#Felix Harmon

[sakuramoussy]

[arcwrath]

"'Cause I like you

There's no other reason, I like you

When I watch you smile, there's nothing more I could ask for

'Cause I just like you"

~Because(Changbin,Felix)

-Stray Kids

[thehandmaidenofcreativity]

Just so cute? Part II

WC: 4.1k

Rating: 18+, fluff (maybe a little angst?) to smut

Comments: idol!Seungmin and female reader. Longtime friend of SKZ and Seungmin find their footing after some confusion the night before. This could potentially have a third part, if people seem to want it. It is a continuation of Part I.

⋆｡°✩

“Truth or dare!?”

After hearing his last truth question, you feel like you have no choice. “Dare, I guess.”

The delight is plain on Felix's face. Maybe you made a mistake. “I dare you to go down to the store and get everyone ice cream!”

Your sigh of relief harmonizes with Minho’s sigh of disappointment. “Yongbokkie, you need to find a happier medium between your truths and your dares. Plus, she shouldn’t go alone.”

“I don’t mind –”

“Seungminnie Hyung should go with her!” You hope the look on your face is attributed to annoyance at Jeongin’s interruption rather than frustration at his meddling. He shrugs. “He’s had the least to drink.”

Seungmin agrees before you can object. I guess it’s time to talk. But first… “Okay Innie, truth or dare?”

His girlfriend looks on a touch worriedly as he chooses dare. “Great. I dare you to take a shot of whatever condiments Minho wants to throw in a glass.” His face goes a little green while the others laugh and offer their condolences. 

You don’t stick around for the aftermath of your punishment, heading to take care of your own dare. As you’re putting your shoes on, a hoodie drops onto you. 

“You know you really don’t have to come with me, Minnie.” You pull his hoodie over your head, savoring the smell of him as it envelops you, and turn to face him. 

“I know, but I’ve been waiting for the chance to talk to you.”

You consider playing dumb to try to put the conversation off, but you just nod when you see the serious look on his face. “Let’s go then.”

You walk for a few minutes before either of you say anything. 

“About last ni–”

“Noona, I–”

The tension breaks with your laughter. This is Seungmin. Regardless of your confusion over your feelings, you’ve always been able to talk to him. This shouldn’t be any different. You’ve been acting silly. 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re fine. Go ahead, Minnie.”

He sighs and looks a little like he wishes he’d pushed for you to speak first. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable this morning. I didn’t really think through what I was doing; I didn’t mean to cross a line. I don’t want you to feel like you need to avoid me.”

Despite the darkness of the night, you can tell his ears are red. He’s not looking at you anymore, instead looking down at his feet like a puppy who just got scolded. You take one of his hands in yours before you answer. “You have nothing to apologize for, Seungmin. Did I really seem like I was avoiding you?”

You know you’d been putting off talking to him, but you hadn’t realized that it was so noticeable.

“Kind of?” He steals a glance at you, cheeks puffed out as he considers his next words. “I thought you might stay at our dorm today when the others left or come to my room when you got back. I guess I didn’t ask you to come to me, though, and I’m realizing now that it might’ve looked like I was avoiding you, staying in my room like that.”

“I didn’t think you were avoiding me.” When you get to the store, you have an unspoken agreement to continue this when you return outside. You grab a variety of ice creams and see that Chan texted asking that you bring back the least spicy ramen you can find for a dare. Menace that he is, Seungmin of course grabs the spiciest option, and you text back a smiley and a thumbs up. You can’t help but laugh at Chan’s inevitable demise. When you leave the shop, the mood sombers again, but you’re still close. Seungmin insists on carrying the bags, so you link your arm around one of his. 

“Can I ask why you kissed me this morning?” You’re being a little bit of a coward, still making him carry the burden of the conversation, but you understand where he’s at even less than yourself.

You’re pretty sure he walks for a full minute, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes straight ahead. “Well, it was a combination of things. I’ve always felt like we really connected. Both when we hang out together and when we talk while we’re on the road. I think it’s always been a bit different with you than our other friends. Lately, you’ve been on my mind a lot, but I didn’t want to talk about it and mess up our friendship. I really do value your friendship, and I know the rest of the guys do, too.” He glances at you then, maybe trying to read your expression, gauge your reaction to what he’s saying. You find you’re not all that surprised to hear it. Of them members, he has always been one you felt you could resonate with most. You know how caring and kind, how loving he is with the members, and you’ve seen how his treatment of you is nearly the same. You do have a tendency to gravitate toward each other. God, have I been this dense?

“Anyway, when you kissed me during the game, I got it in my head that maybe you were starting to think of me that way, too. And we never kiss goodnight on the lips like that, though I know we were drunk. And…” He shifts both bags into one hand so he can run his fingers through his hair. He’s clearly flustered. 

“And, Min?”

He says it with a rushed sigh before looking away. “And you felt so good in my arms, and you looked so beautiful; I had to ask.” He comes to a stop, turning to face you. You look up into his eyes, nearly getting lost in their depths. He looks beautiful. “And you said yes.”

You trace his features with your eyes, resisting the urge to run your fingers over those lovely lips, along his strong jaw. Now it’s your turn to be brave. “I did. And it was a wonderful kiss, Min. I can’t say that I’m exactly where you are –”

He starts to look away, his face falling a little bit, so you do reach up to touch him now. Your hand rests against his cheek, turning his head so that he’s facing you again, though he keeps his gaze downcast. Sad puppy vibes abound. “But. I do think I’m starting to catch up.”

His eyes flash up to yours, and you can see his hope. You know you should say more, but for now, you’d rather show him how you’re feeling. You tilt your face up while your hand slides back to wrap around the nape of his neck, drawing his lips to yours. It’s short and sweet. His lips are soft as flower petals; he’s much more reserved than he was this morning. It’s for the best, though. The ice cream will start to melt if you don’t get back soon, plus anyone could see you out here. 

⋆｡°✩

The rest of the walk has a different brand of silence, the comfortable, companionable kind of  quiet shared between people who are just happy to be in each others’ company. 

Reentering the dorm is a little like walking into a riot. Naturally there’s plenty of yelling. Someone (with a death wish, clearly) has strewn as many of Minho’s cat clothes as they could find around the living room. Chan is laughing so hard that he’s crying with Jeongin actively trying to smother Jisung with a pillow on the floor in front of him. It’s perfect.

“Ice cream!” Minho yells when he sees the bags in Seungmin’s hands. He grabs one bag, digging through for his favorite before tossing it to Chan. As he reaches in, he pulls out the ramen with a look of utter betrayal on his face. 

“I asked you to get the least spicy one! Do you want me to die?”

With a laugh, you immediately throw Seungmin under the bus. “I’m sorry, honey. Seungmin told me that one would be best.”

Hand to his chest, fake outrage on his face, Seungmin feigns innocence. “You told me that was for Changbinnie Hyung; I never would’ve gotten that for Channie Hyung.” He stage-whispers to Chan, “watch out for that one, she doesn’t have your best interests at heart, Hyung.”

You venture into the chaos, passing out ice cream, hearing about the shenanigans you missed while you were gone. When you make your way to a less murderous Jeongin and a barely breathing Jisung, you give the latter a little kick. “You guys can quit meddling; we’re figuring things out. 

Jisung beams up at you while Jeongin deadpans, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever you say, Innie.” You plant a kiss on his cheek, bringing out his dimples. 

The rest of the night ends up being a lot calmer than the one before. The group opts to watch a movie rather than getting the games going again. One turns into two, and everyone snuggles up together. When the second movie ends, the others start figuring out sleeping arrangements and who all will be heading back home to their own beds. Seungmin takes your hand, leading you back to his room. The t-shirt you wore to bed the night before is slung over his desk chair. 

He eyes the shirt. “Are you gonna stay over again tonight?” 

You nod, grabbing the shirt as he leaves the room. You’re entering new territory here. It makes you nervous. You consider leaving your clothes on but ultimately decide it would be more awkward to act differently than normal. You’re sitting cross legged on his bed, chewing on your lip when Seungmin comes back in, gently closing and locking the door behind him.

He approaches with a small smile, giving you a peek at the braces he too often tries to hide. You expect him to sit beside you, talk about what you guys are to each other, what you’re becoming. What actually happens is much better. 

His big hands are on either side of your face, lips crashing to yours before he even gets all the way onto the bed. Your tongues clash; he’s kissing you like a thirsty man drinks water, taking as much as he can get. As your arms wrap around his neck, his hands move down to your thighs; he lifts you with surprising strength, sliding underneath you so that you’re straddling him. In your state of undress, his hands easily slide up under your shirt. One stays near your hip, rubbing his thumb over the top of your panties. The other continues up, giving your breast a squeeze before pinching your quickly stiffening nipple between two fingers. 

You gasp into his mouth, excited by his touch and surprised at his ferocity. Your hands swiftly reach down, gripping the hem of his shirt and drawing it up. He breaks the kiss to drop it to the floor and pull yours up and off to join it. Immediately, his mouth locks onto your breast, licking and sucking, while his hand moves to tease at your other nipple. You arch into his touch with a soft moan, one hand in his hair while the other sneaks between your bodies to grasp his cock. It is an impressive length and its girth makes you salivate as you imagine the way he’ll be filling you soon.  

It’s his turn to groan as you start to pump him through his shorts. He drags your mouth back to his and allows you to push him down onto his back. He kneads his fingers into your ass as you grind against him. Even with the remaining layers between you, it feels amazing. Seungmin clearly agrees. “Fuck.”

You smile into his mouth, pleased to hear how you’re affecting him. You start kissing along his jaw, licking and nibbling at his neck, drawing a sharp exhale out of him. With that, his hand appears between your legs, another soft groan escapes his lips when he makes contact with your drenched panties, realizing just how hot he’s made you. The rough circle of his fingers almost makes you want to forget what you had in mind. 

“Noona, I –”

You silence him with a kiss. “Just relax, Minnie. Let me take care of you.” You kiss your way down his body. You’ve seen him shirtless before, but you never imagined you’d have the chance to be this intimate with him. He’s thin, but you can feel how strong he is with each kiss and caress. You stop to nip at his hip, and glance back up to see him smiling down are you, lower lip pulled between his teeth. You tuck your hands into the waistband of his shorts, pausing for just a second before pulling them off along with his boxers, tossing them to join the rest of your clothes on the ground. 

As you settle yourself between his legs, you lick your lips and run your fingertips lightly along his cock. He’s so big. You aren’t sure that you’ll be able to take all of him, but you can’t wait to try. 

Seungmin props himself up on his elbows so he can watch you more easily. He looks almost mesmerized as you drag your tongue from base to tip, eyes locked on his. You wrap your lips around his head and suck hard. A strangled whimper comes from the head of the bed as Seungmin tips his head back, exposing his lovely long neck; you wish you could leave dark marks all over it. 

You take it slow, one hand wrapped around his base while you lick, kiss, and suck along the rest. You gradually take more and more of him down your throat, his melodic moans combatting your discomfort at his size. You can tell he’s doing his best to stay still, to let you do your work, but as you try to take him a little further, his hips jerk up with a “fuck.” You gag, tears springing to your eyes, and pull off for a second to catch your breath. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” he sits halfway up, reaching to cup your cheek and brushing away a tear with his thumb. “It just feels so good.”

You like hearing him call you ‘baby.’ You just smile at him, then lazily drag the flat of your tongue over his tip to collect the precum leaking out. “I’m fine, Minnie. Don’t worry.”

Before you can get back to your work, he pulls your face up to his for a kiss. “As much as I like this, I was hoping we could switch things up.” 

His smile is so relaxed and beautiful. You nod, and he reaches over to dig in his nightstand. “Shit. I’m going to kill Jeongin.”

He flops back over onto his back with a sigh, and you can’t help laughing.

“It’s not funny, Noona,” but he’s chuckling, too. “Things were going so well.”

“They’re still going well, Min.” You lay down at his side and give him a few kisses. “We don’t have to go any further. But if you feel comfortable, I do have an IUD. So as long as we’re both clean, there’s not much to worry about. Granted, I should’ve checked that before I put your dick in my mouth.”

You’re both laughing again. “Don’t worry, Noona; I’m good. I haven’t been with anyone since the last time I got tested. I would never do anything that could harm you.”

And you know it’s true.

“Well then,” you move to straddle him again. You’re still aching for him, the brief interruption doing nothing to slow you down. As you grind your hips, you know he feels the same. As much as you want to take the next step, you loathe to stop. He feels so good. “I guess we’re good to go.”

Before you can do anything else, Seungmin moves suddenly, flipping you so that you’re underneath him. Once again, his speed surprises you as he peels your panties off your body and settles between your thighs. 

He sits back on his heels, his mouth is quirked up on one side. “Almost good to go.”

You pull a face. “Kim Seungmin, it’s rude of you to make me wait for your cock.” 

His smile widens as he leans down to kiss you. But instead of giving you what you want, he shimmies down your body until you’re gifted with the beautiful view of Seungmin’s head between your thighs. You almost want to complain, impatient to have him inside you, but the feeling of his breath ghosting over you paired with that of his hands caressing your hips while he stares up at you with those boba eyes amps up your anticipation. “I got ahead of myself; I need to do something first.”

He teases you at first, kissing the insides of your thighs, your outer lips – his mouth everywhere but where you want it. Where you need it. You slide your hands into his hair, pulling lightly to try to redirect him, and whisper, “Seungmin, please.”

“Patience, Noona.” The smile he flashes at you reminds you that he’s one of the group’s biggest menaces. Luckily, he heeds your plea anyway, and your mind goes blank the second his tongue touches you. He mimics the way you started with him, a nice, slow lick, then swirling his tongue around your clit for a moment before blowing on it gently. You clench and moan at the sensation. 

