#Lee just flips you off with swagger

[downtherabbitholewithlucy]

The Limp-Bizkit-Salute Series🖕 DJ Lethal Edition

Find the rest of the series here:

Wes Borland

Fred Durst

Sam Rivers

John Otto

[lessthanpure]

After Chapter 5

Fandom: Shooter (2007 movie)

Pairing: Bobbi Lee Swagger/Nick Memphis

Tags: Female!Bobbi Lee Swagger, a/b/o dynamics, non-traditional a/b/o dynamics, omega!Bobbi, alpha!Nick, though bobbi is pretty dominant, and nick is pretty submissive, Heat fic

Rating: Explicit

18+ only

Wordcount: 2182

Warnings: This can seem a little dub-con, but it's really not.

ao3 link

He takes a shower and washes his clothes, pissed that he can still smell caramel on them. He spitefully tosses them in the kitchen next to his trash and sits on the couch. He jolts up when he smells her there, too. “Fuck!” He flips the cushions over, and the smell is smothered. He sits down and watches TV. 

Hours later, he goes to bed, tossing and turning. He can’t sleep. He’s afraid if he closes his eyes, he’ll have the dreams again. The impossible dreams. He sits up and puts his head in his hands. He goes to the living room and watches late-night shitty TV until sunrise. 

He goes for a run. He doesn’t do it a lot, but it helps clear his head. And once it’s clear, he curses himself out. He goes directly to the hospital. 

Nick goes to the front desk. It’s a different nurse than it was (two? Three?) days ago. “Hi, my name is Nick Memphis, I’m here to see Roberta Lee Swagger?”

The nurse checks her computer. “I’m sorry, there’s no one by that name here.”

“No, no, she’s in the Heat room. The one for couples.” Clacking of keys.

“Oh, I see. No, she checked out against medical advice.”

“No, you don’t understand I need her,” Nick says. “And she-” doesn’t need me.  

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Nick nods and leaves, already pulling out his phone. He calls Bobbi, but it goes right to voicemail. Either it’s off or she blocked his number. He dials Sarah’s number instead. 

“Hello?”

“Sarah. Have you heard from Bobbi?”

“You have some nerve asking about her.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“I’m not telling you. She called me, sobbing. She told me that you left her when she needed you.”

“Where is she?”

“I’m not telling you.” A rustling on the other end of the phone, and Nick’s heart leaps in his chest. Muffled voices, and then silence. 

“What do you want, Memphis,” Bobbi asks, and her voice is hard. 

“Bobbi,” he sighs. “Listen, I’m sorry, I-”

“Go fuck yourself.” Dial tone. 

Nick looks at his phone. Ok, I deserved that. He gets in his car and drives. 

Sarah opens the door and points a shotgun at him. “Go away.”

“Sarah, please, just let me inside, I need to see her.”

“She doesn’t want anything to do with you.” Inside, he can hear Bobbi whining. His focus lazers in. His Omega is in there, in pain. “Now you best get to stepping, Memphis, because-” Nick grabs the shotgun out of her hands and unloads it, throwing it aside as he pushes past her and into the house. “Memphis, get out of my house!” He follows his instincts and finds Bobbi, writhing on a guest bed.

“Bobbi,” he gasps. She whines at him. He goes to her and gathers her into his arms, and she sobs into his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Alpha.”

Sarah drags him away from her, and he fights. She steps on his chest, pointing the newly-loaded shotgun in his face. 

“No, no, give him back,” Bobbi screams. “Give him back, please please, I need my Alpha,” she sobs. 

“Please,” Nick says, looking at Sarah. She grits her teeth and takes the gun out of his face. 

“After you take care of this wave, we are all having a good long talk.” She leaves and closes the door. Nick is up and on Bobbi in a second. 

She pulls at his clothes, Heat-stupid brain wanting them off but unsure how to make it happen. Her Alpha came back. He loves her. He came back. Nick pulls his shirt off over his head and kicks off his shoes, pushing off his pants and underwear. All she does is kick off her pants and panties and then she’s on him, sobbing against his mouth. He reaches for the bedside table and nearly snaps the drawer in half as he yanks it out. He finds a condom and puts it on, rolling into her. He’s on top this time, and they both sigh as he bottoms out. Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick.

She whimpers, pressing them against his throat. Tears wet his skin. I’ll never leave you again. They make love and Bobbi’s sobs turn to sniffles turn to purrs. 

He knots her and she cums. As soon as she comes down, she snarls at him and tries to pull away from him. “Get the fuck off of me, you prick!”

“Gah, hold up, Bobbi, you’ll hurt both of us,” Memphis yells back, holding onto her hips to still her. She bucks his hands off.

“I don’t give a singular fuck!”

Nick didn’t want to do this, but he forces her head to the side as she fights him and presses his hand down hard on her bonding gland. But instead of relaxing like all Omegas do, she snarls and whips her head around, sinking her teeth into his hand and making him howl. Sarah barges into the room, finding them trying to get the upper hand over each other. 

“Calm down,” she yells at them, but Bobbi just punches him in the face, knocking his head back. He gives up and lets her roll them over, showing throat. 

“You win! You win. But you can’t leave.”

“Like Hell I can’t.”

“No, I mean you physically can’t leave. You’ll never be able to.”

Bobbi snarls at him, but that lessens into growling. She sits up and puts her hands on his stomach, reminiscent of their first time. But instead of trying to get comfortable, she holds herself ramrod-straight, even leaning away from him. He reaches for her but she snarls. 

“Touch me and I kill you.”

He drops his hands slowly. At some point, Sarah had left (probably when Nick showed Bobbi his throat) and it’s just them, sitting in silence.

“Bobbi-”

“You don’t get to call me that.”

His breath catches in his throat. “I-”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He closes his mouth. Bobbi only waits twenty minutes, until he softens enough to let her pull away. Just barely. He yelps at the pain and Bobbi snarls at hers. She yanks on clothes and walks out the door. Nick gets dressed too and follows her. Sarah is handing her a cup of water and Bobbi drinks it. 

“Bobbi-”

“What did I fucking say about calling me that?”

“Swagger,” he says, even though it breaks his heart to do it. She glares at him. “I’m sorry. I was a fucking idiot and I’m not leaving again.”

“Yeah the fuck you are. Right the fuck now.”

He whimpers. “I’m sorry. I just-”

“You just what, Memphis? Because absolutely nothing you can say right now is going to make me want to spend a second more with you,” she snarls, stalking forward.

“I love you.” Bobbi stops in her tracks. He gets on his knees and reaches for her and pulls her to him, burying his face in her stomach. “I love you, and I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t. Don’t do this to me,” she says, and her voice is full of tears. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything. And I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

He hears footsteps leave. Sarah. He looks up, eyes full of tears himself, and sees Bobbi looking down at him. “Why did you leave me,” she sobs.

“Because I got scared,” he admits. “I had a dream before I woke up,” he says, taking a deep breath. “Of us. In a house, our house, with a kid and you pregnant. And I knew that you would never want that. So I got scared, and pissed, and I pushed you away before you could do the same to me.” Bobbi drops to her knees and takes his head in her hands.

“You’re the stupidest fucking Alpha in the world.”

“I know.”

“And we are so having a talk when my Heat is over.”

“Yeah.”

“But right now, hold me.” She tucks herself into his throat, and he pulls her tight. She wraps herself around him, legs around his hips, and he barely manages to stand and go to the room that will be theirs. He closes the door and puts her in bed, getting on top of her. He noses at her temple and she pulls her shirt off over her head. 

“Bobbi, I can’t go again that quick. Not after knotting.”

“I know, I just need...skin.”

Nick understands- he wants to be touching as much of her as possible, too. They strip down to underwear and Bobbi curls into his chest. He wraps his arms around her and breathes into her hair. She’s touching him, all over, like she can’t believe he’s here. And that’s entirely his fault, Nick knows. Sarah knocks and Nick pulls the sheet up over her, feeling protective. “Come in,” he calls. Sarah comes in, expression guarded.

“Bobbi, I know you told me what you needed for your Heat, but is there anything Memphis might need?” He notices the last name. 

“Same as me,” Bobbi lifts her face to say, resting her chin on Nick’s shoulder. “Carbs. Protein. Lots and lots of water. Gatorade, if you’ve got it.”

“You got it.” Sarah leaves again, shutting the door tight behind her. Bobbi presses her face under his chin, and he can feel her breaths against the hollow of his throat. 

Nick starts touching her, wide palms over her shoulders, back, hips, thighs, stomach. He also touches her face, and she takes one of his hands and kisses his palm. It does what she hoped it would- makes his shoulders soften and his fingers settle. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you,” she mutters.

“I know, Bobbi.” She nods and nuzzles his palm, and he slides it back to cup her jaw, his fingers going behind her ear. She relaxes at the contact, purring softly. He leans forward and kisses her, and she presses closer to him, hungry. She gets into his lap and he whines into her mouth. “Bobbi, I meant it when I said I can’t get it up again that fast.”

“Maybe...maybe I can,” she gasps, moving on his lap desperately. He can smell her getting worked up and he groans, long and low. 

“Fuck, do you want my mouth?”

“Yes, yes, God, fuck yes.” 

He nods and gets his knees under him, tipping her backwards until she’s against the pillows. He takes a second to admire her- knees open, wet spot forming on her panties, hair mussed. He lowers himself over her and kisses her again, dragging his mouth down her body. He shucks off her underwear and presses his mouth to her, extending his tongue. Her hands bury in his hair and he licks inside her. He wants to memorize her taste. 

He puts her legs over his shoulders and pulls back, lapping at her clit. She whines, higher than he’s heard her so far. He slides his fingers into her and licks around them, sucking at her. She whimpers under him and he looks up. Her head is thrown back and she’s panting. He slowly extends his tongue and then curls it, and her head snaps down to look at him, eyes dark and mouth wide. He rolls his tongue and she cries out and comes against him. He licks it up, bringing her down gently by rubbing her hipbones in circles with his thumbs. He pulls away, licking the last traces of her from his lips. 

“Fuck, get up here,” she says, and he obeys, going back up. She kisses him, licking into his mouth. He grinds against her, whimpering. He wishes desperately biology let him get hard again because he wants to fuck her so badly. She smooths a hand down his back and he rumbles, pleased. He pulls back and noses at her jaw, following the line with his tongue. “You have the best fucking tongue in existence.”

Most of the time, he would just laugh, but the sincerity in her voice just makes him kiss her again, showing her just how good he is with it. She gentles the kiss and he pulls back, rubbing noses with her. She settles at the contact and chirps at him. She slaps a hand over her mouth, but he pulls it away. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he murmurs. “I like all your noises.”

“But it’s so...Omega.”

“It’s what you are.” She hides her face in his neck. “You hungry?” She nods. “Come on, let’s see what Sarah has.”

“After a shower?”

“Sure.”

He gets up and goes to the bathroom, setting it just how she likes it. He remembers from their first one that she likes it cool, which is crazy to him. But it’s what she likes. She plasters herself against his back, mouthing at the back of his neck. He puts his hand to the back of her head and rumbles again. She kisses it and steps around him, getting in. He follows her. He washes her reverently and she doesn’t stop touching him. 

[vintagegeekculture]

Who are the “Venoms Mob?”

Well, first things first: if you go to China and talk about the 5 Venoms, or the Venoms Mob, they’ll have absolutely no idea who you’re talking about there, because that’s a fandom-term among US Kung Fu cult movie fans.

In Hong Kong, the Venoms are known as director Chang Cheh’s Weapons Expert Troupe, a group of five lifelong friends, martial artists, bodybuilders, exotic weapons experts, and trained acrobats who did at least a dozen movies for manly man Kung Fu director Chang Cheh in the 1970s and 1980s. They were the real deal: they usually choreographed their own fight scenes, which often involved flips and crazy stunts due to their acrobat training, high-wire acts, and unusual and exotic weaponry not typically seen even in martial arts movies. It’s like every single one of them drank the Captain America potion. Their films tended to end in heroic sacrifices, and the Venoms, for all their athleticism and daring, tended to be identifiable people on the bottom end of the societal ladder: homeless drifters, refugees, itinerant hobos, traveling performers, or restaurant workers.

The Venoms were stars in the US, particularly among the black community who love Chinese martial arts movies, not just because of their truly breathtaking skill and choreography, but because they are how most people feel they are, secretly, deep down: rams among sheep. They are the poor, downtrodden, or average person who decides “not to take it anymore” after untold indignities. This is also why the Venoms are especially important to the black community. In fact, if you want to know how much the Venoms mean to their fans, just go up to nearly any Black Dad over 45+ and ask about the “5 Venoms.” 

Chang Cheh, Director of the Venoms

The best way to describe the director and writer of the Venoms films, Chang Cheh is that he is basically Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia if he decided to make Gladiator and loved Sergio Leone and Kurasawa.

The director and writer of the Venoms movies, and maybe the most significant name in the history of Kung Fu cinema apart from Bruce Lee, Chang Cheh was towering enough that Quentin Tarantino dedicated Kill Bill Part 2 to Chang Cheh in the closing credits. It would not be inaccurate to say he invented the Kung Fu movie as we know it, with its training montages, mentor-student relationships, all cut with themes of vengeance, noble self-sacrifice, and rebellion of poor and ordinary people against unjust authority.

Chang Cheh’s life story is fascinating. His father was a warlord during the Republican Era between the World Wars, which must have made for an interesting school career day. He started as a film critic and became a screenwriter, then from being a screenwriter, became a director. I wonder if that is the reason that Chang Cheh was so fascinated by themes of masculinity and male bonding, as the arty, openly gay movie critic son of a central Asian warlord had a nearly impossible standard of masculinity to live up to.

The two Western movies that are, thematically, the closest to Chang Cheh are Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan, and if you like both of those movies, you’ll probably like him. His heroes are often James Dean-like angry young men, poor and at the outskirts of society. His movies tend to end in heroic self-sacrifice for a noble cause, and tend to have themes of vengeance, arty blood red slaughter, and a distrust of authority and government of any kind. He loves bloodshed and thinks violence is beautiful; an image that comes up often is someone in an all white outfit that gets covered in blood, an arty view of violence similar to his two biggest influences, Sergio Leone and Kurosawa. Like the Shawshank Redemption, Chang Cheh movies are essentially ensemble pieces about the friendships and close comradely bonds of brotherhood between men. Very few women of any kind have extensive speaking parts in his movies.

