#I kind of owe her for going to the Halsey show with me last year

[iamnotawomanimagod]

I'm going to a concert at Red Rocks today with my best friend and her boyfriend, and my husband didn't quite know what artist it was and I was rambling about the opening act being a country artist we probably weren't that interested in and husband went "this is a Halsey concert??"

oh bear, I wish.

[gossipchii]

Beautiful stranger

FF.net link: Here

Characters: Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato

Pairing: Sorato

Words: 2100+

Notes: It was inspired by Halsey’s song of the same title. I don’t know, it’s a beautiful song.

Enjoy!

Sora knew exactly which day today was, she knew it without looking at her phone, or at the calendar she had hanging at her wall. She knew it the moment she woke up because her chest felt heavy. It had officially been one year since her breakup, she sighed. Sora had done everything she was supposed to do during that long time to get over a breakup: she got a haircut, she exercised a lot, got back to playing tennis! Hung out with friends, even went to a few dates that never succeeded.

Yet, there she was, sitting in her bed with a heavy chest. She decided she needed a few drinks that night, so she texted her friends’ group chat and it was settled. Sora wanted to go to their usual bar, a small place they went to at least twice a month, but Mimi insisted they went to the newest place in the neighborhood, a bar with the coolest view in Odaiba, she assured. All Sora wanted was a drink that night, so she accepted.

She finally got out of her room, to meet both her roommates in the living room, she was surprised by how late it was, she probably had spent an hour staring at the walls in her room.

“Morning, Sora!” Miyako was playing some game in the TV and Hikari was editing the photos they had taken last week, when she had insisted Sora to be her model.

“Morning,” she smiled softly, decided that she wasn’t hungry, but she still needed some food, so a smoothie would do. “Happy anniversary!” The redhead sarcastically exclaimed, lifting her smoothie glass as if she was cheering, both Miyako and Hikari knew exactly what she was talking about.

“How are you feeling?” Hikari, the younger of the trio hugged her, she had always been better with actions than with words.

“Kind of numb, it’s crazy to think it’s been a year already.”

“It will get better,” Miyako had never liked Sora’s ex-boyfriend, she said he used to shut down her light.

“It already has,” Sora’s tone was sincere this time. “In fact, I texted Mimi and the others, we’re going to the hit bar that just opened, you both should come.” She took a sit alongside Hikari, surprised by how good the photoshoot had turned out.

“I don’t think I can, Koushiro and I have a meeting in a few hours, and we’ll have to start working with the project as soon as possible.” Miyako and their mutual friend, Koushiro, had started a software company when they were in freshman year in University, and they had grown incredibly quickly. “He should be getting here soon, actually.”

“Hikari?”

“You know I don’t really like going out…” and Sora knew she was right, so she wouldn’t insist. “Plus, I want to finish editing these, they are crazy good, Sora!” the redhead couldn’t hide her blush, she did look good if she had to accept it herself.

“It’s all because you do magic with the camera,” Sora admitted, it would have been fun if her roommates had joined her night out plan. “This means it’ll be Mimi, Taichi and I all over again.”

“You see my brother more than I do,” Hikari laughed.

“I should start getting ready, considering Koushiro will be here soon and I’m still on my PJ’s.”

The rest of the day went out quicker than Sora was expecting. She wasn’t looking forward to her breakup anniversary because all the feelings she felt back then would go back to being fresh. But having her roommates at home, and Koushiro too had been a nice surprise. It hadn’t been half as bad as she had feared.

“Honey, I’m home! You better be ready, Takenouchi because the reservation is at 9pm sharp and if we get late, I’m…” Sora got out of her room, leaving Mimi speechless, a hard thing to do. “Who are you and what did you do to my Sora?”

“Oh, you’re exaggerating.” First Hikari, now Mimi. Perhaps her inside wasn’t at her best but Sora was glad her exterior didn’t show it. “Where’s Taichi?”

“Waiting for us downstairs, something about him not having the money he owes to Koushiro…”

“I heard that! Ugh, he promised!” Koushiro interrupted their meeting to stare at Mimi, she simply shrugged.

“We´re leaving!” Mimi held Sora’s arm and soon enough the trio were on their way to the bar.

Sora had been close to cancel on Mimi, it felt strange dressing up that much, even wearing heels. But this new place had strict dressing policy and Mimi was so excited to visit it. Plus, Sora needed a drink, just one.

“Was he mad?” Taichi asked Sora once they were on the elevator, if the bar had the best view of Odaiba, it was just obvious that it would be in the twentieth floor.

“So mad! You’ll need to pay him soon.” It was weird to see Taichi all dressed up, even weirder than seeing herself in heels.

“I really was planning to pay him today, but then Mrs. Princess decided to come to this expensive place and…”

Sora got lost in her thoughts, while Mimi and Taichi argued. She had a strange feeling about the night, a good one perhaps. So much had happened in a year, she should be proud of all the growing she had done, right? And she was with two of her best friends, a night out with the Taichi/Mimi duo was always compelling.

Soon enough they were inside the bar, and it would have been silly not to be struck by how dazzling it was. Sora was grateful Mimi was friends with one of the members of the band, otherwise she would be afraid to spend God knows how much money in a single drink.

.

Dancing in high heels should be considered an extreme sport, Sora thought to herself after she had decided she deserved a time out from all the dancing. She sat on the bar and ordered a martini, while she softly laughed at Mimi and Taichi dancing, both brunettes were a show to admire.

But perhaps she should have paid attention to the actual show to admire, the band that was playing in the bar. They had been fantastic, keeping up the mood for the entire night, it had just happened that Sora was having too much fun dancing to pay attention to the ones she should be grateful with.

She immediately regretted looking at them, and she may have been exaggerating but she felt herself getting lost in the singer and bass player’s eyes. They were the kind of blue that only existed in one of Monet’s paintings. She couldn’t decide if they were icy or warm. She got lost in his bad dancing; hips like Jagger but two left feet, an adorable way of attracting everyone in the bar’s attention. He had great stage presence.

But the thing she got lost into the most were his lips, the way they moved. It may be the alcohol she had drank that night, but Sora could swear she had never seen a mouth like his. One she would kill to kiss.

“Thank you so much for this amazing night, our good friend Daisuke Motomiya will take up the gig as DJ. We were Knife of Day, the night is still young!”

The DJ, someone younger than the members of the band, immediately took the stage. Sora was astonished by how free he looked. It was obvious that the DJ was passionate and having fun onstage, she could never be the center of attention like that.

“Is this seat taken?” a male voice took her out of her thoughts, when she noticed who was speaking, she wished the floor would open and she would disappear. She wondered if he had noticed her staring.

“It isn’t,” she sounded chiller than she was expecting, confident even.

“The bar is packed tonight,” it was an open comment, she wasn’t sure if she was meant to reply. She still did.

“It was probably because you guys were playing tonight,” she blushed, he smiled. “You were great.”

“I saw you dancing,” he sounded confident, not a single doubt in his voice. His body language, however, appeared nervous. “Seeing you having fun, made me think we were doing a good job. Ishida Yamato,” he handed out his hand, Sora shook it almost in shook. How old was this guy?

“Takenouchi Sora,” she felt so nervous, she could swear even a giggle came out of her mouth, as if she was fifteen and not a 24-year-old woman. “How did you know it was me dancing? As you said, the bar is packed tonight.”

“Your hair is hard to miss,” Sora grabbed a strand of her hair, embarrassed. “Also, you were with those two who are definitely…”

“Hard to miss, yes.” Sora laughed, loudly, covering her mouth afterwards. It had been a while since she had laughed like that. She wanted to keep talking to Yamato, she had no idea what it was, or who to blame but she wanted to get to know him. However, the music in that place was so loud…

“We can go outside, if you want.”

“Was I that obvious?” Yamato shrugged; Sora smiled. “I wasn’t going to invite you to my place if that is what you were thinking, I mean, both my roommates are home anyway so it would be weird but…” she blushed, deeply. What was going on in her head that night? “What I’m trying to say is, there’s a bar nearby, it is pretty chill, and we could talk…”

“I would like that,” a chuckle. “There’s no rush in meeting your roommates. We can take it slow.” His smile was sincere, Sora thought. She took a sight at Mimi and Taichi to realize they had been staring for who knows how long. With a single look they gave her their blessing.

And so, they went to Sora’s usual bar, they danced the whole night and even played air guitar to one of Yamato’s said favorite songs. Sora was not sure of what she was doing or why she suddenly felt so safe if she had had the lingering feeling that boys only came to do her wrong. But it felt different that night. She was not a kid to believe in love at first sight, in her young adulthood she knew such thing didn’t exist, but she believed in chemistry. And it was palpable between them.

“I can’t believe how late it was,” since around 1AM Sora decided it was fair for her to get rid of her heels, realizing how short she really was next to Yamato. She liked it.

“I didn’t even notice time had passed this fast, to be honest.” They sat in a bench near Sora’s apartment building, eating some random food they had found on a vending machine when they left the low-key bar. “I really had a lot of fun Sora, thank you.”

Sora’s chest felt warm, she looked at Yamato’s eyes, feeling weird to be looking at them so close and confident, compared to when she first saw them earlier that night. She couldn’t believe where the night had taken her.

“Can I be honest with you?” Yamato nodded, she believed him. “I wasn’t expecting to have fun tonight, I was sure the night would be tough for me… but it wasn’t. You turned it into one of the best nights I have ever had, and I appreciate it like you have no idea.” She took a bite to her sandwich to avoid looking at him.

“I don’t know why tonight was supposed to be bad for you, but by all means I’m glad I helped to make it a little brighter.” The sun was starting to rise, and they were both in comfortable silence.

“You can come meet my roommates, I bet Hikari is already awake.”

“I thought we were taking it slow?” Sora playfully hit his arm.

“Don’t get confused, Romeo. We still are.”

.

“Sora? Are you there?” Mimi’s voice took her out of her deep thoughts, as she was shaking her martini sitting in the bar.

“Uh? Yes, of course.”

“I don’t know what you were thinking about, but I wanted to introduce you to my friend in the band, who got us here for free,” she winked at Sora, noticing the blue-eyed singer behind her.

“Ishida Yamato,” he shook her hand, Sora laughed internally.

“Takenouchi Sora.”

It may have been the night of her breakup anniversary, but a feeling inside Sora let her know that maybe, just maybe, it was finally safe for her to fall.

[illyrianwingspans]

Do Not Go Gentle: Hopeless

Link to song: Hopeless by Halsey

Synopsis: Some fresh air and a little bad news for Feyre and Rhys. 

TW: Mentions of dark thoughts and abuse. Please read with caution. 

Ao3 Link

Chapter 19: Hopeless

“Okay, so this button here is my calendar. It’s all colour coded by level of importance so I ignore the stuff that doesn’t matter and prioritize the things that need my absolute focus.”

Rhys had been teaching me little things here and there about the tasks I’d need to do while working for him, despite the fact that I hadn’t agreed to anything yet. He was meticulous about everything, organized his life to the very minute.

“So what’s this box here in green?”

“That’s Cassian’s appointment with me today. He says it’s to look over possible changes security codes in the building, but I know it’s just to whine to me about his salary being lower than Amren’s.”

“Okay, and this one in red over here?” It read: Extremely important lunch with extremely important person.

“That’s our lunch date tomorrow, darling. Can’t quite miss that, can I?”

I slapped Rhys on the arm and he chuckled before setting his laptop down and heading for the kitchen. He came back with two mugs of coffee, and I thanked him quietly before he sat down next to me.

“I wasn’t told of this lunch date. What’s the extremely important matter we’re discussing?”

Rhys smirked. “Well, we have a few items to go over for your contract, and I need your signature for official documents and the such. Are you ready to sign on at Night Industries?”