He works you slowly, teasingly, switching up his technique every time your legs start to tremble. It’s so good and terrible all at once; you don’t know how much more you can take. When he suddenly starts sucking and flicking his tongue up and down, you feel you might implode. If you weren’t so turned on, you might be embarrassed by the whine in your voice.

“Minnie…”

He pulls away and sits up with a grin, almost simultaneously sliding two long fingers into you. His thumb begins circling your clit as they curl inside you. You let out a small whimper. 

He shifts so that he’s kneeling with one hand posted at your side as he pulls his fingers out to stroke himself. You’re disappointed to be left empty, but love watching him spread your wetness along his shaft. 

Seungmin drags the head of his cock through your folds, tapping your clit with his clit a few times before moving to fill the loss of his fingers. When he starts to slide in, you can’t help the moan that leaves your lips. He smiles even wider as he lowers himself down, now braced on his elbows as he slowly buries himself into you. “Tell me how you’re feeling, Noona.”

“Oh, Minnie,” you all but gasp, wrapping your arms and legs around him. Your nails dig into his back as he starts slowly rocking his hips. He fills you so well, hitting just the right spot. “You feel so, oh, so good, Seungmin. God. You’re, uh ah, perfect.”

Whether it’s your words or the squeeze of your body around him, Seungmin can’t go slow anymore. He picks up the pace, and you try to meet him thrust for thrust. He sits back and slides his hands under your knees to fold you so that your knees are at your chest. In this position, you’re unable to kiss him, though it had been getting hard to focus on kissing anyway. Instead you watch the concentration and pleasure on his face as he begins slamming into you; it’s a symphony of skin on skin, heavy breathing, gasps, and moans. 

You start to near your peak, and he must be able to tell. He sits up more, and his hands slide up your thighs to bring your calves up over his shoulders . It’s almost too much for you. You can’t do much more than clutch at the sheets. He pounds into you, his fingers digging hard into your hips. You might end up with bruises. Good as it feels, you need more to put you over the edge. 

“Min… I need…”

He knows. He sticks his thumb in his mouth for a moment before applying delicious pressure to your clit. The friction created with his thrusts has your eyes watering. Your breath is coming out in gasps and moans as you try to say his name. You grab the hand that’s still on your hip. 

“Baby, I’m gonna come,” he pants. 

You can feel the surge in him as he tries to stave it off. It tips you over the edge. Your body is on fire as you convulse around him. Seungmin soon follows you, allowing your legs to fall back down around his hips, he grinds into you. His other hand finds yours, fingers interlocked above your head, and his forehead rests on yours as you ride out your pleasure. 

When the tremors pass, he plants a soft his on your lips before slumping down with his face in the crook of your neck. You wrap your arms around him, relishing the feel of his weight on your body. You lay like that for what feels like forever, breathing each other in as he grows soft inside you. Finally, he sits up and pulls out, grabbing the package of wet wipes from his nightstand for a quick clean up. Then, like the night before, Seungmin lays down, pulling you against him – this time on his back, your head resting on his chest. You fall asleep easily with his arms around you, listening to the steady beat of his heart. 

⋆｡°✩

You wake when you feel Seungmin getting out of bed and pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“Minnie?” You murmur, trying to reach out and touch him before he moves too far away. He takes your hand and brings it to his lips. 

“I’ll be right back; I just want to start the coffee.”

You let your eyes close again and stretch as he heads to the door. You hear a huffed laugh and open your eyes to see him walking back to you with something in his hands. A basket?

He holds up the note that must’ve been on top. “Minho Hyung thinks he’s funny.”

Your eyes widen, and you sit up as he sets the basket between you. Your cheeks flush as you take in its contents: two bottles of cold brew, two bottles of gatorade, a handful of granola bars and a couple bananas, a package of wet wipes, a bottle of lube, a sleeve of condoms, and – 

“What is this?” You unfold a pamphlet of some sort. It shows a few stick figures doing a variety of stretches to ‘help avoid thigh burn out,’ all with Minho’s signature wrinkly-faced Jureumi. “Do I even want to know what the note says?”

You’re sure your face is as red as Seungmin’s as he reads it aloud:

Darling Puppy, Did you forget you live in a dorm with other people? As proud as I am to know that you’re a competent lover, I think I speak for us all when I say there’s no need to provide further evidence. Here you’ll find a few goodies to aid you in your adventure – remember, it’s important to not only have enough sustenance to maintain your stamina but also to do your best to avoid cramping. Also, keep in mind that not everyone wakes as early as you, so any morning activities should be kept to a minimum volume. In a pinch, biting a pillow can stifle a good number of… interjections.  Don’t make me hurt you, Your Favorite Hyung  P.S. Happy for you, Noona. You’re welcome to stay over any time so long as you keep your dog on a leash.

You’re pretty embarrassed, but luckily you’ve witnessed plenty of embarrassing moments when hanging with the guys. You can’t believe you’d both forgotten to try to keep things quiet. Still, this isn’t even going to be the most awkward sex story from this dorm. Felix will forever hold that crown. And when you’re laughing with Seungmin about it, seeing the unabashed joy on his face, you know you’d do it again, if given the chance.

Seungmin leaves you to shower, saying he’ll go out to get a true breakfast. Typically he doesn’t like to eat in his room, but when he gets back he lays the food between you on the bed then pulls something out of the other bag he brought in. A couple sets of ear plugs. He’s grinning as he brings out a bag of small bows to stick on top. “Think this is a good enough apology gift?”

[torialefay]

☀️ Everyday Idol 🌙 (Chapter 12)

✨ possible bangchan x reader (f), possible jungkook x reader (f)

✨ head on over to my masterlist if you haven’t checked out the previous chapters!

✨wc: ~5.5k

✨ friends to lovers? possible love triangle? obsession? angst and future smut??? a little fluff.

✨ summary: JYP Entertainment launches a new show and y/n somehow gets recruited. Even though she doesn’t particularly care about the outcome of the show, she does particularly care about one of the artists she met: Chris from Stray Kids. Does Chris feel the same or will a potential relationship with one of his friends overcome what y/n feels for him?

✨ warnings: cursing from time to time, smut!!!! 🔞

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Previous Chapter Recap:

“What is it with her? I don’t know what kind of game she’s playing, but trust me, you’ll want to get out of it. Don’t come crying to me when you realize that.”

“What are you talking about?” Chan responded, crossing his brows.

“Listen, we can sit here and play ‘fake nice’ all we want, but we all know what I said about her earlier was true. From personal experience, trust me when I say I know what she’s up to with him. He may be your friend, but I promise you, I know way more about what he does than you do. You can paint Y/N as whatever character you want, but at the end of the day, she’s just his sloppy seconds. At least I have the courage to say it to her.”

Chan felt his head begin to spin. What did she mean by that? Sloppy seconds?

“Please, just go,” was all Chan could respond with.

After standing and observing him for a few more seconds, Jenna finally crosses her arms and huffed. “Whatever, but just know that you better not play favorites tomorrow. It would be pretty embarrassing on your end.” She gave one final eyebrow raise before turning on her heels to jet out the door.

Chan could do nothing but stand there, desperately trying to make sense of the information she’d given him.

—————————————————————————————

Note: Character relations you can refer back to if needed.

Y/n- Changbin’s mentee

Anna- best friend, Felix’s mentee

Kara- Seungmin’s mentee

Sunnie- Han’s mentee

Mindi- Hyunjin’s mentee

Nisha- Lee Know’s mentee

Alyssa- Jeongin’s mentee

Jenna- Chan’s mentee

—————————————————————————————

Friday, 10 PM

Y/N’s POV:

You smiled a big goofy smile while kicking your feet up in bed.

“Quit texting Jungkook and go to sleep,” you heard Anna yell playfully from the other bed.

“I’m just saying goodnight,” you replied, bringing your voice up and sticking your tongue out at her.

At that, you started to blush, but not necessarily from embarrassment. More from not being able to swallow down the fluttery feelings that were coming from your stomach. This was all too good to be true.

Well you did. Everyone did. They planned another group dinner for everyone to go to. Although you weren’t sure how well it would go after everyone is getting evaluated tomorrow. You were praying to the gods that everyone did well and there’d be no drama afterwards.

‘Who knows, I could get so torn up after tomorrow that I don’t even make it to eat.’

You let out a lovey-dovey sigh before resting your phone on the bed next to you. Feeling full suddenly- full on what, you weren’t sure- you grabbed onto your pillow and held it tightly to your chest. You squeezed and squeezed, never wanting to forget the way you did in this moment. With so much hope.

———————————————————————

Saturday, 5 PM

Y/N’s POV:

Your heart had been pounding so rigorously that you were sure you’d pass out. Thud after thud after thud in your chest. But all of that stopped once the curtains rose and the lights hit you. Both you and Anna had been dolled up by the makeup team to the point that you barely recognized yourself. You looked good and felt good. All you had to do now was make the performance good. You zoned out and let yourself fall into the song.

Before you knew it, you were belting every note, hitting every motion, and harmonizing perfectly with Anna. For those three and a half minutes, the two of you focused solely on bringing the emotions out of the other and letting yourself truly melt into the role. It wasn’t until you’d both hit the final, ending high note that you allowed yourself to fall out of it and see what was going on around you.

There were claps already erupting from around the stage. Your peers had all jumped up at the ending note and were cheering you both on as you followed it out, finishing strong. You watched in shock as you registered the judging panel in front of you, consisting of JYP, Chan, and two men you’d seen before with the show but hadn’t remembered their names. JYP himself was giving you a standing ovation. Chan’s eyes were fixated on you.

You and Anna looked at each other giddily, as if you’d already been given the best news you could ever receive. You both scooted closer to each other to grab hands and squeeze, bringing your hands up and then back down for a large bow. It was cheesy, but fitting, you thought. You both smiled big at each other as you waited for the cheers to calm.

“Good job,” Anna mouthed to you with the biggest, whitest smile you’d ever seen.

“You too,” you smiled back.

“Girls,” JYP started jovially, holding both of his arms out. “That was just wonderful. Really really wonderful. I mean…” he brought his hands back in so he could clap them together again. “You know, I normally sit up here and tell people what I need to see from them to be able to make them an idol. What they could do better on. But you girls…” he dropped his head down with a soft chuckle. He shook his head in disbelief. “You girls are already there,” he grinned, looking you both in the eyes. “I have nothing else,” he said, looking down at the panel of the other judges. “I loved it. It was beautiful. It was heartfelt. It was everything I could have hoped for it to be. I’ve got nothing,” he commented happily before taking his seat again. He motioned his arm out toward the three beside him.

Chan was next in line. For some reason, he looked like he was about to puke. Wasn’t it you who should be doing that?

He couldn’t take his eyes off of you, not for a second. He just continued to look. Continued to stare until it was almost uncomfortable.

Finally, he coughed something up. “I agree. You could tell there was a lot of emotion put into it. From both of you,” he looked back and forth between you and Anna before resting back on you. “It was a really good performance, and I’m really proud of how hard you both have worked.” He ended with a small grin, finally prying his eyes from your frame.

You didn’t have a moment to think before the next two judges began to speak. One noted how personable the song was, while the other said that he only wished you’d both been a little less fluid with your movements (whatever that meant). Overall, you were both elated and clung to each other excitedly as you exited the stage to watch the rest of the performances.

Kara had paired with Mindi, giving a traditional “cutesy” girl group vibe, which the judges said wasn’t very original but was very well executed. Nisha and Sunnie performed a super empowering song that had a lot of sexy elements to it, which really stood out and they were highly praised for it with only a few criticisms. You giggled as you watched Chan try to give constructive criticism in a way that wouldn’t sound mean. You could tell he hated having to give any feedback at all. Jenna and Alyssa also performed very well, as much as you hated to admit it. Their song was strong. Stronger than you’d expected. But then again, you couldn’t help but wonder how much of it was Chan’s doing. They did have some negative comments on shaky vocals, but overall it was a good evaluation. As much as you weren’t a fan of the two girls (Jenna mostly, Alyssa was really just guilty by association), you were glad that everyone did seemingly well, and you could have a nice day off tomorrow with no drama.

“Will all of you please come back on the stage?” JYP had announced once each group had been evaluated. Satisfied, you rose from your seat and headed up the stairs to stand back in the spotlight that lit the center of the platform.

“I must say…” JYP continued, looking down at a note pad. “I’m very impressed with this group. You’ve come a long way in such a short amount of time… Normally, this would be the point that I would have to really sit here and think about who has what it takes to carry on.” He cleared his throat. “But after watching your performances, I don’t think I will have to make that decision today. I would like to continue each of you in this program,” he smiled.

You watched as the girls, all lined up in a row exchanged looks and animated smiles left and right. You sent a congratulatory one with a nod as well. As your eyes fell back on the panel of judges, you watched as Chan’s eyes settled onto your face, his expression softening as he gave you a big grin. It was the first time in a long time that you caught a glimpse of the Channie you thought you knew.

“Now, the judges and I have already commented on what you need to work on. I want you to take the day off tomorrow to relax and reset, but please keep in mind what you need to work on. I hope to see improvement by your next evaluation.” He gave one final smile before bowing slightly. You all mirrored his actions, going into deep bows as your signal that the assessment was complete.

You hugged some of the girls necks as you exchanged “congratulations” and compliments on how well they performed. To your luck, Jenna had already left the stage and you wouldn’t be forced to exchange any performative words. All of the SKZ boys followed suit and joined the group of you that had congregated on the stage.

