as a quick meal to get back to work? No way. You’re gonna sit down and eat a healthy meal.

Will also suggest going out for a walk to stretch your legs to make sure you still get plenty of exercise.

Sets an alarm for when it’s time for you to put the pencil down and get some sleep. In fact, he’s so worried making sure you take care of yourself that his own work ethic has changed lol

If he hears your publisher is pushing you to an unhealthy level, making you stressed to get your next chapter out, you bet they’ll be getting an official call (and lecture) from your official doctor

Also owns copies of your manga. Has made sure his coworkers at the hospital each have a copy too

Gives you a small smile when he sees your works in a store

🐦‍⬛ Sylus:

Doesn’t read manga, but will start to once he finds out you make it yourself

He will get you whatever you need. Art supplies? Child’s play. Need a tablet and pen for digital art? Cake. More notebooks and paper? You don’t even have to ask.

Will buy you a studio just for the heck of it. If you have a team of illustrators, he’ll fund all of what is needed to get the manga finished for your publisher

If you work mostly at night, he’ll be happy to stay with you, being a fellow night owl

But that doesn’t mean he’ll let you run yourself ragged with working. If you don’t respond to him saying you both should get to sleep as the sun creeps in through the windows, he’ll legit pick you up and take you to the bedroom to snuggle and sleep. You don’t mind lol

Once you’re done and need a break, he’ll be happy to take out for a ride on his motorcycle and will take you to nice sights for further inspiration

Will donate plenty of money to your publisher to help get your series running and will buy plenty of copies of your work once it’s published

Will frame your art around his pad ❤️

🍎 Caleb:

He’s known you for forever, so he’s well aware of your passion to publish manga and has been reading early drafts of your stuff since the beginning.

He’s always encouraged your work and says he’s going to throw a big party once you’re published

Is also someone who will monitor your health, knowing how deep you can get in your work. Will make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and have a whole meal plan for you. After all, he’s been used to doing that since you were a kid sketching furiously in your art pad until late in the night

He knows you used to stay up too late on school nights drawing so now that you’re grown he makes sure you get much needed sleep

Has been known to pull your hair back and tie it back into a ponytail or bun so it’s not in your eyes as you sketch

Has asked to be the model for your male protagonists. He just wants to be a part of everything you do

Is prepared for when you randomly decide to up and go out on a “journey for inspiration.” Has taken you on drives and flights to different places so you can see sights that will inspire your manga

Also owns copies of all your works. Will brag about it nonstop and try to give copies of your works to everyone he knows

Will gleefully point out your works to you in the bookstore and tell the cashiers that you’re the author until you tell him to please stop. (Anonymous? He doesn’t know her) But you can’t be too mad at him; he’s just so proud of you and your dreams coming true! ❤️

[turnstileskyline]

The Oral History of Take This To Your Grave – transcription under the cut

The pages that are just photographs, I haven't included. This post is already long enough.

Things that happened in 2003: Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California. Teen Vogue published its first issue. The world lost Johnny Cash. Johnny Depp appeared as Captain Jack Sparrow for the first time. A third Lord of the Rings movie arrived. Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley released Take This To Your Grave.

"About 21 years ago or so, as I was applying to colleges I would ultimately never go to, Fall Out Boy began as a little pop-punk side project of what we assumed was Pete's more serious band, Arma Angelus," Patrick wrote in a May 2023 social media post.

"We were sloppy and couldn't solidify a lineup, but the three of us (Pete, Joe, and I) were having way too much fun to give up on it."

"We were really rough around the edges. As an example of how rough, one of my favorite teachers pulled me aside after hearing the recording that would eventually become Evening Out With Your Girlfriend and tactfully said, 'What do you think your best instrument is, Patrick? Drums. It's drums. Probably not singing, Patrick.'"

"We went into Smart Studios with the Sean O'Keefe... So, there we were, 3/5 of a band with a singer who'd only been singing a year, no drummer, and one out of two guitarists. But we had the opportunity to record with Sean at Butch Vig's legendary studio.

"Eight or so months later, Fueled by Ramen would give us a contract to record the remaining songs. We'd sleep on floors, eat nothing but peanut butter and jelly, live in a van for the next three years, and somehow despite that, eventually play with Elton John and Taylor Swift and Jay-Z and for President Obama and the NFC championship, and all these other wildly unpredictable things. But none of that would ever come close to happening if Andy hadn't made it to the session and Joe hadn't dragged us kicking and screaming into being a band."

Two decades after its release, Take This To Your Grave sits comfortable in the Top 10 of Rolling Stone's 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums, edging out landmark records from Buzzcocks, Generation X, Green Day, The Offspring, Blink-182, and The Ramones.

It even ranked higher than Through Being Cool by Saves The Day and Jersey's Best Dancers from Lifetime, two records the guys in Fall Out Boy particularly revere.

Fall Out Boy's proper full-length debut on Fueled by Ramen is a deceptively smart, sugar-sweet, raw, energetic masterpiece owing as much to the bass player's pop culture passions, the singers deep love of R&B and soul, and their shared history in the hardcore scene as any pioneering punk band. Fall Out Boy's creative and commercial heights were still ahead, but Take This To Your Grave kicked it off, a harbinger for the enduring songwriting partnership between Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz, the eclectic contributions from Joe Trohman, and the propulsive powerhouse that is Andy Hurley.

The recordings document a special moment when Fall Out Boy was big in "the scene" but a "secret" from the mainstream. The band (and some of their friends) first sat down for an Oral History (which doubled as an Oral History of their origin story) with their old friend Ryan J. Downey, then Senior Editor for Alternative Press, upon the occasion of the album's 10th anniversary. What follows is an updated, sharper, and expanded version of that story, newly re-edited in 2023. As Patrick eloquently said: "Happy 20th birthday, Take This To Your Grave, you weird brilliant lightning strike accident of a record."

– Ryan J. Downey.

A Weird, Brilliant Lightning Strike Of A Record. The Oral History Of Fall Out Boy's Take This To Your Grave.

As told by:

Patrick Stump

Pete Wentz

Joe Trohman

Andy Hurley

Bob McLynn - Crush Music

Sean O'Keefe - Producer/Mixer

John Janick - Fueled By Ramen

Tim McIlrath - Rise Against

Mani Mostofi - Racetraitor

Chris Gutierrez - Arma Angelus

Mark Rose - Spitalfield

Sean Muttaqi - Uprising Records

Rory Felton - The Militia Group

Richard Reines - Drive-Thru Records

"To Feel No More Bitterness Forever" - From Hardcore to Softcore, 1998-2000

PETE WENTZ: When I got into hardcore, it was about discovering the world beyond yourself. There was a culture of trying to be a better person. That was part of what was so alluring about hardcore and punk for me. But for whatever reason, it shifted. Maybe this was just in Chicago, but it became less about the thought process behind it and more about moshing and breakdowns. There was a close-mindedness that felt very reactive.

TIM MCILRITH: I saw First Born many years ago, which was the first time I saw Pete and met him around then. This was '90s hardcore - p.c., vegan, activist kind of hardcore music. Pete was in many of those bands doing that kind of thing, and I was at many of those shows. The hardcore scene in Chicago was pretty small, so everyone kind of knew each other. I knew Andy Hurley as the drummer in Racetraitor. I was in a band called Baxter, so Pete always called me 'Baxter.' I was just 'Baxter' to a lot of those guys.

JOE TROHMAN: I was a young hardcore kid coming to the shows. The same way we all started doing bands. You're a shitty kid who goes to punk and hardcore shows, and you see the other bands playing, and you want to make friends with those guys because you want to play in bands too. Pete and I had a bit of a connection because we're from the same area. I was the youngest dude at most shows. I would see Extinction, Racetraitor, Burn It Down, and all the bands of that era.

WENTZ: My driver's license was suspended then, so Joe drove me everywhere. We listened to either Metalcore like Shai Hulud or pop-punk stuff like Screeching Weasel.

MCILRITH: I was in a band with Pete called Arma Angelus. I was like their fifth or sixth bass player. I wasn't doing anything musically when they hit me up to play bass, so I said, 'Of course.' I liked everyone in the band. We were rehearsing, playing a few shows here and there, with an ever-revolving cast of characters. We recorded a record together at the time. I even sing on that record, believe it or not, they gave me a vocal part. Around that same time, I began meeting with [bassist] Joe [Principe] about starting what would become Rise Against.

CHRIS GUTIERREZ: Wentz played me the Arma Angelus demo in the car. He said he wanted it to be a mix of Despair, Buried Alive, and Damnation A.D. He told me Tim was leaving to start another band - which ended up being Rise Against - and asked if I wanted to play bass.

