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#and they're both in the autumn of their careers
athrisen · 2 years
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The Four Seasons Zine @wohzine has been sent out to all the wonderful supporters and I can finally set this free onto the interwebz!!!
I call this piece "Business Rivals :)"
Also I forgot to add strings to xie er's pipa what is life am i rite
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wzrd-wheezes · 3 months
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The Engagement Arrangement - Sirius Black x Reader/James Potter x Reader.
Hey!!! Can I request an arranged engagement with James because they grew up in wealthy families and they're close friends but as she gets to know the boys better Sirius falls in love with her? Mutual pining with obstacles with be the death of me.
AN: after actual months of writing this fic, it's finally finished. I posted the first part of it months ago but decided to finish the fic and repost it as a complete work. i'm so fucking proud of this and i really hope you enjoy it. this is the longest thing i've ever written so please please please give it a reblog and let me know what you think. ily <3
Contains: some angst, a lot of fluff, pining, swearing and just general good times haha. enjoy!
9k words
The engine of the car hummed quietly causing the window to vibrate as Y/N rested her head against the glass. She fiddled with the hem of her dress as she gazed out of the window, the trees a blur of red and orange as they whizzed past. 
“Will you stop fiddling with your dress!” Y/N’s mother snapped, whipping her head around to glare at her daughter, “I won’t have you at the Potter’s house with your dress all creased, what will they think of us!?” 
Y/N only murmured in response, barely paying attention to her mother’s nagging as she smoothed her dress out. The car pulled to a stop on the gravel driveway outside of the Potter’s manor. The autumn sunlight beat down on the vast lawns and bounced off of the ornate windows, casting patterns on the driveway. She sighed as she got out of the car, mentally preparing herself for the afternoon at the Potter’s.  
Coming to the Potter’s house for lunch wasn’t a frequent occurrence, yet every time their car pulled up outside, Y/N filled with dread. The lunches were alarmingly boring with her parents talking tirelessly with Mr and Mrs Potter. The Potter’s had a son, who Y/N was yet to meet as he attended a boarding school. Y/N’s mother had explained to her that James had been sent to boarding school as he was rather unruly, and they were trying to get him to settle down. However, now that he, like Y/N was 18, had finished school and returned home.��
Mrs Potter greeted them graciously at the front door, giving her parents a hug and Y/N a squeeze on the shoulder. She led them into the sitting room and began to bustle around making tea. Y/N perched on the edge of the sofa, trying to avoid crumpling her dress and infuriating her mother again. Just as she had done in the car, Y/N stared out of the window, her eyes drifting over the garden that seemed to sprawl for miles. Leaves floated down from the trees, landing in a pile on the floor before being dispersed by the soft breeze.  
“Nice of you to finally join us, Son.” Mr Potter spoke, easy smile resting on his face. Y/N was pulled out of her daydream, her eyes darting towards the door where a young man was standing, leaning lazily against the door frame. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks, the top button of his shirt undone and his dark curls falling messily into his eyes. 
“Mr and Mrs L/N.” he nodded, “Nice to see you both again.” 
“Ah, James.” Y/N’s father exclaimed, “It’s been a while! You must have grown a good few feet taller since we last saw you.” 
“My career as a dwarf never really took off so I decided to just let it go.” James joked, earning himself a disapproving look from both of his parents. 
“James,” Y/N’s mother swiftly interjected, “You haven’t met our daughter, Y/N. She’s just finished school as well. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” 
“Nice to meet you,” James grinned, stepping into the room and shaking Y/N’s hand. Y/N just smiled back at him, unsure of what to say. Her mother harshly nudged her leg, urging her to reply. 
“Yeah. You as well.” 
James plonked himself in the armchair in front of the window that Y/N was previously looking out of. She frowned slightly, annoyed that he was obstructing not only the view but also the distraction from the torturously boring conversation that their parents were having. The two teenagers sat silently, every so often glancing up at each other. One time, James rolled his eyes and mimed putting a gun to his head, Y/N had to try her best to stifle a laugh. Clearly, she didn’t try hard enough as she was shot another one of her mother’s infamous disapproving looks. 
“James, dear, why don’t you go and show Y/N around the gardens while we talk? We have some important business to discuss, and it will be terribly boring for you both.” James’ mother suggested. Y/N let out a sigh of relief and eagerly stood up, grabbing her jacket from the coat stand. 
For the first few moments, they didn’t speak a word to each other, just silently making their way through the hall towards the large front door, buttoning up their coats as they walked. It was only when they were out of earshot that James finally spoke. 
“I didn’t think it was possible to die of boredom, but I genuinely think I was close.” He said dramatically.  
“We were only sat in there for half an hour.” Y/N said, raising an eyebrow at him.  
“Yet it felt like an eternity.” 
James pushed open the front door and they were greeted by the crisp autumn air. Their breaths clouded in the chill, damp air and they both wrapped their coats a little tighter around themselves.  
“What d’you reckon they’re talking about?” Y/N asked, “What’s so important that we can’t be there to hear them discuss it?” James shrugged, staring up at the cloudless sky. 
“Who knows? Probably just boring adult stuff. I tend to just tune it out whenever they start speaking.” Despite his nonchalant response, there was a hint of wistfulness in his expression. It was almost as if the thought of having a genuine adult conversation with his parents seemed utterly foreign and unappealing to him. 
“They’re probably just sat moaning about us.” Y/N laughed, “That’s what adults do when they get together, isn’t it? Moan about their children?” 
“Nah, not my mum and dad. They genuinely think the sun shines out of my arse.” James chuckled. 
“Didn’t they ship you off to boarding school because you were too ‘unruly’” Y/N said, making air quotes with her fingers. James’ cheeks flushed at her comment and he let out an awkward chuckle. 
“Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration on mum and dad’s behalf. They made it sound like I was some feral child. In reality, I was just a normal kid who liked to have fun.” 
Y/N felt a bit guilty for poking fun at him about the boarding school ordeal. It seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for him, despite how flippantly he brushed it off. 
“They didn’t have to be so dramatic,” James continued, “But it’s all in the past now. I’m back home and everything’s fine,” He shrugged, the smile returning to his face. Y/N wasn’t quite so sure how accurate that statement one. 
They chatted as they walked through the gardens, comparing their school experiences, talking about their upbringings and their parents. Y/N felt sad that James had been away for the majority of their childhood, it would have made the many dinners with their parents a lot less painful if she had had someone her own age there to speak to.  
 The more time that Y/N spent in James’s company, the more she realised just how much they had in common. They had similar senses of humour, enjoyed engaging in sarcastic banter and had a mutual disdain for the social niceties that dominated their families’ get-together. For his part, James enjoyed speaking with Y/N as well. Unlike with the adults in his life, he didn’t have to keep up an exhausting façade. He could be frank with her and didn’t have to worry about offending her with his snarky wit. 
The conversation turned back to the topic of their schooling. Y/N described her school life and her friends, while James told stories of pranking students and teacher alike, and generally being a nuisance. James had a twinkle in his eye as he recounted some of his more mischievous antics. It was clear that he had no regrets and was, in fact, quite proud of all the trouble he had gotten into over the years.  
“I’m pretty sure I was on my last chance before they got rid of me,” he admitted as they walked back to the house, “In our final year, my friends and I were planning to pull a big stunt during exam week, it would have definitely gotten us kicked out. Only, my friend Peter ended up talking us out of it in the end. Probably for the best.” As he finished speaking a hint of regret crossed his face. 
When they finally returned to the house, having been gone a good hour or so, they found their parents still sat in the same spot they were in before they had left. It looked as though time had stood still while they were outside. 
“Ah, there you two are! We were just about to send someone out to find you! We really need to talk to you both, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down for a moment.” Mrs Potter smiled. James sighed inwardly and shot Y/N an apologetic look. Just when he had been enjoying himself, their parents’ demands had sent him back to reality.  
“We’ve been discussing the future,” Y/N’s father began, “And now you have both finished school we believe it’s time to start making preparations for the future.”  
Y/N and James both leaned forward in their chairs, intrigued by what their parents had to say. James let out a nervous chuckle, not sure what Y/N’s father meant by that.  
“Preparations for the future?” he repeated, turning to look at his own father, “What do you mean? Like, getting involved in the family business or something?” 
“Not particularly.” James’s father said. 
“You’re both intelligent, young individuals with bright futures ahead of you. The pair of you both come from good families, and we think it’s time that the two of you started settling down.” Y/N’s mother explained. 
Both Y/N and James sat there in stunned silence, their minds racing to try and figure out exactly what their parents were talking about.  
“You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?” James asked, not wanting to believe it, “You’re seriously suggesting that at the ripe old age of 18, we get married to each other?” The words were out of his mouth before he had even fully formed the thought. 
“That’s ridiculous!” Y/N exclaimed, “You can’t just arrange our romance like we’re some sort of commodity. That’s absurd!”  The notion of being forced into a relationship with James with utterly foreign to her, especially since they had only met mere hours ago. Mrs Potter looked at them both with a stern expression. 
“This isn’t something that we’ve considered lightly.” she said, in a tone that left no room for argument, “We believe that the two of you will make a wonderful couple, and with time may even grow to love each other.” 
“There is much more than that to our proposal,” James’s father said solemnly, “It’s not just about romance. In this particular case, settling down is more about stability.” 
James and Y/N just stared at each other, feeling the full weight of their parents’ decision bearing down on their shoulders.  
“But what about what we want?” James snapped, gesturing to the two of them. 
“At the end of the day, this isn’t about what you want.” Mr Potter shook his head, “This is about your families and their futures, not just your own selfish desires.” 
The statement hit both of them hard, and for a moment, the two teenagers were completely stunned. Their own family was more important than their own happiness, their own dreams. The harsh reality of their situation slowly began to sink in, and the weight out the responsibility felt nearly too heavy for them to bear. 
James paced back and forth across his spacious bedroom, seemingly unable to settle in one place. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides as he tried to wrestle with the situation that they had been forced into. Y/N was watching him, lounged on the edge of his bed with a mug of tea in her hand. 
It had been a few days since their parents had broken the news to them and they had since decided that it would be a good idea for Y/N to move in with the Potter’s. It was as if her parents couldn’t wait to get her out quick enough and had all of her things boxed up in a matter of hours. 
“What do you think of all this?” he finally asked, stopping in front of her. She raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her drink. 
“Are you joking?” she scoffed, “You have to be joking. ‘Settling down’. Are you serious?” She sat so that she was upright, putting her mug down on the bedside table.  
“Are our parents mad? Have they actually lost it? Who proposes something like that to teenagers these days?” She could barely hide her incredulity. 
James sighed, feeling like his head was going to explode from a sudden rush of confusion and emotions. It felt so surreal, like this was some kind of elaborate joke that their parents were just waiting to reveal the punchline of.  
“I mean, you seem great and all and sure, we get along well enough, but is that really a solid basis for deciding to spend the rest of our lives together?” He raked a hand through his unruly hair. In his mind, there was no possible way they could make this situation work. 
“If it wasn’t so ridiculous, it would be hilariously tragic,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to ease the onset of a headache. 
“My friends are supposed to be visiting for a few weeks.” James said, sitting down on his bed, “I suppose they’ll make me cancel now you’re here. Y’know, with them wanting us to spend time together and all.” 
Y/N shook her head, feeling a surge of sympathy for James. He’d mentioned earlier how much he was looking forward to seeing his friends again and she couldn’t help but imagine how disappointed he would be if he had to cancel on them.  
“That’s a pain.” she said, “If it was up to me, I’d leave you alone to do whatever you like. I mean, fuck it, why not just let them come over anyway? If we’re getting married then I’m going to have to meet your friends eventually.” a sort of half-smile crossed her face as she looked at James. 
“Really?” he asked, turning to face her, “You wouldn’t mind if they still came over?” 
“Not at all!” 
“Wicked.” James grinned, “I’ll have to try and convince mum now.” 
Somehow, James managed to convince his mother to allow his friends to stay and they arrived a few days later. w fresh faces around. The two boys bounded down the driveway and tackled James into a somewhat clumsy hug, lanky adolescent limbs all over the place. James laughed and greeted his friends fondly.  
“So, this is the future wife then?” one of James’s friends grinned as he introduced them, “I’m Sirius. Pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry that you have to marry this prat.” 
“Not as sorry as I am.” Y/N mused. Sirius was just as tall as James but had a slightly more slender build. His dark hair falling straight down to his jawline, unlike James’s messy curls.   
“It’s a rough deal, I’ll admit.” The other one said. He was taller than both James and Sirius and awkwardly held a hand out for Y/N to shake as he introduced himself, “I’m Remus, by the way.” 
“Thanks for the condolences.” she laughed, “I’m Y/N.” 
James seemed to loosen up a bit now that his friends were here. Y/N had barely seen him smile the last few days. He’d spent the majority of his time moping around the house trying to come up with a plan to get them both out of this mess. 