Another movie that also summarizes Chang Cheh would be 300. Remember that Sarah Silverman bit where she said that “300 is the answer to the question, how gay is this movie on a scale of 1 to 10?” Not just because it is about an entirely male cast, or about finding fulfillment in noble self-sacrifice and heroism Alamo-style against desperate odds, but also because it’s about glorifying the male body, with tons of abs and pecs. I suppose I should mention here that Chang Cheh’s movies are profoundly homoerotic, and discussion of their homoeroticism is the major way film academics talk about these movies. How many scenes in Cheh’s movies are about dudes hanging out with their shirts off, flexing their muscles? Or about “brothers” who clasp each other on the shoulder while looking longingly into each other’s eyes in a shot-reverse shot? The only meaningful relationship in his movies are male ones. I dislike passing on cheap gossip, but by all accounts it’s actually an open secret in the Hong Kong film industry that Chang Cheh was homosexual and lived with other men. 

Yi Kuang -Screenwriter of the Venoms

The screenwriter of nearly all the Venoms movies, much like Chang Cheh, Yi Kuang had an interesting life. He was a Communist Party officer who went to Inner Mongolia, where his primary job was writing death sentences for landlords. Once idealistic, he left disillusioned with the Chinese Communist Party, and a remained a die-hard anticommunist. Evil bureaucrats tend to show up in his stories often for that reason, and a common theme of his scripts is the anger of ordinary people against distant, unapproachable authorities. There’s no understanding Venoms films without their screenwriter. Chang Cheh started as a screenwriter and wrote his movies, but Yi Kuang was his most frequent partner.

Interestingly, Yi Kuang got famous long after for writing a series of supernatural and horror novels called the Mr. Wisely books, where a traditional Chinese medicine expert fights for sites of power charged with Feng Shui. It’s interesting to see his turn to the supernatural, sorcery, and ghosts as an overreaction to his distaste for Marxist materialism. Of all the Venoms films, the one that shows his influence the strongest was the one the Venoms fight an evil human sacrifice devil cult, Masked Avengers. 

The Hero – Kuo Chui

A guy with a big smile and a body carved out of marble, Kuo Chui started as a circus acrobat before becoming a stuntman and then a leading actor. He was the Venom with the strongest and most natural screen presence, the one that was the most “movie star.” In fact, he was almost always the hero and central character of Venoms movies, usually playing the most levelheaded and strategic minded of the group.

Kuo Chui deserves some credit also for being the one Venom to actually direct a movie himself, Ninja in the Deadly Trap. This sounds like a heck of a leap, but in Hong Kong, nearly all choreographers also direct their fight scenes. It’s no surprise that a common career path in Hong Kong cinema is to go from choreographer to director (see also Chang Cheh’s ex-choreographers, Tang Chia and 36 Chambers director Liu Chia Liang)

 The Bad Guy – Lu Feng

Every single movie, Lu Feng was the heel, the bad guy. I mean, heck, in Shaolin Rescuers, he even played the evil apprentice of the supreme supervillain of the martial arts, Pai Mei! But no matter what, Lu Feng was just so cool that you couldn’t help but root for him just a little bit. He was a character type common in pro wrestling: the arrogant “cool heel,” like Rick Flair and the Horsemen. 

The Venoms tended to be workaday regular poor guys, but Lu Feng usually played a rich guy who oozed arrogance and menace, rather like the evil rich football player heel in college movies. 

 The Funny Guy – Chiang Sheng

A guy who usually played the funny young hero or a wisecracking comedy sidekick prone to wiseassery and pratfalls, Chiang Peng was the Venom who most benefited from the rise of Jackie Chan, and his introduction of silent film era inspired physical comedy into the otherwise stale Kung Fu film. Like Robin Williams, Chiang Shiang was someone who made everyone else laugh, but because he had a lot of darkness inside him, which ended up killing him. Chiang Sheng is the only Venom to not be with us, he drank himself to death after his divorce in 1991. Because of this, there can never really be a full Venoms reunion.

One of the most amazing things about Hong Kong cinema in the 70s is that the actors tended to have scraggly teeth that aren’t perfect and that seemed to be Chang Shieng’s defining trait. To be clear, I am not in any way mocking him for having bad teeth. In fact, I think it is rather winsome and endearing, like a teenager with braces.

 The Tough Guy – Lo Meng

Known as the “Shaolin Hercules,” the person I’d compare Lo Meng to is Mr. Worf. Ultra-strong, humorless, intimidating, dead serious and never smiling, he was by far the most muscular and powerful of the Venoms, with tons of machismo and swagger, “big dick energy” as the kids say today. The camera tends to linger on his oiled up biceps and chest in extreme close-up…but was also, usually, the first to die in nearly all of these films. Much like how Worf was the toughest guy ever, but usually got beat up a lot so the writers could show that the situation was serious. In fact, Lo Meng, still in great shape, was in Ip Man 4, where, not one to break with a tradition, he was the first guy to get his ass beat in the film, even in a movie made in the Year of Our Lord 2020.

Lo Meng tends to be the “backup main hero” and was even the main character in films like 2 Champions of Shaolin. He had the most impressive “solo” film career apart from the other Venoms. Like Geri Halliwell, he left the Venoms to do his own thing, which is why the defining trait of the later Venom films is that he wasn’t there. 

Lo Meng wasn’t Taiwanese like the other Venoms, and was a native of Hong Kong. In fact, he got his start in the film industry not as a stuntman or muscleman, but as an accountant for the Shaw Brothers studios, and he lifted weights and did Praying Mantis Kung Fu as a hobby. That’s…that’s hilarious. Reminds me of that fake Simpsons movie, Undercover Nerd with Renier Wolfcastle:

 The Wild Card – Chun Shieng

Would YOU trust this man? I wouldn’t. He betrayed the Toad!

That’s Chun Shieng for you, the wild card Venom who could “go either way” and so wasn’t an entirely trustworthy ally.

Allow me to correct a misconception I’ve seen in a lot of places: Chun is sometimes known as “the one Korean Venom.” He isn’t Korean but Chinese, but he was trained in Korea and is a Tae Kwon Do expert, unlike the other Venoms, who studied Chinese Kung Fu and Peking Opera. And it certainly shows: he always fights with a kick-heavy Tae Kwon Do style that does not look much like any Kung Fu at all.

[kayabred]

This was in the GIF recs what do you expect me to do Dating Johnny (probably)

He is and will always be the biggest flirt ever.

You thought it would end after you were officially together but nooooooooo the cringey pick up lines kept going. Good lord they keep coming and you don't know from where.

Since Johnny is like the big brother , there's a running joke where each member just calls you “aunty /“uncle” or “sister in law” / “brother in law”

He kisses your cheeks and forehead a lot . Though he prolly has to bend down to do so unless you got tall genes

Your number one jokester , he always makes you laugh no matter what the occasion is.

Even when you guys weren't official yet , you would still talk to marriage and stuff like that.

His mother loves you . In her eyes , you and him are her everything.

Mark Lee's parents.

Honestly you and the members have a plan to sneak into SM and forcefully ask for more lines for your man.

If his name in your in your contacts isn't ‘My Man’ with like , 7 hearts , he's gonna change it.

The boys come to you for everything. Especially relationship problems. The two of you are like their Cupids.

When you travel together , he brings you on night walks and you both just admire the world.

He wants to take you all around the world and take beautiful photos of you and him to show your kids .

You're his number one model . His insta feed is literally you.

Shows you off to the SM family.

You're now best friends with red velvet.

If he sees you in the crowd during concerts you best prepare to see your man with the biggest and brightest smile on his face.

His morning voice is so uwu. He wishes you good morning everytime you both wake up together.

He records a good morning message or texts you one every single day. ( Good night too uwu )

You have a whole library of photo albums because of the amount of photos he takes.

On Christmas , he brings his favourite of the year (his favourite photo album) to his mom's house whenever he can and the entire family snuggles under blankets on the couches , drinking hot cocoa and flips through each page and the two of you tell them about each and every memory.

If you guys can't all be together , you guys go on video call and share memories.

Trains you in Muay Thai so you can defend yourself in case “your knight in shining armour isn't there to protect you”

Fashion evaluates the shit out of you . Then laughs and makes sure you aren't offended cause he wouldn't hurt you for his life . (uwu)

Y'all dress like crackheads and have a weekly spill the tea time with the foreign swaggers and occasionally Taeyong.

He records little vlogs of special moments to show to your kids.

Paints your nails when you're having a bad day.

“Babe , I'm not feeling too well-”

“Open the door , I'll be there in like 15 minutes with flowers and chocolates and some cheesy romcom. Which one did you say you wanted to watch . Oh right !” he would snap his fingers , pretending to forget and you would chuckle at his antics.

Sits you in his lap and braids your hair some days just in case yall have a daughter.

Driving with the windows down , hair flying everywhere and screaming the lyrics of ‘Highway to Heaven’

Shouting the lyrics to random old 90's songs and being called boomers by the dreamies.

You bring the dreamies out for Halloween every year and even though they might complain and say it's embarrassing , they all enjoy it.

One time you were too sick to bring them out trick or treating so they came to your house with candy and made sure you guys were feeling okay.

Piggy back rides to the grocery stores.

JCC is now the Johnny and --- being a Cute Couple channel

Playing music and dancing in the living room. Doesn't matter if it's hip hop or a slow song , y'all gonna dance.

Star gazing like you don't have a care in the world.

If he has problems , you best be ready to be the big spoon and stroke his head while he lies down and complains and gets everything out.

Massaging him whenever he gets stressed.

He told that to the boys and now you have a 5 year waiting list filled with members of SM and staff members who want to be massaged.

Sometimes when the boys are having a vlive , you try to sneak behind to get to Johnny but they drag you in .

Nctzens trolling baby czennies

“So who's your bias in NCT ?”

“---”

“who's that ?”

“You didn't know ? There's 22 members ,”

In summary : get married already .

[thoughtslikeaminefield]

Leaving Heaven

CHAPTER ONE

PLEASE HEED WARNINGS

Summary: Tazi is a bounty hunter of mostly human things, but she’s familiar enough with the supernatural world that she’s recruited by an old friend of John Winchester’s to capture and deliver a brief acquaintance of her own.

Characters: Demon/ Knight of Hell Dean, original female character - Taziana (Tazi) Smith, Lee Webb (flashback), original male character - Mike Clemons, mentions Sam Winchester

Chapter Warnings: this is not your mother’s Dean Winchester, sexual intimidation, brief dub-con

Words: 3000

c.1 | c.2 | c.3 | c.4 | c.5 | c.6 

“‘Sup, Mikey?” I walk through Mike’s back door into his kitchen.

It’s a small space, cluttered but not dirty, and always smells like coffee and cigarettes.

“Got a job for ya,” he replies as he pours me a cup. “Have a seat.”

Mike Clemons is an old cowboy. He’s stocky with sun-worn leather for skin and a white handlebar mustache, bright blue eyes, and thick, white hair.

He acted as my guardian when I fled from the foster system at the age of 16. He’s like the uncle who teaches you how to pee outside and handle a firearm just because.

“‘Member Dean Winchester?” he asks, his voice measured and his usually warm tone guarded.

He hands me a mug of coffee then crosses the room to retrieve a thick folder from his filing cabinet.

Mike’s also the kinda guy who keeps his filing cabinet in his tiny kitchen.

I met Dean Winchester 13 years ago. I was just out of jail and the only gig I could find that would keep me out of relative trouble was at Mike’s cousin’s strip club. The security was tight and the money was great, and Mike gave me a place to sleep and food on the table until I could get my feet under me again.

That’s also when I learned about what Mike did on his hunting trips — he hunted monsters, demons, and ghosts. It was all so fucking wild.

Mike takes a seat across from me, shaking two cigarettes from a soft pack and sliding the file across the table. I open the folder to several images of Dean past and present.

“What’d Dean Winchester do now?” I ask, flipping the file open.

“Take a look,” Mike answers as he lights both cigarettes then hands me one.

I accept the smoke and take a drag as I peruse the images. Then one image in the folder, in particular, knocks me back in time.

“Hey, darlin’,” a warm, smiling voice called for my attention as I walked to the back of the bar after my set.

When I turned, I saw two boys — not really boys, but younger than the typical patron — both handsome and bright, definitely tipsy but not sloppy.

I turned to fully appreciate them, slowly dragging my eyes up and down their respective frames.

They looked like trouble, the fun kind, and hot — just the right combination to entice a girl like me. I had to remind myself of three very important things: one, my therapist had advised that I take a break from romantic entanglements of any kind; two, the club did not (officially) recommend fraternizing with the clientele; and, three, my probation officer would absolutely not approve of the unauthorized kind of fraternizing that generally happened with clients here.

“Darlin’,” I repeated the greeting with a nod, garnering wider and even brighter grins from both blue and green eyes.

Blue Eyes approached me first, but I couldn’t stop parting my gaze between the two.

“My buddy Dean and I were wonderin’ if ya’d like to join us for a game of poker and a beer or two when you’re done,” he said.

I flicked my eyes to Dean and saw a blush darken his cheeks. He didn’t drop his eyes, though. I liked that. I liked that he was nervous, maybe even intimidated, but he didn’t look away.

I dragged my attention back to Blue Eyes. “Sure,” I answered. “What’s your name?”

“Lee,” he answered, showing off those pearly whites again and offering his hand to shake.

I shook my head with a huff of laughter as I accepted. “Gotta love a southern boy,” I said.

Lee laughed, genuine and deep. Then Dean swaggered forward, and I felt something move in my chest. For a second, I thought I’d lost my breath.

“How ‘bout a midwestern boy?” Dean asked, his voice just as smooth as he looked — open, inviting, eyes sparkling in the constant strobe of lights.

I was afraid of what I felt but didn’t let on. I had already learned how to hide those feelings, and I was working on my boundaries. That boy could not have come along at a worse time in my life

I joined them along with the bartender, and one of the bouncers for after-closing beers and a game of poker, strip, and I won.

I never forgot, though, the way his proximity, his smile, and his cockysweet demeanor made me feel — like a normal girl with a normal life who could have something.

Fast forward to now, looking at images of that boy, all grown up, his arrest records — nothing shocking for a hunter (which I learned not the night I met him but over the years and through the grapevine) — and personal accounts of other hunters who’ve crossed his path and/or worked a case with him and his younger brother, Sam.

Then a more recent image catches my eye and I freeze — security footage from a convenience store. It’s grainy, but the eyes are unmistakable.

“Whoa, I thought the Winchesters were unpossessable.”

“Yeah, well, guess not,” Mike answers with a cloud of smoke. “Regard, I owe it to John to take care of this.”

“Ok, but why me?” I ask, looking up at Mike.

“I seem to recall you had a certain simpatico,” Mike answers with an arch of his brow and a drag off his smoke. “Desire’s one of those things that transfer from a human to their more beastly counterparts.”

“Got it,” I reply, looking back at the image from the night I met Dean.

“Thanks for playin’, folks!” I crowed as I pushed away from the table.

My coworkers rolled their eyes and grumbled as they dressed. They were used to me winning at poker, I didn’t know why they continued to agree to play with me.

