#anyway i was stuck on that album for like 2 months while i was REALLY into kiwami and it's so nostalgic and also i have projected my

[skrunksthatwunk]

???????? SO YOUTUBE MUSIC DOES THIS THING WHERE IT AUTOMATICALLY CHOOSES A MUSIC VIDEO VERSION OF A SONG WHEN AVAILABLE TO ANNOY YOU INTO BUYING PREMIUM(?) AND OCCASIONALLY THESE ARE UNOFFICIAL VIDEOS LIKE A SPEEDPAINT OR LYRIC VIDEOS FROM 2007 BUT NORMALLY NOT UNLESS THE ONLY VERSION IS OBSCURE (THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF THIS I CAN THINK OF IS A SPEEDPAINT OF A SONG THAT ONLY HAS A LIVE VERSION)

ANYWAY I WAS LISTENING TO THE HORROR AND THE WILD (FUCKING. GOOD ASS ALBUM) AND I GET TO WELLY BOOTS (A SONG ABOUT A COMPLICATED FATHER/DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP DEFINED BY ABSENCE AND MISCOMMUNICATION AND LOVING FROM AFAR) AND YOUTUBE GIVES ME?????? AN MCYT ANIMATIC?????????

IT HAS NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE FOR THIS SONG. WHAT THE FUCK WHITE MAN JUMPSCARE. IT HAS A CONTENT WARNING FOR SWEARING AT THE BEGINNING IM

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Derailed [Hotch x Reader]

Photo from @pennyspearl

Prompt: Characters are sat together on a long train ride. A one shot in which the reader unexpectedly spends an hour on a train with Agent Aaron Hotchner. 

Category: Fluff 

Content Warning: Brief mention of murder / death

Word Count: 3.2K 

A/N: This is another @imagining-in-the-margins prompt for her September/October Challenge! Let me say that I have never been to Boston University, so if my writing is off on that, please forgive me. Trains were part of the prompt, and if you don’t know, we don’t have a lot of those in Texas. Also, Hotch might be a little out of character here, but it was fun to write him like this. Honestly, unless it’s a novel, I find it hard to get his deeper feelings right. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this. Please like it if you liked it, and feel free to send me a request for a Hotch fic if you want. 

P.S. y/n uses she/her pronouns 

List with all stories 

y/n = your name

l/n = your last name 

_y/f/a_ = your favorite album

_rm’s/n_ = roommate’s name 

_f/c_ = favorite color

_y/m_ = your major 

_y/min_ = your minor 

_s/p_ significant person (friend, parent, guardian, sibling, teacher etc.) 

_h/t_ = home town

_m’s/d_ = major’s department

The passengers on the train started to chatter as this announcement came over the PA, “Good afternoon passengers on the green line. The conductor wants to inform you that there’s been a train derailment at the Boylston intersection. Thankfully no one has been seriously injured, but this might mean we are delayed for some time. I will continue to keep you updated as we have more information. In the beginning, there was a sense of camaraderie with people looking up the news and sharing photos of the train that had derailed. However, as the minutes stretched to a half-hour people started getting angry. Businessmen checked their watches and phones every two minutes. Mothers with kids tried to keep their children calm, and a group of students sitting in the corner of the car were elated that they would be missing a freshman-level psychology class. The car was more crowded than usual, or at least more full than y/n had expected it to be on a Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 PM. y/n had to admit that she didn’t normally ride the train at this time, so her assumptions could be totally off. Anyway, she was stuck standing in the isle of the car holding one of those hangers that helped shorter people like her stay steady as the train moved. At the beginning she didn’t mind waiting while she listened to _y/f/a, but now the fact that she was standing and her left foot was in an ankle brace. Her foot was actually starting to hurt her. She wished she had Advil in her backpack, but she knew she didn’t. The bottle of ibuprofen was sitting on the counter in the bathroom. y/n shifted more of her weight to her right leg. Another ten minutes passed and she was getting nervous that she was going to miss the whole guest lecture she had been looking forward to for over a month. 

y/n was pulled out of this train of thought when her phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw the name of her roommate _rm’s/n_ on the screen. Normally she would cancel the call and just wait till she was outside, but half of the businessmen were on their phones talking to secretaries or business partners and she needed a distraction from her foot, so she answered the call. “Hey, what’s up, _rm’s/n?_” Her roommate replied, “Hey, y/n I totally overslept and the dry cleaner that has my suit is going to close before I can make it there. It’s only two blocks away from campus. Could you pick it up and put it in your office or something and bring it back when you come back? I really need it for my presentation tomorrow.” y/n sighed, she should’ve seen something like this coming. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “Sorry, _rm’s/n_, I can’t. A train derailed down the line and I’m stuck here. It’s been forty minutes now and at this rate, I’m going to miss half of that lecture I’ve been going on about for weeks now.” Her roommate put on a syrupy voice saying, “Pleeeeese, y/n. I’ll owe you big time.” y/n was now getting annoyed and said, “No _rm’s/n_, I’m not picking up your suit for you. Take an Uber and get it tonight or wake up an hour earlier tomorrow and get it yourself. I’ve been looking forward to today for a long time and even if I only get to see the last ten minutes of this lecture, nothing is going to stop me from doing that.” y/n’s roommate knew the battle was lost but asked anyway, “Who is this guy that you’re so excited to hear lecture for two hours anyway. I’ve certainly never heard of him.” y/n rolled her eyes, This was proof that _rm’s/n_ never listened to her when she was talking in the apartment. In a slightly clipped tone, she replied, “His name is Agent Hotchner, and he’s the Unit Chief of the Behavior Analysis Unit out of Quantico. He’s giving a lecture on Criminal psychopathy and the split mind theory. He’s kind of a hero of mine. I’ve been telling you about this for weeks now _rm’s/n_.” There was a hesitant chuckle on the other end of the line and _rm’s/n_  replied, “Sorry y/n, you know I’ve been busy these last few weeks with my research and this presentation coming up. Listen, when you get home I’ll have a pizza and a bottle of wine waiting. Maybe we can catch up a bit, and I hope the train thing gets fixed with enough time for you to make it to that lecture.” At hearing this, y/n let some of her frustrations go. Sure _rm’s/n_ could be inconsiderate, but there wasn’t a point in fighting right now, so she said, “That sounds nice. See you in a few hours.” With that she hung up the phone and looked out of the still window, knowing that right now the lecture hall was filling with anticipatory students while she was stuck here on a train car. 

Aaron was sitting down on the train. When he heard the announcement he knew he was screwed in getting to the Boston University campus on time for his speaking engagement. He emailed the event coordinator in the psychology department who had arranged this speaking engagement, writing: “Jonathan. Sorry to tell you this, but I may be a few minutes to an hour late to the university. I was going to take the rental, but the tire sprung a leak and it was getting late already, so I thought I would just take the train. Clearly, that was a mistake because it’s been delayed due to a derailment. I’ll keep you updated. Whenever the train does make it to a station I’ll hop out and get a cab, which I should have done from the start. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes. Sincerely, SSA Aaron Hotchner F.B.I. Unit Chief Behavioral Analysis Unit, Quantico Virginia.” With that, he sent the email and waited for a response. While he waited he pulled out his speaking notes and began reviewing them. He pulled out a pen making notes in the margins for his cadence and pauses. As confident as he was in the material he was covering, whenever he spoke to a large group of people who weren’t N.A.T. trainees, his nerves picked up. Therefore reviewing his presentation, he hoped would calm him. The minutes ticked by and Jonathan emailed him back saying that they would push back the lecture until he arrived and that he and the department understood that this wasn’t his fault. A few minutes later the person standing in front of him took a phone call. He relegated the conversation to white noise as his attention turned back to the pages in his lap. However, when his name was mentioned his attention flicked back to the person standing in front of him. The person was turned away from him slightly so he couldn’t see their face. They had a _f/c_ backpack on. She was wearing something formal and Aaron couldn’t help but notice that she was wearing an ankle brace and was highly favoring her other foot. After another minute the woman hung up and let out a sigh that was so quiet that he almost didn’t catch it. 

Aaron put his papers away in his notebook and stood tapping the woman on the shoulder. _y/n_ turned to see who had tapped her shoulder and looked up for a moment. When her eyes met Aaron’s and recognized him they went wide for a second. After a moment of stunned silence y/n said, “Mr. Hotchner?” Aaron smiled and said, “Present.” There was another moment of silence and he continued the conversation saying, “Sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I’m glad to hear that at least someone is excited for the talk that I’m supposed to be giving right now.” After recovering from the shock of being in the same space as Agent Hotchner, y/n replied, “People have been talking about your lecture since the guest lecturers' names were announced at the beginning of the semester. I can’t believe you’re stuck in here too.” Aaron chuckled and said, “Yes, well I wasn’t anticipating such a long delay, or any delay.” Aaron extended his hand and said, “Sorry, I don’t know your name, and clearly you know who I am.” y/n took his hand and shook it, saying, “y/n l/n, Sir.” Aaron nodded and replied, “It’s nice to meet you y/n, and please just call me Aaron.” He was about to say something but the train lurched forward momentarily and y/n grabbed for the railing, her face set in a grimace for a second as she placed her weight on her injured foot. The train stopped again after a few seconds and Aaron said, “y/n, would you like to take my seat? I noticed that maybe standing for long periods might not be a great idea for you.” y/n flushed looking down at the ever-annoying boot on her foot. She tried to seem fine, not really wanting to seem weak in front of someone she had been inspired by for years. However, her leg was hurting her and Aaron had offered, so she begrudgingly switched places with the Hotch. Their arms brushed arms during the transfer. y/n felt a flutter run through her arm as their skin made contact. She sat down and set her backpack on the ground between her legs. She tried not to look at Aaron. The man was commanding, just standing in front of her. His tall height only added to the power she felt from her. Unlike her, who had been grabbing the extended handles for support, he easily rested his forearms on the metal bar running parallel along the train car. y/n was trying to find a place to look that wasn’t directly at Hotch. 

She looked back up at him when he called her name. “Sorry, what was that?” y/n internally berated herself for not noticing that he had addressed her. Hotch smiled with a humorous look in his eyes as if he knew he had this effect on people if he wanted to. Hotch repeated his question saying, “Do you go the the Boston U? What do you study.” y/n looked up to Hotch and replied, “Oh. Yes. I do. I’m studying _y/m_ with a minor in _y/min_ because I can never make up my mind on what I want to do with my life. I’d like to think that I’m giving myself options, but really as a grad student, I’m just putting myself in debt.” y/n let out a nervous laugh at the absurdity of talking so casually to Aaron Hotchner. They shared a bit too casual banter as the train finally started moving again. The train stopped at Arlington station and the attendant stated over the PA, “Well folks, unless you want a long wait I’d recommend you get off here and find some alternative transportation to your final destination. Our sincerest apologies for the long delay. We hope you have a good rest of your evening. There was a sigh of relief from those on the train when the doors opened. Aaron offered y/n a hand up. They made it up to the street and as Aaron flagged down a cab, y/n tried to think of a way to get the few blocks to campus. It was rush hour and she didn’t have the money for an Uber, or a cab. By this time Aaron had hailed a cab. He looked around to see if y/n was still around. He figured he might offer them a ride in the cab, after all the university would be paying for it. He called y/n over saying, “Do you want to ride with me to campus. We’re both going to the same place, right?” y/n walked the short distance to him and asked, “You’re sure?” Hotch nodded and replied, “Of course.” He let her get in first and he told the cab where to drop them off. Hotch took a moment to email Jonathan to let him know that he was on his way pulled his notes back out and looked at them once more to steady his growing nerves. y/n checked her emails and answered a few from her students, as the cab zipped toward Boston University. Her attention was diverted to Aaron. He was silently tapping his foot, causing his leg to minutely move up and down in his dark blue pants. After a few moments, Aaron felt her eyes on him and he stopped tapping his foot. He looked over to y/n but she turned her face just quickly enough for him to not catch her staring. This did not, however, stop him from observing the blush that bloomed from her cheeks. Thankfully the ride was short and they both got out. y/n led him to the main auditorium where he was speaking. It was the largest on campus. When they approached the entrance, Aaron was met by Jonathan who quickly stepped forward and shook Aaron’s hand saying, “We’ve got a pretty big crowd still, so please forgive me if I seem to be rushing you. Let’’s get you inside and mic'd up. Jonathan kind of hustled Aaron toward a side door, but before he was swept out of sight, y/n said, “Thanks for the ride. Good luck.” Hotch nodded and said, as he was being led forward, “No problem. See you inside.” 

