#I guess there's also Citizen Erased's 'please stop asking me to describe'

[sunburnacoustic]

Muse ask! 17, 29, 41

Hii @exalteranima you're this blog's first ask!! Thanks for sending it, I love each of these questions, they're spot on!

17: How many Muse shirts do you own?

I live in band tees like 3 days a week anyway, and yeah naturally some of them are Muse shirts!

I have either 3 or 4, I'll explain... I got a Will of the People tour shirt at my gig this March, excitedly got one on the October club tour, got one at their 2019 Simulation Theory gig, but I think I've lost it in moving back to uni, which is devastating :( It was the tour shirt with the dates and the Simulation Theory artwork on it! It might still be in some suitcase, so who knows?

The ST tour was also my first big gig ever, and first Muse gig (!!), so going in I had no idea that merch was inside the venue, so I bought a knockoff shirt from someone outside the venue. It's a little loose for me to be honest, but it's what's I have left from the ST tour now so I don't regret having bought it. It has my tour date!

On a sidenote, Muse are the only band at whose gigs you will regularly find small-sized shirts that fit, they always have good stock of them. At other bands' gigs, I've always found the smaller shirts sell out really quickly and you're left with having to choose between getting a shirt that's too large to practically wear, or not have a shirt at all if you're a size S/M. I kinda suspect that's because Matt's definitely a S/M himself :)

29: Favourite hair colour on Matt?

:) This question made me laugh out loud for a full minute. The answer is the jet-black he had dyed his hair circa 2006-2008. It was a really smart look. (If someone who knows me in real life finds this blog, I hope they obliterate me before they find some of the tags I've left on BHAR-era Matt pictures.)

41: If you were interviewing Muse, what would you ask?

This one's relevant since this is what I do anyway 😅I probably won't be interviewing Muse anytime soon, but haven't we all dreamed about it at some point anyway?

I'd love to ask him about his thematic inspirations, how he sort of looks at the world around him, finds ideas and inspiration in books (every single album has had the influence of some book or other on it on at least a song, except maybe Will Of The People. I can't recall any for this album yet?), film, etc. and expands them into not just song ideas, but albums, the live show, stage props and sets; into immersive experiences as he would like fans to also experience them. How does he do that? Is there anything that's too far-fetched for Muse? Can they turn anything into the Muse Experience? It's the single most interesting thing about Muse's themes compared to any other band!

On a personal note I would really like to ask him about motivation... especially in fields like music, I just can't imagine there aren't times when people lose motivation, get temporarily bored, or just get frozen in fear of the unknown. How do they keep pushing forward, keep making brilliant albums without self-doubt? How do you keep trusting yourself? They're quite the band to know!

[ryewi]

When I’m with you I’m in Utopia [Chapter 4]

Summary:  9 years ago, the world split in two halves, Utopia and Dystopia. One of the laws allows citizens of both worlds to visit the other once in their lifetime, for a whole week, after which, they’re forced to return home. If by any chance, they don’t return, a death punishment is sentenced. Jeon Jungkook, a citizen of Dystopia seemed to be desperate enough to challenge that exact law.

Genre: Utopia!au, Dystopia!au, fluff, angst, drama, to be added~~~

Words: 2k

Warnings: none in this chapter!

< Previous | Part Four | Next >

If there was one thing Faith realized way too late, is that Jungkook’s an astounding singer.  

His voice was quiet as he sang on the balcony, wandering off, with eyes focused somewhere far away in the distance. The piece he was singing was from a famous singer, a special song Faith once adored just because of its unique and slow melody. Yet, just as every song sang by big names in the industry, this one too, was killed to the core by radio stations that overplayed it  

Jungkook on the other hand, gave a new fresh and interesting feel to it, completely shutting down the original in her ears and bringing all the attention to the new vocals.

“Have you ever had a vocal coach?” Faith asked, startling the boy who was previously lost in his own world. Jungkook looked confused, eyes still fixed on something miles away, not sure why she asked such a question. Was he good? Or was that an implication of, you don’t know how to sing please get someone to help you. Debating about the two sides in his head, Jungkook remembered that Faith wasn’t a type to shade, yet he proceeded to check.

“Why do you ask?”  

“You just sound like an angel, that’s all” Faith looked down, intertwining her fingers and releasing them, feeling slightly uneasy all of the sudden. In all honesty, she wanted to ask Jungkook to sing more, his voice was unique and relaxing, but she wasn’t quite sure if he was comfortable with it. Jungkook snorted, lips pulling up in a slight smile, happy that his singing was likable.  