I took a sip of my coffee, glancing up at him over the rim. “I guess you’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Tease,” he said before rifling around some more on his laptop. “Have you got a CV prepared?”

“I’d love to give you that, but it’s pretty blank. And my references wouldn’t quite answer if you called.” Andras, for obvious reasons, and the CEO of Spring Corp, for other obvious reasons.

Rhys shook his head. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. Nonetheless, I am looking very forward to it.”

I sighed and lounged across the couch, the very same one that Cassian sat upon last night before flipping the table during our absolutely failed attempt at playing a peaceful game of Monopoly. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Don’t you have better things to do than asking me that question over and over again?” Rhys replied as his fingers tapped away at his keyboard.

“Well, there are a few movies on Netflix that seem to be calling my name, but I’m sick of television.”

Rhys jammed his finger on the enter button, and the sound of an email sending filled the room before he closed the top of his laptop. “Let’s go for a walk, then.”

I raised my eyebrows. “A walk?”

“Fresh air. It’ll do us both some good.”

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing, old sweatpants and a hoodie. Rhys only rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen you in worse, darling. Come on. Let’s go.”

***

The park in Velaris was still gleaming with rain from yesterday’s showers. Gravel crunched beneath the sneakers I wore, still muddy and damp. Rhys didn’t seem to mind as his gaze wandered to the river flowing beside us. In the park, others had gathered despite the overcast clouds threatening to unleash their wrath upon us at any moment. We’d driven over and parked the car a few miles back, and walked in silence amongst the sounds of city life surrounding us.

“Do you come here often?” I asked quietly. We’d settled on a bench looking out upon the water before us. Dog-walkers and joggers passed by, just another blip in their daily routine, seemingly so mundane in such an overturned world. Well, overturned for me, completely and perfectly normal for everyone else, though I knew it wasn’t fair to make that assumption.

Pain wasn’t exclusive to one person. Suffering was a whore, and fucked over anybody in its wake.

Rhys said, “I used to.”

“Before?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

He blew out a breath and shrugged. “Lots of shit happened. I can’t even keep track of it all anymore.”

To keep our minds on something lighter, something better, I asked him, “I know you say your employees are your family, but what about the rest of it? Parents? Siblings?”

He chuckled at the first bit and ran a hand through his hair as the wind picked up and whipped at our clothes. “My friends,” he corrected, “are family first, employees second.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “My parents and I had a house on the outskirts of the city, but my mom wanted us to live in Illyria. Her and I moved there after she got pregnant with my little sister, to my dad’s utmost frustration. He finally came to join us when my sister was born, and we lived there all together for a little while until he had to go back. My mom refused to join him.”

“They didn’t get along, I’m guessing?”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t the best of pairings, to say the least, but they understood each other. And underneath all of it, they loved each other.”

It made me think of my own parents. How everything had gone to shit so quickly after my mother got sick, how my dad fell apart in the aftermath. I didn’t remember her, my mother—but I remembered the fallout after her, of which I still sheltered myself from all these years later.

“Where are they now?”

He exhaled sharply through his nose. “About fifteen blocks away from my house.”

“They live so close by and you’ve never mentioned them?”

“I visit them every week. At the cemetery.”

Oh. Oh, gods. I was a horrible person. “I’m so sorry, Rhys.”

He shrugged. “House fire.” A few seconds later, he added, “A freak accident.”

We were quiet for a few moments longer, and I said, “My mother died, too. Cancer.”

“I’m sorry.” Talking about death hurt the most, because what else were we supposed to say to each other? How do any words even attempt to fix the burning voids within us stemmed from their absences? What truly stung, though, was that my mother never even held a true space within me—I did not know her, I only knew the aftermath of her disappearance.

Rhys stood from the bench and wandered over to the river’s edge. He leaned over the ledge of the metal railing, staring down at the thrumming waters, below, and sighed. I took up spot next to him, our biceps pressed together, and the warmth of his touch grounded me despite the cold around us.

I stared at him as he stared out across what seemed like a vast, endless being soaring in front of us. And the lingering pain on his face, clouded with memories unknown to me, was enough for me to say, “You know, this goes both ways. I can talk to you, and you can talk to me. Whenever you need.”

Rhys dragged his gaze away from the Sidra and wondered, “A thought for a thought?”

“What do you mean?”

“I say something on my mind, then you say something. Like a trade.”

My nails dug into the skin around my thumb, a nervous habit I’d never seemed to drop, and winced at the tearing skin. “Okay.”

“I’m thinking that sometimes I want to wipe this whole city off the map so I can start over, and buy us a little more time. I’m thinking that I was an idiot to ever let Hybern sink its teeth into my company and fool us all. I’m thinking that for the rest of my life I’ll be trapped under their thumb, that I’ll be trapped under that bitch and all the havoc she caused my people and I.”

I could only focus on that slip of information. Trapped under who? What woman could’ve caused the agony shining on Rhys’s face, so blindingly painful that he winced at her very memory?

At the question on my face, Rhys only added, “There’s a bit more to the story about my history with Hybern.” Looking upon the peaceful scenery before us, it seemed like a shame to poison it with our misery-soaked words. “It’s for another time and place.”

Maybe it was because of the jagged pieces of truth that he offered me, but it filled with a sort of courage and recklessness that had me quietly murmuring, “I’m thinking that I must have been a fool in love to allow myself to be shown so little of Spring Corporations. I’m thinking there’s a great deal of information and secrets and shady bullshit I wasn’t allowed to see or hear about and maybe I would’ve lived in ignorance for the rest of my life like some fucking pet.

“I’m thinking,” the words choked up in my chest as Rhys’s gaze softened, full of concern and empathy, “that I was a lonely, helpless person, and I fell in love with the first person that showed me a shred of kindness. Of safety. I think he knew that—maybe not entirely, or actively, but he wanted to be that person for someone. A protector, a guardian. And that may have worked for the person I was before. But maybe not for the person I became. Not after…” I couldn’t breathe those words yet. Not after I shot those two people, not after life had gloriously and marvellously fucked me over completely. And though the words were selfish and hateful despite everything he’d done for me, they were a beam of truth I’d kept far, far down in my withered soul, tucked away even from myself.

I’d been gone merely two weeks, and I was already shitting all over his name. I was no better than him, no better than the angered man who’d done everything to keep me subdued.

“That was five. I owe you two thoughts.”

“Keep them. For another time.”

We both looked at each other for a moment, wind off the briny waters ruffling our hair. Rhys murmured, “Suriel used to do this thing at our appointments. Rate my mood on a scale.”

I nodded my head. “I did that, too.”

“I feel like a solid seven, today,” Rhys said. “You?”

I debated it for a few brief seconds, then admitted, “Four.” Better than yesterday, but still not enough.

“Okay.” He tucked my hair behind my ear, and it felt so natural I didn’t even blink at the gesture. “How about I cook some Mac and cheese for dinner tonight. Would that bring you up to a five?”

I only grinned, the slightest curve upwards of my lips, and said, “Four point three.”

***

We sat before the TV, bowls of macaroni and cheese in hand, watching the news. Nothing really exciting—preparations for the upcoming city summit, a shooting in the east end of town, a puppy parade for the local shelter. Rhys told me about the dog he had when he was younger, a loyal German Shepard he adored—but ultimately had to give away after it literally chewed through a wall. It took all of Rhys’s strength and will to keep his father from shooting it.

When we were done, Rhys and I brought our bowls to the kitchen, and I filled the sink up with soapy water to wash the dishes. He did so much for me, carved too much time out of his day for my sake, that it was the least I could do. Despite my protests, he still stood beside me to wipe them dry, our elbows grazing whenever I passed him another rinsed plate. The townhouse was quiet, peaceful with only the soft hum of the TV behind us, that I wasn’t even surprised when it blared Breaking News and ruined the moment.

Rhys shut off the sink and I wiped my hands on a nearby dishtowel before we quickly meandered back to the couch before in the family room. The news reporter was saying words, words that didn’t even make sense—

Then he was there, right there on the screen, as though he fucking knew I was watching him.

Everything else around me disappeared as the CEO of Spring Corporations said, “Thank you for joining me today. Unfortunately, the information I have to share isn’t good, and it breaks my heart to announce that my fiancee Feyre Archeron has gone missing.”

Distantly, I knew that Rhys already had his phone out, probably dialling someone from the Inner Circle to find out what the fuck was going on. I couldn’t listen, couldn’t even think about it as he was standing there at the podium of Prythian Police Station. Cameras flickered and flashed as he paused, then said, “Her location is currently unknown, and she was last seen at Spring Corporations, a safe location she was told to stay until after the scene of our apartment had been cleared, the day of the second attempt on her life. The security footage we gathered shows her being carried out by Cassian Noctis, a current employee at Night Industries.”

“Shit,” Rhys was muttering beside me, “shit, shit, shit—”

“He is currently in custody. His apartment was searched, but Feyre still remains missing. If anyone has any information upon her whereabouts, I beg you to please call the info line on your screen.”

I didn’t think I was breathing. How had they gotten Cassian? When? How come we weren’t called the second it happened?

“Feyre, if you’re seeing this by some miracle,” his voice was thick with tears, and I nearly vomited all over the hardwood floors as his eyes practically bored into mine. “I love you. I swear to all the Gods I will do everything I can to get you back.”

My fingers, with a mind of their own, reached over to the remote and turned the screen off.

“We need to go. Right now.”

Rhys was saying something else, so many things, but I was spinning.

It’s like I could still feel him. I could still feel each and every claw of his control, of his anger—they pinned me to where I sat.

Even from afar, Tamlin held my head under the water. I was drowning. I was screaming for air, but he shoved me into the deep end and let the waves crash over me.

“Feyre, we need to leave.” I didn’t realize he was kneeling before me, his eyes filled with desperation. I didn’t feel Rhys’s arms around me as he lead me to the townhouse entrance. As he fed my arms through the jacket and slipped a scarf around my neck, sunglasses in my pocket. We got into his SUV and he careened it down the street and into the city.

But I was drowning. Consumed by the water. Consumed by the flames in my mind, the towering inferno trapping me. The flames or the fall? Those words played in my mind over and over again as streets passed by in my peripheral vision.

“I’ll go back.” The words escaped my lips before I could stop them, emotion creeping up my chest and searing my throat as my vision blurred. “I’ll go back, Rhys. It’s okay.”

“Don’t take his bait. Let us figure this shit out before making any decisions.”

“He’s never gonna stop,” I breathed. “I can’t keep letting him destroy you guys. I won’t.”

“It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than this to destroy us, Feyre.” He tore into the parking lot and jammed on the breaks when he slid into a space. “Put your glasses on, cover your face with your scarf, and hood up.”

I did as he said automatically, and he came around to my side of the car, equally concealed as me, before we sped to the front doors of the PPS. There were press and cameras everywhere, but I kept my head down, trying to follow Rhys’s tugs on my arm forward and into the station. The yells and raucous was sealed off as soon as the doors shut behind us.

Mor was instantly there, despite the cops’ protests, and Rhys snarled, “Why the hell wasn’t I called?”

“You were called as soon as we knew, Rhys, which was about ten fucking minutes ago. They’ve had him all afternoon without telling us. We thought he left early.”

“Where’s Azriel?”

“On his way. Cassian hasn’t said anything. Amren’s finally in there with him, but we’re not saying a fucking thing.”

“We didn’t do anything wrong, Mor. They’ve got nothing on us.”

“They do until we say otherwise. If we want to clear ourselves, we need to tell them everything.”

Everything. I knew what everything meant. Everything was every bruise, every scar and every cut on my body at his mercy. Everything meant all of me, surrendering my shrivelled soul.