The inside of the auditorium was still almost filled to capacity. It was a stroke of luck that y/n found a seat in the T-zone with good visibility of the stage. Just as she sat down and began pulling out her notebook, the lights dimmed slightly as Jonathan stepped onto the and introduced Aaron. The lecture was detailed and held the attention of the audience the whole hour that Hotch spoke. He fielded a few questions after the talk and then said, “Due to the fact that I was an hour late to this lecture, my apologies for that by the way, I’m going to cut off the Q and A here. However, if you have questions or would like to speak to me, I’ll be at the front of the stage for a few minutes. Thank you everyone for coming.” There was a loud round of applause as people in the audience got up and moved to the aisles and exits. y/n got into the line to speak to Aaron. It was about twenty minutes until she reached him. When he saw her, he flashed a smile and said, “Hey, y/n. So, how was it?” y/n laughed slightly and said, “It was incredible. It really was.” Hotch nodded and thought back to the two hours ago when they were on the train and she had first brought him up. He asked, “When we were on the train you said I was ‘a hero of yours.' Might I ask why? I’m rarely given that status if I’m being honest.” y/n looked down to the wooden floor. She guessed that what she had said to her roommate might come up again and even though she had meant it, it was still a painful thing to think about. Now that she was standing in front of the man himself it felt trivial really. Aaron tilted his head and realized from y/n’s demeanor, that he might have touched on a sensitive topic. He shifted his weight slightly and said in a softer voice, “y/n, I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.” y/n cleared her throat and looked back up to Aaron’s sympathetic gaze. She nodded but said, “It’s fine. I’ve, um, actually met you before. It was a long time ago when Gideon was the Unit Chief. My _s/p_ was murdered in front of me and the team came out to my _h/t_. I was interviewed and everything, but you, you stopped and asked if I was okay. I’ve never forgotten that. In the hype of everything that was happening, I was just a teenager, but you saw me.” y/n’s eyes tried to blink back the tears that had formed in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. Aaron bit the inside of his mouth as he looked over the young woman in front of him. He racked his brain for his past early cases, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place her anywhere. He gently placed his hand on her arm and as she looked up at him, he said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t remember you. Thank you for telling me that.” y/n sniffled for a moment and replied, “I look a lot different from back then. I’m just glad that I got to tell you in person. You’ve helped a lot of people, not by just bringing criminals to justice, but by seeing people on the sidelines.” 

Aaron was touched by what _y/n_ had said. Not that any of the others who had come before to tell him that he mattered, or that his work wasn’t important didn’t matter. But to have someone remember when he was green to the force. Before he was Unit Chief meant something to him. There was still a line behind y/n and he knew that Jonathan and some of the psychology and criminology professors were taking him out to dinner after this, but he didn’t want to let y/n go just yet. His hand was still on her arm and he realized it had been there a bit too long. He removed it and said, “I have some things to attend to for an hour and a half or so, but would you like to get a drink later tonight. As long as it’s not distressing or painful for you, I’d like to remember you from that case.” y/n’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she stated, “That, that sounds lovely. I’d be happy to join you.” Aaron nodded and pulled out the generic business card he carried with him at all times. He flipped it over and wrote his cell number on the back. He handed the card to y/n and said, “Shoot me a text with your name and I’ll let you know when I” 'm free to meet. I look forward to it.” y/n flushed again. It seemed to be a theme of the evening as she said, “Okay. See you later.” 

y/n almost floated to her office in the _m’s/d_. In her office, she pulled out some grading she needed to do and sent her number to Hotch. A few minutes later he liked it to let her know that he he got her text. It seemed impossible that this was happening to her. In fact, the whole day seemed like a dream. However long it was before Aaron let her know that he was open to getting a drink, passed quickly and she thought that perhaps the man she had dreamed about for so many years wasn’t such a dream after all. Maybe he was just as great as she had imagined.

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of May 2024

[last month]

May 2024 was finals + road trip home from uni + getting settled in at home for the summer, so the songs on this month's list were the soundtrack to a really busy time for me. (Because of that, I'm extra grateful to them for helping me power through it all!) I didn't have the brainspace to be properly excited about any new releases (except Repion's at the end of the month), so a lot of the songs here kind of snuck up on me. Surprisingly, I'd still say I enjoyed May's releases more than April's, though!

1. Not Like Us -- Kendrick Lamar

The Drake-Kendrick beef finally graced my YouTube recommended at the beginning of May, just in time for "Not Like Us" to save me from the Inevitable Finals Gloom. The beat was what hooked me at first (so string instrument!! so texture!!), but there are SO MANY good lines here--more than enough to keep me excited about this song, even after I massively overplayed it in just a few days of finals. (I'm a 'leave songs on repeat for hours as I float in and out of The Work Vortex' kind of guy, you know?)

2. Candy Store -- from the 2014 Heathers soundtrack

No complicated reason here: the vocal performances are just breathtaking, so I haven't been able to get this song off my mind for the past two weeks. Shoutout to @embraceofday for introducing me to this one! (That was a couple of years ago, I think, but somehow it came back to me recently, and I've been more obsessed than ever!)

3. Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl -- yeule

I've been getting ads for I Saw the TV Glow all month, and they worked on me--sort of? I still have no plans to see the movie, but this song from the trailer has taken my listening by storm. Lyzette G on YouTube mentioned yeule last year (I am SO jealous of their taste in music), so I'm proud to say I like a yeule song now! This is peak 'driving home on the highway at night and your heart is all sparkles because she said she'll text you later', which is one of my favorite kinds of music, actually. (Yes, this is oddly specific. But it's also like A General Feeling, you know?) It's eerily inhuman but also full of longing; it keeps a consistent, hazy atmosphere while still including a few moments of emotional punch--it's great!!

4. Down Swinging -- Holly Humberstone

Saxophone solo!!!!!!! That actually isn't my favorite part of this song, though--the way Holly Humberstone sings "watch me keep my cool tonight" at the end of every chorus is full of just SO many emotions--shame, determination, acceptance, longing--I find it captivating (really, every lyric in this chorus is a gem). I love songs like this (see also: Betty Who's "You Can Cry Tomorrow" and Lee Hi's "HOLO"), songs that aren't about being over something bad but are just about being within something bad and getting by anyway. Being stuck, and knowing you're stuck, and being okay regardless? Sometimes, I just need to know that's possible, and "Down Swinging" makes it feel more real than ever.

5. I'm the Ocean -- Neil Young

My dad and I ran across this on our (twelve-hour) drive home from my university, while we were listening through this playlist. My dad is a huge Neil Young fan, while I'm just meh about him--"I'm the Ocean" caught my attention from first listen, though, and I've been revisiting it daily since then. (Funny enough, my dad doesn't care for this one.) I love its haziness, how it walks the line between hopelessness and rage and how you're never exactly sure how to feel about the speaker, or about the song itself. I love singing "I'm the ocean / I'm a giant undertow". (Like, that is a captivating lyric. So powerful, so simple yet so layered with meaning?) I love the crunchy TV-static guitar!!!

6. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) [Live at Malieveld...] -- Bruce Springsteen

Spotify keeps notifying me whenever Springsteen releases a new compilation album (they know me too well...)--and he just keeps releasing them. I'm not sure I needed all these albums, but I'm glad to get this gem, at least! This one has a super-singable chorus, and the fiddle solo is SUCH a high.

7. Turn it up -- PinkPantheress

Not particularly exciting, but super fun! It's a solid serotonin jam to go on a playlist with all the early Twice title tracks.

8. No Biggie -- Itzy

SO CUTE SO CUTE I LOVE IT. With "None of My Business" + this one, I've been so glad to see how well the post-NewJeans world suits Itzy. My main problem with a lot of their music, especially title tracks, is that the songs strain their vocals in ways that end up sounding unpleasant to me--a chilled-out song like this one reminds me just how listenable Itzy's music can be!

9. Rollercoaster - MTV Unplugged -- Bleachers

I think Spotify suggested this one to me. I am THE Bleachers girlie, but I'd never heard this specific version of "Rollercoaster" and oh my GOD does it make me emotional. If you've ever cried to "Someone to You" by Banners, I think you already understand what this one makes me feel.

10. The Ghost of Tom Joad (feat. Tom Morello) - Live in Anaheim, CA -- Bruce Springsteen

My #1 song from my #1 artist!! (Sorry, "Badlands". Your top spot was beautiful while it lasted, and we've had so many good times, but I just... I don't think you're the one for me anymore...) I did an essay about Springsteen for one of my finals, believe it or not, and I talked about this song in particular, so that explains the sudden spike in listens--though it's constantly in my rotation regardless.

11. Wave - Ollounder's Bold Dynamics Mix -- Ateez

It's a time-honored tradition, now: trashy club remixes are my THING during finals. This one stuck with me all month, though, because it's actually kind of compelling--I find it fun, even when I'm not speedrunning a final paper. "Wave" is just a really sweet song already, and I think this remix adds a variety of sounds that make it not just pleasant, but also super captivating.

12. Lookalike -- Conan Gray

No comment...

13. Set Me Free (Lindgren Remix) -- Twice

Re: trashy club remixes for finals. This is so trash, I can't even argue that it's worth listening to at any time other than finals season. (The synth riffs in the prechorus are kind of awesome, actually, but the vocals sound like you're listening to them through a tin can telephone.) It was a great hype song while I studied, though.

14. Maybe -- (G)I-DLE

My second-favorite G-IDLE song ever (though I have no idea how I'll make room for "Eyes Roll" and "Revenge" in an updated top ten) is never not welcome on my most-listened list, but I have no idea why this is here. Maybe I left it on repeat while working on a paper? It has the right kind of beat drop to give me the same kick of adrenaline as my trashy club remixes do--though in terms of how much I admire it, "Maybe" is on a whole different level!

15. BOA -- Megan Thee Stallion

This is a wildly addictive song. The Gwen Stefani sample is such a good hook, but it's used so sparingly that I'm left hanging on Megan's every word, waiting for it to appear again. The deep bass makes the song feel full, though--by the end, I'm left wanting more without feeling like the listening experience was actually incomplete. My favorite line is definitely the Birkenstocks one; I still smile every time I hear it! I'm so excited for the album :)

Five-Star Songs (& Albums!) This Month

BOA -- Megan Thee Stallion

Lime -- Soojin

With just a few twists on a sweet, summery formula, "Lime" manages to stand out from the pack of cheery dance songs coming out at this time of year. The orchestral intro is so exciting, and the weirdly gritty vocal production (I still have no idea why anyone would consider that on a song like this--this album has some truly baffling production choices amid all the fantastic ones) unexpectedly grew on me. This song does sweet-and-sour so well!!

[Speaking of baffling production choices: "Drop Top" from this same album is a very nice listen, but what the hell is happening in the bridge... It would totally be a five-star song for me if not for that screechy violin (?) note in the dance break. Like. Why. Why would you just repeat the same ear-piercing note. The whole time. Have you considered a riff? Or making it just a TAD BIT quieter? Or just... a lower note? Anyway. Also, the ENTIRE title track, "Mona Lisa", is a baffling production choice. Just. The whole thing.]

Not Like Us -- Kendrick Lamar

Summer Daze -- Soojin

I like "Lime" a lot more than this one, but I can't help but admire "Summer Daze" too! I'm so in love with how it's a pop b-side just feels so authentically indie-rock? Like, "Más Lejos" by Atalhos was one of my favorite songs of the summer last year, and that's an actual indie-rock song--and it feels like everyone who had a hand in "Summer Daze" understood exactly why people enjoy that type of song & decided to write a love letter to the genre. This track would fit right in with anyone's wistful k-indie playlist!

Entre todas lo arreglamos (album) -- Repion

Yeah, fuck it--I added Repion to the stanlist this month! After this EP, how could I not? The pre-release "El día no me da" had my heart already--it was so similar to their last album, though, that I found it a tad bit boring. But as an opener for a song like "Viernes", "El día no me da" reaches its full potential; it functions so perfectly that my qualms completely disappear. "El día no me da" builds up the energy to this delightful high, and then "Viernes" is the rollercoaster ride back down, full of twists and turns--I love the experimentation with rhythm, which continues in "Qué hay de ti?". It adds such a nice edge to the album; even though this release retains the things that drew me to Repion in the first place--strong vocals and incessant energy--it feels anything but boilerplate. This EP has only one flaw, and it's the kazoo-sounding thing that shows up in "Vienen de pasárselo bien". Maybe it's a perfectly lovely instrument in other contexts, but I think it just sounds silly here, and I really would rather just appreciate their (always delightful) harmonies in peace. Those harmonies do save the song for me, though! To be fair, this album only has four songs--putting it in the albums category is kind of a stretch--but these four songs are packed with enough interesting ideas to make this the fullest EP I've heard in forever. (Plus, Repion gets extra-credit points for releasing my album of the year--a full-length one, too--last year.) I'm not sure if this EP will turn out to be a smaller part of an upcoming album, but I really hope so--I love this sound for them!

[im-1hater]

Total Drama headcannons cause I've kept these thoughts for too long (mostly Cody lol)

Cody, Noah, and Gwen had an emo phase, Cody wasn't allowed to dress emo so he only participated in the internet culture, Noah was unfortunately enough to have supportive parents so there are at least 100 pictures of Emo Noah in the photo albums (his sisters make fun of him for that) and Gwen insist she left that phase in middle school (she didn't. Once an emo, always an emo). They jump out of their skin when they hear MCR or BOTDF (earlier 2000s with unlimited internet access...)

