#but when would you change outfits……. do they go off stage during an instrumental ??

[kralmajales]

I know my experiences aren’t universal but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to having my worldview rocked sometimes … a bit ago I saw someone talking about Olivia Rodrigo’s tour outfits and I assumed they meant over the course of the tour . Apparently it was over the course of one show. Anyway someone replied to them and was like “well that’s not very impressive. Maybe you haven’t been to many concerts but I’ve never been to a concert where there wasn’t multiple costume changes” GIRL??? I’m so used to just like . Some dudes wearing jeans and a t-shirt . This is genuinely a little shocking to me . I saw this a week ago and I’m still reeling enough to post about it .

[stormblessed95]

Memories 2021 Discs 5 - 6

So I asked again when I said I was going to watch memories in full if you would be interested in commentary from me as I did so. There were a lot of people who said yes, so here we are! I have officially watched BTS Memories of 2021. Here are my thoughts as I went. There were 7 DVDs in this one. Reminder that these aren't going to be smoothly written out thoughts. You get these like I'm live reacting, texting my bestie or live tweeting. Lol it'll be in like bullet point format sort of, just... a commentary post as I go. Lol Part 1 and Part 2 here covers Discs 1 - 4. Part 3 here will cover Disc 5 and half of Disc 6. Hope you enjoy anyway! Let's go!

Disc 5

Butter Motion Clip Making Film:

BTS with flowers is such a pretty and wonderful concept for real. When the photographer called Jimin the flower and he got all flustered was so cute! Jhope having a hurt foot and in pain, yet the professional always wins out and you'd never be able to tell from how he took his photos! I hope he healed up quickly! Editors calling Yoongi an Elf 😭 I'm obsessed. JK saying that everyone looked so good in today's outfits/concept! He is so right! The photographer saying to get closer together in a natural way for the group shot and Jhope going "okay okay" and grabbing Jimin by the waist to pull him in close 🥺 cuteee and even directed others into closer poses too! Lol our Dance and Photography Leader 😍 playing rock paper scissors to see how gets to be the top of the pyramid and Yoonmins complete happiness at winning is ADORABLE.

Yoonmin finishing their concept change first and just hanging out on the floor together petting the puppy. 🥺🥺 2seok finishing their shoots and Jin asking Jhope out for a drink! Lol I love the way they joke and flirt with each other like that. It's seriously so cute and it's always the same! I admire the consistency in wanting to go grab that drink together! Jhope laughing about how they do it so much there is even an article out about how they say that 🤣 Jimin going last for the photos and Jin had gone first but he stuck around the whole time to wait for Jimin (getting 2017 spring day flashbacks!) And kept trying to photobomb and crash his photos and clinging to Jimin 🤣 Why are they so flipping cute?! 😭😭😭

BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Making Film:

The performances linked here too! I'll be Missing You Cover, Dynamite Butter, PTD AND their Full Interview here too with subs

2seok making me fall hard for their bond in memories everytime! Lol they get out of their cars and when they see each other immediately start talking over each other trying to compliment the others outfit/hat! Cuteee. During Review of their performance takes, the members point out where they aren't happy but the others are just so complimentary. You are always your own biggest critic for sure! Vmin singing to each other 🥺 After the cut for the Butter performance taekook giggling over how they sang/danced with arms around each other and everyone praising each other. Vmin walking off stage with arms around each other. To be there and just bask in all the love these guys share? How beautiful. Jimin pretending to scold the band member who was late and the band member just giving Jimin a cute high five and making him smile as he ran to his instrument in the back 😂😂 The way Tae was looking Joonie during his PTD verse 🥺 my heart! They all have so much fun during this song!

The Tonight Show w/ Jimin Fallon Making Film:

And of course, the performances too!

Filming PTD with the balloons and the each get one. Taekook immediately going crazy wacking them around and on Jin, who just goes "you are such kids" sounding so put out like he doesn't just immediately join them doing the same things 😂 can't fool us Jin! We know you love it! Lol JK boxing all the balloons. Jimin just coming over, holding his hands and pulling him away, their smiles 🥺 the caption lol "quit boxing and come play with me" (moment is the first gif used in the post) Jihope together are so important and bring such a new level to these performances honestly. Jhope learning about specific things like when the balloons are to be released from the staff and then teaching the exact timing to all the other members. Jihope working together during the review process to decide what to change up or refine to make it look better. Jimin taking time to explain it more and help out Jin (in this case) to make sure he understands and helps him practice. They both do this for all the members and it's continually one of my favorite things to see happen. "Showcasing their great teamwork" from the editors as BTS nail each shot. It's so true. JK losing his balloon by accident at ending mentions and then trying to steal Hobis balloon instead 😂🤣

Butter filmed on this bridge was the COOLEST thing. It was also super neat that after it aired an ARMY shared that she could see/hear BTS filming on the shut down bridge by her house. And she recorded it and than sat on that footage AND the news for MONTHS until after they released the performance themselves too! You can watch her video here. Also means that this performance was filmed sometime in June of 2021. I can't believe they rented out the whole bridge. They are so cool. Jikook walking down the bridge talking about how cool it is while doing vocal warm ups together! Namjoon just talking about his respect for all the engineering that went into building this bridge and how well done it is. He is so cute 😭 JK giving everyone tips on the best way to run and slide into the camera frame together during Jins verse to make it look smoothest. He is so cute and honestly SO COOL what an idea! Plus seeing them all running around behind the camera director is always so cute. Lol (save me flashbacks). Namjoon just complimenting Jhope and going "if I could dance like youuuu" 🥺😂 JKs smile at the makeup noona as she was fixing his makeup! How do they not melt into puddles everytime?!

Jin winking into the camera at the start! Whew. Jin: "don't I look cute?" Namjoon: "you do" *smiles* me: *melts into a puddle of adorableness* Yoongi: "Jimin and I are striking the same pose" members all giggle, namjoon: "butter just got cuter" me: *melts further if at all possible" 😭 Jikook looking at each other and smiling during the ending mentions when Jimin was talking about how they get to experience so many new things together as BTS referring to performing on the bridge before it even opens. They are so cute.

PTD Practice and MV Making Film:

Dance Practice before they film the MV! JK helping Tae get the moves down exactly for the chorus and Hobi rounding everyone up to get practice started more seriously. Hobi giving general tips and discussions for the the group as a whole and for their synchronization. Jimin giving Tae more minor and specific tips for help too. 🥺 3J in the practice room is my everything honestly. I'm sure you've all gathered that from these posts at this point. Lol Everyone reviewing their practice and cheering about how during the vminkook part, JK held Tae's hat while he spins out of Jimins way and it stayed on Taes head the whole time making it look like a really cool move! "You'd think we had planned that" nope, just the maknae lines perfect chemistry together. Lol JK boxing Jimins shoulder in between practices too. Cuties. JK really can't ever stop moving!

Onto the MV set with BTS deciding their concept for this MV was a gay western! 😂 the amount of yoonkook its giving me is so good for my soul. Lol JK popping out from behind Yoongi with the BIGGEST smile, melts me. And them dancing together and acting cute 😍 Adorable. JK teaching us all the sign language in the choreo 🥺🥺 JK filming on top of the big truck, and then Jimin joining him! JK helping him up so sweetly and the cute looks they exchanged the whole time they were dancing. So precious! They had fun for sure. "They look more excited because they are together" 🥺 Editors, my heart can't take it! All the tennis ball hair jokes for poor RM 😂 "real friends are merciless when they tease" TELL EM EDITORS lmfao. Filming the group scene and I can't tell if Jin was just pretending to take a nap on JKs shoulder or if he really did doze off in the background there 😂😂 and of course it's not a BTS behinds video if Jinkook aren't fighting at least once. Lol this time with balloons. Jinkook blowing the balloons air in each other's faces, Jimin sitting next to them sighing heavily 🤣🤣 the exasperation! The group hip thrusts are unnecessary. 🤣 whose idea was that?! Idk what kinda dance TaeJin are doing, but it's adorable. Lol with their backs together and arms linked! So cute. TaeJins ice-cream fight of course had to make it into memories as well too! 2seok dancing so excitedly for their duo cut scene that they accidentally danced off center. Lol Jimin jokingly scolding them about how they've been in the industry for HOW LONG and can't stay centered?! 🤣 JK staying late after everyone else to film his solo scene with the spin move he pulled off PERFECTLY. I'm sure Jimin helped him practice it too since it's an iconic move of his! I love it so much!

Day 2 shooting starts off super fun with taejinkook and namgimin trios dancing together in tiny and in sync and having fun! Jimin praising his good hair cut and how cute he looks! Yes sir, I'm glad you know it! Tae wanting to see Jimins cut hair on the recording too! Lol Vmin with the child actors is EVERYTHING. Tae saying he only brought one toy because he didn't know there would be two and promising to buy them more later and Jimin legitimately melting to the ground in a puddle of happiness at the kids calling him "uncle" 😭😭😭 PRECIOUS. Tae holding the kids while they bounce in happiness and looking so cute. Jimin talking with the kids and totally focusing on them and ignoring his poor stylist noona as she tries to fix his clothes for him. They do not make their jobs easy I swear 🤣🤣 Extra Patience has to be part of the job requirements lmfao. JK carrying the little kid back to her dad and the kid telling him that they love JK 100% just like they love their dad. 😭 and JK staying after dropping her off to watch her do the PTD dance and praising her. God they are so cute!! Super random cut scenes of Jikook hugging and Jimin telling JK that he loves him. Lol they are SO CUTE *stomps feet* I can't handle it! Jin doing the PTD dance during ending mentions and Jikook copying him. Lol Hyungs little mini mes. Adding my Post about More Jikookery during this video too!

Global Citizen Live Making Film:

Sharing the performances again obviously

BTS starting off for Butter and JK being so excited to film at such a foundational place! They were filming in such cool spots for the performance too! Vhope make such a good team. Their fond smiles at each other's ideas and warm-ups were so cute! Lol at the entire team of tannies spread out across multiple streets practicing for when they all come together and dance in the street. Joon waving at them and calling them all in like his little ducklings! 🥺 The cut before Vmins part and so instead of getting ready to dance together they just stare each other down and Jimin grabbing Tae by the neck like that 😳🤣 calm down vmin! Lol I adore them so much.

Lmfao at Tae complaining that someone accidentally kicked him in the shin. And JK reaching out to comfort him only for Tae to whirl around and go "AH SO IT WAS YOU!" 🤣 And it WAS Jungkook 🤣🤣 and they laugh it off. Lol top tier interaction honestly! Jungkook going around with a fan cooling off all the members during the break. Lol including trying to open up Jimins shirt a bit to fan inside his top to help cool his hyung down 🤣🤣

Getting ready for the PTD stage, hyungs all standing calmly, maknaes can't sit still. Business as usual 😂 Jikook taking up SPACE doing the PTD choreo onstage around everyone else. Lol taekook doing their new handshake/shoulder bump before the members all get serious and ready to start! And they of course NAIL IT even though it was super hot and they were all dying a little in the heat. More Jikookery in this post too! And that wraps up Disc 5 for us!!

Disc 6

35th Golden Disc Awards Making Film:

You can watch their full performance and stages here too if you want! It included Black Swan Intro, ON, Life Goes On and Dynamite (slow jam remix)

Their first performance of the year! GDA was held on 210109! And it's the return of Yoongi to the stage as well! A very special day indeed! JK being so excited that they were given permission to take the mini sets of the old MVs home and immediately laying claim to the ON set. Lol Jimin really wanted to take home No More Dream. 🥺 Filming their Black Swan intro and Yoongi getting SO SHY AND FLUSTERED over being told to come up center stage and make such a grand entrance. Lmfao the members were LOVING IT and yoongi was so flustered. Adorable to the max. Jikook finding Yoongi SO CUTE as he sinks into the floor to practice the entrance again 😂 so endeared as they watched him lol. Even though he was joining parts of the filming, he Still couldn't dance with the members. So they filmed On without him. But man, when they watched their review back, Namjoon and Jin asking "when can we dance with Suga again?" Broke me. 😭 lmfao the sudden discussion switch up to Namjoons snow ducks. Tannies can't be serious for a SECOND 😂 Jin following Hobi around copying everything he does. And then roping JK into doing it too. And then Jinkook start copying Tae. Who just plays along saying absolute nonsense 😂 the way their volume just keeps increasing 🤣 Hobi laughing his butt off, Jimin just watching it all with a super fond smile before swooping in, saying "let's head in. Taehyung" and leading JK off as well with an arm around his waist. The way JK just fell so easily into Jimins arm and lead is so insanely cute. 🥰 He really said, yall are adorable and I love you, but let's go now. Lol

Getting ready and coming back to perform Dynamite. JinMin walking up together and Jimin just keeps running into and yet bouncing off Jin. Lmfao Jin just can't stop giggling about it either 😂 JK posing in the elevator at the top of the stage and Jimin teasing him saying "you are acting too much like the main character, get down from there" The staff and other members educating RM on the best way to hold his drink glass out 😂 why he is so cute??