“That’s some crafty shit, girl,” Lee said, as he and Dean both chuckled, stepping into their jeans.

“Hey, you all already saw me naked,” I laughed back, helping the bartender wipe down the table we were using and hoist the chairs on top.

Dean shuffled closer to me as Lee shifted away like a choreographed dance.

“You, uhh,” Dean started to speak quietly as he scooped his t-shirt from the floor. “You wanna... I dunno...”

He ran his hand through his hair. I was stunned that such a beautiful, smart, funny boy would be so bashful.

“I do, but...” I answered.

I wanted so much to touch him — imagining how smooth his skin would be, freckled and pulled taut over well-developed muscle — but the thought of it seized my breath again.

His eyelids fluttered and his brow furrowed. “Yeah, no, that’s cool,” he answered, pulling his t-shirt over his head. It was inside out and ruffled his hair. “I totally get it.”

He smiled again and it felt like my heart and lungs were being squeezed by a vice grip behind my rib cage.

“It’s not you, Dean,” I said, stepping into him a bit, trying to catch his eye as he looked anywhere but at me.

He nodded, reaching for his too-big leather jacket. He shrugged into the jacket and stood up straight, shoulders back as he towered over me. Then his expression closed off completely and my heart dropped into my stomach.

He shook his head, pursed his lips, and said, “No big deal, sweetheart.”

As he turned to follow Lee out the door, he muttered something like “see ya around” but I couldn’t hear much more than ringing in my ears.  

“Bring him in alive, Tazi,” Mike says, startling me from my reverie. “Don’t try to exorcise him.”

I shift in my seat and clear my throat. “Yeah, well, I’m a bounty hunter, Mikey, not a priest, so…”

Mike eyes me cautiously before standing to get us both more coffee.

“Exactly,” he says. “Just one more reason you’re perfect for the job.”