Cody always wanted a pet dog when he was younger but his parents always said no because 1. They're too dirty, 2. They didn't think Cody could take care of one nor did they have the time themselves to take care of it. 3. They don't like animals and love seeing Cody suffer. 4. they probably think cats are better lol. Anyways because Cody would never shut up they caved and settled on getting him a hamster, a fat, chubby, hamster that looked like it was a month away from dying and Cody loved that thing to death. He would always get the hamster the best things it needs and take care of it properly. It lived for like 3 years much to the surprise of Cody's parents. Well, when it did die today Cody was devasted to an understatement. He had a funeral for the hamster in the bathroom and tried to flush him down the toilet like you would a fish. Only the hamster just clogged the toilet making water go everywhere and Cody crying more. His parents were def PISSED and after that, he wasn't allowed any more pets (all of this happened in the 4th grade til the 6th).

Cody is almost a carbon copy of his mother (Only because I am too)

Cody has one aunt on his mom's side and three cousins, two boys and one girl. The oldest (3 years older than Cody), Logan, typically likes to tease Cody (which he hates). The second oldest (older than Cody by 2 years), Jamie, is much nicer but that's not saying much really. Though Cody was stuck with getting Jamie's hand-me-downs because they were both the same size and Logan's stuff was too big for Cody. One of the reasons why Cody was bullied so much in school. The last and youngest (15 years younger than Cody), Cody. His aunt basically forgot her nephew existed and named her son Cody and she really liked the name so she didn't want to get the name change. So whenever they're in a room together they're referred to as Cody 1 and Cody 2 (Our Cody is Cody 2 even though it was his name first, lol).

Gwen often had to babysit her younger brother (forgot his name) a lot because her mom had to work two jobs since their father left them both at a super young age (Gwen 6 and her brother 2). She usually tries to help her mom out any way she can with chores, jobs, and looking after her brother. She says the reason why she joined Total Drama was cause her brother dared her to. While that is somewhat true the main reason was actually to give the money to their mom and hopefully make them financially stable. She was definitely disappointed to get second but her mom was proud anyway.

Harold is definitely NOT an anime kid. He actually HATES weeaboos and doxxes the really weird ones that are kinda racist and fetishize Asian people. He enjoys the anime content as he enjoys a lot of Japanese culture but he isn't going down the halls of Naurto running.

Heather's parents bought her an apartment when she turned 18 just so she's out of the house cause they deadass don't want her there they pay for her bills and groceries and all that stuff. It did hurt at first but hey, free water bill!

Trent awoken the bi mess Cody is.

Cody can actually cook somewhat. Only really simple foods that he learned in the cooking class. He only bothered to learn cooking because his parents are barely there and Cody was getting sick of pizza and takeout every other night.

Noah, Cody, and Gwen are the bi trio we need (PLS I BEG I NEED THEM IN THE SAME ROOM BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER OR SOMETHING).

Noah's parents wanted all girls and lots of them, that's why there are like 8 or 9 of them. When they were pregnant they just assumed Noah was going to be a girl and didn't bother with finding out the gender and such. They were very surprised to find out he was a boy. So all his baby pictures are of him in pink girl clothes and a pink nursery. But they still love him just as much as his sisters.

Geoff had a rat tail, luckily Bridgette was able to convince him to cut it off (the only other person who liked it was Brody).

Duncan watched My Little Pony when he was 6. He always said Rainbow Dash was his favorite but it was actually Fluttershy because Duncan has a soft spot for animals.

Courtney hates kids and having to look after them while Gwen loves kids and loves watching them.

Heather's only friends are Cody and Harold (and sometimes Gwen and Leshawna but it's off and on).

Animals are naturally drawn to Cody, even Noah's dog likes Cody more than him (much to his dismay). Cody has never met an animal that hated him (besides bears...)

Cody is terrified of bears.

For some odd reason, Alejandro doesn't like Cody that much but only plays nice for Heather (he wants that twink obliterated) Cody fully knows this and he says he'll "tattle" on him for something dumb he did and Alejandro almost shits his pants each time (Cody doesn't even end up telling).

That's all and these are all correct (I don't take criticism)

I'll probably draw some of these idk

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a long weekend

sunday, may 19, 2024 ~ 11:30pm

technically tomorrow is a day off but the nice thing about grad school is that means essentially nothing for me, and tonight still feels like a sunday night—but it was a beautiful, mostly work-free weekend up until now

reading i forget now whether i mentioned this in my last ilcb, but last month i listened to the audiobook of jenn lyons’ the ruin of kings, which means that now it’s time for the sequel! started these huge fantasy epics on the recommendation of @booksmithereens, who has yet to steer me wrong—but i will say that upon first getting started, I didn’t especially follow (or care) all that much about most of the world building, especially since trok starts in with a lot of slavery and physical / sexual violence. upon second read-through, because i did go back with the ebook as soon as i finished listening to trok the first time, i think i was able to take more pleasure from the characters’ dialogue—there are very funny moments—and from the originality of certain features of the series’ take on deities and magic. i’m 28% through the audio book of the second novel, the name of all things, and i adore that we’ve got a new snarky editor leaving footnotes and editorializing comments, and that we have a new female pov character who really adds to the (intentionally) one-dimensional view of her we were given in the first one. these are good companion books for when i’m toiling in the hollow knight mines (have i explained how i have hacked boss fights for myself by turning off the game sound and instead relaxing, listening to an audiobook, and just getting to focus on the visuals—the flow state this induces can last for. hours. and has yet to get old), and they are another worthy entry in the dragons/magic/demons/swords/prophecy type fantasy canon.

watching finally finished (screaming, cringing, laughing, etc) season one of the white lotus with g and @hematiterings. all things considered, an easier ending than i feared, weirdly? i lost count of full-body cringe reactions (from sheer gut-churning dialogue, not the way kids use ‘cringe’ these days) at like 10, and then we started season two (which we’ve all seen the first few episodes of) and the counter had to start over at the beginning. still fun though. still fun.

also watched the first three-four episodes of dungeon meshi! which i thought were excellent, but i now have just enough context to be really actually affected by casual spoilers, so i may have to blacklist it here on the blue hellsite for now, and watched episode 4 of house of the dragon this evening whilst folding my laundry. i am holding out for when this show introduces the new lead actresses because I have seen their interview in gifs going around and i would like to see it. so far though, i’m distressed by the politics and bored by the action, as is to be expected from a game of thrones show.

listening hmmm chappelle roan Hot to Go has been stuck in my head for a while now so let’s go with that. initially I thought the lyrics to most of her new album really didn’t live up to pink ping club (see my 2021?2? Ilcb where i went on at *length* about how good that song is) but you know what, we’re capable of admitting when we’re wrong and this is one of those times. H! O! T! T! O! G-O!

playing i got the sharp shadow charm in hollow knight today! Nosk and the enraged guardian have been kicking my ass by turns. i had so much geo I had been carefully carrying around and reclaiming every time i died because millibelle had her career pivot and closed my account 😝 and i finally lost it today. Alas. but since there was nothing i could buy at any of the three vendors i visited, it was all going to end up in the fountain anyway.

making this was a little while ago now, but i finally did it, i made a recipe following a b. dylan hollis video! the coffee loaf from 1959– surprisingly, i had all of the ingredients on hand (including powdered milk?!) and i was so excited by this that I didn’t stop to ask whether i *should* make this caffeinated baked good. recipe worked well, the consistency was great and all, but a single square inch of it and i feel like i’ve single-handedly drunk a pot of strong coffee. this is a me problem, i’ll grant you, but it is amusing to me that i’ve made a cake I physically cannot eat too much of in a single sitting. it is drying out in the fridge as we speak. heart palpitations aside, i am proud of it though.

working on it occurred to me today to look back at the timeline i made for myself at the beginning of the month, and i’m four days past the first deadline on it without having even really touched the chapter itself. blargh. sent two emails yesterday, and two that had been worrying me the day before, and worked a bit on the newsletter today. chipping away at things.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: February 2023

Okay I didn’t watch any movies this month BUT I’m very excited for the D&D movie and I watched plenty of youtube.

……….TELEVISION……….

Arcane (Episode 1.01 to 1.09) It took a few episodes for me to get invested (and a few mid-season eps that felt like a CW series...only young beautiful people allowed) but by the end I was into it. I know nothing about League of Legends and to the show’s credit, I couldn’t tell when there was fanservice. I’ll check out season 2 if it happens.

The Great (Episode 2.01 to 2.08) Loved the first season and currently love the second. Still a few eps left but it’s kept me guessing the entire time. Stellar characters, very funny, and the world continues to walk the edge between whimsical and dangerous.

Spy x Family (Episode 1.01 to 1.07) Super fun premise and very funny. I’ve only just started but I hope we get to see more of Yor’s world. It seems to be spy-centric and psychic-centric (which, based on the name and current plot, makes sense) but I hope it can start weaving in more of her role in the future.

Cunk on Earth (Episode 1.01 to 1.02) Sure I’ve only seen two episodes but both were very funny. Something about her timing and delivery just works every time for me.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Chronically underwhelmed? This might be why... by Daily Mindtrap A concise reflection on why we’re not having as much fun as when we were kids. Touches on a lot of thoughtful points though my hatred of subscriptions does make me a little biased. VIDEO

The Decline of Tim Burton by Broey Deschanel One thing that scares me as an artist is that I’ll get stuck in a spot and start copying and reiterating on my own work to the point that it becomes caricature. Just a random thought and totally unrelated to this video. VIDEO

How To Analyze Movies – Film Studies 101 and What Do The LOONEY TUNES Mean In 2023? by Patrick Willems Both really great in their own way. Film studies 101 is fairly universal as a lot of the topics apply to all art. And the Looney Tunes share a room in my mind palace with the Muppets: concepts I love but haven’t connected with anything of theirs in the last 15 years. VIDEO (Film 101) VIDEO (Muppets) 

……….READING……….

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Death Pedlar by Jimmy Sangster (Complete) The cover was so good and the write-up pitched it as a comedy that I took a gamble on a thrift store find. Swing and a miss. Comedy is difficult in your own time let alone 50 years after being published. Are the offensive bits a sendup of the time, or have they just aged poorly? Comedy that requires context doesn’t land for me so this whole thing fell flat. Anyway all this is to say I’m a sucker for a good book cover.

Confronting Capitalism by Vivek Chiboer (Complete) An easily digestible primer on Capitalism and it’s...faults. It really gave a lot of insight into the structural problems with politics in a capitalistic system and for that alone, I recommend. I wish the last chapter (talking about how a society moves past capitalism) was a little more robust, but hopefully I can find some other books to fill in those gaps.

Batgirl/Robin Year One by Scott Beatty, Chuck Dixon, Marcos, Martin, and Javier Pulido (Complete) Great introductions to both characters and the perfect balance of fun and dangerous. It feels like there are real stakes while not getting too dark. I’d love if a Batman movie could strive for this sorta tone, you know?

……….AUDIO……….

Paranoid by Black Sabbath (1970) One thing I appreciate about getting into Girl Talk years ago was it introduced me to bits of really great albums. And I somehow missed that Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer. Anyway filling in a lot of blind spots here and War Pigs holds up so well. The whole album really. 

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The group is unearthing some underground tunnels and playing the political game as well. If you want to read more of the recaps, they’re over here!

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Mof1 group is busy making plans and saving Pirates. They recently acquired some protective suits so they’re now exploring the iron mines and its fluctuating temperatures!

And that’s it. See you in March!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

So I've read some of your older posts and see that you've mentioned Taemin a few times. I know these are your Bangtan thoughts but could you elaborate on your love for Taemin? If it is love or whatever it is that you have for Taemin.

Anon 2

Hi, BMT!

I don’t really have a BTS-related question, but anyway, I just realized Taemin has only a little over a month until he’s discharged from the military and I’m so looking forward to his comeback ?What are your favorite Taemin songs (Shinee, too, while we’re at it)? I loved ‘Advice,’ it honestly was probably one of, if not his best banger (I might even go out on a limb and suggest it’s one of the best K-pop songs I’ve ever heard), and he dropped it and was out. I can’t wait to see what he does next!

In Taemin's case, I'd say it's more about admiration and appreciation for what he does. Of course I like the personality and entertainment part of his job as an idol but the artistic side is what grabbed my attention and that stuck to me.