And FINALLY Prerecording stages is done and we get to move onto seeing them accept their awards on the actual award show day! JK and the other members can't stop telling the camera and army about JKs "gold" hair for the "golden Disc awards" lol and Namjoon mentioning the best thing about the award show was getting to have Suga back with them to accept it 😭 They missed him SO MUCH. The Tannies putting all their attention on Yoongi again for the ending mentions. Lol once again flustering him with attention. 😂😍 More Jikookery Here!

MTV Unplugged Making Film:

Am I adding the performances here too? OF COURSE I AM. Playlist here of all the performances, including Dynamite, Life Goes On, Blue & Grey, Telepathy and Fix You

Watching all the members run around and play in the arcade before filming telepathy was super cute! And Namjoons high notes during vocal warm ups making 3J laugh so hard! I love seeing them have fun! Jimin jumping backwards super fast during B&G after almost getting caught in the camera angle too early lmfao but was also happily showing appreciation for JKs amazing vocals too! Yoongis laughter after YoonJin accidentally crash into each other during B&G. Lol and singing/dancing to Save Me as a Dynamite warm up just for fun! They had a long day filming all 5 stages in one day, but man they killed it. Amazing stages for amazing songs!

Music on a Mission | Musicares & Dynamite | 63rd Grammy Awards Show Making Film:

And yes, of course, their final performances!

Namjoon: "I think I'm getting even more handsome as I mature"

Jin: "you don't need to voice every thought out loud namjoon"

🤣🤣🤣 no, let him! I love seeing Joon be confident in his attractiveness! The members all being just as excited about Drummer JK as the rest of us all were when we finally saw it 🤣🤣 Yoongi saying Hobi looked like a magician today in his hat 🥺 Jihope giggling and calling JK cute on the drums while reviewing takes. And during break all the members can't leave the drums alone. Lol Yoongi taking a turn playing. Tae pretending to be JKs drum teacher but accidentally getting the different drum names wrong 🤣 Vmon opera singers. They always are so silly during break time. Jimin sharing during ending mentions that JK had only practiced the drums for Dynamite for just one day, just yesterday. And JK saying, no just this morning. And all the other members being like "wow! I had no idea" and lavishing praise upon JK for his drum talent. I love hearing it!

Everyone being a little nervous and freaked out about performing on the roof 30 stories high! I don't blame them I would be shaking I'd be so nervous!! RM saying he thinks Jihope will be the two most nervous once they get up there. Lol Jimin shouting he is bored and wants to play chopsticks while they wait. So he plays a game with Hobi and JK joins for the next round. I love seeing 3J laughing and having fun together so much. A fierce bottle flipping competition taking place during their break. Lol the members watching back their one shot takes for the start of Dynamite and everyone LOSING IT when Tae winks at the camera. Lmfao Jimin lovingly checking on ARMYs to see if we are okay and if we can survive one of Taehyung's winks 🤣 Jimin and Yoongi can't contain their excitement and keep breaking out into Happy Dances 🥺 JK keeps practicing his turns and his poor makeup/hair noona is legitimately chasing him around the stage trying to touch up his makeup and hair. The man won't BE STILL 😂😂😂. Everyone naming Suga as the MVP for the day for his cute dance moves and just being happy he is back to performing with them! Tae slapping Yoongis butt repeatedly in celebration lol! At the end 2seok taking pictures of each other at the set and Jimin keeps crashing Jins photos. Lol Hobi taking photos for Tae too, which Jimin also photobombs 😂 Jimin ending the film with a Jimin TV report. He goes and films Tae and asks him to act tired, who just does some heavy breathing. He tries again with Hobi who said he can't right now. He goes to JK who when asked to act tired, even mid make up touch up, started acting his heart out and Jimins giggles over it all. Lol they are so cute.

63rd Grammy Awards Show Making Film:

I have so many incredibly mixed feelings about this. I love them. I love their attitude about everything. I love how they are understanding they might not win but trying to stay positive regardless and keep each others moods up. So many of them were so nervous they had a hard time sleeping. They all woke up at 2 am to get ready for their red carpet interview and the live stream reaction to their awards. They were EXHAUSTED but being so upbeat and there for each other through it all. Jikook sitting on the couch together before moving to their seats for the actual reaction. I know they draw comfort from being close to each other for sure. TaeJin promising kisses if they win the award too 😂🤣 Jin saying Vhope will kiss if they win and Hobi looking so confused 🤣 Tae saying that if they win 2seok will kiss and he will kiss Namjoon on the forehead. So free with the kisses and it's appreciated lmfaoo. And Joon just agreeing saying his forehead is free real estate. You know he loves their affection! They were all so sweet and encouraging to each other through their disappointment too. "Let's hug it out" Being honest about their emotions over it all, but still able to laugh, make jokes and future plans. I'm so proud of them. Tae's dad calling and telling all the members not to be too sad and being so encouraging. Lol Jimin grabbing the phone right after he said that and saying "dad! I'm so sad!!" And giggling. You know means it but he is still being so silly and positive about it all too.

The way they all burst out laughing watching their own reactions to losing 😭😅🤣 Tae going "I want to watch everyone reactions one by one, let's start with Jimin" and sitting down to watch the same clip 7 times over. He is just like us for real lmfao. The way they all gathered into a sleepy puppy cuddle puddle together on the couches to watch their performance after all that too. They are so cute. Jikookery Post over this film here.

2021 Billboard Music Awards Making Film:

Their Killer Butter performance too

During their break between filming the intro and getting into their actual dance, everyone goes and plays with the various instruments around. Jimin starts pretending to play Butter on the piano and just being silly. Suga jokingly goes "ach so embarrassing" and teasing Jimin and JK is just smiling at Jimin so fondly and says "not to me." Heart is MELTING. He is so cute and I can't handle it. Minimoni complaining about aching feet and Joon saying it's because of flat feet. Jimin telling army not to get flat feet and JK again, just there slightly off camera until he isn't looking at Jimin fondly and laughing saying "isn't that something you are born with." They are so cute together. Tae playing the piano and acting out a mini skit and Jikook both just watching him fondly and finding it adorable. Lol taekook disagreeing on if they are seen on camera or not during Jimins mirror move, so JK dropped out early and Tae kept dancing and they bet 50000 won over who is right or not going back to the review camera 🤣 I think JK won as he was right that the camera moved into a zoom on Jimin, but who knows 😂😂 both Jimin and Jhope praising the heck out of RM during the dance break, that had to have made him so happy! 🥺 Cute. The way that we only caught tail ends of jikook fooling around and giggling together during ending mentions because the camera focused on the other members talking but we saw their smiles together afterwards which was cute. They really nailed this performance.

CJ ENM You Quiz on the Block Making Film:

Seeing the members all greeting the hosts so sweetly. I have such respect for them. They are so good to everyone around them. Recounting past experiences from previous variety shows they did with the hosts and being so gracious about it all. Saying that the members wanted to film on You Quiz together more than any other show. And if that's what they wanted and they had fun, I'm all for it. Their utter shock, joy and ultimate happiness when they were surprised by the ARMY fan on the show. They LOVE their fans so much. It's amazing. So admirable. Makes me so soft!! YoonJin being so proud of themselves for winning some money. Lol Jikook playing the spot the couple game at the end during the end of the show group photo. Because of course they were 😂 More Jikookery from You Quiz here too.

Hybe "What Do You Believe In" Making Film:

If you wanted to see the final product and hadn't, for my newer armys lol BTS's section starts at 4:56

Hobi bragging "I just have to be on my phone for this scene!" RM: "you are being rewarded for being a good person" Hobi: flustered. Lol cuteeee. Bangtannies with puppies content is some of my FAVORITE 🥺🥺 the way they all bark and howl everytime the dog does 🤣 The Tannies picked "connection" as their word/theme and showed it through connecting fingers. Which was a super cute joke they didn't let go throughout the entire filming process. Lol Jimin during filming asking where his connection is and every member there jumping up to connect their fingers to his 😂🥺😍 they are all so fucking cute and funny. 2seok doing ending mentions together and saying all they remember from the shoot is everyone's fingers connecting 😂 RM saying he is excited to see what the other artists did for their video. Tae saying the most memorable scene for him was filming his CGI scene on the escalator. Jikook doing their ending mentions together too and saying that looking back and thinking on what you believe in is very meaningful and they had fun filming!

And this wraps up Part 3 for my thoughts over memories 2021 so far. I will finish watching Disc 6 and Disc 7 in part 4! Thanks for letting me share with you!

[bejeweled-13]

This opinion will probably get me a lot of hate but despite everyone's awe of the Era's tour, I honestly think the set, the visuals, the vocals, and overall design could be better.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the tour and I watch a livestream every weekend and I am super excited for July 8th when I get to see her in person! There are many astonishing things about the tour that make it so special like the dive, the surprise songs, the fact that she's singing several songs from each era... the fact that it's a 3 hour setlist!!!

But compared to past tours, specifically Reputation and 1989, I am a little disappointed by a few things. First, I am disappointed that she hasn't had very many special guests. Aaron Dessner has played with her several times but he hasn't actually sung. A variety of special guests would be nice, and if she's going to repeat special guests then it would be nice to spice it up a bit and have them sing or play different instruments or something.

I'm also disappointed about the set. The lover house and the folklore cabin are both great additions, but compared to King of My Heart, I Did Something Bad, and Look What You Made Me Do performances and sets during the Reputation tour, both of those were a little disappointing. I'm also a little disappointed with her vocals. During the 1989 tour, the I Knew You Were Trouble, I Know Places, and Enchanted/Wildest Dreams mashup performances were crazy good in terms of vocals. Other than the high note in Don't Blame Me, I feel like her vocals are great, but she could have a few more songs where she changes up the notes to make it jaw-dropping.

Lastly, I wish she would've commemorated past era's more. The outfits are great but maybe she could've commemorated Fearless by throwing a chair off the stage. Or maybe she could've wore some of her past outfits, or at least something that resembled past outfits, to commemorate past Era's.

Again, I want to make it clear that I love the shows and I love it all, I just feel a little underwhelmed with certain things. Anyway, this is just my take, please don't come at me.

[navysealt4t]

pspspsps if you want you can tell me your thoughts on riptide: the musical :3

!!!!! very good because i love musicals >:))) i’ve seen like.

i think for the fey wild and noctis would be VERY heavy on lighting effects n stuff :) the fey wild would be sooooo cool. the place is very whimsical so i imagine there’s be like a harp and violin and very light instruments that can do rlly good high notes :) creating an out of this world feelings that’s just sooo off of the tone from previous locations

AND THE MONSTERS!!! like dugon and that plant in desire island !!! like. idk if you’ve ever seen the plant from little shop of horrors but that’s how i imagine the plant with “kind eyes” in desire island :)

and PUPPETS man . i love the lion king musical and their use of puppets and the OUTFITS OHH MAN <333 that’s how i imagine all the monsters. biggg puppets operated by lots of people n stuff .

ALSO THE BLOCK !!!! fucking . i think to symbolize all the turning and changing of the rooms they would be the ensemble carrying HUGE curtains/fabric that would be swishing around and stuff. idk they’d be running around and covering the stage and albatrio as the rooms change.

godddd the block…. during the fight between jay’s dad and everyone there would be a HUGE musical number. mainly instrumental and jayson would do a big monologue over the music and and. when jay “joins” her dad, it all goes silent expect for a few violins (idk how music works btw km just a choir kid) and she draws her bow it all goes silent. then she lets the arrow go and BOOM HUGE MUSIC!!!!!

god fucking <3333 musicals man. i love the sets and music and all the work that goes on behind the scenes and DANCES!! god there’d be so many cool dances in riptide: the musical….

hehe am big theater nerd thanks for letting me scream abt this :3 id talk more but i’m in class so maybe later lol

[twistedmusings]

Doing Anything for Heat

“Do you always refer to yourself in third person when writing these up?” 

“Legalities, Prefect, although I do not expect you to know anything about that.” 

Guess who can’t write as much anymore because she got a nasty bite at work! So yes, I was working on requests so diligently and then bam--this happens. 

As an apology for my late ass writings, please take this mini scenario for the Octavinelle Trio! Azul’s SSR card got translated and I just...god I love these boys so much q wq  Reader: [G/N]  Warnings: Casual flirting, possessive thoughts from all the boys and just MC striking up a contract with Azul and taking a very creative approach towards it~ 

“[Y/N]!!!!” Grimm pulls at your arm as you sit down across from Azul, the man holding out a contract to you as he tilts his head with a smile. “What will it be, Prefect?” 

Your hands sweat as you rub them on your legs. “Hehe~ Little Shrimp looks so scared~” 

The contract is placed in front of you slowly, Azul taking care of minding his manners as you lean back and go over the simple specifications. Made simpler, of course, since Azul had ‘such’ a kind heart. 