They decided to go and explore the surrounding countryside, the boys were keen to show Y/N the places that they had gone when they were growing up. James had said he felt too cooped up in the house, like they were constantly being watched by his parents and was eager to get out.  
They meandered around the grounds of Potter Manor, the boys occasionally sharing anecdotes about the summers that they used to spend at the Potter’s. Sirius pointed out the tree that James fell from when he broke his arm when he they were 12. The boys all looked at it fondly like it was one of the seven wonders of the world.   
Sirius and Remus, much like James, were charming and playful and Y/N was pleased with how well they managed to mesh with her sense of humour. She realised, over the course of the afternoon, that Sirius had a particular way of speaking that made her heart flutter. There was something about it, deep, silky and rich like melted chocolate. A certain kind of gentleness to the way his voice carried that felt like he could make whoever he was speaking to feel as if they were the centre of his attention.  Y/N felt a pang of guilt in her stomach as she tried to push the thoughts of Sirius from her mind.   
As the sunlight began to fade into the afternoon sky, the group made their way back to the manor. Y/N knew that they would soon be sitting down for dinner, but she wasn’t quite ready for their afternoon to be over quite yet. She had gotten to know the boys better and was having fun hearing the stories of their school days. The idea of going back to an awkward dinner with James’s parents was unsettling. 
Dinner was a bit of a bust; James’s parents were once again preaching the joys of settling down young and the importance of family and tradition. James seemed to be trying his best to get through the meal without any trouble, occasionally shooting an apologetic look at Y/N. Sirius and Remus sat awkwardly opposite them, doing their best to dodge the Potter’s invasive questions about when they themselves would get married. 
Every so often, Sirius would nudge Y/N’s foot with his own under the table. It first started when Mrs Potter made a comment about wedding dresses, but as dinner went on, it became more and more frequent. He would tap his foot against hers, then when she would look up at him he would pull a face or wink at her. She tried her best to focus her attention on the food in front of her, but it was hard not to be distracted by Sirius’s constant prodding under the table. The gesture felt flirty, and despite her efforts to resist, she couldn’t help but look back at him every time they made contact.  
The first time that Y/N and Sirius were alone together was a few nights later when Y/N got up in the middle of night to get a drink. She was restless and unable to sleep, still not used to the unfamiliar house that she was now living in.   
Sirius was already in the kitchen when she got in there, hoisted up on the kitchen counter, dimly lit from the small stream of moonlight that shone in from outside. 
“Mrs Potter will kill you if she sees you sitting up there.” Y/N whispered. Sirius snapped his head round to look at her, clearly not expecting anyone else to be up at this hour. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. 
“Let her try.” he said, not seeming too worried about the potential consequences of his behaviour. He stayed put on the counter, looking down at Y/N with a mischievous grin.   
“On your head be it.” she shrugged, grinning at him, “What are you doing up so late anyway?” 
“Couldn’t sleep.” he shifted his legs so that he was now sitting cross-legged on the counter, “What about you? Doing a bit of late-night wedding planning? 
Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes. She had spent so much time over the last few days trying to resist his playful flirting, but he was making it increasingly difficult. With every smile and joke, she felt herself warming up to him. 
“Oh, of course,” she scoffed, “I was just about to draw up the first draft of our wedding invitation.” 
“Well, if you need a hand writing them out then I’ll have you know that I have lovely penmanship.” 
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Y/N said, “But I’m hoping it doesn’t get that far.” 
“How are you feeling about everything?” he asked gently, his face becoming more sombre. 
“I mean, James is lovely and all but...” her voice trailed off for a moment, “I’m not in love with him. I don’t want to marry him, and he doesn’t want to marry me.” 
Sirius just nodded, for once in his life at a loss for what to say. Y/N crossed the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. She pulled herself up onto the other counter, opposite Sirius. 
“Y’know, I nearly ended up marrying my own cousin once,” He said bluntly. Y/N spluttered, nearly spitting her drink out. “You think yours and James’s families are mental? You should try meeting mine.” 
Wait, what?” she asked, looking at him in disbelief.  
“Yep. Old fashioned family traditions. Similar situation to you and James. They wanted me to settle down and get married and move out of the family home.” he said, “Guess that’s one thing we have in common then. Our fucked up families.” 
Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at Sirius’s crassness, but she felt a sense of validation knowing that someone else knew exactly what she was going through. 
“Yeah, I guess it is,” she said with a small smile, “So, what happened? How did you get out of the marriage?”  
“I ran away. Came to live with the Potter’s for a few weeks until school started again. I didn’t tell them exactly why of course. James and Remus knew and obviously thought it was hilarious.” his smile quickly faltered, “Haven’t seen my parents since.” 
“Well, I’m glad you escaped.” Y/N said softly. She could see that the situation with his parents was still very raw and painful for him, as much as he tried to brush it off. 
“Yeah, me too.” 
They stayed in the kitchen chatting for hours. Y/N told Sirius about her childhood and her school years and he exchanged stories about his childhood before he ran away. They only realised how much time had passed when a small chink of sunlight streamed through the window.  
“Shit. I didn’t realise the time.” Y/N gasped, hastily standing up. 
“Time flies when you’re having fun, eh?” Sirius grinned, he slid off the counter, crossing the kitchen to stand in front of her, “I’ll see you in a bit.” 
His comment made her face flush and she hoped that he hadn’t noticed it in the dim early morning light. She quickly composed herself and nodded at Sirius. 
“See you,” she said, trying to ignore the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 
Y/N and James seldom spent any time alone together with Sirius and Remus staying at the Potters. Secretly, she was grateful, it was nice to have a bit of a buffer between her and James sometimes, his two friends seemed to make the whole ordeal a lot less awkward.   
“Are you busy?” James asked, suddenly appearing at her side in the kitchen the next morning. She hadn’t even heard him walk over. His voice caught her off-guard, and she jumped slightly, turning back to face him. 
“No, why? Is everything okay?”  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.” he said quickly, “Everything is fine. I just wanted to...talk. To you.” James’s tone was more solemn than normal, his thick, dark eyebrows knitted together seriously. 
A long moment of silence passed between them before Y/N eventually nodded and followed James. He led her upstairs towards his bedroom, firmly shutting the door behind them. He gestured for Y/N to take a seat but remained standing himself. Her eyes widened in anticipation as he took a deep breath.  
“I’m not really sure what the best way to tell you this is so I’m just going to come out and say it.” he began, “I overheard mum and dad speaking last night and well... they’ve set a date for the wedding.” 
Y/N felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She had been enjoying the lull in the situation and felt like she had momentarily forgotten that anything had been wrong. James’s words hit her like a ton of bricks, and she slumped back in her seat, feeling completely stunned.  
“W-what? When?” 
“Next month.” James said with a pained expression, “It’s fast, but it seems like it’s the only way to satisfy our parents. They’ve set a date, so... I guess it’s happening.” 
He crossed the room to sit next to Y/N on the bed. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. Y/N looked down at their intertwined fingers, it was the first time that they had ever really touched each other. She was suddenly painfully aware of how close James’s body was to hers. They were sitting side by side, their legs touching and their hands together. A wave of heat washed over her, and she forced herself to meet James’s gaze.   
James, for his part, was trying very hard to keep his emotions in check as well. He grabbed Y/N’s hand without really thinking about what he was doing, in his head it just felt like it was the right thing to do. He held her gaze for a moment before finally speaking again. 
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” he said, his voice softer now. Y/N nodded slowly, unable to look away from him. She looked down at their hands again, her lips parted slightly as she searched her head for words.  
“I don’t know...” she finally said, “I don’t know how to feel.” 
“I understand.” he nodded in acknowledgment, “This isn’t what either of us wanted.” He paused for a moment, releasing her hand from his and raking his fingers through his curls.  
“I know the situation is shit and I know that we haven’t spent a lot of time together.” he continued, “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy spending time with you. I mean, like... as a person. I don’t know, maybe if we got to know each other a little better it’ll all be okay.” 
Y/N was taken aback by the way that James spoke so openly and honestly about his feelings. He didn’t sound like the angry person he was the first time they spoke about their marriage. This side of him was entirely different and she liked it. Despite everything that was going on, she felt strangely comforted by the way he was speaking so candidly. 
“I feel the same way. I suppose we don’t really have another option, do we?” said smiled sadly, “I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m sure we can get through this together.”  
“We can always divorce, eh?” James chuckled. Y/N let out a laugh, caught off guard by the way James quickly slipped back into his normal jovial self. 
Over the next few days, Y/N spent most of her time avoiding James’s parents, in hopes that if they put off seeing them for long enough, they might just forget about the wedding all together. The four of them would try and spend as much of the day as they could outside of the house, often wandering down into the town or to the pub. Y/N’s late night conversations with Sirius had become a staple of her stay with the Potter’s and she found herself looking forward to their nightly rituals more over the next few days. She had quickly got used to sneaking down to the kitchen in the early hours of the morning. Their conversations had become increasingly more intimate, though for some reason, she still hadn’t broken the news to him about the date of the wedding.  
That night, she met up with Sirius after everyone else had gone to bed, slipping out of her room and making her way down to the kitchen. The house was silent and still, and she felt a rush of excitement as she laid her eyes on Sirius, him staring back at her with a wide grin.  
“I was wondering when you’d be joining me.” Sirius said calmly. Y/N returned the smile, taking a seat on the counter. Though, tonight, she strayed from her usual spot on the opposite side of the kitchen and sat next time him. 
“You’re quite predictable, you know?” she teased, “the last three nights you’ve been in the kitchen, maybe you ought to start changing it up a little.”  
She adjusted her position on the counter, trying to make herself more comfortable. Sirius smiled back playfully and for a moment, they just sat in companionable silence. Just as it had happened earlier with James, Y/N noticed the way that Sirius’s knee was touching hers. Although, this time she didn’t feel the need to yank it away, she just let it rest against hers.  
“James told me the news.” Sirius stated, “It’s shit.” 
“Yep.” Y/N laughed at his bluntness, “In less than a month I’ll be a married woman.” 
“You don’t like him very much, do you?” 
“It’s not that I don’t like him – I think any girl would be lucky to have him. I mean, he’s lovely and all but...” her voice trailed off. 
“You just don’t like him like that.” Sirius finished for her.  
Y/N hummed in response, her eyes trailing down to where their knees were touching and then back up to Sirius’s eyes. He was looking straight back at her, as if his eyes were searching hers for exactly how she was feeling. The moment felt charged, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him. She knew he was waiting for her to say something and she was quickly overcome by a wave of self-consciousness that left her unable to speak.  
After what felt like an eternity, Sirius’s hand inched its way over until it was hovering over her knee. Slowly, but surely, his fingers placed themselves over her own.  The heat between their two bodies was almost unbearable. She could feel her heart racing and she was almost certain that if he listened hard enough he would be able to hear it. Her fingers instinctively tightened around his. 
“I just really don’t know what to do.” she found her voice after a moment, looking up at him.  
Once again, his eyes locked with hers for a moment before they fluttered shut, his body angling towards hers, head tipped down and his lips brushing against her own. Instinctively, his hand reached up to cup her face, thumb stroking across the softness of her cheek. After a moment, she pulled away, her focus on his lips for a fleeting moment before forcing herself to look away. She felt like she had just been electrocuted, feeling dizzy with the rush of emotions. Sirius, for a few moments, looked like he was too stunned to speak. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and quickly drew his away. 
“I should go.” he said, sliding down from the counter. He barely looked at her before swiftly making his way out of the kitchen. Y/N didn’t move, just stared after him as he left, her hands stayed where they were on the counter, her fingertips still tingling from Sirius’s touch. 
They managed to avoid each other for the rest of the week, their brief moment of intimacy being pushed to the back of both of their minds. Y/N was doing her best to avoid thinking about Sirius, and Sirius was trying his best to avoid thinking about Y/N.  
James had spent an awful lot of time by her side over the last few days, and while she appreciated the distraction, every time James spoke to her she got a horrible sick feeling in her stomach. She felt like her heart was being ripped into two, feeling torn between her attraction to Sirius and her engagement to James. 
You’ve seemed off the last few days, is everything alright?” James asked one afternoon as they were sat together in the living room. Y/N looked up from the book that was resting on her lap. 
“I’m fine.” she said, “How come you haven’t gone out with the others?”  
“Remus wanted to go to the pub and I didn’t fancy it.” he shrugged.  
“You’re not just staying here for me, are you?”  
“No.” James laughed, “Not just staying here for you, no. But I would like to be spending time with you.” 
Y/N felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she looked back down at her book, trying to avoid James’s gaze.  
“I’ll be spending a lot of time with you for the rest of my life. Might as well start getting used to it.” he grinned.  
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” James asked after a few moments of silence. 
“Go ahead.” 
“I was just wondering, if we hadn’t been forced into this whole engagement thing, how do you think you would feel about me?” 
Y/N froze, uncertain of what she should say. She wanted to be honest with him but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Her mind flicked back to the conversation she had had with Sirius and the kiss they had shared. 
“I...” she started hesitantly, her eyes still avoiding James, “It’s hard, isn’t it? Maybe if we had met in another situation it would be different but...” 