“I could sing more if you like it that much” He turned towards her, now completely stealing his attention from the car headlights in the distance and throwing it at the way of his friend. The corners of Faith’s mouth lifted upwards as she nodded along, it was exactly what she craved for.

“Do you have a music wish, perhaps?”  

“Whatever you’re comfortable with, Kook” She replied, the cute nickname throwing Jungkook out of balance for a few quick moments. It was Faith’s first time using a nickname, was he supposed to make one for her too? Fai? Fei? Fa? How do you, for the love of God, nickname someone named Faith?!

Jungkook put his music on shuffle, waiting for the lyrics to begin as he hummed along. Faith’s hand was propped on to a little hand, eyes fixed on to the breathtaking profile of his. Jungkook was prepossessing, alluring, magnetic, captivating, delightful and Faith was falling for every little aspect of this lovely person.

Song after song, melody after melody, the boy sang his heart out and after each piece, Faith’s heart tightened in fear of it being the last one. Eventually, around ten songs in, Jungkook skipped the lyrics and she pouted slightly, was it the end already? Could you say already?

“Can I ask you a question?” Jungkook asked, after which the other tensed slightly. Why did the atmosphere change this fast?

“Yeah, I mean, go on”

“Can you tell me more about yourself? Like some interesting memories?” The questions came out of nowhere, completely unexpectedly and she needed a moment to process the words, get her system going.

“I suppose it’s only fair now that I know a lot about you, right?” She began, to which Jungkook nodded, signaling for her to continue.

“Mom does that mean we’re in a good place?” Faith asked, eyes sparkling with a hopeful glow while they played between her parents and sister. They were all smiling, which must’ve meant a good thing, right? They’re all safe now, right?

“Yes honey, we’re chosen for Utopia” Her father began, moving his hands around while speaking, just like he always did. Noticing their daughter’s still confused eyes staring back, both of the adults said in unison, “the better half”.

Faith’s irises nearly disappeared under the cover of her eyelids as she smiled, they were safe. The whole experiment was unreasonable and stupid, but the suspense before the big finish (in this case, announcement) made her anxious. Surely, they didn’t deserve the struggle of experiencing the other world, right?

Her older sister, Luna, was evidently happy for a few moments, celebrating the news and unleashing all the excitement with her family. Then suddenly, she scanned a new message on her phone and the whole atmosphere changed. Luna’s eyes watered and she ran up to her room, refusing to come out for whole two days.  

Only a week later, Faith received the news of Luna’s fiancé being chosen as one of the citizens of Dystopia.

“Have they seen each other since then?” Jungkook asked, completely intrigued by the ending of Faith’s little story. She pouted slightly and nodded, remembering that both of them used their one week to visit each other for the last time.

“They have, the first week of the split, Luna travelled to Dystopia, and then the other, they came over, just so both of them can properly part their ways I guess” 

“That’s a plot for a novel let me tell you,” Jungkook laughed quietly, Faith following in suit, “we could use their story as a beginning of a book and then later on make a dramatic plot twist”.

Silence fell over them pretty quickly, Faith wondered should she continue her story telling and which topic to choose, while Jungkook thought about what he was the most curious about the other.

“You never told me you had a sister?” He began, eyebrow slightly raising in her direction. Faith realized that she really hasn’t told him anything about Luna, because of reasons that were unknown.

On Faith’s 15th birthday, she was taking a writing literature test. The theme was “White canvas painted black”. It was a pretty open theme, a simple group of letters that allowed students to find symbolism in whatever they thought was appropriate. Faith’s class was full of talented writers, many already competing in national championships in literature, but unfortunately for her, she wasn’t one of them. Never once has a free form theme managed to bring her a good grade, all she was ever good at describing and analyzing, were certain parts of books.  

Faith chewed on the eraser as she desperately tried to think of something that would make at least a tiny bit of sense. Tension was suffocating her and she began writing down a few random words that were later on scribbled over. Thankfully, she was seated in the last row, so taking out her phone and texting her sister wasn’t as risky as she thought it would be.

Also, by some kind of outer force, Luna was already hanging around in the area, cheerfully replying to her sister that she’ll be there in a few minutes.

Seconds turned into minutes, hours, weeks, time was limitless in Faith’s mind for exactly 5 minutes as she counted the number of red patches on her plaid red shirt.

Suddenly, five knocks echoed through the quiet classroom and everyone’s attention was quickly on the other side of the room. When Mr. Oakwell gave the permission for them to enter, through the door walked one and only, Faith’s savior, Luna.