What a con artist. 

Winter was hitting Night Raven College hard but was hitting Ramshackle even harder. 

How many blankets had you bought from Sam’s shop? Ten? Twenty? You honestly didn’t know but you and Grimm were close to freezing some night and you had just about enough of living in an ice cube for a dorm. 

You were acting out of desperation. 

And, ever the businessman, Azul had stretched out his hand for your unfortunate soul. 

“Bring sixty customers during our lunch rush tomorrow and Azul Ashengrotto will personally see that a heater is installed in Ramshackle the same day.” 

You put the contract down and look him in the eye. “Do you always refer to yourself in third person when writing these up?” 

“Legalities, Prefect, although I do not expect you to know anything about that.” 

Great, more insults towards your intelligence. 

Sixty customers. If you were to break that down it would be ten from each dorm not counting Octavinelle. You could rope Ace and Deuce to come, guilt trip Jack for not helping you with that assignment due last night, kindly ask Epel to make his way over here and maybe if you promised Sebek that you would listen to him rant about his dorm leader he would reluctantly agree. 

But that wouldn’t be near enough. 

Azul clicks his tongue while Jade speaks up, “We will have to take that answer today, [Y/N]-san. If not, I guess maybe we could let you take some blankets from Octavinelle--” 

“Fine! Fine.” you sign your name on the dotted line and hand the contract back to Azul, the other grinning as he handed it towards his right-hand man. “How wonderful! I’ll be waiting with baited breath to see what you bring us tomorrow~” 

You give Azul the fakest smile you can muster, waving goodbye to the twins as you make your way out of the lounge with Grimm by your side. “Fgnaaa~! We are screwed! [Y/N] how could you! We are going to be stuck waiting tables for ETERNITY now!” 

“Not if we bring them what they asked for.” you bite your bottom lip as you look at the Monstro Lounge, your eyes falling on the small stage. 

Oh right. Some students played here. Well, students deemed worthy enough to play. You remember the Music Club trying to do a gig here but failing miserably the moment Lilia opened his mouth. Despite the failure, it did bring some people in to get Azul over the red. 

A floorshow. 

That’s right! A floorshow! 

“Grimm!” you grab the cat and bring him close as he freaks out. 

“What--what!” 

“I got it!” you hold him out in front of you, “We are going to have to let go of our pride a bit and this experience might humble us but...we will have heat!’ 

“[Y/N] you are scaring me--” 

Grimm barely gets to say what he wants as he is dragged back into your arms, your feet running as fast as you can into Mr.S’s shop for the stuff that you will need.

--------

“Ah! Little Shrimp!” 

Jade looks up from the numbers he was crunching, smiling as he sees you approaching the table. You wave at Floyd and nod politely towards Jade, sitting down and tapping your fingers against the bar. 

“You are here rather late, [Y/N]-san. We have two hours until closing time.” 

“I’m just…putting my plan into action. Azul said he wanted sixty by tomorrow, after all.” Floyd grins as he finishes cleaning up the remaining glasses. 

“Eh? You are doing something tonight, little Shrimp?” 

“...yes.” 

He leans close, smiling wider as he sees a certain change in your appearance. The Monstro Lounge was always dark in order to provide a more atmospheric mood at night but with the little light he had to work with he could clearly see traces of makeup all over your face. “Little Shrimp looks so shiny...just like a pearl.” You pull away as he tries to get closer, putting your hand out to stop him and turn your attention towards Jade. “Right. Do you have a backroom next to the stage? I just need to get some things ready--” 

“Go into the kitchen, farthest door to the back. There should be a door that leads you towards the back of the stage.” “Do you guys have a light booth--” “Next to the stage.” Jade’s eyes shine, interested in what you are about to pull off, “Do you need our help--” 

“Nope that is alright I can take care of this myself thank you.” 

Both twins watch you trot towards the kitchen, Grimm following close behind and about three ghosts ‘matching’ his step. 

“...Floyd.” 

“Yes?” 

“Call Azul. I think he’ll be interested to see what is going on.”

--------

“For heat. For heat. For heat!” 

You were doing this because of your situation. The situation was desperate so you had to take desperate measures. 

Grimm clears his throat as you finish fixing his bowtie, the transparent fabric looking beautiful with the stitched shells all over it. 

“Are the ghosts ready?” you ask. 

“Just waiting for the curtains to close.” 

The crowd goes quiet as you press a few buttons and close them, hushing the late night crowd as you step onto the stage. You try to step softly so that the click of your heels won’t be heard while Grimm opens up the rather large shell in the middle of the stage. This was usually used as a promotional device, customers taking pictures inside it to promote their visits to the lounge. It had a soft cushiony seat inside and could fit a whole student. 

You give a thumbs up to your other roommates, the ghosts smiling as their instruments manifested in front of them. 

Spectral instruments really came in handy in these situations. “Breathe...Breathe…” you sit down inside the shell and pull your legs up with you, fixing the train of your dress and touching the small shell tiara on your head. It was fashioned after King Triton after all, maybe Azul would get the reference?

Or rather, you hoped Azul wasn’t watching at all. “Okay...close it, Grimm.” He nods and brings the top of the shell down slowly, trapping you both inside as he gave the cue to start up the lights. This was all for a heater...and maybe some tuna. 

-----

-At first he wanted to laugh as he saw the curtain slowly being drawn back, when was the last time they used this stage? Student players just weren’t ‘in’ as much anymore and he had to keep up with the trends. What were you planning to do with this? 

-Yet his mouth clicked shut as the lights landed right on the shell, the music starting as your voice rang out softly from inside. 

-He barely paid attention to the band as the shell slowly opened, Grimm flying out elegantly as he opened it while your frame was slowly being revealed to him as every student’s jaw almost hit the floor. 

-Azul clutched his cane as he watched you cradle your legs close to yourself, the lyrics completely blowing past him as you stretch yourself out to show off the outfit you had on. It seemed to shine like a pearl under the lights, your chest being accentuated by how snug it fit against your frame. 

-He licked his lips when his eyes landed on your undecorated neck. It was as if you were begging for it to be decorated with bites. Surely he could make a nice necklace for you. 

-Dammit he should have sat closer, students were actually getting up from their booths and moving to any tables that were closer to the stage as you start getting up, the train of fabric in your outfit resembling the top of a shell as it brushes across the ground as you make your way to the floor. 

-He bites his bottom lip as he sees you making your way around the tables, your voice soft and melodic as the students watch the performance flabbergasted. You are letting your fingers glide against the tables, winking at some of the more bold students who put out their hands so they could touch yours.

-If you were to look at his face you would see no trace of emotion but inside his head he was screaming at you to pass by his table already don’t you know anything about customer service? 

-You finally make eye contact with the table he was sitting at, Azul feeling a shiver go up his spine at how your flirtatious eyes suddenly turned nervous. Nobody else had gotten that look.

-Again, he needed to see you looking at him like that again. 

 -So this is what you were planning. How interesting~ 

-He watched from behind Azul, taking off his coat and laying it on the back of the plush booth as he took in your form. Where had you gotten such a cute outfit, he wondered. The color made you shine like the rarest pearl and every time the light hit you just right he could see the glitter in your eyelids as you started to approach their table. 

-You made eye contact with him, clearly trying to keep up the act of ‘mysterious’ floor show guest but failing as his eyes took you in the closer you got. 

-The students groan when they see you sit right next to Azul, pressing close to him as he dares to put an arm around your waist and squeeze. Oh he could bet Azul was happy with how jealous all the students looked. 

-Jade couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him when you took Azul’s hat and shoved it in his face before pulling away as quickly as possible. 

-He follows your movements as you walk behind him, the sudden hand on his back making him hum in thought as the idea of pinning you right to the back of the booth so you would sing only to him suddenly seeming like the only thing to do in this situation. 

-You really had no idea what you could awaken in him if you kept playing around. 

-His eyes meet yours as you start walking away but his hand catches your wrist as he tugs you back to him--!

-But Jade, ever the unpredictable man, only presses his lips to your hand before letting you go.

-You were doing a floor show for the customers after all. Didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be talking to you later~ 

-Floyd had moved himself to the table closest to the stage, tie undone and smile wider than anyone had ever seen as he watched you pay attention to almost every table. The table he was sitting at had been filled with students who deemed themselves rather lucky to get so close only for them to scram when they saw who was approaching it.  

-He waves at you when you finally make eye contact with him, licking his lips and smiling as he sees your reluctance to get near him. 

-Which he didn’t mind, the fact that you were so wary of him made you all the more adorable. 

-You try your best to be as flirty as you had before, merely touching his hand as he holds it out to you but for Floyd that is not enough. The moment your fingers pressed against his palm, he snatched your wrist and brought you to his lap, students gasping as his hands landed on your sides. 

-Oh the material was so soft! He ran his fingers up and down as you press hand to his chest while you sang the last few notes of the song. 

-Floyd couldn’t help the little giggle as he saw the embarrassment on your face, your hand clearly pushing on his chest but his hands clearly weren’t letting you go. What were you going to do, little Shrimp? 

-His eyes widen at your sudden improvisation, your hands taking his and pressing them to your face so he could cup your cheeks. Instinctively he pulled you closer as the song suddenly stopped---

”Floyd-senpai, I have to go.” 

-The whisper is only for him to hear as you catch him off guard with that soft look and pull away, you holding out the last note of the song as if you had planned to be caught by him all along. 

-He clicks his tongue and leans back, eyes watching you go back up the stage and sitting inside the shell as you pull your legs closer to you before blowing a kiss to the now applauding crowd as Grimm closed the shell. 

-Surely the kiss had been for him, right? If it had been for any of these other bottom feeders...well no matter. Even if it hadn’t been for him, Floyd would make sure to squeeze you real tight the moment you got off stage. 

-----

You lay down on the cushion as you put your arms over your eyes, groaning as you tried to get your thoughts together. 

If this worked out the way you thought it would, word of mouth would get around and you would bring around sixty customers so that they could partake in what they had missed tonight. 

Has it cost you your dignity? Yes. 

Was the outfit embarrassing? Yes. 

Did you have to flirt with all three Octavinelle members so they would see that you were serious about finally going to sleep without shivering? Yes and yes. 

At least it was over. 

“Yo Grimm. Can you open this? I want to change!” 

Your hands tap the top of the shell, sighing in relief as it slowly opened. 

Only for you to yelp as hands pin you down to the cushion, a very familiar face grinning down at you as Floyd laughs merrily. 

“Ahaha~! Nee, that kiss was for me, right Little Shrimpy? You blew that my way, right?” 

Jade sighs and steps behind his brother, pulling him up by the collar so that you could get your bearings. 

“It was at the customers, Floyd. I believe [Y/N]-san wanted this to be spoken about tomorrow, correct?” 

You nod as he lets go of Floyd and holds out his hand for you to take. 

“What an interesting plan...right Azul?” 

The Octavinelle dorm leader isn’t really looking at you, he is still staring at everything that you had on taking it as much as he could before your voice brought him back. “So...how did I do?” 

Azul blinks before smiling as he steps close and holds out his arm for you to take. 

“I have yet to see the terms of the contract be met but...we can discuss how you did in my office. Mind telling me how you came up with this plan? ” 

“Y--Yeah! Sure!” 

You take Azul’s arm and speak about your thought process, not noticing the grins on the eel’s faces as they hold themselves back until they reach Azul’s office. 

How nice, it would be the first time you would be staying over at Octavinelle, even if you didn’t know it yet.  

[yvaineseleneposts]

The Troubadour

Requested: no

A/N: This has to be my longest piece ever! I hope it was worth the wait and that you enjoyed it. There could be a few mistakes in there both in English and Italian, sorry in advance. I loved writing this, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I am a perfectionist and I have rewritten this about 5 times. I just needed to post it now!

Pairing: OC!Diana Bianchi & Damiano David

Words: 3k

Warning(s): swearing, drinking, smoking (I mean it’s the 70s…), smoking weed, my Italian (I have been studying this beautiful language for three years now but people make mistakes)

West Hollywood, California // Mid-January 1972

Red eyes.

Sweaty foreheads.

That is all Diana would see when they screamed at her. “CAN I GET TWO BEERS AND A COKE PLEASE?!”

Working behind the bar was not her dream job. Diana remembered it like it was yesterday, she and her friend Tami had gone to The Troubadour to celebrate the weekend when she saw a “help wanted” poster. It was a godsend. Diana applied there and then and not long after she found herself behind the bar, handing out drinks to people who looked like they were having the best time of their lives. Another plus side was the fact that she could attend the concerts of all the artists and bands for free.

Obviously, there were also downsides to this job. For example, Diana couldn’t go out and live her teenage years. She isn’t allowed to drink (too much) on the job and the hours aren’t exactly great. The pay is okay though and the tips are even better. Half of the people don’t even know how much they are giving and walk off like they didn’t just hand you 20 for an eight dollar drink. She doesn’t complain much about her job but she does feel left behind sometimes. Like when Tami or her other friend chat about some weird adventure they had the night before and who they met or kissed. Diana felt like she missed out on a lot of things but she had no other choice.