It's easy to see how involved he is in his solo career because he has a vision. One that can be observed throughout his albums, and not just once. Yes, different concepts, but there's also an overall theme that encapsulates his entire work. To me, that shows not only his individuality and creativity, but also that there's something of substance there and not just aesthetics. All you have to do is listen to his albums and watch all the music videos and you would be able to observe an evolution as well in terms of complexity and usage of the visual medium. Taemin was in film school and he's also a film buff and that shows as well in his concepts. Criminal is a good example here because he was partly inspired by The Devil's Advocate. I know it sounds biased because I come from a film background as well, but it's not just about that. I like how he takes inspiration from various mediums and arts in order to elevate his concepts. And he's deeply involved in the process making, on a technical level. Not many are doing this.

And lastly, I appreciate the way he is able to talk and articulate the concept behind his albums in terms of music, lyrics, visual elements and detail explanation of his movements in choreography and what each represents and the message he sends out. I think that really set the standard for me when it comes to idols talking about their work because it showed that it's possible. And it's not like Taemin's themes are very easy to digest and just cutesy pop. There's a lot of commentary there on gender, sexuality, relationships, even his catholic background. And still, he is able to talk about it in a way that sounds meaningful. It's not about revealing everything that is inside a person, but about knowing what to say in order for the audience to understand if they are willing to.

As to the second ask, I'm excited for him to be back, it feels like ages, but it's almost there. I think the first comeback will be with SHINee in May so I'm looking forward to that.

I'm going to end this with a list of a few of my favorite songs and my choice here is influenced by the music video as well.

[buddydolly]

Hi!! I was tagged by @mattressdemon! thanks for thinkin' about me, friend!! 💕

doing this on my side blog because I haven't really been playing sims lately. but anyway! onto the tag:

relationship status: just very recently became taken! and I feel very comfy. 😌

song that's been stuck in your head: a few days ago Rock Lobster had me by the throat, now it's Dummy by Portugal. The Man, and Cities in Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees (I'm back on my goth shit. 😈)

last song you listened to: not counting the two currently stuck in my head, Grey Matter by Oingo Boingo! I've been exploring more of their albums recently and I like them a lot!

top three favorite foods: I'm going to take this as "three main course foods you could eat any day," in which case, they are:

1. sweet and sour or orange chicken

2. any kind of lo mein. veggie, beef, shrimp, pork, etc.

3. good ol' chicken soup 😋

last thing you googled: special events at a local amusement park!

dream trip: joshua tree national park! I'd like to try mushrooms for the first time while I'm there but I'm not sure how I'd go about obtaining said mushrooms. 🤔 I'd also have to be in a good place mentally to do them.

@mattressdemon's addition: I have had some water and took my one pill last night, yes!

anything you want to add?: I hope everyone is having a fabulous pride month! I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my journey with my sexuality, gender, and overall orientation in life and I'm really glad to be the way I am, even though it's been hard and it's still challenging to navigate the world sometimes. I'm blessed, truly.

I tag: @middlepath, @myonline-pityparty, @twofingerswhiskey, @s1ndle, @awful-roffle and anyone who wants to do this. (also sending a hello to my good friend @oceansidegraveyard! I think I remember you saying once you don't like doing tags so I'll just say hi instead, no pressure to do this. 😊)

Feel free to skip if you don't want to do it!

[nelson-riddle-me-this]

2 4 5 18!

2) Album of the year?

The cast album for the '95 revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying - the story and songs are dated in much the way you'd expect a 1960s musical about office politics would be, but the orchestrations for this revival are INCREDIBLE and so up my alley. The brass is tight, punchy, big, and so much more in your face than the original cast album or the '68 movie version (not Nelson Riddle's fault, I believe he was contractually barred from significantly altering the arrangements?). The Daniel Radcliffe and Nick Jonas recordings sound downright puny in comparison. Like THIS is how the orchestra for a splashy Broadway musical should sound imo. It sounds like an orchestra, not a tiny pit band (though that works for some shows, but I have a preference for the former). And it's well recorded/mixed. I remember one of my professors years ago told me of a renegotiation with the musician's union that happened in the early 2000s allowing producers smaller orchestras than originally called for in revivals. Also the change in vocal style - I frankly find the current prevailing vocal style on Broadway annoying and have for some time (too forward, too chewey, too contrived, the R's are so hard and nerdy and annoying). Anyway but yeah it's very fun and I've listened to it a lot in the past few months.

4) Movie of the year?

Probs The Slender Thread (1965). It was the 1st movie I saw at the TCM FF this year and it was just as good as I was hoping it would be, if not better! Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft were great. Sydney Pollack's direction is stylish, dramatic, and sensitive. Though in some ways it's very dated, it's exploration of someone in a mental health crisis is still very relevant and has imo aged better than you'd expect a movie from the mid-60s to. That movie's stuck in my brain more than perhaps anything else I watched this year, and just become a little part of my life. Also Quincy Jones' score is very good and this track from it was my wakeup alarm most of the year.

5) TV show of the year?

Hmm, probably Mad About You (1992-9)! I started watching it I wanna say last year with my mom when I was living back home for a while, but It's something I've watched a lot on my own this year. There are so many sitcoms about nuclear families or perpetually-single adults, it's nice to see one about a newlywed couple with a fundamentally loving and healthy relationship who aren't awful human beings (looking at you, Jerry). The writing's witty and warm, and also it kinda brings to mind what things might have been like for my parents being childless newlyweds in the 90s. Also the older I get the more accurate I find these sitcom 'I'm adult and my parents are insane' interactions. Aaaand Paul Resier's chest hair and silliness make me feel things...

18) A memorable meal this year?

@sailor-freddie-mercury and I went to a nice restaurant called Yamashiro up on a hill above Hollywood blvd. Gorgeous views, great food, great atmosphere, it's kind of expensive but worth it for a splurge.

Send me more End of the Year asks !

[gooolixx]

Music That I (gooolixx) Likes ....

thought i would write about some of the bands ive listened to recently and share my thoughts on them. because i am bored and have nothing to do hahahaha

... in no particular order ...

The Beatles - yeah i dont think a period of no beatles has ever happened in my life. ive basically always been listening to these guys pretty much constantly, and even more-so now that ive started to interact with other beatles fans online instead of just talking to my friends about them (well... i started doing that last november but it still feels recent....). anyways, recently ive been buying beatles CDs more than ever. not sure why they're showing up second hand a lot more now but im not complaining. ive almost got every album on CD, now, which is nice. theyre mostly the 87 versions with a few 2009s and 1 giles mix, but i stopped caring about beatles mixes mostly so any are fine for me lol. but yeah the beatles are the best and most influential band of all time yap yap yap everyones already said that. you should give them a try if you havent.

Supertramp - the way i found supertramp happened pretty suddenly and strangely. it all happened back in january when i discovered german "happy hardcore" group SCOOTER. who are amazing and hilarious (i have unironically bought a few scooter singles and albums). anyways, some time in mid-march of this year, i bought scooter's "Push The Beat For This Jam" album, which is all of their singles up until 2002 (?) i think. anyways, that includes THE LOGICAL SONG. i kind of assumed that this track was a cover, because, well, i dont expect lyrics like that from HP Baxxter (no offence to the guy he is amazing). i looked up the logical song and found the supertramp version, and instantly recognised the breakfast in america cover! id seen this just around on the internet and remembered it mostly from some insane "9/11 predictions" video i watched a few months beforehand. anyways i listened to about like. 10 seconds and got bored and closed the tab. fast forward to mid-APRIL, and i come across "Retrospectacle - The Supertramp Anthology", 2 disc edition second hand. supertramp? i recognise that name sure whatever ill give it ago. i remember being really confused by the album cover because for some reason id forgotten about the logical song and thought they were some 90s band (technically not wrong). it look a few listens until i completely fell in love with this band. it took until a few weeks ago to actually start ordering their albums, but so far ive bought Crisis? What Crisis?. Even In The Quietest Moments, Brother Where You Bound, Some Things Never Change, and The Very Best Of.. Vol. 1 (only to get hide in your shell hahahah) honestly, supertramp has some of the best musicianship and songwriting ive seen in any band ever. i genuinely think some of roger hodgson's deeper songs like A Soapbox Opera, School, Hide In Your Shell could rival lennon-mccartney, they are amazing. of course, rick davies is also awesome, i love his bluesy, funkier songs like Another Man's Woman and C'est What?, however my favourite song overall has to be the 1975 remix of Land Ho. this track stuck out to me from the start and is one of my favourite songs of all time. while not as globally influential as the beatles, supertramp have sure been influential to me, influencing my compositions heavily and my arrangements (WURLITZERS!!!!!!!!!) even more. just a brilliant band (shame whats happening nowadays with them tho). you should give them a try if you havent.

Kula Shaker - i first heard kula shaker back in 2017 (?), when i listened to their album "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts". now, at the time, my music taste was way more limited, but this album stuck out as something great, and i must have listened to it hundreds of times. anyways, about 6 years went past without a thought until around april 2023. i randomly remembered them and went to listen to PPA again, even downloading it in flac for my collection (at this point i was only starting to buy CDs, and i wouldnt have even thought about ordering them!). of course, i knew some of their other songs like Hey Dude, Govinda, Tattva, Hush, but thats about all i knew that wasnt from PPA. on and off throughout the year, i listened to PPA without much thought about them, although i did manage to get Mystical Machine Gun on CD single in october (disc 2 i think?? it had guitar man and prancing bride on it so whichever one that is i cant be bothered to check). in around december, i listened to their debut, "K", on spotify, as i had signed up for it that month, and really, didnt think much of it. when their newest album, "Natural Magick" released in february, i listened to it on spotify, and thought it was good, but nothing super special. anyways, in mid-march (march was actually a pretty important month this year, wasnt it?) i came across a copy of "K" second hand (not hard to do, i own like 6 copies now LOL), and bought it. suddenly, now owning it, it really clicked with me and i started to get curious about them. i started researching them and becoming familiar with their discography (NOT listening. i like to listen to things for the first time when i own them. not sure why, i just seem to like it more when i physically own it). anyways, in april, i ordered copies of "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts" and "Strangefolk", and again, i loved these albums! now, i started to look into their singles, and mostly, their B-sides. i had gotten a hold of Shower Your Love on cassette, and upon trying to find the B-side, Goodbye Tin Terriers online, it just wasnt there except for old youtube uploads. this intrigued me, one thing let to another, and i ordered a ton of their singles online. after about 5 months, i finished my kula shaker 90s collection, owning "K", "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts" and all of their singles (excluding promos and that interview CD). the first three albums and the singles werent too expensive... unfortunately the same cant be said for the rest of the albums, which i spent a total of £80 on (not including the japanese version of "Strangefolk" that i bought, or "K-15"!) with "Pilgrim's Progress" being most of that (GOD that album is weirdly expensive. it is probably my favourite post-90s album tho so), and "Natural Magick" being the least expensive, as i bought it new in a shop, and being a new album, wasnt too expensive, although id watch the price as it will probably increase based on what the others have done. anyways, kula shaker are a solid band, and despite what people may think, are actually really good. kula shaker havent particularly inspired much of my arrangements (except for one track, which is actually released. Millway Freezer, which is the B-side for "Fried Chicken"), although they have inspired my compositions quite a bit (mixolydian yippee!!!!!!!!!!!). shame that theyre a bit of a laughing stock, because i bet some people have missed out on some music theyd really like just from people hating on them. you should give them a try if you havent.

Supergrass - okay, i have less to say about this band. ive always known about supergrass, mostly only the name, and Alright, which i thought until a few months ago was by The Charlatans (no clue why but theyre both britpop so whatever). the best way to describe this band, at least on their album "In It For The Money", is a middleground between Oasis and Kula Shaker. they are an incredibly energetic and fun band, with some genuinely great moments and some catchy as hell moments. ive been lucky that their albums arent too expensive, and i even managed to find the 3 disc remastered 2021 version of "In It For The Money", although i prefer the original mixes (the bonus stuff is cool tho!). if i had to recommend anything to get into them, id probably tell you just to listen to their compilation "Supergrass Is 10", that should be enough Supergrass for anyone who wants to listen to them, because most of their stand-out moments are on there (except for everything after "Road To Rouen" and I'd Like To Know). i really do like this band a lot. you should give them a try if you havent.

[cr0bat]

It's kind of silly, but I'd like to retreat back to tumblr.

I have been doing the full-time school, full-time job, full-time pregnant lady with two kids already thing for over a month now, and so I have been kind of stuck with my thoughts for a while.

This isn't to say I have any regrets. I know that a year from now, I will be thankful for the current grueling nature of what I'm going through presently.

A year from now, I'll only have a half year of school left. I'll have a 9 month old,(it gets much easier at 9 months.) a 2.5 year old and a 4.5 year old. I'll be almost 30. And hopefully, I'll have a few of my other short-term goals realized: a bigger garden, and the tenacity to have kept up with it all and be used to juggling it all.

That being said, there are things I think I need to change to get there. The current dialogue about "reasons why teachers are quitting and students are failing" is emphasizing the lacking in current parenting. People are pointing out that children are not being spoken to, that parents are too distracted as a result of the increased demand since the cost of living is a bit too much. As I think about this, I find myself not disagreeing with anything being pointed out.