After all they’d done for me, I couldn’t think of anything else to help them. Show them what he did to me, or waltz right back into my prison in chains for the rest of my life.

Mor and Rhys were arguing, and didn’t realize when I stepped up to the counter, peeling off my hood, my glasses, and said, “My name is Feyre Archeron and I’d like to speak with whoever’s in charge of this case. Alone.”

[accidentalharrie]

maybe you or one of you followers has access to the telegraph article about Harry "Why does the world want Harry Styles to be gay" I don't know what to think about this headline and I really want to read it but its online only for subscribers

Here you go, Nons. (I hesitate to post this but…)

When Harry Styles played the O2 Arena in 2018, his fans illuminated the cavernous venue in the colours of the LGBTQ Pride flag. Coordinated by a social media account called The Rainbow Project, each seating block was allocated a different colour, so that when Styles played the song Sweet Creature, an enormous rainbow emerged from the crowd. I was there, and it was pretty magical. But it was also emblematic of how Styles’s fanbase views their idol: as a queer icon.

There’s arguably never been a better time to be an LGBTQ pop star. Acts such as Sam Smith, who came out as non-binary earlier this year, Lil Nas X, the first gay man to have a certified diamond song in America, Halsey, queer boyband Brockhampton, pansexual singer Miley Cyrus and Kim Petras, who is transgender, have all enjoyed an incredible year, bagging the biggest hits of 2019.

Still, when Styles shared Lights Up, the lead single from his forthcoming second solo album Fine Line, there was a collective intake of breath. The song and video - in which he appears shirtless in what looks like a sweaty orgy as both men and women grab at him - was heralded as a “bisexual anthem” by the media and fans on Twitter, despite not really making any explicit or obvious statements about sexuality or the LGBTQ community. Instead, Lights Up was just another example of the queer mythologising that occurs around Harry Styles.

As a member of One Direction, Styles was – aside from Zayn Malik – the group’s most charismatic and enticing member. From his first audition on The X Factor to the band’s disbandment in 2015, the teenager from Cheshire managed to elevate himself and his celebrity swiftly rose to the A list. Helping him along was speculation about his private life: during his tenure in the band he was romantically linked to everyone from Taylor Swift to Kendall Jenner.

But there were two other rumoured relationships that dogged Styles more than the others. The first was his close friendship with radio DJ Nick Grimshaw. Styles and Grimshaw were often photographed together, and there were anodyne showbiz reports about how they even shared a wardrobe.

Inevitably, rumours suggested they were romantically linked. In fact, so prolific was speculation that during an interview with British GQ, Styles was asked point blank if he was in a relationship with Grimshaw (he denied any romantic relationship) and, in a move that upset many One Direction fans, if he was bisexual. “Bisexual? Me?” he responded.  “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m not.”

The second, and perhaps most complicated of rumours, was that he and fellow bandmate Louis Tomlinson were in a relationship. Larry Stylinson, as their shipname is known, began life as fan-fiction but mutated into a wild conspiracy theory as certain fans – dubbed Larries – documented glances, gestures, touches, interviews, performances and outfits in an attempt to confirm the romance. Even now, four years after the band went on “hiatus”, videos are still being posted on YouTube in an attempt to confirm that their relationship was real.

For Tomlinson, Larry was fandom gone too far. He has repeatedly rejected the conspiracy. Styles, meanwhile, has never publicly discussed it. In fact, unlike Tomlinson, whose post-1D career trajectory has seen him adopt a loutish form of masculinity indebted to the Gallagher brothers, Styles has largely leant into the speculation surrounding his sexuality. Aside from the GQ interview, Styles has told interviewers that gender is not that important to him when it comes to dating. In 2017 he said that he had never felt the need to label his sexuality, adding: “I don’t feel like it’s something I’ve ever felt like I have to explain about myself.”

Likewise, during his time touring with One Direction, and during his own solo tours, the image of Styles draped with a rainbow flag became ubiquitous. He has also donated money from merchandise sales to LGBTQ charities. His fashion sense, too, subverts gender norms: Styles has long sported womenswear, floral prints, dangly earrings and painted nails.

Nevertheless, Styles’s hesitance to be candid has met with criticism. He has been accused of queer-baiting - or enjoying the benefits of appealing to an LGBTQ fanbase without having any of the difficulties. I’ve written before about how queer artists, who now enjoy greater visibility and are finding mainstream success, have struggled commercially owing to their sexuality or gender identity.

Styles, who is assumed to be a cisgender, heterosexual male, doesn’t carry any of the commercial risk laden upon Troye Sivan, Years and Years or MNEK, who all use same-gender pronouns in their music and are explicitly gay in their videos. His music – with its nods to rock’n’roll, Americana and folk ­– doesn’t feel very queer, either. Looking at it this way, the queer idolisation of Harry Styles doesn’t feel deserved.

“The thing with Harry Styles is that he often does the bare minimum and gets an out-sized load of credit for it,” says songwriter and record label manager Grace Medford. For Medford, who has worked at Syco and is now part of the team at Xenomania records, Styles’s queer narrative has been projected on him by the media and his fans. “I don’t think that he queer-baits, but I don’t think he does anywhere near enough to get the response that he does.”

Of course, Styles does not need to explain or be specific about his sexuality. As Medford puts it: “he’s well within his rights to live his life how he chooses.” However, he has also created a space for himself in pop that allows him that ambiguity.

It’s a privilege few pop stars have. Last year, Rita Ora was hit with criticism after her song Girls, a collaboration with Charli XCX, Cardi B and Bebe Rexha, was dubbed problematic and accused of performative bisexuality. Even though Ora explicitly sang the lyric “I’m 50-50 and I’m never gonna hide it”, she was lambasted by social media critics, media commentary and even her fellow artists until she was forced to publicly confirm her bisexuality.

But the same was not done to Styles when he performed unreleased song “Medicine” during his world tour. The lyrics have never been confirmed, but the song is said to contain the line: “The boys and the girls are in/ I mess around with him/ And I’m okay with it.” Instead of probing him for clarity or accusing him of performativity, the song was labelled a “bisexual anthem” and praised as “a breakthrough for bisexual music fans”.

Of course, there’s misogyny inherent to such reactions. But there’s also something more layered and complex at play, too. “There’s such a dearth of queer people to look up to, especially people at Harry’s level,” posits Medford. “With somebody who is seen as cool and credible and attractive as Harry, part of it is wishful thinking, I think.

“The fact is, he was put together into a boyband on a television show by a Pussycat Doll. And he has rebranded as Mick Jagger’s spiritual successor and sings with Stevie Nicks; he’s really done the work there. Part of him doing that work is him stepping back and letting other people create a story for him.”

One only has to look at how Styles’ celebrity manifests itself (cool, fashionable, artistic) in comparison to that of his former bandmates. Liam Payne (this week dubbed by the tabloids as a chart failure) has been a tabloid fixture since his public relationship with Cheryl Cole and relies on countless interviews, photoshoots and even an advertising campaign for Hugo Boss to maintain his fame.

Styles, meanwhile, doesn’t really engage with social media. He also rarely appears in public and carefully chooses what kind of press he does, actively limiting the number of interviews he gives. Styles’s reticence to engage with the media and general public – perhaps a form of self-preservation – has awarded him a rare mystique that few people in the public eye possess.

This enigmatic personal, along with his sexual ambiguity, his support of LGBTQ charities and his gender-fluid approach to fashion, creates the perfect incubation for queer fandom. It also provides a shield against serious accusations of queer-baiting. As Medford argues: “Harry’s queer mythology has been presented to and bestowed upon him by queer people whereas other acts feel like they have to actively seek that out.”

Ultimately, the way that Styles navigates his queer fandom doesn’t feel calculated or contrived. For Eli, an 18-year-old from Orlando who grew up with One Direction, seeing Styles “grow into himself” has been important. He suggests that Styles’ queer accessibility has helped to create a safe space for fans. “Watching him on tour dance on stage every night in his frilly outfits, singing about liking boys and girls, waving around pride flags, and even helping a fan come out to her mom, really helped me come to terms with my own sexuality,” he explains.

Vicky, who is 25 and from London, agrees: “To be able to attend his show with my pansexual flag and wave it around and feel so much love and respect - it’s an amazing feeling. I’m aware so many queer people can’t experience it so I’m very grateful Harry creates these safe spaces through his music and concerts.”

There’s appeal in Styles’s ambiguity, too. Summer Shaud, from Boston, says that Styles’ “giving no f—-” approach to sexuality and gender is “inspiring and affirming” for those people who are coming to terms with their own identities or those who live in the middle of sexuality or gender spectrums. “There’s enormous pressure from certain gatekeeping voices within the queer community to perform queerness in an approved, unambiguous way, often coming from people with no substantive understanding of bisexuality or genderfluidity who are still looking to put everyone into a box,” she argues. “Harry’s gender presentation, queer-coding, and refusal to label himself are a defiant rebuke of that “You’re Not Doing It Right” attitude, and that resonates so strongly with queers who aren’t exclusively homosexual or exclusively binary.”

Shaud says that the queer community that has congregated around Styles is another reason she’s so drawn to him. “Seeing how his last tour was such an incredible site of affirmation and belonging for queers is deeply moving to me, and as older queer [Shaud is 41] I’m so grateful that all the young people growing up together with Harry have someone like him to provide that.”

In fact, she argues that there’s a symbiotic relationship between Styles and his queer fans. She cites an interview he gave to Rolling Stone this year in which he said how transformative the tour was for him. “For me the tour was the biggest thing in terms of being more accepting of myself, I think,” Styles shared. “I kept thinking, ‘Oh wow, they really want me to be myself. And be out and do it.’”

All of the queer Harry Styles fans I spoke to agreed that it really didn’t matter whether their idol was explicit about his sexuality or not. “It’s weird that people scrutinise people who don’t label [their sexuality] when they have no idea what that person feels like inside or, in Harry’s case, what it’s like to be under the public eye,” argues Valerie, who is 18. “It’s an individual choice, not ours,” agrees Vicky.

Ollie, 22 and from Brighton, takes a more rounded view, however: “On one hand, I think that quite simply it isn’t any of anyone else’s business. On the other, if you place yourself in the public eye to the level of fame that he has then you should be prepared to be probed about every minute detail of your personal life, whether you like it or not – you should at least be prepared to be questioned about it.” Still, he says that the good that Styles does is what’s important: “He brings fantastic support and attention to the community, whether he is actively a part of it or not.”

Arguably, the ambiguity and mystery that surrounds Styles only allows more space for queer people to find safety in him and in the fandom.

Still, if fans are expecting a queer coming of age with new album Fine Line, they will be disappointed. Lyrically, he doesn’t venture into new territory, although there are some new musical flares. He also seems like he’s started to distance himself a little from the ambiguity, too. “I’m aware that as a white male, I don’t go through the same things as a lot of the people that come to the shows,” he told Rolling Stone. “I can’t claim that I know what it’s like, because I don’t. So I’m not trying to say, ‘I understand what it’s like.’ I’m just trying to make people feel included and seen.” Having said that, within weeks Styles appeared on Saturday Night Live playing a gay social media manager, using queer slang and even wearing an S&M harness.

And so the cycle of queer mythologising continues, and is likely to continue for the rest of Styles’s career. And maybe things will change and maybe they won’t.

“If you are black, if you are white, if you are gay, if you are straight, if you are transgender — whoever you are, whoever you want to be, I support you,” he said earlier this year. “I love every single one of you.” In a world where LGBTQ rights are threatened and there’s socio-political insecurity, perhaps, for now at least, that’s enough.

[illumose]

i’m no sweet dream  [ kim taehyung ]

× genre : fratboy!taehyung au ; angst ; badass! reader.