Her parents had kicked her out when she was 15. Diana moved in with her grandmother and lived with her for a while until she passed away. She has been living alone in her grandmother’s old apartment ever since. A few friends had moved in with her but then moved out again when they had found a better place to live. So it was just Diana paying the rent for the place.

 “CAN I GET A RUM AND COKE?!” Diana gets snapped out of her thoughts. Shit, what did he want?! She thinks to herself as she stares at the intoxicated man.  “SORRY?!” She shouts back over the loud music. At least she had another reason for not hearing the man.  “RUM AND COKE!” That is all the man yells before turning his band to her so he could face the stage. Some weird indie band is playing tonight. Diana wasn’t really into it and honestly couldn’t wait until her boss would send her home for the night. She puts in a little less rum, the man will probably not even taste the difference.

The band had stopped playing somewhere around two a.m. However not all the guests had left around 2.30 which is something Diana hated the most. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy her job but after so many hours standing on her feet, she wanted nothing more than to clean up, go home and get into her warm bed.

 “Diana, can you come here for a minute?” her boss asked. What was that tone, was he going to fire her?! “It’s nothing bad, don’t worry.” Pfew. Diana walked behind him into his office.

 “What can I help you with, Doug?” She asked as she sat down in the very comfortable chair across from him. Doug Weston had somewhat become her parent over the last few years that she had worked here. He was always so kind to her and could always ask him for help if she needed him.

 “I want to get more bands from across the sea. I want interesting people and not just the same bands playing over and over again. New talent that no one has heard of before but will become known because of this place. Inspire new talent, you know?” He was rambling on with his sales pitch as if you had any input, it was his place after all. “And seeing that you can speak more languages than I have ever could, I was wondering if you could write small pieces for newspapers in Europe that will inspire these artists to come here and get all the fame and fortune they want.”

 “Sure, Doug. You know I would do anything to help this place… and you of course”, Diana said while a wide grin spread on her face. She felt like she was moving up when in reality it wasn’t a new job position. She would do anything to not have the same indie bands playing almost every night. Diana would never have imagined that she would change the lives of four individuals barely six months later, and change her own life along with it.

Rome, Italy // Mid-March 1972

 “The Troubadour. The place where artists and bands from all over the world can make it or break it in the United States. It all depends on the crowd. If they love you, you can come back for an entire week! If not you will receive the money for that evening but sadly you won’t be allowed back. It’s always packed with record executives so you could get a sweet record deal out of this experience. Do you have what it takes? Sign up and good luck to everyone competing in the battle of the bands! – D. B.” Damiano finishes reading. “Ragazzi, I honestly cannot wait till we get to play there! It’s going to be veramente stupendo!”

 “Bene Damiano, calm yourself. It’s less than five months away. We still have to play in this dump to even afford to go. We barely have enough money for a motel, we don’t even have the plane tickets yet!” Classic Victoria, always worrying as if she is the mother of the group.  “Calmati Victoria, noi staremo bene”, Ethan jumps in. “Let’s get back to practising before we start another fight, sì?” The rest nods their head and pick up their instruments.  “I was thinking, should we start with I wanna be your slave oppuro no? Is it too much?” Damiano suggest.  “Oh, and for outfits, I have a few ideas?!” Thomas adds like a little kid who is excited for Christmas day.  “Positivo, let’s look at those after practice”, Damiano says. Not even ten minutes later they had many up a little setlist. It was a battle of the bands so they had to at least practice 4-5 songs to play against other bands. Then if they were allowed to come back they had to prepare yet another 6 songs on top of those 5 they had already played. They could do it, they had enough songs in their database but were they going to sing their Italian songs or did they have to translate them? The members of Måneskin weren’t sure yet. Luckily for them, they had four months to think about it.

West Hollywood, California // Mid-July 1972

Diana hadn’t even woken up yet, but on the other side of the city, Måneskin had arrived at the airport.  “Finalmente ci siamo. Ce l’abbiamo fatta!” Thomas exclaims. Damiano chuckles and throws an arm around Thomas’s shoulders.  “Slow down, loverboy. We have not made it yet. We landed yes, but we have a long way to go from here to that stage tonight.”  “How every grown-up of you, Damiano”, Victoria teases. “I bet with Ethan that you would follow the first American girl that you saw in this airport and that we wouldn’t see you until much later.”  “Ha ha, molto divertente, Victoria. Sei una persona così divertente.” They continue their bickering whilst Ethan collects all of their suitcases.   “Addiamo?” He finally asks the group, they all agree and make their way through the busy airport to the designated taxi area. During this, they complain about how crowded it is and how much the air smells. It is nothing like their own country but you have to take chances if you want to become famous like their dream.

Later that day

Doug had told Diana to come into work later than she usually would. It was going to be a busy night and he’d rather have her work during the performances than during the day and wear her out. So here she was around six-thirty instead of two o’clock. It felt so weird because usually when she arrives there is no line out front and now there was one to the end of the block. She passed all the people waiting in line, hearing them complain and moan as she walks up to Mario, the bouncer. He doesn’t even need to see her worker-id, as she walks in he wishes her good luck with tonight. She liked Mario, he was working here before she came and even then he had told her if she ever needed anything him and his wife had an extra bed for her. Honestly, the sweetest guy… also the toughest guy you will ever meet.

As Diana walked to the changing area to hang her coat and bag, she ran into a few participants of tonight’s show. She greeted most of them but they were too busy with themselves, the fame they hadn’t even earned yet was already rising to their heads. Before she could make her way to the bar, Doug called her over.

 “Diana, come here for a second. I want to introduce you to a few people.” Classic Doug, always introducing everybody to everybody. If he believed you could make it, he would introduce you to all his workers. However, the bands did not know this, the workers would treat them a little extra. “They are from Italy as well!” As if Diana herself had moved for their, it was actually her grandparents. She could speak a little Italian but other than her last name, there was nothing Italian about her. Doug briefly introduced the members of Måneskin to Diana, who couldn’t keep her eyes off a certain member. To be quite honest she had not remembered everyone’s names and she stumbled to get her name out of her mouth. All because she was already head over heels with this handsome, tall, young Italian man.

After a couple of introduction, Diana was finally behind her bar, her safe space. Meeting Damiano had made her weak in her knees, she had never had a reaction like this before. She didn’t really pay attention to the competitors and focused on serving the people but when it was Måneskin’s turn, she started to lose focus on her work.

During most of their setlist, Damiano kept glancing over to Diana and winking at her. Or at least that’s what it felt like for Diana. However, after a rather sexy song (let’s be real most of them are) he kissed one of his male bandmates on the mouth. Now Diana is not one to judge people on who they love. She reasons that everyone should love who they want to love and receive love because of it. It wasn’t that she hated it, it kind of turned her on, but she was very confused. Had she read the signs wrong? Were there even any signs to begin with? At times like these she wanted to ask Tami for help yet she was afraid that if Tami came and tried to help her that somehow Tami’s charm would work on Damiano and Diana would still end up with nothing. No, she had to do this on her own, she decided.

After the battle of the bands was over, a few stayed behind to talk with record labels about future arrangements. Diana started cleaning up, and washing and drying a few glasses, secretly listening in on a few conversations.

 “I liked what I saw out there. Let your agent call me and we will discuss your expansion in the United States.” Well, that sounded very good. Diana turned around to see who the band was that this man was talking to, but when she turned around she looked right into Damiano’s eyes.

 “I have been trying to get your attention all night”, he says shyly.  “Really? I thought so but I wasn’t sure”, Diana responds. Damiano raises his hand and scratches behind his head.  “I was wondering, you know. If maybe- ugh. Perchè è cosi difficile?” He mutters, not looking Diana in the eyes.  “Provalo in Italiano?” she suggests and Damiano’s eyes shoot up to meet hers.  “Cazzo. Parli Italiano?” He looks even more nervous now.  “Si, parlo Italiano.” He laughs at her answer.  “Vuoi uscire domani sera?” Diana nods her head, she honestly cannot stop smiling.  “I’d love to go out with you. Do you want me to pick you up at the hotel? That would be easier than you trying to find my house.”  “Yeah, sure. We’re staying at the Millwood Motel, it’s not too far from the airport.”  “Ah yes, I know that place. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He leans over and kisses her cheek before leaving her to finish her work.

That night Diana barely slept. Did Damiano know any places here to take her to? Did she have to come up with a place? What if he was some weird guy? What if he was a murderer?! She sure was happy now that she didn’t give him her address. The following day she woke up around noon. She went to the kitchen and grabbed her Cona coffee maker, if she was to get through the day, she was going to need a big cup of coffee. She put water and coffee ground on the lower half of the pot and put it on the stove. She hated having to watch the coffee boil and couldn’t wait for better times when you would just have to push a button to get your coffee.

Seeing that she woke up around noon, it didn’t take long before Diana met up with Damiano. She asked him if he had anything specific in mind. Surprisingly, he did. He explained that he and his bandmates did a little sightseeing and they walked past a roller skating rink. Damiano always wanted to try that and he thought this would be perfect for their little date. Diana absolutely loved the idea and couldn’t wait till they got there.

Both of them were sad that the night had ended so quickly or so they thought. It was in fact 1 a.m. and they had already spend ten hours together. Diana brought Damiano back to the motel with her car and of course he couldn’t leave without planting a kiss on her lips. They kissed for a while before finally letting each other go.  “We’ll be leaving soon”, Damiano said and looked at their intertwined hands in his lap.  “Already? You just got here two days ago”, Diana complained. She just met him and now he is leaving already? She wasn’t prepared for that. She knew he was leaving at some point, he had to he didn’t live in the US, but still she had hoped for a little more time together.  “Maybe we’ll come back soon. We have a meeting with our agent and that record label guy tomorrow.”  “Could we meet up after? We should catch dinner together, I have another day off”, she suggested. Damiano agreed, kissed her one more time before leaving her car and making his way to his motel room.

The next day

Diana waited for Damiano in front of a large building. She was enjoying the sun on her face when she felt two arms coming from behind and hugging her on her stomach.  “Ciao, amore mio. Sei adorabile oggi”, Damiano said into her ear before kissing the side of her face.  “Ciao, you don’t look to bad yourself”, she said as she turned around. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him on his lips, his mates cheering them on in the background. “How did it go in there?” With that question Damiano’s face broke out in a wide grin. “What?”  “Amore, we’re staying here in the US. We got a record deal, we will be here for the entire year!” he shouts and all five of them jump in celebration. “I was going to tell you at dinner, but I just couldn’t wait anymore. We can be together, amore.” Diana broke out in tears, nodding her head, for she had never met a man who she loved more than Damiano. Her Italian lover boy.

[scribblingfangirl]

CANDY CANES & SPIDER WEBS | Julie and the Phantoms - Luke Patterson

not my gif!

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Author’s Note: First things first, let’s not start the scene in reverse but with the mention that: Yes, I am aware that Halloween was a few months ago, but since I’m stuck studying for two upcoming exams and procrastinating on my Billy Russo fic I mindlessly wandered through all of my unfinished and forgotten WIPs and found this one - and it spoke to me! So, I hope you have fun with this little, weird and late Halloween thingy.

word count: ~ 1.2k

summary/prompt: alive!AU (2020) - Luke has to wear a Dirty Candy outfit and gets scared by a fake spider 

warnings: english is not my first language, therefore, typos and long sentences (this was not beta-read), tw: a teeny tiny mention of being puffy (said in a joking manner and later on confirming that she (you) feels amazing in her (your) body) [if that’s inappropriate for many people I will of course take this fic down and/or change it to something else]

.•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•..•´¯`•.

The entire school was decorated. From the halls and classrooms (yes, much to the suffering of a certain brunette lead guitarist, even the music room) down to the cafeteria and the gym. Black cloths were covering the windows, fake spider webs were put up in all sorts of nooks, crannies and corners, bowls with candy could be found all over and the lights were dimmed. The music was so loud the vibrations did not only move the floor but the bones of the students as well. Well… maybe it wasn’t just the volume, but the fact that the music came from a certain band called Julie and the Phantoms and it was almost impossible not to move your body to their tunes. Or maybe they just felt bad for the lead guitarist who was struggling to jump around in his... rather sparkly Halloween costume. 

Earlier during the week, the principal had made an announcement, saying that everybody had to wear at least some sort of Halloween costume to be invited to the schools annual night of terror. Of course, Luke being Luke was not even thinking about the possibility of separating himself from his beloved sleeveless shirts and/or his flannels. Which is why he was very adamant on dressing up as you on Halloween. 

“Going as your significant other is going as someone else as well!” 

“Fine…but only if I get to choose your outfit.”

“Deal.”

Much to his dismay, he seemed to have forgotten that, in contrast to himself, you did not only own band-shirts, flannels and vans, and looked rather dumbfounded when you handed him the mountain of clothes you chose for him.