In addition - I also watched a TikTok today about a mom reflecting upon her "annoyed" tone with her 4 year old in comparison to her 2 year old... and I can guiltily relate.

That being said, here are some changes I'd like to implement in between now and that not-so-distant future:

Less screen time. Exhaustion is not an excuse. This is mainly for me, but for kids, too. We already do a good job of not letting our kids on screens outside of downtime at home after school. And I already read books before bed, but I'd like to do more hands-on activities in our downtime nonetheless.

More outside time. I have felt so much joy from the little garden I grew this year. Getting a fence around the yard was also an upgrade that helped playtime become much safer and easier since we live on such a busy road. Not to mention, I'd like to be able to let the dog get fresh air more often.

Journaling. For real. I love it. Even the little madness I type here. It's something. It makes me feel less inclined to talk someone's ear off. Even if I only type it, and don't necessarily use my pen - though I do love using my pen - it would help me mentally.

Eating more greens and drink more water. I am craving veggies so bad. And I don't think it's the pregnancy, I think it's just me. This goes hand in hand with having a garden. The water one is self-explanatory.

Going through what I have instead of acquiring more. Sorting pictures, actually using art supplies, cleaning my areas and putting decorations on the walls. Reading books instead of buying them. Photo albums are a must now that I'm taking pictures of my kids faster than I can manage.

Investing in meaningful friendships. This is the topic that has made my brain whir the most recently. I'm realizing that I'm allowing people in my life to take up very complacent roles as friends when I have so many people who reach out and I don't give them the chance to be in my life. No more people who don't value what I do. My family and job are important. I am constantly pursuing growth. People who can't relate... I have a hard time with them, and I shouldn't try to get them to see the world the way I do. I should let them remain stagnant in their own. And not lose sleep over it. People who allow for me to be inconvenienced and put down, people who benefit at my expense... I don't really wish to be around that anymore. And I need to play an active role in removing those influences from my life.

Anyway, all this to say, I am hoping to have a productive Saturn Return. It started with me dying my hair red and returning to school, becoming pregnant and having a realization about the relationships in my life that do not serve me and my family. I hope we can continue to grow and I can become a better parent, a better person to those around me and better human overall.

I hope I can convince myself I have more to offer the world than just my time and effort, and I hope I can someday feel that I am deserving of the blessings I have gained along the way, that I have earned such a wholesome and loving partner and that the air I breathe is not wasted.

Hello again, tumblr.

[inmyblueparadise]

The 6th member of One Direction 

Headcanon: P3 of being the sixth member of 1d (Imagine One Direction x reader)

Here is a Part 3 ! Thanks to @deamus-liv for the request ! xx

Being a mess after your final performance on the X-Factor

« What do we do now ? » « Now we rest and enjoy our lives ! » « But are we still going to be mates ? » « Of course angel, we are family, always and forever »

hugs and kisses all around

Getting one last drink with the boys at your house, to celebrate the hiatus

« To us boys ! » « Yeah to us and to finally chill for a few months »

Spending the first few weeks with your parents, after years of being on the road

Taking a break off social media, because it broke your heart to see the fans sad

Going on vacation on a tropical island

Texting with the boys non-stop on your group chat - yes it’s called « Wrong Direction »

« Guys I just saw a shark !!! » « Did you put sunscreen on ? » « Yes Liam I did, jeez I’m on vacation ! » « Don’t come complaining if you get a sunburn »

Getting a sunburn…and complaining 

« Told you Angel » « Shut up Payno »

Coming back home and finally unpacking, and organizing everything

Creating a wall, with pictures and memorabilia of the band

And crying about it - a lot

Visiting Louis and your godson Freddie

« Oh my god Lou’ he’s getting so big » « I know it’s crazy innit ? »

Niall trying to teach you golf, and failing miserably 

« Jesus you suck at this ! » « that’s because my teacher is a dumbass » « fuck Off I’m excellent »

Reconnecting with Zayn

Starting to get restless and trying to occupy yourself

Going to the X-Factor to support Louis

« I’m so proud of you Lou’ and I know that your mom would be too » « Thank you Angel, I love you »

Crying and hugging the others while watching him 

Writing music 

A lot of music 

Releasing a single 

Starting to discover yourself, and most importantly your sound

Finally quitting Syco and MOdest! (because fuck them anyway) 

Being invited by Louis for his judge’s house

« It is my pleasure to welcome two incredible people to help me, they’re my bestfriends its Y/N L/N ans Liam Payne » « Hi Tommo » 

Going to Jamaica with Harry to help him write his fist album 

« Thank you for coming love » « Thank you for having me Haz! » 

Appearing on his little documentary - making the fans go crazy

And being here when he cuts his hair

«  I can’t belive him, it’s going to be so weird » « Omg, you look like you’re 18 again » 

Making an album alone 

Going on tour, alone, but enjoying it so much

the boys coming to support you - obvs

Supporting the guys during their shows

« GO NIALL ! » « There is someone special here tonight, everybody make some noise for my little Angel » 

And showing your support during interviews

« What do you think of the boy’s songs ? » « They are incredible I’m really happy for them » « They are doing amazing and I’m so proud of them for finding themselves and enjoy everything » 

Meeting Bear

« Damn now you’re really Daddy Direction » « After taking care of all of you on the road, I’m ready for anything » « Oh ! Sod off Liam we were not that bad ! » « You and Niall got stuck in a kitchen for 2 hours, because you were hungry ! » « I don’t see the problem, we found the food, that’s being responsible » « That’s being pains in my ass ! »

Overall, love your life but missing the boys dearly, and knowing that one day you will reunite stronger and happier than ever

Because this is not the end of One Direction. 

[spidxysense]

Back to You | 14

Summary: He broke your heart, but you’d always love him. Two souls that not even the universe could tear apart, even if you wanted it to at times.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader x Timothee Chalamet

A/N: Yay I updated! I hope you guys like this one, I was stuck for a bit there but once I sat down and got to typing, I really finished it in one sitting. I was just planning on updating it bit by bit lol. Let me know what you guys think, Love you!!!!!!

Word count: 2,591

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

In a few short months of your movie premier with Timothee, you were finally able to release your double-release album, and the response was massive, to say the least. You'd been getting calls from different show hosts' upcoming awarding ceremonies. Still, you couldn't for life in you accept, all except for the Oscars, which your manager told you was a must since you'd be attending in the first place anyway and that performing at the Oscars was a big deal given that you also starred in films and shows.

You turned in bed, facing Timothee's sleeping face. He had been in town for a week now, back on a break from filming in Hungary. Then he'd be back to film in England in a couple of weeks. After your talk on your premiere night, it was to an agreement that whatever you had going on was just two people exploring and experiencing things with someone they had strong feelings for. There wasn't a need for a media circus to cover anything about you two except your movie.

You move his arm, placed it over your waist, and sit up slowly in bed, making sure not to stir Timothee. The jetlag must be shit. You stretched your arms in front of you, glancing at the clock that read 2:07 AM. You get up, grabbing Timothee's white shirt from the floor, and, putting it on, walking over to the bathroom. You looked at yourself in the mirror, touching some of the reddening parts of your neck courtesy of Timothee, and then you notice the toothbrushes… there were two. From this single thing alone, it had you catching everything about the bathroom, how there were two towels, one black, and one violet, which just so happened to be your favorite color.

You walked over to the nightstand beside the bed, putting on your skinny jeans, turning on the lamp, and noticing his wallet. Inside was a picture of you. Opening the closet doors, the ones hung up were various suits, jackets, and even dresses you've worn to events. Why didn't he just send these back? Why would he let you keep your stuff in his house?

You drag your feet downstairs, noticing small details you'd been blind to before, like the large dog bed positioned by the door despite Timothee telling you he could only ever get himself to take care of a tiny dog. You noticed the colored mugs and bowls, a deep dull navy blue color, the same as the ones in your house. Suddenly, everything feels as if it's moving too fast. You both agreed there was no relationship, and there was attraction, but why does his home feel like it's become yours as well?

You sit down, taking a few deep breaths before deciding to stand up and grab your cardigan from the coathanger, opening the front door and closing it behind you as you waited for a taxi to bring you to the more active part of the city at night.

You just couldn't deal with a relationship right now. You couldn't let your heart get broken again, so you have to find ways to distract yourself.

The car stops in front of you, driving off into the night and dropping you off by a club that Troye agreed to meet you at.

You and Timothee had an attraction, but you both agreed there was no label; ergo, there was no intimate relationship even though you both have done everything together. No boyfriend means you were free to do whatever you wanted without worrying about him. But if you were honest with yourself, this was more of you suggesting something you already knew Timothee wasn't too keen on agreeing with but would just because he thought that having something with you was better than absolutely nothing. You saw Troye waiting out by the back entrance for you when he spotted you and called you over. Almost like clockwork, every time you snuck out away from Timothee, everything in you screamed to turn back, to clear your head, and for the first time, you listened.

You motioned for Troye to go ahead and sent him a text that you'd probably just head home because you weren't feeling well. He gave you a knowing look before looking like he finally approved of your actions and sent you a quick and short 'Good." text, and headed inside.

You walked around for a while after that. Soon it was already just about 5 in the morning, and even though you wouldn't let yourself come to any conclusion as to what you even wanted out of this almost relationship with Timothee, you still found yourself back at his front door.

You took out the keys in your pocket, slowly opening the door only to find Timothee sat on the couch, his knees up to his chest as he stared off into space, either deep in thought or trying to keep himself awake… maybe even both.

When he saw you enter, a soft smile formed on his face, and for some reason, that made you smile too.

"Hey, you." He spoke softly.

You sat down quietly next to him, instantly he set his feet on the ground and reached over to embrace you in a hug, the familiar scent of Timothee that never left you that evening even more evident… It felt and smelled familiar, and right now, while your mind was a mess, familiarity was what you needed.

Timothee lifted his head, worried, "Hey, are you alright?"

You sighed, "I don't want to hurt you."

He murmured quietly into your neck as he peppered kisses, "You could never."

You pulled away, feeling guilt in your bones, "Aren't you even a little bit frustrated that we've been like this for months? That even in private, we can't even say that we're in a relationship?"

You gave you a reassuring look, "We both wanted this Y/N."

You sat up, "Except we didn't… You didn't." You corrected yourself, "You're bringing your mother to the fucking Oscars next month because I told you we couldn't be seen together at carpets for Pete's sake."

You stood up, starting to pace back and forth, "We have to coordinate outfits for the sake of not matching, and we never go out because I can't be seen with you in fear that we're going to get found out. I'm a terrible fucking person, and I don't understand how you're so okay with this."

Timothee was grinning, sleep still in his eyes, "I'm okay with it because I love you, Y/N."

You froze in your spot, "You what?"

He nodded and got up, walking over to you. The blue light of the early morning peaking through the curtain made this moment feel and look ethereal, "I said I love you, Y/N. I've known that I loved you from the moment I met you." He kissed the top of your head as he embraced you.

You shook your head, "No, no, no, you don't. I'll even list more shit I've done to you just so you understand how and why you don't love me."

Timothee chuckled, "And yet despite all this... all that's registering in my head is the fact that you've been thinking of me and only me this whole time. You've been worried about how you're hurting me because you don't want to."

And that's when you realized that Timothee was right. This whole time you've been thinking of Timothee and how much you wanted to protect him from you, but he never wanted to be protected from you because he knew that you could never hurt him. You rested your forehead against his.

"I-I need to go. I need to think."

He smiled sadly, "I'll be here when you're ready. I'll always be here Y/N until you don't want me to be here anymore."

-----------------------------------------------------------

You sat in your house, since leaving Timothee's earlier, you had been sat there lost in thought as you argued with yourself. It was true, the last thing you wanted was to hurt Timothee, but you were confused because it's like you couldn't understand your feelings. After all, a particular person still held a large part of it in his hands.

Timothee was there for you. Late night at the recording studio, whether through being there physically or even calling you or skyping you, he was always there. He was there with you when you bought all your albums from Target, and he was also the one who insisted you find another target that hasn't sold out your CDs so he could buy all of them too. Timothee was there with you when you had interviews that you almost felt like you could puke from nervousness backstage as he watched you talk about another celebrity you were getting linked to, and he was there with you to giggle about how stupid talk shows were. Timothee was always there. Whether it was dancing, kissing, or even fighting in the rain, he was always with you. He always wanted you around. Even when you rode the subway to get to a press conference of his or a promo for his upcoming movie, he always wanted you with him. He'd run with you in the rain, and he'd kiss away the sadness when you didn't want to speak with him. He was there with you when you get the sudden urge to buy all the popsicles from the nearest whole foods, and he was there with you when you got sick with the flu, which he also got from you. You'd spend afternoons walking around a far-off hill as you two put flowers in your hair despite knowing that you two probably had your busy schedules. Nothing mattered when you were with Timothee. Nothing mattered except each other. A part of you felt hurt that these memories you had kept of you and Tom were slowly being replaced by everything Timothee, but a large part of you also knew that the person you have now had no doubt that you couldn't ignore your feelings. You couldn't have to take Timothee out of your life.