“There’s my mentee,” Changbin said excited, rushing up behind you. He shook your shoulders gently before giving you a hug. “You did so good!!!” Bin was an expressive guy, but this was the most excited you’d ever seen him.

You laughed out loud at his enthusiasm as you hugged him back, gripping him tightly. “Thanks Binnie, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I know that’s right,” he said jokingly as he pulled his arms away.

To your left, Felix had found Anna and was exchanging the same compliments. They both turned to you as Changbin addressed the whole group.

“I shouldn’t say it, but I don’t care. The guys were all so impressed with you two. Everyone said your song was the best one of the night… Don’t tell anyone else I said that though,” Bin said, looking around to see if anyone had overheard him, still giggly. “I feel like a proud parent,” he added, all giddy.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” Anna said, reaching in to give Changbin a hug too.

“The part he’s leaving out is where he definitely tried to take all the credit,” Felix laughed.

“Hey! That is not what happened!” Changbin laugh-yelled back.

“Oh really Binnie? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like you at alllll,” you joked sarcastically, smiling at him to let him know you were just playing.

“No, no, what I said was… Well I did agree that it was because of me, I guess he’s right, but I was KIDDING,” Changbin defended himself.

“Don’t worry, I let them know you guys really just have massive talent and that it didn’t have anything to do with me or this meathead,” Felix lightly slapped Changbin on the head.

As the two continued to bicker, you felt two fingers tap the back of your shoulder. You almost couldn’t believe it when you spun around to see Chan standing in front of you, still with a big beaming grin on his face.

“You did really good out there. I know I already said it on stage, but I wanted to tell you personally,” he offered up. He sounded almost… hopeful?

“Thank you,” you smiled at him, still unsure what to make of his change in demeanor.

“Yeah, of course,” Chan cleared his throat. “Umm, I was wondering if you were going to the dinner after this? With everyone?”

What is he up to?

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” you answered cheerily, acting like nothing about this exchange was strange at all.

“Okay cool, I was gonna go too. I guess I’ll see you there then, yeah?”

“Sure, I’ll see ya there,” you replied with a smile.

‘Well if that wasn’t one of the weirdest and most forced conversations I’ve had…’ you thought as Chan walked off. ‘Maybe he realized he doesn’t have to be so hard on me, so he’d easing off a bit?’ It didn’t make sense, but you decided that nothing in your life really did over these past couple of weeks.

You used the opportunity of silence to grab your phone from your pocket and text Jungkook the name of the restaurant and around what time you thought you’d be ready for him to pick you up. You couldn’t wait for him to talk about what was going on with Chan. See if maybe this is what he’d been talking about.

———————————————————————

Saturday, 8:16 PM

Y/N’s POV:

You doubled over laughing as Kara opened her mouth wide, panting, before grabbing her glass of water to chug. Seungmin had bet her 20,000 won that she wouldn’t be able to down the entire gob of wasabi that was on her plate. Apparently, he was wrong, and now Kara was 20,000 won richer. She definitely had tears forming in her eyes, but at least she got something out of it.

A waiter came over, brining a large bottle of soju and several shot glasses.

“Ahhhh, thank you,” Changbin said, accepting the items graciously before turning toward the group. “Alright, let’s get this party started, ah?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows up.

“Changbin rich,” you heard Lee Know call from the other side of the group. You didn’t know much about soju, but from examining the bottle, it seemed to be one of the higher-end brands.

“Only the best for my team of winners!” he exclaimed jokingly.

The group had a laugh and a few more jabs before beginning to talk amongst themselves as Changbin began pouring the liquid into each glass. You turned your phone over on the table to check the time.

’Damn, it’s almost 8:30.’ The time you’d told Jungkook to pick you up. You didn’t quite feel like drinking anyway, so you weren’t too bothered. You were sure you wouldn’t mind once you got to be with Jungkook.

“Hey Bin, I’ve gotta leave soon, so I’m not gonna drink, okay?” you stated, still wanting confirmation.

Changbin paused from sending another shot glass down the row of people. “Come on, not even one shot? Just one? Then we can let you go,” Changbin pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

You shook your head smiling. “Okay fineeee, I guess one won’t kill me,” you gave in.

“Woo woo,” Felix said, fist bumping the air. He’d already downed a bottle of soju during dinner and you could tell he was feeling the effects. A few of the others, including Chan, had gotten drinks as well… and boy, did it show. Talk about lightweights.

Once Changbin finished passing the glasses, he turned to Chan. “Would our leader like to lead us in a toast?”

Chan, obviously feeling a bit looser than before, put on a big smile as he held up his glass. “To the best mentors and mentees in all of Korea,” he said sloppily, giggling lightly at himself.

Everyone raised their glasses in unison, clinking them together before throwing their heads back and to the side to knock down the shot.

As soon as you felt the burn in your throat, you intently disciplined yourself to not gag for fear it would actually come back up. Instead, you coughed a bit.

“Jesus, how strong is this?!” you questioned, looking at Changbin. You watched as he spun the bottle around to read the label.

“35%,” he said with big eyes.

You knew it. That shit was double the alcohol content of what you’d normally get in soju.

“So you basically made me do two shots instead of one,” you said with a smirk.

“To be honest, I didn’t know. I just knew it was fancy, so I ordered it,” he admitted… to no one’s surprise.

“Give me another,” Chan said, reaching his glass over to rest in front of Changbin.

“Woah, woah slow down,” Changbin said. “I was thinking about starting a drinking game.”

“Okay, well give me another, and then we’ll start the game,” Chan said again, definitely feeling lighter.

“Oooo Channie-hyung is going all in tonight!” Felix laughed. “Give me one too!” he said before reaching his glass in next to Chan’s.

“Okay, okay,” Changbin said as he began filling the glasses. “But I’m not taking care of either of you if you get sick tonight!”

“Hell, I’ll take care of him if it means I get to experience the fucked up version of Chan,” Seungmin teased.

You checked your phone one final time before seeing the numbers 8:27 flash across your screen. “Alright guys, I’d better go,” you said, ready to stand. Everyone returned back their small waves and goodbyes.

“Be careful! What are you rushing off to anyway?” Felix asked as he knocked his drink back.

“Oh I’m just going to see a friend,” you said, playing off the embarrassment you felt by standing up.

“Ooooo,” Kara said teasingly. “Anyone special?” she winked.

“No,” you rolled your eyes as you smiled, trying to sound light-hearted. “Now,” you said, taking a step back and to the side. “You all be good and please don’t get too crazy. Someone watch over these two,” you laughed, pointing at Chan and Felix.

After waving goodbye, you stooped down to whisper to Anna. “Remember I’m just gonna be with Jungkook. Please text me later when you get home. I just wanna know you made it safe.”

“You know I’ll be fine,” he smiled, leaning in to give you a hug.

As you turned to leave, you heard Chan’s voice behind you. “Wait! Y/n, are you walking alone?”

You turned back shyly, wishing he hadn’t asked. “Oh, uh no-“ you stumbled a bit. “No, I’m just gonna wait outside for my ride.”

“Well here,” Chan said, springing up from his seat and rushing over to where you stood. “I’ll wait with you. Don’t want you to have to be alone,” he slurred. His cheeks were flushed pink from the alcohol. You knew that that’s what all of this had to be about. He was already drunk.

“Chan really, it’s okay,” you said, holding your hands up to let him know he could back away.

“No, no I insist,” he said dramatically, linking his arm in yours before beginning to pull you towards the door. You found his newfound antics funny and laughed happily as you waved a final goodbye to your friends. You followed willingly as Chan led you through the door and outside to the cold air, where you had hoped Jungkook would already be waiting on you.

As you stood for a moment looking around, his car was nowhere to be found and no text yet. So there you stood in the silence with Chan. Great.

“So where are you going?” Chan asked, still clinging to your arm, his voice sounding free and without a care in the world.

“Oh nowhere really.” You wondered for a moment if you could use this time to be level-headed with him. “Why the sudden interest?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve always had interest,” he looked off, sounding more serious now. “Really, where are you going?” he stared into your eyes.

“Well, if you must know, I’m actually going to hang out with Jungkook… Sorry if this is weird,” you backed away from him for a moment. “I know he’s your friend. I don’t know if he’s said anything but…” you looked down before looking back up, putting a hopeful smile on your face.

When Chan didn’t respond, only looking off, you took that as your cue to keep talking. Was he really shocked? You tried to mull it over. “Thank you for introducing us by the way. He’s a really cool guy. I can see why you guys are friends,” you offered up a sheepish smile.

You watched as Chan stumbled a bit, trying to take a step toward you to link arms with you once again. “That’s what I was afraid of. Listen Y/N,” he leaned in closer. “Just be careful with him. He’s uhh… He’s a good friend, you know? But he can be a bit persuasive sometimes.” He whispered at the last part.

“What are you talking about?”

“I just don’t want you getting into anything you can’t get out of… Or feel like there’s anything you have to do for him. That’s all,” Chan looked at you deep in your eyes. You recognized the look he was giving you. It was pity… and maybe a bit of condescendence?

“Do you think I’m-?” You stopped for a moment, backing up from Chan once more. You let out a laugh in disbelief. “You think I’m fucking Jungkook?” You shook your head, irritated smile on your face, as you watched Chan’s face go blank. Like he didn’t expect you to come out and say the actual words.

“Seems like you’ve been talking to Jenna quite a bit, huh? It’s her word and now that’s what everybody thinks of me. Unbelievable,” you turned around, letting out a laugh in frustration.

“No, no, I mean…” Chan started, stumbling a bit towards you. “I mean you don’t need to go with him. You need to come with me instead. You don’t know him.” Chan was slurring to the point that you couldn’t take him seriously, but goddamn if it didn’t set you off. You felt your face flash red and your heart shatter all in the same second.

“Come home with you instead? Really? That’s what this is about?” You didn’t even know what else to say. Your feelings were crushed. Now that Jenna had branded you as the “local whore”, that’s what Chan wanted. That’s why he’d come outside with you. You could barely stand to breathe the same air as him.

“You’re drunk Chris,” you yelled, your eyes tearing up. You couldn’t find another way to explain it. “You’re drunk! You need to go back inside!”

You turned to look as a set of bright lights began to shine behind you. As it inched closer, you could make out the Mercedes logo of Jungkook’s car. You almost breathed a sigh of relief before Chan interrupted.

“No really! I’m fine! But,” he looked at the car that was now put in park behind you. “But, just listen to me. It’s not what you think it is, please just don’t go with him! I need to talk to you… alone!” he pled, his voice going in and out as he swayed back and forth. You felt a tear streaming down your cheek.

All of this for what?

“Go back inside,” you threatened, not caring now if the tears spilled out as you came closer to him. “Jungkook warned me you could be like this,” you threw at him through gritted teeth, quieter now. “And he never once made me feel like a slut.”

You hurriedly turned on your heels and rushed around the side of Jungkook’s car to throw yourself into the passenger’s seat. You didn’t want to give Chan the chance to get another single word in. Tears streamed down your face as you entered, greeting Jungkook with only the look of grief.

“Oh my god, Y/N, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jungkook asked, pulling his face closer to yours to examine it.

“I’ll be fine,” you choked out. “Please just get me out of here.”

He took one more hard look at you before nodding and putting his car into gear.

———————————————————————

Saturday, 9:10 PM

Y/N’s POV:

The tears had finally stopped as Jungkook did everything he could to calm you down. He was so patient, listening intently as you ranted to him. You made sure to start from the top, including Jenna and what she’d said to you yesterday. The rumors that were going around about you. How Chan had been acting like a douche, but tonight, he suddenly wanted you to stay with him.

Jungkook nodded and held onto your hand through every sentence. He listened with so much conviction, like every word you said was the most fascinating thing he’d ever heard. It was the most endearing thing you’d ever seen. And the most “seen” you’d felt since… well, since before Chan was like this.

He pulled you into his chest for a hug as you tried to stifle the last of your sniffles. You hands clung onto his back before running down it and falling flat onto the padded cushions of his couch. His original plan had been to take you for ice cream, but that was out of the question with the state you were in. You’d asked if you could come to his apartment so you’d actually have somewhere to go instead of crying in a car.

“I’m sorry that you’re having to go through all of this because of me,” Jungkook confided, sadness welling up in his eyes. “I feel so guilty.”

“No, no,” you reassured him. “None of this is because of you.” Another big sniffle in. “It’s because of… I don’t know, people who are too bored with their own lives?”

“Yeah maybe,” he smiled. “It’s not easy to be with me, and I know that. So thank you,” he smiled shyly.

“To be with you? As in…” you trailed off, your stomach beginning to somersault inside of you.

“As in- oh,” he blushed, looking down for a moment. “Sorry, I guess I can get carried away sometimes… I don’t want to make you feel like you have to rush into anything with me. I just meant…” he tried to backtrack, “it’s not easy to be seen with me I guess.”

As if the adoration you had for this man could get any bigger… You felt your heart swell up.

“You know,” you said quietly, grabbing again for his hand to intertwine your fingers with his. “I don’t think I’d mind ‘being with you’ though…” you smirked, looking up at him.

He let out a small laugh. “Oh really?” he teased, squeezing your hand. He leaned himself slightly into you, close enough that you could feel his breath on your neck as he smiled. “Well if that’s the case, that means I’d get to kiss you all I want, doesn’t it?” he whispered before placing a soft kiss on your cheek.

You felt your heart speed up. “I guess it would,” you breathed, trying unsuccessfully to hold in a smile. Your eyes flickered between his eyes and his mouth.