“That’s…. no. A definite no from me. This sparkles and has sleeves.”

“I’m sorry, what? There must’ve been a miscommunication. Last time I heard you wanted to go to Halloween as your girlfriend… and well, said girlfriend does not walk around like a wanna-be rockstar from the 90s all the time but is also a member of a girl group called Dirty Candy. So, say hello to a wonderful blue glittering crop top and matching see-through blouse! At least you get to keep your sneakers and the colour matches your eyes. Now chop chop! You promised Julie to fit in one last rehearsal before tonight!”

You could've sworn that you heard him mumble “And that’s why you don’t mess with your enemies” before he closed the bathroom door behind him. Five minutes later you were almost crying from laughter.

“I can’t believe it actually fits you, at least more or less!” you giggled, looking him up and down as he twirled uncomfortably in front of the mirror, staring disbelievingly at himself. “Wait… does that mean that I’m puffy or are you just small?”

“Do not worry Y/N. Even though you obviously actually are the Witch you're dressing up to be, I love you the way you are”, he answered quickly, pecked your lips and ran out of your room, hoping to bypass the looks from your parents. “See you tonight! And don’t be too jealous when I make Dirty Candy look good for once!”

You opened your windows and watched him struggle into the car. Before he could drive off you frowned, as you realized that he never actually answered your question. “Hey! Wait! You are small, right?!” But he just dismissively waved out of the car window as he disappeared from your view.

“He called you puffy?” a shocked Fynn shouted at you over the loud music.

“No, I said it as a joke, but he didn’t exactly call himself small” you shouted back. 

"I mean, come on girl! My body is amazing!"

“Nevertheless, that screams for revenge!”

Expectantly you raised your eyebrows and smirked, it was Halloween after all. A night of mischief. “And… oh mighty Flynn. What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Wait and see, wait and see”, she chuckled evilly. “I hope you’re not afraid of spiders.”

An hour later the gym was filled with the steady beat of Flynn's music as she took over as DJ for the rest of the night, while the four band members fled into the safety of the music room.

“They can’t do that! My poor six-string! So broken! So dirty!“ Luke whined as he wiped off the fake blood someone had accidentally spilled onto the guitar when they were pouring it out and smearing it all over the room and windows. 

Alex nodded absentmindedly. “This is a mess… I don’t want to be the cleaning personnel tomorrow. All this, just for one lousy night?”

Reggie threw an arm around his friend and patted his shoulder soothingly. “I’m sorry Willie couldn’t make it tonight, but you know what? Julie and I can be just as fun!” he said, linking his other arm with one of Julie’s and dragging both of them outside, into the corridor leading to the gym.

Turning around to face Luke you let out an exasperated sigh and threw your hands to your hips at the scene in front of you. He was sitting, legs crossed (which worked surprisingly well somehow, considering he was struggling to rock out on stage just a few minutes prior), surrounded by the other guitars and basses inspecting them for more fake blood mishaps. “Really Luke? How come you care more about instruments made out of wood and metal, than about a real, warm and loving person waiting for you?”

He didn’t even look up. “I care about you!”

“You wouldn’t even kill a spider for me, but for your six-string, you would touch real spiderwebs”, you protested, suppressing a giggle, when Luke promptly stood up to take some steps towards you and walked right into some fake ones, moving his arms all over the place to get rid of them. "You look like a blue disco ball."

“I do not and I would for you!” he corrected you, as he finally was able to get rid of the majority of the spiderwebs and made a motion to hug you. “The spiders should know better, anyway. I’m the one with the big hands and feet and they’re the wee ones with all the breakable legs!”

As his arms were almost enveloping you, you quickly put a fake spider onto a piece of spider web on his shoulder that he had missed and pushed him away. “Ew! Don’t touch me, you’re sweaty and... bloody! Go wash away the sweat and the spiderwebs first. And while you’re at it, gently pick up the spider on your shoulder, please? Before you throw my clothes into the cleaner and kill the little wee one with the breakable legs.”

“Sp… spider?” It seemed as if he turned his head in slow motion and when he saw the black thing just slightly outside his peripheral vision, he screamed.

He probably didn’t even think clearly when he started to jump around, frantically patting himself on his shoulders. After a while, he just took off the blouse and crop top, threw them on the ground and started to stomp on it. Breathing heavily he then said: “Did I just scream like a woman?”

“Don’t flatter yourself”, a giggling Flynn said, coming in through the door, followed by Reggie, Julie and Alex who were doubling over at the sight of the topless guitarist. “You might have been wearing the clothes of a woman, yet you still screamed like a little girl.”

Now you couldn’t hold back your laughter anymore either. “Do not worry Luke” you mocked him, “I love you just the way you are. Small and full of fear.”

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

MTV Unplugged presents: BTS

by Admin 1

What a time to not only be alive, but also be ARMY with BTS taking the MTV Unplugged stage on February 23rd 2021 as the first Korean artists in history to do so. It’s another marvelous achievement on the already highly impressive list BTS have to their name, another mark they’re leaving on history and another piece solidifying their place among musics greatest, at least if you ask me and everyone else who tuned in and was left extremely impressed and emotional, a mix of euphoria, emotional rawness, but also a sense of warm, soft, and gentle comfort and hope.

With this gorgeously put together setlist they’ve also proven, once more, that even when you take away all the high budget stadium stages, the dynamic and explosive choreographies and the fancy music video editing, and just focus on their craft as musicians and their most valuable instruments--their voices--BTS can stand their ground easily. Their talent and passion is unmistakable and shines brightly in all these songs, four of their own and one cover.

The performance was shown simultaneously on dozens of MTV stations across the globe, some watching on TV and others via official live streams, and yet others catching up with what they missed hours later. All the promo, hype and attention paid off and they showed that it was all worth it, that they are more than worth it, and that we as ARMY have every right to be proud of them and be proud of being ARMY.

So, let’s do what I love doing most and talk about each performance, shall we?

What an absolutely delightful, happy and funky way to open the show and introduce new listeners to just how fun BTS can be. The stage was one giant room filled with lost of little details, including a motorbike with a second passenger extension, arcade games, a football game, and a sofa. Right from the get go there’s this joyful aura around the members, smiles on their faces, little dance moves making their steps light and fun--they were having fun and subsequently we were, too.

How wonderful is it to also finally see Yoongi with them as well, even if it’s very noticeable (and understandable) that he’s keeping his shoulder steady and arm moving as little as possible? After all Telepathy was “his” song for BE and contains lots of little Yoongi signature features, most obviously his knack for playing with autotune in a way that is very audible yet never quite too much, just walking along the line in an interesting way. There’s a genius note change from Hobi in the second half of the song that’s one of the absolute highlights, just like Namjoon and Seokjin doing their little minimal movement dances in the back while grooving along to the music.

As Vminnies we get our own little treat with Jimin and Tae coming together to sing alongside each other and do their little dance as well which we’ve previously seen during the Dear Class of 2020 performance of Mikrocosmos. Then to finish off their little segment, they also do this funny little thing of pointing at each other with Tae as though acting like he (perhaps) wants to boop Jimin’s face/nose from afar. Absolutely adorable.

Speaking of which, can we talk about their cute Donald and Daisy Duck accents on their clothes and accessories which add this little sense of retro? As well as the fact that Tae is wearing the cardigan equivalent to Jimin’s Gucci sweater from his NOTES on Dis-ease video? I do very much enjoy these little details from the stylists. Also, has anyone else noticed that Tae has different in-ears? His usual ones were green yet here they’re translucent.

The way I gasped when the members turned to Tae and asked him to introduce the next song and he said it’s one that is very meaningful to him, honestly, I can’t even describe it. I was so, so happy but also getting ready to be swallowed by all the feels. I know ARMY sns had theories that we’d get Blue & Grey based on the visuals of that stage which we got in the teasers, and yet somehow I still wasn’t quite ready when the song began and we were graced with absolutely breathtaking vocals that went straight for the heart.

The visuals for this performance were perfect for the song while being interesting yet not too much that it would pull your attention away from the song itself. One by one the members sang their parts and found their places along the two main walls, the lighting cold yet on the white/grey side, none of them really interacting or looking at each other which was fitting with the atmosphere of that blue and grey feeling. Then, for the second half, the ‘stage’ switched to more of a blue lighting and we had moments where first Seokjin and JK sang together and then Jimin and Tae, their voices harmonizing so heavenly with each other yet still none of the members really looked at each other, at most looking into the camera.

I love how this performance put the focus on each member on their own but also in moments on the entire group, that feeling of being alone but never quite alone, that they have each other, and that we have them. Tae also really seemed to be highlighted during this performance, which makes sense when given the history of how the song came to be. But, really, each of them was just as visible and equally beautiful in this.

Speaking of beautiful, my jaw dropped when we got to see (and hear) Namjoon during his verse. Honestly, that mans beauty and handsomeness--it somehow keeps on increasing with each time we see him.

From anon: Omg vmin in blue and grey 😭😭😭. They coudnt even look to each other while singing “Don't say you're fine' Cause you're not Please don't leave me alone, it hurts too much” it’s my fav part by the way and their harmonization it’s heaven. I loved they choose this song to the mtv performance!

As much as this was supposed to be a surprise, MTV accidentally spoiled it hours before their performance was aired, and yet, despite knowing it was coming, I don’t think any of us were quite prepared for it right after Blue & Grey.

Fix You is a gorgeous song in its original version with a sad backstory, and it’s one of those Coldplay songs that they are extremely selective over when it comes to requests for official covers or use for commercials or movies/shows. They are about their entire discography, but I think it especially goes for this song, and yet they gave BTS the permission to do this official unplugged cover.

We also know the song means something more to the members, seeing as Jimin posted a video on their 6h anniversary showing the members during a trip they’d gone on together while the song is playing in the background. They also spoke about Coldplay during the press conference before their Wembley concerts, and Namjoon and Hobi had gone to one of their concerts a few years ago, as well as Tae on a different occasion. There certainly is a level of admiration and respect involved, a deeper connection to what they were singing, which was very clear and tangible during their performance as well.

Vocal line were truly outstanding in this, especially Seokjin (who took sns by storm as the “pink mic guy” with floods of praise and people wondering who he is, what his name is, because they’d all fallen in love with him--very relatable because same). Rap line switched between harmonizing with the vocalists in their low register and did a beautiful job of it. Namjoon harmonizing with Seokjin truly gave me goosebumps (and made my little namjin heart very happy). We also had Tae and Hobi harmonizing and sharing a brief smile with each other, as well as Namjoon harmonizing with Jungkook and Jimin, and Yoongi harmonizing with Tae and Jungkook.

The stage was also beautifully thought out, minimal yet captivating at once, all the members sitting on barstools in a line with the blinds drawn on the windows behind them, spotlights shining on them from above and others dancing behind them giving them a beautiful glow and turning something simple into something extraordinary and gorgeous. They truly didn’t need any more than that.

And like their performance wasn’t outstanding enough, we also saw Coldplay themselves not only tweet about it while calling the cover beautiful in Korean (and tagging the member’s twitter account instead of the _bighit one), but also post the same comment below the video on YouTube and share links to it on their facebook and IG stories, as well as sharing the video in their community tab on their YouTube channel. 

So, not only did BTS garner big approval from Coldplay fans and ARMY alike, but also from the original artist. A wonderful moment in music and between two legendary artists in their own right.

This acoustic version of Life Goes On is truly a masterpiece, so calm, soothing and offering that sense of comfort, togetherness, and this reassurance that life will go on, that we’re together in this, that we’ve made it through the blue & grey, that we’ve helped each other to “fix” ourselves, and that we can now slowly heal and grow from the things we’ve gone through. The electric guitar, the slow and quiet drums and on top of that the members voices, all of it coming together truly beautifully.

Their outfits kind of gave me UK private school or University secret society vibes, or as Admin 2 called it “ready to go hunting, we’re just missing our Beagles or Basset Hounds” which isn’t necessarily wrong. And yet the warm shades of brown fit the atmosphere of the song really well, complement it even.

While we’re “used” to vmin having their little moment, we only really saw Tae smiling towards Jimin, though the camera unfortunately didn’t give us a wide shot to see if Jimin returned his smile, though I’ll go ahead and say he likely did if he noticed Tae’s. Though honestly, Tae’s wide happy smile was enough to melt my heart on its own.

And then, to close out the night, we got a very funky and fun yet calm version of Dynamite during which, surprisingly enough, the members actually stay in their seats against all ARMY theories and bets (well, okay, Namjoon stood up for a moment, but sat down really quickly again and no one actually got out of their seats to dance). Who would’ve thought a day like this would come, especially looking at how they got up in previous seated performances of Dynamite.

I love the not so subtle flex of all their gold, silver and platinum records across the wall behind them, as well as their MTV moon men. With how humble they are about their awards and achievements, this felt like a good moment to highlight just how hard they’ve worked, how much they’ve achieved, before they got the chance to be on MTV Unplugged and that truly, if someone deserves to be there and showcase their talents, its them.