Making up your mind, you got up, got dressed, and left for where you were sure you would find Tom.

He was in the middle of filming a new movie, but the second he saw you, he immediately asked to stop filming, a familiar, loving face plastered on as he walked over to you before being stopped by the director. They looked to be having a bit of a disagreement before he pointed you out, and the director looked at you in realization, patting him on the back and allowing him to jog over to you.

"Hey." You paused, your hand grasping your arm, and Tom took notice right away.

His eyebrows furrowed, "Hey, what's wrong?" He pulls you to sit by the curb as you two sat side by side, "You only do that when you're having a hard time saying something."

You gave him a look, "Well… I came here to ask you if it was alright if I try things out with Timothee."

He looked taken aback, "Oh, well, honestly, I thought you came by to sort things out between us…." He took notice of the way you looked down in guilt, "I don't think you could do anything with another guy that wouldn't upset me… but I don't really get that prerogative anymore, Y/N." He sighed, wrapping an arm around you to comfort you, "The fact is, you're trying to grow into who you've always wanted to be, and I'm trying to do that too for the sake of us and what we could be. If that means that you need or want to date someone again, I'll fully support you, but the most important thing is, does he make you happy?"

You sighed, looking out onto the filming lot, and nodded slowly, not noticing the slight upset look on Tom's face, "I catch myself sometimes smiling to myself when I think of him… But it's like I can't do anything because I don't want to let go of what we had."

Tom took a gulp, deciding that what was important right now was you, more than what he wanted, "What we had and what we were isn't important anymore Y/N. I'm working towards what we could become. What we had was co-dependency and a constant need to be in each other's presence to prove that what we had was perfect. I want us to find each other again in the future and know that no matter how far apart we are, if hopefully, we get together again, there is nobody in this world we'll love more… and that's what I'm encouraging you to do. I want to grow with you and grow for each other, and if that means you dating other people to understand yourself more, then I support you."

You looked at Tom for a second before hugging him and pecking him on the cheek, "I really needed that, Tom. Thank you."

He hugged you tighter, "Anytime. I'll always be here for you, Y/N."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You gripped your seat in the car in pure nerves. You were on your way to the Oscars with your assistant constantly telling you about your performance and what not to mess up and things to remember, especially about reporters who wanted an interview with you. To say you were all nerves today was an understatement. You hadn't spoken to Timothee ever since you told him you needed time to think, so today would be the first time you would ever come face to face with him. You thought long and hard about everything between the two of you. Still, you think you're finally ready to actually put some time and effort into this… and if that meant doing things that would significantly make Timothee happy, then you'd do it.

Your assistant watched a live feed from the Oscars as she gave you updates on how Armie was on the carpet. Saoirse was on the carpet, talking about how she hoped to make a movie with you and various other stars. You were a few minutes away from the carpet when she spoke up again.

"Timothee has just arrived." then she looked at her phone and back at you, doing a double-take as you gave her a sheepish smile, all she could do was smile approvingly at you before going back to giving you live updates.

A few minutes later, and your heart didn't feel like it was going to slow down anytime soon as your assistant gave you a pep talk, "Y/N. You are gonna rock that carpet, you'll turn heads, and most importantly, you're gonna be the talk of the night. There is nothing that could go wrong tonight. Just take deep breaths and don't trip."

Luckily you were still coherent enough to understand what she said as you took deep breaths to calm your nerves.

"Alright, three… two… one." The door flew open as one of the large men in suits grabbed your hand and helped you out. Your dress was not providing you much flexibility to move, and for almost 15 seconds, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion as everyone was quiet. You found Timothee busy with an interview as the crowd looked from you to him, the topic on everyone's minds for the past few months. As if this were the only proof they needed, they held their cameras in their hands as they snapped pictures of you and a commotion started as they started asking for Timothee.

You think you gave them a quick, charming grin as you told them he was in an interview before walking towards the interviewer and Timothee. She was the first to notice while Timothee talked about how his mom stood him up as his Oscars date, something you arranged a week earlier and something Timothee's mom was more than happy to comply to.

The interviewer looks ecstatic as the only one and the first one on this carpet to get whatever the scoop was here, as she wasted no time when you slowly approached them, "Timothee! You said you were stood up, but you never told us that your backup would be late!"

Timothee shot her a confused look before he felt your arm slowly snake around his arm, "Sorry I'm late." You quickly whispered to him.

His face looked shocked. Almost as if a reflex, he almost pulled away from you before getting a good look at what you were wearing. His jaw looked like it would drop to the floor as he looked utterly awestruck.

The interviewer giggled nervously, already knowing her interview time was slowly coming to an end without any payoff to the two of you, "Timothee, you look to be speechless at Y/N's dress tonight." She looked at you hopefully, "Could everyone here assume this is date night?"

You smiled shyly at the lady before giving her a tiny curt nod, "I know it's a bit cliche to match outfits, but when I saw that Timothee was going to wear a harness, I just couldn't let him take all the attention for tonight, so I apologize, but I've kept this secret from him too just to make sure he doesn't do anything to take the spotlight, that's why he looks like he's just had a heart attack." you giggled.

He gave a quick, playful tilted look to you before blinking multiple times, "In my defense, I didn't even know that this was a harness... They told me this was a bib."

"Bib or not, you two look like the sexiest couple on the carpet, and I just so happen to be the luckiest interviewer tonight." The interviewer looked ecstatic as can be as she jumps up, more energetic to interview the two of you, "And well, Y/N, one look at you, and it's hard to believe anyone would still have the ability to speak. You look gorgeous." She winked at the camera, "But I can't help but notice you just confirmed this is date night… Is it safe to assume what everyone has been wondering for the past few months? That you two are dating?"

Somehow, Timothee finally snaps out of it and looks at you, a questioning look before you leaned over and spoke into the mic, "Yeah. We're together. We have been for a while now." You smiled sheepishly as you saw Timothee's face glow as he wrapped his arm around your waist, "I apologize for keeping quiet for so long, but we think it's the right time to go public now that we've decided to take things to a more serious level."

The interviewer waves a hand in the air, "As long as you two let us in on the secret, there's no problem there." She faced the camera, "You heard it here first, folks. Hollywood's newest and hottest up and coming power couple. From both Y/N and Timothee themselves, now going public with their relationship."

As you two walked away from the interviewer for more pictures, Timothee embraced you, uncaring of the cameras flashing in your faces, "Are you serious?"

You nodded slowly, "I'm ready to be with you completely, Timothee. I'm sorry I took so long."

He shook his head like a puppy, "As long as you're here with me now, Y/N, I don't care."

He pulled away at the sound of your name and his in the same sentence as the photographers asked for your attention. He quickly kisses you on the cheek as you shut your eyes and grinned, cameras going off and commotion started up at you two, the young hot couple everyone had wanted more details on.

Timothee clutched your waist tightly, almost like he was afraid that if he let go, this would all go back to how everything was before.

Before entering the venue, he pulled you to the side, "Are you sure about this? I don't want you to force yourself."

You shook your head, guiding his head to yours, "I think I'm in love with you too, Timothee. I'm all in with you." And then you kissed him.

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

curtain call, m | myg

pairing(s): yoongi x reader

summary: You know that TikTok trend where girls would drop their towels in front of their gamer boyfriends? As expected, Min Yoongi didn’t until he was informed by his six troublemaking friends. In this case, his girlfriend was the pro streamer and he was the guy in the towel... so what’s the result?

warnings: rated M (18+) for language, tiny bit of crack; sexually explicit thoughts; smut (fem reader, handjob, cowgirl); very fluffy; non-idol!AU - established relationship, music producer!Yoongi x LoL streamer!reader

-

“Hahaha, oh my god, chat, did you see that? He bounced so many times from the CC, he literally went sky, holy shit!”

Min Yoongi opened the front door of his apartment to the jovial, laughing voice of his girlfriend. He shut the door, smiling to himself. Her streaming room was in the extra bedroom. The door was open, and he could see the bright RGB lights of her computer tower reflecting off the walls. He took off his black coat, placing it on the hanger in the hall closet.

“Stop cursing because it’s not ladylike?” He heard her scoff. “No, fuck you.”

Yoongi smirked. That’s my girl.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, scrolling through social media. His friends always told him to reply to their posts, but Yoongi was a lurker. The only reason he even had any social media was because his friends set it up for him. He literally only followed six people – his six friends. Everyone else he just stalked from memory, even his own girlfriend. Mostly because he didn’t want random people following him for no reason, because they most certainly would with how popular she was.

When she had asked him what he thought of her full-time video game streaming, Yoongi told her to go for it. She had been obsessed with League of Legends for over nine years, even before she met him. At their first date, she first question was if he knew what League of Legends was.

“Uh… I got to Gold in season 2?”

Later, she told him his answer had seriously tilted her and she even considered not going on a second date.

“But you did. Because of this face.”

She had laughed and nodded.

She had been playing solo queue for a long time. When she finally started streaming her games, her channel grew slowly. She would immediately start playing after she got home from work. Hours and hours, growing a fanbase. Yoongi later learned she was startlingly good – “I was Master for a long time, got Grandmaster this season” – and when she asked him if she could quit her job, he pointed to her bank statements.

“Do you even need to ask? You might make more than me at one point and I’m Big Hit’s top music producer.”

And she did end up making more than him, at least some months, because the team that picked her up as a content creator this year was none other than T1, the most beloved (and hated) organization in Korea. Had she ever met Faker? No, but it was cool to say she was under the same umbrella as him.

Yoongi rounded the corner, knocking his knuckles on the doorframe.

“Hey.”

-

You looked up from your game, grinning. Twitch chat had just said some dumb shit, but your eyes were on Min Yoongi now. The love of your life, standing in the doorframe, looking amused at your antics and dressed sharply in a white dress shirt and black slacks with a matching black tie. Very different to your black T1 hoodie and sweats.

“Whoa, fancy, fancy,” you teased, eyes going back to the game. You pushed back one of your headset’s earcups to hear him better. You clicked rapidly, autoattacking the towers swiftly. You were about to win after a hectic Baron fight. “Why are you dressed like that, Yoongi?”

Your chat was exploding with cat emojis. They had only seen Yoongi a few times and someone had compared him to a cat once. It stuck and now every time Yoongi spoke, your chat was spammed with cats. You even had a custom white cat emote made with Yoongi’s signature black hair.

Yoongi appeared next to you on the cam, only his slacks and bottom of his shirt visible next to you. He patted your head.

“Meeting today,” he said simply in his lovely deep voice. The chat was exploding due to Yoongi’s appearance. Everyone was thirsty for him. You couldn’t blame them. You too. “Looks like T1 Curtain Call is kicking ass.”

You fired the last shot at the Nexus, earning fifty gold. Was it necessary since that was the end of the game? Absolutely not, but it gave you bragging rights. You sat back, smirking. You were in your promos to Challenger, the highest rank in the ladder. It would be really exciting if you could make it to Challenger this season.

You turned to Yoongi as you honored your support Nami. “Chat wants you to say hi.”

Yoongi stuck his large hand out in front of the camera and waved it once. “Hey everyone.”

You chuckled as Yoongi retreated his hand. You clicked on the stats for the chat to read before reentering the lobby. T1 Curtain Call. That was your in-game name, or IGN. It was named after your favorite champion, Jhin, the Virtuoso, mercenary gunman with a sniper ultimate and an obsession with the number four. Your IGN was Jhin’s ultimate ability name. You were an attack-damage carry main, also known as ADC.

You felt Yoongi ruffle your hair, messing it up under your headset.

“Going to take a shower before making dinner. Bye, chat.”

Yoongi stuck his hand in the screen again, right in front of your face.

You leaned forward to read the chat as you queued up. It was going to be a long queue, so you answered questions in the meantime.

“Ask Yoongi to play with you?” You chuckled. “Trust me guys, I’ve tried, even if it was just normals. He’s confused as shit.”

-

Yoongi worked the shampoo in his hair, feeling the hot water hit his back. Before getting into the shower, Yoongi had gotten multiple texts from the group chat. Normally he would ignore them, because he always ignored the group chat. This time, however, he saw his girlfriend’s name pop up in the texts, along with his name with multiple exclamation points. He frowned at it, opening the chat. He did not like his friends typing her name heedlessly.

It was some dumb TikTok trend.

“Hyung, you gotta do this to noona,” Jeon Jungkook had typed with multiple ‘kekekeke’ behind it. The youngest was an idiot for even suggesting this.

“Please do it,” Kim Taehyung typed with multiple laughing emojis.

“I want to know her reaction,” Park Jimin typed with a bunch of winking faces.

“The fuck is this?” Kim Seokjin had typed. “Oh my god, you have to do it, Yoongi.”