“You don’t have to lie to me,” James said, his voice gentle, “I know that none of this was how it was supposed to happen and I know that there are a lot of things about this situation that you don't like, but I think that we could still be happy together.” 
She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the guilt that suddenly washed over her. Even if they had met under different circumstances, she still wasn’t entirely sure that things would have worked out between them. She just didn’t see James like that. She had tried to ignore it at first, but to her, it just felt like it was a fact that there was no romantic tension between them. But, to say that would be heartbreaking, so instead, she just stayed silent. 
“Y’know, Sirius said I’m mad.” James sighed and Y/N looked at him quizzically, “He thinks I’m daft for trying to find a way out of this marriage. Said I’d be lucky to have a girl as good as you.” 
“He did?” 
“Yeah, he thinks you’re great.” James moved to look at her properly, taking the book from her lap, closing it and placing it on the table so that she was forced to give him her full attention.  
Y/N immediately felt nervous as she met James’s gaze. Her breath caught in her throat, feeling even more vulnerable no that there was no escape. She was forced to look directly at James with no distractions. 
“He’s right as well. Although, don’t tell him I said that because the smug bastard would never let me live it down.” James chuckled. He moved his hand to cup her chin, shifting her face to look at him, “You are great. You’re funny, you’re smart, you’re gorgeous. I mean, if the circumstances were different then I feel like-” 
“James, don’t-” 
Before she could finish her sentence, James had leaned forward, his lips colliding with hers. Y/N let out a gasp of surprise. She felt his hand tangling into her hair, the other moving down to her waist. It was like she was stuck, just sat there, allowing James to kiss her. Her body was completely overtaken by confusion.  
“What the fuck.” a voice spoke. 
Both of their heads snapped around to the doorway. Sirius was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, Remus at his side. Sirius’s expression was unreadable, and Y/N quickly pulled away from James, sinking back into her seat. 
“Ah, so this is what you two get up to when we’re not around.” Remus grinned, “No wonder you didn’t want to come to the pub with us.” 
James’s face flushed red and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, smiling nervously. A hot wave of embarrassment flushed over Y/N and her eyes frantically flicked between James and Sirius. Sirius’s expression didn’t change, and for the first time, she noticed a certain edge to his stare. It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything at all, but he kept his eyes locked on her. 
Y/N didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell if she was more angry with herself for letting the kiss happen or embarrassed at the fact that they had been caught. She looked back over to Sirius, his jaw was clenched and any trace of the usual playfulness in his eyes had gone. Without saying anything, Sirius walked away and they heard the faint slamming of his bedroom door.  
“What’s his problem?” James asked.  
“Dunno,” Remus shrugged, “He’s had a few pints. You know what he gets like.” 
That night, Sirius didn’t show at their usual meeting place in the kitchen. Y/N sat and waited patiently, hoping that he would turn up so that she could explain herself to him. She wanted to tell him that it was James that kissed her, that it meant absolutely nothing to her. Her heart sank as the morning light started to stream into the kitchen and she realised that Sirius wasn’t coming.  
For days, the only time that Y/N would see Sirius was when they ran into each other at the table during meals or on the stairs. Sirius avoided her eyes when they passed each other, not even giving her a chance to speak to her before disappearing. She didn’t know what to do. She kept trying to catch his eye whenever she saw him, willing him to look at her, wanting to explain everything. But, every time, she felt as though her words would be meaningless.  
She didn’t even want to see James now. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she would avoid him and go out of her way to prevent being alone with him. It wasn’t James’s fault, and deep-down Y/N knew that.  
One night, as Y/N was on her way upstairs to bed, she ran into Sirius. He was on his way out, taking his coat off the hook in the hallway when she suddenly caught a glimpse of him. She tensed up as he looked at her, scared of what he was going to say, but all he seemed to do was stare, that same cold expression that he wore when he saw her and James kiss.  
Before she could say anything, Sirius turned around, slid on his coat and walked out of the house. Y/N watched him walk away, managing to stop the front door before it slammed shut behind him. Not even bothering to put her coat on, she slipped on her shoes and hastily followed him up the driveway. 
“What are you doing out here? Go back inside, you’ve not even got a coat on. You’ll freeze.” Sirius said bluntly when she managed to catch up to him. 
“I don’t care.” Y/N pressed, “Will you please just speak to me? You’ve been avoiding me for days!” 
“Well, I’m sorry that I don’t feel like speaking to you after I walked in on you kissing my best mate.” 
“I’m engaged to him!” 
“You told me you didn’t love him!” 
“I don’t!” 
“Then why did you kiss him?” 
They were stood facing each other now. The chilly night air nipped at Y/N’s bare skin, making the hair on her arms stand up. She could feel frustrated tears stinging her eyes and she fought hard to hold them in. 
“He kissed me.” Y/N’s voice came out strained, “I wish he didn’t. God, I wish he didn’t. I don’t know why he did it. It just happened. I don’t know – maybe he just wanted to see if there was anything there.” 
“And was there?” Sirius asked, his eyes still cold. 
“Not on my part, no.” Y/N admitted, “Not like there was when you kissed me.” 
Sirius stopped at that. His eyes locked on hers, his expression softening for the very first time. His eyebrows raised slightly, and his frown eased.  
“You mean, the kiss with me really meant something to you?” 
Y/N nodded; a shy smile crept over her face as she thought back to their kiss. The way that Sirius’s lips had felt so different to James’s. Softer, more passionate, it had just felt right in that moment. 
“Of course it meant something to me. I thought it had to you as well,” her smiled faltered for a second, “but then after you left straight away and you avoided me for days. I thought you regretted it. Then the kiss with James happened and...” 
“I did regret it. I regretted it because you’re engaged to my best friend and I'm the bloody fool that decided to fall in love with you.” Sirius’s brows furrowed, “I just felt like I fucked up. God, you’re getting married.” 
Sirius raked a hand through his hair, his head tipped back. He looked up towards the sky, the inky, dark night sprinkled with stars. He sighed and then looked back at her. 
“I just wish we could have met under a different circumstance.” he said sadly, “without everything being so complicated.” 
“Me too.” 
She couldn’t help the aching feeling in her heart. Feeling as if the world was so cruel to throw them together this way. His eyes locked on hers, a deep well of sadness in them. 
“We should go back inside; you’ll catch your death out here.” Sirius said, placing a hand on her arm and trying to guide her back to the house. 
“Where were you going anyway?” she asked, “When you walked out?” 
“God knows.” 
They walked back to the house in silence, the only sound being the creaky stairs as they made their way back to their bedrooms. She could feel the tension in the air, like they both wanted to say something but couldn’t. When they reached the top of the stairs, without saying anything, Sirius placed a gentle hand on her cheek and turned her to face him. 
Gently, Sirius pulled her towards him, sliding one arm around her body so her chest was just brushing against his. His other hand moved up to cup the back of her neck, his fingertips brushing gently against her skin. He pulled her in closer and she tipped her head back to look at him, their lips just inches away from each other. 
He didn’t wait a second longer. His lips found hers, pressing against them as he kissed her deeply. One hand slid down to rest on her waist, the other tangling in her hair, pulling her body flush against his.  
For the first time that night, Y/N wasn’t thinking about all the complications, she was just basking in the moment, happy to feel the electricity between them once again. The kiss was much longer than their last, much more passionate. Y/N ran her fingers through Sirius’s hair. Every inch of her was pulled towards him, desperate to cling onto him. She wanted it to last forever, her arms wrapped around his neck, his body melted against her own, her lips on his. She would have given anything for time to stand still. 
All too soon, the kiss ended. Sirius’s lips moved away from hers. Their breathing was loud in the silence. The two of them stood there for what felt like an eternity, both refusing to look away. 
“What do we do now?” Y/N asked softly. 
Sirius paused before answering, his eyes flicking back down to her lips. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something but no words came out. Instead, he just tilted his head down and kissed her again, sweetly this time. 
“I’ll do whatever it takes if it means I get to do that again.” Sirius whispered, his lips still touching hers. 
“But what about James?”  
Her question brought them both crashing back to reality. Sirius let out a deep exhale as he looked away.  
“Let me worry about that.”  
James was in the kitchen the next morning when Y/N went to get breakfast. Much like herself, he was an early riser and was sat at the kitchen table when she walked in. The golden glow of the sunlight lit up the room, bathing James in its warmth.  
“Morning.” he smiled, looking up at her. His voice was still thick with sleep and his curls were falling messily over his forehead. 
Y/N smiled back despite her stomach churning with anxiety. She had spent most of the night unable to sleep, replaying last night’s events in her mind. Despite James being completely oblivious to what was happening with Sirius, she could barely stomach being in the same room as him. 
James kicked the chair out that was opposite from him, gesturing for her to take a seat. She wanted to refuse, to distance herself from him as much as possible, but she couldn’t.  
“You’ve been avoiding me.” James addressed. She felt her heart immediately drop. Her eyes darted across the room, looking anywhere but back at him. 
“I could say the same.” she retorted. James raised an eyebrow at her and leaned back in his seat. 
“You kissed me.” The words had fallen from her mouth before she had even realised what she was saying.  
“I did.” An amused smile tugged on his lips. Y/N’s stomach heaved at the way he was acting so casually about it. 
“Why did you do it?” 
“To see if we both felt anything.” he shrugged. 
“And did you?”  
“Would it matter if I did?” 
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. He was acting so nonchalant, and it was driving her insane. James just chuckled, amused by her reaction. 
“Let’s suppose I did feel something. Would that affect anything?” he probed. 
Y/N looked away from him again, she was speechless. Her head was reeling from everything that was going on, all the conflicting emotions. A few weeks ago her and James were planning away for them to get out of the engagement, and then he kissed her and now, he seemed unfazed by the whole situation. 
“It wouldn’t.” he answered for her, “Because you didn’t feel anything.”  
For a moment, the whole world seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened, shocked at how blunt he was being with her. She couldn’t deny it. She hadn’t felt anything. He was right and she hated that. 
“Fine.” she admitted, feeling her throat clench up, the words just barely forcing themselves out, “I didn’t feel anything. What were you expecting? That you would kiss me and-” 
“That there would be fireworks and we would both realise that we were actually madly in love with each other?” James said dryly, “I’m not stupid. I don’t know what I was expecting.”  
Y/N sighed and rested her head in her hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to process everything that had just been said.  
“I’m a good kisser, right?” he teased, breaking the silence, “I mean, you have to give me that. It wasn’t completely awful, was it?” 
“No, it wasn’t completely awful.” Y/N cracked a smiled for the first time that morning. The atmosphere between them felt lighter. She felt herself relax a little, her smile growing wider. It was nice to be able to laugh a little, even if it was due to the awkwardness of the situation. 
“Did you sort everything out with Sirius?”  
“What?” Y/N spluttered, nearly choking on the intake of breath. 
“C’mon, I’m not thick.” he smiled, “All this ‘you’d be daft not to marry her’ nonsense. He couldn’t make it any more obvious.” 
Y/N’s heart felt like it was beating a million times a minute, the blood pumping through her body as she tried to think of a way to get her out of speaking about Sirius. 
“I didn’t... we didn’t... nothing happened.” she stumbled over her words. It was clear that she was terrible liar because she only managed to keep it up for a few seconds before she let out a massive sigh. 
“You’re the worst liar I have ever met, you know that?” James laughed.  
She sighed again, realising that she had no choice but to come clean. James was right – he wasn’t stupid and his suspicions were spot on. 
“Fine.” she groaned, “We kissed. Twice actually. We’ve met up a few nights, down here and we just chatted and-” 
“You like him.” James said. 
“I like him.”  
Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, both of them just stewing in the silence. Y/N tapped her fingers anxiously on the table, trying to think of something to say. 
“I’m sorry.” she decided on. 
“Don’t be sorry.” 
Y/N felt completely lost. He didn’t seem angry, or disappointed. He seemed almost understanding and she couldn’t wrap her head around it. She looked up at him, slightly surprised by his reaction. 
“You don’t care?” she asked incredulously. 
“Nope.” he smiled, “I think I always knew this would happen eventually. I never really believed in the arrangement. I mean, you’re great and I do like you but I don’t really want to marry you and you don’t want to marry me either. So what difference does it make that you like someone else?” 
“But your parents have booked the wedding.” 
“Fuck the wedding. I don’t care.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Our parents care more about the wedding than we ever could. They’ll get over it. They’ll find someone else for me to marry.” he finished with a laugh. 
Y/N felt like all the weight had been lifted off her shoulders, like she could breathe properly again for the first time in weeks. James was being so mature about the whole situation. She had been worrying for absolutely no reason, convinced that her entire world was about to come crashing down. 
“So, what do we tell our parents?” she asked. 
“Let me figure that out.” James said sitting up straight, “I’ll speak with both sets of parents, and we’ll see where it goes from there. In the meantime, just act normal. They don’t think that there’s anything wrong.” 