× pairing : kim taehyung x female reader | words : 1,3k

× sum up : in which the reader decides to make Taehyung pay for his bad actions.

× author’s note : this scenario is inspired by Halsey’s new song ‘Nightmare’.

The cold wind hit your face as you wandered aimlessly in the street. From time to time, the window of a shop would catch your attention, but you wouldn’t stop walking. There was something soothing about walking, you didn’t mind the slight tiredness.

Two months afo, your life was perfect. You were dating what you had thought to be the love of your life, and you had a reputation untouched by sins, rumors and gossips. It was insane to see how things changed so quickly. Your life had been turned upside down, because of a single man. He dragged you down, making people believe that you were just a slut in seek of attention.

People talked shit about you, without knowing anything about what you went through. That’s what happen when you’re too nice, they eat you alive. Now, you wouldn’t make the same mistake. Kindness is weakness, it became your new mantra.

Kim Taehyung could have been the love of your life if he was not a complete douchebag. After all, your friend warned you about his past of bad boy. He manipulated you, he used your kindness at his own advantage. You were blinded by love, when all he cared about was your body. You’ve trusted lies and men, but this was over. This was the last time you would allow people to hurt you, to break your heart.

You had broken down, but you had put yourself back together. The first week, you were a mess. You cried yourself to sleep, you did not eat, you did not go out. You had blamed yourself. The week after, a friend came over, informing you of the rumours, the gossips. It was when you realized that he had wrecked you, that it was all a game for him. You had decided to take your revenge for the damages he caused to your heart.

You would not allow him to have power over you, to destroy your life. Your reputation had been torn apart because of Taehyung, but if you had to drown, then he was going to drown too. After all, he did not show any mercy for you when he spread the rumour that you were a whore addicted to sex without any morals.

He was the one who started this, and you would end it. Tomorrow. You were tired and angry.

The next day, you entered the university, walking confidently. The students’ curious gaze made you smile. You knew that he would come to you first, he had no other choice.

"Y/n." You heard his voice, calling you out from the other side of the hallway. He was probably wearing his leather jacket, the one you used to steal because it looked good on you.

You stopped only when the two of you were in an empty classroom. "What?"

"They suspect me and Connor of having cheated on the admission test." He said, leaning against the door frame. What he did not know was that you, accidentally or not, spilled out that his little secret.

"And? It isn’t my problem." You scoffed, rolling your eyes. It amused you, he seemed cocky. It would not last, though. You were going to shatter his life, to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Taehyung stared at you, in disbelief. He had never witnessed this type of behavior coming from you. He had expected you to beg him to take you back. He had thought you would be worried, but apparently, you weren’t. "They will take my scholarship away. We’ll be expelled."

"Will you? And, what do you tell me this? Your little toys cannot help you, can’t they?" You answered, walking closer to him. He raised an eyebrow, a smirk displaying on his lips. He won’t smirk for long.

"They’ll ask you questions, to see if we’re lying or not. Don’t tell them anything." He demanded, believing that you were still a compliant little toy. He had no hold on you anymore. People always believed that you would stay the kind and compliant woman who put her own self second for others. They pushed you, again and again, until you could not take it anymore. He belittled you, having no consideration for your feelings.

"Fun fact, I don’t owe you a goddamn thing, Taehyung. You’re a douchebag, and this is what you deserve. Perhaps the past girls you wrecked hadn’t had the guts to make you pay, but I ain’t them."

Your laugh resonated in the whole classroom. You’ve learnt to grow from the heartbreak, the shame and the judgement. It changed you in so many ways, and perhaps, without Taehyung, you would not have found the strength to be tough. In some way, you were thankful for what he caused.

"You made a mistake when you thought that I would come back, crawling and begging. I trusted you, and you betrayed my trust, but it’s okay." You added, defying his gaze. "You tore my reputation apart. You told them I was a slut, that there wasn’t someone more disgusting than me. You and your group of jerks are rotten to the core. I’ve got a lot of things to say about you, because don’t forget that we dated for one fucking year. It’s a lot of time." Your tone was threatening, it was so pleasing to hold the power.

"Is it a threat, sweetheart?" He chuckled, approaching you.

"Someone like me can be a real nightmare. My old self would still be crying her eyes out over a man without any values. You’ve done things that are far worse than cheating. The university won’t be the only one going after you, Taehyung."

Taehyung eyes changed, he was no longer amused.

"You can act cocky all you want, you can threaten me, but the truth will be heard. I ain’t giving you the pleasure of enjoying your life when you did horrible things. You’re gonna pay for your actions. I’m no sweet dream, I’m your worst nightmare.” And with that, you stepped out of the room, walking past him. He stood there, frozen and baffled.

Your eyes slid over to take one last look at Taehyung, and you left. Once back home, you took everything that Taehyung had left in your apartment to the trash, definitely deleting him from your life. You were relieved, and in peace with yourself.

You’ve tolerated Taehyung horrendous behavior with others for a whole year, letting him do whatever he wanted with your heart. Unfaithful and distrustful, he ruined the love you two had. His friends were just like him, a group of douchebag without any consideration for woman and other people. They gave looks of haughty disdain to those who weren’t as wealthy as they were.

You had hoped that Taehyung could change, what’s greater than helping the love of your life change into a better person ? You were so wrong, and regretted getting involved with him. It was a nasty shock when you had found out that he took pictures of you naked on the bed, and that he allowed his friends to see them. It was a nasty shock when you had found out that a girl he used to date committed suicide because he ruined her life.

Nonetheless, he was finally paying for his actions. You had pressed charges against him for the nudes he had stolen and you had revealed to the police what he did to the poor girl. The cheating scandal was only the beginning of his fall.

[jollymageret]

Nightmare - SM

so basically this is some shawn angst type thing.

y/n is a singer/songwriter who takes it upon herself to take her empowerment back. shawn called her a nightmare after their twitter war and in true singer fashion, she made a song.

i used halseys nightmare because 1. it’s amazing and 2. it really fit well. i love halsey and it’s no copyright intended.

“so the next song is about...saying fuck you to a certain ex, and i’m sure you know what ex i’m talking about.”

the crowd cheered as you chugged down the rest of your water, your attire was becoming sticky with sweat.

“the final stage of a breakup is redirected hope, in other words empowerment. so when i wrote this song, it was me just accepting the things that had happened,” i said, “and me saying to myself, fuck all of them.”

you smiled as the intro started playing, “shawn called me a nightmare on twitter...and he is absolutely right. i want you to raise your middle finger to a person that you gave everything to and then they took advantage of you.”

10,000 fingers raised in the air as they started to sing along,

“i, i keep a record of the wreckage in my life,

i gotta recognise the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every-time,

and i realise...”

your and shawn’s breakup was messy to say the least. a cheating scandal that he denied even to this day, that had led a twitter war. he had called you a nightmare, which was true.

you were always a bit wild, a rebel, a rule breaker to say the least, which shawn has always said he loved about you. you weren’t controversial but you didn’t keep your mouth shut if you thought something was wrong. you then proceeded to be very sarcastic and take the piss out of him, releasing a bit of private information but nothing to seriously damage his career. sex life antics and arguments over texts.

in total you had been broken up for about 7 months and although you didn’t admit it, you missed him. the late night phone calls, sweet text messages and obviously the sex.

god, the se-

“i’ve tasted blood and it is sweet,

i’ve has the rug pulled beneath my feet,

i’ve trusted lies and i’ve trusted men,

broke down and put myself back together again,

stared in the mirror and punched it to shatters,

collected the pieces and picked out a dagger,

i’ve pinched my skin in between my two fingers,

and wished to cut some parts off with some scissors.”

the phones shone bright as you walked around the stage, videoing the experience that they would no doubt post and look back on in years to come. you would probably be married by then, live in some fancy house and have children. at one point you thought that would of all been with shawn, the person you wanted to grow old with. but now you will probably be quite lonely, when you feel ready to move on.

to be honest, you weren’t quite over the breakup. you were still in the stage of anger, every-time someone brought up his name you would clench my fist and jaw until the topic was over. you couldn’t listen to him on the radio and you couldn’t watch any videos of him. your friends where walking on eggshells around you, careful to say what bar they went to last saturday and who they went with. he always loved going out with his friends.

“come on little lady give us a smile,

no i ain’t got nothing to smile about,

i got no one to smile for,

i waited a while for a moment to say i don’t owe you a god damn thing!

i, i keep a record of the wreckage in my life,

i gotta recognise the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every-time,

and i realise...

i’m no sweet dream but i’m a hell of a night,

that i’m no sweet dream boy i’m a hell of a night.”

you had texted briefly, nothing extensive. figuring out arrangements for stuff to be transferred over to your place, or asking if he was going out with your friends that night, which ultimately led to your decision of declining your friends offers to go to a bar. he had hurt you, sure enough you had probably hurt him too but he was the one that ended things over text.

a two and a half year relationship that he ended over TEXT. he didn’t even tell you face to face. he sent a long bullshit arse message which upset you even more when he was the one being accused of cheating. he apologised put he said he thought he was ‘holding you back’ and that it hurt to much ‘to tell you face to face’. if anything you couldn’t move on without him, you would be probably writing breakup songs forever now.

“no, i won't smile but i'll show you my teeth,

and i'ma let you speak if you just let me breathe,

i've been polite but won't be caught dead,

lettin' a man tell me what i should do in my bed,

keep my exes in check in my basement,

'cause kindness is weakness or worse you're complacent,

i could play nice or i could be a bully,

i'm tired and angry but somebody should be,

come on little lady give us a smile,

no i ain't got nothin' to smile about,

i got no one to smile for i waited a while for,

a moment to say i don't owe you a goddamn thing!

i, i keep a record of the wreckage of my life

I gotta recognize the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every time,

and i realise...

i, i keep a record of the wreckage of my life,

i gotta recognize the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every time,

and i realise...”

the cheating new had broken on youtube, shawn was on tour at the the time and you were visiting your family in london. he was caught smuggling a girl into his hotel room arm around her shoulder. she then left the next morning in the same dress and his leather jacket. the one that he gave me when i was cold, or because he said i looked cute in it. it was our thing and he gave it away so easily, just pushed me to the side to make way for the next one to get into his pants.

when it had come out he called me straight away, telling me not to believe it and it was all fake. i believed him as i put more in our trust than the tabloids, there had to be an explanation for it, of all people not shawn. but then i got an instagram am from the girl that night, saying she was sorry but it was all true. she said they were sober and he said i could never find out about this. the look on his face when i showed him the messages, that said it all.

“someone like me can be a real nightmare completely aware,

but i’d rather be a real nightmare than die unaware,

someone like me can be a real nightmare completely aware,

but I'm glad to be a real nightmare so save me your prayers,

i, i keep a record of the wreckage of my life,

i gotta recognize the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every time,

and i realise...

i, i keep a record of the wreckage of my life,

i gotta recognize the weapon in my mind,

they talk shit but i love it every time,

and i realise...

i’m no sweet dream but i'm a hell of a night,

that i'm no sweet dream but i'm a hell of a night...”

the crowd erupted with cheers and hollers as you fought back tears, this was hard for you. but then, you remembered.

he doesn’t love you anymore y/n. he cheated. you’re a nightmare to him, he hates you, he doesn’t care.

you smiled and said, “fuck shawn, right?”