Looking at how many times we’ve seen and heard Dynamite, it’s fascinating how they still managed to create a version that was different from all the previous ones and felt fresh and new. Their outfits were simple and all white and thus didn’t pull too much attention onto them leaving the focus on the music and vocals. Tae’s adlibs were absolutely fantastic and they all just seemed to have so much fun with this performance, smiling and dancing in their seats, obviously having a great time. We even got Jimin smiling and scrunching up his nose happily at Tae while he sang! 

Overall this MTV Unplugged performance was a wonderful display of their talents and music merits, their vocals and rap, and just how outstanding they are as a group on this vast world stage. The setlist was perfect, though perhaps a little short. Honestly, if you ask me, they could’ve performed five or ten more songs and I would’ve remained glued to the screen through it all. And yet, still, I couldn’t have asked for more. I was left brown away and so extremely impressed despite being ARMY and knowing how good BTS are. They truly manage to find new ways to grow, evolve, and showcase their musicality with each performance. I also love how they don’t shy away from trying new things and challenges, like rap line singing and harmonizing with the vocals.

I’ll definitely come back to watching these stages many times in the future and they’re easily up there in my top ten of favorite performances of all time. Thank you, BTS, and thank you MTV Unplugged.

[heresalittlestory]

The Gala Event

By The Scoop

‐-----------------------------

You’re at your desk at work one afternoon, taking a break to check your personal email. You get excited when you see that you have a message from Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. You’ve known him for a little over a decade, as you did some work for the Milarepa fund in the 90’s.  You’re kind of surprised that you’ve casually stayed in touch with him for all of these years, and even though you’d call him more of an acquaintance than a friend, he’s always been very nice and sweet when you’ve spent time together.  The last time you saw him was a few years ago, when his band was in town touring their To The 5 Boroughs album.

You see some other messages in your inbox, but click on Adam’s first.  He writes that the Beastie Boys will be in your town this summer to tour their upcoming record, and wonders if you’d like to hang out then.  He gives the date for the show, and refers to it a Gala Event, for which you should dress up.  He says there will be another more casual show the night after, and you’re welcome to come to that one, too.  You don’t want to come across as being too eager, but decide to write him back straight away that you’ll be around, and would love to see him in August.  

The following week, you see a news announcement about Beastie Boys tour dates, and feel special that Adam gave you a heads up about them first.  Since that message, you’ve been writing back and forth more frequently, catching each other up on how you’ve been for the past couple of years.  He seems a little more communicative than he was around the time of the previous tour, and you try not to read too much into that.  You’ve always thought he was very attractive, but kept things professional at first with him, and then platonic, assuming those feelings only went one way.  You’ve also both been in relationships over the past decade, and Adam has a daughter, Lila.  You’re not exactly sure about the current status of Adam’s relationship with Lila’s mom, as it’s not something he opens up about a lot, or that gets much attention in the press.

One day Adam sends an email asking whether you’ve picked out something nice to wear yet, and he adds a wink after the question.  You feel your stomach flip, as you can’t tell whether or not he’s being flirtatious.  It also reminds you that you still haven’t settled on your ensemble for the Gala.  You generally don’t dress up too much and aren’t in love with anything in your closet, so decide to go shopping.

At the store, after trying on a lot of things, you settle on a red dress.  The color choice seems a little bold, but you look good in red, and want to stand out from others who will probably be wearing a lot of black.  You feel a little ridiculous also thinking about your undergarments, but decide to buy a new bra and panties for the show, too.  Even if no one else sees them, they’ll make you feel good for that night.

As it gets closer to the date of the show, Adam calls you.  You’re reminded how much you love the tone of his voice and trace of a New York accent.  He mentions that the band will be busy with interviews beforehand, so he probably won’t get to see you till after the show.  He says he’ll put you on his personal guest list, and to make sure you find him backstage later.  You say that sounds like a plan.  Before hanging up, he adds “Don’t forget to dress to impress.”

The day of the show comes, it’s a Friday, and you’re feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.  You tell yourself you’re being silly and to calm down: there’s never been any funny business between you and Adam before, so why should this time be any different?  You’ve been single for about a year now, but you’re still not sure of Adam’s status, and Google didn’t provide any help figuring that out.  In any case, you can’t help but think that you’ve picked up on some flirtation in the correspondence, and something in your gut signals that maybe you should be expecting more than just a friendly hang out tonight.

You arrive at the venue early, and feel a sense of pride seeing your name on Adam’s list.  You’re also handed an access pass to use later in the night.  You make your way up toward the front of the concert hall and see Adam’s bass rig, noticing that a lot of the equipment is clear, which has a cool look.  There are a few bass guitars on stage, including a large upright one.  You’ve always thought Adam looked sexy on the bass, and you’re looking forward to seeing him play more of it tonight.

When the band comes out and takes their places, you spot Adam in a black suit and sunglasses, he appears very dapper.  His hair is a little grown out and looks really nice.  You glance at the others, and though they all look handsome in their suits, Adam Yauch definitely stands out the most to you.

The band starts playing an instrumental that sounds vaguely familiar.  Adam is on the upright bass, and during the song, pulls out a bow with which to play it.  You’re taken aback at how hot it is when he maneuvers the bow over the bass strings.  The rich, deep sound resonates through your body.

Adam switches to another bass guitar, and the band starts playing a song off the new record.  You enjoy watching Adam’s large, skillful hands on the bass.  He flicks the strings a lot with his thumb, and it’s hard for your mind not to wander into the gutter seeing that repetitive motion.  You look at Adam intently, wondering if you’ll catch his eye, but it’s hard to tell with the sunglasses on.

When the band begins a song with vocals, the crowd gets more pumped up, and you’re excited, too.  It’s cool to see them rap while playing instruments.  Adam’s bass strumming has been getting to you, and now his husky rapping is, too.  After a few songs, he takes off his sunglasses and jacket.  He’s wearing a short-sleeve striped shirt, and a tie with some design on it, with a tie pin.  You’re trying to make the out the details on Adam’s tie, and think you see a lion on it, which reminds you that he’s a Leo.  You remember back to when you once looked up your astrological compatibility, not that you entirely believe in those things.  You look back up and see that Adam is staring in your direction, smiling.  You mouth “hey” to him, and he nods in recognition.

You feel a small jolt of electricity as the band goes into the next instrumental.  Maybe it’s something about the suave outfit and his long fingers on the bass, but you’re feeling more attracted to Adam than you’ve felt at previous Beastie Boys shows.  You notice other details, like his persistent gum chewing, and how he’s been taking his ear piece in and out throughout the show.  You brace yourself when the upright bass comes back out.  You can’t deny that you’re turned on by the way Adam strokes the bass neck and moves his fingers across the strings.  You try to calm down, as you’ll be seeing him after the show, and don’t want to feel embarrassed by such thoughts.  It doesn’t help that from this close, you can see his sweat glistening.  

The band gets to Sabotage, and you know it’ll be the last song of the night.  You see out of the corner of your eye that their keyboardist is doing some crazy moves, but you can’t take your eyes off Adam.  He takes his bass off at the end of the song and picks up a water bottle.  You watch Adam wave as he walks off stage, and swear that you catch him winking at you.

As the crowd starts to file away, you get your access pass out of your purse and use it to get in the back area of the venue.  You’re eventually let into a room where the band is.  You admittedly feel some relief when you see that Adam’s partner (or former partner?) isn’t around, as both Mike’s and Adrock’s wives are there.  Mike’s young sons are running around the room too.  You’re feeling pretty dehydrated, but take a glass of champagne when a tray of it is passed by you.  At least you have something to occupy your hands with now.  You take some sips and try to get Adam to notice you.  Your eyes meet and he wraps up the conversation he was having.  He walks over to you and says, “Hey, red…,” instead of calling you by your name, “love the dress.”  You blush a little and thank him.  You notice he’s changed from the button down top into a polo shirt.  He manages to look very cute and sexy all at once.  You tell him how much you enjoyed the show and seeing the full band play throughout. “Oh thanks, you weren’t too bored? It seems like some people prefer the hip hop shows.”

You notice that the room is beginning to clear out.  Adam mentions that some of the band and crew are heading to a nearby bar, “I said I’d be catching up with an old friend, if you’d rather bail on that.”  You’re happy that he’s mentioned an out, though you’re not quite sure what he has in mind for you both.  “Hang on a sec,” Adam says as he grabs his backpack, and also something that looks like an instrument holder, “just gonna take some things back with me.”

You step out the venue door and Adam gently touches the small of your back with his free hand.  A shiver goes up your spine.  Adam remarks that the hotel is nearby, so you walk the few blocks there.  It’s one of the nicer hotels in town.  This is the first time you’ve been back to a hotel with him.  It seems like it could be the prelude to a hook up, but you still don’t want to get caught up in wishful thinking.

You and Adam get in the elevator and he pushes the button for a high floor.  “And here we are,” he remarks, opening the door into a large suite.  “Not too shabby,” you note, looking around.  “Yeah, we do alright now,” Adam responds with a chuckle.  He has the cutest sounding laugh, and you love how his smile is emphasized by his overbite.  You don’t think of yourself as a very funny person, but you know that Adam can be, and you hope to joke with him and hear more of his laughter when you’re together.  You realize you’ve gotten a little lightheaded from the champagne.  As if reading your mind, Adam asks if you want something to eat or drink.  There are several water bottles lined up on the counter, and he hands you one.  He opens the door to the mini bar, which is pretty well stocked.  You sit down and snack together.

The conversation flows easily enough.  You share a lot of cultural interests, but also fill each other in on some things that the other hasn’t heard about.  Adam recommends a documentary called the 11th hour, about how dire global warming has gotten and the opportunities we have to address the situation before it’s too late.  You’re not surprised to hear him sound passionate on the topic.  Meanwhile, you’re slightly distracted, as you can’t help but be really curious by now about his relationship status.  He’s mentioned his daughter in emails, so you think of using kids as a way to broach the topic.  You mention how you saw Mike’s sons backstage.  “Oh yeah, they’ve been coming along, and Lila’s been with me some of the tour, but her mom has her now.”  It sounds to you like they may not be an item anymore.  All you say in response is, “Oh…,” and then Adam continues, “yeah, it’s been about a year and a half actually, things didn’t work out between us.  But it was friendly, well, about as friendly as those things can be.  We still live near each other in the city, and pretty much share custody, so it works out at least, in that way.”  You want Adam to be happy and on the one hand, are sorry to hear that the relationship, which involved a kid, didn’t work out.  But on the other hand, you feel glad, as selfish as it may be, that Adam could be available now.  If he’s even interested in you in that way.

You tell him you’re sorry to hear what happened, but are glad he still gets to see Lila a lot.  “Yeah, being a dad, it’s the greatest…,” he starts to say, and then trails off, looking at you as if what he said may have had some effect on you.  You’re a single woman in your early 40’s, so the child-bearing window may be not open too much longer. You used to think that you’d be married and a mom by this point in your life, but after your longest, most serious relationships ended in your 30’s, you haven’t met anyone who’s been that great a prospect.  Adam knows some of your story already.  You don’t want to bore him with extra information about the ups and downs of your love life, so you mention that you haven’t been seeing anyone for a while, and really enjoy being an aunt to your niece and nephew.

Adam moves from the chair to a loveseat and motions for you to join him.  He has his arm up on the sofa cushion, which you take as a cue to sit a little closer to him.  “I was really looking forward to seeing you tonight.  You know, red’s a really great color for you.”  You feel his eyes scanning your body, and you’re flattered to be complimented by someone so attractive, talented, and intelligent.  The conversation goes to how long you’ve known each other and how you always enjoy each other’s company.  You wonder why you haven’t gotten together more often through the years.  Adam’s hand moves down to your shoulder, and he seems to be looking at you more intently.  He’s so gorgeous from this close, with large, soulful eyes, and full lips that you want to kiss so badly.  You feel yourself flushing and swooning.  You take your chances and move your face a little closer to his, and are delighted when you sense him lean in for a kiss.

Your lips touch softly at first.  You detect a minty flavor, which must have lingered from his gum.  You inhale and enjoy his smell, it’s slightly musky, and you think of how sweaty he got during the show.  You normally prefer for guys to be cleaned up, but find it a turn on for Adam to be in this state.  The kiss turns more passionate soon as your tongues meet and explore each other’s mouths.

You kiss and suck at each other more feverishly, feeling the heat from each other’s bodies.  You run your hands through his thick hair, and up and down his lean back.  He slides a hand down along your side, it grazes the edge of your breast and then settles on your thigh.  Adam moves his hand to the inner side of your knee, just underneath your dress.  You squeeze his hand between your thighs, thinking of how close his fingers are to where you really want to be touched.  You usually don’t get wet as easily as you did when you were younger, but it’s like Adam has opened up the floodgates inside of you.  You don’t necessarily buy into everything happening for a reason, but you’re glad you’re hooking up with Adam at this stage in your life.  You feel more comfortable with yourself and sexually confident now.  As much as you’re enjoying kissing Adam, you decide to back out of the embrace, and see if he’s game for something different.  You’d be fine having any kind of sex with him, but you want to try to make the evening memorable.  You also recall how great he looked playing the bass, and that gives you an idea.  