Y/N distracted herself while James was speaking to their parents by making her way up to Sirius’s room. She knocked gingerly on his door. He didn’t answer for a few moments but then she heard a shuffling sound and the door creaked open. 
Sirius looked like he had just woken up, his jet black hair slightly tussled but still perfect looking, plaid pyjama bottoms hung low on his hips. Y/N found herself staring at him for a second to long, her eyes scanning over his shirtless torso, taking in the sprinkling of tattoos that she hadn’t seen before. 
“Are you going to come in or are you just going to stare at me all day?” a cocky smirk spread across his lips. He stepped to the side, allowing her to enter his room and shut the door behind her. He leaned back against his bed, his eyes wandering over her, not bothering to conceal the fact that he was watching her as well.  
Neither of them spoke as they drank each other in. Y/N’s eyes darted around the room, noticing for the first time all the little details. The posters that had be messily taped to the wall, the stacks of books by his bed, even the smell of the room, all the subtle hints of him. 
“I told James.” she said, breaking the silence. 
“It’s a bit early to be dropping bombshells like that.” his mouth was curling up at the corner. 
“We don’t all sleep in ‘til noon,” she teased. Sirius just rolled his eyes at her. 
“D’you think I slept at all last night?” he nudged her, “How did he take it?” 
“Better than I expected, actually. He said he knew something was going on between us anyway. Said you spoke... highly of me.” she said, choosing her words carefully. 
“Oh, yeah?” he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, eyes sparkling mischievously “What did he say?” 
“That you said he’s daft not to marry me.” 
Sirius snorted in amusement, leaning back on the bed and crossing his arms. 
“I was that obvious, was I?” he laughed, “I guess he’s not as thick as I thought he was.” 
“I think it was more obvious when you stormed off when you walked in on him kissing me.” she joked. The pair of them laughed at the thought of Sirius’s dramatic exit. “He didn’t seem bothered at all. I mean, we both agreed that this engagement was stupid. It’s just an excuse for our parents to get involved in our lives. There’s no real reason for us to get married.” 
“So, what now?” he rested one of his hands on her thigh, “the marriage is off, I’m assuming. So, what’s the plan – we run away into the sunset together?” 
“In a perfect world, I would love to do just that, but we both know it’s not going to be that easy.” her smile faded slightly, “James is breaking the news to our parents. God knows what he’s going to tell them.”  
“Well, I suppose we just have to wait and see.” 
He pulled her towards him, letting her head rest on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, embracing her properly for the first time. She felt like she melted into him, simply just existing in his arms. Sirius rand a hand down her arm, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, letting it linger for a few seconds. 
Every sense of her body seemed to come alive all at once. The scent of his skin mingling with the like smell of his cologne, the sound of his breath and the feel of his gentle touch running over her skin. She felt herself get lost in the moment, forgetting the past and ignoring the future. For now, she felt content. 
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jokeroutsubs · 5 months
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Joker Out in Metropolitan magazine: "Another step forward"
An interview with Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin in the autumn/winter 2023 issue of Metropolitan magazine (published 27.10.2023). They talk about their plans for next year (recording in London, touring, and the new album), the way they approach making music, and how they've changed after Eurovision.
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Another step forward
The highly successful group Joker Out, consisting of Bojan Cvjetićanin, Kris Guštin, Nace Jordan, Jan Peteh and Jure Maček, is already well-known and warmly received here. The biggest night of their career - sold-out Stožice - is behind them. 12 thousand listeners (including me) gathered in Ljubljana's arena, where we enjoyed hit after hit for two whole hours. Even though they're still young and at a relatively early stage of their journey, Joker Out are already an accepted constant on the Slovenian, and now also international, music scene. They're so omnipresent and so high-profile that it feels like they've been active for decades already, even though we've only really started listening to them. So we are definitely interested to see what else they will get up to in the future.
M: At the end of September, you released your first song in English. Was that foreshadowing for the album?
Bojan: One song on the album is ticked off, and you can expect the whole album next year, around this time.
Kris: After the New Year, we'll start recording it abroad.
Bojan: We've decided to take our time and work through the things that have happened to us so that our feelings can settle down and we can allow ourselves both a creative break and a break from performing. We will start afresh in the new year and go abroad for the first time. We won't approach the new album the same way we did Demoni, where we set ourselves a four-month timeframe to make it; rather, the creative process will last from January until somewhere around mid-summer. We will also probably be in different locations.
M: You said that you were going abroad. Did you mean that in terms of recording, or that you are heading onto their scene? In recent months, you've already stepped onto international stages, where everyone received you with open arms.
Bojan: Yes, in a sense we're already present on the foreign scene, but while recording the album, we will move to London for a few months to create there as well. We have a European tour coming up in March and the first week of April, then we will return to London, and over the summer we'll perform at festivals and return home to our base. After releasing the album at the end of September or in October, we will do another tour or two.
M: You mention London a lot. Have you grown really attached to it?
Bojan: London filled us with inspiration and captivated us the most. It's true that the new song is called Sunny Side of London, but it doesn't actually have any connection to London other than me having to pick a location. The idea was born when we were driving around England in a bus that you sleep in overnight while it's driving from one location to another. When we were driving from Glasgow to London, I woke up in the morning, just happened to open the window, and we were just driving past the Palace of Westminster, which was bathed in sunshine. And that is how the song title came to be! (laughter) But the song is about our fans, our concerts, our connection with the fans - it actually describes the experiences from past concerts.
M: Given that you've spent quite some time in London, do you each have your own favourite corner of it?
Kris: I liked Camden a lot.
Bojan and Kris (in an English accent): Camden town!
Bojan: A part of London that I love a lot is Richmond. It seemed like a fairy tale to me.
M: What kind of response did you get when you released your first song in English?
Kris: To be honest, the response was a lot better than I expected. We weren't afraid, but we did expect some negativity from the Slovenian public who is used to the Slovenian language, but I think that we got good support from the Slovenian and Balkan audiences. It seems that we all understand that this is something that's necessary for wider commercial success abroad, to allow us to build a career there. On the other hand, I also want to say that we didn't force ourselves to make a song in English, it happened completely naturally. As we were working on it, Bojan started singing the lyrics to Sunny Side of London over the music.
Bojan: In the studio, we followed Žare's [Pak, their producer] rule that the language you're drawn to at the start should be the one you finish in. We made a few demos while we were in the studio, Sunny Side of London was the one we liked the most, and I started writing it in English and it stayed that way. We've learned that that's the only way to go, because at some point we had planned to translate our songs from Slovenian to English, but then we saw that there was no point in doing that. When a song is made in one language, it should stay that way. A translation is really just an adaptation of sorts. I think that our listeners could feel that it [SSOL] was an original work.
M: You two are the ones who usually write the lyrics you perform. How about for Sunny Side of London?
Bojan: I wrote the lyrics.
Kris: Bojan wrote the lyrics and we padded it with chords. (laughter)
M: Has your dynamic changed recently, in terms of making music?
Kris: We are changing more and more. Sunny Side of London is actually a good example of how our music-making has evolved. It's true that in the past, Bojči would bring a song to rehearsals, every now and then I would bring one as well, and then we made something from that idea. Now we approach things differently. First we do something with the instruments, you could say that we're 'jamming', then we find some sort of a draft or a moment we all liked, and then we develop our idea based on that, and Bojan has the opportunity to write lyrics for it. Sometimes we have ideas that we can realise later on. For example, Bojan had been thinking about us screaming in a song for a while, but he didn't know how to incorporate that. Well, we found an opportunity to use that. We've got to the point where we feel that it's a natural creative process, and we don't come to rehearsals with a ready-made idea anymore.
M: Would you say that you prefer this way of creating?
Bojan: Actually this natural way is much more freeing, because we are completely carefree in making our musical ideas happen. I am generally a big proponent of the idea that if I can manage to make a song the way I imagined it, I absolutely like that. It results in some slightly different songs as well, but I think that 'jamming' is really healthy for the band.
Kris: It's also true that Bojan has less and less time to write songs at home. It's better to come to rehearsals when we have two days off between tours, because that's where we shatter ourselves with music. That's how we express the feelings that have built up in us during a tour.
Bojan: We can truly refresh our minds and express what we feel. In the week we spent in the studio, we got a lot of top quality material. Completely spontaneously and naturally. I'm not worried about the new album, because we already know that we have some top quality drafts that we keep thinking of and we can't wait to get to them. On the other hand, we still have four months of living in a new environment coming up, which will definitely give us new wings in that regard.
M: So it suits you that you'll be going out of your comfort zone?
Bojan: Absolutely.
Kris: Like you said before - we are present on the international scene, but to truly be present means to be in a cultural centre like London, where alongside music, you can also create a team as well as a strategy going forwards, for how you're going to efficiently break into that market.
M: Given that you already have ideas for the album, I'd like to know if there's a message that you want to include in it?
Bojan: Honestly, no. I believe that we will approach our creative work the same way we've approached it before. If we like it, then it's good. We truly haven't adapted any songs in a way that we thought would work if it didn't work for us. We're lucky to have Žare, who is an excellent "filter". He will also come with us abroad, wherever the road takes us. We remain faithful to our base.
Kris: With the new song, we also started working with Sebastian Krys, a nearly 20-time Grammy winner, in the post-production phase. He also put a lot of himself into this song and I believe that he will give a lot to the new album as well. We have another "filter" who is well-established on the international scene.
M: How do you maintain your unique sound on the music scene?
Bojan: Between playing concerts, creating, and growing up, each member of the band has developed a persona behind his instrument. It's fascinating to see how important the person behind the instrument is. Kris, Jan, Nace and Jure have developed a style of playing that really belongs to them and is a kind of indescribable mark that you can recognise, and it is becoming more and more obvious. My character has also been built, as a singer and a musician standing on stage. When we combine all five of us, we get the Joker Out sound. Just yesterday I was having coffee with Žare and he asked me why people respond so strongly to what we're doing. With many musicians, when you're at their concerts, you feel that they are on the stage and you are under the stage. There's no personal connection. People like that seem very inaccessible. We feel that we have managed to keep a playfulness on stage and a relationship with the audience where each individual feels like they're at their own concert, and everyone else just came along. If we look at the ultra-successful stars, they also make you feel like they're singing only to you at their concerts. If we don't lose that, we're good. If we do lose it, then we're f*****! (laughter)
M: How did your life change after Eurovision?
Bojan: We're suddenly able to have concerts all around Europe, which is truly unbelievable. Next year we might be able to go even further, because we really travel a lot. Suddenly there are a lot of things on the line that we haven't had to deal with until now. We faced two big challenges as a band in a short time. After all, this is a group of people who were used to working in their home environment, and then it suddenly changed. If the dynamic changes in a negative way, there can quickly be friction. I'm glad that we had a few "baptisms by fire" where we had to act as one and build stronger bonds to be able to handle all that. I think that we've grown as a band and as individuals.
Kris: Just the fact that we went on holiday together immediately after Stožice says a lot.
Bojan: Yes, the only holiday we have.
M: You're good!
Bojan: Or stupid. (laughter)
Kris: We did have a week when we were each on our own.
Bojan: But we were sick in that time, so we were forced to be apart. That was when we realised how much we missed each other. We're not a group of coworkers anymore, we spend more time together than with any relative or best friend. I feel like I don't know how to live without these four dudes. (laughter)
M: Do you see music differently after Eurovision?
Bojan: Yes! We never want to play with playback again. At Eurovision, only the vocals are live, which is hard for musicians.
Kris: It was an interesting experience, but I really wouldn't do it again.
Bojan: Can you imagine someone telling you once again that you have to spend half a year just emptily plucking your strings?
Kris: And only one song over and over…
M: Is there a song that you're always excited to perform on stage?
Kris: Most of them, but a good example would be Ona.
Bojan: That's true. Ona is a good example, collectively. Or Tokio?
Kris: Nace is the biggest fan of Tokio, but I think we all vibe to it. (laughter) For me it's Plastika.
Bojan: Oooh, yes! And Ne bi smel.
Kris: Oooh, yes! All the songs from the second album. (laughter) Carpe Diem is nice too. Everyone is waiting for that song!
Bojan: I think Novi val is also a very special, really powerful song. Especially now that we've performed it abroad. You realise how many obstacles we have in our heads that can actually be bridged with one click. And when you see an entire hall of people, who had never even thought of getting to know your language before, holding up a light and singing as if they understand what's happening in the song. It's really fascinating.
-----
We watched Joker Out at the biggest performance of their lives and caught their feelings backstage immediately after the show.
Bojan Cvjetićanin: "I imagined that I'd be feeling a lot in the time after the concert, but honestly, I don’t have a single feeling right now. (laughter) I honestly don't know what's going on." (smile)
Jan Peteh: "I feel as if I've been climbing a hill for a year and now I've come down."
Jure Maček: "I feel like we're going on a tour of these kinds of venues."
Nace Jordan: "No feelings, my head's empty." (laughter)
Kris Guštin: "I've got a feeling we're going to enjoy these next three weeks, as we're going on holiday."