TROHMAN: Pete asked me to fill in for a tour when I was 15. Pete had to call my dad to convince him to let me go. He did it, too. It was my first tour, in a shitty cargo van, with those dudes. They hazed the shit out of me. It was the best and worst experience. Best overall, worst at the time.

GUTIERREZ: Enthusiasm was starting to wane in Arma Angelus. Our drummer was really into cock-rock. It wasn't an ironic thing. He loved L.A. Guns, Whitesnake, and Hanoi Rocks. It drove Pete nuts because the scene was about Bleeding Through and Throwdown, not cock rock. He was frustrated that things weren't panning out for the band, and of course, there's a ceiling for how big a metalcore band can get, anyway.

MANI MOSTOFI: Pete had honed this tough guy persona, which I think was a defense mechanism. He had some volatile moments in his childhood. Underneath, he was a pretty sensitive and vulnerable person. After playing in every mosh-metal band in the Midwest and listening exclusively to Earth Crisis, Damnation A.D., Chokehold, and stuff like that for a long time, I think Pete wanted to do something fresh. He had gotten into Lifetime, Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids, and bands like that. Pete was at that moment where the softer side of him needed an outlet, and didn't want to hide behind mosh-machismo. I remember him telling me he wanted to start a band that more girls could listen to.

MCILRATH: Pete was talking about starting a pop-punk band. Bands like New Found Glory and Saves The Day were successful then. The whole pop-punk sound was accessible. Pete was just one of those guys destined for bigger things than screaming for mediocre hardcore bands in Chicago. He's a smart guy, a brilliant guy. All the endeavors he had taken on, even in the microcosm of the 1990s Chicago hardcore world, he put a lot of though into it. You could tell that if he were given a bigger receptacle to put that thought into, it could become something huge. He was always talented: lyrics, imagery, that whole thing. He was ahead of the curve. We were in this hardcore band from Chicago together, but we were both talking about endeavors beyond it.

TROHMAN: The drummer for Arma Angelus was moving. Pete and I talked about doing something different. It was just Pete and me at first. There was this thuggishness happening in the Chicago hardcore scene at that time that wasn't part of our vibe. It was cool, but it wasn't our thing.

MCILRITH: One day at Arma Angelus practice, Pete asked me, 'Are you going to do that thing with Joe?' I was like, 'Yeah, I think so.' He was like, 'You should do that, dude. Don't let this band hold you back. I'll be doing something else, too. We should be doing other things.' He was really ambitious. It was so amazing to me, too, because Pete was a guy who, at the time, was kind of learning how to play the bass. A guy who didn't really play an instrument will do down in history as one of the more brilliant musicians in Chicago. He had everything else in his corner. He knew how to do everything else. He needed to get some guys behind him because he had the rest covered. He had topics, themes, lyrics, artwork, this whole image he wanted to do, and he was uncompromising. He also tapped into something the rest of us were just waking up to: the advent of the internet. I mean, the internet wasn't new, but higher-speed internet was.

MOSTOFI: Joe was excited to be invited by Pete to do a band. Joe was the youngest in our crew by far, and Pete was the 'coolest' in a Fonzie sort of way. Joe deferred to Pete's judgement for years. But eventually, his whole life centered around bossy big-brother Pete. I think doing The Damned Things was for Joe what Fall Out Boy was for Pete, in a way. It was a way to find his own space within the group of friends. Unsurprisingly, Joe now plays a much more significant role in Fall Out Boy's music.

WENTZ: I wanted to do something easy and escapist. When Joe and I started the band, it was the worst band of all time. I feel like people said, 'Oh, yeah, you started Fall Out Boy to get big.' Dude, there was way more of a chance of every other band getting big in my head than Fall Out Boy. It was a side thing that was fun to do. Racetraitor and Extinction were big bands to me. We wanted to do pop-punk because it would be fun and hilarious. It was definitely on a lark. We weren't good. If it was an attempt at selling out, it was a very poor attempt.

MCILRITH: It was such a thing for people to move from hardcore bands to bands called 'emo' or pop-punk, as those bands were starting to get some radio play and signed to major labels. Everyone thought it was easy, but it's not as easy as that. Most guys we knew who tried it never did anything more successful than their hardcore bands. But Pete did it! And if anyone was going to, it was going to be him. He never did anything half-assed. He ended up playing bass in so many bands in Chicago, even though he could barely play the bass then, because simply putting him in your band meant you'd have a better show. He was just more into it. He knew more about dynamics, about getting a crowd to react to what you're doing than most people. Putting Pete in your band put you up a few notches.

"I'm Writing You A Chorus And Here Is Your Verse" - When Pete met Patrick, early 2001.

MARK ROSE: Patrick Stump played drums in this grindcore band called Grinding Process. They had put out a live split cassette tape.

PATRICK STUMP: My ambition always outweighed my ability or actual place in the world. I was a drummer and played in many bands and tried to finagle my way into better ones but never really managed. I was usually outgunned by the same two guys: this guy Rocky Senesce; I'm not sure if he's playing anymore, but he was amazing. And this other guy, De'Mar Hamilton, who is now in Plain White T's. We'd always go out for the same bands. I felt like I was pretty good, but then those guys just mopped the floor with me. I hadn't been playing music for a few months. I think my girlfriend dumped me. I was feeling down. I wasn't really into pop-punk or emo. I think at the time I was into Rhino Records box sets.

TROHMAN: I was at the Borders in Eden's Plaza in Wilmette, Illinois. My friend Arthur was asking me about Neurosis. Patrick just walked up and started talking to me.

STUMP: I was a bit arrogant and cocky, like a lot of young musicians. Joe was talking kind of loudly and I overheard him say something about Neurosis, and I think I came in kind of snotty, kind of correcting whatever they had said.

TROHMAN: We just started talking about music, and my buddy Arthur got shoved out of the conversation. I told him about the band we were starting. Pete was this local hardcore celebrity, which intrigued Patrick.

STUMP: I had similar conversations with any number of kids my age. This conversation didn't feel crazy special. That's one of the things that's real about [Joe and I meeting], and that's honest about it, that's it's not some 'love at first sight' thing where we started talking about music and 'Holy smokes, we're going to have the best band ever!' I had been in a lot of bands up until then. Hardcore was a couple of years away from me at that point. I was over it, but Pete was in real bands; that was interesting. Now I'm curious and I want to do this thing, or at least see what happens. Joe said they needed a drummer, guitar player, or singer, and I kind of bluffed and said I could do any one of those things for a pop-punk band. I'd had a lot of conversations about starting bands where I meet up with somebody and maybe try to figure out some songs and then we'd never see each other again. There were a lot of false starts and I assumed this would be just another one of those, but it would be fun for this one to be with the guy from Racetraitor and Extinction.

TROHMAN: He gave me the link to his MP3.com page. There were a few songs of him just playing acoustic and singing. He was awesome.

WENTZ: Joe told me we were going to this kid's house who would probably be our drummer but could also sing. He sent me a link to Patrick singing some acoustic thing, but the quality was so horrible it was hard to tell what it was. Patrick answered the door in some wild outfit. He looked like an emo kid but from the Endpoint era - dorky and cool. We went into the basement, and he was like, trying to set up his drums.

TROHMAN: Patrick has said many times that he intended to try out on drums. I was pushing for him to sing after hearing his demos. 'Hey! Sing for us!' I asked him to take out his acoustic guitar. He played songs from Saves The Day's Through Being Cool. I think he sang most of the record to us. We were thrilled. We had never been around someone who could sing like that.

WENTZ: I don't think Patrick thought we were cool at all. We were hanging out, and he started playing acoustic guitar. He started singing, and I realized he could sing any Saves The Day song. I was like, 'Wow, that's the way those bands sound! We should just have you sing.' It had to be serendipity because Patrick drumming and Joe singing is not the same band. I never thought about singing. It wasn't the type of thing I could sing. I knew I'd be playing bass. I didn't think it'd even go beyond a few practices. It didn't seem like the thing I was setting myself up to do for the next several years of my life in any way. I was going to college. It was just a fun getaway from the rest of life kind of thing to do.

STUMP: Andy was the first person we asked to play drums. Joe even brought him up in the Borders conversation. But Andy was too busy. He wasn't really interested, either, because we kind of sucked.

WENTZ: I wanted Hurley in the band, I was closest to him at the time, I had known him for a long time. I identified with him in the way that we were the younger dudes in our larger group. I tried to get him, but he was doing another band at the time, or multiple bands. He was Mani's go-to guy to play drums, always. I had asked him a few times. That should clue people into the fact that we weren't that good.

ANDY HURLEY: I knew Joe as 'Number One Fan.' We called him that because he was a huge fan of a band I was in, Kill The Slavemaster. When Fall Out Boy started, I was going to college full-time. I was in the band Project Rocket and I think The Kill Pill then, too.