[hollyhomburg]

Uhhh.... could you explain the drama with halsey? Cause ever since the comeback every where I turn it's been nothing but good things so I wanna know what its like from your perspective. No hate or anything I'm just curious since you know I haven't seen the drama

Well shit- this is long- but do with it what you will- this is how i took everything that went down/ everything i saw on twitter in the last few weeks as well as the actual events that took place:  

if you say i made this shit up- i swear, people act like they’re privy to the millions of tweets that are made every day; also before you say my timeline is negative because im negative (like others on anon have) i only follow the people on here who have followed me on twitter + fan artists. 

from my perspective- the collab made a lot of sense, both from a business, Social, and temporal standpoint. 

bts and halsey have had interactions on social media on and off from 2017 (the first year they won top social artist, was also the same year that halsey performed “now or never” at the bbma’s). the two groups appear to be friends. and generally- halsey was cool with them and rm and her seem to have a genuine friendship. 

from a business standpoint, Halsey is also a top charting western artist. She has quite a few records on billboard under her belt, a few singles that have charted at number 1 for a few weeks. which is one of the very few things that bts hasn’t been able to accomplish (though I think everyone knows they’re close, they’ve had a few top tens)

the decision to collab makes sense from a business and social standpoint. army’s are familiar with halsey’s presence in bts lives (weather or not they agree with it or not depends on which side of the fandom you’re on) which is why no one was really surprised i think when they announced it. hell i was happy- because out of all of the western artists they could collab with i think that halsey gives them the best chance at that #1 slot on the billboard hot 100 that they’ve been aiming for for so so long, and more than anything i want them all to get that. 

Some people where displeased with the collab, which was to be expected- alot of people were mad about the Niki minaj collab on idol, but the blow was lessened because there where 2 versions of the mv and they could effectively ignore niki if they wanted to, or appreciate it (like i did) 

sometime around last week bighit’s official twitter started circulating the hashtag “officially our girl” right after the slight backlash of the video that halsey released with rm and her doing their handshake (which was cute- cuz he finally got the handshake he deserved).  The backlash wasn’t directed at the handshake itself but at the fact that you can clearly see Jimin guiding one of the staff away from the camera. since the video was posted by halsey, alot of people were angry that she apparently didn’t respect bts’s staff enough, and had unintentionally put one of them in danger (since bts staff members can loose their jobs if they’re recognized because of crazy fans swarming them). to many people- this showed a lack of understanding on halsey’s part. 

The “officially our girl” hashtag was the first thing that gave me pause. Up until that point id been a little ehh about the collab. since im a fan of bts and not a fan of halsey, but generally like I said before- if it’s going to be anyone- have it be halsey, because she’s the most accessible and logical choice for them to collab with at the moment.

 But to me the officially our girl hashtag was going a little too far. our boy’s are our boys, and halsey is not our girl as far as im concerned. because im a fan of bts and not halsey, and this feels like bighit was trying to force those of us that felt lukewarm about halsey to accept her (in part to avoid the negative backlash becoming a scandal). (Let me remind you that the hashtag was released and circulated by bighit’s account, not Bts’s official twitter. bts has not endorsed the hashtag or liked it. only bighit).

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. bighit is trying to make us like halsey, when liking halsey and supporting the collab are not mutually exclusive nor collectively exhaustive cases. 

Today’s re-release of the halsey boy with luv version has only done more to reinforce the idea to me that bighit is trying to lessen this divide by shoving the collab down our non-proverbial throats- when they should be taking a step back and trying to satisfy both sides of the fandom instead of alineating one further- the sides that are fans of both halsey and bts, and the side that is a fan of only bts.  

This version was supposed to be a version for army- you know how much more new content army got that was purely bts? 43 seconds, i counted it. You know how many seconds of new halsey content there where in the “army with luv video? 44 seconds.

call me petty for counting the seconds, and you’d be fair, but if you say that a new video is for army, then make it be the content that all army’s want to see/hear. I know in some way this re-release has been to excite people about the bbma’s performance- and was probably not only to try and unite the fandom but i think we can all agree that army is bts’s fandom? and that the army with luv music video kind of missed that point when it had more new halsey content then bts content. 

That is my take on the whole situation- i will like to remind people that this is my opinion on what happened (with some facts) these are my feelings on the situation. This is why i have an issue with it. disagree with me one way or another, we will both still love bts in the end the same amount. 

People will probably say that i think this way because i am jealous, and that i want bts to stay these little pure undateing idols (ie: a fictional and unrealistic idea that idols will be anything other than people, who love and feel and are owed what the rest of us have) and think i feel this way because i’m a possessive crazy fan who wants and believes that one day I will date bts- which is ridiculous- this disagreement is not about that- in reality I hope that bts are all getting the kind of love that they sing about on the daily and in private. If there is anyone that deserves to be loved it is them. In the end- we will never know what their private life is like and im thankful for that and im glad that they’ve made friends in western music enough to collab and feel welcomed. 

what i would have wanted from the collab: Halsey and bts to do their collab but remain separate entities, pacifying those who like bts but not halsey and sating our collective desire to have bts receive the recognition they are due from the media (both western and not), featuring her in the music video, and performing on the bbma’s stage.

things that contradict this: bighit releasing the “officially our girl hashtag” and releasing a music video that is supposed to be for armies that has more new halsey content in it than bts content (though irl it’s only one second- but if it was really for armies then bigshit would have emphasized bts over halsey- because armies are bts’s fandom)    

regardless of the video and bigshit’s behavior, i will enjoy bts’s bbma’s performance with halsey- because it’s damn time for them to return to the award show stage here. and they deserve it. both of them.  

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Paige you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Augustus Rookwood.

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Welcome back Paige! To hear from you was such a pleasant surprise and to have you back is even better! We never know what Augustus is going to do and that’s what makes him so great! He’s complex and interesting and we’re ready to have him back on the dash!

application beneath the cut 

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Paige, 25, she/her, EST. I’m from Tennessee in the United States!

ACTIVITY

I’m currently having to share a laptop with my mom, and Chronic Fatigue keeps me pretty dead for most of the day, but I plan to get online at least once daily to reply to anything I owe. So 5/10 maybe? I mean, I’m ALWAYS available via chat though, to plot or just talk.

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Originally, Alexis, your former (original?) Rabastan. Then I was here for months, left, returned for a year, left, and I’m baaaaaaaaack! Lol You know I can’t stay away from my trash son.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

In the past, I said Hermione without hesitation. I was always the one who felt a bit left out when new to a school, the one who lived to make teachers happy, and was a little too weird to make friends on my own without an intervening force. However, now I would say Minerva. In my friend group, I tend to be “mom”. I use logic and my mediating skills to make sure everyone stays out of too much trouble, work on guiding them through tough situations, and I always offer snacks when someone is upset. Also, cats are my life, and if I could become one, I would. Though even with the benefit of magic, the process would be incredibly complicated and I’m super lazy.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Nope!

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Augustus Rookwood.

Middle name: Xavier.

Name’s full meaning: Majestic, splendid, bird/forest

FACE CLAIM

Daniel Sharman

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

What I put in my first apps: I’ve always been drawn to the darker characters. Especially the ones who appear very controlled when in the public eye, and then “let loose” when they’re behind closed doors. Then there was mention of his family basically putting him on a pedestal. I’ve always loved (and had a muse for) characters that have a little too much responsibility put on their shoulders by their parents, and then begin to crack under the pressure in highly destructive ways.

Augustus seems like the type of person who originally started out trying to be the best son he could be. Who nodded and smiled at his parents’ plans for his future, worked his hardest in school, and then one day realized there was someone out there (The Dark Lord) to whom he could devote himself, and not have to be so perfect and “good”.

Which is why he will last in this war. No one suspects the “good little quiet boy” who kept his nose in his books, and his potentially deadly spells to himself. Not even the Dark Lord wanted him at first. Not until Augustus showed him exactly what he was capable of, behind a locked door, when everyone else was out trying to make as much noise for their cause as possible.

Now that he has an excuse to use the dark skills he’s kept to himself for years, Augustus kills when asked to and tortures just for the fun of it. However, he draws the line at children, and will convince another member of the group to kill/torture them when sent to “take care of” an entire family. He can’t exactly explain why he’s protective of children, or why that mindset changes as soon as they’ve reached an age when they can defend themselves. Perhaps it’s just too easy, and he likes a challenge.

Now that I’ve actually played him: He evolved over time and his ability to suppress his emotions slipped drastically depending on who he was with. There were far more bad influences than good ones, and soon, a few too many people knew his secrets and he was caught. Since then, he has retreated back into himself as much, if not more than before, and mainly focuses on his job and making the Dark Lord proud. And God, he feels like screaming every minute of every day. As the climax of the war draws nearer, situations become more and more tense. The whispers behind his back make his skin crawl, and although he knows he will be protected if he lashes out, he swallows his curses like acid. He was betrayed once, and won’t let it happen again.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Preferred ships? Augustus/everyone, to be honest. Augustus will have sex with anyone. Long time friends, people he wants to manipulate, strangers, whatever. Sex isn’t tied to emotion for him. It is purely the pursuit of pleasure. Hell, he would probably have sex with the Dark Lord without even being commanded to do so. Because yolo? But romance is an entirely different animal. It requires trust and emotional connection and way too much of oneself. Therefore, Augustus has only felt such a connection once, and he’s not sure he wants to repeat it. However, he could easily be in a relationship or marriage with someone out of convenience or friendship. Though no monogamy or cute stuff unless pretending for the public. He thinks it would be selfish to tie someone down like that if he can’t offer them what they need emotionally.

Overall, Augustus identifies as an aromantic pansexual (though those labels aren’t exactly a thing in the 70s/80s), as a cis male (he/him/his). There has been some gender experimentation with polyjuice potion, but that was purely for fun.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

Patronus: Lynx. (Lore states that the secretive lynx represents controlled power, individualism, and sharp-sightedness. Lynx people are generally exceedingly observant, quiet, intelligent, and curious. Though their independent nature can strike some as aloof, they are often excellent guides and steadfast friends.) Boggart: Someone outing him for what he’s done. Such as, a member of the Wizengamot reading a list of his crimes. Wand: Hazel (Wandlore states that “A sensitive wand, hazel often reflects its owner’s emotional state, and works best for a master who understands and can manage their own feelings.”), 10 inches, Dragon heartstring core, Unyielding.

Blog: http://avgvstvs.tumblr.com

LINK TO VISUAL AESTHETIC

Brief playlist: “Choke” - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, “Strangers” - Halsey (ft. Lauren Jauregui), “Run” - AWOLNATION, “The Last One” - Black Veil Brides

Aesthetic: On one hand, he’s a smoking gun, hands dripping with blood, wet leather after a surprise storm, teeth on pale skin, the way a bottle of alcohol holds the scent when empty, skin rubbed against a rough brick wall, and sins in hallowed places. But then he’s also the smell of old books, chalk covered hands from solving impossible problems, secrets whispered to empty rooms, lies screamed into crowded places, nails digging into palms, tantrums behind locked doors, cold chains, hot coffee, lightning and hurricanes. But then as an Unspeakable, there’s all this mystery surrounding his job, and the strict rules he must follow.  So order and perfection. But as a Death Eater, there’s all this chaos and mess. Augustus in school was far different. Sweaters with sleeves a little too long, glasses to read that kept slipping off, smudged parchment, top marks hidden from fellow students, praise from teachers sounding too much like the praise from his parents, the death of a sibling and the expectation to immediately get over it, sitting in windows and watching the world move too fast. Everything was perfectly imperfect, and he did everything he could to grasp and absorb the chaos around him, and hold it tight.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it: “I would not invent my own. I would simply rework the pre-existing Obliviate and make it much more permanent and impossible to reverse. The incantation would be obliviscaris in perpetuum (forget forever) and it would be invaluable for those who wish to use it on victims, or for those who have something traumatic or highly sensitive in their past that they’d rather forget..”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you: “I would choose to take the Dark Lord with me, obviously, despite him never being one to follow someone else. His powers surpass anything the forest could throw at us. Also, I would bring a time-turner with me, due to its ability to help me return to any moment before I run into trouble, and allow me to take a different path.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make? “Those that require me to go against my deceitful nature and be completely honest with people. Like, a decision that if I am being truthful, would end my carefully constructed public image.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you? “I would never want someone accusing me of something, whether I did the deed or not. How I spend my time is an entirely private matter, and I would rather not have others prying into my life, no matter what they believe I have done.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

While Augustus is glad that the Ministry is fully within the clutches of the Dark Lord’s side, he disagrees with the eradication of non-purebloods. He has never been a blood purest due to his childhood as an outcast and the discovery that those with colorful family trees tend to be the kindest. And after his time spent in America surrounded by Muggles, Augustus doesn’t really give a shit who your parents are. He plans to do almost everything he can to avoid a total genocide. Sure, murder and mayhem are fun, but one must draw a line at the slaughter of friends. Perhaps. While he has no plans to actively work against his fellow Death Eaters, he will not turn down direct orders. And for now, his orders are to stay focused on his work in the Department Of Mysteries. He has a plan for The Dark Lord that only someone who works in the Love Chamber can properly research.