(This blurb is from their post-Stožice press conference; you can watch a part of it with English subs on our channel here: Joker Out First Impressions After Stožice Concert)
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emilybeemartin · 5 months
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Inktober Days 28-31
Day 28: Sparkle
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When people ask me which national park I've worked in is my favorite, I have a diplomatic answer. They're all different! Yellowstone is never boring, Glacier is visually stunning. But Great Smoky Mountains? Great Smokies is home. It was my first park, even before Yellowstone--I was brought on as a summer intern in 2010, and it set the course for my whole career onward.
Where other national parks trade in dramatic grandeur, Great Smokies offers a more intimate beauty. The pale pops of Catawba rhododendron blossoms in the dark forest. The squiggle of a spotted salamander in dewy moss. The first flush of red on the autumn slopes. The Christmas-tree perfume of the balsam firs at high elevation. 
But some of the most special things to me are the fireflies. The secret of the synchronous fireflies has trickled out, and now people flock to see them in late spring, flashing in coordinated laser light shows. My absolute favorites are the blue ghost fireflies, which glow a moonlight-blue, without blinking, and drift a few feet above the ground. On a dark, quiet evening, it's the single most magical sight I've ever seen. So magical I built a whole fantasy system around them in my first novel, Woodwalker.
Day 29: Massive
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There are so many parks whose scale simply can't be appreciated in photos. The yawning chasm of the Grand Canyon. The looming summits of Grand Teton. The plunging valleys of Glacier. And the massive span and height of sequoia trees.
Though this is a purely American tree, I've only experienced them abroad, when I lived in New Zealand. A short walk away from my student flat was a beautiful botanical garden, and I was amazed to find a grove of sequoias growing there. I greeted them like compatriots, foreigners in a faraway land. I visited them often and knew someday I needed to visit their cousins on their home turf. Like my fixation on Olympic National Park, I've frequently found myself plotting the drive from my Rocky Mountain jobs to the closest parks of sequoias and redwoods. I'll get there, one day.
Day 30: Rush
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Yosemite—the rush of history toward the riches of the west, the rush of visitors in the valley, the rush of air through climbers’ ropes, the rush to protect endangered natural spaces. But to me, no homage to Yosemite is complete without rushing water. Plunging waterfalls, rivers foaming with spring melt, frigid banks piled with frazil ice--- this park sings with the power of water.
Day 31: Fire
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We end Inktober 2023 in Hawai‛i Volcanoes National Park, a place where fire, earth, and water all meld together. At first I picked this park simply because it fit the prompt, but as I did some research, I realized how fitting it is to end this month-long celebration of national parks here. Built into the management policies for Hawai‛i Volcanoes is the practice of ho‛okupu, the action of creating growth through chanting or offerings. As Huihui Kanehele-Mossman, Kumu Hula and Executive Director at Edith Kanaka‛ole Foundation, puts it:
“[Ho‛okupu] is not showing gratitude… it’s a recognition between you and the place… that you are present there in order to have an exchange—an equal exchange between you and the place.”
As park rangers, we’re faced with tangible reminders of degradation every day—past, present, and future—in things like the violent history of land theft, the tenacious grip of invasive species, and the looming consequences of climate change. It’s easy for rangers to view both ourselves and the visiting public as interlopers and invaders, capable of only destruction, a force to be managed and mitigated.
But we’re not. That same force that enables us to destroy also enables us to restore, grow, and create. And as Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses in Braiding Sweetgrass, humans shouldn’t consider ourselves mere intruders in natural spaces. We evolved alongside nature. We do belong in it, and it relies on our power and gentleness as much as we rely on it.
Even beyond that, national parks are human-created spaces, with human boundaries, roads, infrastructure, and patterns. We have to be involved with them. We have to view ourselves as an integral part of their wellbeing, an equal partner, and a force for good, or we risk losing them to sheer indifference.
“If you don’t have anything else to give to a place, give your voice.”
-Huihui Kanehele-Mossman
Thanks for traveling along with me on this journey through our national parks! I hope you have an autumn full of peace and purpose!
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wilbursoot-updates · 1 year
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Review of Lovejoy's Northern Autumn Tour (Cardiff)!
Lovejoy is an achingly new band, with less than 18 months under their belts since the release of the first EP in March 2021 - but already they have a huge base of deeply loyal fans. So much so that for this - their first 'proper' tour, tickets sold out within seconds.
And the venues are not insignificant, each holds several hundred people and plays host to familiar-name`bands.
The rapid rise of Lovejoy isn't hard to explain. Lead singer Wilbur Soot has a massive following thanks to his streaming success - both in the gaming/storytelling arena (most significantly as part of the Minecraft-based DreamSMP) and as a solo singer-songwriter in his own right.
But Lovejoy's nascent success is genuinely down to more than that. This band has something, they're good - better than any band has a right to be at this stage in their career.
I crammed into the Globe in Cardiff along with 300 loyal Lovejoy fans. It was hot, it was sweaty and no-one cared. The atmosphere was electric from the start. They love Lovejoy and they couldn't wait for the band to take to the stage.
Support for the night was provided by a couple of bands who definitely deserve their own headline slots. Alice Lily (https://www.instagram.com/alicelilymusic/) were great fun and really talented while Spill created intriguing musical soundscapes with some clever effects - well worth checking them both out.
When Lovejoy took the stage the crowd erupted - and from start to finish they were bouncing around and shouting every word to every track. Even the new and newer songs (there were two or three which are yet to be formally released) were greeted with passionate screams and applause by the enthralled crowd.
The band is accomplished, they play impressively well. They aren't strangers to a live stage having played a number of gigs closer to home under their own name or secret appearances. And they show no lack of experience on stage, they are comfortable and professional. The set was tight.
Sound-wise, there are elements of The Cure, The Smiths, The Jam. Vocally and lyrically it's something in the style of Blur, or Gorillaz without the electronics. Despite two guitars and a bass onstage (as well as a couple of trumpets) the music is often drum-lead with Mark Boardman setting a powerful driving structure.
Wilbur sings and plays guitar alongside fellow lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith while Ash Kabosu creates powerful and elegant riffs of bass. Each band member creates part of the magic.
When Lovejoy play, you can feel the passion and energy - they are loving what they do as much as the crowd is and it becomes symbiotic. Wilbur makes sure to take time between the songs to thank the crowd for being there - and for letting Lovejoy play for them.
Over around 90 minutes in Cardiff Lovejoy crashed through most of their catalogue - and there are at least two or three tracks in there which have the feel of ready-made hits - radio-friendly (parental advisory) and certainly enough for a breakthrough. One Day has become something of an anthem for the band and the fans. The Fall is one of their newer tracks and is one that sounds even better live - but don't let that put you off checking it out online.
Having already tackled locations including Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool and Sheffield the next few days sees the band in Nottingham, Hull, Stoke and two dates in Brighton. They will be in London at the start of December.
Catch Lovejoy now on the way up, you can say you were there. Check out the band on Youtube.
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wexleresque · 5 months
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Fictober 2023 Day 31
Prompt #4: "Do you even know what this means?"
Last year had been something of a disappointment as far as Halloween was concerned. William had been the perfect age to be dressed up as a fat little pumpkin, and Scully had bought the costume well in advance. But when it rains, it pours. Literally. One of the worst storms in her memory had hit DC on Halloween, and to top it off, neither Scully nor Mulder had been in the mood to take Will trick or treating thanks to the cold they'd both picked up while traveling for some case or other.
So last Halloween had sucked, but that's fine. This year is going to be perfect. William is still too young to remember it later in his life, but Scully has fallen in love with his little smile and is determined to see it as much as possible tonight.
Plus, he can walk now. Mostly. No stroller necessary.
"Are you sure there aren't any pieces falling out?" Scully turns on the spot again so Mulder can get a 360-degree view of her hair, which is fixed into two large buns on either side of her hair.
Mulder cocks his head to the side and he inspects her handiwork. "Looks good to me, Your Highness." He winks at her.
She grins and picks up William from his spot on the floor in front of the television. Gently, she pulls his thumb from his mouth and wipes the saliva off of it and onto the flowy white fabric of her dress. He feels pleasantly warm against her, encased in his ewok costume. Her heart aches a little from how ridiculously cute he looks.
"Are you ready to go trick or treating?" she asks, kissing his cheek. William gives her a slobbery grin and mumbles something resembling trick or treat.
"He's a natural." Mulder remarks, leaving against the front door. He cuts a handsome profile as the Han Solo to her Princess Leia, all swagger in his black vest and dark jeans.
"C'mon, nerf herder." She settles William on her hip and stands on her tip-toes to kiss his stubbly cheek.
The smell of autumn hangs heavy in the air, a cold smell rich with dry, decaying leaves and campfire smoke. They're still a bit new to the neighborhood, having only moved in July. After decades of living in apartments, Scully is delighted to see that there are plenty of other families out tonight, floating from house to house in small groups. Her place in Georgetown had consisted of mostly career-oriented singles and double-income-no-kids couples.
The three of them start with the kind older couple that live next to them. William recognizes the two women and smiles at them shyly, accepting their candy into his pillowcase.
They continue down the street as the sun sets, each of them holding one of William's soft little hands. As his bag fills with treats, Mulder takes over carrying it, occasionally sneaking a few pieces and sharing them with Scully.
The owners of the last house have gone all out. Strobe lights, eerie organ music and the sound of crashing thunder create an impressively creepy atmosphere.
Undeterred, William toddles up the steps of the porch. He wanders into the motion-detection field of a mechanized clown, which lurches on its hinges at him and laughs maniacally.
William stares at the clown, easily twice his height, and laughs his beautiful little laugh right back in the face of the monster.
"Do you even know what this means, Mulder?" Scully asks excitedly under her breath.
"We've created a psychopath?" he whispers back.
Scully grins. "I finally have a buddy to watch horror movies with."
William takes a few steps forward and stomps his feet. A large fuzzy spider drops from the ceiling and he nearly doubles over in a fit of giggles before ringing the doorbell.
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tokiro07 · 28 days
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Not sure if you see it this way, but I think UDUL has a pretty interesting take on “living is suffering”:
- I feel like some of the past “traumatic events” of the cast (Fuuko, Yusai, Gina, Void and Chikara to an extent) are too “melodramatic” for me to fully take seriously. I’m not sure if I just got desensitized to the “big accident happens, many people die / career lost” kind of story. Some backstories I think are meant to be half-funny like Sean’s.
- What I really love in this series is how those Negators live their lives AFTER said traumtic event happened. I was way more invested in flashbacks in Autumn and Spring arc of Fuuko’s life and copings following the plane accident. This cast with varied ways of life after their power tragedies like being deppressed and trying to take burdens on themselves, getting over the death of their best friends/relatives, living reclused lives, dedicating their lives serving a cause or even turning to petty crimes and assassinating, with one particular guy not even realizing the “tragedy” still follows him being never satisfied with his current strength.
Anyway that’s my overall thought on why UU is interesting to me - someone who usually hates melodrama. I couldnt find any post of you on this topic so I figure I should say my thoughts here.
I can definitely see the overblown traumatic events taking someone out of it. Fuuko's never bothered me since the problem was her parents, everyone else was just a natural extension of the circumstance, but Gina taking out an entire town with no clear strong personal connection to anyone there is both too large of a scale and too impersonal for me to be invested in beyond the understanding that it's objectively bad
The smaller the scale, the easier it is to sympathize; Nico's only clear memory of his wife being her pained face upon death, Shen personally dropping his sister off of a cliff, Tatiana instantly obliterating her family and home, Creed being left for dead by his own military, these are all pains and losses that are pretty easy to understand
And of course, learning how to live post-tragedy is what Undead Unluck is all about. We all experience loss sooner or later, and it's easy to blame oneself for it. Waking up the next day and going on as if nothing happened can be harder than the experience itself, but allowing yourself to be consumed by it is just a waste. Life is meant to be lived, and no matter what guilt you carry, you still deserve to find happiness. You may need to make amends first, even if only to forgive yourself, but you deserve to enjoy life
Undead Unluck is about all of the different kinds of guilt and pain and loss that keep people from being happy and finding ways to overcome them and be happy. Undead Unluck's answer is near-universally to find joy by being with others, "heaven is other people" so to speak, but that isn't necessarily the only answer in real life. It's a good one, for sure, but I doubt Tozuka would want anyone to fall into despair at the realization that they're having trouble finding other people
The unrealistic scale of tragedy is undoubtedly just a matter of this being fiction; any idea, no matter how big or horrible, can be explored in its entirety in fiction, so big things can be made to happen for the sake of making an impact. Even if you can't sympathize, one just needs to understand why it would have an effect on those in context, and what it means for them to move past it
I hope that helps!
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hsandthemoon · 4 days
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same anon as the HS4 era question.
would the cards be able to tell you if the tayrry bua will be part of the HS4 promo rollout? don’t answer this question directly if you think it will jinx it, but i had this curiosity 👀
Whew, this resulted in some interesting cards.