He mirrored you right back as he leaned in to press his lips to yours, as gently as if you’d imagined it. When you started to melt into him, he threw his mouth into you further, moving it with much more force as his hands held your face steady. You gasped as you felt his tongue run across your bottom lip, begging for entrance. You met him with your own tongue, intertwining it with his and letting it run across every inch of his mouth. You let your hands run through his hair, grappling for any part of him you could get. You could feel yourself getting worked up at the core as you groaned into him, the kiss getting deeper and deeper.

You savored the feeling of him beginning to pull on your hair with the most delicious amount of pressure. You moaned, suddenly not able to handle it anymore. In one quick swoop, you hoisted yourself up, throwing one leg over JK so that you were straddling him. He smiled into the kiss at your new position, letting his hands run up and down your waist. You made quick work of throwing one arm around his neck, the other resting on his chest as you used your new leverage to lead the kiss.

You took your time with him, feeling out every curve of his mouth with your tongue, mapping every inch so you’d never forget it. You could feel nothing anymore except for being lost in the space he encompassed. You only wanted him, all of him.

Without thinking, you instinctively began grinding your hips into him, lightly at first. Relishing in the small smile that had come over his lips, your mouth fought its way to stay attached to him.

Jungkook let his hands roam from your waist to trail lightly up and down your back. He followed every arch and every bow with so much precision that you could still feel him seconds later. As you began to grind your hips more forcefully, his hands slipped down further and further, tracing along the dimples at the bottom of your spine before settling on your ass. He held you there, pulled taught to his own body, as if it was the only correct thing in the world.

All thoughts were out the window as the wetness built up at your core, freely letting yourself grind down onto Jungkook’s growing bulge. You moaned as he moved his lips down to bite lightly at your neck, peppering down until he reached the base. The swirl of his tongue on your exposed skin was almost enough to send you over the edge. You ran a hand through his hair, using it to tilt his head even further into you, confirmation that you’d take as much as he would give you. He responded with a harder suck, letting his hands grab tightly to your ass to massage it as he pleased.

With each grind you felt yourself getting more worked up, and before you knew it, you were throbbing. Both you and Jungkook began panting heavily as you went harder and harder, leaving no room between you to breathe. You felt Jungkook’s hips buck up the slightest bit to get more friction, earning a breathy moan from you in response. He continued over and over again until you couldn’t take it anymore. You let your hand run down his body, from his neck, all the way down to just over his pants, where you rested your hand until…

Wait.

Wait.

You stilled yourself as you pulled your lips back from Jungkook’s face and moved your hands to his arms. “I can’t,” you breathed.

“You can’t what?” Jungkook asked, looking up at you with eyes that were still lost in a daze, his hair tousled in every direction.

“I can’t do this. We can’t do this,” you let out a huffy sigh, full of desperation.

“I can’t… kiss you?” Jungkook asked again, his eyebrows crossing in confusion.

“No, I mean we can’t… take this farther,” you whispered, pulling yourself from him. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t,” you let yourself fall to the side of his lap so that you were no longer straddling him.

It wasn’t that anything about this moment was less than perfect. Because it- no, he- was everything you could have asked for. But you didn’t want to sleep with him before you were even together… officially.

You knew how your heart worked. If you slept with him, you’d get too attached. There would be no going back for you. And if/when things didn’t work out, you’d only be hurt more. You couldn’t do that to yourself.

You also couldn’t deny that the rumors about you had gotten to your head. It was nobody’s business, and you knew that, but still. You couldn’t help but to want to distance yourself from it.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Jungkook said empathetically, turning his entire body to face yours. “I would never want you to do something that you aren’t ready for. I mean, I was more than happy with just kissing you,” he smiled.

His response put a soft smile on your face in reciprocation. “Yeah, I was pretty happy with that too,” you blushed, looking down.

He grabbed one of your hands back in his own, like he’d done so many times. Another light squeeze as he stared into your eyes.

“Do you think that you’d be ready for more between us though? Not sex. Just us… as in together?” He swallowed hard as you paused for a moment, shocked that you were really having this conversation. “I know it’s a big thing to think about,” he added.

When you’d told Jungkook that you wouldn’t mind being with him, you’d meant for it to be more flirty than serious. But this… this was serious.

You grinned as you came back from being locked into that moment of time, back to reality. But now, reality was like your fantasies, and your fantasies were your reality. Your head felt like it was floating.

“I think I could get used to it,” you beamed, still in a quiet tone.

You watched as all of the worries visibly melted off of Jungkook’s face. His eyes now shining bright with hope, stupid grin plastered on his face.

“In that case,” he started, letting his body reflexively move closer to you, “I’d really like to make this official. Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?”

———————————————————

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[dreaming-medium]

Animals Without Direction

Chapter Thirty-Two: Music of the World

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Masterlist

“Healing magic takes more concentration than destruction magic,” Hyunjin says very plainly. His words are so melodic they flow into one another. It makes it seem like everything he says is poetry. “It takes a very special school of thought to heal the body with magic.”

The two of you sat on the ground, your backs against the log behind you with the roaring bonfire at your feet. Your shoulders are pressed together while he talks. Cold winter air isn’t getting anywhere near the two of you from your proximity to the bonfire’s warmth. 

“It comes from a very pure part of the mind and soul. The need to heal people’s wounds is pure with good intentions.”

Hyunjin holds out his hand, his palm facing up. You stare down at his extended fingers. 

“Some people believe that destruction is harder than healing– they could not be more wrong. It is easy to destroy, to pull volatile energy from the world and fling it somewhere else. To heal, you pull that energy and slowly inject it into a person’s body, allowing them to mend. Many Elves try their entire lives to master it, but they have such eccentric souls that they cannot do it.”

He gathers up a small ball of light in his hand. It shimmers and sparkles with a pure, golden glow. It looks like the magic you’ve seen Felix produce many times. He would be so proud of you at this moment. His warm smile fills your mind.

The night around you and Hyunjin is still– due to it being Winter you could not even hear crickets chirping.

There’s a certain silence that fills the air during the coldest months. It feels closer and somehow louder, lonelier. But with Hyunjin next to you, the silence doesn’t seem as heavy as it typically does. 

“It is the same technique as before,” he instructs you. “But this time, when you pull the energy from the air, picture yourself soothing it, calming down its rambunctious movements down to sit very plainly in your grasp; like a mother soothing an excited child.”

He motions for you to try, the golden light vanishing from his hand and dissipating into the air. 

Slowly, you stick your hands out like before, letting your eyes slide closed.

“Everything in this world has energy, the grass, the stars, even the log we lean against.” Hyunjin’s voice gets deeper and slower, it washes over your ears like water in a creek. “You can draw this energy anywhere, it does not need to be a light source.”

His words stop and the silence of the night begins again. 

But, the more you focus on his words, the more you begin to notice how there’s no cold winter silence at all. Just like he said, everything around you gives off its own frequency, its own hum. Vibrations come off of everything around you, you can feel it permeating into your skin.

“Draw from them, borrow their power. Feel their energy in your soul and bring it into your own hands, keep it contained to your own pure soul.”

Tingles begin in your elbows and slowly flow down your forearms. The feeling swirls around your palms and wraps around your fingers, all the way down to the tips and then back to your hands.

The music of the world starts to form a song. A song that starts off the way an orchestra warms up– how each musician would be playing their own melody to loosen their muscles and prepare for the piece to come. Bows pulled over violin strings, soft tufts of air blown into flutes, drumsticks beat heavily into drums.

As seconds tick by, you pull their notes together to allow harmonies to form. In the beginning, it’s just two melodies that sync together, but they meet and continue as if they’ve always been on the same song. 

Heat grows warmer and warmer in your palms.

The song continues on, soft piano twinkling swells to meet the other tunes that begin to harmonize with one another. 

A beautiful, slow, even arrangement hums through the once freezingly still, cold air. The same atmosphere that felt suffocatingly silent just mere moments ago now expands and sings as a chorus. The blades of grass wisping through a gentle wind carrying notes that meld with the easy, slow beat of the stone walls.

You don’t even need to open your eyes to know that a beautiful ball of light sits in the palm of your hands. You just know it's there, hovering above your eager palms. 

Hyunjin’s voice breaks through the music, but he doesn’t interrupt the stream, no, he only adds to the beauty of it. “There it is,” he whispers.

How could he possibly have murmured in perfect tune with the world? Does he hear their song too? Does he hear the way the logs in the fire pop the way cello strings are plucked?

“You now take this beautiful energy you have created, and you focus it on a wound, a rip in the beauty of someone’s body, and you use it to heal it.”

He shuffles around next to you, warm fingers wrap around your forearm. “Here,” he says gently. “I have a small cut on my forearm, would you help me, healer?”

You chuckle under your breath at his teasing words and nod. You’re worried that if you try to use your voice for even a second, the orchestra you’ve conducted will cease, and you’ll be left to sit in silence once more.

Hyunjin very gently grabs your wrist, he brings your hands closer to him. Your body shifts and you allow him to guide your touch down to his forearm.

“Think about the makeup of a living being, picture everything down to the blood the flows through my veins. Use your beautiful light to heal what has been broken, use it for good.”

You do as he says.

Various images fly across your mind. Veins and muscles that were once torn being resewn together, skin growing back over cuts and burns. 

The music swells louder and louder, music notes swirl around your ears and surround you completely. 

Will the world always sound like this? Is this her beautiful, unchanging song?

Hyunjin lets out a tiny sigh of relief, the air from his exhale fanning over your face from how close the two of you had gotten. “Just like that,” he whispers. “Just like that, healer.” 

Slowly, and against your very best wishes, the music begins to fade. The notes get slower, the tempo decreases. The time in between each drumbeat gets longer and longer. The energy within your palms begins to cool down.

Once you no longer can feel the energy within your hands, you allow your eyes to slide open once more. 

Your hands still rest on Hyunjin’s forearm. You look down to inspect it for any sign of a cut.

Running your fingers over his smooth skin, you see nothing, not even a scratch or even a scar to be found. Did you do it? Did you heal him?

“Congratulations, Y/N,” Hyunjin coos, drawing your attention again. You look up and see he is practically nose to nose with you. HIs sharp eyes are the softest you’ve ever seen. 

His piercing gaze is usually one to rival Minho’s; but now, he looks like he’s looking at the first flower of Spring. 

“I did it,” you whisper, obvious happiness present in your voice.

“You did,” he repeats.

You look back down at his forearm. “You are not jesting with me, correct? There really was a cut here?”

“Aye,” Hyunjin laughs under his breath. “I do not jest, you healed me, Y/N.”

You healed him, you actually healed him! 

A happy laugh bubbles in your chest while you look down at his flawless forearm. “I healed you,” you say in disbelief. “I healed you!”

You look up at Hyunjin once more with pure happiness on your face. “Oh, I cannot believe it. I never thought I would learn any magic, let alone restoration magic!”

He mirrors your smile, the corners of his lips turning up. “And yet here we are.”

Hesitating for a moment, you then speak up. “Do you hear the music too when you use magic? The music of the world?”

He stares at you, a little confused for just a split second. “Music? Nay, I do not hear music when I use magic.”

“Oh,” you say, a little disappointed.

“But,” he starts. “It is different for every Elf. The way our soul visualizes magic is different for everyone.”

“How do you see it?”

Hyunjin hums, his eyes looking around. He bites his lip in concentration, trying to find the right words to use to possibly describe it to you.

“Do you know the way paint runs over canvas? The way the color comes from a brush– especially waterpaint?”

You nod.

“That is how I see magic. Everything has its own color, texture, medium, all of it. When I draw energy from different sources, it’s like creating a beautiful painting in my soul. Sometimes they are so unforgettable that I try to recreate them.”

Your mouth drops open for a second. “Your workshop,” you say quickly. “The paintings all over the walls, were they pieces you saw in your mind?”

“Aye,” he answers with a smile. “Every last one of them is from my magic. Beautiful, no?”

“It is,” you say with wonder laced through your tone. 

Leaning back against the log, you let your eyes wander to the fire. 

The beauty of the world around you has never been something you were able to stop and appreciate. It was more something you knew existed but figured it was for other people to enjoy. 

This didn’t mean that you couldn’t stop to enjoy the occasional painting or sculpture, but just that you didn’t have the time to sit and understand it. 

But now that you’ve heard the beautiful music that the objects could make around you, you find yourself craving more than what you get every day. You want to stop and smell the roses, stare up at the stars, watch the way the wind blows through the leaves of trees in the Summertime. 

Wouldn’t it be so nice to just sit by a pond and watch as a duck with her ducklings swims by? To be able to observe how the shadows fall across the valley from the clouds passing by the sun?

The crushing weight of the war around you creeps up in the back of your mind.

There was no time to ogle at the beauty of the world when other people feared they might live to see the next sunrise.

Hyunjin must have watched your face fall.

“I say that we have had enough for tonight.” 

Your head looks over at him, your lips part to usher a rebuttal, but he interrupts you. 

“Nay, you need rest, I need rest. We are going to need to get in all the hours of sleep we possibly can in the next few days.”

He’s right, you know he’s right. But you feel like you just found a secret of the world, how are you supposed to stop when you just started?

“We will practice again tomorrow night, Y/N, I swear to you.”

The mage stands up from the ground, brushing the dirt off his clothes. The light from the fire illuminates his face in an ethereal way. 

“Come,” he says, holding out his hand. You take it and he helps you up to your feet. “Now, off to your room. And I best not hear any sounds coming from inside.”

“Or what?” you tease, following after him as he makes his way towards the fort.

“Or I will withhold magic lessons.”

You groan and roll your eyes. “Sure, whatever, but you need to stop acting like my father.

------------------------------------------

Daytime around camp is much different than nighttime. 