“But don’t film it,” Kim Namjoon warned. “Don’t want to make her look bad or anything.”

Jung Hoseok had just typed multiple laughing symbols. Yoongi could hear him laughing through the phone even if he wasn’t here.

It was a stupid trend where girls wrapped themselves in towels after a shower and then dropped said towels in front of their gamer boyfriends while they were playing, with varying reactions. Yoongi had sighed, putting his phone down. He shouldn’t have clicked on the chat. Those guys were loons. Besides, his role was reversed in his situation. A guy’s flaccid dick was a thousand times less interesting than his girlfriend’s perky tits and round ass. And her squeezable thighs. And her glistening pussy.

Yoongi rinsed his hair off, muttering to himself.

Why would he even consider distracting her like that anyway? He rubbed soap on his arms and legs. She took her games seriously and Yoongi wanted her to win them. It would just be dumb to be the reason that she dies in game. It was her job, after all. It was true they had less sex, but that was also partially his fault. He had been working on an album and it ran long hours. He had to finish before the deadline after all. Yes, sometimes Yoongi woke up late at night with a massive hard-on and her warm body next to him, only in her underwear. Sometimes he took her hand and wrapped it around him, considering on waking her up to do it.

But her peaceful, sleepy face was too cute to wake up, so he never did.

Yoongi puffed his cheeks as he rinsed off, thinning his mouth and eyes into lines. They used to mess around, right here in the shower, where he would jerk off on her face and chest, just to watch it drip down her body. He could see her pretty face in his mind, cum sprayed across her cheeks and chin, mischievous smile on her lips. They had different schedules now, so she always showered before her stream, while he was at work.

Yoongi clicked his tongue and turned the water off, body still hot. He grabbed the white towel from the rack and dried his hair, making it stick up in every direction. He rubbed himself down, wicking the water away. It made him remember how her hair used to stick to her body after their shared showers and how he would lift it away to play with her nipples.

He huffed, seeing his phone on the bathroom sink. His friends needed help. How could they even suggest such nonsen–

Yoongi tried to wrap his towel around his waist. He could feel a draft. He looked down, raising his eyebrows.

His dick was pitching a music-festival, VIP-member-only sized tent.

Well.

He pursed his lips. He shouldn’t be that surprised. He had literally been thinking about his girlfriend’s naked body the entire time. His eyes glanced to his phone once again before he opened the bathroom door. He heard her sigh loudly.

“Noooo, that’s the third dodge! Am I ever going to play a game, chat?” she whined.

Yoongi padded out into the hallway. Technically he was already halfway there. Might as well. Was this the stupidest shit he was ever going to do? Maybe. But she wasn’t going to expect it, that’s for sure. The thought made Yoongi smirk.

“When is Jungkook going to duo with me again? I don’t know guys; he said he has finals soon so he has to focus on school.” He heard her click her tongue. “Get him on cam again? Oh, I see, that’s what you all wanted... At least let him get through university.”

Yoongi stopped at the doorframe. Her hands were on her chin and she was sighing, looking depressed at her long queue time.

“Ah, so unlucky. It must be everyone’s dinnertime.”

He called her name in the same tone he usually used.

Her head lifted and her eyes floated in his direction.

Yoongi dropped the towel.

In less than a second, her eyes grew three sizes, jaw dropping. His wet hair stuck to his forehead, shading his eyes a bit. He cocked an eyebrow, slow smirk on his lips.

“Anything you want for dinner?”

-

What.

The.

FUCK?

You heard your queue pop, but you were frozen in place, gawking open-mouthed at your boyfriend standing in the doorframe of your streaming room, butt-ass naked, cock hard as a rock, towel on the ground. Did he just..? What the…? This was Min Yoongi. Your mild-mannered, somewhat-lazy, preferred-to-be-asleep boyfriend. Not suddenly-trying-to-send-you-to-horny-jail-in-front-of-three-thousand viewers boyfriend! You blinked at him, stuttering.

“Y-Yoongi…?”

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. Your voice was a little too breathless, a little too shocked. And slightly too needy for Twitch chat. Your face was heating up fast. You whipped your head back to the screen, realizing you missed the queue. At this point, you didn’t give a single shit.

“You know what, guys,” you said shakily, laughing awkwardly. “I better help Yoongi with dinner and be a good girlfriend.” You rose, feeling the wetness between your legs. “See you tomorrow!”

And you immediately turned off the stream, fuck, you turned off your whole damn computer, mashing the power button, and throwing one of your spare hoodies over the webcam. You exploded from your T1 gaming chair, literally shooting it back three feet into the League plushes behind you, ripping your headset off, tossing it onto the keyboard. Yoongi looked surprised, as if he expected you to be demurer about it.

Yeah, that’s not kind of woman you were.

“Min Yoon-gi,” you hissed, stressing every syllable of his name. “How the fuck do you think you can just show up naked and not expect me to want to immediately fuck you?”

Yoongi chuckled. “I wanted to see your reaction.”

You narrowed your eyes, pressing him against the door with your body. “You don’t watch TikTok. Who put you up to this? Jimin? Taehyung? Jungkook?”

His voice was low and husky. “You know the mankae line are trouble.”

Your hand snaked up into his damp hair and you pulled him down for a sensual kiss. His soft, pink lips parted and you nipped at his lower lip, grinding deliciously into his hard cock. Your sweatpants and underwear were in the way, but you moaned into his mouth, tongue grazing against his lips.

Mentally, you thanked the three mankaes for giving Yoongi this wonderful idea.

He breathed against your lips, smirking.

“How many pieces of clothing are you wearing?” he purred.

You grinned into his kiss, tongue between your teeth. “Four.”

“On brand for you.”

And then you two stumbled into the hallway, Yoongi’s hands on the hem of your hoodie, pushing it up as you kissed him over and over, whispering his name, telling him how handsome he was, how perfectly sexy he was with his wet hair and soft skin. His lips curved upwards under yours, basking in your compliments, drinking them up.

“Count for me,” he drawled, pulling the black T1 hoodie up.

You slipped out of it, sliding down, hands splaying over Yoongi’s chest.

“One.”

He tossed it aside as your hand wrapped around his cock. A sharp gasp left his lips feeling you stroke him slowly, your hand snaking around his neck and bringing his face close to yours, lips on lips. His hands curled around your waist, moving up, grasping the hook-and-eye of your black bra. All the while slowly making your way to the bedroom, nipping at his lips, sucking on his tongue.

Yoongi pinched, releasing your bra. You released his cock, letting it slide off your shoulders.

“Two,” you moaned, feeling his hands on your breasts, rolling your nipples in between his fingers.

“Hah, your body is so fucking hot,” Yoongi murmured. “Missed fucking you.”

You snickered, licking his lips. “Why don’t you actually try to wake me up for once instead of using my hand to jack yourself off at two in the morning?”

His dark brown eyes went wide, shock creeping into his voice. “W-what? How did you…?”

You pushed him through the doorframe of the bedroom. “You think I don’t notice your dick in my hands?” You reached down now, gripping it again, sighing softly at his hardness. “I’m a light sleeper.”

He sputtered at you, fingers curling under the waistband of your sweatpants. “No, you’re not.”

You grinned. “Yeah, you’re right, but this your cock we’re talking about, and I love your cock, Yoongi, fuck,” you continued, pumping him slowly as you felt his length twitch in your hands, his hands pushing down your pants, sliding down your legs.

“Three,” he breathed softly.

You took his larger hand and wrapped it around yours, stepping out of your pants.

“Go on, Yoongi. Show me what you do when you think I’m asleep,” you said softly, nudging him to the bed and laying him down, down, crawling over him, staring into his beautiful dark eyes, falling more and more in love with him every second. Yoongi bit his lip, looking back at you, shifting your hand up and down his cock, whimpering as he jacked himself off, but with your hand and your eyes on him.

“Fuck, you look so pretty,” he mumbled. “Such perfectly shaped eyes.”

You leaned down, squeezing him a little harder, a tiny gasp brushing against your lips. “That’s you, my love.”

He smirked, his free hand hooking on the side of your panties.

“Hit me with the fourth shot,” Yoongi teased, grinning.

You kissed him lightly, smiling. “That’s going to be a critical hit.”

“Better be a critical hit all over my dick.”

You laughed, reaching over to the nightstand and pulling out the drawer, taking out a condom. The two of you pulled down your black panties, Yoongi completing the final number.

“Four,” he exhaled, nearly moaning at the sight of your juices snapping against your thigh.

“Me on top?” you asked, ripping the condom open.

Yoongi’s naughty smirk grew. “You do love me.”

You slid the condom down his length, both of you gasping as his cock throbbed in your hands. You slid up, holding him with two fingers as you sank down on him, tipping your head back at the feeling of Yoongi’s cock buried deep inside.

“I’ve determined we don’t fuck enough,” you muttered, rolling your hips at the delicious sensation of being stretched out by your lover.

“I should wake up earlier,” Yoongi hissed, hands twisting in the sheets. “So we can shower together again.”

“You miss that?” You began to move, riding him deliberately slow but rough, slapping your hips together. You were leaking all over his crotch and balls, adding to the sound. “Miss me on my knees for you, wet from head to toe?”

“Hah… I was thinking about it in the shower,” he panted, feeling you lean down to change the angle, rolling the entire lower half of your body to fuck him hard, fast, intensely squeezing his cock at every descent. “You look so good covered in my cum, my love.”

You smirked, arching an eyebrow. “Yeah? Take some pictures. Show your friends.”

Yoongi laughed, that attractive raspy laugh that showed his pink gums and his pretty white teeth as you rode him, chasing your orgasm and determined to get him to his. “They fucking wish they could see this body,” he growled, a touch of possessiveness in his voice that made your spine shiver deliciously. “Bet they wish they could see you riding my dick right now, your perfect tits and ass bouncing on top of me.”

You clenched him harder and he moaned, head pressed into the pillows, eyes closing, drowning in the feeling of you.

“Ask them,” you snickered. “I already know Jimin’s answer.”

Yoongi gave you an open-mouthed smirk. “That fucking pervert.”

You slammed your hips together tightening your jaw and your core, sucking in his entire length, every contour imprinted into you, every vein pulsing into your walls, Yoongi so fucked out and gone under you, the best image in the entire fucking world. You leaned your head back, gasping triumphantly as the pleasure finally dropped, showering over you, your hips shaking, pussy throbbing all around him, splattering onto his crotch. Yoongi groaned, smacking his fists against the sheets as he shot up into you, cock swelling against your walls, choking out your name due to the strength of your orgasm. You felt your pussy milking him for every drop, draining him. Yoongi’s hips jerked involuntarily up towards you, squelching loudly and lewdly.

Fuck, you loved him.

You bent down, hand between your bodies, holding the condom down as you kissed his open mouth, tongue sliding in to stroke his, murmuring to him how much you loved him. Yoongi panted into your lips, hot erotic breaths that made you moan as you slowly removed yourself from his softening cock. He opened his eyes, half-lidded, drunk with pleasure. His voice was breathless, content.

“I love you.”

You smirked.

“Drop your towel some more, but maybe when I’m not live streaming.”

Yoongi laughed and you laughed too, because in the end it was still hilarious.

-

masterpost

[maneskinrollercoaster]

~ I Loved You For All This Time Apart ~

Pairing: Damiano David x Lea (fictional character)

Word count: 1759

Warnings: Slightly bit of swearing.

Summary: Lea makes a hard decision which has major consequences on her relationship.

The doors opened and she saw him. Damiano was standing in front of her while she walked past the gate from her plane. They haven’t seen each other for a long time. Three years passed since their breakup but they still didn’t stop loving each other.

Damiano was stubborn. When Lea told him that she wants to leave to England, he quickly protested, saying that she’s better living in Italy, in her home country, rather than being all alone in an unknown place without any family or friends.

He always wanted to impress everyone. When he was in the studio with Vic, Thomas and Ethan, everything had to be perfect. He didn’t leave the place without making sure that every sound and lyric were on point. Lea told him that he can’t overwork himself like that but he didn’t listen and stayed in the studio from dusk till dawn working his ass off till he fell asleep on the floor with papers in his tired hands.

Damiano never missed the opportunity to party. Whether it was celebrating their new albums or just a local festival, he never said no to going out with his friends. He drank a lot on the parties which made Lea angry. Once he got so drunk that Lea had to call a Taxi and literally crawl with him on her back to get him home. She was furious that night, which didn’t happen often and threatened him that they will break up if he won’t stop being so irresponsible.

She wasn’t a loud person though. She never got angry and never raised her voice. It was really hard to make her go out of control and she knew that sometimes she was too kind to everyone. Damiano always told her that she should stand up for herself more but she was too generous to see bad in people.

When she got irritated she usually closed herself in the bedroom and meditated to clear her mind. It helped her a lot and she never was the one to argue anyways. She always prefered to calm down and talk. Damiano loved how down to earth Lea was. Whenever they had a worse moment, she held his hands, stroking them gently and said: What’s bothering you, love? Let’s talk about it.