MOSTOFI: After they got together the first or second time, Pete played me a recording and said, 'This is going to be big.' They had no songs, no name, no drummer. They could barely play their instruments. But Pete knew, and we believed him because we could see his drive and Patrick's potential. Patrick was prodigy. I imagine the first moment Pete heard him sing was probably like when I heard 15-year-old Andy Hurley play drums.

GUTIERREZ: One day at practice, Pete told me he had met some dudes with whom he was starting a pop-punk band. He said it would sound like a cross between New Found Glory and Lifetime. Then the more Fall Out Boy started to practice, the less active Arma Angelus became.

TROHMAN: We got hooked up with a friend named Ben Rose, who became our original drummer. We would practice in his parents' basement. We eventually wrote some pretty bad songs. I don't even have the demo. I have copies of Arma's demo, but I don't have that one.

MOSTOFI: We all knew that hardcore kids write better pop-punk songs than actual pop-punk kids. It had been proven. An experienced hardcore musician could bring a sense of aggression and urgency to the pop hooks in a way that a band like Yellowcard could never achieve. Pete and I had many conversations about this. He jokingly called it 'Softcore,' but that's precisely what it was. It's what he was going for. Take This To Your Grave sounds like Hot Topic, but it feels like CBGBs.

MCILRITH: Many hardcore guys who transitioned into pop-punk bands dumbed it down musically and lyrically. Fall Out Boy found a way to do it that wasn't dumbed down. They wrote music and lyrics that, if you listened closely, you could tell came from people who grew up into hardcore. Pete seemed to approach the song titles and lyrics the same way he attacked hardcore songs. You could see his signature on all of that.

STUMP: We all had very different ideas of what it should sound like. I signed up for Kid Dynamite, Strike Anywhere, or Dillinger Four. Pete was very into Lifetime and Saves The Day. I think both he and Joe were into New Found Glory and Blink-182. I still hadn't heard a lot of stuff. I was arrogant; I was a rock snob. I was over most pop-punk. But then I had this renaissance week where I was like, 'Man, you know what? I really do like The Descendents.' Like, the specific week I met Joe, it just happened to be that I was listening to a lot of Descendents. So, there was a part of me that was tickled by that idea. 'You know what? I'll try a pop-punk band. Why not?'

MOSTOFI: To be clear, they were trying to become a big band. But they did it by elevating radio-friendly pop punk, not debasing themselves for popularity. They were closely studying Drive-Thru Records bands like The Starting Line, who I couldn't stand. But they knew what they were doing. They extracted a few good elements from those bands and combined them with their other influences. Patrick never needed to be auto-tuned. He can sing. Pete never had to contrive this emotional depth. He always had it.

STUMP: The ideas for band names were obnoxious. At some point, Pete and I were arguing over it, and I think our first drummer, Ben Rose, who was in the hardcore band Strength In Numbers, suggested Fall Out Boy. Pete and I were like, 'Well, we don't hate that one. We'll keep it on the list.' But we never voted on a name.

"Fake It Like You Matter" - The Early Shows, 2001

The name Fall Out Boy made their shortlist, but their friends ultimately chose it for them. The line-up at the band's first show was Patrick Stump (sans guitar), Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, drummer Ben Rose, and guitarist John Flamandan in his only FOB appearance.

STUMP: We didn't have a name at our two or three shows. We were basically booked as 'Pete's new band' as he was the most known of any of us. Pete and I were the artsy two.

TROHMAN: The rest of us had no idea what we were doing onstage.

STUMP: We took ourselves very seriously and completely different ideas on what was 'cool.' Pete at the time was somewhere between maybe Chuck Palahniuk and Charles Bukowski, and kind of New Romantic and Manchester stuff, so he had that in mind. The band names he suggested were long and verbose, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I was pretty much only into Tom Waits, so I wanted everything to be a reference to Tom Waits. The first show was at DePaul [University] in some cafeteria. The room looked a lot nicer than punk rock shows are supposed to look, like a room where you couldn't jump off the walls. We played with a band called Stillwell. I want to say one of the other bands played Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath in its entirety. We were out of place. We were tossing a few different names around. The singer for Stillwell was in earshot of the conversation so I was like 'Hey, settle this for us,' and told him whatever name it was, which I can't remember. 'What do you think of this name?' He goes, 'It sucks.' And the way he said it, there was this element to it, like, 'You guys probably suck, too, so whatever.' That was our first show. We played first and only had three songs. That was John's only show with us, and I never saw him again. I was just singing without a guitar, and I had never just sung before; that was horrifying. We blazed through those songs.

ROSE: Patrick had this shoulder-length hair. Watching these guys who were known for heavier stuff play pop-punk was strange. Pete was hopping around with the X's on his hands. Spitalfield was similar; we were kids playing another style of music who heard Texas Is The Reason and Get Up Kids and said, 'We have to start a band like this.'

MOSTOFI: The first show was a lot of fun. The musical side wasn't there, but Pete and Patrick's humor and charisma were front and center.

TROHMAN: I remember having a conversation with Mani about stage presence. He was telling me how important it was. Coalesce and The Dillinger Escape Plan would throw mic stands and cabinets. We loved that visual excitement and appeal. Years later, Patrick sang a Fall Out Boy song with Taylor Swift at Giants Stadium. It was such a great show to watch that I was reminded of how wise Mani was to give me that advice back then. Mani was like a mentor for me, honestly. He would always guide me through stuff.

MOSTOFI: Those guys grew up in Chicago, either playing in or seeing Extinction, Racetraitor, Los Crudos, and other bands that liked to talk and talk between songs. Fall Out Boy did that, and it was amazing. Patrick was awkward in a knowing and hilarious way. He'd say something odd, and then Pete would zing him. Or Pete would try to say something too cool, and Patrick would remind him they were nerds. These are very personal memories for me. Millions of people have seen the well-oiled machine, but so few of us saw those guys when they were so carefree.

TROHMAN: We had this goofy, bad first show, but all I can tell you was that I was determined to make this band work, no matter what.

STUMP: I kind of assumed that was the end of that. 'Whatever, on with our lives.' But Joe was very determined. He was going to pick us up for practice and we were going to keep playing shows. He was going to make the band happen whether the rest of us wanted to or not. That's how we got past show number one. John left the band because we only had three songs and he wasn't very interested. In the interim, I filled in on guitar. I didn't consider myself a guitar player. Our second show was a college show in Southern Illinois or something.

MCILRITH: That show was with my other band, The Killing Tree.

STUMP: We showed up late and played before The Killing Tree. There was no one there besides the bands and our friends. I think we had voted on some names. Pete said 'Hey, we're whatever!'; probably something very long. And someone yells out, 'Fuck that, no, you're Fall Out Boy!' Then when The Killing Tree was playing, Tim said, 'I want to thank Fall Out Boy.' Everyone looked up to Tim, so when he forced the name on us, it was fine. I was a diehard Simpsons fan, without question. I go pretty deep on The Simpsons. Joe and I would just rattle off Simpsons quotes. I used to do a lot of Simpsons impressions. Ben was very into Simpsons; he had a whole closet full of Simpsons action figures.

"If Only You Knew I Was Terrified" - The Early Recordings, 2002-2003

Wentz's relationships in the hardcore scene led to Fall Out Boy's first official releases. A convoluted and rarely properly explained chain of events resulted in the Fall Out Boy/Project Rocket split EP and Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend. Both were issued by California's Uprising Records, whose discography included Racetraitor's first album and the debut EP by Burn It Down. The band traveled to Wisconsin to record their first proper demo with engineer Jared Logan, drummer for Uprising's 7 Angels 7 Plagues.

TROHMAN: This isn't to be confused with the demo we did in Ben's basement, which was like a tape demo. This was our first real demo.

STUMP: Between booking the demo and recording it, we lost Ben Rose. He was the greatest guy, but it wasn't working out musically. Pete and Joe decided I should play drums on the demo. But Jared is a sick drummer, so he just did it.

TROHMAN: We had gotten this great singer but went through a series of drummers that didn't work out. I had to be the one who kicked Ben out. Not long after, our friend Brett Bunting played with us. I don't think he really wanted to do it, which was a bummer.

STUMP: I showed up to record that demo, feeling pulled into it. I liked hanging out with the guys, but I was a rock snob who didn't really want to be making that type of music. The first few songs were really rough. We were sloppy. We barely practiced. Pete was in Arma Angelus. Joe was the guy determined to make it happen. We couldn't keep a drummer or guitar player, and I could barely play guitar. I didn't really want to be in Fall Out Boy. We had these crappy songs that kind of happened; it didn't feel like anything. Joe did the guitars. I go in to do the vocals, I put on the headphones, and it starts playing and was kind of not bad! It was pretty good, actually. I was shocked. That was the first time I was like, 'Maybe I am supposed to be in this band.' I enjoyed hearing it back.

