#Miles of Aisles Tour

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Joni Mitchell backstage, 1974 © Joel Bernstein.

[penny-anna]

honestly kinda unfortunate that the only spooky library aesthetic is the victorian fancy bookshelves dark academia one bcos like. ok here's some library stories.

while i was at the university the library was undergoing a major refurbishment so for a little while the print journals were being stored temporarily down in the basement.

basically nobody ever consulted the print journals bcos 99% of stuff undergrads would be looking up is online these days so every time i went down there it was dead fucking silent & empty. you had to walk through what felt like several miles of empty basement to reach the collection, which was in a room w a photocopier shoved in the corner and a bunch of these:

u turn the handles to move these around (saves space) and every time you had to go and check the aisles first on the offchance that someone was in there so they wouldn't get u know. Compacted.

many years ago i did a week's work experience with the National Library of Scotland. here it is:

but that's just the tip of the iceberg. it keeps going down the side of the bridge, like so:

i got a tour of the stacks while i was there. it's floor after floor of this:

the bookshelves are made of metal & i was treated to the 'fun fact' that the shelves are, bizarrely, load bearing. for this reason they have to be constantly vigilant about fire hazards because even a relatively small fire could cause a bookcase to buckle from the heat, which in turn could cause the whole building to collapse in on itself like a house of cards.

this has haunted me ever since!! thank you.

[aesthetic-bbyg]

SMOOTH OPERATOR- TOM K.

Tom Kaulitz x chola!reader

in which you and a group of friends walk into a convince store in LA only for you to end up crushing on the German boy buying beer and candy.

Nattie speaks: I came up with this while listening to music hehehehe. I was also torn between braids or dreads but ultimately I chose braids🤞

TOM SHUFFLED ACROSS the aisle of the gas station, eyes wandering across the variety of candy and occasionally glancing down at the crumpled up paper in his hand, scribbles of what everyone wanted hardly readable. He wasn’t familiar of the area, only being in LA for a few days for the tour but he was still sent off to find all the necessity’s to survive in the hotel a little longer. His black glasses were shoved up onto his hat, braids swinging down his back with each step while also pulling his baggy pants up. His hands were full of chips, candy, cookies, now his vision was directed towards the back freezers were the beer was stored.

Off in the distance he could hear a faint buzz, a booming sound of music being heard from a mile away and it only got closer. The lyrics of a Tupac song echoed into the store, a mixture of boys and girls stumbling in loudly. The one holding stereo grinned innocently, lowering down the music as the clerk behind the counter glared at him. Two girls trailed in after, you and your best friend, Alejandra, pinkies interlocked as you whispered about some teen pregnancy that happened downtown.

“Hurry up, or I ain’t getting you nothin’.” Your brother, Manuel, demanded, heading towards the food. His hair was slicked back, far too much gel layed on his dark locks to stick it in place.

The two of you headed down to the back, immediately searching for the cold drinks, you sharp eyes looked around the glass doors of different beverages. You gasped suddenly, wrapping your fingers around the metal handle of the door and pulling it open. A fresh breeze blew onto your body, contrasting against the hot sun that beamed brightly just outside. “Damn, Jandra!” Your friend jogged by you with curious eyes. “They released a sandía version of the Arizona Teas!” A big grin filled your face, grabbing the red tin can.

“Shiit.” Alejandra smiled, “Alright, you get the sandía and I get the mango, just so we got options.” You nodded, closing the door as someone walked behind you. You looked over your shoulder instinctively, catching sight of a tall boy, adorned in baggy clothing, a bandana wrapped along his hairline and long cornrows.

Tom had also taken notice of you the moment you stepped into the store, he turned to catch a better look but was met with your own eyes. For a moment, time slowed, both of gazed kept on each other, waiting for the other to look away. In the end, his eyes were lost behind a shelf, but you could see the way his lips quirked up into a smirk before he walked into the chip aisle.

You nudged Alejandra, removing her attention from the kids juice box section. You subtly nodded over to the boy who stood a few feet away, grabbing a bag of salty snacks. “He’s cute.” You whispered, Alejandra nodded in agreement smiling over at you knowingly. “Should ask I for his number?”

“Do it.” The girl giggled, revealing her pearly teeth that were caged behind a pair of braces. But, before you could walk over he began to make his way to the front, breezing past your brother and his group of friends who were going ham on the condiments. You huffed, walking by your brother to get a better look at him but still keeping it nonchalant. Your hands were inching towards a bag of Hot Cheetos, you brother loudly chewed on his hotdog, you stared over at him with a disgusted face. Alejandra opened up a bag of hot Cheetos, filling it up with cheese from the nacho section. You joined her, doing the same till your ear picked up a brewing commotion.

“In the United States you need to be 21 to buy beer.” The old clerk lectured, angrily glaring at the boy in front of him, a ID slipped on the counter that showed all of the mysterious cute boys information.

“But I am 19,” He pointed at the date of birth stated on the card, “that’s legal everywhere else, just let me have them.” The boy argued back, a thick accent in the back of his throat while he flailed his arms angrily.

“But we’re not anywhere else, we’re in the United States, it’s the law, kid.” The braid-haired boy groaned, taking back his ID and leaving behind the pack of beers, cursing under his breath in german. At that point the commotion had caught the attention of all the group. You stared as he stomped out the store, bag full of other snacks in his hands. Your brother and his friends snickered amongst eachother, you shoved his shoulder with a stern look.

“Yo, do him a solid and get them.” You muttered, your brother stared down at you, expression laid back and careless like usual, but he raised a brow.

“You gon’ pay for it o que?” (Or what) He questioned, “Cuz, I’m already payin’ for whatever you and Jandra got there, I ain’t spending my money on nothin’ more.”

You rolled your eyes, stuffing your hands into your pocket and pulling out the last bit of cash you had on you, placing it in his open palm. He smirked smugly, walking to get a pack before making his way upfront, the things got paid for, the cashier asking the same questions of did you find everything okay? as always, though his miserable tone was pitiful. As soon as you and the group stepped out the store, your brothers friend cranked up the volume on the stereo again, the song blasting from the speaker. From a distance you could see the same boy, leaned up against the ice machine, his snacks still in hand while the other held a cigarette between his fingers. His dark glasses protecting his eyes from the lowering sun.

Alejandra smiled at you, passing the pack of cold beers before cheering you on silently. You looked back at her before jogging over to the tall boy. “Yo, got these for you.” For a moment he just stared at you confusingly, cigarette burning down as the seconds ticked by. “I saw what happened in there, but don’t worry, we always got each others backs here in LA.”

You’d begun to think that maybe he didn’t understand you, he did have a thick, foreign accent while speaking earlier which made you assume that he may have a limited English vocabulary. You weren’t sure, but it made you nervous and awkwardly shuffle from side to side. But finally, he dropped the cigarette, crushing it under his shoes and lifting his sunglasses from his enchanting irises. He grabbed the pack, a smirk on forming on his pierced lips. “Thank you, beautiful, what’s your name?”

You liked his confidence, the nickname immediately making your smile and lean your head to the side flirtatiously. “Y/n, and you?”

“Tom.” He replied swiftly, eyes examining your body. The tight white tank top that hugged your skin, the baggy Dickies that belong to your brother hung low on your waist being kept up by a black belt, your ears gleaming with large silver hoops. You had a few tattoos scattered across the exposed skin he could see, your eyebrows were thinly drawn on, lips lined with a dark shade of brown. He liked you, adored your style. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thanks.” You bit your lip, looking up at him through your lashes. “You fine as hell too, that’s why I wanted to ask for your number.”

“Yeah?” Tom lowly questioned, his shit-eating smirk only getting bigger. “Well you’ve got it, gorgeous.” He set down the beers, reaching for his phone in his deep pockets. You exchanged numbers, conversing a little longer, pulling all the flirty comments you could think of. You got him to chuckle a few times before he revealed that he was in town with his band.

“I like your glasses.” You hands reached forward, grabbing them from his head and placing them on your face. “Damn, these nice as fuck.”

He chuckled softly, staring at you. “Keep them.” You looked over at him, lowering the glasses to make sure that he meant it and wasn’t playing with you. “Gives me a reason to see your pretty face again.”

“Damn.” You stared at him happily before a loud horn blasted from behind you, you rolled your eyes, glancing back to see your brother looking back at you from red the low-rider car seat. “I gotta go, but call me guapo.” You smirked, waving your hand before walking towards the car. Alejandra smirked as she saw your happy express when you hopped in the open-roofed car. Tom eyes never left you as the car pulled away from the gas station and sped down the road, the whole vehicle vibrating as a rap song shrieked out the speakers.

“Who was that vato you were talkin’ to?” Manuel questioned, looking back at you from the rear-view mirror with a raised brow.

“None of ya’ business, mitotero.” You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, head turning to stare out into the road, the harsh wind whipping through your hair. Alejandra smirked, leaning in closer to your ear.

“So, did you get it?” Your friend watched as your lips twitched, teeth coming out to bite back the grin that threatened to show. She giggled, shaking your body lightly. “Ohh, girl, you got that look of looove.”

“He fine as hell but love is a little much.” You replied, looking over at her with a mischievous smile. “He gave him his glasses, though.” You pull them from your head and passed them to her as she gawked at them.

“A la madre, this is some of that nice shit.” She examined it closely, staring at the Ray-ban logo printed on the side. Just then you felt a buzz on your thigh, you looked down at the phone as it lit up with a notification, an unknown number texted you. Immediately you opened it and smiled, Tom had texted you, a flirty greeting topped with a winky face. “I assume it your man textin’?”

“Cállate.” You turn your phone off, stuffing it in the side pocket of your pants. The text was only the first of many, Tom taking more interest in you the longer you talked, it wasn’t long till he’d taken you to his hotel room.

“Shit, fool.” You mumbled, tightening the belt around your waist as Tom chuckled, being the only audience member of your fashion show, aka you trying on his stupidly baggy clothes. “How so you wear this stuff everyday.”

He shrugged, throwing his hands up slightly. “I am a big man, I need big clothes.”

“No shit.” You scoffed, turning towards the mirror and staring at the huge shirt that looked more like a dress. “Should I wear this to the carne asada?”

“I think you should wear nothing, you’re sexier that way.” The Kaulitz boy smirked, doing that thing where he fiddled with the black piercing on his lip. You rolled your eyes and walked back into the closet, ignoring his comments as you dug through more of his clothes. In a few hours you and Tom would have to arrive at your tíos carne asada, Tom being requested to join by non other then your mother.

Tom was already dressed and splayed out on the seat, just watching as you struggled to find something, which why you ended digging through his clothes. It took an half hour before you came out satisfied, grinning widely as you put on your silver hoops.

The real problem came the moment you stepped in the backyard, your tíos home full of guest that you knew and some you didn’t. Either way a handful of them came up to with same comments how old you looked and how big you’ve gotten. Manuel came up with his little gang that constantly followed him around, it took him the longest to get sue to Tom. Though, it wasn’t long before your brother and Tom became friends.

“Wassup, ese.” Manuel he held a corona beer in his hand, using his free one to grab clap against Tom’s and bring him in for a swift chest bump. Then you ran into your mother, her expression going from a stern glare to a huge smile. Everything had went smooth so far, you were happy to be there, until a familiar voice squealed from behind you.

“Tomas! Mi Niño, mira que guapo té vez!” Your mother chanted, bringing him into a tight hug and planting her calloused hands on his cheek, he smiled shyly at her affection. The boy had grown to be a favorite, his charisma and cute looks making him popular with the tías.

“Mama, he just got here from Germany a couple days ago, está cansado, we just gonna sit and chill.” You attempted to reason with the woman, staring at your boyfriend apologetically. But you’d only made the situation worse, she gasped dramatically, looking back at the boy and ushering him to a table. She’s explained everything to all of the tías, which lead to him being taken care of for most of the night. He was constantly being checked up on, being handed plates of food, being talked to about the latest scandal of the neighborhood, it left you sitting with Alejandra, on the other side of the backyard.

“Que tienes, amiga?” The dark haired girl questioned, staring at your frowning face and squinted eyes. She could practically feel the heat of annoyance radiating of you.