Those little moments felt like big steps until it all crashed.

One day Lea made the most important and the hardest decision. She bought a ticket to London and told Damiano that she’s leaving Italy. He tried to turn it into a joke at first but then he realized that she was serious.

What do you mean you’re leaving Italy? He asked her confused, giving her a look full of fear. He didn’t want to loose her. She was his soulmate and loosing her would mean loosing a part of him.

Baby, I want to travel, chase my dreams. There are so many opportunities waiting for me, I want to go and be happy. Her face lit up and passion in her voice made Damiano frown.

So you’re not happy with me, huh? He said and his eyes turned black. He was angry. How could she ever think of leaving him and moving to UK? Her place was next to him, in Italy.

Dami, it’s not about you. I just..

You just what? You want to leave me here alone and sacrifice everything we have! He screamed and Lea, not aware of his sudden outburst, shivered.

I’m not breaking up with you. But you have to understand, I can’t spend my whole life here, only looking at you succeed. As much as I love you and as much as I’m happy about your carrier, I want to do it for myself, I want to achieve something, be successful. I’m doing this to show myself that I’m worthy. She said and her eyes filled with tears.

Well then, I guess it’s over for us. I can’t do long distance. He said letting down his head.

So you don’t even want to try? You don’t want to put some effort and make our relationship work? Her cheeks were now wet from the tears. She looked at him full of sadness and disappointment.

You just chose.

Alright then, goodbye Damiano.

That’s when they’ve seen each other for the last time.

Since then Lea lived in London. The weather there wasn’t as amazing as in Italy but Lea found herself amazed with british culture. The people there were kind, saying thank you and I’m sorry with every occasion possible. They were helpful too. Whenever Lea entered a bookstore or coffee shop, people seemed to be willing to help with anything you’d ask them for. She felt like she could get friends with everyone there which didn’t make her feel so lonely. After a month of wandering around and gettin to know the country a little more, Lea joined a local designer house and started her career as a fashion designer and consultant. There she met Steph - her spirit guide as she used to say all the time. They started designing together and their work found its popularity around London soon after. Lea finally felt like it was her place and she for sure didn’t want to leave. Ever.

After three years she’s gotten an invitation for Alex’s wedding in Florence. Since he was like a brother to her she decided to visit her home country but soon after she got a call from him. Damiano called her at 2 am in the morning, waking her up and saying that they should meet once she arrives. At first she was shocked. They broke up on not such good terms but the truth was none of them stopped loving the other.

Damiano through all this time wrote songs about Lea. He knew that if he’d tried even a little then maybe their relationship would work. But he was a coward. He couldn’t stand a fact of long distance, being together but apart at the same time, so he decided to shut up and all his braveness vanished. His lyrics were deep and sad, all of them about being lonely, breakup and sadness. Vic, Thomas an Ethan tried to talk to him but he always shut them off, saying that he’s fine and that they shouldn’t worry. After a while he seemed to move on but when Alex called him with a wedding invitation, saying that Lea confirmed her attendance, his heart stopped. He decided to call her.

Damiano, its 2 am in the morning. What is so important you want to tell me at such a time? Lea answered her phone with a sleepy voice.

I heard you’re attending Alex’s wedding and i just.. wanted to call you to ask what are you getting them as a gift. Damiano lied which was obvious even to Lea.

For a gift? Are you out of your mind? You call me at 2 am just to ask me for a fucking gift? She said shocked at her own tone.

I uhm.. i think we should meet. You know, once you arrive. He said and brushed his hair with his palm.

We will meet at the wedding. She said harshly.

No Lea, i meant meet before the wedding. To talk.

What do you wanna talk about?

Us? He said, not being sure of her response.

Us? You want to talk about us Damiano? You said yourself you don’t want long distance and now after 3 years you want to talk about us? If it wasn’t Alex’s wedding, I’m sure you wouldn’t have called. Lea said and she was about to hang up but Damiano stopped her.

But I love you. Damiano’s words stuck in her mind making it repeat them over and over again. I’ve never stopped.

For good 5 minutes there was a silence that Lea didn’t want to break. Shock was an understatement. Of course, she hadn’t stopped loving him either but he said that out of the blue and she didn’t know exactly what to say.

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.. Damiano started but was interrupted.

No, it’s okey. I just.. It’s not a conversation we should be having through the phone. She said quietly and soon after they ended their call.

And now he was standing in front of her. Dressed all in black, his hair longer than Lea has remembered and even more handsome than she saw him last time. She noticed that his jawline was more sharp and on his face she saw a slight beard.

Damiano also noticed some changes. Lea wasn’t wearing glasses like before, her hair were a lighter color than the brown hazelnut tone he loved so much but she looked really good.

Long time no see. Damiano said and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Yeah, long time indeed. She said squeezing tighter a handle of her suitcase.

They stood like this for what felt like forever when suddenly Lea felt Damiano’s arms wrapping around her tightly and pulling her closer for a warm hug. It truly felt like home. His scent of cologne mixed with cigarettes and his fingers gently stroking her back, his face buried in a crock of her neck and lips dangerously close to her skin. Lea felt his breath on her neck and sighed wrapping her arms around his torso, giving back the hug.

I missed you so much. Damiano whispered and Lea’s eyes started getting watery.

She missed him too but never wanted to admit it. Not after he decided to end this relationship because he didn’t have the courage to try and make it work from a distance.

Not long after she felt Damiano’s warm lips on hers. She didn’t expect it all and surprised but pleased with such sudden interaction she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss was sweet, full of love and missing each other but they both enjoyed it more than they both expected. After a while they pulled away, looking into each other’s eyes.

I know we have a lot to figure out and a lot to talk through but I’ve never stopped loving you. Please forgive me. Damiano said stroking Lea’s cheek with his thumb.

I loved you for all this time apart. Lea said and they both smiled at each other.

It didn’t matter for them that they were standing in each other’s embrace in the middle of the airport. What really mattered to them was that they found their way back to each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! I’m back and I just want to explain myself that I was on vacation in London so that’s the reason of my absence. Expect some London inspired content.

ALSOOO I JUST WANTED TO THANK FOR 100 FOLLOWERS! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ME AND I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! ❤️

That one is not as good but i hope you enjoy it! ❤️🥰

Requests opened.

Tag list: [ @teenyweenynightghost , @superchrystaldrug , @unitermoonshine ]

[tangledstarlight]

2. “Sure, you can use me as a pillow.” For willex 😃

hello hi this could have been so much longer but it’s 2am and i gotta go to sleep, but i also felt compelled to do this tonight so here we go! and yes okay i nearly forgot there was a prompt my bad 😬 hope you like anon!! 

hurt/comfort dialogue prompts!!

2. “Sure, you can use me as a pillow.” 

The thing about traveling is that Alex really hates traveling. 

Sure, he likes going to new places and experiencing new cultures and buying hotdogs from street vendors in New York who don’t work out of a car. But that actual act of traveling? Of getting from one place to another long distance via plane? Absolutely hates it. As he sits around in hard plastic airport chairs he often finds himself wishing he could just teleport himself. Think of where he wanted to be and poof! there he was. 

But he couldn’t poof around the world and instead he was stuck on a flight back to LA from New York that was already an hour delayed and was now a further two hours delayed on the tarmac while they were on the damn thing. 

Balling up his jumper and stuffing it behind his head Alex tries to relax, to stretch his legs out in front of him a little and let the tension leave his shoulders. He thinks about the apartment that him and the band had rented for the three months they’d been in New York working on their new album. Of how he could be on the plush grey sofa right now, listening to Reggie talk over whatever film they’d picked and trying to throw popcorn into Luke’s open mouth after he’d fallen asleep ten minutes in while Julie tried with m&ms. 

But no. He’s stuck in a plane and starting to get cramp in his leg and regretting not accepting the travel pillow Reggie had tried to give him before he left. God there had better be an open bar at his sister's wedding to make up for this experience. Though he knows that’s partly a lie, because seeing his little sister walk down the aisle in her white dress will be worth it, but the way his parents will avoid him the whole weekend? Oh yeah, he’s gonna need an open bar for that too. 

“Sorry folks, looks like we’re going to be stuck here a little while longer. Please remain in your seats and if you need anything––” Alex, along with the majority of the plane, stop listening to the pilot's voice on the speaker. There’s a collective groan and he can hear people complaining and the little tell-tale ding of someone calling for assistance. 

Alex blows out a breath and tries to go back to relaxing in his seat. Which feels awkward and uncomfortable and exposed, probably due to the fact he’s got an aisle seat. Logically, he knows that. Logically, he knows that no one is really judging him right now because they’re all too busy dealing with their own shit. 

The sleeve of his jumper slips free, dropping to his neck and, without thinking, he swats it away. Belatedly, and okay yeah, only after the responding grunt, does Alex remember that there’s someone sitting next to him. 

Eyes snapping open he looks at the man next to him, takes in the long hair and the tie dye sweatshirt and the wires of his headphones and the raised eyebrow as he looks back at him. 

“I am so sorry I just––” Alex trails off because he doesn’t have an excuse. He just forgot there was someone sitting next to him. Which, the longer he looks at his seat neighbour and takes in the jaw line and the lips curving into a smile and the way his eyes haven’t left his–– how the hell did Alex not notice him when he first got on the fucking plane? (He’s going to blame it on how much he hates traveling, it blinds him to all hot people in the vicinity, even if they happen to be right next to him apparently.) He can feel his cheeks growing warm and he realises he’s just staring and hasn’t actually finished his sentence. 

“Fell– neck, y’know?” He gestures vaguely to his neck, and the sleeve of his jumper that’s still on the other man's shoulder and god fucking damn it Alex that wasn’t even a sentence, get it together! If Luke or Julie or Reggie were here right now they would be laughing at him. 

“It’s all good man,” the stranger says with a light laugh and–– god he’s got such pretty eyes that Alex is almost distracted from what he says next, “You seem a little tense there though man. You goo?” 

And see, this is exactly part of the reason why Alex hates traveling. It’s the awkward small talk on the plane or the train or when you’re unfortunate enough to end up next to an extra chatty person on the bus. It’s why he shoves headphones on and pretends he can’t see lips moving. Though, he’s maybe willing to break that rule just a little today.

“Not a big fan of traveling,” is all he says, trying not to grimace about how much of an understatement that is. 

“On planes or just in general?” 

“Just in general. Though after this it might be a plane thing,” he tries to joke, and he’s pretty sure it’s a terrible attempt but the stranger giggles and oh man Alex hadn’t thought he could get cuter. 

“Yeah, this has been a pretty shitty few hours,” he agrees, biting down on his bottom lip for a moment before seeming to decide something, “I’m Willie. By the way. Since we’re going to be stuck next to each other for a while.” 

“Alex. Hi,” and, for some strange reason he lifts his hand and waves at him. That magical teleportation power would come in handy right about now, he decides. 

But, for whatever reason, Willie doesn’t find it weird and they start talking. Alex learns that Willie’s flying back to LA because he’d been in New York for an art show, and that he’s into skateboarding and he looks really good when he ties his hair up in a bun. In turn, Alex tells him about the band and recording their first album and about his weekend. 

“So wait, your parents don’t want you going to the wedding?” Willie asks, body half turned towards him in his chair and there's a look of confusion on his face. 

“They’d didn’t explicitly say that but we all know they’re going to be disappointed when I show up,” he shrugs. It hurts, but it’s also just been a fact of his life for so long now that Alex sometimes forgets that not everyone has the same experience. And anyway, he’s not going for his parents, he’s going for his sister. 

“Man that’s fucked,” he mutters, eyes seeming to zone out for a moment, only to refocus as Alex claps a hand over his mouth to block a yawn. 

“Sorry. I put off going to sleep so I could sleep on the flight but,” he shrugs, shooting Willie a slightly sheepish smile but he just shakes his head, another smile on his lips. 

“You’re all good. When this thing finally takes off you can use me as a pillow,” there’s a slightly teasing edge to his words but a challenge in his eyes. 

And maybe it’s because he’s been stuck in an airport and then on a plane for four hours longer then he’d expected to be, or because he’s just really tired or maybe he’s just feeling brave in the face of his weekend ahead, but Alex smiles back at him and says, “You’re probably much comfier then my jumper.” 

There’s a beat before Willie laughs, knocks his knuckles casually against Alex’s shoulder. Half an hour later, when the pilot announces they’ve been cleared for takeoff and the majority of people cheer, Alex and Willie share a high five, palms lingering maybe a touch too long, but he’s not going to complain. 

He doesn’t sleep on the flight, but he does leave LAX in a taxi with Willie’s number saved in his phone with the first text he’d sent being the address of his sister's wedding and an assurance he didn’t need to bring a gift. 

So okay, maybe traveling isn’t the worst thing in the world.