SEAN MUTTAQI: Wentz and I were pretty tight. He sent me some demos, and while I didn't know it would get as big as it did, I knew it was special. Wentz had a clear vision. Of all the guys from that scene, he was the most singularly focused on taking things to the next level. He was ahead of the game with promotion and the early days of social media.

STUMP: Arma Angelus had been on Eulogy. We talked to them a bit and spoke to Uprising because they had put out Racetraitor. At some point, the demo got to Sean, and he decided to make it half of a split with Andy's band, Project Rocket. We were pretty happy with that.

HURLEY: It was kind of competitive for me at the time. Project Rocket and Fall Out Boy were both doing pop-punk/pop-rock, I met Patrick through the band. I didn't really know him before Fall Out Boy.

TROHMAN: We got this drummer, Mike Pareskuwicz, who had been in a hardcore band from Central Illinois called Subsist.

STUMP: Uprising wanted us to make an album. We thought that was cool, but we only had those three songs that were on the split. We were still figuring ourselves out. One of the times we were recording with Jared in the studio, for the split or the album, this guy T.J. Kunasch was there. He was like, 'Hey, do you guys need a guitarist?' And he joined.

MUTTAQI: I borrowed some money to get them back in the studio. The songwriting was cool on that record, but it was all rushed. The urgency to get something out led to the recording being subpar. Their new drummer looked the part but couldn't really play. They had already tracked the drums before they realized it didn't sound so hot.

STUMP: The recording experience was not fun. We had two days to do an entire album. Mike was an awesome dude, but he lived crazy far away, in Kanakee, Illinois, so the drive to Milwaukee wasn't easy for him. He had to work or something the next day. So, he did everything in one take and left. He played alone, without a click, so it was a ness to figure out. We had to guess where the guitar was supposed to go. None of us liked the songs because we had slapped them together. We thought it all sucked. But I thought, 'Well, at least it'll be cool to have something out.' Then a lot of time went by. Smaller labels were at the mercy of money, and it was crazy expensive to put out a record back then.

MUTTAQI: Our record was being rushed out to help generate some interest, but that interest was building before we could even get the record out. We were beholden to finances while changing distribution partners and dealing with other delays. The buck stops with me, yes, but I didn't have that much control over the scheduling.

WENTZ: It's not what I would consider the first Fall Out Boy record. Hurley isn't on it and he's an integral part of the Fall Out Boy sound. But it is part of the history, the legacy. NASA didn't go right to the moon. They did test flights in the desert. Those are our test flights in the desert. It's not something I'm ashamed of or have weird feelings about.

STUMP: It's kind of embarrassing to me. Evening Out... isn't representative of the band we became. I liked Sean a lot, so it's nothing against him. If anybody wants to check out the band in that era, I think the split EP is a lot cooler. Plus, Andy is on that one.

TROHMAN: T.J. was the guy who showed up to the show without a guitar. He was the guy that could never get it right, but he was in the band for a while because we wanted a second guitar player. He's a nice dude but wasn't great to be in a band with back then. One day he drove unprompted from Racine to Chicago to pick up some gear. I don't know how he got into my parents' house, but the next thing I knew, he was in my bedroom. I didn't like being woken up and kicked him out of the band from bed.

STUMP: Our friend Brian Bennance asked us to do a split 7" with 504 Plan, which was a big band to us. Brian offered to pay for us to record with Sean O'Keefe, which was also a big deal. Mike couldn't get the time off work to record with us. We asked Andy to play on the songs. He agreed to do it, but only if he could make it in time after recording an entire EP with his band, The Kill Pill, in Chicago, on the same day.

MOSTOFI: Andy and I started The Kill Pill shortly after Racetraitor split up, not long after Fall Out Boy had formed. We played a bunch of local shows together. The minute Andy finished tracking drums for our EP in Chicago, he raced to the other studio in Madison.

STUMP: I'm getting ready to record the drums myself, getting levels and checking the drums, pretty much ready to go. And then in walks Andy Hurley. I was a little bummed because I really wanted to play drums that day. But then Andy goes through it all in like two takes and fucking nailed the entire thing. He just knocked it out of the park. All of us were like, 'That's crazy!'

WENTZ: When Andy came in, It just felt different. It was one of those 'a-ha' moments.

STUMP: Sean leaned over to us and said, 'You need to get this guy in the band.'

SEAN O'KEEFE: We had a blast. We pumped It out. We did it fast and to analog tape. People believe it was very Pro Tools oriented, but it really was done to 24-track tape. Patrick sang his ass off.

STUMP: The songs we had were 'Dead On Arrival,' 'Saturday,' and 'Homesick at Space Camp. There are quite a few songs that ended up on Take This To You Grave where I wrote most of the lyrics but Pete titled them.

WENTZ: 'Space Camp' was a reference to the 1986 movie, SpaceCamp, and the idea of space camp. Space camp wasn't something anyone in my area went to. Maybe they did, but it was never an option for me. It seems like the little kid version of meeting Jay-Z. The idea was also: what if you, like Joaquin Phoenix in the movie, took off to outer space and wanted to get home? 'I made it to space and now I'm just homesick and want to hang out with my friends.' In the greater sense, it's about having it all, but it's still not enough. There's a pop culture reference in 'Saturday' that a lot of people miss. 'Pete and I attack the lost Astoria' was a reference to The Goonies, which was filmed in Astoria, Oregon.

HURLEY: I remember hearing those recordings, especially 'Dead on Arrival,' and Patrick's voice and how well written those songs were, especially relative to anything else I had done - I had a feeling that this could do something.

WENTZ: It seemed like it would stall out if we didn't get a solid drummer in the band soon. That was the link that we couldn't nail down. Patrick was always a big musical presence. He thinks and writes rhythmi-cally, and we couldn't get a drummer to do what he wanted or speak his language. Hurley was the first one that could. It's like hearing two drummers talk together when they really get it. It sounds like a foreign language because it's not something I'm keyed into. Patrick needed someone on a similar musical plane. I wasn't there. Joe was younger and was probably headed there.

HURLEY: When Patrick was doing harmonies, it was like Queen. He's such a brilliant dude. I was always in bands that did a record and then broke up. I felt like this was a band that could tour a lot like the hardcore bands we loved, even if we had to have day jobs, too.

"(Four) Tired Boys And A Broken Down Van" - The Early Tours, 2002-2003

STUMP: We booked a tour with Spitalfield, another Chicago band, who had records out, so they were a big deal to us. We replaced T.J. with a guy named Brandon Hamm. He was never officially in the band. He quit when we were practicing 'Saturday.' He goes, 'I don't like that. I don't want to do this anymore.' Pete talked with guitarist Chris Envy from Showoff, who had just broken up. Chris said, 'Yeah, I'll play in your band.' He came to two practices, then quit like two days before the tour. It was only a two-week tour, but Mike couldn't get the time off work from Best Buy, or maybe it was Blockbuster. We had to lose Mike, which was the hardest member change for me. It was unpleasant.

TROHMAN: We had been trying to get Andy to join the band for a while. Even back at that first Borders conversation, we talked about him, but he was too busy at the time.

STUMP: I borrowed one of Joe's guitars and jumped in the fire. We were in this legendarily shitty used van Pete had gotten. It belonged to some flower shop, so it had this ominously worn-out flower decal outside and no windows [except in the front]. Crappy brakes, no A/C, missing the rearview mirror, no seats in the back, only the driver's seat. About 10 minutes into the tour, we hit something. A tire exploded and slingshot into the passenger side mirror, sending glass flying into the van. We pulled over into some weird animal petting zoo. I remember thinking, 'This is a bad omen for this tour.' Spitalfield was awesome, and we became tight with them. Drew Brown, who was later in Weekend Nachos, was out with them, too. But most of the shows were canceled.

WENTZ: We'd end up in a town, and our show was canceled, or we'd have three days off. 'Let's just get on whatever show we can. Whatever, you can pay us in pizza.'

STUMP: We played in a pizza place. We basically blocked the line of people trying to order pizza, maybe a foot away from the shitty tables. Nobody is trying to watch a band. They're just there to eat pizza. And that was perhaps the biggest show we played on that tour. One of the best moments on the Spitalfied tour was in Lincoln, Nebraska. The local opener wasn't even there - they were at the bar across the street and showed up later with two people. Fall Out Boy played for Spitalfield, and Spitalfield played for Fall Out Boy. Even the sound guy had left. It was basically an empty room. It was miserable.

HURLEY: Even though we played a ton of shows in front of just the other bands, it was awesome. I've known Pete forever and always loved being in bands with him. After that tour, it was pretty much agreed that I would be in the band. I wanted to be in the band.