“They took my fucking man!”

heheheheh, this just a short little thang I decided to write bc why not,🤷‍♀️y’all already know that Tom would have the aunties in a CHOKEHOLD!! I also had to rewrite the last half of this bc I forgot to save it so sorry if any parts of it seem rushed or short!

[nervousd]

Chapter One — Reminiscence

→ Infatuation | m.list

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#SYNOPSIS— Recom! Miles remembers his infatuation for you

#WARNING(S)— This is a dark fic, possessive behavior, unhealthy obsession, abuse of power, dark quaritch, yandere, implications of noncon/dubcon, stalking, creepy behavior

#CHARACTER(S)— Colonel miles quaritch, Reom! Miles Quaritch

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After conducting a briefing with his new team and outlining the goals and the pressing necessity of hunting and killing Jake Sully. Miles was summoned by General Ardmore, she informed him of the imperative need to colonize Pandora and ‘ pacify ‘ the na’vi; since earth was now deemed to be virtually uninhabitable. She than showed him clips from recent attacks to previous years of footage before he was woken up. They were well planned out attacks against the RDA led by Jake Sully ❝ Now Colonel I understand you were given a second task. Quaritch— had pulled rank to get what he wanted. Even in death, his commands are being followed— that’s hell of motivation if you ask me. I’m hoping you give that same energy to Sully ❞

❝ I assure you General nothing will distract me from my priorities ❞ When the words rolled of his tongue he felt them dripping in the untruth. Jake sully wasn’t his priority— no even if he wanted to he couldn’t. There was an itch under his skin only you could calm. If he didn’t believe his own words than he wouldn’t put it past himself if the General didn’t believed him either. She scoffed, dismissing him until further notice of any new briefings.

Miles was left to his own dwellings, he spent most of his time reminiscing about the past— if he could call it his past. That wasn’t him— no he’s just a clone. A shell of the man before him. But even still he couldn’t help but desire to claim those memories as his. Memories that he spent with you— he wanted to experience it all with you. He wanted to see you for the first time, look at your eyes while you gaze at him with adoration, he wants to get to know you— he wants to call you his. These memories he has of you aren’t his, and it pains him to accept it. His heart ached, longing for you. At one point he regarded you as a thief, you have stolen everything from him. The heart in his chest, the air from his lungs and all his thoughts within his head— you have stolen everything he had to offer.

His eyes closed in sweet bliss of remembrance upon his predecessor first meeting with you. It was a memory he couldn’t help but often think about.

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❝ You’re not in Kansas anymore, you’re on Pandora ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact, every second of every day ❞ His boots made a menacing clicking sound as they hit the ground. His gestures and precise movements made him intimidating— the scar that ran through his skull only amplified to his demeanor ❝ If there is a hell you might wanna go there for some r&r after a tour on Pandora. Out there, beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for juejuebees. ❞

❝ We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the ‘ Na’vi ‘ There fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that’ll stop your heart in one minute— they have bones reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fiber. They are very hard to kill ❞ He turned around slowly facing all the new recruits, walking down the aisle; he continued on with his speech ❝As head of security, it is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed, not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong mental attitude. You’ve got to obey the rules, Pandora rules ❞

His steps halted, his eyes locked with yours. You peered up at him batting your eyelashes ❝ You’ve got all of that sweetheart? ❞ His eyes trailed down your throat seeing the harsh swallow, a sly grin curved up the corner of his lips. A shiver coursed through his spine as he gazed down at you expectingly. You kept your mouth shut, nodding instead. He arched a wrinkled eyebrow, ❝ I want words sweetheart ❞

❝ Yes— sir ❞ Quaritch nearly folded, your voice sounded sensual and smooth— a velvety whisper. His blue eyes gleamed, ❝ atta girl ❞ He turned back around, ❝ Rule number One— ❞

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━━━ : © NERVOUS.D

[mercurygray]

I know you said you were feeling your MotA girls, but maybe #28 turn the page for Molly and Rosie, please. Only if you're feeling it. Thank you!

The last time he'd been here, he'd been bombing the place.

Nuremberg certainly looked different from the ground, though the sight of so many crumbling houses and rubble strewn streets wasn't enough to change how Rosie felt about anything he'd done for the last three years. War was war and war was hell, and that was all there was to say about that. They were at the end of it now, and they would move forward.

The address he'd been sent to find was a still-standing warehouse - something of a marvel in this city filled with ruins. A soldier outside nodded in greeting, and he instinctively opened his wallet to show his pass, the official ID card they'd given him for the Palace of Justice.

"I'm looking for Sergeant Mahoney. I was told I'd be able to get a tour."

The soldier nodded him inside, and in he went, facing down huge racks of crates that seemed to go on for miles.

A woman was standing next to a desk, clipboard in hand. She was wearing a very beat-up field jacket and what looked to be jump trousers, her pockets baggy with extra equipment. Rosie suddenly wished he'd brought his bomber jacket, and not the wool overcoat that made him look like - well, a lawyer. (At least he'd left the briefcase back at the hotel.)

"Are you Sergeant Mahoney?"

She looked up from the clipboard. "I was told I might expect a Major Rosenthal this morning. Are you him?"

Rosie wished again for the jacket. "It's just Mister, actually, Sergeant. I officially got out of the army a few months ago."

What she thought about that he really couldn't tell - she was studying him with a long and patient look. "They told me you were a pilot - a rather good one."

Rosie tried to bite back a smile about what counted as 'rather good' after 52 combat missions and a list of awards so long even he couldn't remember what they all were. "It has been said."

That was what made her smile. "Most pilots wouldn't let you forget that."

He shrugged and smiled. "I'm not most pilots, Sergeant."

She nodded. "Well, Major. What would you like to see? I have a wide variety of Europe's finest all at your disposal. What's your fancy? Landscapes? Pastorals? Portraits? Sculpture? A favorite artist I can find for you?"

It sounded overwhelming, less like a museum and more like the private tour he wasn't sure he wanted. He couldn't say, exactly, what had brought him here, but it wasn't that - the mindless acquisition. "I didn't come to see anything in particular. Just mentioned I wanted to get out of the office for a bit and they sent me here. Show me ...show me your favorite, Sergeant."

She looked at him for a moment before giving half a smile. "All right."

"So how does a museum curator find herself in Europe?" He asked, trying to be collegial as she walked him down a long aisle, boots echoing in the half-dark.

"Not a curator," she corrected. "I'm an archeologist. I had a brother at Pearl. Joined the WAC after…you know." She turned to look at him, hardly breaking a long stride. "How does a lawyer get into the business of flying airplanes?"

"He decides he doesn't like bullies. How does an archeologist decide she wants to jump out of them?" He pointed to the patch on her jacket, the Airborne patch she still hadn't removed from her shoulder. "Screaming Eagles is a paratrooper outfit, isn't it?"

Another smile - a real one, this time. "She decides she doesn't like bullies either. And the pay's pretty good. After we got all the way to Germany they decided they could use someone like me and I stayed on here." She checked the number on the end of a shelf, counted in a few boxes, and removed a frame from the shelf, pulling it down and setting it onto the floor. "Well. Here we are, Major. This is my favorite."

The painting in question was a portrait, done in a plain, workaday style - a simple head-up view of a woman with a reddish cast to her hair, wearing a black dress and a string of pearls. The pearls gleamed from the canvas, easily the most noticeable thing about the piece. Rosie wasn't much of an art critic but nothing about this was ringing any bells. "Anyone I should know?

"Nope. Artist is unknown," Mahoney said with a vague smile. "I don't know what her name is, either. I've been calling her Ruth, after a friend of mine. We've got all sorts in this warehouse - Rembrandts and silver that belonged to the Rothschilds. And we have a hell of a lot of this - bits of people's lives that they'll never get back. She's not important on her own - but she's...she's someone's wife, or sister, or aunt. She's important to someone. There's a note on the back about the framer - that'll give me a town to start in. Maybe I can get her home." She gave a long hard look at the painting, her gaze thoughtful. "I spent…eighteen months taking away lives, and now I get to give them back."

And isn't that why I'm here, too, he thought silently. A warehouse full of treasures, and she shows me this. Most curators wouldn't let you forget what they've got.

But she's not a curator. "Sergeant, are you free this evening?" He asked suddenly. She looked up. "I'd like to take you to dinner, if I may."

She let out a surprised laugh. "I'm not sure that would be regulation, sir. Sergeants can't be seen out to dinner with Majors."

"We could start with you dropping the Major and calling me Rosie."

Another smile - wider this time, like she was turning a page on something, letting it come into full view. "Oh, so you're that Rosenthal." The way she said it made him smile - she'd known the whole time, and was just stringing him along to test him. The desire for dinner increased.

"I did say I wasn't like the other pilots," he offered with a shrug. "Should we say...six o'clock? I promise I'll do a better job of blending in."

'Not too good a job," she said with a smile that charmed him entirely. "I'm not sure I can be seen out with a pilot, either."

-

Molly Mahoney joins us from The Darkening Sky where she is a paratrooper, an academic, a memoirist, and somehow usually always in the middle of an argument about ethics.

[kalique-abrasaxx]

Just some things from the Kinnporsche SG show

-Tong kept getting the longest loudest applause during his intros and appearances and he looked so surprised and happy

-Us self-introed as “Queen Tay” and everyone screamed

-Jeff covered Bedroom from local artist JJ Lin after the first Why Don’t You Stay and it had very KimChay vibes, good choice

-Nodt made us cry during his segment, he’s really so earnest about Big’s story and we love him for it

-Barcode, after nailing his dance routine, took a minute to talk and he was so shy. He said it was his first trip out of Thailand. It was hysterical bc he was so confident for his number but the minute he had a mic in his hands he reverted to this 🥺👉👈 He said “I’ve been working out every day” then covered his face when the crowd cheered for him haha

-Bas and Job didn’t join in for the Sailor Moon skit this time 🥲 but it was still v cute and funny. Perth used the end to segue into the surprise aisle appearance by Mile and Apo (”Sometimes dreams really do come true, and we wanna make someone else’s come true too”) (AND THEY STOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FRIEND’S AND MY SEATS EYE CONTACT WAS MADE I CAN DIE HAPPY) 

-Bas sang There’s Nothing Holdin Me Back during the Cumulus performance and Jeff sang Free Fall

-Build wailing on the sax during Mile’s This Love performance killed me, and Pong on bass was dope as usual

-During the thankyous Ping just started listing local foods that he liked lmao (bak kut teh and chicken rice apparently)

-JJ fistbumped the other guys when they finished speaking, big bro energy

-They ended with Ta DJ-ing a mini dance party and invited everybody to dance in the aisles, they threw dollar bills with their faces on them into the crowd 😂 

-Also, everybody did their intros and thankyous in English and you could tell some of them were nervous to speak but they were so good! They had a live translator but they barely needed her, they put in so much effort and I just love all of them and I’m so glad they’re going on this tour, I hope it was a good first stop for them 🥰

[yellowkitkieran]

Mile High Club (Martin Ødegaard)

Masterlist

Word count: 3.3k

Summary: NSFW! written by my anonymous source and published here. Give them some love so they continue to feed us masterpieces!

Working for such a high profile football club as their photographer really came with so many perks, and you sometimes still didn’t understand what the club saw in you over the thousands that most likely applied as well. One of those perks was your secret boyfriend, a certain player who happened to captain the club, Martin Ødegaard.

You both knew that relationships between staff and players weren’t exactly encouraged, but neither of you could deny your attraction for one another.

Martin was one of the first players to really welcome you into the job, he took you on the tour of the grounds after suggesting it to your boss, and the whole time he spent trying to make you smile and laugh.

You both knew that after those few hours together that you wouldn’t be able to ignore the feelings that were stirring in your stomachs for each other.

A few months later and there you both were, boarding the team jet to fly to a European away leg, you decided to camp in the first aisle so you could get photos of the boys getting on. Martin would always make sure he smiled at you when he saw the camera was out, partly so the fans had nice photos, but also because whenever he saw you his whole face would light up. Both of you joked that it was unbelievable that no one had figured out the two of you were dating just from Martin’s face alone.