Right now, I’m not so sure I agree with him.

~~~~~~~

I find Dean at a podunk, smoke-stained bar in the middle of Nebraska. There’re two flat-screen TVs tuned into some pro-sport that I don’t care about. After three hours and many, many shots of whiskey consumed by the demon, we’re the only two patrons left in the joint just five seats apart.

“Hit me,” Dean says to the bartender. “And leave the bottle.”

The bartender does as he’s told before muttering over his shoulder about closing soon. Then he disappears somewhere in the depths of the backroom or cooler or wherever he’s escaping from this obvious predator.

“Gonna just sit there and stare at me all night, or’re we gonna have it out?” Dean drawls, turning his gaze to me, eyes blinking from warm moss to shiny onyx.

I thought baby-face Dean was breathtaking. Turns out, weathered, eye-crinkley Dean is otherworldly in his beauty. It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge that I find his body attractive even possessed, but my therapist tells me it’s healthy to do the acknowledging thing.

“You do that just for funsies, or is that your pick-up game?” I reply steadily, unmoving from my barstool.

I’m trying to gauge whether or not he remembers me. He doesn’t seem to, so Mike’s idea that desire as a hold-over will give me an advantage is kind of fucked. Then again, considering my potential weakness for him, maybe him not remembering me is just as well.

“Guess we’re playin’ 20 Questions,” Dean sighs, pulling his gaze from mine and tossing back his umpteenth shot of the night. “Awesome.”

He licks his lips as he empties the rest of the bottle, which isn’t very much, into his glass with a tsk.

“You’d think when I said, ‘leave the bottle’ he’d’ve realized I wanted more than this.” He shakes his head.

This demon is so much chattier than Dean was. He looks similar, sure, older but still handsome. His eyes are dead, though, and not just because they’re black. The stark contrast makes my mind wave and flutter.

But I stay cool.

“Why d’you even bother with a glass?” I ask, wondering why I’m bantering with Dean Winchester’s demon over bar etiquette.

“It makes me feel more civilized – I dunno,” he says with a shrug before downing the shot. He narrows his gaze and I feel it in my gut. “Do we know each other?”

I keep my expression neutral with a non-answer, the skill that helps me win at things like strip poker.

Dean brushes it off pretty quickly, though, before swiveling his chair to face me.

“There a Matrix LARP thing in town, or... ?” he asks, dragging his eyes down and up my form, nostrils flaring, warming my skin and making my heart pound. “All that… leather.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I answer.

It’s a lie. I fucking love The Matrix and am totally into cosplay – but Dean doesn’t need to know that.

It sucks that I remember so much about Dean and that he’s so pretty and authentically charming; because he’s also possessed by a demon. All of these facts swim in my brain and fuck with my intuition.

Maybe I should’ve brought back-up.

He shrugs again as he stands out of his chair. “I’m gonna help myself, you want a nip?” he asks casually, stretching.

I shrug – it seems to be the theme for the night, shrugging. “Sure,” I answer, swiveling out of my own chair.

Dean strolls behind the bar, and I follow. The bartender is long forgotten by both of us. Honestly, he probably bailed. I could see his skin prickle every time the demon said a word or moved at all.

“Johnnie, Jack, Jim,” he says turning lazy eyes on me, dragging his gaze over me again. “Somethin’ else?”  

God, he’s stupid hot, and this all feels frighteningly familiar. Hanging out with a demon should not be this enjoyable, but here we are.

I glance beyond where he’s standing and see the red wax cap of my favorite whiskey. “Maker’s,” I reply, snagging his gaze and his lazy eyes perk up.

“Nice choice,” he says, then turns his back to me to reach for the bottle.

So I buckle up and fly through that window of opportunity.

I jump like I’m going to take him for a piggyback ride, chokehold his neck, and wrap my legs around his middle. But he’s a demon, and he’s Dean Winchester, and I’m a fucking idiot because then he’s got me on my back on the bar top.

“This’s more like it,” he says with a delighted sneer, tongue running the ridge of his white teeth as his hand clamps around my throat. “Knew you had it in you.”

He looks down at me with those pretty, pretty eyes - yet, there’s nothing there now. No recognition, no warmth, no joy.

I steel myself to jack him in the face, pure adrenaline giving me the strength to lunge up under the weight of his upper body pressing his hand around my throat. As he rubs his jaw, I sit up and spin to kick him in the mouth.

Man, it’s a shame to hurt that face – but, demon healing and all that.

Dean’s hunched over and laughing as I hop down from the bar. Just as he recovers from the kick, unfolding to stand to his full height, I grab a handful of that soft, thick hair and yank.

His green eyes glaze over and he drops to his knees at my feet, bliss smoothing his features and filling his voice. He literally groans in satisfaction.

“Fuck,” he breathes, his shoulders slumping.

I stare down at him in disbelief then twist my fist. He hisses through a wide grin.

“Oooh,” he moans with a low chuckle. “Don’t stop, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.

Cold, detached, calculating.

I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to do, but my belly flips.

And then he’s sweeping my feet out from under me.

“Oof!” I hit the ground, face first, wind knocked from my lungs once again by this man.

Before I can register a coherent thought, he’s on top of me. His full-length, pinning me as I gasp for air.

“Relax,” he whispers, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Tiny breaths, you’ll get it back.”

He swipes my hair to the side, pushes his knees between mine and spreads my legs open as he inhales deeply from my neck and shoulder and grinds into me from behind. I’m trembling under him – terrified, confused, sweating, and on the verge of tears.

“Shh,” he says, nuzzling into my neck, darting his tongue out for a taste.

I must taste like salt and fear. He must love it. He doesn’t make an attempt to really hurt me.

He’s just playing with me.

“Don’t cry,” he coos.

I hate that he senses my tears coming, hate that he can read that from me, hate that we have history, however brief, but thankful he doesn’t remember.

He keeps grinding against me, hot and hard as he works to pin my arms behind my back, just above my ass.

I gasp again, not as shallow as last time and can sort of breathe. What he’s doing is sending my mind reeling. I’m just as hot between my legs as his body is - he has to feel it - and I’m getting so wet.

“Got your breath back, that’s good,” he says, stretching out over me again, languidly sliding one scorching hand under my shirt and up along my ribs.

He brushes his lips over the exposed nape of my neck, takes his time smelling and tasting me.

He’s hot as any demon I’ve ever known, maybe hotter, like he’s just walked out of the fires of Hell. It’s mesmerizing and I curse myself for being so turned on; but, so far, it’s pretty clear that Dean has no intention of doing more than teasing me.

“You give a demon all sorts of nasty ideas,” he says, licking a long, scalding strip up the side of my neck.

I start to melt under his words and his power.

Then, just as quickly as he pinned me, I feel a rush of air and the absence of warmth.

When I roll to my back, he’s gone, leaving me utterly bewildered and cold.

CHAPTER TWO

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Fic Masterlist

If you like what you’ve read, please let me know and/or buy me a coffee!

[daily-dose-of-naruto]

Hi ^_^ out of everyone in the Narutoverse who do you think would be a dancing genius? And who do you think would be terrible at dancing but you'd still see them on the dance floor?

Oh noooo this is terribly long. Honestly, I fucking loved writing this, thank you for the ask! ~Admin Song

Team TEAR IT UP:

Rock Lee: So in control of his body, has the muscle and the PASSION to fucking go hard, you’ll see him spinning on his head and doing flips and shit. He might not have that casual swagger, but this boy can keep a beat and always turns up. Jams out to intense DJ remixes of pop tunes like a beast. He’s the guy whose shirt is soaked with sweat at the club and still going harder than everybody else (and sober at that!). If you want all the sensation of riding a rollercoaster without the actual thing, just ask Rock Lee for a dance.

Ino: There’s a graceful quality to her movement, letting herself flow with the rhythm as opposed to Lee’s sharp staccato. Ino spins and slides with her arms above her head and her eyes closed, singing along to whatever song is blasting. Lots of arms gliding everywhere, misting the club with lilac perfume. Definitely beelines to the dance floor for pop classics like Arianna Grande and Kesha. But give her the right song and this girl can gyrate her booty with the best of them.

Kiba: He’s one of those guys that throws back a shot and yells “THIS IS MY JAM!” before bounding to the dance floor where he lets loose. Kiba’s wildness and confidence translate into a pretty swaggering guy on the floor, the type that girls actually LIKE dancing with. He knows how to move those hips and keep the beat, but the selling point is his face. Boy never looses that cocky, cool look, whether he’s grooving on his own, dancing in a group, or with a special someone. Not dance related, but Kiba’s the type to wear a thin silver chain around his neck when clubbing.

Sakura: Of course this girl can sway to the rhythm. Her style of dancing is cute and spunky, lots of shoulders and snaking her torso around. Unconsciously keeps her hands in fists when she dances. Sakura loves a good uplifting beat- her favorite beat is “Shut Up and Dance”. Also LOVES partner dancing- she’ll grab whoever’s closest (usually forgetting to ask, she’s so caught up in the music) and spin them seventeen different ways over the floor.

Shino: BOY IS FULL OF HIDDEN TALENTS. On the off off off chance you catch Bugboy coming out of his shell and stepping onto the club floor, he’s swifter than a hawk snatching up a mouse. Shino’s understanding of the beat is analytical and clean, and his movements reflect that. Often moves double time, twice as fast as those dancing around him. Keeps his hands in his pockets the whole time, that cool guy. Somewhat twitchy, but it’s stylized.

Kankuro: YEAH GET THE PUPPET MASTER ON THE DANCE FLOOR! Kankuro has fucking swagger and moves galore, keeping up with all the new dancing trends. Does these sharp moves with his arms/upper body that ismesmerizing. Like Kiba, Kankuro is always ready to leap onto the dance floor, whether he’s hitting it off with some cutie or in the middle of a beer.

Temari: Temari will THROW YOU to the side if she hears a bop and you’re blocking her way to the floor. The type to just blast by everyone when she hears a good beat and absolutely KILLS IT. Arches her back and lets her hips speak for themselves. Temari’s the one who drops it low when the bass hits, and actually pulls it off. She’s not afraid to get a little flushed on the dance floor.

Shisui: Doesn’t care about looking cool, and that’s why he’s so good. Honestly the cutest thing on the floor, and his sense of the music can carry him through almost any tune unscathed. Head bobs like there’s no tomorrow, it’s almost like he’s the only one in the room, appreciating music in his own subtle way.

Suigetsu: THIS SHARK LOOKING KID IS A HO FOR THE CLUB. Seriously, Suigetsu is always ALWAYS ready to turn up and grind hard (figuratively or not). He’s the douche you want to be angry at because of his shit eating grin and blunt come-ons, but the way he rolls those hips is so sensual there’s no way to stay mad. A ho for dancing, a ho for the club and every single one of its patrons.

Team CAN’T STEP TO SAVE THEIR LIVES but try really hard anyways:

Hidan: Watching Hidan fucking flailing on the dance floor, one can’t help but wish he had a little more humility. He’s overly aggressive with his dance partners, scaring most of them away halfway through the song. Super handsy, sees dancing as a means to sticking his tongue down your throat. The type of guy to “accidentally” graze your ass as he squeezes by.

Tenten: She’s smart, she’s sensible, and she’s aware of her limitations. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t push them. Tenten appreciates a good jam, but when she watches Ino and Sakura sway to a beat, the difference in ability is obvious to her. Kudos to this girl to shine with her awkward moves, the biggest compliment to her moves is her beaming smile. Occasionally will allow Rock Lee to fling her around the dance floor for a song or two, but is happy to return to the bar.

Iruka: The MASTER of Dad Dancing. Iruka will embarrass the pants off of anybody he’s with and remain completely oblivious. It’s not that Iruka thinks he’s a dancing prodigy- he’s just unaware that his skills are completely dismal. Still, he’s a sweetheart, so you can almost forgive his adorkability.

Sai: Oh nooooo, Sai baby, I’m so sorry. He just doesn’t get it. The beat, the rhythm…it means nothing to him. When Sai looks at a dance floor, all he sees are people jerking their bodies while noise plays. The two things complement each other, somehow, but Sai can’t quite complete the equation. He likes to watch it, though; he finds it fascinating.

Jiraiya: In his youth, Jiraiya was spinning ladies left, right, and center. Amazing with a gal in his arms, but TERRIBLE on his own. Only Tsunade knows this, and it’s a preciously guarded secret on behalf of Jiraiya’s pleading. He leaps around like a frog trying to find a lily pad, only settling when he finally finds that sweet lady he’s been looking for.

Might Guy: Never passes up the opportunity to break a sweat. He doesn’t pay attention to dance moves or trends, preferring pure unadulterated power moves. His martial arts training may appear on the dance floor- when Guy’s breaking it down, it looks more like a kata than dancing

[anxiety-trademark]

The week in review:

Raw 10/05 NXT 10/07 NXT UK 10/08 Smackdown 10/09 + Main Event 10/08

Raw:

“This Asuka reign has been spectacular thus far,” d e b a t a b l e

Is Asuka continuing her feud with Zelina? If so, why? If not, why is this 6 woman match happening? Just spinning your wheels some more?

It’s been an interesting experience watching Dana grow throughout the years. Also nice flip by Nattie off of Dana’s headscissors takedown.

Love to see Dana and Mandy matching colors. Tag teams matching gear is my jam. Next is a theme song/name.

Lovely delayed double suplex by Dandy.

Small mistake in Mandy nearly falling over, but I mostly want to compliment the slide her boots did against the mat lmao. That was probably unintended, but looked super smooth.

I actually like Mandy now that she’s not imitating a stripper, but I’d really appreciate it if she could learn new trash talk that isn’t just, “who do you think you are,” repeated ad nauseam.

I don’t watch Main Event, but they should consider having Mandy and Dana wrestle more on there if they don’t already. Those are 2 that can use the consistent practice.

There’s so many minor things Natalya does to keep matches together with greener women. She deserves more respect.

Man these women work incredibly well together. Asuka, Nattie, Dana, Lana, Mandy... so cohesive. Loved that entire ending sequence from the moment Lana and Asuka tagged in. Lana has really increased her speed as well.

I am here to dole out positive praise for the blondes that nobody gives any credit to. Remembering where Dana was in 2016, Lana was in 2017, or even Mandy was in 2018, and seeing them all now? They get my applause. The midcard on Raw is entertaining, sue me. Fun match.

pppfffftttttt love how Zelina just slowly slinks outta the ring like, “yeahhhh have fun with that, this ain’t my fight peace.”

Alright ngl, I am now starting to get sad that Lana is getting rekt nearly every week. rip. First match of the night btw and the commentators are losing their desk lmao.

Does KO have to spell out everything happening in wrestling? Sir I actually pay attention to the stories y’all be telling me. Can I get a condensed version?

“He’s everywhere,” Alexa is creepy and compelling, I’m gonna keep singing her praises til she gives me a reason not to.

I personally just hope Fiend uses new gloves for every new victim, what with covid and all.

“Bury a body together in the woods,” SIR.

I like that Alexa is kept separate from Bray and is solely attached to Fiend. I know that’s going to change, but for now, I like that line being drawn in the sand.

Omg he shed tears. Whew.

Why y’all allergic to showcasing Bianca against people who I fucking recognize lmao.

Again, I know she’s a college graduate. I know she’s smart on some fucking level. Telling me why the sky is blue (cept not really as it just appears that way) AIN’T IT THOUGH.

Put her in a match, that’s where she needs the most work. Jesus.

Oh good we get to hear Nia’s music on the way to the ring. She has the superior theme.

Nia body checking Ruby in the corner. I felt that.

I like Shayna’s joint manipulation, I only wish she’d wear down her opponents before she started in on it, cuz it drastically slows down the pacing of the match. There’s a spot for it if you get the momentum of the match going first, but she almost always just jumps straight into this. 

Ruby getting rekt. What Riott Squad need is a good showing. Not to be damn near demolished. I doubt anyone actually expected them to win this match, but come on.

At least Shayna sold the tornado ddt well.

Meh could’ve been a better showing for RS. Kind of disappointing. Liv didn’t even use any offense to break the Kirifuda Clutch, just yelled dramatically af. Tears galore.

Highlight: Seeing Lana/Mandy/Dana improve & work cohesively with veterans in Nattie & Asuka

---

NXT:

Isn’t nxt supposed to be the brand that hides a performer’s weakness? Why does Ember Moon have a mic in the middle of the ring? Have her do a quick interview in the back, or better yet wrestle. Hello??

Don’t thank them, they are your coworkers, and only one of them even said welcome back. sigh.

GIRL I’M SHOCKED THEY LET YOU TALK ON THE MIC TOO like for what reason???

This is why Ember Moon will never be a champion on the main roster jfc. At least she can get away with being nxt champ if she refrains from speaking.

Well damn I was actually interested in Rhea’s promo, thanks a lot Raquel smh.

Io’s like “...nah, I’m good right here.”

Io is a woman of few words, but they are always flawlessly spoken and drenched in logic. Still a huge fan of her as champion.

Storytime. Becky Lynch has named 2 people as potential break out stars that could reach (close to) the heights she has reached. Sonya Deville was one, whom I believe Becky was right on the money with, and Toni Storm was the other. Now I don’t see whatever the hell Becky sees in Toni, but damn it if she was right about Sonya, I want her to be right about Toni as well. So I hope this heel turn actually brings the fire, decent acting, and passable promos from her.

Toni has a swagger you can’t teach; she has an aura and confidence to her. There are just some pieces that have been missing. We’ll see though, I’ll give her a clean slate to win me over.

*The Garganos receive a gift* No.

I kind of like that there’s an unspoken agreement between Raquel and Dakota that Dakota is the star who should win the title, with no lingering feelings of animosity or resentment between them.