When the sun is high in the sky, you can expect to hear various commands being thrown left and right by Changbin and other higher up officers in the army. 

The blacksmiths of the camp are working in overdrive to try and prepare all the weapons and armor for the impending attack.

It’s lunchtime on December the Ninth. Two full days until the axis of the world tilts. 

“Y/N,” Changbin calls out to you across the training grounds. “Keep that elbow locked when you are blocking!”

Quickly, you shift your form, following his orders. Your sparring opponent tries to take advantage of the supposed distraction, swinging their sword around to try and strike at your right side.

Your reflexes are too fast. You jump out of the way, nimbly dodging their swipe and kicking upwards at the hand holding their weapon. They too dodge your attack and the two of you are back in the rhythm of the spar. 

“Knees bent, Y/N!” Changbin yells at you again from across the field, his voice seems closer now. 

Your knees were already bent? If you squat down any more, your center of gravity will be off and a stiff breeze will knock you over.

For the first time, you decide to ignore his command, continuing with your movements.Over and over again you hit your sword into your partner’s. 

“Y/N! Knees bent!” His voice is even closer now. 

Again, you ignore him with a sneer pulling at your lips. What does he mean bend your knees?

Three more swipes against your sparring partner, one jab in your direction, a kick to the ribs, a missed stab.

Before you’re able to attack again, a boot shoves into the back of your knee, causing you to collapse into the dirt.

“Fuck!” you call out, bracing against the ground to stop your fall. “By The Six!” you curse. 

Your partner’s eyes are wide in shock.

Whipping your head around, you see Changbin staring down at you with his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face. You stand up quickly, coming closer to him.

“What is wrong with you?” you bark at him, your temper flaring. 

His own anger swells with your lashing out. “Watch your tongue! You were the one not following commands!”

“Following–” You balk and scoff. “My knees were already bent, if I bent them any more I would be squatting in the dirt!”

“Why are you challenging my instruction?” Changbin’s eyebrows furrow, his cheeks flush with anger. 

“Because I know what I am doing and I am telling you that my knees do not need to be bending anymore. I listen when I know what you are saying is correct.”

His chest puffs and his face darkens. Obviously, he is not taking too kindly to you challenging his authority. 

In the months you’ve been a part of Miroh’s court, never did you go against any of his commands, not once pushing against any of his corrections or lessons he taught on the training grounds.

But tensions were running high in the camp, everyone was on edge and frazzled. 

“Ten laps around the fort,” Changbin says lowly, his voice gruff. The two of you keep eye contact with each other, neither one wanting to back down.

Every single soldier, who had previously stopped to stare at your pissing contest, groans.

“Not you lot,” he says louder, talking to his soldiers. “Just Y/N.”

Your jaw drops open in disbelief. “What? Changbin–”

“Fifteen.”

“You are being ridiculous!”

“Twenty.”

“I do not have to do this.”

“Twenty five.”

You maintain fiery eye contact with him, red hot frustration bubbling up in your chest. It’s burning hot and clouding your sensibility. 

Oh, you could scream, you can practically feel the temper tantrum on the tip of your tongue. You can taste every single awful insult you want to throw Changbin’s way. It’s taking every bit of self control you have not to let them fly.

He doesn’t back down. Just by staring at his face, you can tell that he’s only just keeping it together.

But still, you can’t hold your tongue.

“To the Void with you, Changbin.”

“Thirty.”

You throw your shield and sword on the ground at his feet, the dust from the dirt kicking up. You roll your shoulders back and walk away from the training grounds.

But, you make sure you harshly bump your shoulder into his as you walk past. It takes too much effort, but you do manage to knock him off balance to make his boots shift in the dirt. 

“Come straight to my office when you are done.”

“I will think about it.”

Who the fuck knows how long thirty laps is going to take you?

[mercurywritesstuff]

Chapter 5: Recording

pairing: Chan x fem!reader genre: smau, Forbidden love, Best friends sister trope, Idol x Idol

pov: 1st person texts, 2nd person writing

warnings: Swearing, 1 Seo-yun flirting instance

summary: Chan has a one night stand with a girl he couldn't remember the name of, but he gets the shock of his life when the girl turns out to be his subordinate. Oh, and also she's Felix's older sister.

Taglist Status: Open! (29 spots available left)

Taglist: @freyjhasdesiredreality, @partyparty-yah, @jediturtlelover, @highlydestiny, @lixie-phoria, @silverstarburst, @sandandstarz , @massivesoyeondelusion , @spiceyhamcat, @fishlane75, @gini143, @palindrome969, @lakoya, @i-dont-know-me-either, @channie-143, @rylea08, @jutdwae-archives, @liqhtninqscars, @111skz, @mellhwang, @hanniemylovelyquokka

(Red names mean I cannot tag you for some reason)

word count: 426 screenshot count: 5 Songs for this chapter: Pov: Your POV Prev . Masterlist. Next

You poked your head into the studio, seeing Chan sitting by himself. You cursed being too early and was about to leave when he spotted you. You cursed to yourself silently, entering and then bowing to your coworker deeply.

He scrambled up, doing the same thing as you did. You two stayed like this for a while, until you had to stand up due to your back starting to hurt.

You two stared at each other for a while before the doorknob started to turn, Yong-Mi sticking her head in with a small smile. "Hello!" She cheered, slipping in while the others, Sang-hee and Seo-yun, skipping into the studio. They dropped onto the studio couch, rolling around on the leather.

Sometimes, you really think they're just 3 year Olds that pay taxes.

"Okay, so," Chan started, getting you four's attention. "Sang-hee, I want you to try and match Han's rap in the pre-chorus and harmonize with him." He started. Sang-hee nodded, standing up and entering the recording booth.

You watched as Chan patiently recorded with your members. They, thankfully, had a quick time and finally it was your turn.

You nervously got up and entered the booth, the three younger members giggling while talking with each other secretly.

"Okay, noona, I want you to try and sing your part in like a, mumble rap part." Chan spoke into the mic, you biting your lip and nodding.

You try, but at the end, your voice cracked. You froze, before starting to smile when you saw your girls start to crack up at your misfortune.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. "Again?" Chris asked, a small smile on his face. You nodded, doing little jumps to hype yourself up.

--

"Unnie!" Sun-hi cheered as you walked into the practice room, bouncing up and down and drying the painted hand. Hyunjin looked up at her with an annoyed expression, tugging her hand to keep her still while he painted the other hand.

"Noona." Han appeared out of nowhere, making you jump. You turned to glare at the younger member for scaring you. His eyes widened and he bowed in apology.

You rolled your eyes, walking over to your brother and sat next to him. Felix saw his opportunity and laid across your lap, eliciting a hum from you.

You yawned, pushing your brother off of you, before sitting on the ground to try and wake you up. The last thing you remembered was the feeling of Felix's hands playing with the hem of the back of your shirt.

[im-getting-help]

What if theater kid Felix obsessed with musicals and theater hater Oliver.

Ollie can appreciate classics like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, he read the scripts even, but he finds the staging and theatrical language annoying, even though he never actually saw a play that is not the shitty ones of his highschool.

Somehow in Oxford, he is dragged(let's say Farleigh (?) to see a performance by theater/film students, that is where he sees Felix perform, and he is good at it, and his voice while he sings its beautiful and he can't help himself but fall inlove instantly.

Sorry I'm obsessed with theatre and I need Felix to be too

Theater kid Felix is canon, sorry atheists.

Oliver is literally Paul from TGWDLM, he doesn't hate musicals, he just thinks hating musicals is part of his identity/personality and won't let go.

He actually watched a fair amount of musical movies and he's in love with Emma Felix, a theater "kid?". He knows the lyrics of some songs from musicals and always has an excuse like "I watched it cause a friend told me it was good..." or "the song is everywhere, I can't help to know the lyrics." or my favorite "I watched it just to be sure I hated it."

"I don't like musical theater, I just like Felix" that's what he says to himself every time he buys another ticket.

Oliver sits as close as he can get to the front row and he only watches Felix. When Felix isn't on stage he watches the props, the makeup, the costuming, the wigs, oh the wigs are fun if you're close to the stage, he tries to find where they hide the box for the microphones.

But, whenever Felix is back he can't take his eyes off him.

" 'why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer'... but what if they catch me taking pictures and ask me to leave?Better wait until the play is over, maybe then I can ask him for a picture? would that be wierd? God, i can't cry now, we're not even close to that scene..."

What about Felix?

Well, Oliver isn't really that crazy. Felix is impressively talented.

When you see him entering the stage the first thing you think is 'oh, that's the cute one' and then he starts singing, and you think 'oh, he's pretty good', then he gets you to laugh and you think 'oh, he's good', then he delivers a great dramatic line and you think 'shit, he is good', and then... then he starts dancing and now you're pissed.

He's good looking, knows how to sing, act AND dance? a triple threat with beautiful hazel eyes and over 5'4? are you kidding me?

HE KNOWS BALLET AND HOW TO TAP DANCE?!

Sir James paid for the best professors, instructors and coaches. Music theory and singing lessons monday and wednesday, theater classes tuesday, wednesday and saturday and dancing classes thursday and friday. Sunday he rested, then again, monday, almost at the same time as the sun went up he waked up, honey and ginger tea and the staff could hear the vocal warm ups traveling the old hallways of the mansion.

Felix loved it, even when he was exhausted, and he had almost no social life outside of other performers, he loved the arts. He loved when he learned how to properly sustain and do a good legato, or actually using the diaphragm and not the throat to sing staccato, better yet when he stopped hurting after rehearsal. He loved when his professor cried through one of his soliloquies, and when he cried while doing the soliloquy. He was actually so relieved when he finally learned how to lift her partner without digging his thumbs into her abdomen, and he loved it when she and the coach congratulated him for it.

Felix liked to rehearse, learn his lines, practice the lyrics, harmonizing with his partner and trying the costumes. But most of all, he just loved being part of the plays. When the play was over and he snapped out of the character, when he saw the public applauding them, that's when he knew he chose right.

"Hey Fee, who's that guy with the baby blue eyes? a new fan?"

"Huh? Who?"

"The guy? ...short, dark hair, clear blue eyes and glasses, looks kinda nerdy. He's here almost every night, near the front row, I thought you knew him."

"Uhm... no?"

"No? he comes just to see you, it's so obvious, he only pays attention to you."

"I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Look for him the next function, he's always near the front".

♡ ♡

"We go to the same college, how come we never crossed paths before?"

"You're probably always around the plaza, I'm on the bodleian"

"Fucking nerds! we hated you guys!"

"We hated ourselves!"

[weirdagnes]

okay okay so i’ve been listening wayyy too much We Don’t Talk About Bruno. I can’t help but listen to all English, Spanish and Filipino version (im so surprised i didn’t cringe at Filipino dub?? they all sounded so close to the original voices and the singing voice is damn impressive)

The differences in mixing is interesting! Here’s what I’ve noticed (focusing only on the final verse):

We Don’t Talk About Bruno

Official audio and the audio in the movie have different mixing.

Official Audio:

There’s no moving pans. Everyone’s on the exact same pan where they began.

Pepa on the right, Felix on left.

Camilo on left-center (-20 or so).

Dolores on far left.

Isabela on right-center (+20 or so).

Movie Audio:

PEPA & FELIX

(“It was my wedding…”) Felix is on the left pan. Pepa comes from right pan then glides over to left pan when she and Isabela held hands and Pepa moved stage right.

(“Bruno walks in…”) Pepa is back on right pan but more center, somewhere +10 probably.

(“Thunder!”) Felix is on far right pan now.

(“You telling this story..”) Pepa is on center now.

(“I’m sorry, mi vida…”) Felix is back on far left.

(“Bruno says it...”) Pepa and Felix comes from far left slowly panning to right, matching their animation moving from stage right to left.

ISABELA

(“The life of my dreams...”) Isabela is all over lmao. She starts on left pan (-30) then pan max left as she exits stage right. Then when she and Pepa switched stage sides, Isabela’s track pans very fast to the right.

(“My power would grow...”) She’s back on left pan (-30).

(“He told me…”) She’s on right pan now.

(“And I’m fine…”) She pans further to the right (+40 or so). But on the last “I’m fine”, she pans fast to the left (-20) as her animation also move stage right.

CAMILO

(Camilo’s 1st Stanza) Camilo is on right pan (+40 maybe)

(Camilo 2nd Stanza) Camilo is on left pan now (-40 or so).

DOLORES

(Dolores rap) Dolores is very hard to hear but she very slowly pans from far left (-40 to -50) to center-right (+20 or so) until her rap ends.

(Dolores Verse 2) Dolores stays on right pan.

Overall:

(“Time for dinner!”) Pepa and Julieta are on left and right on both official and movie audio.

The original version is second best in balancing. Dolores is very hard to hear, took me many replays to hear her clearly. Isabela’s “I’m fine” also went over my ears until I heard the stem tracks. Pepa and Felix’s audio dominates most of the first verse.

No Se Habla De Bruno

Official Audio: Same positions as the English and Filipino version. Doesnt move.

(“A la mesa!”) The voices are on center and right pan.

Everyone is perfectly balanced imo. No one is overpowering one another. Amazing! Better than the original.

Movie Audio: Has the exact same panning as the English and Filipino version.

(“A la mesa!”) The voices are separated far left and far right.

Camilo is noticeably quieter all throughout than in the official audio.

Overall:

imo the Spanish version has the best balancing out of the three. You can hear everyone very clearly, especially Dolores whose track is often too buried under in other versions (even the original).

On the final harmonizing “Don’t talk about Bruno” line, they seem to back up the voice actors with choir and it seems to have more wider acoustics on it in the movie audio but not in the official audio? Unless it was super nerfed in the official audio.