The tie itself was meant to be an easy win for the Gunners, but that never stopped Martin from worrying about the team. He’d try to relax on the plane there before he would have his laptop and notebook out, making some last minute notes about their opponents and how they could exploit their weaknesses.

‘Are you trying to figure out how you could score tomorrow captain?’

Martin would look at his phone and you’d hear his quiet laugh which you would love so much, looking over at you and smiling.

‘How else am I meant to get the club photographer’s attention?’

Now it was your turn to quietly laugh. Martin loved hearing the sound of your laugh, he would always say it was the sound he wanted to hear every time he woke up and every time he fell asleep.

‘That’s a fair point Mr Ødegaard! How about this for motivation? You score tomorrow and after the game I’ll let you do whatever you wish!’

You hadn’t meant that in any suggestive way, but Martin’s mind would start racing with thoughts, one which, as captain, he shouldn’t be thinking about but he wouldn’t be able to help himself. He had heard from numerous teammates of their experiences having sex on planes, and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about doing that with you, but one step further. He knew that the jet allowed for a touch more secrecy in the seats if a player chose to do so, and he had thought a few times about taking you on the club’s plane and watching you struggle to keep quiet as he filled you up.

He definitely had his motivation to score.

When the plane had landed and the bus had taken you to the hotel that everyone was staying at, you would be forced to go your separate ways for the night, but that wouldn’t stop Martin from facetiming you.

Martin when he was at his most relaxed was probably your favourite sight, the messy hair, the hoodie that swallowed him up, and the smile on his face whilst he would be staring at you on the phone, although he would always claim he just ‘zoned out’. You knew he was staring, and you were as well.

It had been a couple of months, and that ‘honeymoon’ phase everyone talks about still hadn’t passed, both of you dying to see each other whenever you could and clinging onto each other when you knew you had to leave. You would always FaceTime each other when you were going to sleep, but you could tell Martin was thinking about something tonight, and you just assumed he was stressing about the game tomorrow. He usually was. However, this time he was knee deep in the thought of you and him on the jet, so much so that he would end the facetime call a little early to ‘get some rest’ when in reality he would have to relieve himself before he went to bed.

That morning Martin adhered to his strict game day routine, one he never strayed from otherwise it would be ‘bad luck’ and you laughed until one day he accidentally strayed from it, eating something different from breakfast and then when it came to the game he kept hitting the woodwork and Arsenal went on to lose one nil. After that you took his routine completely seriously.

After the team walk around the city was complete, you would head back to the hotel and you would start to get ready to do your job. Making sure you had all of the right equipment and that it was all packed safely, before heading down to the reception to meet up with everyone and get on the bus.

Everyone was fully focused on the game, Martin taking it upon himself to make sure everyone felt alright before the warm up, and checking in with everyone during it as well. You would situate yourself on the sidelines where the Arsenal boys were warming up and whilst you looked at the photos you were taking you could notice this fire in Martin’s eyes, a fire in which you found really attractive.

One of your favourite things during a game was the lineup the teams did before the game, where Martin was looking all serious and fully into the matchday mode, it just made your stomach flip in all of the right ways. You had always told him that the more serious side was a turn on, he always joked that you just liked him being dominant but you could never deny that. Martin Ødegaard, this soft and sweet, innocent looking man, was actually the most dominant man that you had ever met, and you were so glad for that. You always said it was the captain's side of him that came out, he would always joke about stealing the armband and bringing it home since that was clearly something you wanted from him; and of course it was but you could never bring yourself to say that.

The referee’s whistle jolted you out of your thoughts and you watched the game kick off and you were making sure you got every action shot that the club would need for their posts during the match. The first half saw the Gunners shooting away from the side that you were sitting at and for you that meant a pretty boring first half where they scored two goals, Martin assisting for one of them, and yet all you managed to get were some far away shots that really did nothing, even with the lens that you had on the camera.

The second half being the half where the action stepped up for you and you knew that Martin was still on the mission that you sent him, the fire still alight in his eyes and you knew he was never one to back down from a challenge, he would always arise to the occasion. The boys continued to score and to rip into the team they were facing but yet Martin still hadn’t had the ball in the back of the net and it may have taken a while but five minutes before the end of the match, Martin would finally get that long awaited goal and his first thought?

I get to have sex on the team jet tonight.

That wasn’t all, but Martin knew how to tease you, and now that he knew he was getting his way with you, he wanted to make sure you were lusting over him, that you wanted him so badly you were ready to beg for him in front of everyone. So for his celebration he would run immediately over to your direction, sticking his tongue out for the whole stadium to see and he would do a little dance, just to drive you even crazier.

Oh boy did it work. You tried so hard to remain professional, getting the best photos of the Norwegian, meanwhile on the inside you were screaming for this man in the most feral way you had ever screamed for him.

The only thing coming to your mind was a string of curses about how much you wanted him, and how much you wanted him now, almost wanting to take him then and there on the pitch and show everyone just how lucky you were.

You knew you couldn’t so all you could do was stare and try acting professional before you could get down the tunnel, board the bus and get to the airport, where at least then you could text Martin all of the ungodly and downright sinful thoughts you were having. At least then you could be driving him crazy too.

Martin would come onto the bus, look at you for the briefest of seconds, you had almost missed it, but you saw the little smirk on his face, a smirk that usually meant trouble, and one you only saw and it meant you were in for a long night. But you didn’t have all night. You would just narrow your eyes ever-so-slightly at him, before turning back to your phone and texting him.

‘What are you up to? You’ve got that grin on your face….’

You would casually try and turn to see his reaction, trying to gauge what the game that he was playing with you actually was, except he was all the way at the back of the bus and that’s when you knew he was playing some kind of long game with you, teasing you until you were ready to burst, and embarrassingly, you were almost there. What made it worse was when you had no response to that text and so you were left guessing in your seat as to what this man had up his sleeves.

You had tried to get somewhat closer to him on the walk through the airport, to absolutely no avail. He was completely keeping the space from you on purpose and it was driving you insane, and all you could do at this point was hope that he planned on doing something when you drove back to his place, after the team landed back in London.

It seemed like an eternity before the team even boarded the plane but eventually you were all boarding and you got yourself comfortable for the next few hours, as comfortable as you could be with the thoughts swirling that were in your head.

It didn’t feel like that long after the plane had took off, you felt the vibration from your phone in your tracksuit pocket, and you eagerly checked in, just praying Martin took a touch of mercy on you and at least gave you an idea of what he wanted to do with you.

‘Once things settle down a little then you’ll know, all in good time prinsesse ;)’

‘Settle down a little? What is this man planning?’ is all you could think.

Your head couldn’t even go to the place that he was going to go with you, it was risky, and Martin knew that, but the thrill of it is what makes it so attractive for him. He would wait around a half hour, making sure some people were falling asleep, or engrossed in whatever they were doing so that they wouldn’t notice him getting up to head to the bathroom on the plane.

’Come to the bathroom prinsesse, your captain is waiting, and he wants his reward for his goal today’

‘The bathroom? What? Oh.. oh!’

It took everything in you after your internal debate, to not jump up and run to the bathroom. Instead you gave it a minute, casually got up and made sure you made eye contact with no one that could even acknowledge where you were going.

You got to the bathroom and quietly knocked, the secret knock that you had come up with when you both started dating so when he came into your office you would always know it was him, just in case you were with another player or a colleague at the club.

He would let you in, and it would almost be instantaneous, the way he would sweep you into his arms, lock the door, push you up against that door and kiss you, making sure you couldn’t say a word in this whole thing.

He craved that control in this scenario, this is what he wanted and he was going to make sure it was everything that he had dreamed of.

Maybe it’s the way he craved for you to look so helpless in front of him, but he always loved the way you would look for him and almost tried to plead with him without saying anything. It would almost make him laugh every time, except this time it does. The look comes after you pull away and try to speak but immediately he stops that from happening, covering your mouth with his right hand whilst his left would be running down the side of your body.

“Nuh-uh prinsesse… I distinctly remember you telling me I could do whatever I wanted to do if I scored and uh- I think you’ll find your captain scored… and I didn’t even get a congratulations. Can you imagine that huh? You’re lucky we’re not at home- otherwise I would’ve gone a lot harder on you- but for now… just let me have my reward.”

You moaned against his hand whilst he would bend you over the bathroom sink, making sure you were looking at him in the mirror, otherwise he would stop completely. Even if he knew he didn’t have the time to stop and punish or tease you, he still would. He wanted you to remember who was in control, who was always in control.

He would remove his hand from your mouth uttering a simple ‘behave’ to you as he yanked your tracksuit bottoms down, revealing the red lace panties that you were wearing underneath and you would just hear the groan come from his mouth and a deep ‘faen prinsesse’ escape from his lips.

He would never ruin the sets you bought for him, but in this situation he would rip that lace material off of you and would keep that in his pocket for later, fully intending on sending you back to your seat with his load dripping out of you. He could feel himself getting painfully hard at that thought.

It was embarrassing how fucked out you were already and he had barely done anything to you, but this was more dominant than you ever realised Martin was, okay yes did he like to try new things in the bedroom, but public was a domain you never thought he would try, let alone public and in the work environment. The thrill was making you soaked and he would reach down and feel just how excited you were.

“Someone’s excited, maybe even more excited than me. Of course you are, deep down you like being a little slut for me, letting me fuck you in the team’s jet, in the bathroom- faen you’re such a pretty slut for your captain.”

You had to cover your own mouth to soften the moan that came out of your mouth and you would just look up at him in the mirror, your eyes soft and the smallest of pouts coming out.

“Marrrrrr- please! Don’t tease me any longer- I can’t take it. Just please fuck me already captain!”

You would just see that grin on Martin’s face widen, even more that it already was and it made your eyes roll back, something which was made worse when he thrust himself inside of you.

Martin didn’t know how you did it but he swears each time he fucks you, you magically get tighter and it was driving him crazy. He knew he couldn’t waste any time, begrudgingly having to make sure you both reached your highs in quick times but that was part of the fun. He loved seeing how fucked out you got when he just kept going, each thrust getting harder and faster, each thrust hitting that same spot over and over, Martin swears the look on your face will be etched in his mind forever. He gathers your hair into a low ponytail, using it was leverage to fuck you even deeper, and he also knew you loved it when he pulled your hair.

“Such a pretty little slut for your captain- you look so pretty taking every inch of me, I think I can see your stomach bulging- faen prinsesse! I’m almost shocked you’re not whining about how you can’t take it”

His spare hand would go to your stomach and he would feel himself fucking you and it would make his eyes roll back. You were close to telling him that it was all too much and you weren’t sure if you could take it, but you kind of enjoyed it. The way that it was all just a little too much was just getting you closer and closer and all you needed to do was just let Martin have his way with you, like he always did.

You’re just being honest when you admit to yourself that you’re so fucked out that was Martin was uttering wasn’t even registering with you anymore, all you could focus on was his throbbing length inside of you and you knew he was just as close as you were.

Your muffled moans were spurring him on and he would barely give you any warning as he was about to finish, as he did so inside of you, he would have to bring a hand to his own mouth to make sure he didn’t get too loud so anyone could hear, and that was your last straw and your climax came right after.

Martin would lean over you, resting his head into your neck, just letting every drop spill it’s way inside of you, and when your breathing steadied out is when he would carefully pull himself out, bring up your tracksuit bottoms and utter into your ear,

“Try not to make a mess of the seat prinsesse, otherwise everyone will know what you’ve been up to.”

He would press a loving kiss to the top of your head, pulling up his own bottoms and boxers before reaching for the lock of the door and unlocking it, just grinning as he looks at you in the mirror, so completely out of it that he couldn’t wait to watch you walk back to your seat in an absolute daze. He would quietly chuckle to himself before saying ‘welcome to the mile high club prinsesse’ and walking, leaving you to pick up the pieces of your own demise and get through the rest of this flight without reliving that whole time over and over again.

[defleppardfan1]

The Last Time...?

Joe Elliott x Reader

Masterlist

This fic contains smut. Under 18s DNI

I thought that when I married the love of my life that it would never come to an end. Sitting at the kitchen table with divorce papers in front of me was not something I had ever pictured in my life. 