Anyway Dakota you lost to Io, plz lol.

*The Garganos see potential in Indi Hartwell* No.

I hate Shotzi’s entrance and dialogue so damn much lmao. She’s so annoying, I’m not sorry. I’ll give her props in the ring where I see fit, but her personality is such a turn off to me.

Such a short match that I have nothing to say about it. Good for Shotzi gaining some momentum. Still waiting to see where Xia Li goes with these losses amounting.

Cool one of the best themes has been changed :/ rip Ember’s og theme.

Sloppy, sloppy attempt at a standing crucifix by Ember. oof.

Ember is short but she can sure jump high, this is true.

Ember plz sell.

Jeeze I nearly forgot how good Ember’s suicide dive is. One of the best, truly.

Great bump onto the floor by Rhea.

Flat landing by Dakota. Bravo. Love how Dakota bumps Rhea’s bench press.

No excuse for Dakota not tagging in when Ember got the tag. Awkward.

Looked more like a modified flatliner rather than a uranage, but sure. 

Love watching Dakota and Rhea work together. They have great chemistry.

LOVE Dakota’s Kairopractor. One of my favorite moves in nxt.

Great save by Raquel, great ddt taken by Raquel.

Sloppy “powerbomb” from Ember to Dakota... that’s a yikes. Ember indeed has ring rust. Eclipse is still a thing of beauty though, so there’s that.

I just want to say, I really like Rhea as a babyface and I hope wwe doesn’t turn her heel when she moves to the MR.

Highlight: Dakota & Rhea working together is always a treat

---

NXT UK:

Tell me why the beginning of Dani’s theme reminded me of White Wedding by Billy Joel? The lack of lighting in her entrance does her song a disservice.

Really like Nina’s theme... irritating how they cut off Amale’s theme so quickly to introduce her, though.

HAHA Xia tried kipping up out of the leg scissors and she got popped on the midsection.

Lovely escape...? Alright well, fill the dead air with meaningless comments I guess. No, don’t pipe in applause for that.

Twisting her arms in reverse and then forward accomplished nothing.

I appreciate Dani’s underrated strength.

Decent reverse suplex by Nina.

Deadweight suplex by Dani. Nice.

Amale is... abysmally green.

Took a beautiful German suplex, though.

Do not like Xia’s finisher.

This match wasn’t a mistake, but man talk about lower card.

Much like I did with Toni Storm, all I see when I look at Piper now, is when she cried during the match with KLR lmao. Round of applause for KLR making all of her opponents cry kekekek.

“[KLR] better watch what she says, or else..” or else what? More of y’all gonna cry in her direction? oof your champ is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above everyone else on that roster, plz.

Sure she’s held the title for a year cuz of the pandemic, but if we remove all of that time UK spent isolated, she should still hold that title for a year minimum. Whenever someone wants to exhibit possessing the full package she has, they can step up. Even on the mic, KLR is untouchable.

Lol y’all can waltz out pissy all you want. I laugh.

“We've got witches that can't cast spells, Valkyries that can't fly, and these two can't even get along long enough to challenge me. And here she is, the worst of them all, the ultimate letdown... a piper that plays to my tune.” LMFAOOO. This is such a good promo, I can’t.

Knowing NXT, they’ll throw them in a battle royal to decide Kay Lee’s next opponent. Should run a tournament though.

KLR makes that title prestigious, goodbye.

Highlight: Fantastic KLR promo

---

Smackdown:

Alright real talk, why did Sasha get a title shot here? Why would Bayley give it to her without a struggle when she damn well knows Sasha could easily be the one to take it from her? When was it even accepted by Bayley?

Tbh I kind of hate this feud unless they’re in the same room/arena together. They work magic together, truly, but all of the inbetween stuff was garbage.

Love how Sasha just wants to beat the crap out of Bayley. Solid stuff.

Lol Bayley goes to leave lololol.

These are some clean counters and roll throughs. Always give props to Sasha for her counters.

See, cool, Sasha and Becky’s hiac match was set up with a chair, too... cept they had a great match for 15 mins and then brawled all over the arena. This could’ve all been set up SO much better. Then again tbf, it doesn’t even make sense for Bayley to accept this match with her to begin with, so I get the intentional dq as quickly as possibly on Bayley’s behalf. Would’ve been better if a gm had set this match up instead.

Great acting by Sasha.

How long til KO just pops Bliss across the face? No I’m kidding, wwe would never do that. Setting fire to someone, on the other hand...

Nothing about this promo felt genuine to me; the delivery was subpar.

When does Alexa receive an upgrade from ‘supportive mistress’ to ‘queen that helps fuck up Fiend’s victims’? I do appreciate them taking their time with her arc, it’s rare to see them do such a slow burn and not drop the ball with it.

Highlight: Sasha’s aggression in the ring

---

*BONUS*

Main Event:

The sheer hatred I have for Peyton’s theme. Awful.

Peyton vs Billie matches reminds me of the type of stuff I used to skip back in the late 2000s.

You watch best friends Sasha/Bayley, and you see some innovative, impactful moves. You watch best friends Becky/Charlotte, and you see 2 people beating the absolute shit out of each other with vitriol. You watch best friends Billie/Peyton, and you see 2 people who are afraid of hurting one another :/

Nice roll through pin by Billie.

Positive: there’s no crowd to boo them.

Just noticed the bottom row of monitors are behind the barricade, and I just want to know why tf they exist lmao.

Oh perfect, the second I began to regret turning this on, it ended. Okay anyway.

---

*NXT shined the brightest. Love how they utilized their women’s division, even if some of it was a hit or miss. Also love seeing Dakota and Rhea work together.

[waitinginthedarke]

He’ll be wrong, for you.

A BTS/Kim Taehyung Fanfiction Summary : What happens when you take on Kim Taehyung… Type: Mafia!AU (BTS)

********************Prologue********************* Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Why was he allowed to look so perfectly like some kind of avenging angel in that alley way, whilst you looked like some cheap knock off Lara Croft doll?

‘You don’t look pleased to see me, Sweetheart.’

And he needed to stop with that sickly sweet, deep honey tone if he wanted to keep his head.

‘Should I be?’

You struggle to hide your smirk in response to his mildly put out expression, the amused scoff that he does as you glance back down at your target for the evening grating on your nerves a little as you try to think up an excuse that would satisfy Kyuho as to why you didn’t have his money, but you did have the dead body of the man who stole it.

‘Ah,…are you upset that I caused you to accidentally kill the man you’ve been spending your evening with?’ he asks, a thinly concealed layer of amusement in his tone which has you snapping your attention back up to him, a small growl leaving you as you turn your body towards him and walk over till you were stood toe to toe with him. Your heart stutters slightly in your chest with your sudden close proximity to him, but the smirk that lingers in your line of sight pushes for you to proceed with the words that were bubbling on the tip of your tongue.

‘For your information, this was my last job of the night. All I had to do was obtain the money this guy had stolen from my boss, warn him not to double cross him again, and then I could go home. But now? Now I have to clean up this mess- which, might I add, is the worst thing in the fucking world... and then I have to go back to Kyuho and explain why I don’t have his money, and why I managed to kill the man who stole it without getting information on where it is before I did so, which he will inevitably scream at me for. So,... yeah, im upset that you fucked up my night. Thanks a bunch-‘ you snarl, pursing your lips angrily as your eyes graze his handsomely perfect face, before you mentally kick yourself for staring and make to walk away from him-

-only to turn back towards him with his next proposal.

‘What if I were to give you the money that Kyuho wants?’

You stare at him.

‘What?’ you ask blankly, mouth hanging open slightly in your astonishment, and you can only watch him as he smiles mysteriously to himself, looking down at his feet, before glancing up at you from beneath his brow, and the look has your stomach twisting and flipping excitedly at the loaded gaze.

‘Well…it seems that I really have ruined your evening; and I’d like to make up for it. So, I’ll give you the money and you can just-‘

‘No. ...Whatever it is, no. I don’t want any catches, I don’t want to make any deals-‘ you immediately go to argue, figuring he was trying to bargain with you, only to very quickly have that train of thought being snatched away.

‘There’s no catch.’

No words would come to you as you stand across from him, stunned by his proposal, and trying desperately to work out just what he was up to.

No-one in their right mind offers to give anyone money for free. Especially the amount of money that requires an undercover mission to obtain, and in this case, ends in a dead body. …So, what did he want?

‘I don’t believe you.’ You mutter, narrowing your eyes at him and fisting your hands at your side as a cheeky, almost edible, grin sprouts on his face, his own eyes glistening down at you as he shrugs nonchalantly, before pulling his phone from his pocket as he slowly swaggers closer to you.

‘How much do you need? I can have it here within the next 15 minutes-‘

’25 Million.’

The way he sucks air in through his teeth in what you assumed was surprise makes you think that you had him, that he was going to make some proposal, or that he would be unable to give the money to you. But approximately 3 seconds later he’s nodding, lifting his phone to his ear and smiling angelically down at you as he waits for the dialing tone to be replaced by a voice.

‘No! Stop!’ you quickly snap, reaching to grab his phone from him, and frowning when he lifts the device out of reach, an eyebrow quirked at your rash actions as you huff heavily and drop your arms back to your side, proceeding to squirm a little where you were stood, folding and unfolding your arms before realizing he was waiting for you to explain yourself after telling the person on the other end of the phone to wait.

‘Why? Why would you just give me money? You barely know me! And after what happened last night-‘

‘That was fun wasn’t it?’ he smirks, winking at you suddenly, and the action has you falling silent as you struggle to think of an appropriate way to respond, having to swallow hard against the butterflies crowding your throat before you could speak again.

‘That’s not the point! If I go home with the money you propose to give me, I have no guarantee that you wont come looking for it again, and when you do-‘

‘If I do-‘

‘When you do-‘ you emphasize, becoming more and more flustered by your proximity to him and the situation he was proposing, ‘I will be buried in the shit that I will have to deal with because of it. …So, as seemingly friendly as this proposition is that you’re putting forward to me, I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline your offer. Thank you.’

You force yourself to turn away from him with those last few words, sighing as you once again lay your eyes upon the lifeless body of the man you’d accidentally killed 5 minutes before, and being about to walk over and begin the clean up job- which would involve hoisting him over your shoulder before disposing of him appropriately in a quiet area of the Han river- before you’re interrupted by the sound of Taehyung speaking once again.

‘What gang is this guy from?’

‘Lee Hyuk’s, Kyuho went gambling with him the other week, but he ended up swindling him out of money. Kyuho wasn’t happy about it, and thus, I was sent to retrieve his loss…as usual.’

You mutter the last part under your breath, not really being aware of the amount of information you were providing Taehyung, nor how abnormally comfortable you had become around a practical stranger. Instead you proceed to squat beside the dead guy and begin to hoist him onto your shoulder, ignoring the man behind you as you hear him begin to speak to someone on the phone, his murmured tone going unnoticed by you as you feel your thighs burn with the effort to pick the guy up. Although seconds later you’re dropping him back to the floor with a huge thud, and the dull sound of cracking bones, when you turn to see Taehyung struggling to contain laughter at your predicament.

‘I’m sorry, is this amusing to you?’ you snap, feeling a sudden fire begin to burn in your veins as you think about all the ways you could knock him to the ground.

‘No. No, not at all.’ He quickly mutters, coughing away the amusement he, for some reason, had been observing the situation with, before squaring his shoulders and looking back at you with a level gaze.

‘We should go to Lee Hyuk’s base.’

‘Excuse me?!’ you ask, raising your eyebrows in disbelief at the audacity he had to suggest such a ridiculous move, especially given the situations you were in at that moment, and obviously having over-seen the fact that you’d both be done-for the second you stepped into another gang’s domain.

‘I said, We should go-‘

‘Hold on! Who’s ‘we’?’ you cut him off, sitting your hands on your hips in disbelief as you dare him to respond.

‘Me and you. I can call in a few extra men if you wish, but I think it would be more fun if it was just the two of us, don’t you?’ he smirks, beginning to swagger toward you nonchalantly once again, keeping his eyes fixed on your face as he awaits your answer.

‘You’re insane…you’re actually insane.’ You mutter in disbelief after a few moments, having watched him walk all the way over to you until you were stood toe to toe once more, and his tall frame was towering over you; his pearly white grin lighting up the dark like the moon in the night sky.

‘Well if you wont let me give you the money…the least I can do is help you get it back.’

Before you can respond to him, he’s grabbing your wrist and pulling you back down the alley, leaving the crumpled dead body behind, and chuckling deeply as he drags you away to your almost certain death.

‘I can’t believe we’re doing this. If we get caught-‘

‘What do you mean ‘if’, Sweetheart? …we’re walking in through the front door…there is no ‘if’ about it.’ He snorts, continuing to set a demanding pace as the two of you head directly for the entrance to Lee Hyuk’s pension; the base of all of the gang’s operations.

After you’d thrown a fit at him as he’d attempted to drag you from the alley earlier, thinking you’d leave a dead body lying around, and he’d been forced to call ‘his men’ in to dispose of the evidence, he’d managed to finally convince you to let him pull you into one of the swishest cars you’d ever seen in your entire life. You’d been too stunned to engage in small talk, although after 10 minutes he’s stopping the car anyway, and you’re climbing out to see that the two of you had arrived outside of some giant, modern, castle-like building, complete with moat and guards outside.

It had become pretty evident to you then, that he hadn’t been joking about getting you the money.

‘Are you not aware of the fact that we will most likely get shot down, the second we step foot near the door?-‘

‘If that were true, you wouldn’t be walking beside me right now. So, why don’t you stop panicking and enjoy the ride instead?’ he asks, peering at you from the corner of his eye as he shoots you a gummy grin, before the mask of assassin drops down over his features, and you become distracted by the plain beauty of the façade.

‘Although, I could suppose that you find my presence safe-‘ he muses, the words blurring oddly with his dark, dangerous expression, but it barely takes a second for his meaning to sink in.

‘No. …I still think you’re insane.’ You mutter, your lungs feeling like they were shrinking with his insinuation and the closer you got to the large oak doors that stood before you at the end of the long stone pathway. Its just as you become aware of the clamminess of your palms, that he catches you off-guard by speaking up again.

‘Try not to be nervous, Sweetheart. Dogs can sense fear.’

The words have your usual stone-fronted work facade slipping over your body, your spine straightening and your expression ironing out to one of cold, indecipherability, the mask matching his just in time for the two of you to approach the guards stationed outside.

Of course, that was when the night reached a whole new level of weird.

‘Mr Kim. How can we help?’ one of the men asks, his emotionless expression slipping just the tiniest bit to make you aware of the tension and fear that lay beneath the surface as he addressed the man beside you. It was with a vice like grip that you held onto your disinterested mask as you observed the men’s reaction to Taehyung at your side, your sudden wonder at their reaction to him causing your mind to race with endless amounts of unanswered questions.

‘I’d like to see the main man if you wouldn’t mind.’ the man beside you responds, his voice oddly jovial sounding beside the other man’s, and you cant help but watch as the guard glances at his colleague before looking back up at Taehyung with a thick swallow.

‘I…uh…He’s in a meeting at the moment, im afraid. I can tell him you stopped by-‘

He’s cut off by the man beside you scoffing, the peek you get of him rolling his jaw in mild aggravation surprising even you with its hint of a threat, but it was nothing to the way it caused the guards before you to begin stuttering with fearful excuses.

‘Mr Kim, I promise, we’re not lying. I mean, you usually arrange meetings with him- He would have warned us if you were coming tonight, but he told us explicitly not to let anyone in or out. Sir, I swear-‘

‘I suggest you open the door,…right now.’

It’s the depth of his suddenly quiet tone that surprises you most, the painfully obvious threat that lingers in each lick of his tongue around the words causing the blood to run cold in your veins, and you watch in plain, barely concealed, astonishment as the guard proceeds to do as he says with little to no hesitation, his expression pleading with Taehyung in some strange desperate way that made no sense to yourself, but that remained unanswered by the man beside you as he simply stared ahead, before making his way through the shakily opened door without another word.

What the hell was that?!

‘Pick your chin up off of the floor, Sweetheart. I’m going to need you to keep that mysterious, yet threatening, persona in place that you do so well.’ Taehyung suddenly murmurs beside you, shooting you an amused flash of a smirk, before replacing it once more with an authoritative lift of his chin, the cockiness of the expression both impressing, and disgusting you with his assumption that you were amazed by his antics.

‘Are you going to tell me whats really going on here? Or am I to remain thinking that we’re about to gatecrash a party in search of stolen money, whilst you waltz on through like you organized the damn event?’ you snipe, heart crashing erratically in your confusion and the left over suspense of thinking you were about to get murdered on the spot before Taehyung had performed his great, and incredibly suspicious, magic act.

‘No organization, Sweetheart. Just…think of it as good contacts.’ He muses, leaving you to simply stare aggravatedly at him, unamused by the lack of information he was giving to you, and beginning to think that you were being lead into a trap.