“Is everything okay?” Adam asks.  “Oh yeah, I’m good, really good,” you say, reassuring him that you’re pleased with the direction in which things are moving.  “I was just thinking about the show again, and what a great bass player you are.”    

“Me?  I don’t know, I guess if you work at something long enough.”

You’re touched that he seems so humble about his talent.  “It just looks complicated.  I mean, especially that big bass.  I can barely strum a few chords on the guitar.”

“It’s not so hard to pick up if you practice for a while, and…,” he trails off.

“And what?”

“Well, this might sound silly, but my hands are pretty big, which makes it easier to play, I guess.” Adam turns his hands over and you hold them in yours, as your mind moves back into the gutter.  You don’t think you’ve ever been with a guy who has hands quite like his.

 “Why don’t you show me?” you request, pulling Adam up from the couch.  “What’s that song called, Sabrosa?”

“I don’t have the bass here with me.”

You look at him with a mischievous glint in your eyes, “I mean, demonstrate on me…”

Adam smirks in response, “Oh, I think I know what you’re getting at.”  He stands behind you, and you ask, “Doesn’t Sabrosa mean tasty?”

“Something like that,” he answers with a

chuckle- it’s music to your ears to hear that laughter again.  “Okay then, this is the hand that goes on the bass neck,” he states, putting his left hand on your breast.  He arranges his dexterous fingers into some formation, as if he were playing bass notes.  “And this one here, it plays the strings,” Adam continues, moving his right hand onto your crotch.  He brushes his long fingers against you, as if he’s both swiping at and strumming you.  Just as you’re wondering what kind of fuckery this is, Adam says, “And sometimes, you have to put your whole body into it.” He presses against you, and you feel his cock pulse against your backside.  You can’t help but tremble from the ripples of pleasure coursing through you.  Adam comments, “well, it goes something like that, playing the song, but the bass doesn’t move quite that much.”  He giggles again.  You didn’t want him to stop “playing” you, but you enjoy being teased.

“You know, I actually brought something with me,” Adam starts, and goes over to what you thought was an instrument case.  He opens it and reveals the bow inside.  If he doesn’t have his bass with him, you wonder why he brought the bow.  You’re pleased at the forethought this would have required, and that his mind might be in the same kinky place as yours.  “I like using this bow sometimes, you can get a really nice sound out of the bass with it.”  Adam comes back over to you, gripping the bow as if he were about to use it on a bass.  He rubs the bow string back and forth on your dress, right over your sensitive area.  You make a pleased hum, and Adam brings the bow across you one more time, “Works like a charm.”

“I think you need to help me unzip my dress now,” you state.  “Sure thing,” Adam replies, placing the bow back down.  He undoes your zipper, but the dress still hangs loosely from your hips.  “Maybe I can use this again,” Adam says, picking up the bow.  You stand still as he uses the bow to nudge the dress down over your hips.  Your breath quickens and you step out of the dress.  You’re glad now that you splurged for the nice underwear.  Adam eyes you up and down and gives a little whistle, “well you dressed to impress, and I’d say, this is also undressing to impress.”  Your body isn’t as slim as it used to be, but you’re still in decent shape for your age.  You’re glad he seems to appreciate you as you are.

“I think it’s your turn now,” you declare, and Adams removes his shirt and pants pretty quickly.  He’s remained trim, but that doesn’t surprise you, as he’s always been a skinny guy.  Seeing all his skin, and body hair, makes your groin ache even more.  You get another idea, which seems a little crazy for foreplay, but you’re on a roll, and decide to speak up again.  “Let’s go to the bedroom,” you declare, as you lead Adam by the hand to the king-sized bed.  You tell him to lie on his back.  You stand over him and strip off your bra and underwear.  “I want to feel you all over, with my cunt,” you say, as you lower yourself down near his feet, “if you’re cool with that.”  Adam looks at you expectantly and replies, “I’m game for whatever.”

You’re not quite sure what’s come over you.  You realize you’ve had latent feelings for Adam for years, and they’re all bubbling to the surface now.  And he’s so hot it’s like he’s awakened some primal instinct in you.  Sure, you’ve humped guys’ thighs before when feeling frisky, or rubbed an arm against your crotch, but you’ve never done anything like what you’re planning now.  You grab one of Adam’s feet, they’re large like his hands, with long toes.  “So, do you have a foot thing?” Adam asks.

“No,” you blush a little, feeling kind of embarrassed, but Adam seems open-minded enough.  “As I said, I just want to feel all your parts- here.”  You take hold of his big toe, and move it toward your crotch.  Adam’s propped up on his elbows and watching with interest.  You press his toe against your labia, and rock back and forth against it.  “Someone’s very wet,” Adam comments.  You think how you’ll be leaving a trail along his body.  You hold his foot as you move over his ankle, and then slowly slide up his shin, feeling his leg hair against you.  You ask Adam to bend his legs so you can get onto his knee.  “Knee fucking? Can’t say I’ve done that before,” Adam remarks, laughing again.  Not in a laughing at you kind of way, but in an enjoying being your partner in crime kind of way.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”  You feel kind of proud for debasing him, considering that he probably did some debauched things in his early years with the band.  You move in small circles around his knee.  You feel so wet and pliable, almost as if your cunt could swallow his kneecap.  You’re in a nice zone where everything feels really good between your legs.

You continue with this body part exploration, sliding down his thigh.  Adam’s boxers are still on and you can tell he’s semi-erect.  As eager as you are to bring his cock into action, you move past it.  You dip down to reach his concave torso, rubbing along the patch of hair that extends from over his waistband to above his navel.  You feel the bump from his ribcage, and rub over a nipple as you move up.  You ask Adam to sit up, admiring his bare shoulders.  You lower yourself onto the bony part, and press against it for a while.

Adam has been watching you with bemusement.  You get off his shoulder and position his arm so that his elbow juts out.  You pull that protrusion into your crotch, liking how that feels as well.  You’re excited to be getting close to his forearms, as you were looking at them with desire during the concert.  You ask Adam to lie back down and move on top of one of his forearms.  His arm hairs tickle your cunt as your slickness slides against him.  You love how he’s not hairy all over but has furry forearms and legs.  You feel kind of like a dog humping at him, but don’t care as it’s so pleasurable.  Adam’s free hand grabs your ass.  You move lower down to reach his wrist bone, too.

You get up and hold onto one of his oversized hands.  You feel like your cunt could just devour it.  You rub your thumb along the patch of hair that extends onto the back of his hand, and then press a few of Adam’s knuckles into your folds.  You then grasp his index and middle fingers.  You notice a crook in the top joint of his middle finger.  These little features somehow make you hornier for him, if that’s even possible.  You shove his fingers into your soaking cunt, and moan as you feel how deep inside of you they reach.  Adam continues to let you be the driver; you know that he could make you come if he did something with his hands, but you’re still trying to delay that final gratification.  You take his fingers out and bring them up to his mouth.  You’re pleased that he reads the cue and licks at your wetness.

You motion for Adam to sit up, and brush his hair back to look more closely at his ear.  Even the size and shape of this man’s ears get to you. You’ve never been so into all these details with any other guy before.  It’s like he’s a perfectly beautiful creation.  You position Adam’s head so you can get at his ear with your cunt, starting at the earlobe and working your way up along the outer edge.  Adam shivers a little and you ask if he’s alright.  

“Yeah, I guess I’m just sensitive there- a good sensitive.”  You press against the ridge of his ear again and he emits a soft, low grunt.    

You ask Adam to lie down once again.  You’re still studying what a gorgeous face he has.  You move your fingertip gently across his long eye lashes.  “Yo, I’m not sure that’ll work,” Adam comments, and you both start laughing.  “Okay, we’ll leave your eyes out of this,” you say, though catch him off guard as you move your groin over his hairline.  You’ve been admiring his hair all evening, it looks adorable now sticking up in different directions.  You feel its texture along your most intimate spots.  You then position yourself above Adam’s nose- his lovely nose, with its long, strong line, and small bump near the top.  Adam takes a big inhale and you gently ride his nose.  You hit against his upper lip, but surprise him again by hopping off before getting to all of his mouth.  “I’m moving here now,” you remark, as you sit back against the pillows and spread your legs, finally beckoning Adam to have his way with you.  

     “You know, I just remembered, I have one more thing in the case,” Adam says.  You’re so ready for more now, but you wait as he goes into the other room to get whatever’s in the case.  He comes back into the bedroom with his ear piece from the concert, dangling around his neck.  That ear piece, that you watched him keep pulling out and pushing in, being turned on by the motions.  Adam stands at the foot of the bed and takes off his underwear.  You don’t always get that excited over the sight of a man’s cock, viewing it as more of a utilitarian appendage, but of course Adam’s looks just as nice as the rest of his body does.

     “Maybe I should have gotten this out earlier, you’re probably too wet for it now,” Adam remarks, holding up one end of the ear piece.  He continues, “I’ve got a spare, of course, but I don’t know what I’d tell the crew about how I wrecked this pair,” he laughs a little more.  Adam comes onto the bed and rubs the ear piece along your leg, moving it up to your inner thigh.  Once again, you’re thankful and pleased that he’s also had kinky ideas.  The ear piece reaches the top of your thigh, then Adam places it in between your collar bones.  He slides it down between your breasts, and stops above your crotch.  You’re thinking how turned on you’d be if he pressed it against you there, but he touches with his finger and says, “yeah, too wet, as I knew, maybe another time.”  At the mention of “another time,” it feels like your heart skips a beat.

     You ask, “did you have anything else in that case?”

     “Nah, that was it.  I’d considered bringing a bass pick, too, but thought it could be a little too sharp,” and you both laugh together.  You like how you can move seamlessly between funny and erotic moments with him.  “Well, these look really soft,” you say, moving your fingers along his lips.  Your cunt quivers as you trace his bow-shaped upper lip.

     Adam places the ear piece on the night stand and brushes his slim fingers along your inner thighs.  Then he brings his mouth to your thighs- kissing, licking, and taking little bites along the way.  You’re so turned on already you feel like you might come almost as soon as his mouth touches your cunt.  He’s taking his time getting to the sweet spot.  He licks along where your thigh meets your groin on both sides.  He then moves up and squeezes your breasts together.  He starts sucking on one nipple while grabbing the other breast, and switches off.  Your whole body feels on fire.  Then he moves back down and kisses your labia, finally getting between them.  When he starts licking and sucking at your depths, it feels amazing.  You cry out in ecstasy, only wondering for a moment how soundproof the hotel walls are.  You mutter “oh fuck” and “oh god” as Adam continues to satisfy you.  He looks up at you, and it’s nearly too intense to meet his gaze.  You grab a handful of his luscious hair as he buries his head in you again, and you rock against him. You sense the sweet release coming soon, and convulse as all the pleasure that’s been building up through the evening reaches a crescendo.  You feel like you’re seeing stars.

     As you slowly come back to your senses, Adam remarks, “well, I guess that worked out better than the ear piece.”  You respond, “or the bass pick,” and playfully shove his shoulder.    “You’ve really been great,” you say, placing your hand on his erect cock, “can I do something for you now?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve been loving all this so far, and now I’m really ready to fuck you.”

You repeat his phrase about “another time,” and he smiles.  He kneels in front of you, asking “you okay, doing it like this?”  You tell him you’re on the pill, and it’s fine to proceed.  You’re not even sure how functional your ovaries still are, but you’ve stayed on the pill, and trust Adam otherwise.

He doesn’t waste any time penetrating you fully, and it feels so good to be filled up by his length.  As he starts moving in and out, you notice him glancing down to where the action is happening, and you think it’s hot that he’s looking.  He holds onto and adjusts your legs, and begins thrusting more aggressively, emitting some low grunts.  And you get noisy again as his cock hits against your deepest part.  Adam tells you how great you feel.  You close your eyes for a time, enjoying all the sensations.

Adam then slows the rhythm down and lies more directly on top of you.  It’s nice to feel his weight.  He looks into your eyes and it seems like it’s just the two of you on this planet.  “I really like you,” he says, emphasizing the “really.”  Your eyes tear up- you don’t want to appear too emotional- but can’t help it.  One tear escapes, and Adam wipes it with his thumb, “It’s okay now.”

“It’s just, me too, I mean, I really like you, too,” you say back to him, feeling tongue-tied.  The mood had recently been more playful and sexy, but you don’t mind this sentimental turn.  You feel good and safe with Adam.  And here you are, with him inside of you, hearing that he really likes you.  You can’t deny that you’ve had interest in him over the years.  Even when you were with other guys, you still occasionally thought about Adam, but never considered it a possibility that your friendship could go to another level.  Maybe it could now.  You don’t know if you just have this one night together, but you’re going to savor the moment while it lasts.