WRITING SAMPLE

Augustus hadn’t been in this to make friends. Since childhood he’d fully accepted that he was born to be a loner. Besides, everyone else just got in his way. But as he sat, with cold metal chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, clinking every time he tried (and failed) to find a more comfortable position, he felt truly and utterly alone. For the first time in his life, he began wishing there was someone by his side. Anyone, really. Just another warm body to deflect some of the angry, betrayed looks coming from the seats in which sat the Wizengamot and others. At that point, he would have even accepted a few of his least favorite acquaintances.

Unfortunately, everyone he knew was either dead, in Azkaban, or in the audience, watching with bated breath. This trial was one that had brought out spectators from every department of the Ministry. NO ONE had suspected the quiet wizard who went directly to and from the Department Of Mysteries every day, never making enemies or even standing out very much. He’d played his role perfectly. Even now, he kept his true self behind a facade, acting the part of the wrongly accused. Because he truly intended to leave the trial a free man. What good was the word of Karkaroff against his? The headmaster of a foreign school known to breed dark wizards, against a ‘friend’ of many at the Ministry? He’d spent countless hours cultivating false relationships with these people, earning their trust, and then gathering secrets. And until his name was spat by Karkaroff, it hadn’t so much as flashed through people’s minds. Not since he was pardoned all those years ago after his interrogation at the hands of Aversio.

The questions were easily answered with lies, and he even asked some of his own. “Where were you on the night of (…)?” “Where was I? Where were your Aurors? How could you let this happen?” “Who else answers to He Who Must Not Be Named?” “Clearly you’re bringing anyone in these days. If I pointed at any of you, would you put them on trial too?” Until the lies weren’t enough to get him released, and a vial of Veritaserum was brought out.

Rookwood started to sweat in that moment. His breath became ragged and his hands began to violently shake. If he was being honest with himself, he would have realized that it was sheer terror he was experiencing. As the potion was carried across the room and uncorked, he’d half expected someone to burst into the room and save him. The other part of him knew his entire life was about to change for the worse. Even as the liquid was forced into his mouth, possible scenarios of escape danced through his mind. If only the chains were slightly loose. Maybe one of his fellow Death Eaters sat amongst the crowd. Yaxley? Cassius? Dolores? Perhaps someone would have a sudden change of heart and remember how impossible it seemed for him to be a part of this. But alas, the chains were magic, all of his comrades had already been captured or killed, and after the trial of Barty Crouch Jr., no one trusted even the least suspicious person.

And then words were spilling past his lips, almost too fast, with the sting of Veritaserum still on his tongue. When asked about his dealings with the Death Eaters, he held nothing back, despite the deep ache within his very soul that got stronger with each new thing he revealed. Both the Wizengamot and the audience gasped as he told details of the lives he’d destroyed. How he’d stalked several entire families before torturing and killing them. The bodies he’d left in alleyways. The memories he’d stolen from those he’d left bloody and beaten. The way it made him feel when people begged. He told them it was an almost sexual satisfaction, and the Veritaserum-induced smirk that went along with his words must have been the final nail in his coffin, because the trial ended swiftly after that.

Augustus was forced to watch as his beloved wand was snapped in half in front of him, and he was immediately taken to a cold, damp room where an elderly wizard stripped him of his fine, embroidered robes and a pair of striped, dirty ones were shoved into his hands. He would be taking a portkey to Azkaban directly from that room, without a chance to say goodbye to anyone. Not that he cared very much for anyone in his life, especially those not currently residing in the prison he was destined for, but it was all very sudden. Like a flower being plucked from a vast garden and shoved into a dusty old vase, just waiting to die.

And in this little vase of his, he was alone.

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

You Sound so Good on Radio (RapMon AU)

Plot: AU You’re a DJ at your university’s student-run radio club and were called in to do a sample show last minute for a tour group of potential students. You caught his attention and he knew that he couldn’t go anywhere else. Especially if it meant he could share the airwaves with you at some point.

Rating: PG-13 (Language, implied cheating)

Characters: University Student!Kim Namjoon/Rap Monster x female Reader, University Student/Radio Club President!Kris (EXO-M), University Student/Fellow DJ!Johnny (NCT-127), and mentions of Seokjin and Yoongi (BTS)

Notes: This is an AU setting – all characters, background content, and storyline are fictional! This was an idea I’ve had kicking around in my head inspired by the writer’s personal experience of working in student-run radio shows at school. (It sat on the back burner until I realized it would be a good fit for music lover and brainy student Kim Namjoon.) Y/S/N stands for “your screen name”, Y/E/N is “your ex’s name”, and Y/DJ/N is “your DJ name.”

Happy Birthday Namjoon!

“Can I ask you to do a last minute show?”

“Uhhh maybe,” you drawled as you pressed your phone to your ear, “when?”

He sucked in a sharp breath and forced a smile as he revealed that he needed you to get over to the student radio booth in 40 minutes. Your eyes widened and you changed direction.

“Damn you Kris,” you hissed as you dug around in your bag, briefly checking that you had the essentials. “You’re lucky my next class was canceled – what’s this all about?”

“Potential students tour,” Kris explained. “Sorry Y/N – they threw this on me last minute too. Admissions wanted to show off the student radio program and they wanted a show playing live when the tour came through. I sort of panicked and didn’t know who to ask.”

“You owe me,” you warned him as you made a beeline for the studio, unlocking the door with your ID card. “Are there any rules Admissions set?”

“No profanity because it’s a daytime show, don’t run over into the next scheduled show’s slot…” Kris trailed off, biting his lip. “Um maybe pick some happy tunes or something? I don’t know – just make it seem cool to join radio, okay?”

“I’ll try. Wonder why they care all of sudden,” you droned as you pulled out your laptop and began pulling songs into a playlist.

“How do you take your coffee?” he asked.

“Make it the largest size available and you’re a godsend,” you said before hanging up. You plugged in the cords from the dashboard and began adding in bumpers that would play in between every 3 songs to promote the studio radio station. Complaints aside, radio was a welcome escape for you whenever you wanted a break from the stress of college. Anyone could apply to have a radio program, as long as they showed up for their time slot, followed the radio airwave rules, and attended the radio meetings that took place every other week.

“You’re listening to a special broadcast of Nocturnal Beats, coming to you live and in stereo from the radio station,” you announced into the microphone. “You just heard music from Halsey, a beautiful cover of Adele’s “Hello” by Alice Olivia, and “Skool Luv” by BTS. Speaking of school love, why not show your support for our talented lacrosse team at this Saturday’s game? Game starts at 7 PM, tickets are $7 at the gate…” You tore a glance at the bulletin board nearby to make sure you were covering all of the announcements posted during your talking break. From the corner of your left eye, you spotted a large group of families coming into the building, led by a student tour guide. Satisfied that you covered everything posted, you wrapped up your talking segment as you teased the next few songs coming up in the hour.

“Over here is the student radio booth – all of the programs broadcast are put on by students for students,” the guide said as she gestured to the booth. “Parents and friends are welcome to download the app or live stream it from your computer or WI-fi enabled devices to listen in as well. We have programs running 7 days a week from 7 AM to midnight, ranging from music, talk shows, and we’ve even had a few radio dramas played during the airwaves.”

You avoided the crowd’s gaze as you slotted in a bumper that announced that they were tuned into the student radio site, before blending it out to the next song – a mellow R&B tune from BIGBANG called “Blue”. You pulled the headphones off and switched the mic to off before checking the volume controls and scrolling through the radio instant chat function to answer messages.

js_giraffe: U cheating on me for daytime?

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes as you typed back to Johnny, AKA your friend who hosted a late night rant/talk show on Wednesdays. Occasionally you put in a guest appearance if he needed someone to banter with on the topics of choice for the shows – most people found your dynamic with him hilarious, especially if he tried to switch accents while you called him out for being a loser.

Y/S/N: ha try Kris needed someone to show off for the tour groups.

js_giraffe: O.o The model DJ…

js_giraffe: I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!

Y/S/N: STFU

Y/S/N: It’s a one-time deal – get over your damn self!

“Now if you follow me, I’ll show you the mailroom,” the tour guide announced as she gestured to a hallway. Most of the families began to follow her to the next room while one young man lingered behind, tilting his head as he watched you switch between answering Johnny’s IMs and queuing more music for the remaining 15 minutes. He glanced over his shoulder at the group and quickly made up his mind to walk over to the glass separating you from him, tapping lightly on it.

You jerked your head up from looking at your laptop screen and held up a finger as you got up, making your way over to the entrance to the booth.

“Hi, may I help you?” you asked as you stuck your head out.

“Oh um ye-yeah!” the young man said. “How is the radio program here? Do you like it?” he asked with a faint accent.

“It’s a lot of fun,” you said slowly with a smile. “I really like it – this is my second year doing it. I started last spring and I’ve been doing it ever since. You can focus on any topic/style of show you want for the most part.” You frowned when you noticed the tour group was long gone.

“Oh I think you um-”

“I’ll find them – no worries,” he replied. He asked you more questions about the studio equipment, scheduling, requirements, etc. before you realized you were at the final 2 minutes of your program.

“Hang on, I need to close out the hour,” you apologized before running back into the station. You slipped the headphones on and turned the mic on, fading out the last song that was playing. “Looks like it’s last call gang – thanks for tuning into this special edition. I’ll catch you at my usual slot Friday night from 10-11 PM. Until then.” You turned off the mic and carefully unplugged your laptop, turning on instrumentals recorded in the station’s dashboard’s memory to fill the void while you packed up. Once you secured your bag on your shoulder, you headed to the door and frowned when you saw the young man was gone.

“So are you crossing this school off your list Joonie?” Yoongi asked his friend over the phone. “I mean, it’s kind of far and you don’t know a lot of English –“

“Actually I think I’m going to apply,” Namjoon replied with a grin as he leaned against the wall. “Campus is nice, professors seem decent, and I like their student life.”

“Wae?! But you can’t leave meeeeeeee!!!” the other male whined. “You’ll be too far away!”

“I think you can survive without me,” Namjoon chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. “Besides, we can always call or Skype. Plus I’ll be home for the holidays.”

“But you have to apply first,” Seokjin interrupted, taking the phone from Yoongi. “There’s no guarantee this school will take you. Make sure you have back-ups in case.”

Namjoon snorted as he changed his phone to his other ear. He reassured Seokjin that he’d apply to a few local schools back home, just to be safe before hanging up and heading back to the area where the tour started. It was clear in his mind – he was getting in here no matter what.

“Welcome back,” Johnny greeted you as you took a seat in the auditorium beside him.