‘Good contacts don’t threaten their way through the door with barley any backlash.’ You mutter to yourself, your eyes fixed on the opening at the end of the long corridor the two of you had been walking towards, but you’re still able to sense the tension in the man beside you as he grits his jaw.

‘Just stay beside me, and nothing will go wrong.’ He says quietly, the direction surprising you enough to make you glance up at him in bewilderment of its strikingly gentle tone, before the two of you emerge into a grand, high-ceilinged room, to be greeted with the sight of Lee Hyuk standing suddenly from amidst a small group of well suited men, his expression immediately falling to surprise as Taehyung speaks, a threatening smirk curling his greeting.

‘Good Evening, Lee Hyuk. …I hope we’re not interrupting anything.’

(T.B.C)

[serzhantkris]

Where Soul Meets Body- 19

Summary: Soulmate AU. Some people went their entire lives without ever meeting their soulmates. You were one of the lucky ones, to have found and fallen in love with the owner of the initials tattooed on your hip. When your soulmate’s best friend struggles to deal with a tragedy in his own life, you discover that you might not have been as lucky as you thought. Steve Rogers x Re

ader; Bucky Barnes x Reader (Not MMF)

Warnings: (Series, not specifically this chapter: bad language, unprotected sex or sexual situations, drinking/alcoholism, drug use, violence, cheating, references to death, mutilation and trauma, maybe more.)

Words: 1213

Author’s Note: Friendly reminder that I’m not doing a taglist anymore! Hopefully you guys don’t hate me after this chapter. Woops?

Master   Part 18

Laughter follows behind you as the door opens, letting the cold air hit you in the face as you leave behind the warmth inside. The sound echoes on the other side as the door closes, hard, behind you and leaves the world much quieter. It’s snowing, coating the wooden deck rails with a thin layer of white dust. Careful not to slip, you sink onto the steps and fumble in your pocket in search of a lighter, tucking what you claimed to your parents was a cigarette between your teeth.

Cursing to yourself, you stared out at the backyard, fingertips beginning to lose feeling as your hands stilled. The muffled sounds of laughter made your heart ache as you listened, picking out the noise of Steve’s boisterous rumbles, your mother’s shrill fits of giggles, your father’s hearty chuckles. All noises you, in your lifetime, had come to know and adore.

“Congratulations.”

You jumped at the sound of his voice, not realizing that he must have slipped away at some point during the celebrating. Turning your head, you spot him leaning against the rails to the left of the door,arms folded over the rail and smoke blowing out his nostrils. He’s looking out, too, and from here you can’t see much of his face. His hair and sweater are dotted with fresh snow, much like the night he told you about Natalia.

Standing, slowly, the wood deck creaking under your footsteps, you moved toward him with your face lowered. You shoved the rolled paper into your pocket, stopping just far enough from Bucky that he could not touch you if he reached out.

“I am,” you started, tucking your hands deep into your pockets, hiding away the sparkling ring on your finger. “So, so sorry, Bucky…”

Bucky chuckled, taking another long drag before blowing smoke over his head, lips pursed like a kiss, cold and cracked, his eyes watching rings of smoke blend into the snow. “I told you I didn’t wanna come here." 

“I didn’t know this was going to happen,” you mumbled. “If I had any idea-”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Bucky said. “I really am.”

Your tongue ran over your teeth and you closed your eyes, trying desperately to find the right thing to say. Something that could make this easier. “He wants you to be his best man.”

“I know. He already asked me.”

It must have dropped at least five degrees, because you shivered, your brows pulling together, trying to remember how long ago Bucky had slipped outside. “When?”

“Before he left.” Bucky snubbed the cigarette out on the railing. “When he made me help him pick out the ring.”

Bucky lifted his gaze, finally looking at you, a hard look in his eyes. You stared, silently, mouth open. Confusion was mutating into something else, anger, hurt, and Bucky kept staring, waiting for you to say something.

“You knew?” Your voice cracked, the hands in your pockets slowly pulling into fists. “You knew he wanted to marry me, and you slept with me anyway?”

Bucky pressed his lips together, eyes staring at the deck, unfocused, and he didn’t answer.

“What kind of-” Anger sweltered in your chest, blossoming through your veins, creating a heat that muffled out the bitter December wind. “What kind of person does that?”

“A bad one,” Bucky said, swallowing. “A really… Shitty person, Y/N.”

He didn’t grant you another word, didn’t look at you as he pushed past. Laughter spilled onto the deck just long enough for him to slip back inside, leaving you rooted to the spot, body shaking from the chill or the anger you could not tell. Your nails dug into your palms, tears stinging your cheeks, mind flooded, overwhelmed with anxiety as you considered what Bucky had just told you.

There’s a light shining on your face, glaring white even behind your closed eyelids. Burying your head in the pillow, your eyes pinched, tighter, yanking on the blanket until it covered your head. Try as you might, you couldn’t get back to sleep. The sunlight was too bright, the dull ache thumping at the back of your head making it radiate through your entire skull. Groaning, you pushed the blanket down and blinked, the ceiling of your bedroom appearing in your vision.

The other side of the bed was bare, the covers still pulled back. Spreading your fingers over the blankets, they were still a bit warm. Steve hadn’t been gone long. The ring catches the sunlight as you draw your hand back toward you.

Sitting up, the pulse in your head turned into thunder as you pulled yourself into the bathroom, climbing into the shower. Forehead pressed against the shower wall, hot water beating on your skin and eyes closed, the events of the previous day played through your mind on a loop.

Bucky, in the backseat of the Jeep. Steve proposing. Bucky’s admission. And everything leading up to those moments, leading up to sitting on the deck and crying into your hands until you couldn’t feel them anymore. Even now, your breath was caught in your throat as you forced yourself to hold back another wave of tears.

Getting out of the shower is no easy task, wrapping a towel around yourself as you stumbled out of the bathroom in search of fresh clothes.

There’s something on the bedside table that you hadn’t noticed before. Yanking a shirt- one of Steve’s- over your head, you sank onto the mattress and pulled it toward you. The blue cover was textured under your palms. Heavy and weightless all at the same time.

Bucky had lied. Deceived you. You were angry, hurt, confused- a mixture of things that you weren’t sure how to process. Your fingers dug into the spine of the book as you flipped it open, the book landing on the page Bucky had bookmarked for you to find.

Your stomach dropped, lungs constricted. The poem, a lengthy piece by Edgar Allen Poe, was bright against the page: Annabel Lee, the name Bucky had given his pipe. On the page, Bucky had highlighted a line in pink, the ink on the page slightly smudged.

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

“What’s that?”

Steve dropped his headphones onto the mattress, pulling his hooded sweater over his head. You shut the book, keeping the dog-eared page marked as you tossed it onto the floor beside the bed. “Nothin’,” you shrugged, head bowed in an effort to hide the redness around your eyes from Steve.

“You been smokin’?” He asked, brow quirked and a smirk on his lips as he tossed the jacket toward the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. “Your eyes are red and puffy.”

“Yeah, sorry,” you mumbled. Sniffing, you smiled up at Steve as he yanked off the rest of his clothes and padded into the shower, a swagger in his step. Swallowing, you waited until the door closed, then slid off the bed. You stopped short of picking the book back up as the water started, the sound echoing from the bathroom.

Standing, you kicked the book underneath the bed, and went to the bathroom, pulling off your clothes as you went.

[jae-bummer]

My Idol: Part Fifteen

My Idol From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Idol is a South Korean competitive reality dating game show. It currently airs on Wednesday nights on Jae-bummer’s blog. First broadcast in 2016, the show offers the opportunity for a lucky fan to go on seven blind dates with seven idols. The idol plans the date with the show throwing in specific missions to complete during the day. At the end of the initial dates, the show opens up an audience vote to decide what three idols will move on to the second date.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22

In this very moment, you envied those who could numb themselves to emotion. You envied individuals who could turn off the nerves, flip a switch, and put up a facade as if everything was okay. Especially in times such as this, when everything was very much not okay. 

In less than fifteen minutes, you would be ushered on stage, wearing a dress that was too scratchy on your delicate skin, and your skull aching from the amount of bobbie pins woven into your scalp. You weren’t even sure if half of what was on your head belonged to you at this point. 

You closed your eyes, feeling oddly reminiscent of the moment just before you met Jaebum. Your palms were sweaty, heart feeling as if it was going to explode. This time though...it wasn’t an excited anxiousness that pumped through your senses, but rather an ominous dread. Four men would hear the news that they would be promptly ushered from your life after only meeting once. After making an initial connection, you would be ripped away from anything that could be and it wasn’t even your decision. You were not a navigating factor in your own life. 

You opened your eyes again, beginning to pace the small green room that you were sequestered in. When you and your friends had thought it would be an exceptional idea to sign up for a silly reality dating gameshow, the thought of being selected was so foolish to you that you had never even began to consider it. When you actually received an email from the producers, you still thought it was an elaborate joke, not even thinking ahead to the men you could possibly meet. 

But now that you were here...only halfway through the journey you never thought you’d descend upon, you’d give anything just to take it back. You loved interacting with the different personalities. You loved connecting with exceptional men on a level you haven’t done in the entirety of your life. But you didn’t love the pressure. You didn’t love the constant attention. And you didn’t love the idea of creating relationships, only to sever them. 

You were here though, and you were strong. You wouldn’t quit and you’d find happiness. You would make sure of that. Even if it ended with you alone, only chalking up the entire program as an experience you’d never forget. 

“Y/N, are you ready?” one of the production assistants cooed, breaking you out of your thoughts. You gave a small smile and light nod. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

The initial boom of the live audience and glare from the studio lights was overwhelming as you took your spot on the stage. You settled into your seat, giving a casual side eye to the two couches placed diagonally from you. They were placed in two levels, one directly behind the other. They were still bare, but would soon be filled up with the seven men you had grown to appreciate. 

“Hello Y/N!” the host smiled warmly, placing a hand lightly on your shoulder. “Welcome to the My Idol Live Results Special. How are you feeling?”

“Is nauseous an acceptable answer?” you chuckled, playing with your fingers in your lap. The audience and host let out a series of laughter as well, putting you a bit more at ease. 

“Y/N, always the jokester,” the host cooed, looking down to her cue cards. “Your rise to fame was almost instantaneous. Almost as soon as your face appeared on screen, you became South Korea’s sweetheart. Of course though, this came with a bit of a cost. How are you adjusting to all of the attention?” 

“It was definitely...new at first,” you nodded, chewing on your lip. You looked out to the crowd and scanned the faces, trying to avoid thinking too hard about the situation you were in. “The initial attention was rough because I wasn’t used to it. I’m still not very used to it...and I stay in my apartment a lot, but fans of the show have been very kind and accommodating.”

“That’s heartwarming to hear!” the host smiled, leading a round of applause. “We all know My Idol has the best fans, don’t we?”

You took a deep breath as the crowd surged in noise around you. The whole situation was so foreign that you felt incredibly inept, unsure of how to really act. 

“Now that we’ve checked in with Y/N, why don’t we bring out the idols. Would you all like that?” the host nodded, standing from her chair. You did so as well, prepping yourself to meet the men you hadn’t seen in weeks. “First, let us welcome a bright and positive energy! The V stands for visual! BTS member, V!”

The crowd erupted once again into applause as Taehyung approached the stage from the opposite side that you had appeared from. He clapped as he walked, his smile wide as it erupted onto his face from the mere sight of you. You grinned back in response as he took his spot on the couches prepared for the men. 

“Next we have a leader who needs no introduction, the chic and sexy Im Jaebum from Got7!” 

JB strolled from the same wing Taehyung had, throwing up a brief peace sign as he sauntered across the stage. He tried to keep a smile from his lips as he made eye contact with you, opting for a cocky smirk instead. He took his place beside Taehyung, giving his friend a quick handshake and hug before he sat down as well. 

“Our favorite maknae and flower boy, EXO’s Oh Sehun!” 

Sehun shuffled out of the wings with a bit less confidence than the two men who proceeded him. Nearly missing the steps as he stumbled up them, he gave you a kind smile before taking his spot at Jaebum’s side. 

“The mysterious rule breaker and king of k-hip hop, Jay Park!”

You found yourself subconsciously holding your breath as Jay strolled onto the stage, a shit eating grin on his face. He walked as if he commanded the entire situation, throwing subtle winks and smiles to the girls seated in the crowd. You couldn’t confirm, but you thought you saw Jaebum roll his eyes at the man before he took his spot beside Sehun. 

“Excuse his charisma, we have Monsta X’s Lee Jooheon!”

Jooheon had a very distinct swagger as he wandered from the depths of the wings and out into the bright lights of the studio. His dimples were deeply etched into his face as his smile went from being directed at the crowd to being directed at you. You felt your heart skip for a beat as he found a spot on the second couch. 

“Gifted with height and visuals, Seventeen’s Kim Mingyu!” 

Mingyu nodded, quickly looking over his shoulder as he walked. His cheeks were pink, but his smile confident as he shuffled onto the stage and avoided eye contact with nearly everyone. His shoulders dropped into an easier state as he found his spot by Jooheon’s side and gave his friend a quick handshake. 

“And last, we have a man who is already a legend in his own right. A man who half of the idols on this stage look up to, Choi Seunghyun, otherwise known as...BigBang’s Top!” 

You tried to hide the chuckle that flopped from your lips as some of the men on the couches looked on in glee and others with mild interest. Top emerged from the side of the stage with a charming and comfortable expression, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He made direct eye contact with you as soon as he possibly could and lifted his brows. He took the final spot on the couches and all of the men settled in. 

“Alright! Why don’t we give another round of applause to these phenomenal men?” the host smiled, settling in her own seat as well. 

You sat down as the crowd erupted and took a deep breath. It was almost too much handsome in one room. You felt your face growing suddenly hot. The causes of all of your butterflies and quick heartbeats had appeared directly in front of you, all together, at once. You weren’t sure if you were going to dissolve into a fit of giggles or simply pass out from the pulsing emotions ravaging your heart and mind. 

After a few moments the crowd quieted down, causing the host to perk up. “Alright guys, let’s get this out of the way right now. How many of you think you proceeded to the next round?” 

Your attention quickly adjusted to the seven idols you were trying desperately to avoid looking at. You immediately felt the heat on your face deepen as your eyes glanced across the rows. 

Each man was making a particularly focused face as they thought on the question, except one. Jay had already shot his hand high into the air, looking casually around at the idols surrounding him. “Ah, come on. For a group of celebrities, you’d think they’d be more confident!” 

Top rolled his eyes before slowly lifting his hand as well. Mingyu, who was sat beside Seunghyun looked at him with wide eyes and dark cheeks. He was starstruck by the rapper beside him, keeping his fingers stuck beneath his thighs as he sat on them. 

“Well we see Jay isn’t shy!” the host smiled, causing the men to look at each other and chuckle lightly. Jay’s smile lit up as he finally lowered his hand and directed his gaze toward you. “So that means five of you don’t think you’ve moved on? Jooheon, why would you say you weren’t voted to a second date?”

“How can I compete with a spa date?” Jooheon gasped, pointing to Jay. “Or a private museum tour!” 

“We were outnumbered by smooth date ideas,” Taehyung laughed. “A lot of us are so young, so we think to do things we find fun.”

“We were thinking about having a good time,” Sehun nodded. “And not necessarily impressing Y/N or leaving a lasting impression.”

“Do you think you left an impression Sehun?” the host asked, tilting her head. 

“I think that’s more of a question for Y/N,” Sehun murmured, readjusting in his spot. “I’d like to think I did.”

“Who left the biggest impression on you, Y/N?” the host asked, suddenly turning to you. 

Your eyes grew wide with the ambush as you looked uneasily from her to the group of men. “I...uh..”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t know if I want to know this answer,” JB laughed, his eyes kind as he gazed at your panicked expression. You let out a light sigh at his attempt in saving you. 

“I agree with Jaebum hyung,” Jooheon nodded quickly. “I don’t want to hear about how badly I failed. If by some miracle I make this second date, wouldn’t it be awkward if she said I didn’t make an impression?” 

The men erupted into laughter as they began to nod, in overall agreement with the younger man’s statement. 

“Alright, well why don’t we move onto something meatier then?” the host nodded, quickly switching subjects. “Amongst you all, who did you feel picked the most likeable date? Mingyu?”

Mingyu cleared his throat and nodded for a moment. “I..I uh...like Top hyung’s date. It was very classy. It left a positive impression.”

“Until he sent her to the hospital,” Jay muttered beneath his breath. 