Knight of Wands reversed: Frustrations and delays, which may indicate we won't get a BUA as part of the rollout. In a relationship reading this card reversed indicates someone running away from commitment -- impatience, reckless behavior, and instability. I might find some hope in that if I thought the relationship was real, but I don't. Instead it feels to me like this is exactly the energy Harry doesn't want to project for the HS4 era, so...
The World: Wholeness, completion of a project, achievement. A fulfilling career path and/or romantic life. This continues to give me the vibe that the "stable relationship" image may be the order of the day for the rollout of HS4, depending on when that comes.
6 of Pentacles: Material support, generosity, giving and receiving, gratitude. Supportive relationship. Ugh. This is not reassuring. I feel like these cards are saying we're going to have this relationship until the project has a little bit of traction.
I've given a timeline before of things reaching an end around late June, early July, and we don't have any idea when HS4 is coming. Rumors swirl that a single may come as soon as next month, but the album may not come until the autumn. I don't know if that means we won't get the BUA until then or not.
But what if we take each of these cards as the energy of the fandom for a month as well the energy around the arrival of a BUA? Knight of Wands's frustrations and delays may be frustrations and delays about when HS4 is coming, which is where we are now as fans -- so, end of March to end of April. If The World is end of April to end of May, that might mean we get an official announcement or even the first single. 6 of Pentacles could be end of May to end of June, with rollout of the project underway before the release of the actual album.
The Tower reversed: Okay, here we go. Desperately trying to avoid an inevitable disaster. What was once stable and supportive is now shaky, weak, and destined to fall. This would dovetail pretty well, but maybe a few weeks later, with this reading I did a while ago (note the presence of The Tower in both). End of June to end of July.
Queen of Swords: A partner (Harry?) looking for independence, insisting on having their own space and identity, being a loner.
So I'm going to stick with my prediction of July for a BUA. But definitely take note that I myself imposing a timeline here. The cards aren't giving me a time frame; they're just giving me a trajectory of energy. So if I'm wrong about the timeline, that's all on me!
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thesinglesjukebox · 3 months
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TORI KELLY - "CUT"
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Alex brings us some UK garage not actually from the UK...
[6.64]
Alex Ostroff: At the end of the first year without any regular Singles Jukebox coverage, the prospect of selecting just one track for Amnesty Week was daunting. Should I choose a fun quirky pop-rap track that reflected the continued importance of TikTok in drawing attention to new music in 2023? Or maybe a pop-country break-up anthem that draws equally from 'Tim McGraw' and 'We Belong Together' that would have been Jukebox catnip back in 2009 but can't seem to break through in 2023? Or maybe yet another British attempt to revive the spirit of R&B girl groups? Ultimately, I picked Tori Kelly's "cut" - a track that I suggested was an American big-pop-chorus approach to PinkPantheress' UK garage revivalism in an earlier Amnesty Week blurb. But while there are undeniable 2step influences here (the first single from Tori's 2023 EP samples Craig David directly), "cut" functions equally as millennium pop revivalism. Darkchild and Timbaland both get writing credits, although presumably just for the vibe that Kelly and producer Jon Bellion are trying to evoke and the ad-libs that Timbaland added when they sent him the track. For years, I couldn't tell you the first thing about Tori Kelly's music. She seemed to be one of those artists with an incredible voice who was perpetually singing as part of award show tributes, but who never settled into a clear artistic identity; cursory research indicates that she yo-yoed from a 2015 Max Martin-produced debut to two explicitly Christian gospel albums to acoustic YouTube performances. There's nothing particularly novel or boundary-pushing about "cut": a trilling acoustic guitar loop, garage drums, arpeggiated violins, Timbo mumbling in the background, Tori jumping the octave for the final chorus, an onomatopoeiac hook that tries to evoke the sound of a skipping heartbeat. But it somehow embedded itself in my brain all autumn and never let up. "cut," and the rest of this year's Tori EP, made me sit up and pay attention to Tori Kelly for the first time a full eight years into her career -- and made me actively excited to see what she does next. [9]
Katherine St Asaph: Timbaland jumping on a trend in 2023, and Tori Kelly jumping on a trend at any time, is probably a sign that the trend is on its way out. The returns haven't totally diminished, though. [6]
Micha Cavaseno: When UK garage touched US shores, a lot of the forms were unrecognizable compared to the source material -- Craig David's "Fill Me In" is one thing, but "7 Days" isn't exactly bubble & squeak. I would like to say that there was a big period of us dancing to Monsta Boy or Masters of Ceremony just so my own nerdy adolescent pursuits felt a little more valid, but no, I'm pretty sure we just listened to Blu Cantrell and that Mary J. Blige comeback record around that time. So really, I'm just fascinated at anyone from the US deciding to emulate a style that's so comparatively niche. As far as retro-UKG from the last few years, it's definitely not hitting "One Kiss" levels, nor is it even Jorja quality, but maybe that's the consequence of things getting lost in translation. [7]
Aaron Bergstrom: Tori gives it a valiant effort, but this still sounds like the batteries slowly running out on a Timbaland Speak & Spell. [4]
Taylor Alatorre: A second-string Timbaland beat scores some major points off the bench, assisted by Tori Kelly's infectious enthusiasm at being allowed on a Timbaland beat of any sort. One can choose to dismiss Tori as Ariana Grande for church moms who did the math on "34+35," or one can choose to celebrate her for that same reason. Her brand of pop soul is clean in more than one sense of the word -- witness how she skims across those challenging vocal phrases like they're beginners' exercises, or how she uses the pauses in the production to turn a lead-in to the chorus into a game of musical jump rope. Let's not agonize over the fact that the definitive slumber party music of two decades ago is now reappearing as adult contemporary; instead, let's call it incremental progress. [8]
Brad Shoup: Howling at the possibility that Timbaland is going to become a hired-gun ad-lib guy, like how a few years back everyone was hiring Nile Rodgers to strum a little. At least Nile gets some co-production credits! [6]
Nortey Dowuona: The skipping garage drums are well mixed. They slip underneath Tori's voice comfortably and bind it tightly, spinning in a dervish across the chorus. The boxy bassline synth below it is a nice counterpoint to the topline synths, which are surprisingly thinned out by reverb and EQ once the last chorus kicks in. It's a good idea and a good choice, but not something you will remember once you stop listening. [6]
Wayne Weizhen Zhang: The sound effect at the beginning of the chorus is so bizarre that multiple times while listening to this, I literally looked around to check whether there was a pipe that was emitting steam, a large man sighing slowly, or a freezer opening. Aside from that, "Cut" is expertly crafted pop reminiscent of the early 2000s, each motif stitched together tightly with Tori Kelly's adept voice. [7]
Ian Mathers: I wish they'd built out the "singing the drum part" bit into the chorus, because it's better and more distinctive than the actual chorus. [6]
Oliver Maier: Lots of fun if not especially sticky. Not often does a pop song feel like it's distinctly missing a guest rap verse, but such is the void that opens up at around 2:18. [7]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "I'm glad she's having fun" is classic smug pan verbiage but this genuinely works because Tori Kelly is having a lot of fun! It still never breaks through to be anything more than really really good Timbaland/Darkchild cosplay, but I'm not sure if it aspires to anything greater either. [7]
[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]
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bourgeoning-archive · 4 months
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have you seen SEOK SEOJEONG ? we've heard through the grapevine that they're INNOVATIVE but also CAVALIER . when you think of them , you think of RUMBLING  THUNDER  IN  THE  DISTANCE  ON  A  SUNNY  DAY ;  ENDLESS  STACKS  OF  PAPER ,  EACH  PAGE  FILLED  WITH  IMMACULATE  CALLIGRAPHY  AND  INK  PAINTINGS ;  A  WAIL  IN  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  NIGHT . people say they look a lot like jung eunchae .
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BIRTH  NAME  seok  yeon  .  COURTESY  NAME  seojeong  .  ART  NAME  baekho  .  ETYMOLOGY  YEON  :  from  the  sino - korean  蓮 / 연꽃  연  (  yeonkkot yeon  )  "  lotus  ;  enlightenment  ;  paradise  .  "  SEOJEONG  :  from  the  sino - korean  西 / 서녘  서  (  seonyeok  seo  )  ,  "  west  ,  "  and  霆 / 천둥소리  정  (  cheondungsori  jeong  )  ,  "  a  sudden  peal  of  thunder  .  "  BAEKHO  :  from  the  sino - korean  白 /  흰  백  (  huin  baek  )  "  white  "  and  虎 / 범  호  (  beom  ho  )  "  tiger  .  "  NICKNAMES yeon-ah / yeon-ie  (  closest  friends  and  family  only  )  ,  seoye  .  OCCUPATION / TITLE  lady - in - waiting  to  empress  jihye  ,  lady  of  the  wolseong  seok  clan  ,  scholar  ,  poet  .  BIRTHDAY  &  AGE  september  10  (  35  )  .  GENDER  demi  woman  .  PRONOUNS  she / her  and  they / them  .  ORIENTATION  bisexual  biromantic  .  STATUS widowed . TRAITS  innovative  ,  cavalier  ,  witty  ,  fervent  ,  nosy  , reticent  ,  fretful  ,  volatile  .  INSPIRATION  lee hwi / dami / yeonseon  (  the  king's  affection  )  ,  andy / andromache  of  scythia  (  the  old  guard  )  ,  "  fineshrine  "  by  purity  ring  , 선비 ( seonbi ) .
HEADCANONS
has been writing since they were young , honing their skills as they grew older . they have many essays , theses , and analyses lying around , but they keep their poetry under lock and key . only a handful of people have the privilege to read their poetry drafts without seojeong snatching them away as soon as possible .
a  notable  poet  throughout  asia .  because  they  write  under  an  alias ,  though ,  few  people  connect  the  scholar  and  lady - in - waiting  of  the  empress  seojeong  to  the  enigmatic  poet  baekho — unless  someone  were  to  notice  the  link  between  their  courtesy  name  and  the  white  tiger  their  pen  name  is  based  on ,  that  is  . tl;dr:  baekho  ( the  creature ) ,  among  many  other  things ,  represents  west  and  autumn .  " west "  is  incorporated  into  seojeong's  courtesy  name ,  and  they  were  born  in  the  middle  of  chuseok ,  the  autumn  harvest  festival .
while learning to wield a weapon was part of her education , most of seojeong's training was focused on that which is easily - concealable , or else long - range . which isn't to say she can't use more standard weapons at all , but she's quite clumsy with them , and relied on her late husband for protection more often than not . but she's always kept a bisu , or poniard , on her person too .
her husband was a royal guard and colonel of joseon's army by the name of haedam . they met as teenagers , and were in love with each other long before they ever married . but seojeong's betrothal was the reason they finally came together . ( death mention tw ) he unfortunately passed in a border skirmish he was called to about a year and a half ago .
they have two children , both by their late husband : bi , who is 10 , and yul , who is 6 .
fairly unserious a lot of the time , not at all the calm , stern image of a career scholar of joseon . they've been a bit more gloomy the past couple of years , but seem to have come alive again while at versailles .
can  be  seen  in  both  men's  and  women's  hanbok ,  though  for  the  sake  of  being  easily  recognized  as  one  of  jihye's  ladies ,  seojeong  wears  the  typical  garb  of  a  lady - in - waiting  while  formally  attending  the  empress .  in  their  downtime ,  though ,  it  depends  on  their  mood .
WANTED CONNECTIONS
FAMILY seojeong and their mother seem to have always been at odds . seojeong's mother has threatened to disinherit seojeong a few times over the years , most recently when she learned that seojeong had broken their betrothal and married their late husband instead . though she's never followed through on her threat , the possibility of being cut off and replaced by one of their younger siblings still looms . haedam's family could also be interesting !
BROKEN BETROTHAL most likely to be another noble from joseon , but the seoks are both influential and wealthy , so it's possible she was going to be married to foreign nobility . seojeong did not like this arrangement at all , but she appreciates that it inspired her to marry the man she loves . so , in a strange way , she has a soft spot for this person , though the feeling may not be mutual .
LITERATI seojeong loves to read , to learn , and surround themself with like - minded people . this could go a number of different ways . maybe there could be someone who's , like , a student to them ? or a contemporary - slash - rival ? or someone who likes / dislikes their poetry but has no idea they're the author ?
NEW FLING in an attempt to move on from her husband's passing ( as she knows he'd want her to do ) , seojeong has started casually seeing someone at sometime after arriving in france . could potentially blossom into something more .
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triviareads · 7 months
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I was not a a big Secret of a Summer Night fan but can you recommend me other Lisa Kleypas books?