*

The day I married Joe was the best day of my life. I remembered it like it was yesterday. The pure white dress that I wore, the smell of the roses, Joe’s band all dressed up and most importantly, Joe stood at the end of the aisle with watery eyes and a blinding smile. 

I held his hands as we exchanged vows, tears streaming down my face. Joe kissed me for the first time as my husband. The whole day was perfect. Friends and family gathered around us, celebrating a marriage that everyone thought would stand the test of time. 

Joe had refused to sing on our wedding day, opting to not leave my side, his hand glued to mine. When we cut the cake and fed it to each other, he had made a cheeky joke which I could only hope that my great aunt hadn’t heard. The band certainly had and I could see them all almost rolling over with laughter. 

Steve had been there and although him and Phil had promised not to cause any trouble, the glint in their eyes was all too familiar. I couldn’t find it in me to be angry though. It wouldn’t be a wedding with some kind of shenanigans.

The honeymoon was even better. Days spent on the beach, sipping cocktails and exploring the island. Nights were spent between the sheets, neither of us could get enough of the other. The new weight on my left hand provided more comfort than anything in my life had before.

After we came home everything was perfect for a while. Dancing around in the kitchen, cuddled up with a hot chocolate on a winter night or on the patio during the summer. Kisses shared in the morning and in the evening. Late night conversations of the future and how many kids we wanted. Our life was a dream.

Until it wasn’t. Joe had to tour. With each tour came time apart and whilst I trusted him fully, I knew that there would be other women throwing themselves all over my husband. Initially, Joe had wanted me to go with him, insisting money was never a problem and that he would always take care of me.

However, I had been raised to always make my own money and not to rely on anyone else to provide for me. So I insisted on staying home so that I could work. Obviously 

I wanted to be with Joe and the time spent away from him caused more pain. 

*

That’s what led us to this. Sitting in the house that I used to share with Joe. I no longer lived there and had found a small house to rent a few miles away. Joe sat opposite me as he watched me read over the papers. He had given me 50% of everything, wanting a clean break. 

It was clear that the separation was not caused by falling out of love with each other but more that we couldn’t live together with the lifestyles we both had.

“Before I sign this.” I started, pushing back tears. “I need you to know that I never wanted it to come to this.”

“I know.” Joe sighed. He refused to look at me as he fiddled with the hand which still, for now, held his wedding ring. I watched him as he played with his ring. Despite the solemn look on his face all I could think about was that he never looked more handsome than right at this moment.

“I do love you Joe.” I whispered as I went to reach for the pen.

“I know that as well.” I halted my movement as I looked up at him, only to see his green eyes staring back at me. “I love you too.”

I smiled through the tears as I started to let them fall, jumping slightly as I felt his guitar-worn fingers wipe my face gently. I couldn’t help but gaze into the same eyes that I fell in love with, unable to comprehend that this was going to be the last time that I could do that. That one day there would be someone else looking into those eyes, someone else would hold him at night and love him the way he deserved.

Whilst looking at his green orbs, I failed to notice him inching his face towards mine. As a reflex, I felt my eyes flutter shut as his lips grazed against mine, I almost couldn’t believe he was there due to how light the kiss was. 

I opened my eyes to see him already looking at me intently, studying my face to guess my reaction. It didn’t take long for me to crash my lips back onto his as I felt my hand go up to his hair. I felt Joe pull me to stand up as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

I felt my body press up against his in the most familiar way, bringing tears to my eyes again. Clinging onto him tighter, knowing this might be the last time, I didn’t want the kiss to end. I could taste the saltiness from my tears as I daren’t pull away. I was sure that Joe left bruise marks on my hips from how tightly he was gripping onto me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I had my hands in his hair, tugging gently, eliciting a moan from him. One of my favourite sounds. It was muscle memory the way that we moved against each other. I felt him pull away slightly and for a moment fear settled in my stomach as everything was about to end. However, the thought quickly left my mind when Joe started moving me backwards.

“Let’s go upstairs shall we?” He whispered against my lips. I didn’t hesitate to agree and the next thing I knew, I was being whisked into his arms and up the stairs. Wrapping my legs around Joe’s waist, I started trailing my lips along his neck, earning a groan of approval. 

Eventually, we ended up in our, previously shared, bedroom. He laid me down on the bed and he climbed on top of me, not wanting to be away from me for a second longer than he needed to be. It appeared to me that he was having the same thoughts as I was having. That this may be the last time we were ever going to be together. The last time we would ever be joined as one.

I tried not to think about that though as I felt his lips on mine again. The familiar sensation brought me comfort. I felt a tug at my shirt and I immediately assisted him in removing it. He then removed my bra and ran his calloused hands across my breasts, causing my nipples to harden. I let out a soft moan at the sensation and Joe quickly kissed me again, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth.

I ran my hands up his back and underneath his shirt, pushing it up over his head, our lips disconnecting for only a second before Joe discarded the fabric in the same direction as my clothes. I gently dragged my nails down his back, eliciting a groan from his mouth. I always loved how vocal he could be in bed. It reminded me that I was doing a good job pleasing him. 

I moved my hands down to his trousers and Joe wasted no time in rolling off of me to remove them before removing mine, along with my underwear. I kissed Joe again as he climbed back up on top of me. 

“You sure you wanna do this?” Joe asked with love in his voice, reminding me of just why I fell for him in the first place. The caring nature he naturally possessed had been endearing to me.

“More than sure Joe, please.” Joe wasted no time entering me for what could be the last time. Naturally, I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him in closer to me. There was not a millimetre of space between the two of us as Joe started to rock back and forth. my back arched so that my stomach was against his. One of his arms wrapped under my waist, keeping me in that position and the other was placed next to my head to keep him steady as he moved inside of me. 

Placing my lips on Joe’s neck, I trailed up and down, earning a groan and a particularly deep thrust in return. This pattern continued, I kissed his neck and dragged my nails down his back and he rewarded the actions with deeper thrusts. 

“Turn around for me sweetheart.” Joe whispered in my ear as he pulled out and sat up. I did as I was told and Joe moved me so that I was on my knees at the foot of the bed. Joe knelt behind me and I could see the pair of us in the mirror. 

Wrapping his arms around my front, I felt myself cling onto him as he re-entered me. I couldn’t help but watch the obscene sight in the mirror as Joe picked up his pace. I felt his face bury into the side of my neck, placing kisses there as he moved his hips. Letting out a moan, my eyelids fluttered shut, allowing myself to get lost in him.

“Joe.” I almost whined as I felt him lower one of his hands down to my clit. Rubbing gently, Joe whispered sweet nothings into my ear, reminding me of the first few years of our marriage. 

The thought of losing him caused me to hold onto his arm tighter. 

“Please.” I whispered.

“I know darlin’” Joe told me as he gripped tighter. “I’ve got you.”

I let out a few curses as I let go at his words, my orgasm hitting harder than it had in a while. The feeling of closeness tipping me over the edge. I felt Joe’s release as well causing me to sigh gently at the sensation.

Eventually Joe slouched from behind me, taking me with him. The two of us laid on the bed together wrapped up in each other's arms. I knew that we should get ourselves cleaned up but I also knew that if I left his arms then I may never enter them again, and that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take just yet.

Deciding to bite the bullet, I broke the silence that had enveloped the pair of us.

“Is there no way through this?”

“I don’t know love.” Joe sighed

“Because I don’t want to lose you Joe.”

“You think I really want this either? When we said our vows, I never thought divorce would be an option.”

Turning around I faced my husband.

“Then why are we doing this? Why did we let ourselves fall apart like this?” When I was met with quiet, I carried on. “We have to be able to work through this.”

Joe swiped some hair out of my face before trailing his fingers down my cheek.

“How?”

“I’ll work remotely.” I told him.

“Y/N/N sweetheart, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You're not asking. I can’t be on tour with you all the time but I can come with you some of the time. I’ll do whatever it takes to stay married to you.”

“You love your job though, how can I ask you to change it all for me?”

“Yes, I love my job, but I love you more. When I moved out I was miserable. I would rather change how I work than be without you.” I told him sincerely, not breaking eye contact.

“Oh love.” Joe mumbled as he leaned down to kiss me. “We’ll work on this okay, we’ll get through this.”

That was all I needed for now, the idea of staying in my husband’s arms rather than going back to an empty house. I had no idea how long it would take, but I didn’t care. I’d walk to the ends of the earth for the man holding me in that moment. As we clung onto each other, the pair of us forgot about the divorce papers that I had left abandoned on the kitchen table. There was no doubt that they would be torn up later anyway.

Placing a final kiss on his lips, I allowed myself to fall asleep in my husband’s arms.

[andydrysdalerogers]

The ABCs of Nick Vaughn - "Y"

Pairing: Reader x Nick Vaughn (Before We Go)

Summary: Children its time to learn your ABCs. And Nick Vaughn is here to teach you the lessons. 26 glimpses in the world of you and Nick Vaughn

Warnings: S-M-U-T!!!! (under 18 please leave the chat!) descriptions of sexual activity including some themes of BDSM, loss of virginity, fluffy bits, pet name etc...

The new upload will probably be Sundays. Have fun kittens! Also, the tag list is open!

A/N: There is just one letter left and I am excited AF!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Previous: X - X Rated

ABC Masterlist - Main Masterlist

Y – YOLO 

From Nick’s POV   

I married her.  

I finally got to fucking marry her. 

When she walked down that aisle towards me, fucking gorgeous in her gown, I thought it was a dream.  My girl was an angel walking towards me and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. But no, she stood next to me, and we vowed to love each other forever.  

Now, after an epic party, I’m sitting here on a plane to Paris, my girl asleep on my shoulder, in first class.  And a thought crossed my mind.  A rather dirty one.  See, I splurged and got us the best first-class tickets money could buy. The last tour paid me big and with the re-release of the album, YN and I will be comfortable for the rest of our lives.  

And we have a cabin in the sky.  

I’ve always wanted to join the Mile High Club.  

Always wanted sex on a balcony or in a dark corner of a library.  

Fuck, I just want to take my girl wherever my heart wishes.  

As the ideas manifested, YN shifted in her seat, waking a little.  “What time is it?” She asked in that adorable sleepy voice.  

“It's about 1 am,” I replied.  “We still have about four hours left on our flight.”  

“Oh.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m gonna wash my face.” She grabbed the complimentary toiletry bag and headed to the bathroom suite.  Yes, this plane had a fucking suite for a bathroom. And now, I can put my plan into action.  

I move quickly with her when I notice there are no attendants in the area.  As she opens the door, I gently push her in. “Nick...” I cut off her protest with a hard kiss.  She moans into it, letting me in. I taste her, my wife, God that sounds so good.  

“You have to be quiet, Mrs. Vaughn,” I whisper against her lips. I pull back to see the glassy eye expression she gets when she’s aroused.  “Wanna join the Mile High Club with me?” 

Her eyes widened, focusing on me again. “Nick, we can’t...” 

“We can if we’re quick enough, baby.”  I turn her around and lift the bottom of her skirt up.  She had changed from her wedding dress, which I had been able to fuck her in before the reception, and now was wearing a beautiful black skirt and pink blouse. I reached for the black lace panties I know she has on and slid them down her legs. I bent her over the sink and ran one finger up and down her slit.  

“N-Nicky,” she studders. “S-sensitive.”  

“I can tell,” I whisper.  She’s so pink and wet and trembling, “you like this don’t you, sweetheart? You like the thought of someone hearing us.”  She nods softly. I undo my pants and pull them down with my boxer far enough so I can run the tip over her skin before sinking into her, hard. I slap a hand over her mouth just as she lets out the most delicious sounding moan I have ever heard.  

I rut into her, hard and fast. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and I know I’m hitting the right spot.  I let go of her mouth and reach down to rub her clit. I can feel myself sliding in and out of her and my god, it makes it so much hotter. “Cum for me,” I whisper in her ear.  

Her head rolls back against my shoulder and she lets go, silently, losing the scream in her throat. It has to be one of the sexiest things I have ever fucking seen. I love it so much that I cum right there and then.  