WENTZ: We would play literally any show in those days for free. We played Chain Reaction in Orange County with a bunch of metalcore bands. I want to say Underoath was one of them. I remember a lot of black shirts and crossed arms at those kinds of shows. STUMP: One thing that gets lost in the annals of history is Fall Out Boy, the discarded hardcore band. We played so many hardcore shows! The audiences were cool, but they were just like, 'This is OK, but we'd really rather be moshing right now.' Which was better than many of the receptions we got from pop-punk kids.

MOSTOFI: Pete made sure there was little division between the band and the audience. In hardcore, kids are encouraged to grab the mic. Pete was very conscious about making the crowd feel like friends. I saw them in Austin, Texas, in front of maybe ten kids. But it was very clear all ten of those kids felt like Pete's best friends. And they were, in a way.

MCILRITH: People started to get into social networking. That kind of thing was all new to us, and they were way ahead. They networked with their fans before any of us.

MOSTOFI: Pete shared a lot about his life online and was intimate as hell. It was a new type of scene. Pete extended the band's community as far as fiber optics let him.

ROSE: Pete was extremely driven. Looking back, I wish I had that killer instinct. During that tour; we played a show in Colorado. On the day of the show, we went to Kinko's to make flyers to hand out to college kids. Pete put ‘members of Saves The Day and Screeching Weasel’ on the flyer. He was just like, 'This will get people in.'

WENTZ: We booked a lot of our early shows through hardcore connections, and to some extent, that carries through to what Fall Out Boy shows are like today. If you come to see us play live, we're basically Slayer compared to everyone else when we play these pop radio shows. Some of that carries back to what you must do to avoid being heckled at hardcore shows. You may not like our music, but you will leave here respecting us. Not everyone is going to love you. Not everyone is going to give a shit. But you need to earn a crowd's respect. That was an important way for us to learn that.

MOSTOFI: All those dudes, except Andy, lived in this great apartment with our friend Brett Bunting, who was almost their drummer at one point. The proximity helped them gel.

STUMP: There were a lot of renegade last-minute shows where we'd just call and get added. We somehow ended up on a show with Head Automatica that way.

MCILRITH: At some point early on, they opened for Rise Against in a church basement in Downers Grove. We were doing well then; headlining that place was a big deal. Then Pete's band was coming up right behind us, and you could tell there was a lot of chatter about Fall Out Boy. I remember getting to the show, and there were many people there, many of whom I had never seen in the scene before. A lot of unfamiliar faces. A lot of people that wouldn't have normally found their way to the seedy Fireside Bowl in Chicago. These were young kids, and I was 21 then, so when I say young, I mean really young. Clearly, Fall Out Boy had tapped into something the rest of us had not. People were super excited to see them play and freaked out; there was a lot of enthusiasm at that show. After they finished, their fans bailed. They were dedicated. They wanted to see Fall Out Boy. They didn't necessarily want to see Rise Against play. That was my first clue that, 'Whoa, what Pete told me that day at Arma Angelus rehearsal is coming true. He was right.' Whatever he was doing was working.

"My Insides Are Copper, And I'd Like To Make Them Gold" - The Record Labels Come Calling, 2002

STUMP: The split EP was going to be a three-way split with 504 Plan, August Premier, and us at one point. But then the record just never happened. Brian backed out of putting it out. We asked him if we could do something else with the three songs and he didn't really seem to care. So, we started shopping the three songs as a demo. Pete ended up framing the rejection letters we got from a lot of pop-punk labels. But some were interested.

HURLEY: We wanted to be on Drive-Thru Records so bad. That was the label.

RICHARD REINES: After we started talking to them, I found the demo they had sent us in the office. I played it for my sister. We decided everything together. She liked them but wasn't as crazy about them as I was. We arranged with Pete to see them practice. We had started a new label called Rushmore. Fall Out Boy wasn't the best live band. We weren't thrilled [by the showcase]. But the songs were great. We both had to love a band to sign them, so my sister said, 'If you love them so much, let's sign them to Rushmore, not Drive Thru.'

HURLEY: We did a showcase for Richard and Stephanie Reines. They were just kind of like, 'Yeah, we have this side label thing. We'd be interested in having you on that.' I remember them saying they passed on Saves The Day and wished they would have put out Through Being Cool. But then they [basically] passed on us by offering to put us on Rushmore. We realized we could settle for that, but we knew it wasn't the right thing.

RORY FELTON: Kevin Knight had a website, TheScout, which always featured great new bands. I believe he shared the demo with us. I flew out to Chicago. Joe and Patrick picked me up at the airport. I saw them play at a VFW hall, Patrick drank an entire bottle of hot sauce on a dare at dinner, and then we all went to see the movie The Ring. I slept on the couch in their apartment, the one featured on the cover of Take This To Your Grave. Chad [Pearson], my partner, also flew out to meet with the band.

STUMP: It was a weird time to be a band because it was feast or famine. At first, no one wanted us. Then as soon as one label said, 'Maybe we'll give 'em a shot,' suddenly there's a frenzy of phone calls from record labels. We were getting our shirts printed by Victory Records. One day, we went to pick up shirts, and someone came downstairs and said, 'Um, guys? [Owner] Tony [Brummel] wants to see you.' We were like, 'Did we forget to pay an invoice?' He made us an offer on the spot. We said, 'That's awesome, but we need to think about it.' It was one of those 'now or never' kinds of things. I think we had even left the van running. It was that kind of sudden; we were overwhelmed by it.

HURLEY: They told me Tony said something like, 'You can be with the Nike of the record industry or the Keds of the record industry.'

STUMP: We'd get random calls at the apartment. 'Hey, I'm a manager with so-and-so.' I talked to some boy band manager who said, 'We think you'll be a good fit.'

TROHMAN: The idea of a manager was a ‘big-time' thing. I answered a call one day, and this guy is like, 'I'm the manager for the Butthole Surfers, and I'd really like to work with you guys.' I just said, Yeah, I really like the Butthole Surfers, but I'll have to call you back.' And I do love that band. But I just knew that wasn't the right thing.

STUMP: Not all the archetypes you always read about are true. The label guys aren't all out to get you. Some are total douchebags. But then there are a lot who are sweet and genuine. It's the same thing with managers. I really liked the Militia Group. They told us it was poor form to talk to us without a manager. They recommended Bob McLynn.

FELTON: We knew the guys at Crush from working with Acceptance and The Beautiful Mistake. We thought they'd be great for Fall Out Boy, so we sent the music to their team.

STUMP: They said Crush was their favorite management company and gave us their number. Crush's biggest band at the time was American Hi-Fi. Jonathan Daniels, the guy who started the company, sent a manager to see us. The guy was like, "This band sucks!' But Jonathan liked us and thought someone should do something with us. Bob was his youngest rookie manager. He had never managed anyone, and we had never been managed.

BOB MCLYNN: Someone else from my office who isn't with us anymore had seen them, but I hadn't seen them yet. At the time, we'd tried to manage Brand New; they went elsewhere, and I was bummed. Then we got the Fall Out Boy demo, and I was like, Wow. This sounds even better. This guy can really sing, and these songs are great.' I remember going at it hard after that whole thing. Fall Out Boy was my consolation prize. I don't know if they were talking to other managers or not, but Pete and I clicked.

TROHMAN: In addition to being really creative, Pete is really business savvy. We all have a bullshit detector these days, but Pete already had one back then. We met Bob, and we felt like this dude wouldn't fuck us over.

STUMP: We were the misfit toy that nobody else wanted. Bob really believed in us when nobody else did and when nobody believed in him. What's funny is that all the other managers at Crush were gone within a year. It was just Bob and Jonathan, and now they're partners. Bob was the weird New York Hardcore guy who scared me at the time.

TROHMAN: We felt safe with him. He's a big, hulking dude.

MCLYNN: We tried to make a deal with The Militia Group, but they wouldn't back off on a few things in the agreement. I told them those were deal breakers, opening the door to everyone else. I knew this band needed a shot to do bigger and better things.

TROHMAN: He told us not to sign with the label that recommended him to us. We thought there was something very honest about that.

MCLYNN: They paid all their dues. Those guys worked harder than any band I'd ever seen, and I was all about it. I had been in bands before and had just gotten out. I was getting out of the van just as these guys got into one. They busted their asses.