Wag Ikuwento si Bruno

Official Audio:

Same positions as the English and Spanish version. Doesnt move.

(“Hoy ang mesa!”) Pepa and Julieta are both on center and the voices that harmonize are on the far left and far right - which is not good imo bc (1) the harmony is too spread out; (2) there’s not much difference in timbre between Pepa and Julieta and they’re both singing the main melody so the center is overpowering and monotonous.

Camilo and Felix are loudest, Pepa’s track is more quiet than Isabela. Dolores’ track is super muddy but can be heard in the first repeat of the final chorus, but on the second repeat, she is as loud as Camilo and Isabela’s track while Pepa and Felix are subdued.

Movie Audio:

Has the exact same panning as the English and Spanish version.

(“Hoy ang mesa!”) Pepa and Julieta’s voice is separated on left and right, but the left side is louder than the right. But it’s so much better than the official audio because they’re on stereo with the harmonizing voices instead of clashing in center.

Felix, Pepa and Isabela are the loudest all throughout. Dolores can’t be heard at all start-to-finish, and Camilo is quieter than in the original and Spanish version.

Overall:

The worst balancing out of the three imo. Dolores’ track is practically non-existent (except maybe the Official Audio, at least she sounds better there).

However, I like this version’s final harmonizing “Wag Ikuwento si Bruno” better than the English and Spanish. I like that the higher register seems to be heard more, and generally the way it was sung felt more powerful.

I also want to note that in Camilo’s verse, Dolores’ last “We don’t talk about Bruno” is noticeably very quiet; I thought it wasn’t sung until I amped up the volume.

Conclusion!

I assume they have like an official guide or notes for how they did the panning for both the official audio and the movie audio. Maybe because the panning had to follow the character animation on where they move on screen so the audio experience matches the visual.

But they didn’t seem to have an official guide on mixing and balancing, probably because of different recording equipment and studio environments.

My ranking based on balancing and mixing:

Spanish

English

Filipino

My ranking based on best harmony:

Filipino

English

Spanish

These rankings also remains the same for other songs (yeah i listened to them all). If a music student or professional comes across this post, I might’ve used incorrect terminology and analyzed the panning incorrectly, so I don’t mind being corrected!

alr yapping’s over

[beautifulchris]

frog choir

pairing: yang jeongin x gn!reader

wc: 3,5k

featuring: bang chan, seo changbin, hwang hyunjin, nct’s mark and chenle

summary: jeongin joins the frog choir without knowing you’re in it too (he might like you)

genres: hogwarts!au, classmates to lovers!au, gryffindor!jeongin, slytherin!reader, fluff

warnings: i don’t think there is?

notes: moodboard made by me, pictures found on the internet. reposting works from my old blog

order of writing: chan - jisung - minho - hyunjin - jeongin - seungmin - changbin - felix

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland @kwritersworld

tag list: @badwithten @soobin-chois @raethethey send ask/dm/comment to be added!

Because of his bloodline and his parents’ friends, Jeongin had only wizard friends during his childhood. Once at Hogwarts, however, they were all sorted into different houses and he ended up alone in Gryffindor. It wasn’t a problem for him and they still spent time together at first. But his friends spent more and more time with their housemates until one day, they finally didn’t have time for each other anymore. By that time, he found someone else too though. He met one of his prefects, Chan, who took him under his wings during the first month he arrived.

Jeongin already knew a lot about Hogwarts and the courses, he knew what facultative courses he would take the second he would have the chance but since his parents didn’t like the Frog Choir, they never talked about it. Therefore, when he first saw the students on his very first day, singing all together with frogs, he was amazed. Will his toad ever croak as beautifully? Cause yeah, he believed his toad had to be part of it to be able to join the Frog Choir and he never dared to ask Chan about it.

He tried for many months to harmonize with Froakie, but all he did was ignoring his owner or after a while, croaking so violently it was like he was telling him to shut up. He realized that, maybe, the problem didn’t come from his toad but from him. And so he exercised his voice to make it sound more pleasant to hear perhaps. He would know if it was enough when his toad would accept to harmonize with him, he figured. Jeongin practised for almost 2 years and during summer before his 3rd year, he was seated in the garden of his house with his toad, enjoying the sun. He mindlessly sang one of his favorite songs and to his surprise, Froakie croaked in rhythm with him. It became one of his happiest moments.

The second day of his 3rd year, he asked his charms teacher if he could pass the audition to join the Frog Choir. He easily passed it and was excited to start. When he found Chan revising in their common room, he directly told him.

“Chan! You’ll never know what I just did.”

The older one lifted his head up from the potions book he was reading with a smile. “Let me guess. You just had your first muggle studies lesson of the year and it’s fascinating?”

He never really knew about the muggle world so he meant to take it since his first year and he knew it would rapidly become one of his favorite classes.

“Well yeah, I did, but that’s not it.”

“What could you be more excited about if not that?” Chan was really curious now while Jeongin nervously played with the hem of his sleeve.

“The Frog Choir.”

Chan was confused because Jeongin never mentioned it before. “What about it?”

“I auditioned and got in.”

Chan’s face lit up. He was genuinely pleased to hear that his friend got to enjoy singing. “No way! I’m so happy for you Jeongin. You know who’s apart of it?”

Jeongin’s eyes widened a bit. “… No?”

Mark, a fellow Gryffindor and Quidditch player that was passing by, took part in the conversation. “There’s my 2nd year friend Chenle, his best friend and Yunho from my year.”

Oh, Chenle’s best friend. You.

“Yeah and Jaehyun too. Thanks, Mark.”

The boy smiled and left the common room. Jeongin grew nervous. As if reading his mind, Chan tried to make him feel better.

“Everything’s going to be okay, I promise!” He wished it would.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day, when he entered the Great Hall filled with older and younger students chatting, seated on the benches or up on the platform, all excited to be in the choir this year as well, he felt great.

You saw him approach the platform hesitantly, he didn’t seem to be friends with anyone in particular.

“Oh, isn’t that Jeongin from Gryffindor?” asked Chenle next to you. You smiled unconsciously.

“Yeah, we should go talk to him.”

“You’re right, he looks kinda lost,” Chenle smiled.

You got up from one of the benches and joined him.

“Hey,” you greeted as you tapped his shoulder, “what are you doing here?”

“I—” he coughed but quickly regained composure. “I passed the audition to be part of the Frog Choir.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!” you exclaimed, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, and Chenle looked apologetic for your behavior. When you realized, you nudged him and smiled innocently at Jeongin, who couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating up. 

The professor, who was also the charms and music professor, entered the Great Hall and all the whispers faded away. You turned to watch him get closer.

“Hello dear students. Welcome to the new ones and welcome back to the old ones.” A loud cheer followed his words and Jeongin felt like he knew he would enjoy this class.

He eventually had to present himself, like everyone else and when he did, he spoke in a small voice, showing Froakie, snuggled in his small hands. Everyone had sympathetic smiles and he heard two or three older people saying he was cute. You found him really cute too, but you kept it to yourself.

When you had to present yourself, you were at ease, knowing almost everyone already. “I’m Y/N, third year in the choir, and I got Yggorf with me, like always.”

The professor explained what he explained every year, to teach the rules to the new ones and remind them to those who were there the years before. While he talked, you were humming discreetly and mindlessly. Jeongin wasn’t far from you and it made him happy and relaxed to hear your voice, he found it soothing.

“Hey, can I ask you where Yggorf comes from?” he whispered as he got closer to you.

“Just Froggy backwards. I know, I put so much thought on this,” you laughed quietly.

Jeongin suddenly remembered the first time he saw you, the night all of the first year students were sorted, his first night ever in the castle. When you got called by a tall and intimidating professor to sit on the chair in front of everyone, you were a bit anxious. You were just eleven and you didn’t really know who you were exactly yet nor in which house you would be put. The professor put the Sorting Hat on your head and it took its time but finally, shouted “Slytherin!”. You smiled and joined your housemates. Jeongin, already seated at the Gryffindor table, gently clapped his hands until an older Gryffindor glared at him. He realized the only ones who clapped were the same house students but couldn’t comprehend why he couldn’t be happy for every new student. And so, he kept clapping quietly for everyone else (and kept doing that every year).

You quickly found a friend, though. Chenle was a bit weird but adorable. You went to see him in your common room after your first day because you thought he was funny in class and he offered you to play gobstones with him. Since, you play together at least four times a week.

Jeongin and Froakie enjoyed every practice, Jeongin because he could spend time with his new friends and Froakie because he was hanging with other toads and frogs. You suspected Froakie and your own toad, Yggorf, to be friends as well cause they were almost glued to each other every chance they got.

Jeongin realized Chenle didn’t bring any toads to practice though.

“Hey Chenle, you don’t have a frog?”

“No, I have a rat.”

“Oh, but you’re in the frog choir anyway?” Jeongin’s face screamed confusion.

“Yeah of course, don’t tell me you thought you absolutely needed a frog to join— oh. Is that why you only joined this year?” Jeongin nodded. “Oh.”

“It’s alright, at least Froakie made me work on myself so I don’t regret it.” Maybe, just maybe, if he didn’t work on himself, tried out for the Frog Choir in his first year and didn’t get in, he wouldn’t have tried again and this moment wouldn’t exist.

“I’m glad to hear that, because you have quite the skill.”

“Thanks, you ain’t bad yourself.”

Chenle thanked Jeongin and both smiled at each other before going back to practice.

Jeongin and you had classes together, like care of magical creatures. He was really passionate about it and cared about them a lot. He took the subject so seriously that he knew almost everything there was to know about every creature you learned about. It made him the best in this class and you admired him for that.

Jeongin often talked to you about muggle studies. You didn’t take that course because you were a halfblood and already knew everything you needed to know. Every time Jeongin had a question, he went to you in the halls or after classes to know the answer, not able to wait for the next muggle studies class to ask the professor herself or even ask Chan, a muggleborn. Chenle kept telling you it was because he wouldn’t miss a chance to spend time with you.

Since you started talking, you spent time with each other every chance you got, practice, shared classes, after class, weekends… Jeongin had now found friends he was never going to let go of. You were happy to spend time with him, he was really cute and charming.

Chenle was feeling like third wheeling but he didn’t mind, he just wanted his friends to date and be happy.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Jeongin, we’ve been friends for months now, and I know I can trust you.”

“Okay…?”

“I’m going to be straightforward. Do you like Y/N?”

Jeongin was out with Chenle, walking on the school grounds while you were at the library, finishing a mortally boring history of magic homework. His cheeks heated up at the mention of your name followed by the word “like”.

“What? Of course I like them, we’re friends,” he tried while nervously playing with his hands.

“I mean more than friends,” he innocently smiled.

“I—” Jeongin gulped. “I don’t know. I could. Or not. I mean, they’re cute. And smart. Passionate too. Also—”

“So, no feelings, huh?” Chenle laughed at his friend’s rambling and gave him a tap on the shoulder.

You joined them soon after and found Jeongin acting weirdly. You didn’t question it, he was definitely adorable.

Obviously, Jeongin wasn’t indifferent to your charm, he liked you since your first year but never dared to talk to you. Still, he needed to understand his feelings better, to at least know if it was friendship or love. He needed to talk about it with Chan. Jeongin went to the Gryffindor common room to find him and he was alone on the couch.

“Chan, I need you.”

“Why that serious tone?”

“It’s about Y/N.”

“Chenle’s best friend? What about them?”

Jeongin sat next to his older friend on the comfortable couch. “They’re more than that, Chan. How do you know you like someone?”

Chan smiled fondly at the thought of his lover. They had been together for around two months now. “Well, you always want to spend time with the person. You’re happy just to see them smile, you look up to them and are whipped for them. Like you could do anything for them in a heartbeat. These kinds of things.”

“I guess I really like them, then.” He looked down, lost in thought —of you, naturally.

“Cool! When are you going to tell them?”

“Wait, I need to know if they feel the same way now,” Jeongin put a hand up, pouting lightly.

Chan smiled. “What if they end up asking you first?”

“I would be relieved, not going to lie. Because it would mean they like me too, and I wouldn’t have to worry about saying the right things,” he explained.

“Our Jeonginnie’s in love~” Chan chanted excitedly.

“Stop!” Jeongin whined.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Chenle!” you called your friend who was doing his history homework on an armchair in the common room.

“Yes, Y/N??”

“Did Jeongin ever talk to you about me?”

He put down his quill and glared you in the eye as you sat next to him, looking at him questionably. “Did you finally understand you have feelings for him?”

You recoiled in your seat. “What? No—”

“Don’t lie to me Y/N, I’m your best friend.”

“Why would you ask a question you already know the answer of, then?” you pouted.

“To see if you’re ready for that talk.”

You sighed. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” he winked, then wrote one last sentence to his parchment before tidying up his stuff. “So. I talked to him about you and let me tell you that boy is WHIPPED. Can’t blame him, you’re cute.”

“Thanks… wait, he likes me too??”

Ignoring you, he went on with his plan. “Now, the question is… will you ask him out?”

“Wait, am I ready for that? I’m only thirteen!”

“True, but we’re not talking about marriage nor kids yet… just a romantic relationship with kisses and hugs.”

“You seem to have thought about all this a lot…”

“I’ve waited for this talk for months now,” he sighed tiredly.

“Shouldn’t we ask Changbin about love? No offense, but he might know more about the subject.”

“Of course, go ask him. He’s by the fireplace.” You turned around and saw Changbin on the couch, seemingly revising a charms spell. You walked up to him.

“Hey Changbin, can I ask you a question?”