Luna was a tall woman, standing straight with a dose of authority. Dark eyes contrasted her blond hair, that was neatly styled into tiny beach waves. Toned legs moved in sync as she walked a few steps away from the entrance, holding her small hands at the front. That day, she wore a black silk shirt, light shorts and black converse.  

“Excuse me for this intrusion, Mr...Oakwell, I am Luna Keith, Faith Keith’s older sister and I was told to urgently pick her up because our aunt was just taken into ER” Luna obnoxiously flapped her hands around, painting on a worried expression as her eyes danced between the professor and Faith. Although Faith knew it was a play, she couldn’t have said that the act wasn’t convincing.

“Aunt Keila? Oh my god Luna, is she okay?!” Faith said, standing up from her seat and looking back at her sister. Both of them looked thrown out of balance, providing the whole class with Oscar worth acting.  

“Please excuse yourself Faith, it’s okay, please go and see your aunt, she probably needs your support more than I need your papers” Mr. Oakwell hurriedly said, standing up and walking towards her seat, picking up the empty paper and shooing both of them with his hands. The Keith sisters thanked quickly, before they walked out of the building in rushed steps. They were lucky that Mr. Oakwell had a good, but also naïve heart.

Jungkook paid attention to each and every word, smiling while imagining everything the other said. If it was to believe Faith’s words, Luna was as witty and imaginative as her sister. If his trip wasn’t coming to an end, Jungkook would’ve probably asked to meet Luna. Silence enveloped the small space once again and both of them fell victims of their own minds.  

Instantaneously, Jungkook’s thoughts wrapped around a strong theme, the boy couldn’t stop thinking about his return. Only one more day that Jungkook had to live in and experience paradise before he escaped with no traces left behind. Once again, he sought comfort, but should the topic be talked about? Was it worth tearing the stiches and deepening the already existing wound?

“Two days, huh?” Faith began and Jungkook didn’t know was he glad or annoyed. What was there to be said? Yeah, I can’t wait to go back to my previous lifestyle, or, I really missed home. Unconsciously though, Jungkook ended up blurting our something extremely bold.

“Will you come and visit me, you know, in Dystopia?”  

Faith was evidently left shocked, the features of her face showed disbelief and confusion. She didn’t know what to say, it most definitely hasn’t ever crossed her mind. Travelling to Dystopia? It isn’t something Faith wanted to do. How would she find him? It was an accident that both of them met five days ago. Was she going to survive in there?  

“Jungkook, I... you know, this was all an accident and I don’t think we should repeat it” The words came out harsher than how Faith intended them to be. Jungkook shot her a look of incredulity, bewilderment evident on his face. Was she hiding the true thoughts about him all this time? Did he make a mistake sticking around for too long?  

“Oh no, no I didn’t-” The female began to stumble with her words, obviously thrown out of balance with the words herself too. Jungkook stood up from the chair, seizing a black leather jacket from the back of his seat and began heading out. Faith ran behind, grabbing on to Jungkook’s sleeve, forcing him to turn around.

“It’s okay, I understand what you wanted to say, I’m sorry that I didn’t take the hints before and left when I should’ve” Jungkook said, eyes starting to water, but with the way he blinked obnoxiously fast, tears disappeared the moment they were formed. Faith lunged forward, enveloping the other in her hands and tightening the hold as much as she could. It shouldn’t end on a bad note, anything, but a bad note.

“No, no Jungkook, there were no hints, I enjoyed your presence, everything was great-”  

Despite the truthful reassurance, Jungkook’s pessimist mind didn’t believe a word. He only stood motionless, hands resting on his sides, looking down at the smaller creature that was trying to finish a dark painting with brighter colors.

“I, I will come and visit you Jungkook, I’m just not ready yet-” She continued to ramble, no filter existing between the mind and mouth.  

The boy only disconnected two tiny hands from their tight grip behind his back, leading their owner to a chair and sitting her down. Faith’s breath was without any kind of rhythm, occasional hiccups breaking out as she watched the dark-haired boy before her.

“No, you don’t have to, when you think about it, it’s a really stupid idea, don’t come” Jungkook laughed, but the sound was dried out of any emotion, which hurt Faith even more. “I’ll miss you, I’ll miss everything, but, it’s better for it to stay an accident, just like you said”.

With that, he was up and walking, out of the room and entrance door, closing them slowly behind and leaving a broken creature on the other side.

AN: I’m blaming my classmate for this being a day late smh,,,,,,,,,,,,anyway! I hope you liked it, this was a slight buildup for the next chapter that my best friend gave me idea for (thanks Tamara), so I’m moving the drama chapter 5 to 6. It’ll be worth it, believe me. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you soon!