“Right back at you,” you replied, dropping your bag on the ground. “How was your summer?”

He shrugged and muttered that he split his time between Chicago and South Korea, thanks to his parents’ divorce. You listened as he described the tension during each stay, as both single parents had expressed their true feelings about one another to Johnny.

“Sorry Johnny,” you said with a sympathetic smile, “hey so, are you doing late night again?”

Johnny nodded and you confirmed that you were in again for another late night slot, as it was your favorite time to broadcast. You weren’t forced to be as strict with the profanity during timeslots closer to midnight and it was a fun way to get hyped for the weekend. Because this would be your third year of radio, you’d get first dibs on timeslots. A few days prior to the start of the new semester, you had gotten an e-mail from Kris asking if you wanted your old timeslot back, which you replied you did.

“All right guys! Can I have your attention please?” Kris called out, trying to regain control of the large group of students chattering away. He waited a few minutes before speaking again.

“Welcome to University Radio Club,” he began, “if you’re here because you’re taking radio as an elective or just because you want to, you’re in the right place. We meet every other week here at 9 PM – attendance is mandatory for those taking this as an elective. If you are brand new to radio, we’ll start taking sign ups for timeslots via e-mail. Please send us your top three choices and we’ll let you know if any are available. Past DJs will get first choice. Any questions so far?”

“The D-bag’s not doing radio anymore, right?” Johnny whispered as he leaned closer to you.

You shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. The “D-bag” in question was your ex, who cheated on you for two sorority chicks during a Greek life party. You swore he purposely chose the timeslot after you so he could saunter in and ruin your good mood with his presence, as his show was after yours for 3 semesters.

“I’ll deal with it like usual,” you muttered as you watched Kris start discussing the history of radio to the students taking this for credit.

“Welcome back to your place for top hits, fresh sounds, and jams to get you in the mood for your weekend – this is Nocturnal Beats!” you said into the mic with a smile. “Hope everyone stayed cool this summer. The bell may have rung but the fun’s never ending – I’ve got some new sounds to share from EXO and Twenty One Pilots so keep it here for this hour.”

Once you switched off the microphone, your phone buzzed with a text from Kris.

Galaxy

I’ll buy you a drink this weekend if you can do a last minute training for the rookie coming in after you.

Sent 10:07 PM

You

Fine.

Sent 10:08 PM

Hang on – rookie? Not Y/E/N?

Sent 10:08 PM

Galaxy

Nah he never answered my e-mail about radio this semester. This guy’s a first year – asked specifically for this slot.

Sent 10:09 PM

Tall, blonde hair in an undercut, name’s Namjoon Kim. He’s doing a rap show.

Sent 10:10 PM

You frowned as you re-read the texts and typed back a simple OK to Kris. Well, you could breathe easy – no asshole ex to deal with this semester. But you were surprised this kid got a prime spot – most first timers weren’t so lucky and would get an afternoon slot or an early morning time. Albeit his radio show content was probably better suited for nighttime versus editing out every curse word and innuendo possible. You’d meet him soon enough.

You shuttled a few IMs to Johnny and tore your gaze away from your laptop to see a tall Asian guy approaching the station, eerily fitting the description Kris texted you. He was busy typing something on his phone as he approached the radio station, walking into the door with a thud.

You blinked as you scrambled to your feet, eyes wide as he staggered back a few steps, wincing and cursing in Korean as he touched his forehead. Without wasting more time, you queued up a few more songs and a bumper before opening the door and checking on him.

“Hey you okay?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he said as he pushed his dark framed glasses up on his nose. He shot you a sheepish smile and put his phone away in his pocket.

You studied him thoughtfully, examining his features. He looked awfully familiar…

“Hey so Y/N right? I don’t know you if you remember me, well I had dark hair last time we met, but um…” he trailed off, a shy smile on his face.

“Hang on, were you the guy who got left behind by the tour group to ask me questions about the radio station?” you recalled as you stepped out of the doorway. “Last semester in mid-March, right?”

He nodded as his smile spread across his face, resulting in the cutest dimples on his cheeks. You blinked as you silently compared the previous image you had of him in your mind to the guy standing before you now. He was cute then but with the blonde color and new haircut, he looked hot. It also sounded like his English had improved and the lingering trace of his accent was barely noticeable. Summer sure was kind to him…

“Wow I didn’t know you got in – congrats!” you replied as you nudged the door open wider, letting him into the station waiting room. “Welcome to university! I can’t believe you decided to take up radio too.”

Namjoon stepped through the doorway and watched as you closed the door to the station. “Well, it’s a funny story,” he began as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “A really chill DJ was doing a special show during my tour visit and she had a really hot voice. I was kind of a loser just staring at her and asking her dumb questions about radio, but she was so patient and really nice. So I felt encouraged to apply – I mean, I liked the classes and the professors too, but hearing this DJ was like the icing on the cake. I wanted to come here and do radio too. Maybe run into her again.”

You ducked your head and smiled, crossing your arms over your chest. “You found me Namjoon,” you replied.

He squared his shoulders and allowed a slightly cocky smile to cross his lips. “Rap Monster. No DJ, just Rap Monster around here.”

You contemplated his moniker and nodded in approval.

“It suits you,” you said. “Well you’ll go live for your first show in 10 minutes – think you’re ready?”

He removed his glasses from his nose and swapped them for a pair of dark wayfarers, pushing them up on his nose.

“Bring it on Y/DJ/N.”

[jessicakehoe]

Here’s What’s Going On With Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records

Overnight, Taylor Swift took to social media to share her latest frustrations with Scott Borchetta, Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records.

Back in June, it was revealed that Swift’s entire musical catalogue – from her first album all the way through to 2017’s Reputation – had been purchased by Borchetta and Braun at Big Machine Records. At the time, the Love Story singer said she hadn’t been made aware that her back catalogue was up for sale, indicating that had she have been aware, she herself would have purchased it.

Last night Swift posted a long essay to her Instagram Stories telling fans that the American Music Awards are honouring her with the Artist of the Decade award at this year’s ceremony. “I’ve been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show,” she wrote. “Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I’m not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be re-recording my music before I’m allowed to next year.”

Swift also revealed that a Netflix special is in the works, but is facing similar difficulties in regards to the rights for her music. “Additionally — and this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news — Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years. Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music of performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either of them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film.”

The Grammy Award winner also said that Borchetta had tried to make a deal with her on his own terms. “Scott Borchetta told my team that they’ll allow me to use my music only if I do these things: If I agree to not re-record copycat versions of my songs next year (which is something I’m both legally allowed to do and looking forward to) and also told my team that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun.”

The post finished with Swift calling the situation “wrong” and adding, “The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished.”

Swift implored the artists currently under Braun’s management (which includes Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande) to talk to Borchetta and Braun, and her fans to encourage the artists to do so. “I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote.”

Don’t know what else to do pic.twitter.com/1uBrXwviTS

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 14, 2019

Soon after the post, #IStandWithTaylor became the top trending hashtag on Twitter, with the likes of Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Sarah Bareilles and Lilly Allen tweeting their support for the star. Panic at the Disco’s Brendan Urie (who collaborated with Swift on her recent single Me!) was particularly animated in his response, writing, “Scooter Braun s**t, like what a piece of s**t, right? You guys know about this dude? It just like broke my heart, I read Taylor’s statement and I was like, ‘That sounds about right.’ Toxic dudes doing toxic bulls**t in this toxic industry.”

Interestingly, Shawn Mendes came under fire from fans for not sharing his support on social media. After posting a photo of girlfriend Camila Cabello, fans were quick to share their disappointment that the Canadian performer, who recently collaborated with Taylor on a remix of her song Lover and was the opening act on her 1989 world tour, had not defended the star online in the wake of the post.

Big Machine issued a lengthy public response to Taylor overnight, writing, ““As Taylor Swift’s partner for over a decade, we were shocked to see her Tumblr statements yesterday based on false information. At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special. In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere. Since Taylor’s decision to leave Big Machine last fall, we have continued to honour all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record, in which we do not financially participate.”

The statement then alleged that Swift owes the company millions of dollars and assets, adding that they have “worked diligently to have a conversation about these matters” with Taylor and her team and had “started to see progress over the past two weeks and were optimistic as recently as yesterday that this might get resolved.” It then goes on to say, “However, despite our persistent efforts to find a private and mutually satisfactory solution, Taylor made a unilateral decision last night to enlist her fanbase in a calculated manner that greatly affects the safety of our employees and their families. Taylor, the narrative you have created does not exist. All we ask is to have a direct and honest conversation. When that happens, you will see there is nothing but respect, kindness and support waiting for you on the other side. To date, not one of the invitations to speak with us and work through this has been accepted. Rumours fester in the absence of communication. Let’s not have that continue here. We share the collective goal of giving your fans the entertainment they both want and deserve.”

Stay tuned for more updates.

The post Here’s What’s Going On With Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Here’s What’s Going On With Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[cathygeha]

Can the scoundrel second son, Lord Marcus Bowles, and Genevieve Turner, a woman of ill-repute, find happiness? Or will his roguish ways and her dark past forever tear them apart? Fans of Tessa Dare’s Twice Tempted by a Rogue will love this sensual read releasing December 2017 from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

 Rafflecopter for The Lord Meets His Lady First Look Celebration Giveaway:

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About The Lord Meets His Lady:

Title: The Lord Meets His Lady

Author: Gina Conkle

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: December 5, 2017

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Series: Midnight Meetings

Format: Digital eBook / Print

Print ISBN: 9781492651901

Digital ISBN: 9781402294341

 Synopsis:

Lord Marcus Bowles has stained his family's reputation for the last time. Only after spending a scandal-free year restoring some far-flung property can this second son return in good graces. But Marcus isn't one to abandon a lone damsel on a dark country lane.

 One stolen kiss and Genevieve Turner's handsome midnight savior disappears. Typical. No matter, Gen is finally on the way to her new post, and hopefully to finding her grandmother as well. Instead she finds her mischievous hero is her new employer. Surely a few more kisses won't hurt...

 Available at:  Amazon |  Barnes and Noble |  Kobo |  iTunes  |  Google Play

Excerpt:

 He grabbed the papers, getting an eyeful of his housekeeper. Fresh arousal stiffened his cock. Tiny moisture beads clung to her breasts, shining like diamonds on ample cleavage. Her shift’s white tie dangled over her bodice, begging to be pulled.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d press his mouth to hers and cry defeat.

His hips shifted, sloshing water in the tub. “The thing is what we have is like a game of Fox and Geese. Are you familiar with the board game?”

A sweet laugh erupted. “Fox and Geese? Yes, I’ve seen it. Pray tell, what do you mean?”

“Well, I’m the fox, outnumbered and outflanked by you.”

“Because of this morning.”

His gaze dipped to her pretty bosom. He was the worst kind of wastrel; everyone expected it of him.

Why not give in?

Sweat trickled down his temple, owing nothing to the hot bath. Miss Turner had to know he’d be putty in her hands if she crooked her finger at him.

“I’m not skilled with household matters.” He forced himself to look higher.

Dark lashes fringed her patient, knowing eyes.

He grinned aware he was caught ogling her. “You got the best of me, going on attack at the crack of dawn, no less. Very unsporting of you.”

“It was well past dawn,” she corrected. “But do go on. This is quite interesting.”

Her chin rested in her hand. She was close enough he could count the freckles on her nose. Miss Turner was pretty but not in the conventional sense. Her jaw was too square, her eyes too dark, and her stature tall for most men, but her body housed a soul older than her years and he wanted to lose himself in her.

Fighting for clarity, he tapped the folded papers. “I have here something to even things out. A negotiation piece.”

“In our game of Fox and Geese.” Her voice dipped with humor. “And here I thought we were all about cleaning up your unsightly cottage.”