STUMP: A few labels basically said the same thing: they wanted to hear more. They weren't convinced we could write another song as good as 'Dead On Arrival.' I took that as a challenge. We returned to Sean a few months after those initial three songs, this time at Gravity Studios in Chicago. We recorded ‘Grenade Jumper' and 'Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy' in a night or two. 'Where is Your Boy' was my, 'Fine, you don't think I can write a fucking song? Here's your hit song, jerks!' But I must have pushed Pete pretty hard [arguing about the songs]. One night, as he and I drove with Joe, Pete said, 'Guys, I don't think I want to do this band anymore.' We talked about it for the rest of the ride home. I didn't want to be in the band in the first place! I was like, 'No! That's not fair! Don't leave me with this band! Don't make me kind of like this band, and then leave it! That's bullshit!' Pete didn't stay at the apartment that night. I called him at his parent's house. I told him I wasn't going to do the band without him. He was like, 'Don't break up your band over it.' I said, 'It's not my band. It's a band that you, Joe, and I started.' He was like, 'OK, I'll stick around.' And he came back with a vengeance.

WENTZ: It was maybe the first time we realized we could do these songs titles that didn't have much do with the song from the outside. Grand Theft Auto was such a big pop culture franchise. If you said the phrase back then, everyone recognized it. The play on words was about someone stealing your time in the fall. It was the earliest experimentation with that so it was a little simplistic compared to the stuff we did later. At the time, we'd tell someone the song title, and they'd say, 'You mean "Auto"'?

JOHN JANICK: I saw their name on fliers and thought it was strange. But I remembered it. Then I saw them on a flyer with one of our bands from Chicago, August Premier. I called them and asked about this band whose name I had seen on a few flyers now. They told me they were good and I should check it out. I heard an early version of a song online and instantly fell in love with it. Drive-Thru, The Militia Group, and a few majors tried to sign them. I was the odd man out. But I knew I wanted them right away.

HURLEY: Fueled By Ramen was co-owned by Vinnie [Fiorello] from Less Than Jake. It wasn't necessarily a band I grew up loving, but I had so much respect for them and what they had done and were doing.

JANICK: I randomly cold-called them at the apartment and spoke to Patrick. He told me I had to talk to Pete. I spoke to Pete later that day. We ended up talking on the phone for an hour. It was crazy. I never flew out there. I just got to know them over the phone.

MCLYNN: There were majors [interested], but I didn't want the band on a major right away. I knew they wouldn't understand the band. Rob Stevenson from Island Records knew all the indie labels were trying to sign Fall Out Boy. We did this first-ever incubator sort of deal. I also didn't want to stay on an indie forever; I felt we needed to develop and have a chance to do bigger and better things, but these indies didn't necessarily have radio staff. It was sort of the perfect scenario. Island gave us money to go on Fueled By Ramen, with whom we did a one-off. No one else would offer a one-off on an indie.

STUMP: They were the smallest of the labels involved, with the least 'gloss.' I said, 'I don't know about this, Pete.' Pete was the one who thought it was the smartest move. He pointed out that we could be a big fish in a small pond. So, we rolled the dice.

HURLEY: It was a one-record deal with Fueled By Ramen. We didn't necessarily get signed to Island, but they had the 'right of first refusal' [for the album following Take This To Your Grave]. It was an awesome deal. It was kind of unheard of, maybe, but there was a bunch of money coming from Island that we didn't have to recoup for promo type of things.

JANICK: The company was so focused on making sure we broke Fall Out Boy; any other label probably wouldn't have had that dedication. Pete and I talked for at least an hour every day. Pete and I became so close, so much so that we started Decaydance. It was his thing, but we ended up signing Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship.

GUTIERREZ: Who could predict Pete would A&R all those bands? There's no Panic! At The Disco or Gym Class Heroes without Wentz. He made them into celebrities.

"Turn This Up And I'll Tune You Out" - The Making of Take This To You Grave, 2003

The versions of "Dead on Arrival," "Saturday," and "Homesick at Space Camp" from the first sessions with Andy on drums are what appear on the album. "Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy" and "Grenade Jumper" are the demo versions recorded later in Chicago. O'Keefe recorded the music for the rest of the songs at Smart Studios once again. They knocked out the remaining songs in just nine days. Sean and Patrick snuck into Gravity Studios in the middle of the night to track vocals in the dead of winter. Patrick sang those seven songs from two to five in the morning in those sessions.

STUMP: John Janick basically said, ‘I'll buy those five songs and we'll make them part of the album, and here's some money to go record seven more.'

MCLYNN: It was a true indie deal with Fueled by Ramen. I think we got between $15,000 and $18,000 all-in to make the album. The band slept on the studio floor some nights.

STUMP: From a recording standpoint, it was amazing. It was very pro, we had Sean, all this gear, the fun studio accoutrements were there. It was competitive with anything we did afterward. But meanwhile, we're still four broke idiots.

WENTZ: We fibbed to our parents about what we were doing. I was supposed to be in school. I didn't have access to money or a credit card. I don't think any of us did.

STUMP: I don't think we slept anywhere we could shower, which was horrifying. There was a girl that Andy's girlfriend at the time went to school with who let us sleep on her floor, but we'd be there for maybe four hours at a time. It was crazy.

HURLEY: Once, Patrick thought it would be a good idea to spray this citrus bathroom spray under his arms like deodorant. It just destroyed him because it's not made for that. But it was all an awesome adventure.

WENTZ: We were so green we didn't really know how studios worked. Every day there was soda for the band. We asked, 'Could you take that soda money and buy us peanut butter, jelly, and bread?' which they did. I hear that stuff in some ways when I listen to that album.

HURLEY: Sean pushed us. He was such a perfectionist, which was awesome. I felt like, ‘This is what a real professional band does.' It was our first real studio experience.

WENTZ: Seeing the Nirvana Nevermind plaque on the wall was mind-blowing. They showed us the mic that had been used on that album.

HURLEY: The mic that Kurt Cobain used, that was pretty awesome, crazy, legendary, and cool. But we didn't get to use it.

WENTZ: They said only Shirley Manson] from Garbage could use it.

O'KEEFE: Those dudes were all straight edge at the time. It came up in conversation that I had smoked weed once a few months before. That started this joke that I was this huge stoner, which obviously I wasn't. They'd call me 'Scoobie Snacks O'Keefe' and all these things. When they turned in the art for the record, they thanked me with like ten different stoner nicknames - 'Dimebag O'Keefe' and stuff like that. The record company made Pete take like seven of them out because they said it was excessively ridiculous.

WENTZ: Sean was very helpful. He worked within the budget and took us more seriously than anyone else other than Patrick. There were no cameras around. There was no documentation. There was nothing to indicate this would be some ‘legendary' session. There are 12 songs on the album because those were all the songs we had. There was no pomp or circumstance or anything to suggest it would be an 'important’ record.

STUMP: Pete and I were starting to carve out our niches. When Pete [re-committed himself to the band], it felt like he had a list of things in his head he wanted to do right. Lyrics were on that list. He wasn't playing around anymore. I wrote the majority of the lyrics up to that point - ‘Saturday,' 'Dead on Arrival,' ‘Where's Your Boy?,’ ‘Grenade Jumper,' and ‘Homesick at Space Camp.' I was an artsy-fartsy dude who didn't want to be in a pop-punk band, so I was going really easy on the lyrics. I wasn't taking them seriously. When I look back on it, I did write some alright stuff. But I wasn't trying. Pete doesn't fuck around like that, and he does not take that kindly. When we returned to the studio, he started picking apart every word, every syllable. He started giving me [notes]. I got so exasperated at one point I was like, ‘You just write the fucking lyrics, dude. Just give me your lyrics, and I'll write around them.' Kind of angrily. So, he did. We hadn't quite figured out how to do it, though. I would write a song, scrap my lyrics, and try to fit his into where mine had been. It was exhausting. It was a rough process. It made both of us unhappy.

MCLYNN: I came from the post-hardcore scene in New York and wasn't a big fan of the pop-punk stuff happening. What struck me with these guys was the phenomenal lyrics and Patrick's insane voice. Many guys in these kinds of bands can sing alright, but Patrick was like a real singer. This guy had soul. He'd take these great lyrics Pete wrote and combine it with that soul, and that's what made their unique sound. They both put their hearts on their sleeves when they wrote together.

STUMP: We had a massive fight over 'Chicago is So Two Years Ago.' I didn't even want to record that song. I was being precious with things that were mine. Part of me thought the band wouldn't work out, and I'd go to college and do some music alone. I had a skeletal version of 'Chicago...'. I was playing it to myself in the lobby of the studio. I didn't know anyone was listening. Sean was walking by and wanted to [introduce it to the others]. I kind of lost my song. I was very precious about it. Pete didn't like some of the lyrics, so we fought. We argued over each word, one at a time. 'Tell That Mick...' was also a pretty big fight. Pete ended up throwing out all my words on that one. That was the first song where he wrote the entire set of lyrics. My only change was light that smoke' instead of ‘cigarette' because I didn't have enough syllables to say 'cigarette.' Everything else was verbatim what he handed to me. I realized I must really want to be in this band at this point if I'm willing to put up with this much fuss. The sound was always more important to me - the rhythm of the words, alliteration, syncopation - was all very exciting. Pete didn't care about any of that. He was all meaning. He didn't care how good the words sounded if they weren't amazing when you read them. Man, did we fight about that. We fought for nine days straight while not sleeping and smelling like shit. It was one long argument, but I think some of the best moments resulted from that.