I've definitely heard that from other people who've read Secrets of a Summer Night— I personally have mixed feelings about it; it's something of a comfort read when I want to feel 0 stress; but also, very little seems to happen in terms of plot. It's mostly set during a house party, and even with Annabelle's mom almost killing an ex, and Hunt's locomotive accident injuries, it feels very staid. I do like Hunt (one of Lisa's earlier self-made industrialist heroes, though not as much as McKenna and Rhys Winterborne), and I like Annabelle as well, despite having read multiple reviews calling her shallow and materialistic. But there are better Kleypas books out there for sure:
Again the Magic: The Kleypas book that probably makes me feel the most; I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance, especially when McKenna AGGRESSIVELY propositions Aline the second he returns. Like, that combination of immense self-loathing (on both their parts, although for Aline, more self-loathing than spite) and spite.... is very attractive to me. Also, the secondary romance between Shaw and Olivia is lovely— sweet but also has a lot of depth and realism re his alcoholism.
Dreaming of You: A classic, though for different reasons from the following two books (and closer in reasoning to Suddenly You now that I think about it). It's rare to read about a independent heroine with a career in HR, and I love Sara for that. I think it's that unconventionality, as well as her sense and nonjudgement, that makes her a perfect fit for Derek, who is a little damaged and hovers somewhere between unrefined and genteel. But reading them slowly come to that conclusion is a delight, as is the setting of Craven's gambling hell in general.
It Happened One Autumn: I've talked about this one enough on here lol, but it's just a genuinely fun book? Similar to Secrets of a Summer Night there's a lot of house party shenanigans and it doesn't super pick up until the very end, but Lillian and Westcliff's, to use Lisa's word, "vitality" mostly makes up for this. They're two such strong-willed individuals even when they're loudly and proudly wrong at various points and hilarious to read.
Devil in Winter: Unlike IHOA, a lot goes down in this book, and honestly, I feel like Evie and St. Vincent needed that in order to grow to love one another, starting with their elopement and his taking over her father's gambling hell, and ending with St. Vincent's celibacy streak... and how the streak is broken. Also, reading the redemption of St. Vincent and Evie coming into her own are big draws for me, especially if you read IHOA first.
Marrying Winterborne: I've said this before but I'm a big fan of an immediate proposition, and Rhys Winterborne and his "I must compromise you to make sure you stay engaged to me" scheme did the trick. Also, I like the idea of them being engaged to each other for most of the book (and the perks that come with that... both materially and otherwise) even as they try and figure out how to have a functional partnership.
Chasing Cassandra: More of a comfort read; I think Cassandra and Tom are very cute and if you want something relatively lighthearted and very insta-love cute, then this is your book.
Prince of Dreams: Okay so maybe the plot in this one isn't the tightest, but I'd recommend it if only for the singular delight of a Russian hero who has very few scruples in a way I personally enjoy (I also just generally enjoy a good Russian hero). Oh, and the rare vegetarian heroine who's a part of ye olde PETA.
EDIT:
Married By Morning: I forgot about this one but only because I can't remember any plot specifics BUT Leo and Marks are great characters and their dynamic is really cute and also, very unexpectedly very hot. Marks is a governess with a secret past, and Leo is her charge's older brother who took like 3 books to slowly transition from pathetic -> not which I do appreciate.
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gamerkats · 1 year
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Okay, we've been told our current descriptions for our writing suck, like, super bad... 😖 And to be fair, we never thought we'd need to write descriptions, because we didn't think anyone outside our small circle of friends would read our work. So... Here's our hopefully less sucking blurbs.
Our AO3 link
((Please don't make us write a full synopsis on all of them. Honestly, they're not that in-depth. NoF is people with magic who knock boots and fight other people with magic. TNBBD is a Hallmark parody, with assassins, crime syndicates, serial killer vigilantes, and more people who knock boots. And Berrybottles is a geeky in-character diary about eating cheese and epically failing to knock boots. Please, we're begging you, think less of us. We're not holding out some literary mysteries to keep the plots a secret.))
((Also, for those who don't know what a Hallmark bad guy is, it's the loser in the love triangle; the guy that wasn't picked. Usually, because they're too focused on their careers and money rather than settling down and having a family.))
Nocturne of Flowers
A series about found family; witches, wizards, things that go bump in the night, all getting together to somehow save the world. One accidental win at a time. When the Fae Veil comes crashing down, when the modern world and fantasy collide, the very core of what puts the human in humanity is tested. But don't worry, our large team of misfit heroes absolutely can't handle it. Which is good, because they have a knack for failing in reverse.
A genre mashup adventure novel of fantasy, romance, modern, magic, supernatural, steampunk, and awesomeness. Only on AO3!
Last Updated 3/24/23
The Night Before Boxing Day
An unexpected novel from a writing prompt about two Hallmark movie "bad guys" on Christmas, who are dumped by their blonde ex-girlfriends, meet at the airport on their way home to New York, and subsequently fall in love.
After the cameras are off, once the final kiss scene is over, when the credits are done, what really goes on with the puffed up perfect little romance dolls? What monsters swim between swooning lines? Or darkness scratches at cookie cutter background stories? Two "bad guy" romantic rivals find out that they didn't just lose the girl, they found a whole lot of trouble as a consolation prize. Good thing it's Christmas, because Santa gave them the perfect present to help them get out of this mess alive; each other.
Last Updated 3/28/23
Read both on our AO3
🌸🌼💮🌸🌼💮🌸🌼💮
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@berrybottles-travelguide
Coming from a long line of Watchers (Terra’s version of Librarians), Autumn is finally old enough to go off on their Star Follow (an event to explore and learn about the world). Watchers always complete the Star Follow in order to gain an understanding and appreciation for the world they’re protecting beyond the text and page. However, Autumn has never much cared for being cooped up indoors. And has decided to create a travel blog of all the wonderful sights, foods, cultures, and adventures Star Follow will bring.
An in-character writing/art blog dedicated to our Saccharine in Nightmares world. Basically a companion guide to Nocturne of Flowers and other books from that series.
Last Updated 3/25/23
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wzrd-wheezes · 6 months
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Hey!!! Can I request an arranged engagement with James because they grew up in wealthy families and they're close friends but as she gets to know the boys better Sirius falls in love with her? Mutual pining with obstacles with be the death of me.
The Engagement Arrangement: Part 1 - James Potter x Reader. Sirius Black x Reader.
AN - I really loved this request so this has been turned into a multipart fic that I'll try and update as regularly as I can. Please give it a reblog and let me know if you want me to do a part 2. Thank you for sending in this lovely request!
1.9k words.
The engine of the car hummed quietly causing the window to vibrate as Y/N rested her head against the glass. She fiddled with the hem of her dress as she gazed out of the window, the trees a blur of red and orange as they whizzed past. 
“Will you stop fiddling with your dress!” Y/N’s mother snapped, whipping her head around to glare at her daughter, “I won’t have you at the Potter’s house with your dress all creased, what will they think of us!?” 
Y/N only murmured in response, barely paying attention to her mother’s nagging as she smoothed her dress out. The car pulled to a stop on the gravel driveway outside of the Potter’s manor. The autumn sunlight beat down on the vast lawns and bounced off of the ornate windows, casting patterns on the driveway. She sighed as she got out of the car, mentally preparing herself for the afternoon at the Potter’s.  
Coming to the Potter’s house for lunch wasn’t a frequent occurrence, yet every time their car pulled up outside, Y/N filled with dread. The lunches were alarmingly boring with her parents talking tirelessly with Mr and Mrs Potter. The Potter’s had a son, who Y/N was yet to meet as he attended a boarding school. Y/N’s mother had explained to her that James had been sent to boarding school as he was rather unruly, and they were trying to get him to settle down. However, now that he, like Y/N was 18, had finished school and returned home. 
Mrs Potter greeted them graciously at the front door, giving her parents a hug and Y/N a squeeze on the shoulder. She led them into the sitting room and began to bustle around making tea. Y/N perched on the edge of the sofa, trying to avoid crumpling her dress and infuriating her mother again. Just as she had done in the car, Y/N stared out of the window, her eyes drifting over the garden that seemed to sprawl for miles. Leaves floated down from the trees, landing in a pile on the floor before being dispersed by the soft breeze.  
“Nice of you to finally join us, Son.” Mr Potter spoke, easy smile resting on his face. Y/N was pulled out of her daydream, her eyes darting towards the door where a young man was standing, leaning lazily against the door frame. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks, the top button of his shirt undone and his dark curls falling messily into his eyes. 
“Mr and Mrs L/N.” he nodded, “Nice to see you both again.” 
“Ah, James.” Y/N’s father exclaimed, “It’s been a while! You must have grown a good few feet taller since we last saw you.” 
“My career as a dwarf never really took off so I decided to just let it go.” James joked, earning himself a disapproving look from both of his parents. 
“James,” Y/N’s mother swiftly interjected, “You haven’t met our daughter, Y/N. She’s just finished school as well. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” 
“Nice to meet you,” James grinned, stepping into the room and shaking Y/N’s hand. Y/N just smiled back at him, unsure of what to say. Her mother harshly nudged her leg, urging her to reply. 
“Yeah. You as well.” 
James plonked himself in the armchair in front of the window that Y/N was previously looking out of. She frowned slightly, annoyed that he was obstructing not only the view but also the distraction from the torturously boring conversation that their parents were having. The two teenagers sat silently, every so often glancing up at each other. One time, James rolled his eyes and mimed putting a gun to his head, Y/N had to try her best to stifle a laugh. Clearly, she didn’t try hard enough as she was shot another one of her mother’s infamous disapproving looks. 
“James, dear, why don’t you go and show Y/N around the gardens while we talk? We have some important business to discuss, and it will be terribly boring for you both.” James’ mother suggested. Y/N let out a sigh of relief and eagerly stood up, grabbing her jacket from the coat stand. 
For the first few moments, they didn’t speak a word to each other, just silently making their way through the hall towards the large front door, buttoning up their coats as they walked. It was only when they were out of earshot that James finally spoke. 
“I didn’t think it was possible to die of boredom, but I genuinely think I was close.” He said dramatically.  
“We were only sat in there for half an hour.” Y/N said, raising an eyebrow at him.  
“Yet it felt like an eternity.” 
James pushed open the front door and they were greeted by the crisp autumn air. Their breaths clouded in the chill, damp air and they both wrapped their coats a little tighter around themselves.  
“What d’you reckon they’re talking about?” Y/N asked, “What’s so important that we can’t be there to hear them discuss it?” James shrugged, staring up at the cloudless sky. 
“Who knows? Probably just boring adult stuff. I tend to just tune it out whenever they start speaking.” Despite his nonchalant response, there was a hint of wistfulness in his expression. It was almost as if the thought of having a genuine adult conversation with his parents seemed utterly foreign and unappealing to him. 
“They’re probably just sat moaning about us.” Y/N laughed, “That’s what adults do when they get together, isn’t it? Moan about their children?” 
“Nah, not my mum and dad. They genuinely think the sun shines out of my arse.” James chuckled. 
“Didn’t they ship you off to boarding school because you were too ‘unruly’” Y/N said, making air quotes with her fingers. James’ cheeks flushed at her comment and he let out an awkward chuckle. 
“Yeah, that was a bit of an exaggeration on mum and dad’s behalf. They made it sound like I was some feral child. In reality, I was just a normal kid who liked to have fun.” 
Y/N felt a bit guilty for poking fun at him about the boarding school ordeal. It seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for him, despite how flippantly he brushed it off. 
“They didn’t have to be so dramatic,” James continued, “But it’s all in the past now. I’m back home and everything’s fine/” He shrugged, the smile returning to his face. Y/N wasn’t quite so sure how accurate that statement one. 
They chatted as they walked through the gardens, comparing their school experiences, talking about their upbringings and their parents. Y/N felt sad that James had been away for the majority of their childhood, it would have made the many dinners with their parents a lot less painful if she had had someone her own age there to speak to.  
The more time that Y/N spent in James’s company, the more she realised just how much they had in common. They had similar senses of humour, enjoyed engaging in sarcastic banter and had a mutual disdain for the social niceties that dominated their families’ get-together. For his part, James enjoyed speaking with Y/N as well. Unlike with the adults in his life, he didn’t have to keep up an exhausting façade. He could be frank with her and didn’t have to worry about offending her with his snarky wit. 
The conversation turned back to the topic of their schooling. Y/N described her school life and her friends, while James told stories of pranking students and teacher alike, and generally being a nuisance. James had a twinkle in his eye as he recounted some of his more mischievous antics. It was clear that he had no regrets and was, in fact, quite proud of all the trouble he had gotten into over the years.  
“I’m pretty sure I was on my last chance before they got rid of me,” he admitted as they walked back to the house, “In our final year, my friends and I were planning to pull a big stunt during exam week, it would have definitely gotten us kicked out. Only, my friend Peter ended up talking us out of it in the end. Probably for the best.” As he finished speaking a hint of regret crossed his face. 
When they finally returned to the house, having been gone a good hour or so, they found their parents still sat in the same spot they were in before they had left. It looked as though time had stood still while they were outside. 
“Ah, there you two are! We were just about to send someone out to find you! We really need to talk to you both, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down for a moment.” Mrs Potter smiled. James sighed inwardly and shot Y/N an apologetic look. Just when he had been enjoying himself, their parents’ demands had sent him back to reality.  
“We’ve been discussing the future,” Y/N’s father began, “And now you have both finished school we believe it’s time to start making preparations for the future.”  