He looked up at you with a smile. “Hey, isn’t that my favorite Slytherin? Green really looks good on you, Y/N.” You giggled, Changbin was really nice to the younger students but you knew it was a Changbin trait, not a prefect one.

“You said I was your favorite Slytherin yesterday!” shouted Chenle, pouting. Changbin laughed while you pulled your tongue out in his direction.

“Sit, tell me everything,” he said as he patted the place next to him.

“Well, it’s a matter of love.”

“Oh, love. Aren’t you a bit young to be thinking about that?”

“Maybe, but I just needed your advice. I like Jeongin, and I don’t really know how to tell him.” Actually, he just heard from Minho, who heard it from Jisung, who heard it from Chan that Jeongin liked you.

“Jeongin, you say? He’s one of my friends. My little finger told me he likes you too, you can go and ask him. As for how, why not propose him to go at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop? It's perfect for dates.”

“Thank you so much Changbin, you’re the best!” You hugged him tight and returned to your best friend, a big smile on your face.

“Should I remind you that you told me I was the best this very morning?”

“You’re both the best for different reasons. Like, you’re my best friend and he’s my best prefect.”

“I’ll let it pass,” he said, not without rolling his eyes.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

After charms class, you stopped Jeongin to ask him something while Chenle left in a hurry.

“Would you, maybe, come with me at Madam Pudifoot’s tea shop tomorrow at 4:30pm?”

Jeongin went silent for a few seconds, processing what he had just heard. It sounded like you were asking him on a date, because the tea shop was known for couple dates. He was confused but his face lit up and he agreed vividly. 

“Cool, it’s a date. I have to go to Hogsmeade now but I’ll see you later,” you explained and got out of class, Jeongin behind you. A date? His stomach was doing things he didn’t think were possible.

“Want me to come with you?”

“No! I mean, no need, I’m going with Chenle already. Why don’t you practice the banishing charm we just learned?”

“I—” But you were already out of sight, finding Chenle and going to Hogsmeade together. You didn’t mean to be rude, you just couldn’t take him with you for this.

“I did it. He said yes.” Your smile said it all about how you were feeling and Chenle was pondering what reaction was best, smile or laugh.

“You’re brave, I’m proud of you. As expected, he likes you very much.” Your cheeks burned and you didn’t talk until you were at Hogsmeade.

“I’ll get him cauldron cakes, he said he liked those a few weeks ago,” Chenle said before entering Honeydukes.

“Right. I’ll see what I can find in Gladrags Wizardwear.” You entered the shop as well, searching for accessories. Pretty matching bracelets were disposed of on a shelf and you immediately felt like they were the one. Paying 6 galleons, you asked the owner to wrap one of the bracelets in a lovely gift wrap.

When you found Chenle outside of Honeydukes, he chuckled at the bracelet on your wrist. “You really know how to win a boy’s heart.”

“What’s that supposed to mean??” You looked offended but he just giggled.

Meanwhile, Jeongin went to see Hyunjin for advice. He found him on the pitch and watched the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice.

“Hyunjin!” he called as the older one came out of the changing room.

“Jeongin, hey.”

“Y/N just asked me! On a date!” He excitedly jumped around.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” he high fived his friend. “When is it planned?”

“Tomorrow.”

The older raised an eyebrow. “But that’s your birthday?”

“I haven’t told them that… By the way, right after that, they said they had to go to Hogsmeade with Chenle and insisted I don’t tag along,” he pouted, looking down.

“Jeongin, don’t you think that, perhaps, they also need time to prepare?”

“Right, of course. Can you help me with that?”

“Get ready, I won’t repeat myself,” he said with a smile, throwing his arm on Jeongin's shoulders, walking together to the school.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The big day had arrived, you were waiting at a table next to the window, playing with your new bracelet. Jeongin entered the shop, spotted you and sat in front of you. Madam Puddifoot came taking the order and left just as fast. It was awkward at first, neither of you being totally comfortable with the date thing. Jeongin decided to act as usual, not wanting to be weird and following his older friend’s advice diligently.

It soon was as if you did this your whole life. You chatted like you always did.

Your tea was almost completely drunk. You took the gift you bought the day before out of your pocket and put it on the table, next to Jeongin’s cup of tea.

“What is this?” he asked, surprised.

“Your gift. Happy birthday,” you smiled contently.

He was delighted you would ask him on a date the day of his birthday but receiving a gift from you? He was nearly overwhelmed by happiness. “How did you know?” he enquired while opening it.

You shrugged. “I asked Changbin.”

“Woah, it’s really beautiful!” Jeongin’s eyes were sparkling, examining the bracelet. “So pretty. Thank you so much, Y/N.”

“My pleasure. Let me put it on your wrist.” As you did, his eyes fell on your own wrist and his eyes broadened.

“Did you get us matching bracelets?” You acquiesced shyly. “This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”

He took your hands in his and you stayed like that for a few minutes, until someone from another table sneezed.

“Regarding us, what I know is that I really like you. I want to hold hands with you, hug you whenever you need and be there for you. If you’re okay with that, then would you be my boyfriend?”

“I’d be the happiest, Y/N. Just spending time with you makes me so happy.”

You kept the heart eyes for each other and the rest of the date went smoothly.

The moment you set foot on the entrance hall, Chenle ran to you and started screaming when he saw your intertwined fingers.

He clapped his hands and congratulated you both. He then wished a happy birthday to Jeongin and gave him his gift.

“Oh Chenle, thank you so much! I adore those.”

Chenle winked at you and smiled brightly.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“Hey Chan, I just saw Jeongin and Y/N passing by, wearing each other’s ties. Isn’t that cute?”

“It really is. I would have loved to try it too but my significant other is also a Gryffindor,” he shrugged, smiling.

“That’s right. My best friend is also a Slytherin, so we can’t do it either,” Changbin sighed.

“You still didn’t make your move?”

“They like someone else…”

“Oh, it sucks. Stay strong, my friend.”

“You’re really good at pep talk,” Changbin said sarcastically. “I can’t believe your house is in first position —for now— for the Quidditch cup.”

“Watch us win it,” he smugly said with a wink.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know <3 and here's the masterlist!

[watchinghallmark]

Heaven Down Here - December 14th on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Inspired by Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name, “Heaven Down Here” tells the story of four disparate people who find themselves stranded in a local diner on Christmas Eve when a snowstorm hits the town. Imami is a widowed mother of two who’s having trouble making ends meet and reluctantly agrees to work the Christmas Eve shift, where she clashes with her boss Dan, who doesn’t exactly embody the Christmas spirit. Felix is a local pastor desperately trying to secure food for parishioners while his faith is challenged by his son's alienation. Clara is a hospice nurse with an obstinate patient and whose daughter is moving away, causing her to question her place in this world. Throughout the evening, these four bicker, bond and unwittingly provide each other with the answer to their respective prayers. Starring Krystal Joy Brown, Tina Lifford, Juan Riedinger, Richard Harmon, and Phylicia Rashad.

[dear-indies]

Hey I was wondering if you could help please -- I'm looking for a male fc under the age of 35 who has a really brooding look, I usually use Matthew Daddario but the new FC doesn't have to be the same ethnicity. Ideally someone with a good range of resources. Thanks in advance!

Rahul Kohli (1985) Punjabi Indian - uses he/they - has spoken up for Palestine!

François Arnaud (1985) - is bisexual.

Michael Trevino (1985) Mexican.

Aditya Roy Kapur (1985) Indian and Indian Jewish.

Penn Badgley (1986)

Lewis Tan (1987) Chinese Singaporean / White.

Aneurin Barnard (1987)

Matvey Lykov (1987)

Andrew Koji (1987) Japanese / White.

Gregg Chillin (1988) Armenian and English.

Pierre Niney (1989) Egyptian Jewish.

Daniel Kaluuya (1989) Ugandan.

Rob Raco (1989)

Paapa Essiedu (1990) Ghanaian - has spoken up about Palestine and donated an auction to Cinema4Gaza.

Kiowa Gordon (1990) Hualapai and White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Richard Harmon (1991) Mi'kmaq and White.

Ali Burak Ceylan (1991) Turkish - has spoken up for Palestine!

Mile Phakphum Romsaithong (1992) Thai.

Daniel Ezra (1991) Afro-Jamaican.

Jeremy Allen White (1991)

Burak Çelik (1992) Turkish - has spoken up for Palestine!

Emilien Vekemans (1992)

Mike Faist (1992)

John Boyega (1992) Yoruba Nigerian - in They Cloned Tyrone.

Freddy Carter (1993) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Gabriel Basso (1994)

Nat Wolff (1994) half Ashkenazi Jewish.

Alejandro Speitzer (1995) Mexican.

Nick Robinson (1995)

Álvaro Rico (1996)

Aria Shahghasemi (1996) Iranian.

Emilio Sakraya (1996) Moroccan / Serbian.

Luka Sabbat (1997) Afro-Haitian / English, Irish, German.

Yagi Yusei (1997) Japanese.

Jacob Elordi (1997)

Lee Jun-young (1997) Korean.

Felix Mallard (1998)

Simone Baldasseroni (1998)

Omar Ayuso (1998) Moroccan - is gay - has spoken up for Palestine!

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (2001) Ojibwe, Cree, Chinese Guyanese, Afro Guyanese, White.

Hope this helps!

[pupphe-additions]

✬Evie 바람 (Levanter) Era✬

╰┈➤Overview╰┈➤

Much like with Astronaut Evie didn't have any solo lines and she did only harmonizes and shared lines. Evie still tried to look more masculine during the Levanter era but this time she showed more of her features. In order to get out of wearing any sort of skirts or dresses Evie agreed with stylists to wear a more feminine outfit that was black and white during the portion of the mv where the boys are in the like cream/brown and white outfits. She doesn't understand why they want her to always be center of attention but she preferred the black and white outfit overall anyway so it didn't really bother her.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤ Lines╰┈➤ Chan/Evie: ijeneun algesseo

Felix/Evie: neol hyanghae isseosseo

Felix/Evie/LK: jeomjeom deo nal ireogasseo

Chan/Evie: ijeneun algesseo

Felix/Evie: It's all good now

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤Outfits/Styling╰┈➤

Teaser Photo Outfits

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

MV Outfit (when the boys are in the brown/cream and white outfits)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Dance Practice Outfit

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Eng Version Dance Practice Outfit

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤Hair Color╰┈➤

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤Hair Length/Style╰┈➤

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

╰┈➤Stays Reaction to Evie During Levanter╰┈➤

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

i have very mixed feelings abt the holiday banner

oh god another houses banner

oh god another houses lords banner

they ACTUALLY just booted claude from a houses lords banner to randomly stick yunaka on it. they really just stuck yunaka on a houses lords banner and booted claude from it instead of making yunaka the free unit to make the banner make sense because sweet baby jesus oh no how could we have THREE men on a single banner (even if one is a duo, it doesn't count since the lead is male!!!)!!!

as i have said, intsys does not deserve claude and i will continue retaining custody of him

i am contractually obligated to pull for dimitri bc claude is free and i am sworn to gather all dimitris and claudes and s support them

i am contractually obligated to pull for dimitri anyway

no but they actually just booted claude from a houses lord banner bc they wanted another pair of tits and a nice giant crotch outline

they still have not given us yuletide's eyes and yuletide's ears. where are our santas, janaff and ulki? when will intsys realize what fools they've been and atone for their sins?

felix can be doubly grumpy now while he has to sit in that outfit miserable (i would be too) while dimitri sits in that outfit not miserable

i said dimitri, halloween, giving out candy to children, but this is technically the same idea but with gifts

dimitri and claude will once again be kissing as they always do when they get alts

dimitri and claude will be a happy gift giving couple

shinon will sit with felix in harmonic misery bc intsys said it's been seven years since launch and we still won't put janaff in this game

they actually seriously really truly honestly just booted claude from the houses lord banner to put a non houses character on it

intsys is not allowed to have claude they do not treat him kindly

are we ever getting matthias btw intsys (we don't even have miklan...)

just realized my 2023 heroes bingo aged terribly and i expected that wholeheartedly but i am still disappointed

very sick of houses lords banners but will always take new a mitri so internal conflict ensues

new year's ranulf??? please im begging you he needs an alt

new year's ranulf/ike duo??? please im begging you radiant dawn was the ranulf/ike game

but if not i'll take a janaff/shinon duo ANY FUCKING TIME INTSYS... hey... that was a lil hint u kno??? a nudge...??? yeah...??? hey... intsys...??? um... are u listening...?

gift giving happy mitri living his best life

they seriously really honestly and truly fucking kicked claude off the-

[rviner]

Isabella Belcourt's Acting Career:

2020:

"The Queen's Gambit" - Isabella played the role of a talented chess player and friend of Beth Harmon, providing emotional support and challenging Beth in various tournaments.

2021:

"The Underground Railroad" - Isabella took on a significant role as a runaway slave who joins the fight for freedom, displaying her resilience and emotional range.

2022:

"Lovecraft Country" - Isabella appeared in the second season as a character navigating the supernatural and racial tensions of 1950s America, showcasing her ability to handle complex and intense narratives.

2023:

"The Bear" (Season 2) - Isabella appeared as a talented sous-chef, contributing to the high-stress environment of the restaurant and adding depth to the series’ exploration of personal and professional challenges. This is where she met Felix Ranström.

2024:

"The Crow" - Isabella stars as Shelly Webster, the fiancée of Eric Draven (Felix Ranström), whose death and subsequent resurrection drive the film's plot. Her role showcases her ability to delve into emotionally intense characters, exploring themes of love, loss, and vengeance in a gothic, supernatural setting.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Ok so I did my selection of albums and that post blew up as much as any of my posts do so now everyone I live with wants me to review their favorite albums. Since I'm a benevolent overlord I have acquiesced and so here are ten albums that my husband Felix wants you all to listen to as reviewed by me.