WENTZ: In 'Calm Before the Storm,' Patrick wrote the line, 'There's a song on the radio that says, 'Let's Get This Party Started' which is a direct reference to Pink's 2001 song 'Get the Party Started.' 'Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today' is a line from the movie Rushmore. I thought we'd catch a little more flack for that, but even when we played it in Ireland, there was none of that. It's embraced, more like a shoutout.

STUMP: Pete and I met up on a lot of the same pop culture. He was more into '80s stuff than I was. One of the first things we talked about were Wes Anderson movies.

WENTZ: Another thing driving that song title was the knowledge that our fanbase wouldn't necessarily be familiar with Wes Anderson. It could be something that not only inspired us but something fans could also go check out. People don't ask us about that song so much now, but in that era, we'd answer and tell them to go watch Rushmore. You gotta see this movie. This line is a hilarious part of it.' Hopefully some people did. I encountered Jason Schwartzman at a party once. We didn't get to talk about the movie, but he was the sweetest human, and I was just geeking out. He told me he was writing a film with Wes Anderson about a train trip in India. I wanted to know about the writing process. He was like, 'Well, he's in New York City, I'm in LA. It's crazy because I'm on the phone all the time and my ear gets really hot.' That's the anecdote I got, and I loved it.

O'KEEFE: They're totally different people who approach making music from entirely different angles. It's cool to see them work. Pete would want a certain lyric. Patrick was focused on the phrasing. Pete would say the words were stupid and hand Patrick a revision, and Patrick would say I can't sing those the way I need to sing this. They would go through ten revisions for one song. I thought I would lose my mind with both of them, but then they would find it, and it would be fantastic. When they work together, it lights up. It takes on a life of its own. It's not always happy. There's a lot of push and pull, and each is trying to get their thing. With Take This To Your Grave, we never let anything go until all three of us were happy. Those guys were made to do this together.

WENTZ: A lot of the little things weren't a big deal, but those were things that [felt like] major decisions. I didn't want 'Where Is Your Boy' on Take This To Your Grave.

JANICK: I freaked out. I called Bob and said, 'We must put this song on the album! It's one of the biggest songs.' He agreed. We called Pete and talked about it; he was cool about it and heard us out.

WENTZ: I thought many things were humongous, and they just weren't. They didn't matter one way or another.

"Our Lawyer Made Us Change The (Album Cover)" - That Photo On Take This To Your Grave, 2003

STUMP: The band was rooted in nostalgia from early on. The '80s references were very much Pete's aesthetic. He had an idea for the cover. It ended up being his girlfriend at the time, face down on the bed, exhausted, in his bedroom. That was his bedroom in our apartment. His room was full of toys, '80s cereals. If we ended up with the Abbey Road cover of pop-punk, that original one was Sgt. Pepper's. But we couldn't legally clear any of the stuff in the photo. Darth Vader, Count Chocula…

WENTZ: There's a bunch of junk in there: a Morrissey poster, I think a Cher poster, Edward Scissorhands. We submitted it to Fueled by Ramen, and they were like, 'We can't clear any of this stuff.’ The original album cover did eventually come out on the vinyl version.

STUMP: The photo that ended up being the cover was simply a promo photo for that album cycle. We had to scramble. I was pushing the Blue Note jazz records feel. That's why the CD looks a bit like vinyl and why our names are listed on the front. I wanted a live photo on the cover. Pete liked the Blue Note idea but didn't like the live photo idea. I also made the fateful decision to have my name listed as 'Stump' rather than Stumph.

WENTZ: What we used was initially supposed to be the back cover. I remember someone in the band being pissed about it forever. Not everyone was into having our names on the cover. It was a strange thing to do at the time. But had the original cover been used, it wouldn't have been as iconic as what we ended up with. It wouldn't have been a conversation piece. That stupid futon in our house was busted in the middle. We're sitting close to each other because the futon was broken. The exposed brick wall was because it was the worst apartment ever. It makes me wonder: How many of these are accidental moments? At the time, there was nothing iconic about it. If we had a bigger budget, we probably would have ended up with a goofier cover that no one would have cared about.

STUMP: One of the things I liked about the cover was that it went along with something Pete had always said. I'm sure people will find this ironic, but Pete had always wanted to create a culture with the band where it was about all four guys and not just one guy. He had the foresight to even think about things like that. I didn't think anyone would give a fuck about our band! At the time, it was The Pete Wentz Band to most people. With that album cover, he was trying to reject that and [demonstrate] that all four of us mattered. A lot of people still don't get that, but whatever. I liked that element of the cover. It felt like a team. It felt like Voltron. It wasn't what I like to call 'the flying V photo' where the singer is squarely in the center, the most important, and everyone else is nearest the camera in order of 'importance.' The drummer would be in the very back. Maybe the DJ guy who scratches records was behind the drummer.

"You Need Him. I Could Be Him. Where Is Your Boy Tonight?" - The Dynamics of Punk Pop's Fab 4, 2003

Patrick seemed like something of the anti-frontman, never hogging the spotlight and often shrinking underneath his baseball hat. Wentz was more talkative, more out front on stage and in interviews, in a way that felt unprecedented for a bass player who wasn't also singing. In some ways, Fall Out Boy operated as a two-headed dictatorship. Wentz and Stump are in the car's front seat while Joe and Andy ride in the back.

STUMP: There is a lot of truth to that. Somebody must be in the front seat, no question. But the analogy doesn't really work for us; were more like a Swiss Army knife. You've got all these different attachments, but they are all part of the same thing. When you need one specific tool, the rest go back into the handle. That was how the band functioned and still does in many ways. Pete didn't want anyone to get screwed. Some things we've done might not have been the best business decision but were the right human decision. That was very much Pete's thing. I was 19 and very reactionary. If someone pissed me off, I'd be like, 'Screw them forever!' But Pete was very tactful. He was the business guy. Joe was active on the internet. He wouldn't stop believing in this band. He was the promotions guy. Andy was an honest instrumentalist: ‘I'm a drummer, and I'm going to be the best fucking drummer I can be.' He is very disciplined. None of us were that way aside from him. I was the dictator in the studio. I didn't know what producing was at the time or how it worked, but in retrospect, I've produced a lot of records because I'm an asshole in the studio. I'm a nice guy, but I'm not the nicest guy in the studio. It's a lot easier to know what you don't want. We carved out those roles early. We were very dependent on each other.

MCLYNN: I remember sitting in Japan with those guys. None of them were drinking then, but I was drinking plenty. It was happening there, their first time over, and all the shows were sold out. I remember looking at Pete and Patrick and telling Pete, ‘You're the luckiest guy in the world because you found this guy.' Patrick laughed. Then I turned to Patrick and said the same thing to him. Because really, they're yin and yang. They fit together so perfectly. The fact that Patrick found this guy with this vision, Pete had everything for the band laid out in his mind. Patrick, how he can sing, and what he did with Pete's lyrics - no one else could have done that. We tried it, even with the Black Cards project in 2010. We'd find these vocalists. Pete would write lyrics, and they'd try to form them into songs, but they just couldn't do it the way Patrick could. Pete has notebooks full of stuff that Patrick turns into songs. Not only can he sing like that, but how he turns those into songs is an art unto itself. It's really the combination of those two guys that make Fall Out Boy what it is. They're fortunate they found each other.

"I Could Walk This Fine Line Between Elation And Success. We All Know Which Way I'm Going To Strike The Stake Between My Chest" - Fall Out Boy Hits the Mainstream, 2003

Released on May 6, 2003, Take This To Your Grave massively connected with fans. (Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend arrived in stores less than two months earlier.) While Take This To Your Grave didn't crack the Billboard 200 upon its release, it eventually spent 30 weeks on the charts. From Under the Cork Tree debuted in the Top 10 just two years later, largely on Grave's momentum. 2007's Infinity on High bowed at #1.

WENTZ: I remember noticing it was getting insane when we would do in-stores. We'd still play anywhere. That was our deal. We liked being able to sell our stuff in the stores, too. It would turn into a riot. We played a Hollister at the mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. A lot of these stores were pretty corporate with a lot of rules, but Hollister would let us rip. Our merch guy was wearing board shorts, took this surfboard off the wall, and started crowd-surfing with it during the last song. I remember thinking things had gotten insane right at that moment.

HURLEY: When we toured with Less Than Jake, there were these samplers with two of their songs and two of ours. Giving those out was a surreal moment. To have real promotion for a record... It wasn't just an ad in a 'zine or something. It was awesome.