I kiss along the back of her neck as I slowly pull out. I grab some napkins to clean her and myself before I bring up her panties and pull her skirt down.  I can see the mascara marks from her ecstasy tears. “Clean your face baby and I’ll have some water, champagne and snacks for you.”  I kiss her lips sweetly.  

I make it back to our seats and hit the call button.  The flight attendant rushes over and takes my order.  I sit back with a smirk, reading my book.  My girl comes back, looking refreshed with a hint of pink on her cheeks.  The attendant brings us everything and sets up the table.  

After they leave, YN whispers, “why did you do that Nick? I mean, it was good but...” 

“YOLO.”  

“What?” 

“You only live once, my love and I want us to live in this marriage. I love you!” 

“I love you.”

Next

Taglist:

@patzammit @texmexdarling @firephotogrl74 @slutforchrisjamalevans @jennmurawski13-writes @tinkerbelle67 @atoosa22

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Joni Mitchell, 1974 © Joel Bernstein.

[bambi-kinos]

Hey, I am different nonny, just in case, and I really love your analysis, just wanted to bring up a slightly different opinion.

I don't think we can take everything Danny Laine said as a concrete truth. The reason I say this is because depending on who was closer to who in Paul & Linda relationship when they were scorned - the takes on their relationship greatly differed. I've seen tons of things about Linda being calculating and relentless, stalking Paul from 1967 until she got him. Linda controlling who had access to Paul in entertainment circles, especially the women near him. Linda hating Jane, to the point described in this quote "when Linda came on the scene she made sure that all his old pals that knew and liked Jane were excluded" from Barry Miles. JoJo Laine, Danny's ex-wife, also said Linda was jealous of Jane, hated Linda in general and even claimed that Linda tried to seduce Danny, while Linda hated her to bits in return.

Another thing that immediately comes to mind is an account from Dave Spinozza, who pretty much just wanted to get into Paul's pants, and he framed his firing like this: "we sort of had a falling out. I had a little bit of, actually not with him, I had a little falling out with Linda and it just didn’t work out". He fully blamed Linda for it, even though Paul was uncomfortable with him.

And of course, I am sure Paul had his domineering moments more than enough, arguing about Linda doing stuff he didn't like, but to me, it seems their relationship was on way more equal footing and Linda could hold her ground.

RIP to Denny Laine but he was a fuckboy and I imagine that a lot of the shit he said was out of spite. I absolutely believe that he would lie on purpose or that he misunderstood what was happening in front of him. Denny Laine is still one of the guys who almost murdered Paul and Linda by piloting an airplane while stoned:

Another, far more serious incident [on the 1976 Wings tour] caused Paul’s anger to explode. In flight, inebriated members of the band and entourage would sometimes enter the cockpit and hang out and chat with the laid-back Texan pilots charged with handling the tour plane. On one occasion, trumpeter Steve Howard, holder of a pilot’s license for smaller aircraft, was given a turn at the controls of the jet, acquitting himself admirably. Denny Laine, at the time perhaps worryingly reading a book entitled Anyone Can Fly, was also given a go in the pilot’s chair. After a few minutes, the real flight crew’s attentions having drifted, a call came through from air traffic control warning them that the plane was cruising several thousand feet below its agreed-upon altitude. According to Laine, “When you take anything off automatic pilot, it goes all over the place for a moment or two.” During another flight, one member of the miles-high party—reports differ as to the identity of the culprit—sent the plane into a dive, throwing everyone around the cabin. It was at this point that a furious McCartney discovered that, for some weeks, drunken members of his group had been taking turns flying the plane, with his wife and children on board. Never the most comfortable flier, Paul blew his top. From here on in, everyone in the touring party was banned from the cockpit. “Which is fair enough,” Howie Casey notes. “Even though I was pissed, I’d think, No, that’s silly.”

Man on the Run, Tom Doyle

To help relieve the tedium of the road, individual band members would often sneak off into the cockpit for a quick turn at the wheel, on one occasion sending the deluxe, specially equipped aircraft into a tailspin. McCartney, who had been playing cards with Linda and a couple of the road crew at the back of the aircraft, ended up in a very unhappy heap in the center aisle, screaming bloody blue murder at the highflying, spaced-out pranksters. Laine, who himself had a go, was piloting the plane on the basis of a book he was then reading called Anyone Can Fly, later the title of one of his most interesting solo albums. He comments: “When you take anything off automatic pilot it goes all over the place for a moment or two. At one point, Steve [the brass player] took the plane into a terrible dive, sending everybody at the back flying inside the plane. . . . Paul was very pissed off about that, yeah. Then he found out we'd all been flying for weeks. His bottle went, as they say.”

Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney, Geoffrey Giuliano

(quotes from sounwise)

So whenever you read a quote from Denny where he whinges about Paul not ~letting him in~ after all those years in Wings, remember these quotes lmao.

I regard reports of Paul and Linda's marriage the same way I regard John and Yoko's marriage: the qualities that keep rising to the top are the ones that are true. Paul and Linda had a good marriage IMO, it's just that there's also signs that Paul's weirdness about money and his baggage meant that he could lose his temper and that he tried to push Linda around at times. I read Mccartney Legacy Vol 1 last year and that went into some detail about Paul's impatience with Linda's keyboarding skills. When Linda was trying to publish a book Paul is the who allegedly stopped it because he didn't like Linda having the spotlight. There's reports from the guy (surname Cox) who was co-writing a cookbook with Linda that there was tension around it and that he believed it was because Paul did not like Linda getting attention or that Paul was scared she wouldn't be there for him if she was doing something else.

If it was just Denny on his own saying this stuff I'd be more skeptical but he's not the only one.

When I say stuff like "Paul was difficult" or "Linda's marriage was fraught" that's what I'm thinking of. Paul is difficult to be married to (something he's admitted to with the embarrassed feet shuffling he does when he talks about his trad fetish) and Linda herself had a strong personality. It's natural for there to be conflict sometimes.

We also have lots of stories about what a solid couple Paul and Linda were and I think those were true too. Paul is a good father and he stuck it out with Linda when she was dying of cancer, something that can get men to split from a partnership. Like, it's obvious that they cared about each other and they liked being together. If Linda was planning to leave Paul then it was because she wanted to do something else and not be "Paul's wife" forever.

There's always some push/pull in a relationship. Sometimes Linda had to make some sacrifices for Paul's sake. Paul made some sacrifices for Linda too, publicly being a wifeguy when it meant taking a knock to his image and making him an even riskier prospect for anyone wanting to sign him. It wasn't a one sided relationship and it wasn't abusive. It's just that there's a possibility that they ran out the clock on their relationship and Paul's baggage didn't make that relationship easy in the first place.

[kennarose1108]

Hey I would love if maybe you could write the reader getting car sick or plane sick while she’s on tour with Elvis!! And she tries to hide it but something happens and she can’t hide it anymore and Elvis has to help her!

Elvis Presley (MOVIE) x Reader !YOU GET CAR SICK WHILE ON TOUR!

You and Elvis hadn't dated long but he was already falling in love with you. He didn't realize how hard he was falling for you until he caught himself imagining your wedding. You walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress with your hair and makeup done in the most beautiful ways. And in response to him falling for you he didn't want to be away from you any longer than he had to.

He couldn't stand going through another tour without you. So he invited you to the next one. You were hesitant because Elvis would travel thousands of miles to get to his destinations and you get extremely car sick. Even driving an hour somewhere made you feel horribly nauseous. But Elvis's recent tours hadn't been so big, only a few hours on the road. You can tolerate that. A few hours then getting off. So you agreed.

Elvis was ecstatic, quickly packing your stuff for you not even letting you touch it. When the day came he dragged you on the tour bus, a huge grin on his face. You and Elvis sat together, Tom, Billy, Vernon, and some of Billy's friends sat across from you both. Elvis and Billy were having a conversation when you wondered where you all were going.

"Elvis. Where are we heading too?" You asked. "Washington State." He says while slinging his arm over your shoulder. You froze. Washington State? That's like a thirty four hour drive.. You smiled at him before resting your head on his shoulder. You had been fine for the first hour, talking, laughing, and having a good time. But then the nausea hit you like a truck. You tried your best to put a smile on your face and act like everything was alright but Elvis wasn't stupid, he knew something was wrong. "Are you alright?" Elvis asks. You nodded, "Yeah... Just tired." You say with a smile.

After a few more hours you had to try and distract yourself from not vomiting. You tried looking out the window but that just made your entire world spin which made it a lot worse. But you felt somewhat relieved that it was now night time so you could go to bed and hopefully feel better. You ended up falling asleep on Elvis's chest as he laid on the seats.

You were comfortable and sleeping peacefully until you woke up randomly in the middle of the night to your nausea being worse than before. You couldn't hold it in anymore. You lifted your body off of Elvis's and held onto your mouth, gagging in the process. You hurriedly got up and sprinted to the bus's bathroom, slamming the door behind you and puking as you fell to your knees.

Elvis woke up in a confused and startled state when you shot up from him. He didn't snap out of it until he heard the bathroom door slam shut and the sound of you vomiting. Elvis sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing over at everyone else who hadn't even stirred at the loud noises. He then got up, stumbling a bit since he was still not fully awake, and walked to the bathroom door.

The sound of a knock on the door made you jump. "Y/N? Are you alright in there?" Elvis's voice called through the door. "Yeah... Yeah I'm fine." You yelled out, trying to sound okay but you just didn't. You gagged through your words and you just sounded awful. "Want me to get you some water?" Elvis asks. You thought for a moment, making the decision that a cold glass of water would do you good. "Yeah.. Yeah that'd be nice thank you." You called. You heard him walk off. You then stood up and looked at yourself in the sink. You cringed, seeing vomit around your lips.

You grabbed the hand towel that was hanging up and wiped your lips before throwing it in the hamper. You stepped out of the bathroom to see Elvis standing next to the door, an ice cold water bottle in hand. "Thanks." You say while grabbing the water bottle from his hands.

You walked to the seat, Elvis behind you, and you both sat down. "You're not alright. What's wrong?" Elvis asks. You stare at the ground, taking sips of the water. "Nothing major." You said in between sips. "I don't care if it's the tiniest thing on the planet. If you're not okay I'm not okay. What's going on?" Elvis asks again, hoping he didn't have to repeat himself.

"I get car sick. Bad." You turn your head to him. "Then why did you come?" He asks. "I wanted to make you happy. And I didn't realize it was going to be a thirty four hour trip." You say with a chuckle, leaning back in your seat, Elvis doing the same.

"Well you know what that means now." Elvis says. You give him a confused look. "I'm going to take care of you," He says while wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close, placing a kiss on your neck. "And love you." You giggle. "And make you feel better." He says while placing a kiss on your lips but pulling away quickly and cringing. "Oh god, after you brush your teeth." He says while letting you go. You chuckle as you stand up, him slapping you on the behind as you walked to the bathroom.

Afterwards you and Elvis fell asleep. But when you both woke up you started to feel ill again. Elvis noticed you were looking pale so he grabbed you some water and told you to lie down. "We still have another fifteen to twenty hours left. Get comfortable. I'm going to leave this trash bin here so you don't have to go running to the bathroom next time you feel you have to throw up." He says before placing a kiss on your head and walking off.

You smiled, knowing full well that you were falling for him just as much as he was falling for you.

MASTERLIST

[handsingraphite]

A Mishmash of Thoughts on KP World Tour Manila

I just need to get out my thoughts and feelings on everything that went down last night at the KPTS World Tour Manila stop. There aren’t a lot of places where I can scream into the void, but this is one such place.

As with all my screaming, it tends to get very long, though, so they’re under the cut.

On the Day of the Show

MOA Arena has a sporting event capacity of 15K to 20K. It can actually accommodate more at the producers’ discretion (of course, considering safety standards). It’s a huge venue, in short. Given record-high inflation, the fact that some people would have to fly in from their provinces and find accommodation etc -- I was afraid that the venue would only be about 30-50% full. Even though I do believe that without logistical constraints, they had enough of a fanbase here to fill that arena.