The host’s eyes widened for a moment as she looked down at one of her cards. “Ah, yes. Seunghyun, during your date, Y/N took a spill down the stairs. How did you feel during that moment?”

You watched carefully as Top glared into the back of Jay’s head, only looking up after a few moments. “Of course I felt bad. I didn’t want that to happen on my watch.” 

“But it did,” Jay nodded, he spun around in his seat to look up at the man. “I’m sure when I say this, these other guys gotta agree. We weren’t given the opportunity to check up on Y/N after that. We had to watch it on screen with the rest of the world. It was more than just feeling bad.”

Seunghyun shut his eyes for a moment and cleared his throat. He reopened them and looked carefully down at Jay. If looks could kill, he would have been on the floor taking his final breaths. 

“I understand Y/N was under a great deal of stress,” Seunghyun said slowly. “It was an accident.”

“An accident caused by you,” Jay grumbled, spinning back around. “Trying to lock her ass down before you even moved on to the second date and shit.” 

“I’m sorry, do you have something to say to me?” Seunghyun asked, his voice on edge. 

“Nah,” Jay grinned, looking kindly up to the host. “I’m good.”

“Really? Because I’m under the impression that you aren’t,” Top growled. 

“Whatever beef you have with me can be handled after the show,” Jay said, casually glancing over his shoulder. “And believe me, it’ll get handled homeboy.”

The host looked toward you, her expression mirroring something similar to panic. “Okay! So...Jaebum, how did it feel-”

“I’m sorry, can I switch seats?” Jay interrupted, throwing his thumb into the air to point at Seunghyun. “it’s like I have a dragon breathing down my neck.”

“Please, the stench of your cologne is suffocating,” Top muttered, leaning back and rolling his eyes. 

Jay launched up, spinning around to face the man. “What’s the problem? Not used to smelling something so expensive?”

“I’ll switch seats,” Taehyung nodded, quickly pulling himself to his feet. He gave a brief bow to Jay as he passed him and settled into the seat before Top. Jay sucked his teeth as he walked, plopping alongside the other Jaebum. 

“So...Jaebum,” the host tried again. “Viewers and fans know of your close friendship with Taehyung. How did it feel competing against a friend?”

“Well several of us are friends here,” JB nodded. “I’m close with Monsta X and Seventeen members as well. I think we all didn’t let the competition ruin our friendships.” 

“We all hope the best for each other,” Taehyung smiled. “We are close, so we want each other to do well and be happy. The only problem with that is if the others do well, it means they may get farther in the competition.” 

The younger men on stage laughed, nodding in agreement. 

“You see your hyungs do well and you get excited for them,” Jooheon continued. “But then you realize, oh man, maybe I don’t want them to do well. This doesn’t help my odds. It’s a very conflicting feeling.” 

“It is a competition after all,” the host nodded, flipping a cue card. “Which is why, if the crowd is ready, we’ll be revealing the first idol to be moving on to a second date!” 

The crowd audibly gasped at once before exploding into applause again. 

“Alright! Please, if I could have the envelope!”

In that moment, you thought you were going to pass out. You watched as a production assistant struggled toward the stage, a bright red envelope in her hands. It was eerily reminiscent of the mission envelopes you had grown to despise. It seemed as if time had suddenly began to move in slow motion as she passed the paper over to the host and she took it in her hands. 

“Alright guys, in your opinion, who do you feel like has their name in this first envelope?”

“I think it’s Top hyung,” Mingyu nodded without skipping a beat. “His date was too good.”

“Do I gotta go over this shit again, she-” Jay began, but the host quickly cut him off. 

“Jay, who do you think is written in this envelope?” 

“Me,” Jay nodded confidently. 

“Alright, what about you Sehun?” the host asked. 

“I would like to hope it’s me,” Sehun smiled warmly. “But if it’s not...I think it could be Taehyungie. His date was cute and well suited for his age.”

Taehyung’s smile faltered for a moment as he narrowed his eyes. “For my age?”

“Yes, very innocent,” Sehun chuckled, his smile never faltering. 

“You took her to see the lego Batman movie though,” Taehyung grumbled, his eyebrows furrowing. 

“It wasn’t meant as an insult!” Sehun whispered uneasily. “It’s a compliment, really!” 

“I think it’s time one of you are put at ease,” the host nodded with a grin. “Now, the first idol to be moving on to a second date is...”

Her fingers slipped gently under the lip of the envelope as she gave a hopeful glance up toward you. Little did she know that you were choking on what small amount of saliva was left in your mouth. You tried to count to ten in your mind, calming down the nerves pumping like electricity through your veins. 

“Im Jaebum!” 

The crowd dissolved into an array of screams and gasps as the men on stage all nodded to themselves and clapped. Jooheon leaned over, smacking a proud hand on the Got7 leader’s back. Jaebum’s eyebrows were raised nearly midway into his forehead to accommodate for how wide his eyes had become. 

You stood instinctively as Jaebum did, his steps slow in approaching you. He took your hands carefully as his mouth formed the smallest of smiles. “Me?” 

“You,” you whispered. He smiled gently and squeezed your hands, his eyes disappearing with a smile rapidly growing in size. 

“JB, how do you feel!” the host exclaimed. 

“Shocked!” Jaebum answered honestly. “All of the men on this show are so deserving. To know I was selected first is very humbling.”

“Before we continue any further,” the host sighed, looking down at her card. “Should we maybe...reveal another name?”

You let out something similar to a scoff, not being able to stop yourself from making the noise. Several of the men laughed gently at your emotion. 

To be honest, you weren’t sure if you could handle announcing a second winner so quickly. With just one date decided, you could use a glass of wine to make it through another. 

“Alright then!” the host smiled mischievously, reacting to the crowd going wild around her. “If you all insist...”

To Be Continued...

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4 - PART 5 - PART 6 - PART 7 - PART 8 - PART 9 - PART 10 - PART 11 - PART 12 - PART 13 - PART 14 - PART 15 - Part 16 - PART 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22

[mrwilliamcharley]

The Remix Pack Vol. 044

Our 44th edition has landed with new remixes from Zeds Dead,RAC, YehMe2, pluko, DROELOE, and more. Check out our favorite remixes of the week below and follow our Run The Remixes playlist on Spotify.

Ellie Goulding & Diplo – Close To Me (feat. Swae Lee) [Zeds Dead Remix] | Stream

Zeds Dead is back with new music, this time coming in the form of an official remix for Ellie Goulding and Diplo‘s collaboration “Close To Me” featuring Swae Lee. Bringing the bass to the summery pop ballad, the duo cranks up the energy on this one to deliver a seriously dope remix. This is one of Zeds Dead’s most memorable remixes to date.

Elohim & Whethan – Sleepy Eyes (RAC Mix) | Stream

In preparation for her upcoming deluxe edition album dropping April 26th, Elohim has enlisted RAC to remix her hit Whethan collaboration “Sleepy Eyes”. Glittering with luxurious guitar melodies and sparkling percussion, RAC brings a wave of surf-pop to “Sleepy Eyes” and its utterly infectious. RAC’s “Sleepy Eyes” remix is a stunning addition to his collection.

QUIX – Giving Up (feat. Jaden Michaels) [YehMe2 Remix] | Stream

YehMe2 consistently delivers wild, unforgettable remixes. For his latest, he’s dropped off an official flip of QUIX‘s “Giving Up”. Out now as part of QUIX’s official Illusions remix pack, YehMe2 thrusts the track into full festival trap throttle and it goes hard. YehMe2 has outdone himself with this one. Check out the full remix pack here.

RL Grime – Core (pluko Flip) | Free Download

Ahead of his debut performance at this weekend’s Ultra, rising stunner pluko has dropped off an amazing remix of RL Grime‘s “Core”. Still riding off the high from his set at ODESZA’s first-ever Sundara Festival and the release of his vibey Mura Masa flip, pluko is flaunting his skills just in time for festival season. Maintaining the iconic melody line and energy level, pluko brings a melds that trap anthem with future bass sounds to craft a sickeningly sweet future trap crossover. This one seriously goes hard.

A R I Z O N A – Find Someone (DROELOE Remix) | Stream

Mere weeks following the release of their “Crashing” remix, DROELOE are back with a fiery official remix of A R I Z O N A’s “Find Someone”. Intricately produced with wonky synth melodies and crisp percussion, DROELOE has fueled their slinky future bass style into the track. DROELOE’s “Find Someone” remix is a certified vibe.

The Chainsmokers – Who Do You Love (feat. 5 Seconds of Summer) [BKAYE Remix] | Free Download

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard anything from LA-based producer BKAYE. Having garnered thousands of streams across his flips of Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Lost Kings, and more, BKAYE was more than up to the task of remixing The Chainsmokers‘ “Who Do You Love”. Exploding into a vivacious future bass anthem, BKAYE brings his signature melodic soundscape to the forefront of this remix. BKAYE is back and better than ever.

Kasbo – Places We Don’t Know (ford. Remix) | Stream

It’s been just over a year since Kasbo unveiled his phenomenal debut Places We Don’t Know album. To celebrate, Kasbo has released an official remix EP and drafted Foreign Family Collective producer ford to help. Known for his official remixes of ODESZA, Mild Minds, Bearson, and OTR, ford. has spun Kasbo’s titular single into a dreamy, atmospheric indie-electronic paradise. Smooth and silky, ford’s latest remix is sure to catch your ear.

QUIX & Vincent – Hero (feat. David Shane) [WILDLYF Remix] | Stream

Just mere weeks ago, Australian up and comer WILDLYF presented a wild remix of Dillon Francis and Alison Wonderland’s “Lose My Mind”. He’s now back as part of QUIX‘s official Illusions remix pack with an insane flip of “Hero”. Anthemic and energetic, WILDLYF has infused “Hero” with the perfect combination of trap and future bass to take the track to the next level. Check out the full remix pack here.

Juice WRLD – Fast (Wild Cards Remix) | Free Download

Wild Cards has consistently delivered some of the finest remixes we’ve heard in recent years. Garnering millions of streams, Wild Cards have brought their future bass style to tracks by Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Khalid, Alan Walker, and more. They’ve now kicked off the year with a mind-altering remix of Juice WRLD‘s “Fast”. Filled with heavy percussion and smooth synth work, Wild Cards bring a duality of chill and anthemic future bass to “Fast”. This is one of Wild Cards’ finest remixes to date.

Alessia Cara – Out Of Love (Ruhde Remix) | Stream

Rising producer Ruhde has made waves with his official remixes of The Chainsmokers, XYLØ, and now Alessia Cara. Spinning “Out Of Love” into a flawless downtempo dream, Ruhde beautifully crafts a drop filled with sparkling vocal chops and breezy synths. Ruhde’s latest remix is simply breathtaking.

deadmau5 – The Veldt (Baaku Remix) | Free Download

Up and coming stunner Baaku has made waves with his fantastic remixes of Bon Iver, The Chainsmokers, Lauv, and more. His latest remix takes on the deadmau5 classic “The Veldt” and brings it into the modern world of future bass. Bright and bouncy, Baaku’s “The Veldt” remix carries an inherent groove that is absolutely infectious. Baaku is definitely one to keep an eye on this year.

Gryffin & Illenium – Feel Good (Subfer Remix) | Free Download

Subfer has astounded with his dynamic remixes of Flume, Porter Robinson, and Louis The Child. Now taking on Gryffin and Illenium‘s “Feel Good,” Subfer has packed the track with vibrant melodies, vivacious percussion, and smashing synths. Soaring into a future bass anthem, Subfer’s “Feel Good” remix is easily one of his finests to date.

Zomboy – Biterz (Slooze Flip) | Free Download

Rising producer Slooze has blown our minds with his trapped-out remixes of k?d, Zeds Dead, Flume, Seven Lions, and more. Ahead of his upcoming collaboration with 1788-L, Slooze has delivered a remix of Zomboy‘s “Biterz”. Hard from the get and throbbing with undeniable energy, Slooze builds “Biterz” into an all-out dubstep rager. This is one of Slooze’s wildest remixes yet.

Kasbo – Over You (feat. Frida Sundemo) [Super Duper Remix] | Stream

Hot off the release of his Vessels EP, Super Duper has stepped up as part of Kasbo‘s Places We Don’t Know remix EP to put his spin on “Over You”. Flourishing into a beautiful array of indie electronic and future bass, Super Duper has crafted a gloriously atmospheric remix. Super Duper’s “Over You” remix is breathtaking.

T-Pain – Bartender (Select Start Remix) | Free Download

Select Start caught our eye with their debut remix of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody”. For their sophomore release, Select Start has remixed T-Pain‘s classic “Bartender” and turned it into a certified vibe. Bouncing with an inherent groove, Select Start wash T-Pain’s iconic vocals with slinky synths and a sleek swagger that will grab any listener. Select Start are definitely onto something great.

yetep – Gravity (juuku Flip) | Free Download

Newcomer Juuku debuted just weeks ago with a phenomenal lofi-trap remix of Banks’ “Under The Table”. Back with his sophomore release, juuku has remixed yetep‘s “Gravity”. Opening with gorgeous piano lines, juuku builds the track with swelling bass stabs and soulful downtempo melodies. Showing a keen ear for elegant production, juuku is definitely one to keep an eye on this year.

Ella Vos – Ocean (Behave Ferris Remix) | Free Download

Behave Ferris has been making waves with his shiny remixes of Broods, Foster The People, and XYLØ. Now taking on Ella Vos‘ “Ocean,” the Chicago-based producer has beautifully draped the indie-pop original in delicate, soft bursts of electronic. Downtempo and reserved, Behave Ferris’ remix is simply stunning.

Lido – Ex (FLY Flip) | Free Download

Newcomer FLY has made our radar with his wonky trap flip of Lido‘s “Ex”. FLY’s exotic sounds and heavy percussion carries an air of nostalgia as it references early trap. FLY is definitely one to keep tabs on this year.

blackbear – Swear To God (THE HOTEL LOBBY Remix) | Stream

THE HOTEL LOBBY have swooped in with a vibe-riddled flip of Blackbear’s latest single “Swear To God”. The duo build around the original’s sharp string melodies, adding snappy percussion and electrifying guitar lines. THE HOTEL LOBBY have bumped Blackbear’s slow jam into a poppy dance banger.

Echosmith – Cool Kids (Young In Mind Remix) | Free Download

Making their debut on our pages, Swedish duo Young In Mind have delivered a fantastic remix of Echosmith’s “Cool Kids”. Draped with luscious piano chords, shimmering synths and delicate percussion, Young In Mind’s remix is absolutely stunning. Young In Mind are definitely ones to watch this year.

STAY IN THE KNOW! FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY & CHECK OUT OUR RUN THE REMIXES PLAYLIST!

>> Submit Your Remix Here <<

Read more from Jordan and connect with her on Soundcloud, Twitter, and Instagram.

'The Remix Pack Vol. 044

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[kartiavelino]

Mötley Crüe Netflix biopic nails band’s outrageous hair metal looks

A technology of heavy metal followers have been launched to Mötley Crüe with their raucous hit “Looks That Kill,” and now due to a brand new Netflix film, audiences can relive the band’s killer looks. The notorious hair metal group will get the biopic remedy in “The Dust,” streaming Friday. The flick follows bassist Nikki Sixx (Douglas Sales space), guitarist Mick Mars (Iwan Rheon), vocalist Vince Neil (Daniel Webber) and drummer Tommy Lee (Colson Baker, higher generally known as rapper Machine Gun Kelly) as they rise to ’80s superstardom. Director Jeff Tremaine explores the non-public struggles of every band member all through the hard-partying journey, together with various calls upon “Dr. Feelgood.” It was as much as costume designer Christine Wada and make-up artist Corey Castellano to believably morph the 4 actors into the long-lasting musicians. Every began with huge quantities of analysis, from journal clippings and YouTube movies to time spent with the band members themselves, who turned out to be surprisingly well mannered {and professional}. Mötley Crüe of their “Looks That Kill” costumes in 1983.WireImage “It wasn’t form of what you’ll suppose if you hear the band Mötley Crüe,” says Castellano, with amusing. “I created form of an enormous timeline on my wall,” says Wada, “and when Nikki and Tommy got here by means of . . . it was actually enjoyable to indicate them that timeline, to form of see their wonderment of how a lot they’ve been by means of.” For scenes requiring informal put on, Wada — who labored within the ’80s as a bartender on the legendary NYC punk membership CBGB — sourced tees from classic retailers. However she additionally borrowed shirts from a buddy of hers, Howie Pyro, who has a set courting again to the ’70s. Even Wada’s personal closet acquired raided, along with her white leather-based jacket ending up on Webber within the movie. Re-creating efficiency outfits — equivalent to these worn within the “Looks That Kill” music video — was an even bigger endeavor, with the explosions of vivid colours, studs, chains and straps. “It truly is simply such a collage of various supplies,” says Wada. Throughout roughly 64 costume adjustments for every band member, Wada’s hardest problem was pants. The band favored skintight trousers, usually in unforgiving leather-based, so Wada discovered herself tossing gender labels to the facet. “A lot of the guys from that period wore their girlfriends’ pants, and even to at the present time, to get that sort of rock ’n’ roll swagger match, you’re higher off utilizing ladies’s pants,” she explains, noting that the idea took the actors some getting used to. After which there have been the heels. Wada says that the actual band members purchased stripper boots from retailers on Hollywood Boulevard, however she made customized ones for Sales space, the actor, so he’d be extra comfy. Douglas Sales space as Nikki Sixx, Daniel Webber as Vince Neil, Iwan Rheon as Mick Mars and Colson Baker as Tommy Lee.Jake Giles Netter/Netflix In the meantime, Castellano introduced the band’s twist on glam make-up again to life, together with conflict paint beneath Sales space’s eyes (MAC waterproof eyeliner) and a hard-edge cheek contour for Rheon. (A bit of cardboard helped create the straight traces.) A number of wig adjustments for every man, courtesy of Anne Morgan’s hair division, topped off the looks. Tattoos have been Castellano’s greatest ordeal. Due to copyright points, he needed to create re-imagined variations of Mötley Crüe’s precise tats. He then needed to mine the rockers’ recollections to determine when of their lives they’d accrued them, so he might progressively add the tats all through the film’s timeline. The actors’ current ink additionally needed to be fully coated up. “Machine Gun Kelly is tattooed from chin to ankle, mainly,” says Castellano. “So every single day, his was the longest course of, bar none.” All of the hours of prep proved value it for the uncanny transformations. Castellano vividly remembers the primary time the 4 actors all noticed one another accomplished up within the laborious rockers’ live performance ensembles. “They checked out one another . . . and you would simply see that psychological change get [flipped]. They have been there,” he says. “Swiftly, you’re watching a band that you just went to see 30 years in the past.” Share this: https://nypost.com/2019/03/21/motley-crue-netflix-biopic-nails-bands-outrageous-hair-metal-looks/ The post Mötley Crüe Netflix biopic nails band’s outrageous hair metal looks appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://kartiavelino.com/2019/03/motley-crue-netflix-biopic-nails-bands-outrageous-hair-metal-looks.html