MCLYNN: They toured with The Reunion Show, Knockout, and Punch-line. One of their first big tours as an opening act was with MEST. There would be sold-out shows with 1,000 kids, and they would be singing along to Fall Out Boy much louder than to MEST. It was like, 'What's going on here?' It was the same deal with Less Than Jake. It really started catching fire months into the album being out. You just knew something was happening. As a headliner, they went from 500-capacity clubs to 1500 - 2000 capacity venues.

WENTZ: We always wanted to play The Metro in Chicago. It got awkward when they started asking us to play after this band or that band. There were bands we grew up with that were now smaller than us. Headlining The Metro was just wild. My parents came.

MCLYNN: There was a week on Warped Tour, and there was some beel because these guys were up-and-comers, and some of the bands that were a little more established weren't too happy. They were getting a little shit on Warped Tour that week, sort of their initiation. They were on this little, shitty stage. So many kids showed up to watch them in Detroit, and the kids rushed the stage, and it collapsed. The PA failed after like three songs. They finished with an acapella, 'Where is Your Boy,’ and the whole crowd sang along.

WENTZ: That's when every show started ending in a riot because it couldn't be contained. We ended up getting banned from a lot of venues because the entire crowd would end up onstage. It was pure energy. We'd be billed on tour as the opening band, and the promoter would tell us we had to close the show or else everyone would leave after we played. We were a good band to have that happen to because there wasn't any ego. We were just like, "Oh, that's weird.' It was just bizarre. When my parents saw it was this wid thing, they said, 'OK, yeah, maybe take a year off from college.' That year is still going on.

MCLYNN: That Warped Tour was when the band's first big magazine cover, by far, hit the stands. I give a lot of credit to Norman Wonderly and Mike Shea at Alternative Press. They saw what was happening with Fall Out Boy and were like, 'We know it's early with you guys, but we want to give you a cover.' It was the biggest thing to happen to any of us. It really helped kick it to another level. It helped stoke the fires that were burning. This is back when bands like Green Day, Blink-182, and No Doubt still sold millions of records left and right. It was a leap of faith for AP to step out on Fall Out Boy the way they did.

STUMP: That was our first big cover. It was crazy. My parents flipped out. That wasn't a small zine. It was a magazine my mom could find in a bookstore and tell her friends. It was a shocking time. It's still like that. Once the surrealism starts, it never ends. I was onstage with Taylor Swift ten years later. That statement just sounds insane. It's fucking crazy. But when I was onstage, I just fell into it. I wasn't thinking about how crazy it was until afterward. It was the same thing with the AP cover. We were so busy that it was just another one of those things we were doing that day. When we left, I was like, 'Holy fuck! We're on the cover of a magazine! One that I read! I have a subscription to that!'

HURLEY: Getting an 'In The Studio' blurb was a big deal. I remember seeing bands 'in the studio' and thinking, Man, I would love to be in that and have people care that we're in the studio.' There were more minor things, but that was our first big cover.

STUMP: One thing I remember about the photo shoot is I was asked to take off my hat. I was forced to take it off and had been wearing that hat for a while. I never wanted to be the lead singer. I always hoped to be a second guitarist with a backup singer role. I lobbied to find someone else to be the proper singer. But here I was, being the lead singer, and I fucking hated it. When I was a drummer, I was always behind something. Somehow the hat thing started. Pete gave me a hat instead of throwing it away - I think it's the one I'm wearing on the cover of Take This To Your Grave. It became like my Linus blanket. I had my hat, and I could permanently hide. You couldn't see my eyes or much of me, and I was very comfortable that way. The AP cover shoot was the first time someone asked me to remove it. My mom has a poster of that cover in her house, and every time I see it, I see the fear on my face - just trying to maintain composure while filled with terror and insecurity. ‘Why is there a camera on me?'

JANICK: We pounded the pavement every week for two years. We believed early on that something great was going to happen. As we moved to 100,000 and 200,000 albums, there were points where everything was tipping. When they were on the cover of Alternative Press. When they did Warped for five days, and the stage collapsed. We went into Christmas with the band selling 2000 to 3000 a week and in the listening stations at Hot Topic. Fueled By Ramen had never had anything like that before.

MOSTOFI: Pete and I used to joke that if he weren't straight edge, he would have likely been sent to prison or worse at some point before Fall Out Boy. Pete has a predisposition to addictive behavior and chemical dependency. This is something we talked about a lot back in the day. Straight Edge helped him avoid some of the traps of adolescence.

WENTZ: I was straight edge at the time. I don't think our band would have been so successful without that. The bands we were touring with were partying like crazy. Straight Edge helped solidify the relationship between the four of us. We were playing for the love of music, not for partying or girls or stuff like that. We liked being little maniacs running around. Hurley and I were kind of the younger brothers of the hardcore kids we were in bands with. This was an attempt to get out of that shadow a little bit. Nobody is going to compare this band to Racetraitor. You know when you don't want to do exactly what your dad or older brother does? There was a little bit of that.

"Take This To Your Grave, And I'll Take It To Mine" - The Legacy of Take This To Your Grave, 2003-2023

Take This To Your Grave represents a time before the paparazzi followed Wentz to Starbucks, before marriages and children, Disney soundtracks, and all the highs and lows of an illustrious career. The album altered the course for everyone involved with its creation. Crush Music added Miley Cyrus, Green Day, and Weezer to their roster. Fueled By Ramen signed Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, A Day To Remember, and All Time Low.

STUMP: I'm so proud of Take This To Your Grave. I had no idea how much people were going to react to it. I didn't know Fall Out Boy was that good of a band. We were this shitty post-hardcore band that decided to do a bunch of pop-punk before I went to college, and Pete went back to opening for Hatebreed. That was the plan. Somehow this record happened. To explain to people now how beautiful and accidental that record was is difficult. It seems like it had to have been planned, but no, we were that shitty band that opened for 25 Ta Life.

HURLEY: We wanted to make a record as perfect as Saves The Day's Through Being Cool. A front-to-back perfect collection of songs. That was our obsession with Take This To Your Grave. We were just trying to make a record that could be compared in any way to that record. There's just something special about when the four of us came together.

WENTZ: It blows my mind when I hear people talking about Take This To Your Grave or see people including it on lists because it was just this tiny personal thing. It was very barebones. That was all we had, and we gave everything we had to it. Maybe that's how these big iconic bands feel about those records, too. Perhaps that's how James Hetfield feels when we talk about Kill 'Em All. That album was probably the last moment many people had of having us as their band that their little brother didn't know about. I have those feelings about certain bands, too. 'This band was mine. That was the last time I could talk about them at school without anyone knowing who the fuck I was talking about.' That was the case with Take This To Your Grave.

TROHMAN: Before Save Rock N' Roll, there was a rumor that we would come back with one new song and then do a Take This To Your Grave tenth-anniversary tour. But we weren't going to do what people thought we would do. We weren't going to [wear out] our old material by just returning from the hiatus with a Take This To Your Grave tour.

WENTZ: We've been asked why we haven't done a Take This To Your Grave tour. In some ways, it's more respectful not to do that. It would feel like we were taking advantage of where that record sits, what it means to people and us.

HURLEY: When Metallica released Death Magnetic, I loved the record, but I feel like Load and Reload were better in a way, because you knew that's what they wanted to do.

TROHMAN: Some people want us to make Grave again, but I'm not 17. It would be hard to do something like that without it being contrived. Were proud of those songs. We know that’s where we came from. We know the album is an important part of our history.

STUMP: There's always going to be a Take This To Your Grave purist fan who wants that forever: But no matter what we do, we cannot give you 2003. It'll never happen again. I know the feeling, because I've lived it with my favorite bands, too. But there's a whole other chunk of our fans who have grown with us and followed this journey we're on. We were this happy accident that somehow came together. It’s tempting to plagarize yourself. But it’s way more satisfying and exciting to surprise yourself.

MCILRITH: Fall Out Boy is an important band for so many reasons. I know people don't expect the singer of Rise Against to say that, but they really are. If nothing else, they created so much dialog and conversation within not just a scene but an international scene. They were smart. They got accused of being this kiddie pop punk band, but they did smart things with their success. I say that, especially as a guy who grew up playing in the same Chicago hardcore bands that would go on and confront be-ing a part of mainstream music. Mainstream music and the mainstream world are machines that can chew your band up if you don't have your head on straight when you get into it. It's a fast-moving river, and you need to know what direction you're going in before you get into it. If you don't and you hesitate, it'll take you for a ride. Knowing those guys, they went into it with a really good idea. That's something that the hardcore instilled in all of us. Knowing where you stand on those things, we cut our teeth on the hardcore scene, and it made us ready for anything that the world could throw at us, including the giant music industry.