But when I arrived at the venue, there were so many people. That was a core memory for me: seeing the same level of enthusiasm as for any other touring artist, the organized fan projects, and the banners and lightsticks being passed around. I saw photo-op booths for the different cast members. People were so nice, too: I was the only one who’d gotten into Soundcheck, so I was on my own, but other fans immediately approached me, talked to me, and helped me out. It was such a nice atmosphere to be in.

I do regret not coming earlier to go around all the fanclub initiatives. I hadn’t realized that the Soundcheck winners would basically be held inside the venue already from 2PM. 

(Side note: I think in the future, there’s a better way of going about this. I remember getting into Soundcheck for another artist in the past, and the Soundcheck itself was held not too long from the show start. It also did not have such a long queuing time. Being there by, technically 12PM for the strapping, meant that we could not leave for ~8 hours.)

Soundcheck

Ticket strapping started at 12PM which was a nightmare to queue in due to the noonday sun

I was at the entrance by 1:45PM, on the dot, but nothing was happening yet; we stood in line for 30-45 mins and in typical Filipino spirit, were jokingly heckling the marshals 

“Kuya, anong petsa na kami papasok diyan!” (Kuya, what day will we be able to go inside!)

Someone asked the marshals if they saw the cast, and one Kuya said no. But that the important thing was that we get inside in an organized line HAHA

A girl wearing a Sailor Moon costume joined the line and everyone was ooh-ing and aah-ing over her; the BOC videographers actually did an interview with her, which she absolutely deserved

Another fan came wearing a really beautiful dress that may have been Thai traditional clothing (? not particularly sure about this)

There was a collective sigh of relief when they opened the lobby doors and we could feel the blast of cooler air reach us

We were finally let into the lobby area at about ~3PM, cue the lining up for the merchandise booth (it was empty at the time) and handing out of fan benefits

Soundcheck started at ~4PM and lasted for 20 mins, which felt a bit cut short but was fun to be part of nonetheless. Some highlights (I was focusing on Mile, Apo, Jeff, and Barcode the most):

Everyone just started screaming as the cast came out and they were very clearly taken aback by it, but also very happy

Apo was the pack leader/main spokesperson: I know so many fan accounts talk about how hyper he is, but you really can lose sight of him in a second if you’re not paying enough attention. He was zooming up and down the aisles, going from corner to corner, and was generally just very lovely and bouncing around. Also his English is so good, and throughout Soundcheck and the concert he took the lead in introductions

Apo accidentally hit Barcode in the face, lol, poor Barcode

Mile was quite chill and laid-back! But he had the biggest grin on his face the entire time. It’s funny to see Apo running circles around everyone, meanwhile Mile took his time walking. The word I’d use for it is that he seems very deliberate in his movements -- including making his way to Apo at the end

God bless Jeff Satur and his voice. Absolutely loved that it was 100% live, and he rendered Free Fall so well; there was a moment I managed to get on video of him with Barcode behind him, and Jeff stopped singing so he could hear the fans instead

Barcode looked so fluffy! Every time I see him I am reminded by my own younger brother, I love how shyly he was going around to greet the fans

At the ending climax of the first Thai song, Jeff/Apo/Tong/Bible etc were fooling around and raising their hands to the sky dramatically

We started chanting “Isa pa! Isa pa!” (One more! One more!) but they probably thought we were just making noise and they left lol although I’m sure even if they’d understood they would still have needed to end it there

We couldn’t go out of the lobby anymore, so we got to hear the sound of Slot Machine rehearsing

All in all, typical Soundcheck length and the cast were conscious of making sure to approach the different sections. I would like to have even a fraction of Apo’s energy. I would definitely like to have Jeff Satur’s voice. 

The one thing to improve on is what I mentioned about queuing time, and relative time between Soundcheck and show start because just staying in one area for 6 to 8 hours is a bit of a downer. Plus a lot of people didn’t get to eat a proper lunch and/or dinner.

Show Proper (Scattered)

Slot Machine was such an energizing opener. They went for ~30 mins and the entire crowd was with them: Free Fall is absolutely divine to hear live. It’s that pump-up song, you know? They worked the crowd very well, and also made a lot of interactive moments e.g. asking us to make their sign, asking us to move in specific ways, throwing out guitar picks (?) A couple of fans behind me were losing their minds over the guitarist, it was really funny. They amped up they hype level very quickly, no lull moments.

There was a bit of a lull transitioning into the main show and so many fans were just randomly screaming thinking the cast was about to go out. But the roar that came out when they finally appeared was massive -- they just stood and took it all in, and a lot of them were failing to keep a straight face because of the crowd response. Everyone got a huge cheer which seemed to overwhelm many of them.

Throughout the show they kept calling the fans “beautiful”, “cute”, etc and complimenting the people who showed up in costumes. And the crowd ate it up lol we’re very easy to please: Show up and breathe, we’ll scream. Tell us we’re the best, and we scream harder.

Found myself thinking that Us was such a great performer, his styling was on point, and there’s just something indescribable about how he performed that really drew my attention. I was frustrated that I didn’t hit record, apparently, at the part where he goes, “Lips, hips, neck, fingers...” because that was such a good moment.

Barcode also has so much potential as a performer -- I’m thinking maybe the most out of them, just something in the way he carries himself at such a young age. He was charismatic during his Pretty Savage cover, cheeky and very much out to prove he’s capable of taking on a concept opposite of the wholesome, innocent vibe he had playing Porchay. Then he came up to the front and did This Song is Called You in the most earnest, puppy-like manner possible and tried to interact with everyone. We absolutely failed him when he stopped to let us sing the song, though. He very cutely fell to the ground in such a young teenager fashion, like, guys you had one job. Sorry, Barcode -- we’ll do better next time, so you have to come back, yeah?

Dance performances were fun, the crowd favorite was easily the bodyguard dance. When I tell you everyone around me got on their feet and surged to the barriers to start recording the moment that they started grinding on the stage floor... But then I remember that the Filipino crowd eats up these performances. 

Honorary mentions are: the Bible/Build scene midway through the show (still can’t tell how much of the screaming was due to the pairing vs the performance itself lol), and the Bible/Ta weapon-wielding dance along the middle of the aisle.

In general for the dance performances, though, the light shows they had going on sort of fritzed my eyesight. Which isn’t on them, I just hadn’t noticed how much my eyesight has deteriorated -- but I couldn’t properly look at the stages head-on, there were just a few moments where the lights didn’t go crazy enough so I could actually pay attention.

At this point I’d say they have great energy and stage presence, and as mentioned above, Us and Barcode have potential. It’s not a section where you can wholesale say they’re good at dancing, though, so like me, you’ll need to not take these so seriously and just enjoy what they’re giving.

Came alive for Perth’s Sailor Moon performance. He had a bit where he mentioned about the fan costumes and I thought they would call up the fan who wore Sailor Moon, but they didn’t, unfortunately. But I was very hyped for this skit because it’s just really good fun and a breather, and also, I’ve loved Sailor Moon as a kid. It definitely felt like a moment where I was harkening back to my childhood and Perth also fully committed to the bit, along with Ping, Pong and JJ, which made it even better. 

Show Highlights (for me)

No words for how wonderful Jeff was the entire night. He had my favorite performances. Especially him showcasing his musicianship with Why Don’t You Stay, because he makes dynamic vocal choices every time and his runs were so controlled. This is the sound of a singer who has spent years honing their craft. I’m really looking forward to him having a solo concert and would be among the first to buy tickets.

I have a hundred thousand feelings about him choosing to sing Leaves by Ben & Ben as the tailored song choice for the Manila stop. Aside from the fact that his voice criminally suits it, and that he sung it in a way that made it feel new -- Leaves means a lot to me personally. It was the song that got me through the early months of the pandemic, when there was so much bleak news coming in. I remember I would play it every day as a mantra to get to the next day, trying to keep living, trying to reassure myself I wasn’t alone in this though it often felt that way during the lockdowns. So thank you, Jeff. I fully expected he would sing one of the more classic OPM songs e.g. Hawak Kamay, but this song choice was even better. And he rendered it so well: the original song is softer, like a gentle reminder of things that would be better, but Jeff made this one sound like a conviction. Things are better, and even if they aren’t, they will be.

I would say that everyone’s cheers for Tong was the biggest one of the night, especially during the ending ment -- even before his declaration. He and Tankhun are universally loved. It was very sweet how he tried to tell the fans to conserve their energy during his performance in the first half of the show. (Note: That’s what tells you he’s new here: Manila concert crowds don’t let up until the very last second.) But of course I’m also going to bring up his cute moments at the ending ment, when he said he liked hearing us scream (at just about anything they did at that point, help), and when he asked to speak in Thai. I don’t think any of us expected he’d make a declaration right then and there, and right on cue someone brought a Pride flag (props to them for getting it past the guards) because it was such a pivotal moment in the show when Tong took it and waved it.

I have so many feelings about that moment. I’m so proud of Tong, because in the society we are in, it takes courage and heart to make a coming out statement. I’m happy for him, that he felt he was in a safe place, that he could say it with such strength. For us in the Philippines who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or are allied with it, it may seem like we’re more accepting. But our general society still isn’t. Anti-discrimination and same-sex marriage bills languish as our politicians bring out bibles to argue against the granting of equal rights. Every day is a battle to get through, being who you authentically are, without being judged and oppressed by the surrounding environment. But we fight, every day, still. That was -- is --  a triumphant moment in the show, and for us in the community as well, to be seen and heard. To show a solid front. We all hold the line for each other.

Not everyone has to make a coming out statement. God knows Tong didn’t owe it to us, or to anyone but himself, but he still did it and I’m very grateful to him for it. But to everyone else who are still figuring it out, or are pressured, or maybe don’t feel safe enough yet to speak their truth, know that it is alright. We process it in different ways, and also need a conducive environment that will keep us safe.

Ending ment was very touching and meaningful for everyone, because the fanclubs (both local and international) prepared a fan video to play. It clearly surprised the boys because they were ready to start saying their thanks, then they had to turn around and watch. A lot of them started going teary -- but Mile was in permanently smiling mode, and so was Bible. The fanclubs put a lot of effort into making that MV -- I heard there was supposed to be another one that didn’t get aired due to some mix-up with Live Nation, but they’ve said they would post the part that was cut. 

Job was the first to speak and he was still recovering from the MV reveal, so he couldn’t find the words right away. Then the “We love you” chant started.

Barcode also got his own chant and it was such an Aww moment. He once again recounted his past, of not being able to travel abroad when he was younger. I’ve been in the same position before, so this message resonated with me. I really hope he finds more success and is able to bring his family around with him abroad soon.

Jeff is an angel and he earned Manila’s loyalty tonight. We love good singers. Really hoping he comes back with his own show.

Apo got his own chant as well, and couldn’t speak for a good few minutes waiting for the fervor to die down a bit so he could be heard. I remember him speaking very fluently in English almost the entire time, and he told us they’d been invited to Manila before (him and Mile), but that they waited until they could bring the entire cast and crew with them. (Note: I don’t remember anything apart from that because he glowed the entire time. I was a bit distracted.)

Mile was adorable, what the fuck. He looked teary-eyed but was smiling the whole way through, and said he was supposed to visit the Philippines before but did not push through because of the pandemic. He also said his father and brother had told him that the Philippines/Manila was unique and cute. He did seem so overwhelmed, said his “heart was shaking” at some point, likely because of the crowd response. It was funny because he said something about wanting to show his shaking heart, which then prompted the crowd to start chanting, “Take it off! Take it off!” pertaining to his shirt so he could “show his heart.” Personally endearing to me that he was smiling at first, thinking we were just making random noises, and then the slow descent into him realizing what we were actually asking him to do. He said a very bashful, “Next time, next time” to placate the crowd.

He asked to speak in Thai to give a more eloquent answer. But there seemed to be some issues with the translator, they couldn’t really catch up to whatever he was saying and there was just silence, so he took the reins back up in English. I was a bit sad by this, that he couldn’t express himself as he wanted to, and have some additional thoughts about the in-show translations later.

Mile and Apo. They deserve their own section for the many moments they had during the show:

The opening scene was well-choreographed, and who doesn’t love Apo as Porsche struggling his way out of his bindings while Mile as Kinn walks about like he owns the place (he probably does). It’s an entirely other thing to see Apo kicking around the place with so much strength and grace. There was a great push-and-pull atmosphere between them, up until Apo ran.