Fire On Fire - The Orchard

I was polite with my choices, but my dear husband decided to open his list with a one off side project by members of Cerberus Shoal. If you don't know the sorta post rock-y sorta folk band Cerberus Shoal then understand that this album is obscure even by the standards of that band's fans. Gone are the post rock tendencies of the parent band and instead the focus is solely on new weird Americana. New weird america is a musical movement that takes American primitivist and psychedelic folk music and mashes it up into something that is inevitably either pretentious garbage or revelatory beauty. This album is the latter. The music plods along with the grace of a broken machine. The music sounds like it is rusting as it moves and the nasally vocals grind along with the hulking monstrosities that are the songs of The Orchard. The music I'm describing may not sound pleasant, but the cacophony comes together in a harmonic cohesion that does for folk music what Charles Ives did for the symphony. There are many more artists that have a similar sound to Fire On Fire, but this album has a uniquely lumbering quality that is not recreated nearly as well by most other artists in the scene.

Sweet Trip - You Will Never Know Why

You Will Never Know Why is a major departure from Sweet Trips usual sound. The glitch elements have been dialed back, although electronic sounds still populate the album, and it is basically a straightforward shoegaze album. It pulls ahead of competitors partly for the incorporation of electronic music but also for excellent vocals that capture a sterile whispiness. Plus the bass which is so bubbly and tends to rise to the top of mixes to add counterpoint melody on top of the dual vocals. As usual for the genre layering is the key to the beautiful sound. The songs will lily along as bright shimmering sounds plink into the mix and fade out only to be replaced by some other noise.

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

While I'm still a fan of the first two Iron & Wine albums Shepherds Dog is clearly where he comes into his own as a performer. The instrumentation is punched up a bit with the occasional touch of horn or honky tonk piano to give the album a more dynamic feel. And the style has incorporated a little bit more rock edge as well. Songs like White Tooth Man help balance the album so that slower number like Resurrection Fern can really shine. Lyrically I can't tell you exactly what is going on in any given song. Sam Beam writes in little snapshots of ideas and paint an impression of a feeling rather than tell a story. I get the idea that he is rather scared of Americana though. And there is something about dog metaphors that really makes this man's brain go brrrrr. Overall I think The Shepherd's Dog is the most balanced of all the Iron & Wine albums I've heard. Successfully towing the line between folk rock and art rock.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

A legend among pretentious sadboys but always skirting the mainstream is Sufjan Stevens. Although he started out making indie folk his style quickly evolved and on Illinois (or Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On Feel The Illinoise as the album cover says) he hit the first major stride of his career. Illinois features insanely elaborate arrangements that show a wide range of influences from minimalist composers to 70s singer songriters to show tunes. The songs all seem to be exercises in elaborate time signature and rhyme scheme or clever wordplay and in depth metaphor.

Now to address the obvious. This album is ostensibly about the state of Illinois. This is true in the same way that I said Beat The Champ was about wrestling. Some songs reflect heavily on things about the state. John Wayne Gacy Jr. Is a biography of the Illinois born serial killer, They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! is about the abundance of ghost town in the state. Other songs make reference to the state but are a little more vague. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!, Casimir Pulaski Day, and The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! are really just personal stories that Sufjan Stevens has decided to set in Illinois. And the stories vary from very grand high concept things to very intimate and personal. Sometimes so personal that I am dubious of how much he stretches the truth to make these songs. But whether I buy it or not the arrangements are equally grand and intimate so the mood is always well designed.

Röyksopp - Melody A.M.

Some downtempo music is meant to get you up and dancing, some downtempo is trying to evoke complex feeling in the listener. Melody A.M. is aiming for something in between. It lays down tight grooves with bubbly bass lines and drops a variety of melodic sounds overtop with elements of downtempo, trip-hop, house, disco, and ambient music all present. It hits all the points for being a driving at night all contemplative style album, but it pulls back on the moodyness and leaves you with a gentle friendly sound instead. Lullabye melodies floating over house beats. The result is just an immensely pleasant listen. Melody A.M. is effective because it does more than just play on the current trends from when it was released, it pulls bit of electronic music from decades past from Tangerine Dream to Giorgio Moroder to Vangelis there is a lot of the past buried in this record. And the resulting love of slightly corny music makes the album feel so sincere without having to be deeply intellectual.

The Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas

During the recording of The Coroner's Gambit John Darnielle's trusty Panasonic RX-FT500 boombox shit the bed and he started working with newer technology. All Hail West Texas is the album he recorded after that busted Panasonic miraculously came back to life one day.

To listeners who got into The Mountain Goats through Tallahassee and later the lo fi production might be a little hard to take, but you will learn to love the tape hiss that is a staple of early Mountain Goats recordings. Truly it becomes it's own instrument being the only sound on the album outside of Darnielle's voice and guitar.

But this is Mountain Goats you are here for lyricism. John Darnielle has said that he writes songs of love and redemption for people that would never listen to his music. All Hail West Texas starts right off with one of the best examples of this. The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out Of Denton is so simple and so beautiful, and maybe the most emotionally affecting songs to feature the refrain of "hail Satan!" The album is about outcasts, toxic couples, traumatized kids. According to the cover it is "fourteen songs about seven people, two houses, a motorcycle, and a locked treatment facility for adolescent boys." The cryptic interconnectedness will drive you insane if you try to hard to figure it out so I'm sorry Felix I will not be analyzing the characters and storylines that are supposedly here. That's your job.

DJ Yoda - How To Cut And Paste Country Western Edition

You press play this album. The first thing you hear is backing beat from Fix Up, Look Sharp and then Thank God I'm A Country Boy by John Denver starts playing and then Dolly Parton's Nine To Five and then it transitions into a country version of Rapper's Delight. You are in the unhinged world of DJ Yoda who is trying to prove a point here. The point is that you can make a DJ mix out of anything if you are creative enough.

DJ Yoda is known for his use of humor and this mix is one of the more obvious instances considering that the whole concept is a bit of a joke. He puts a beat over I'll Fly Away and that is funny. He uses a sample of Johnny Cash on sesame Street. He uses a country cover of Gin And Juice. It's weird, but because Yoda is a master DJ he manages to never lose the flow, often transitioning songs by losing the beat and just playing the country music straight before dropping a beat in. He also frequently transitions between different versions of a song like Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire seamlessly turning into a reggae cover by This Kid Named Miles.

The beauty of DJ mixes is already the way they can recontextualize songs in a way that is interesting. I think it goes without saying that you will have a lot of songs recontextualized for you if you listen to this mix.

Mariya Takeuchi - Variety

There was a time when the internet became really obsessed with the song Plastic Love. This was based partially in the fact that the song is a banger but also that people were sharing the picture sleeve for her Sweetest Music single as a lesbian thirst trap. So the Tumblr City Pop era was short lived but I never forgot.

The first thing you might notice about Variety is that it's very retro. The production is a mix of Phil Spector and Motown Styles. And musically it often follows suit. But the old school rock ballad style is also met with bits of 70s adult contemporary and disco. The result is songs that sound like Ronettes tracks with a Donna Summer bass line as the backbone. Songs that sound like James Taylor started using synths. Takeuchi has a voice that perfectly melds these styles into something cohesive so that the dance music style of Plastic Love can flow into the 60s girl group sound of Honki De Only You (Let's Get Married) without missing a beat.

City Pop may have been a niche phase for westerners with an internet addiction but it was one of the most dominant musical styles of the 70s and 80 in Japan. I had strongly considered this album as a 'should have been on the list' pick. If you listen to this album because of my review and like it do seek out more city pop, the genre is a goldmine that the West has barely scraped the surface of. Hell if you like this album DM me and I will rec you more Japanese pop from the 70s and 80s.

Murder By Death - Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?

With a name like Who Will Survive And What Will Be Left Of Them? by Murder By Death you would probably expect this to be death metal, but nope it's a gothic country rock album. Who Will Survive tells the story of a small Mexican border town that is cursed by the devil. The meat of the album is made up of songs that describe the ways that the townsfolk respond to the curse and their inevitable demise. The theme that runs through the album is mainly how people respond to mortality. Some people try to escape the town like in Pillar Of Salt which tells a sorta Orpheus and Eurydice adjacent tale. Some people think their tough like the narrator of The Desert Is One Fire who scoffs at the people sleeping in the shelters. Others give in to despair like the suicidal narrator of Three Men Hanging.

Along with the individual stories the narrative trickles out details about the nature of the curse. We quickly learn that the dead are rising from their graves as zombies, crops start to fail, the earth becomes unworkable, at least one person either physically or mentally decays as they approach the town border. The horror themed lyricism is backed by country rock music that creates the ominous atmosphere needed with the help of an ever present cello that takes a lot of melodic duty. It's a solidly spooky album that demands multiple listens just to parse out more of the story.

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Danger Mouse is an interesting figure. Producer and musician interchangeably he can be found both as a featured performer, solo artist or as a producer credit nearly anywhere you look and he runs the gamut from extremely mainstream projects to the highly personal and artsy. Rome is most certainly the latter. On it Danger Mouse works with Italian composer Daniele Luppi to create a pop album inspired by the soundtracks to spaghetti westerns. In addition to Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi additional vocals and songwriting are added by Jack White and Norah Jones. White and Jones are natural fits for the slightly polished slightly lo fi sound of the album which is accomplished by recording on vintage equipment and working with musicians who had actually recorded on spaghetti westerns, notably The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.

While it has a lot of musicians and equipment used to record these classic soundtrack the music itself is a little more in the vein of traditional pop veering in the direction of spaghetti western on the instrumental tracks. This keeps the album from feeling strictly like an imitation and let's it be it's own thing.

[jules-has-notes]

La La Land (Unexpected Musical) — PattyCake Productions music video

The movie musical La La Land is set in the modern day, but with the aesthetics of the 1950s. The PattyCake guys decided to lean even further into the trappings of Hollywood's golden age to evoke the stars of the early 20th century in their most iconic roles, as well as the many folks behind the scenes who help make the magic happen. They didn't quite have a cast of thousands, as was often boasted by the epic films of the era, but they did gather quite the crowd of performers, mostly from among their circle of theme park friends.

Details:

title: Unexpected Musicals — La La Land (Classic Edition)

performers: Olivia Adkins (Marilyn Monroe); Rachel Copeland-Evans (Judy Garland); Monica Carlile Edwards (Audrey Hepburn); Felix Deneau (Humphrey Bogart); Erin Cline (Bette Davis); Derek Ostrem (James Dean); Colleen Ella Defeo (Gloria Swanson / Elsa Lanchester); Bebe Caliberr Mercy (Elizabeth Taylor); Elijah Babel (Charlie Chaplin); Jack Defeo (Boris Karloff); T. Robert Pigott, David Kotary, & Jacob McAlister (directors); Amy Garton (wardrobe); Hannah Laird (script supervisor); Jaimz Dillman (reporter); Greg Hernandez (lighting grip); Melanie Simpson (ingenue); Jim Harrison (camera loader); E. Michael Evans (leading man); Jonathan Shane Ferrell (makeup artist); Laura Mansoori & Alex Colvin (showgirls); Deanna Quintero (hairdresser); Brayshawna Bates (flapper starlet)

original songs / performers: "Another Day of Sun", "Someone in the Crowd", and "City of Stars" by the cast of La La Land (2016)

written by: all songs by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, & Justin Paul

arranged by: Paul Vesco, Layne Stein, & Tony Wakim

release date: 22 July 2017

My favorite bits:

that brief Flectcher cameo 🐶

Olivia's perfectly breathy Marilyn voice

the contrast of having "Another Day of Sun" mostly led by the stars while "Someone In the Crowd" is mostly the crew

the instrumentation adding more jaunty piano to accompany Chaplin's dancing

the film clip interlude that includes "Will.of.Oz" footage, then turns back into live performance

gradually building rhythmic and harmonic complexity until they reach the final unison line

Trivia:

Rachel had first worn the blue gingham dress as Dorothy Gale in PattyCake's "Will.of.Oz" music video, which was released the previous December.

Olivia was already well versed in Marilyn Monroe's mannerisms, since she is a character she'd been playing for several years at Universal Studios Orlando (and has continued playing since).

Felix often works as a Dean Martin impersonator, but stepping into Bogey's trenchcoat and fedora for the day suited him, too.

Derek is one of Tony's fellow "Beetlejuice Revue" alumni, having played both Wolfman and Dracula for the last decade of the show's run. (He's also married to Stephanie Trilli, who has played Sarah Sanderson in PattyCake's "Hocus Pocus" pieces.)

Robby was also one of the many Draculas in the "Beetlejuice Revue", and he's been playing Marlin in the Disney World "Nemo" live show for over a decade. (Among many, many theme park and theater roles.)

Makeup artist Jonathan Shane Ferrell of Makeup & Creative Arts was actually applying the Frankenstein makeup to Jack Defeo's face while also playing legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce, who worked with Karloff on the 1931 film. Jonathan had been a makeup artist for the "Beetlejuice Revue" at the end of its run.

Jack and Colleen were also already comfortable in the monster makeup, as they are yet more "Beetlejuice Revue" alumni, having played Frankenstein and the Bride in the 90s and early 2000s.

The PattyCake guys created a bit of anticipation with a social media countdown.

They were very specific about recreating several famous celebrity photos and iconic movie moments. They highlighted some of them in a series of social media posts they called "Double Takes".