[funnythingshere0-blog]

'BlacKkKlansman' Review: Spike Lee Detonates a Funny and Righteously Furious 'Fuck You' to Trump — Cannes 2018

New Post has been published on http://funnythingshere.xyz/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee-detonates-a-funny-and-righteously-furious-fuck-you-to-trump-cannes-2018/

'BlacKkKlansman' Review: Spike Lee Detonates a Funny and Righteously Furious 'Fuck You' to Trump — Cannes 2018

It’s surprisingly easy to forget that “BlacKkKlansman” is a Spike Lee joint. Not only does it open with an extended sequence from “Gone with the Wind” (not a Spike Lee joint), but it also spends a good amount of time parsing the fundamental dilemma of Jewish-American identity, and takes place in the snow-white hills of Colorado Springs … which in this country, is pretty much as far from Crooklyn as you can get.

Sure, the usual Lee flourishes pop up here and there — from the introductory text promising this buddy-cop biopic is “some fo’ real shit,” to the gorgeous conveyor-belt shot at the climax, and the sobering mic drop of news footage that brings things to a close — and the whole thing is kissed with his cock-eyed anger. But so much of this movie seems like it could’ve been made by anybody. It couldn’t have been — it wouldn’t have been — but it often seems that way. We’re talking a clean three-act structure, a couple of scenes that vaguely resemble car chases, and motherfucking Topher Grace.

The truth is, you just don’t expect that something called “BlacKkKlansman,” an unvarnished look back at the African-American police officer who conned his way into David Duke’s inner circle, is going to be Spike Lee’s most commercial project since “Inside Man” in 2006. Hell, this thing is so mainstream it feels like the start of a franchise. And yet, that mass appeal is a huge part of what makes this funny and righteously furious American film so powerful. Lee might paint with a broad brush, but he makes damn sure that every one of his targets is tagged with at least a little splotch of red. And he makes damn sure that every one of us can see it so clearly that it will never wash off.



“BlacKkKlansman” rewinds the clock back to the early ’70s, a time when the Vietnam War was raging, caller ID had yet to be invented, and way too many other things were the same as they are now. When Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, of the Denzel Washingtons) rolls up to the Colorado Springs Police Department, he’s the first black cop they’ve ever had on the force. And his blackness is a bit dissonant for many of his very white (and very sheltered) new co-workers. On the one hand, he’s got a big afro. On the other, he talks like a bible salesman.

Read More:Cannes Film Festival Directors Sign Pledge Vowing to Increase Gender Equality at Festival

Sick of working in the records office and eager to earn the respect of his peers, Ron volunteers for undercover work. He says he’s got a “niche.” Lucky for him, a perfect opportunity for some light intel work falls into his lap: Kwame Ture (a commanding Corey Hawkins) is giving a speech for the black student union, and Ron is just the guy to slip in and read the room unnoticed. Not only does he get the job done, but he also gets to meet-cute with a beautiful and impassioned activist named Patrice Dumas (Spider-Man’s recent love interest, Laura Harrier).

But there are too many diehard racists on the force — too many angry white men who like to kill black kids for sport. So Ron tries to move things along. On the spur of the moment, he opens the phone book, picks up the receiver, and dials the local chapter of the KKK. He tells them that he’s interested in becoming a member; he uses his real name (rookie mistake). The next thing Ron knows, he’s got a blind date with a real-life White Nationalist. And, um, that’s probably not going to be much of a love connection. Fortunately, our quick-thinking hero has a plan: He’s going to pull a “Cyrando de Bergerac” and send a detective named Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to wear a wire and “play” Ron Stallworth in person. Never mind that Flip is Jewish — even he needs to be reminded of that. Besides, he can pass.

Just like that, they’re off to the races. Flip gets in tight with the brotherhood, while Ron listens in from a nearby car. The Colorado Springs chapter of “The Organization” is represented by a cartoonish trio of incompetents (Ryan Eggold as the leader, Jasper Pääkkönen as the suspicious sociopath, and “I, Tonya” breakout Paul Walter Hauser as the mouth-breathing source of extra comic relief). The film makes fun of them from its modest start to its explosive finish, and yet — strange as it may seem — there’s always something irreducibly terrifying about a well-armed militia that’s hellbent on ethnic cleansing.

Read More:‘Three Faces’ Review: Jafar Panahi’s Turns His Life Into a Movie With Another Statement on Censorship — Cannes 2018

Always something, but sometimes not enough. Lee, whose films are not exactly known for their tonal consistency, often struggles to reconcile the dark comedy of these scenes with the sheer darkness that surrounds them. At times, the absurdity of the KKK members — and one of their wives — is so extreme that it undercuts the urgency of the threat they pose. And that’s before Stallworth connects with the hate group’s then-leader, an eminently punchable and regrettably familiar weasel named David Duke (unfortunately for Topher Grace, the role that he was born to play).

But the mocking phone calls between Ron and the Grand Wizard aren’t only there so that we can laugh at Duke as he swears that he can tell the difference between black and white people based on the sound of their voice. They also serve a second, and more critical function, as Lee’s script — based on Stallworth’s memoir, and co-written by three other writers — uses their duality as a vehicle to explore the quest for pluralism at the heart of this story. Is it truly possible for a black American to be both of those things at once? Is it possible for a Jew? Wasn’t the fundamental promise of this country that we could all be together ourselves?

It’s hard to imagine a more lucid expression of that seemingly irreconcilable conflict than the sequence in which Ron — the real Ron — is assigned to protect Duke when he comes to town. In a film where Washington is too often stuck behind a desk, putting on his phone voice and biting his tongue, this strange encounter allows the actor to have an out-of-body experience; he’s othered and included at the same time, twisting Duke’s own ignorance against him. It’s all conveyed through the suspense of a ’70s cop thriller (and sometimes even the swagger of blaxploitation), and Washington has a blast with every moment of it.

Read More:Cannes 2018 Palme d’Or Contenders: Here’s a Look at the Likely Winners (UPDATED)

Driver eventually does as well, though his character spends most of the movie in harm’s way. Unleashing the pent-up testosterone that percolated beneath his roles in “Girls” and “Star Wars,” Driver leans into every one of the self-loathing epithets that Flip uses as a disguise. He does a brilliant job of registering the toll that it takes, every anti-semitic jab pushing him closer to a real confrontation with the Jewish identity that he’s always kept like a half-forgotten secret.

It’s very unexpected (and exceedingly rare) to see a film that reckons with the dormant feelings — the pride, shame, tradition, history, and otherness — of being a “passing” Jew in White America, let alone a film that clarifies that reflects the Jewish-American and African-American experiences against each other in order to clarify them both.

While “BlacKkKlansman” only has so much time to dwell on such things as it barrels along the predictable trajectory of a superhero origin saga, each of Lee’s hyper-political asides speaks to the institutional anxieties at the heart of this story. In fact, Ron and Patrice spend most of their scenes together addressing the issue head-on: Is it possible to change the system from the inside if the people in power don’t want the system to change?

David Duke found a way to crack it, and he drops enough groan-worthy dramatic irony to make sure we recognize that (he foams at the mouth about “America first,” and even gives a little speech about inserting a White Nationalist into the Oval Office one day). Patrice isn’t convinced that it’s a workable solution for an oppressed people, but if the Colorado Springs Police Department can turn things around on their own streets — if Ron can somehow reconcile being a black cop, and Flip a white Jew — then we can be the system. Quoth Hillel the Elder: “If not now, when? If not you, who?”

Far more frightening than it is funny (especially after Lee connects the dots from Colorado Springs to Charlottesville), “BlacKkKlansman” packages such weighty and ultra-relevant subjects into the form of a wildly uneven but consistently entertaining night at the movies. It’s as broad as America is wide, but that’s as broad as it needs to be. After all, “The Birth of a Nation” was a blockbuster. It was history written with lightning. “BlaKkKlansman” is a deafening roll of the thunder we’ve been waiting for ever since.

Grade: B+

“BlacKkKlansman” premiered in Competition at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. It will be released in theaters on August 10th.

[char27martin]

2016 April PAD Challenge: Results

Okay, long overdue, but here they are: the 2016 April PAD Challenge results post. We tried a new method of narrowing down the poems via e-mail submissions, and well, then we changed e-mail platforms. So reading the poems was not as smooth as I was hoping, but that’s okay.

I did get through them all, and I loved reading them. Just as I loved reading all the personalized messages; y’all make me feel so lucky to do what I do. For real. Thank you!

*****

Order the New Poet’s Market!

The 2017 Poet’s Market, edited by Robert Lee Brewer, includes hundreds of poetry markets, including listings for poetry publications, publishers, contests, and more! With names, contact information, and submission tips, poets can find the right markets for their poetry and achieve more publication success than ever before.

Order your copy today!

In addition to the listings, there are articles on the craft, business, and promotion of poetry–so that poets can learn the ins and outs of writing poetry and seeking publication. Plus, it includes a one-year subscription to the poetry-related information on WritersMarket.com. All in all, it’s the best resource for poets looking to secure publication.

Click to continue.

*****

This year, I’ve decided to share my Top 20 list (in no particular order) of poems that resonated with me. They’re not the only good poems I read, of course, out of the hundreds sent my way; they’re just the ones that jumped out at me more.

The Motley Fool, by Anders Bylund

The tart on his tongue has turned to tact

  Starfish, by Angie Bell

It’s funny how the unexpected can form an instant community

like that July morning

at Siesta Key when a delegation of starfish drew us all together as we dipped our toes in the warm gulf waters

beachgoers laughing and squealing

pointing and talking to each other splashing and swimming among the starfish that day

we formed a temporary friendship

over the joy of the ocean’s offerings years later across the land “remember when” will be heard

and tales of the starfish will be told

  In Response to Langston Hughes’ April Rain Song, by Arcadia Sturdivant

I wish I could like rain’s kisses I wish I could bear raindrops on my head I wish I could listen to rain like a lullaby I rather have the sun kiss me I rather have sunrays through my hair I rather have the sun beckon me to come outside

  Snipping Through Life, by Azma Sheikh

The distance from you to me is amusingly the same as the distance between two blades of a scissor. The more we close in, the more it cuts.

  Puckish Love, by William Preston

Love holds forth its humble hands and proffers new hope to the heart; hate, ensconced in iron bands, demands that love depart.

Hate, sufficient unto itself, boasts pride as its only rule; love, a peripatetic elf, is willing to play the fool.

Love willingly risks the flares of fear to gain a glimpse of glee; in love, therefore, I bid you, dear: play the fool for me.

  Their One Spring Task: Out-do the Other Sparkles, by Barb Peters

Ours hang against the April wall, the first to bloom then blink. They straggle, stretch their necks, all gawk and inexperience.

These jonquils shy too much–their counterparts are lonely clouds. No flutter dance near sidewalks, lacking in experience.

Come on, square shoulders, shout: “We’re better than the dandelions!” Instead, they cling in twos or threes, limp packs of inexperience.

If Wordsworth napped upon our couch, no dreams of blissful swathes. Let’s plant ourselves narcissus crowds enacting his experience.

We’ll write our names, dear love, each daff an edge of golden cursive on a flounce of white. We’ll rise in spring, forever back for our experience.

  Giddy Up, by Beverly Finney

Those leather boots with the pointed toe and the stout heel insist on a stirrup, the flash and smell of a lathered flank, the snort of a mane in the jingle of reins, the switch of a long tail, thunder of hooves pounding the earth. That’s where I go pulling them on, tugging hard with the red-handled hooks until my high arch passes the narrow turn and my foot settles into the swagger I know I will wear all day.

  Jaded, by Charise Hoge

Somewhere in the heart of harm I want to sweep you off your calloused feet, your callousness nestling in a hyacinth wreath – drunk on spring perfuming the crevices where love rots, where cradles splinter, to unearth the eager crook of your arm.

  Fool, by Connie Blitz

I’m just a fool who likes to spend time experimenting with rhythm and rhyme. I’ll never get rich in this word game. I won’t find fortune. I won’t find fame, but I have found a kindred soul or two, not a lot, just a few, who also like to put words in a string, creating pearls of wisdom, making lingual bling.

  Early Memory, by Connie Peters

My red plastic boots dangled as Dad lifted me up to peer down at Grandma asleep in her casket.

  First Time, by Christina Perry

That first time you whispered breathlessly I love you, as you held me in your arms all I could do was shudder, wipe tears from bloodshot eyes, and moan as I gazed over your left shoulder. Even in that moment of disorientation, with a lip already swelling from the impact of your fist, I knew you had just upped the ante–and I hated you for it.

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Three Cherry Tree Blossoms, by Sara McNulty

Raindrops fall through arcing pink umbrellas three cherry blossom trees

  Origami, by Sara Ramsdell

I crease you into the flat folds of a paper crane a thousand patient times, coupling wing and string into the repetitive rudimentary vessel of one lavish wish.

  Dead End Perspective, by Stevie Mitchell

If I paint myself into a corner, it’s so I know I’ll be part of the picture.

  Fulfillment, by Ellen Evans -after “Ode to the Flute,” by Ross Gay

A man sings by throwing his voice through the flute a man turns himself into air through the flute a man sings a ventriloquist song and the flute is at last fulfilled

  To the Girl Who Likes the Lady Horses Best, by Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming -response to “how to triumph like a girl,” by Ada Limon

It is beautiful to be believed. A little girl who thinks, who knows, who wants to run @ 40mph, who can solve a math equation and understand biology. She can draw the 8-pound heart of a lady horse, with heart valves, aorta and vena cava, heavy with blood. A girl who knows her own heart beats like a machine, a pump beneath her shirt. A genius girl who wants to win, who will win, if she is believed.

  Havana’s Sun, by Danielle C. Robinson

over turquoise water, we stretched and hovered like vessels until our skin broke through a ring of currents. then we stumbled ashore and laid flat under the Havana sun. shared lavish kisses, played rock, paper, scissors until my gap-tooth became gaudy. realizing, at that moment, you were no longer on my blacklist.

  You Can’t Buy Ruby Slippers at a Kansas Hardware Store, by De Jackson

That was no ordinary twister, Mister, and Dorothy had a dream and now she’s on the hunt for just the right shade of crimson heels. Blue and white check and black MaryJanes are, at best, as country bumpkin as it gets, and she’s had a taste of the just-right click of yellow brick, and emeralds. Auntie Em

disapproves, of course. And you and you and you were there, but now you’re frowning, doubting her judgment and her sanity and her desire for pretty feet. No need to worry. It’s just that she’s heard a faint cackle from the West, and she’s thinking it’s best that she work up the courage (heart, wicked smarts) to find her way back (home).

  Untitled (Woman Playing Solitaire), by Pamela Taylor -Inspired by Kitchen Table Series, by Carrie Mae Weems

The girls keep quiet and out of sight. They know to stay away from the kitchen table when mama plays solitaire.

The parakeet shifts over in its cage, peeks at the card held aloft, chirps once for black, twice for red.

She studies the upturned cards like tarot. This is the only time she controls the stacked deck, where she can deal a better hand.

Her nightgown shimmers in the stark light. She rolls the sleeves up to her elbows. The cigarette continues its slow burn.

  The Flute Remembers, by Bruce W. Niedt -after “Ode to the Flute,” by Ross Gay

And then a man looks at a flute beside him and asks How did you learn to catch the wind? and the flute remembers a time before silver and keys that locked in the wind and remembers days of wood and finger holes and how people would dance to its wind the same wind that has blown for ages and ages the same wind that blew across a hollow reed fifty-thousand years ago just as a man was passing.

  Skip Toodle-loo, by Candace Kubinec

Just skip it flip it right into the pond let that ring, sink, I think get lost in the muck stuck in the ooze skip the roses weak psychoses of apologies skip town instead go ahead I’m through with you so toodle-loo, buckaroo

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And there you go! I hope you enjoyed these poems as much as I did.

Because of how I looked over the 2016 poems, I couldn’t figure out a good person to name as Poet Laureate, but I hope to bring that back with the 2017 challenge. More on that later this week.

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Robert Lee Brewer is the editor of Poet’s Market and author of Solving the World’s Problems. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.

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Check out these other poetic posts:

Bryan Borland: Poet Interview.

Collecting Poems Into a Book: 5 Poets Share Their Method.

WD Poetic Form Challenge: Diminishing Verse.

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