The pier scene was a major kilig moment and everyone was shouting for the kiss every other interval. Once again -- some notable translation issues here. But they were very sweet, Apo’s body acting was great (he was flopping around while standing), and they added in a few more unique touches in how they interacted with each other. Nothing too major. We were all holding our breaths for the kiss and was disappointed when the lights turned off. :(

The post-canon beach bar scene is now one of my core memories. Apo and Mile came in holding hands, pleased as can be, and then Apo made Mile do the cutest twirl. In most fancams of this segment, the sound was always too grainy to make out their singing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Mile and Apo sing really darn well, too. Obviously not at Jeff Satur-level, but certainly in the category of “those high school boys who would sing and make people fall in love with them.” 

When You Say Nothing At All is also personally meaningful to me, given I grew up with my mother playing it all the time and my friends usually covering it for performances. The crowd sang along, as always. Apo kept touching Mile and everyone kept screaming about it; so he touched him even more. Mile had to pause singing at some point and looked so giddy. At another point he just kept trying to make us sing some more even though the song was clearly at its end, going “When you say...” and the crowd sort of confusedly singing back, “Nothing at all...” several times. Apo was also clearly enjoying the sing-along because he took off both of his in-ears to listen, and only put them back in when it was his turn.

Fly Me to the Moon is of course, a piece of the Mile & Apo lore, and Apo sounded really good singing it. He has a strong and clear voice, and a tone made for the more relaxed, slower songs. I’d love to share a video of it because the sound is actually very clear, but the image quality is shit so I’m figuring that out. In any case, cheeky Apo realized pretty early on that we would scream at whatever they did, and do whatever they asked. I think there was a moment where he stumbled a bit, like he was supposed to sing the rest of the song, but then made Mile stop and sweetly asked us if we would sing along with him. Then he restarted even stronger than his first pass at the song, and Mile was having the time of his life off to the side watching this unfold. 

Mile did the cutest little tongue-out expression when he said Kinn and Porsche would sing us another song backstage. Please elaborate on this, good sir!

They were so cute running out of the stage, still tightly holding hands :(

Their fanservice segment where Apo first walked out wearing their Thai national costume and looked gorgeous doing so. Then Mile came out dancing in the cutest way to the cutest background music, and came hopping down exactly like a Samoyed to join Apo, where they very cutely walked down the aisle making Thai hand gestures.

I got to see them really up close when they went down the stage. Essays have been written about Mile and Apo looking unreal. I’m not sure I’m the one with the words to make it real.

Apo really does look exactly that beautiful as he does in photos, and actually even more so, except he’s doing it while living and breathing and glowing right in front of you. He’s so gorgeous. His features are very sharp and pronounced. There’s no mistaking him and his physique for anyone else’s. And as my seatmates would say, he’s really just so hot and walks like he’s the shit, which he really, really is.

Meanwhile, Mile has a smile that my friend describes as the “most genuine ever” which is a description I’m fully onboard with. He’s very pretty, much more handsome than even his photos would have you believe. I’m not sure how that’s possible. But he radiated so much happy energy, and was very attractive while doing so. He was just simultaneously laid back and yet the one person in the room you had to pay attention to the moment he decides it.

Their many, many moments together in the ending ment and even during Soundcheck. They would separate and then gravitate toward each other. I loved all of the guitar moments during Apo’s band solo, when he and Mile walked down the aisle in perfect replica of the rockstar guitarist with his vocalist muse. When Mile knelt down doing his guitar solo as Apo walked to the front of the stage and rocked out to the beat, it felt a little bit like he was paying homage. Then he sat by the side of the stage and interacted with fans while Apo worked the front.

The hand-off was already expected but no less cuter for it, when Mile willingly gave over his guitar to Apo even though he was perfectly capable of settling it in its stand himself. But are we going to complain about an iconic MileApo callback? No, we are not. Mile likes to remind us that only Apo gets to touch his precious things, and we are all here just to say, “Yes sir, noted sir.”

Mile’s This Love performance was so fun, the crowd was hyped singing along with him, and he spent a lot of time on the front stage rocking out! He moves so much like a dad, but like an attractive one? This is the weirdest combination I’ve ever had to write out. But it makes sense? I don’t think there’s any way to describe it? Any way his tone suits the song and I think he chose well. The guitars did sound a biiiit wayward without him there as well, which let me just say, he’s a really skilled guitarist and carries a lot of the technical moments on that instrument. The rest of the band are pretty good instrumentalists as well, they sounded quite solid. 

I can’t fail to mention Apo as an amazing crowd-worker. He matched the Manila crowd’s energy really well, and was very charismatic, whether speaking in English or in Thai. He knows how to initiate crowd moments and was just a very vibrant presence on the stage. Also he very much projects himself as the leader in a lot of things, I think I somehow expected Mile to do that, and was surprised to find it was the opposite.

There was a cute moment of Apo gravitating to Mile when Mile was about to throw out his guitar picks to the fans, they talked for a bit, Mile threw the pick, and then Apo gave him a light butt tap as he walked past him.

Also a cute moment when Apo made Mile dance with Jeff, and I did capture the part where Barcode and Tong piled onto the dancing as well, it was a fun quartet moment.

I just really want to say it was so great and affirming to be able to see them in person, performing their scenes again, and I really, really want more acting projects from them as a couple or on their own. I need it.

Wrap-up

When I came on show day, I was burnt out at the end of nearly three weeks of stressful work, averaging 3-4 hours of sleep daily, and barely recovered enough to be energetic in a 3-hour long concert. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it from feeling so miserable: I developed a migraine during Soundcheck, and then had the issue with my eyesight fritzing because of the lights. 

But the Manila concert crowd can buoy you straight out from hell. It was such an energetic, good-vibes bunch, where us and our seatmates enabled each other, screamed together, and just kept feeding off the surrounding energy. It was also great that they allowed some Gen Ad/Upper Box seats down to fill emptier seats in the middle, so you could really see the full strength of the crowd. I would estimate it at about 75 to 80% full, with the gaps really being in the weird upper corner sections. Overall, the experience was as fun as it was because of the crowd’s energy and incessant determination to support the cast in every way possible.

I loved being part of that crowd, and most of all, I loved watching the cast fall in love with it as well. I’ve never aspired to be a famous artist -- but I can imagine this is the vindication one feels, when they are recognized by so many, and see that much support being thrown at them. I’m happy we made them so happy. The entire time, they were clearly walking around half in disbelief, but managed to stay on task despite the frequent screaming.

You can see how hard they’ve worked to make the show as it is, to showcase everyone and interact with the fans as much as possible.

It was not without its hiccups: I have a major complaint regarding the translations. At some point I almost preferred there being no translations at all, because it sounded like bland dubbing in between their lines, and there were entire sections where the translations just... didn’t come, like in Nodt’s speech as Big, or when Mile was talking during his ending ment. I understand translating is hard work, maybe there were audio issues as well backstage. This is generally something that’s the producer’s responsibility. So hopefully Live Nation, if they ever produce another KinnPorsche show, makes it a better translating experience because it was a hiccup that wasn’t easy to overlook.

There were also quite a few sound and lighting issues, particularly in the opening of the show where we paused for a significant lull (5-10 mins). I’ve already talked about Live Nation’s timing with the Soundcheck, but they also had so many issues regarding the concert preparation.

Those aside, the cast and crew made the entire experience worth it. But I’d be remiss if I also didn’t mention the other international fans who joined us, and all of the fanclubs’ hard work putting together the ads around the city, the food and gift support, the photo booths, and the fan concert projects. The crowd was insane last night, and I felt very grateful to have been part of it all.

As I’m writing this, they’re already flying back to Thailand. I’m sad they didn’t get to go around more as quite a few of them wanted to. I hope they do get the opportunity, though, at least privately if it’s not as part of a public event. I really do look forward to seeing them again.

If you’ve reached the end, thank you for reading through all of the word vomit. And if you did also go to the Manila concert, do share your experience as well! Always great to hear the fans’ different perspectives. 

TL;DR 

KP cast member: *breathes*

KP Manila concert crowd: *INCOHERENT SCREAMING, LAUGHING, CRYING, LIGHTSTICK SHAKING*

[puella-peanut]

Not Quite A Silver Lining

Written for the @allvalley100 Word Drabble Challenge. This time it was “Wanderlust".

This is a companion piece to Silver Linings which can be read here!

(You should read that first!)

This is my fourth fill

...

"I can't believe Daniel’s touring Japan the moment we land!" Jessica groaned, squinting through the crew-curtain down the dark aisle for any...activity.

Johnny scowled; watching, fuming. "Yeah, LaRusso hits the jackpot, but all I get is a psycho karate teacher who says he’ll kick my ass at Narita! What the fu—“

"—and Daniel’s already on first-name basis with Silver too!” Ali mercifully interrupted, round eyed with interest. 

”Terry this, Terry that,” Johnny mocked in a girly-whisper. "What's next? The mile high club?"

”Well—“ Ali began, while Johnny looked horrified.

Just putting the lust in wanderlust, Jessica smirked to herself. 

...

What did Johnny do to piss off Kreese this time? Why is Kreese even on this flight anyways?!

Anyway, might write a part three to this shuush.

And yes guys, I removed the first part from my A03 because I'm going to re-upload it all in one part.

[make-me-your-animal]

Part 6: mile high

Warning: my favorite sluts do their slutty thing

Harper woke mid flight to a strange silence. After weeks of sleeping on tour buses with girls that don't believe in the art of slumber it was weird to hear so little. She shifted around a bit in the thin blanket she had wrapped herself in to see what her bandmates were up too.

Next to her slept rebel. She had curled herself up completely in a way that didn't look very comfortable  Rebel was like a cat she could sleep anywhere with ease. Her long dark hair covered most of her face.

Phil sat on her other side. He was awake listening to his stash of cassettes.

Harper glanced across the aisle to where Joe was. Gemma was on the other side of him. Poor things had it the worse there wasnt alot of leg room and both of them were all legs. Joe seemed to find a comfortable position as he read his book his long legs stretched out as far as they could under the seat infront off him. Gemma seemed to have a more difficult time. Every couple minutes she would shift trying to stretch her legs out under the seat infront of her like joe only to curl them up under her again.

Finally the girl leaned forward to find Harper was awake as well. Her previously miserable face lite up with excitement.  'Want to trade seats?' She mouthed.

Harper thought about it. No real harm would be caused by them trading seats but she also wasn't really sure what benefits it would have to Gemma. Other then her getting to sit next to phil. What benefits would it have for herself?

She'd get to sit next to joe but did she want to sit next to joe? She hadn't been able to talk to the man very much. Every time she did she got nervous and messed it up.

He seemed to be well aware of her little crush on him but never made any moves so Harper just assumed the man didn't have any feeling for her.

Would it seem weird if she traded seats with Gemma to sit next to him? She could just blame it on Gemma. She didnt want to sit next to joe Gemma just wanted to sit next to phil.

Harper pushed through the mental battle and shrugged. wrapping her blanket around her and stood up. It took a bit of awkward shuffling but she got past rebel. Joe had to stand up to let Gemma out after a minute of their long legs tangling and Gemma almost tripping.  Harper giggled as Gemma crawled over rebel and pushed phils headphones back kissing his cheek. "Ello handsome" she purred.

Joe stood in the aisle as Harper maneuvered herself and her blanket into gemmas old seat before sitting again.

"Shes been waiting like an hour for you to wake up so she could get you to switch seats." Joe stated his book abandoned.

Harper giggled. "I'm surprised she didn't wake me up"

"She wanted too but I stopped her. You looked comfortable"

"I was"

"Joys of being what 5"2?" Joe teased.

"5"1 actually." She said matter-of-factly. " not my fault your a gian- " Harper trailed off looking past Joe.

Joe turned to watch Gemma and phil struggled to get around poor rebel. Who took atleast two knees but just batted them away with a groan and burried her face against the seat."Where are you two headed?" Joe questioned.