Y/N and James both leaned forward in their chairs, intrigued by what their parents had to say. James let out a nervous chuckle, not sure what Y/N’s father meant by that.  
“Preparations for the future?” he repeated, turning to look at his own father, “What do you mean? Like, getting involved in the family business or something?” 
“Not particularly.” James’s father said. 
“You’re both intelligent, young individuals with bright futures ahead of you. The pair of you both come from good families, and we think it’s time that the two of you started settling down.” Y/N’s mother explained. 
Both Y/N and James sat there in stunned silence, their minds racing to try and figure out exactly what their parents were talking about.  
“You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?” James asked, not wanting to believe it, “You’re seriously suggesting that at the ripe old age of 18, we get married to each other?” The words were out of his mouth before he had even fully formed the thought. 
“That’s ridiculous!” Y/N exclaimed, “You can’t just arrange our romance like we’re some sort of commodity. That’s absurd!” The notion of being forced into a relationship with James with utterly foreign to her, especially since they had only met mere hours ago. Mrs Potter looked at them both with a stern expression. 
“This isn’t something that we’ve considered lightly.” she said, in a tone that left no room for argument, “We believe that the two of you will make a wonderful couple, and with time may even grow to love each other.” 
“There is much more than that to our proposal,” James’s father said solemnly, “It’s not just about romance. In this particular case, settling down is more about stability.” 
James and Y/N just stared at each other, feeling the full weight of their parents’ decision bearing down on their shoulders.  
“But what about what we want?” James snapped, gesturing to the two of them. 
“At the end of the day, this isn’t about what you want.” Mr Potter shook his head, “This is about your families and their futures, not just your own selfish desires.” 
The statement hit both of them hard, and for a moment, the two teenagers were completely stunned. Their own family was more important than their own happiness, their own dreams. The harsh reality of their situation slowly began to sink in, and the weight of the responsibility felt nearly too heavy for them to bear. 
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yvainehawkins · 1 year
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[michelle pfeiffer - 61 - she/her] Introducing YVAINE ‘EVIE’ HAWKINS. Word on the street is they are an ART & JEWELLERY FORGER, having been around for THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS. Despite an otherwise clear record, sometimes they are known to engage with THE SYNDICATE’s affairs. Though they are A PERFECTIONIST and BRAZEN, they can also be LOYAL and CHARMING. In the chaos of New York City, they're sure to fit right in. [sky - 22 - she/her - bst - no triggers]
✧・゚— BASICS
— NAME: Loren Yvaine Hawkins (goes by Yvaine and by the nickname Evie)
— D.O.B.: 4th November (age 61)
— GENDER, PRONOUNS, SEXUALITY: Cis female, she/her, bisexual
— HOMETOWN: Scarsdale, New York, USA
— AFFILIATION: Gang - The Syndicate
— JOB POSITION: Forger (specifically jewellery and art)
— EDUCATION: Jewellery and metalsmithing degree from Rhode Island School of Design & self-taught in painting & art history
✧・゚— PERSONALITY
— POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, charming, creative, patient, observant
— NEGATIVE TRAITS: Brazen, meticulous, calculated, flirtatious, ambitious
✧・゚— FAMILY
— EX-HUSBAND: David Anthony Hailwood
— CHILDREN: N/A
— MOTHER: Anita Rachel Hawkins (née Cartwright)
— FATHER: Claude Vincent Hawkins
— OLDER BROTHER: Wilbur Cassius Hawkins
— OLDER SISTER: Elysia Jade Doherty (née Hawkins)
— BROTHER-IN-LAW: George Phillip Doherty
— SISTER-IN-LAW: Caitriona Charlotte Hawkins (née Reid)
— NIECES: Marielle Anita Doherty & Natalia Rose Hawkins
— NEPHEW: Nathaniel Rhys Hawkins
✧・゚— APPEARANCE
— FACECLAIM: Michelle Pfeiffer
— EYE COLOUR: Blue
— HAIR COLOUR: Strawberry blonde with blonde bangs (‘money piece’ hairstyle)
— BUILD: Average
— HEIGHT: 5’ 6”
— SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: Several small and faint scars on her fingers and hands
— BODY MODIFICATIONS: Both earlobes and left helix piercing
— CLOTHING:
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✧・゚— FAVOURITES
— FOOD: Anything chocolate flavoured
— DRINK: Irish whisky
— BOOK: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
— FILM: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
— TV SHOW: Any kind of crime drama (preferably ones she can binge)
— SEASON: Autumn
— COLOUR: Red
✧・゚— BIOGRAPHY
— Evie is the youngest of three children, with one older brother named Wilbur (a film producer) and one older sister named Elysia (an interior designer) born to Claude and Anita Hawkins (both deceased, but a former accountant and seamstress respectively)
— The family weren’t particularly well-off, but lived comfortably enough. For Evie’s seventh birthday, her parents bought her an art set and she was instantly hooked on creating something out of nothing. She would always paint pictures of flowers from the back garden and of the family dog, a golden retriever named Rex.
— She was a decent student, earning good grades especially in art and English, but was never as good as her siblings. It didn’t bother her, though, as she knew grades weren’t everything. All Evie knew is that she wanted to do something related to art as that was her true passion.
— Evie attended Rhode Island School of Design between the ages of 18-21 and studied metalsmithing. Her parents supported her even though they thought her choice of course was unusual and may not lead her to a decent career. Between studying and completing her projects, Evie spent time teaching herself old painting techniques and would buy ingredients to make her own paint that replicated the ones used in the past. It was doing this innocent little activity that she realised, if she got good enough, she could make forgeries of old paintings to sell to unsuspecting people. It never really occurred to Evie that this was a bad thing (after all, art is art) and if people were willing to pay for something that was exactly like the original in almost every way then that was on them and they needn't know the truth.
— When she returned from university, Evie moved back in with her parents for 18 months before making enough money from a part-time job in a bar and selling her handmade jewellery to eventually rent her own place in Brooklyn with her former roommate.
— Seven months after moving to Brooklyn, Evie was almost caught selling fake diamond jewellery to a millionaire and during her time of laying low she became aware of The Syndicate and realised her skills could be of use to them (and knowing she could earn plenty was an incentive too).
— Evie met David Hailwood through mutual friends at a New Years Eve party when she was 24 and he was 28. He was a banker on Wall Street and came from a wealthy family in Philadelphia. Knowing he was financially stable was certainly an incentive to be with him, but Evie fell for his charm and good humour. They flirted throughout the night and saw each other for dates almost every week for two months after that. In a whirlwind romance, David proposed on Valentine’s Day and by the Christmas of that year they were married and living together in Chelsea; they took their honeymoon to St Lucia late in the following summer.
— David worked rigid and long hours in the city, which meant Evie could spend her days focusing on her paintings and jewellery without being interrupted and without David asking too many questions.
— Evie and David’s marriage didn’t last long. There were many contributing factors to its ruin, but mainly because Evie would spend almost all of her time on her work and would hardly spend any of it with David. It was always ‘just another hour’ or ‘we’ll do something next weekend’. She fell in love with crime and out of love with David.
— After splitting up with David, approximately five years after getting married, she stayed with Wilbur and his family until she found a new place. During that time, working on her art was more difficult with the lack of peace and space, so she focused on jewellery making. She bonded with her niece and nephew, but found it difficult to keep them away from knowing about her criminality.
— At the age of 32, Evie moved into an apartment in Manhattan that had plenty of space for her art materials and for storage. It was the perfect place to work on her forgeries and discreet enough for any member of The Syndicate to drop by when needs be. The apartment even has its own bar tucked in the corner of the kitchen.
— As of today, Evie mainly makes forgeries for The Syndicate, but also continues to sell her fake paintings to members of the public and art dealers as well as jewellery to arrogant, materialistic, selfish social elites. She remains loyal and dedicated to The Syndicate and one of their most trusted forgers.
✧・゚— POSSIBLE WANTED CONNECTIONS
— THROUGH THICK AND THIN: Evie stayed in contact with her roommate/housemate and the two have been there for each other for years. Unfortunately, this friend believes Evie is a purely legitimate business woman and has yet to find out about her forgeries. But will that soon change?
— MAKING AMENDS: Whether retired or still in the rat race, whether he has a family or not, David (if you want to take the connection, you'd be more than welcome to change his name!) unexpectedly comes back into Evie's life. After all these years he wants to delve deeper into what happened for their marriage to fall apart. Somehow there are still questions unanswered and without a doubt David won't take the truth well. Yet he still loves her. But can he shake the truth and accept it or will it be too much to bare?
— you’re also welcome to suggest connections- just message me!!
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juniper-simblr · 2 years
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Roomies Household - Year 1 - Summer
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The rotation begins with a *pop* and a surprised Ren Sano. <3
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Ginny is happy for her friend and celebrates the best way she knows; by eating grilled cheese sandwiches. <3
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But it isn't long until she gets a surprise *pop* herself. <3 I think it's kind of sweet that their children will be born not that far apart.
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Even Imrah stops by to say hello and Ren gets to talk to the baby bump. They're all pretty excited about becoming parents. <3 First children of Marigold! <3
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.. though it can be pretty rough to be pregnant as well..
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By the way, Ren has the LTW of getting to the top of the culinary career and she has FINALLY reached maximum enthusiasm about cooking, which both unlocked the career AND a restaurant. Good times.
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The rotation ends with Ren giving birth to a baby boy named Mieko. He has her skintone and his dad's eyes. <3 When autumn begins, Ren will move in with Alex and Ginny will probably move in with the father of her unborn child(ren?) Milo Braxton..
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heartofspells · 2 years
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Hello 🥰 please.can I know more about 'These Hands that Bind'?
🧡
You absolutely can! Thank you for sending this.
These Hands that Bind is actually already posted, the first two chapters, at least. The third is coming, but slowly. But it's essentially just a way to explore Sirius and all his little quirks through Remus' watchful eyes.
They meet at a club, have their fun, but Sirius, being himself, sinks his nails in and refuses to let go. Remus is a bit more stubborn. It's filled with music, talks of careers (Sirius is a music producer, while Remus is a struggling writer), nosy friends, sweet moments, me trying to be poetic and greatly failing, and Sirius just trying to work his charms however he can to make Remus see that maybe this isn't so bad, using the excuse of casualness to do so. (and Sirius sings; that's a personal headcanon i have broken spectacularly for this thing)
And I've got a snippet from chapter three for anyone who's interested!
Sleeping with Sirius Black on a semi-regular basis isn't at all what Remus had initially expected. For instance, it isn't even semi-regular. It becomes regular incredibly quickly. Remus tries to enforce a measure of distance there almost immediately, attempting to limit their exposure to one another to no more than a couple times a week, but that doesn't work. As soon as his phone dings with a one worded message, or worse, sometimes only a smirking yellow face, or Remus finds his mind drifting a little too far away, Sirius is typically there with him within an hour, one of them against the wall or pressed into a mattress or both sprawled over the floor.
Sirius is like a siren in the middle of an expansive sea of rolling waves, calling to Remus until he treads the water, navigates its dangers, finds him, finally, and lets Sirius takes him, pull him under the surface and never release. All it takes is the thought of dancing grey eyes, the image of upturned lips, the remembrance of a cockily arched eyebrow, and Remus is gone, lost to it all, encasing himself in arms and a body he'd once thought he could banish away so easily. He feels foolish now.
Sirius plays out some sort of unheard, unnamed tune on Remus' skin with long, slender fingers whenever they're together. The heat of them blazes and scorches, leaving him ravaged, bared, exposed, a nerve shown the light of day and twinging with it, vibrating almost painfully when there isn't skin on skin or just the simplicity of grey eyes watching him with every move he makes.
Borderline public shags become a more frequent thing. Whereas Remus had previously limited these to desperate one offs in club lavs or the occasional backrooms of seedier pubs, with Sirius, everywhere suddenly seems like a possibility, presenting almost like a challenge to the dark headed man, the wickedness around his eyes and mouth clear.
Sirius has no filter, or so Remus is learning, not on his mouth or any other areas of himself. He also has little to no regard for customary rules of polite society, going so far as to tug Remus over his lap one night in an abandoned train car of the tube and all but full-out take him right there, hands groping freely before pulling Remus off with practiced ease, his own hips grinding up, erection straining against trouser fabric and Remus' arse. He'd left Remus gasping for breath and his own shirt obviously stained, but Sirius hadn't seemed to care, only smirking up at Remus as he'd gently tucked him away from sight again.
Remus, to put it simply, is a wreck of himself. His entire world seems to have shifted on its axis, winter turning suddenly to glowing, too bright summer days, sometimes subtly shifting into the embracing arms of a crisp and welcoming autumn. Where his time had once been his own, a little lonely, a bit grey and drab, now he finds it filled with the presence of a larger-than-life figure who's all wild hand gestures, chaos of the best sort, cigarettes hanging from stretching lips or beautiful fingers, and a grey that's dazzling and more breathtaking than Remus cares to admit.
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