“A minor detail. Life is about the dance between men and women.”

“A vicar’s wisdom, I’m sure.”

Firelight illuminated Miss Turner’s hair, the effect like honeyed threads. Desire shocked his system again, the jolt reaching between his legs. A medieval device could be slowly crushing him for all the sweet torture. He was ten times a fool for conversing with her while in his bath.  

His vision glazed over all because messy hair and freckles entranced him. The current circumstances defined purgatory—him naked with a desirable woman he could never, should never touch.

“About that negotiation piece.” She nodded at the broadsheet.

He blinked, willing the intense wave between his legs to subside.

“I have a prime item, but it will come at a price.”

Miss Turner stilled and her eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“I’ve something inside for you, but I think it’s worth having my chamber pot cleaned all winter.”

“What?” She balked. “You want…chamber pots cleaned. Not a service of another kind?”

Copyright © 2017 The Lord Meets His Lady by Gina Conkle

 Other Books in the Midnight Meetings series:

 Meet the Earl at Midnight

 It's going to take a Beast to tame this Beauty

 Enigma Earl. The Phantom of London. That's what the gossip pages call Lord Edward Greenwich, a mysterious nobleman who doesn't show his face in London Society. With a reputation like that, no wonder Lydia Montgomery is horrified to be dragged from bed and packed off to live with him to save her mother from penury.

 While Lydia has received all of the training a lady should endure, she's decidedly un-ladylike. She despises her corset and isn't interested in marriage. She'd prefer to remain unmarried and spend her time improving her art. But if she wants a chance at happiness, she'll have to set aside her fear of the earl and discover the man hiding behind the beast.

 Will Edward and Lydia's greatest discovery be each other before time runs out?

 Available at:  Amazon |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes  | Google Play

  The Lady Meets Her Match

 Locating Her Is Only Half The Battle...

 Cyrus Ryland didn't become England's wealthiest bachelor by being a pushover, but the mysterious beauty he discovers sneaking around at his grand ball enflames his curiosity. When the clock chimes midnight, and she's nowhere to be found, Cyrus vows to scour all of London to uncover who she is. Little does he know that not only does Claire Mayhew not want to be found, but she wants nothing to do with him at all...

 Available at:  Amazon |  Barnes and Noble |  Kobo |  iTunes  |  Google Play

  Meet the Rogue at Midnight

 A Saved Scoundrel…

 Jonas Bacon Braithwaite wants to make peace with his grandfather before departing England. Once Nottinghamshire’s favorite trouble-maker, he’s since become an upstanding man of honor. But, the lushly curved thief hiding in his bedchamber makes him think twice about one last conquest.

 A Stubborn Siren…

 Livvy Halsey bristles at life’s rules. Always has. Sneaking into the Braithwaite house to reclaim a treasured family heirloom is one way she upends the conventional life that awaits her. Duty demands she marry. But what harm is there in having a little fun with her childhood friend before the Twelfth Night ends?

 And Twilight Temptation…

 Stolen kisses fan hot flames. Surprising passion intertwines with friendship…but will it be enough to last forever?

 Available at:  Amazon

  About Gina Conkle:

  Gina Conkle writes lush Viking romance and sensual Georgian romance. Her books always offer a fresh, addictive spin on the genre with the witty banter and sexual tension that readers crave. She grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, Gina loves books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now she lives in Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons where she’s known to occasionally garden and cook.

  Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

http://www.barclaypublicity.com/

[isdairyqueenclosedyet]

Is Celesbian Gossip A Step Backward, Or A Sign Of Equality?

Demi Lovato during the 2017 Global Citizen Festival.

BuzzFeed News; Getty Images; Alamy

There's a musical episode of Boxed In - director and writer Amy York Rubin's very funny series of digital shorts for IFC's Comedy Crib - that kicks off with Rubin's character receiving a news alert from TMZ: Dianna Agron dishes on the unique intimacy of female relationships. Rubin, sitting in a coffee shop, gets mobbed by a group of women wondering what the news alert might mean.

Stop! Everyone stop what you're doing! one woman yells, knocking a coffee out of an unsuspecting patron's hands. A traditionally attractive female celebrity just made an ambiguous comment about her sexuality!

The entire coffee shop bursts into song - Tell your friends, spread the news, someone famous might be gay - while Rubin's character attempts to staunch the flow of their excitement.

Seriously, this is what we care about? she says. What about everything on the news?

We've got news, they sing back at her. Someone's gay!

By the end of the bite-size episode, another news alert clarifies that (a fictionalized) Dianna Agron isn't gay after all. But Rubin's character has gotten swept up in the commotion, right when everyone's just lost the faith: Wait! Did you guys see this picture of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid?

The episode perfectly captures how easily LGBT fans can get swept up into speculation about a celebrity's sexuality - even at a time when there are more out celebrities than ever before.

The "Fame" episode of Boxed In.

IFC

Twenty years ago, before public support for gay people was anything like what it is now, Ellen DeGeneres risked her career and made history with her 1997 Yep, I'm Gay Time cover story, paving the way for many of the celebrities who have proudly claimed their queerness or openly expressed affection for their partners since. Though nowadays, you're more likely to see a celebrity casually mention their sexual orientation in a tweet or Snapchat or Instagram post than to see one more formally claiming an identity in front of the world.

But the years-long uptick in out celebrities, and the steady normalization of out queer people in Hollywood and beyond, hasn't stopped the are-they-or-aren't-they rumor mill from churning - if anything, it has only picked up steam. Female celebrities can inspire their own particular kind of fervor. In 2017, there's a new generation of famous lesbians and bisexual women (celesbians, if you will) who are casually living out a real-life version of The L Word in front of our eyes, inspiring mass social media followings from fans hungry for the latest celesbian gossip - including for the many celebrities who aren't confirmed to be sleeping with other people of the same gender, but are the subjects of constant, frantic speculation. The recent brouhaha around Demi Lovato (who's been spotted holding hands with a female DJ, and who refused to label her sexuality in a recent interview, after which she defended her decision in a series of tweets) is the latest example of the celesbian gossip train going a bit off the rails.

There is no simple, clear-cut binary of out versus in.

Whether queer celebrities have a responsibility to come out - especially those who have referenced potentially queer experiences in their work, or who have profited from the LGBT community's support - is a question that long precedes celebrities' ability to tweet about it. But that question has become more complicated in a time when coming out is seemingly not as big a deal as it once was, when a new generation is embracing ideas of sexual fluidity and eschewing labels, and, as always, there is no simple, clear-cut binary of out versus in. For female celebrities, that complication is compounded by the gal-palification of intimacy between women, which happens less frequently now in the tabloids but still makes the rounds (like it did with Lovato in September).

We're also living through yet another revival of lesbian chic - a theme in fashion and pop culture at large that paints a certain kind of edgy, feminine-leaning androgyny as the next new hot thing, boiling lesbianism down to a passing but commodifiable fad. And while positive representation of queer women on television is on the rise, it's still far from perfect, leading many LGBT fans to look to celebrity gossip on social media to get their fix of queer drama - and queer possibility. As more famous women continue to come out at younger and younger ages (much like the general population), our cultural fascination with the way they introduce and perform their queerness is only continuing to grow. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on who you ask.

Demi Lovato's sexuality has been the subject of speculation for years. While promoting her new album, Tell Me You Love Me, released late last month, Lovato gave an interview to PrideSource's Chris Azzopardi that reignited an old debate. They spoke about her LGBT activism: She's headlined pride events, including filming her 2013 video for Really Don't Care at LA Pride, and last year accepted the GLAAD Vanguard Award, which honors entertainers who have promoted LGBT rights.

But when Azzopardi mentioned that Lovato's sexuality has been thoroughly dissected on the internet, and gave her the opportunity to speak on it as directly as you'd like, Lovato swerved: Thank you for the opportunity, but I think I'm gonna pass. She explained that she chooses not to speak openly about her orientation because I just feel like everyone's always looking for a headline and they always want their magazine or TV show or whatever to be the one to break what my sexuality is. I feel like it's irrelevant to what my music is all about.

Earlier, Azzopardi had asked about the criticism her 2015 song Cool for the Summer had received from some lesbian websites like AfterEllen for, they argued, implying that women should sample queer sexual relationships only temporarily, and keep it a secret. My intention with the song was just fun and bi-curiosity, Lovato said. I think people look at song lyrics - they look too into it. I wish I could tell that website to 'chill the fuck out' and 'take a break,' because it's just a song.

Demi Lovato and Lauren Abedini on a Disney outing.

Twitter: @justcatchmedemi

The interview, published on September 15, gained a lot of attention, particularly because Lovato had just been spotted with a gal pal - a phrase that many lesbians have started to consider a sort of no-homo dog whistle for possible girlfriend - at a Disney outing a few days earlier. The gal pal in question was out DJ and producer Lauren Abedini. The two were photographed holding hands (and more), leading to widespread speculation that they might be dating. (Lovato's publicist did not respond to a request for comment.) Lovato declined to talk about her sexuality, but hinted that her new YouTube documentary coming out on October 17 might detail some things about her sexuality, because if ever I want to talk about it, I want it to be on my own terms."

But the internet really blew up after HuffPost's Noah Michelson wrote an essay declaring that Demi Lovato's Reason For Refusing To Talk About Her Sexuality Is Total Bulls**t. Lovato responded directly to Michelson, tweeting, Expectant and rude. Watch my documentary and chill out. She also tweeted a couple more general statements to her 49 million followers, which garnered her a number of you-go-girl writeups from places like InStyle and PopSugar: Just because I'm refuse [sic] to label myself for the sake of a headline doesn't mean I'm not going to stand up for what I believe in ... If you're that curious about my sexuality, watch my documentary. But I don't owe anybody anything.

How can they look us in the eyes and tell us how brave we are for being who we are - and ask us to fill their pockets - if they won't do the same?

In his piece, Michelson argued that Lovato is open about so many other aspects of her personal life - so why not this one?

Michelson told me that he has written about his beliefs that sexual orientation should not be considered a 'private' characteristic before, and it's never gone over well. But, he said, he wasn't expecting Lovato to respond, and he didn't expect so many people to misunderstand what I was saying.

Michelson believes in the political power of coming out, for all of those in a position to do so, but especially feels that those who present themselves as allies and/or make money off of their relationship with the queer community have an even greater responsibility to be open about who they are. How can they look us in the eyes and tell us how brave we are for being who we are or how proud we should stand - and ask us to fill their pockets - if they won't do the same? Michelson stressed that people can refuse to talk about their orientation, though he generally thinks they shouldn't, but the reason for it should not be 'that's private' - especially in the specific context of who Lovato says she is and claims to stand for.

It isn't only journalists, though, who may have taken issue with Lovato's message. In a June interview for Paper Magazine, out bisexual pop singer Halsey - who earlier this summer released Strangers with a fellow out bi singer, Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui, and who has been a vocal LGBT activist - called out pop songs about experimental hookups, which she said perpetuate Bisexuality as a taboo. 'Don't tell your mom' or 'We shouldn't do this' or 'This feels so wrong but it's so right' That narrative is so fucking damaging to bisexuality and its place in society. Halsey didn't mention Lovato specifically, but the lyrics sound like they were plucked from both Cool for the Summer and Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl. Lovato, at least, appeared to interpret Halsey's criticisms that way at the time, tweeting what looked like a response. (When asked for comment on the interview and Lovato's tweet, a representative for Halsey responded that the two are friends and there is no drama and no comment, pointing to Lovato's Instagram post from July showing Halsey and Lovato posing merrily together. Happy National Coming Out Day Positivity to you! she added.)

Halsey and Demi Lovato in July.

instagram.com

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