"Oh you know just stretching our legs. Long flight and all that" Gemma stated nonchalantly like phils boner wasn't ovibous and unfortunately at eye level.

"Mhm sure." Joe rolled his eyes. "Use protection yeah?"

"Alright da" phil snickered ushering Gemma down the aisle.

"Well they are getting on good" Joe chuckled turning back to harper.

"Getting on or getting off?" Harper yawned.

"Both."

"This is a horrible idea" Gemma giggled as phil pushed her against the door. Their lips crashed together in a heated kiss. All tongue and teeth.

"Is it?" Phil chuckled as her hands had already made their way to the hems of his sweat pants.

"Mhm" she purred, "switch spots with me"

Phil did as directed watching as the long legged blonde dropped onto her knees. There wasn't alot of room with two bodies in the already too small space. She grasped his thigh for stability as she leaned forward. His breath hitched as she nuzzled against his clothed buldge.  She found the tip of it and traced it through the soft Grey fabric with her pointer finger.

"Have you ever done this before?" She asked watching phil. His pointed features always seemed to become more so when he was getting lucky.

"What get blown on a plane?"

"Yeah"

"No. I shagged a stewardess once though" he wanted to bury his hands into her hair but she would probably kill him if he ruined the pair on pretty braids she had. Instead he rest his hands on the crown of her head. "Have you?"

"No I've never blown a bloke on a plane always has to be a first time though" she batted her eyes up at him while pulling his sweats and boxers down. She stroked his hard length making him groan. She leaned forward to place a tiny kitten lick to the slit.

"Come on babygirl put it in yer mouth" He cooed trying to pull her closer.

Gemma let him parting her lips and letting him invade her mouth.

"Oh fuck yeah" he moaned as she hollowed her cheeks and bobbed her head. His head fell back against the door with a light thud.

Her tongue was everywhere. Prodding at where the head and shaft met. Wiggling across the large vein that trailed the entire under side of his dick.

Her lips wrapped tight pulling his foreskin back and forth across the rock hard flesh.

She was lucky wasn't incredibly large or else it would be quite the feat. She was slightly worried they would hit turbulence and she would choke but other then that fear it was quite enjoyable. The little gasps and groans phil let out during the desperate fight to stay quiet let her know he was enjoying it too.

"Oh baby so good. Not gonna last long" He babbled after awhile. he looked down to find Gemma working her own pants open slipping her hand that wasnt braced on phils thigh into the Denim. Just the thought of her getting turned on by getting him off was enough to pull him over the edge. But when she moaned around him there was no stopping it. She gagged when the first spurt of cum hit the back of her throat but she still managed to swallow.

She pulled off and kissed his thigh before letting out a quiet moan. "Phil" She mumbled resting her head against his thigh.

"Come here baby" He murmered pulling her up. He grabbed her wrist pulling her hand from her jeans and bringing it to his mouth licking her glistening fingers clean. He groaned slightly at the taste of her. she just stared wide eyed. Her pupils were blown with lust.

His free hand slipped between fabric and skin before pushing two fingers inside her.

"Oh fuck" she moaned burring her face in the crook of his neck she pushed her hands under his shirt desperate to feel the sensation of skin on skin.

He strummed her clit with his thumb as the women ground against his hand. "Come on lovely" He encouraged.

It didn't take long at all for her to cum shaking and moaning softly. Thank goodness for that because an angry knock sounded on the door. "Occupied," phil stated through the door, his voice rough, considering he wasn't the one who just gave a blow job.

When gemma was steady enough to stand on her own He slipped his hand back out of her jeans. He pulled up his own sweats. Then,  He kneeled down to button gemmas again and pull the zipper back into place.

"Yet another perfectly fine panties ruined by you Mr. Collen" she teased Looking in the mirror to see how disheveled she looked. Not bad other then the fly aways sticking out of her braids now and her swollen lips.

"If you let me pick them out and then model them for me ill buy you more" He grinned spinning her around and kissing her softly.

"I might have to take you up on that" she grinned back before slipping out of the small space.  A man in a business type suit stood on the other side scowling. Gemma just smiled politely and batted her eyes at him. He scuffed as her and phil slipped past him.

Her smile grew as she got back to their seats and found Harper sleeping against Joe's shoulder. His eyes were closed as he played with her ginger hair.

"Awww look how sweet" phil cooed climbing back over rebel for hopefully the last time in this flight.

Joe just raised his middle finger.

[crjupdates]

Carly Rae Jepsen Has a Cynical Side

But she's still optimistic about love.

The Cut • Danielle Cohen • October 19, 2022

Photography by Tina Tyrell

Carly Rae Jepsen has a lot of feelings. If you’ve heard her songs, you know this: Intense crushes, first loves, and devastating breakups make up the musical vocabulary of the bubblegum-pop princess (or queen, if you ask her fans) who pours her heart into critically acclaimed records. In conversation, she’ll casually drop deep thoughts about romance between updates on her meditation journey (she just started) and riffs on Billie Holiday. “When you feel euphorically in love,” she tells me conspiratorially, “it feels like a miracle that’s happened only to you.” But Jepsen also knows she’s not the only one who feels this way. “It’s an extreme emotion that we experience privately but is universally shared,” she says of her most frequent subject.

When I meet Jepsen on a fall afternoon in New York, the light is glinting off her star-and-moon nail decals while she gestures wildly into the aisle of the Central Park Boathouse. Dressed in a black crepe turtleneck and a quilted jacket-and-short set, she stands out amid the Canon-toting tourists and uptown retirees sitting on the Boathouse’s back porch, overlooking the park’s lake. She is, to put it mildly, happy to be here. Her eyes, accented at the corners with little clusters of face sequins, widen incredulously when our salads arrive. She speaks quickly and a little breathlessly, as if she has too many thoughts to squeeze into a single sentence. At one point, our waiter tells her she looks like an actor from House of the Dragon, which she takes as a compliment — despite having never heard of the show.

She launches into a story about planning the So Nice Tour, which began in September and will incorporate songs from her fifth album, The Loneliest Time. “I was getting so fixated on the video-wall content and the placement of our hands and where the clouds were and the moon being timed right that I was talking a million miles a minute and losing my voice,” she tells me. “I had to give myself a real talking to, like, None of this will matter if you can’t sing!” She pauses briefly to marvel at the olive focaccia another uniformed waiter forks onto our plates. Her meticulously planned celestial-themed manicure, she explains, will come off the second she wraps the tour in February. “I can’t text. Everything comes out like a haiku.” Being back in New York is a treat for the Canadian native, who decided at the last minute to stay at the Plaza in order to give herself a brief respite from her first week of tour-bus coffee and corporate hotels. “Look at this!” she sighs, beaming and stretching her arm toward the rowboat-dotted water. “Look where we are right now! I didn’t know this existed.” Her giddiness makes our surroundings feel like a cross between a ’90s romantic comedy and an advertising campaign for the city. “Days like this make me want to move to New York,” she admits.

While she may be “coquettishly” browsing apartments here, Jepsen’s home base is Los Angeles. Amid the explosion of “Call Me Maybe,” the inescapable hit that made her a household name and tween birthday party staple, the musician left Vancouver and settled in California, where she’s been living since 2012 — though between tours and festivals, she confesses, it quickly became more like where her clothes lived. In the past decade, Jepsen has evolved into a more mature musician and earned herself a spot in the pantheon of low-key pop girls with passionate, if small, fan bases and plenty of clout with music critics. Her songs still clearly come from the same artist who sang “Call Me Maybe,” and for every deeply confessional lyric, there’s an irresistible hook that loops joyously in your head for days. But the candid uncoolness of her writing, full of yearning and the outlandish fantasies that come with having a crush on someone you barely know, is offset by a surprisingly indie-leaning roster of collaborators. (Dev Hynes and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij have both made appearances in her liner notes alongside more predictable pop writers such as Jack Antonoff.) In the world of Jepsen’s music, the emotions are just as big as the saxophone riffs, and your most desperate, heartbreaking thoughts can become glittery pop anthems to belt out in the shower.

The concept behind her new album stems from a deep-rooted feeling of discomfort. “It’s been a lifelong inquiry that I’ve had with myself about my relationship to loneliness,” Jepsen explains. “The idea that you have to be happy by yourself — like, ‘Go be alone and be happy!’ — that’s bullshit to me. You become really happy on your own when you know you have connections out there.” She finds isolation and connection to be two sides of the same coin: Being lonely can bring people together, hopefully through music like her own. “Loneliness is a similar thing to love,” she says, digging into her “insane” peach-cake dessert. “It’s felt everywhere by everyone at different moments in their life.”

The Loneliest Time is an extension of Jepsen’s familiar, infectious sound — but tinged with cynicism. She wrote most of it during the pre-vaccine months of the pandemic, quarantined at home in L.A. Having spent most of her adult life working, traveling, and recording, she was suddenly, undeniably, “home alone with the cat.” The existential-crisis questions rushed in: Was she happy being on the road this often? Did she need more balance? Was she connected enough with her family and friends? She ventured onto a dating app for the first time, which did not help her find love but did provide the inspiration for The Loneliest Time’s summer single, “Beach House,” a send-up of Tinder clichés. (“Boy No. 2 had a beautiful face / Highly agreed to go back to his place / His wife really had some impeccable taste,” she sings in an early verse.)

But Jepsen is quick to point out that, on “Beach House,” her cynicism is “very pointedly at the sharks and not the lovers.” If she’s sneaking fewer starry-eyed ideas about love into her music, it’s because she knows she’s not the only one experiencing those feelings. “I thought music was for escapism,” she says, but a recent James Taylor concert where she found herself having a cathartic cry made her realize something else: “It’s permission to feel whatever it is that you need to feel.” While she left that concert in a puddle of tears, you’re more likely to leave one of hershows bopping your head to a flawless pop earworm. Whether you want to dance or cry to your feelings, the outcome is the same: You’re feeling them to the fullest extent.

Jepsen is a notoriously prolific songwriter — she’s said to have written over 200 tracks for each of her two most recent albums, which she hones down to an album length through a complex system of sticky notes, poster board, and listening parties. But The Loneliest Time was different. Instead of writing on the road, where she solicits constant feedback from her band, she was at home plowing through ideas by herself (and, occasionally, on Zoom with her collaborators). She couldn’t go into a studio to record as often as she wanted, which meant she didn’t have her usual bounty of tracks to whittle down. Theseclusion ended up working to her advantage. “I thought what I was making was a little bit too strange to get right away,” she says tentatively, “and I didn’t want someone to stop me by saying a negative thing I wasn’t ready to take in yet. So my artwork itself had a lonely time.”

Once she shared the album with her label, she was surprised and a little panicked to find they liked the most personal tracks — ones she initially wrote “just for me” and would now, it seemed, be sharing with the world. Ahead of Coachella, where she debuted The Loneliest Time’s folksy lead single, “Western Wind,” she gathered her bandmates and had them check off their favorite tracks on a chart she’d drawn up. The results had very little in common genre-wise, but, she says, “they all came from a place sparked by loneliness.”

Jepsen thinks of The Loneliest Time as her most experimental project yet. The album ricochets from pop to folk to smooth disco, fully shifting into new genres rather than merely taking inspiration from them. There are plenty of Jepsen-style classics, too. The opening track, “Surrender My Heart,” is a straight shot of epic-sounding pop in which she sings about struggling to be vulnerable with a new partner. “Bends” also lives in the scarier parts of a new relationship (and is true to Jepsen’s recent experience: She just started seeing someone whom she says she’s slowly opening up to). “Here’s a jar of tears I cried,” she sings, “’cause I can feel the darkness sometimes too.” There’s a slow, bitter folk ballad ingeniously titled “Go Find Yourself or Whatever,” which digs painfully into the gutting parts of a breakup instead of making them sound victorious. The title track, which comes at the end of the album, steers back into optimism and sounds as if it should be played at an ’80s roller disco.

I wonder, amid all this exploration, if anything was deemed too out there for the final cut. Jepsen’s previous two records, Dedicated and Emotion, got their own B-side releases. Will The Loneliest Time get a bolder, weirder part two? “We’ll see,” she answers thoughtfully. “I’m not sure if the world’s ready for more of that indulgence.”