You kiss, and Adam’s tongue probes your mouth, just as his cock fills you deeply.  He nibbles on your lip, and your cunt clenches around him.  You grind into each other, with your breath hot against each other’s ears.  You put your hand on his ass, like you want to press him even further into you. You wish to meld into one.

Adam rises back up into a kneeling position.  He starts rubbing your clit in time with his movements.  It’s almost too much to bear, and you sputter, “oh fuuuck…Adam.”  You can see he’s happy that he’s turned you into a noisy, squirming mess.  The pleasure grows into a final explosive burst, and Adam clasps one of your hands, as if to steady you.

You brace yourself to continue fucking; it feels like he’s already excavated a small cave inside of you.  You’re not surprised at his stamina after witnessing his energy on stage.  While you’re kind of tired, you go on moving your body in rhythm with his.  His thrusting picks up in intensity, and then you feel his cock twitch inside of you as he lets out a raspy moan.  He lowers his face to yours, and you kiss.  He pushes into you a couple more times, and you delight in the warmth between your legs.

After he rolls off of you, you turn onto your side and move a hand to his small patch of chest hair, as he holds his arm around you.  You breathe in his scent, feeling very satisfied.  “I guess it’s a little late for me to go back now,” you say.  Adam squeezes you and replies, “oh, you’re not going anywhere.”  You think of how you haven’t brought anything for staying the night, but aren’t too concerned.

You ask, “So was this Gala a special enough event?”  Adam smiles and answers, “For sure, it surpassed my expectations.”  You lift your head to give him some soft, lingering kisses before cuddling against him again.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Adam begins, “but I usually like showering off after a gig, it’s not to do with you.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I was just going to use the bathroom-”

“Go ahead, I’ll go in after you.”

You get up to go to the bathroom, and think how you could join Adam in the shower.  So after he takes his turn in the bathroom, you go in the shower together.  You don’t expect anything else to happen at this hour after everything you’ve done, but it’s nice to be naked with him under the warm water.  You stand in front of Adam as he lathers you up, slightly teasing you with his touch.  You return the favor, and then face each other and kiss, with your bodies pressed tightly together.

     After stepping out of the shower, you see two bathrobes hanging on the door hook.  You put one on, and give the other to Adam, who giggles, and says, “oh, like his and hers?”  He looks so adorable in the white bathrobe.  “You can use my toothbrush, you know,” Adam offers.  As intimate as you’ve been with him, you still feel a little funny taking his brush, so you say you’ll be fine, and just use your finger.

     When you get back into the bedroom, Adam gets out a pair of pajamas and hands you the top, “we can split them.”  You pull the shirt over your head as he slides into the pajama pants.  You admire his build again, and blush a little thinking of how you were rubbing yourself all over him.  You hope he doesn’t think you’re nuts, but he seemed to be into everything you were doing.  Also, he’s the one who rubbed a bow across you.

     While you’re drowsy, your mind is racing with thoughts about how much you like Adam, and wondering where things will go from here.  You don’t want to go back to seeing him every few years on tour.  You wonder if something will change now.  You’re only a few hours from New York, so could see each other more often.  You ponder whether he’s ready for a relationship after the break up.  You’d even look forward to spending time with Lila, but know that’s getting way ahead of yourself.  This is a start, and you’ll have to see what happens.

     You get back into bed with Adam, in the spooning position.  “Again, it was such a great night,” he tells you.

“You don’t think I’m crazy, I mean, that stuff I was doing?”  You can’t help but be somewhat blunt to try to put the worries out of your mind.

“Sexy? Yes. Crazy? No. Besides, if you’re crazy, I guess that makes two of us.”  You’re content with that answer.  Adam continues, “I don’t have to be anywhere till later in the afternoon tomorrow, so we can have some more fun the first part of the day.”  You tell him that sounds good, and say goodnight to each other.  You drift off to sleep, anticipating what the new day will bring.

[unholyobsessions]

We say we’re friends

Pairing: Julie Molina x Reader

Description: You didn’t like Julie Molina at first, but then you became friends and suddenly you wanted to become more. 

Requested: No

A/N: dedicated to amazingly wonderful @theolivekiddo​ Happy Birthday! I love you and I hope you had the bestest time because you deserve it.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 2.0K

Masterlist

You meet Julie Molina freshmen year when you are assigned as lab partners. Both of you are extremely annoyed by the teachers decision for the sole reason that Julie wanted to be paired with Flynn and you wanted to be paired with your best friend, Reggie. 

Really, it’s not that bad, and you had never disliked Julie but the situation makes you bitter and all you find yourself doing is sending glares her way. Julie isn’t much different and responds with a roll of her eyes and sometimes a hard kick to your chair. 

You avoid speaking to each other as long as possible, only mumbling a few words of instruction during lab work. Of course, the utter lack of communication leads to your grade plummeting and you assume Julie’s as well. You keep telling yourself that it’s fine, you’ll make it up with tests, but that plan is quickly thrown away when your teacher says that this semester’s grade is going to be largely based on projects. 

You accept the fact the you are going to fail, determined to go the full year without speaking to Julie. 

But then you hear her humming your favorite song. 

You unconsciously start tapping your foot to the beat of the song. Julie’s head snaps toward you but you pay her no mind as you continue to copy your notes. She starts humming louder and your pen joins your foot in tapping. 

By this point, you’re both smiling widely and swaying side to side in makeshift dance moves. Your humming joins hers and her fingers moves against the table, visualizing the piano keys and playing the correct ones. 

Once the song comes to an end, you burst out into a fit of giggles, attracting the attention of the rest of the class. The teacher shushes you which causes you to laugh harder as Julie leans against your shoulder in an effort to catch her breath. 

Flynn and Reggie, who are sitting at opposite ends of the classroom stare wide eyed at each other, neither expecting to see both of you be actually friendly to each other. 

At the end of the lesson you exchange phone numbers and, for the first time all year, you begin to look forward to science. 

Your friendship progresses slowly after that. At first, you and Julie don’t hang out much outside of academic needs. You get together to study and do homework for science class but never for the sole purpose of hanging out. 

One day, you need to borrow her lab notes after missing school the day before, so you approach her lunch table, where Julie sits with Flynn and Alex Mercer everyday. She invites you to sit down, and with your breath caught in your throat, you simply nod your head and take the seat next to her. 

Your friends, Reggie Peters and Luke Patterson, who arrive to lunch five minutes late as usual, freeze at the doorway when they realize you are not sitting at your usual table. Their eyes scan over the crowded cafeteria and once they see you they invite themselves over, sitting down and quickly striking conversation with Alex, who they know from their homeroom. 

It starts to become a weekly occurrence for the three of you to join Julie’s table for lunch. Then it starts happening twice a week, then three, and eventually you stop referring to it as Julie’s table. 

It doesn’t take long for Julie and the Phantoms to be born. After the first time Julie invite all of you to hang out at her place, Reggie and Luke are left starstruck at the amount of instruments around the studio. 

“You play?” You ask, knowing your best friends are be incapable of forming coherent sentence. 

“Yeah. I play the piano, Alex plays the drums, hence the drum set by the corner,” Julie responds. 

You turn to Luke and Reggie, a clear smile on your face. They had always wanted to form a band, but your lack of musical ability left them with no one to form it with. You can see the gears turning in their heads and after a few seconds Luke asks the question. 

“Do you want to form a band?” 

. . .

Their first gig goes amazing and you find yourself staring at Julie. You had seen her perform before, having attended every single one of their practices, but never in front of an audience. She’s electrifying on stage, you quickly realize. Your hearts speeds up every time she makes eye contact with you and as sings her heart out to the lyrics she spent countless nights writing, you wish she was singing to you. 

You snap out of your daze once their set is over and Flynn pulls you backstage where Reggie and Luke squeeze you in a hug. Joyous laughter escapes you lips and you meet Julie’s eyes over Luke’s shoulder. She smiles widely at you and you suddenly can’t breathe. 

I’m screwed, you think.  

. . .

You’re not a subtle person, quite the opposite actually. So it takes about a week for everyone to realize your newfound feelings for Julie. Well everyone except Julie herself. 

Science class is spent staring at her from the corner of your eyes. During lunch you always rush to take the seat next to her and you look for any excuse to grab her hand. Whenever you’re in a bad mood, a smile from Julie will immediately lighten your day and prompt you to walk with a skip in your step. 

The first to approach you about it is Reggie as you are walking out of science. He pulls you away from Julie and into an empty corridor, dragging you away by the wrist. 

With a deep frown you pull your arm from Reggie’s grasp. “What?”

Not wanting to waste any time, he gets right to it. “You have a crush a Julie.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement, a known fact of the universe. 

Heat rushes to your face and you struggle to stutter out a response. “Uh-me? No! Why- wait. Why would you-“

“Save it,” He cuts you off. “You’re about as subtle as a moose-“

“A moose?” He raises his hand to silence you and you snap your mouth shut. 

“You need to tell her,” he said in a matter of factly. 

You raise your eyebrows and let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, not gonna happen. I’ll just make things weird. I’m at a good place right now and that is where I need to stay.” 

Reggie’s eyes soften. “Y/n,” He says and you recognize the tone quickly. 

You shake you head. “No. Reginald drop it.” With that said, you turn on your heel, ignoring Reggie’s words of encouragement coming from behind you. 

On the other side of the school, Flynn is having a very similar conversation with Julie. 

“You should just tell them how you feel!” Flynn practically begged her best friend. 

“They don’t like me that way. I’ll just embarrass myself and ruin our friendship. It is better if I just left things as they are.” Julie looks down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. Her eyes spot a bright purple happy face on the edge of her left shoe and smiles, remembering exactly who drew it. 

“Jules,” her friend states softly. Julie looks up reluctantly and meets Flynn’s kind gaze. “You won’t know if you don’t try.”  

The bell rings from above them and Julie breaks eye contact. “I have to go.” Her steps echo loudly in the empty hallway as she hurries off to her last period.

Reggie suddenly appears at Flynn’s side, startling her. “So what’s the plan?”

Flynn releases a loud sigh, the gears turning in her brain. “I think I have an idea.” 

. . .

For Flynn’s plan to be put into motion, they needed to wait for the perfect moment. Your birthday. 

Normally you spent the morning of your birthday with your parents and would later meet up with Reggie and Luke. This year, however, your friends were adamant about throwing you a party. So at about noon, Flynn shows up at your doorstep with the intention of keeping you entertained until the party is set to begin later that day. 

You lean into her happily as she wraps an arm around your shoulder, letting her guide you to the mall in order to find “the perfect outfit.” 

Four hours, two iced coffees, and a lot of stores later, you’re standing in Flynn’s bathroom, changing into your new clothes and running your hands through your hair in attempt to make it look presentable.  

A knock on the door halts your movements and you take a deep breath, opening the door and smiling at Flynn. 

“Y/n you look amazing!” She jumps up and down happily and you smile back, her excitement rubbing off on you. You have no idea what your friends plan so you keep your eyes peeled as Flynn drives you to Julie’s house, where you are able to see different colored lights emitting from the backyard. 

“Woah,” you say under your breath. Flynn sends a quick text to Reggie before guiding you out of the car. As you open the fence to the backyard, you hear the swift playing of piano keys that you instantly recognize as Julie.

Your eyes meet hers from across the yard and for the rest of the song, they stay connected. When asked later on about it, you would be unable to say which song they played. All you can focus on is Julie’s clear and powerful voice singing the lyrics directly to you. Eventually, guitars and drums join the piano playing but to you it’s just background noise. 

The song comes to an end and you realize that you’re not alone. The yard is filled with people from your year and Flynn pushes you through the crowd, everyone calling out greetings and happy birthdays. You respond kindly and excitedly, questioning when your friends had the time to put this together.

Once you reach the front of the make shift stage, which is just a raised platform in front of the studio doors, your eyes meet Julie’s again. Luke starts strumming his acoustic, leaning into his microphone and leading the whole party through his very own rendition of Happy Birthday, that everyone has come to know after years of being in the same school. 

Reggie pulls you to the stage and conveniently placing you next to Julie. She leans forward and grabs your hand, the last words of the song coming out in a whisper. 

“Happy Birthday,” she says, leaning her forehead against your own. 

You smile and your eyes glance down to her lips unconsciously, and you can faintly hear her swallow nervously. You wait a beat and, as if you can read each other’s minds, you both lean in at the same time. Your lips meet in a quick peck both pulling away in shock that it actually happened before leaning back in, more confidently this time. This being both of your first kiss, it’s messy and only slightly awkward, with neither of you knowing exactly what you are doing or if you’re even doing it right. 

And it’s perfect.

When you pull away for the second time there’s a moment of silence before there are cheers all around you. Alex is pulling out his wallet and handing Luke twenty dollars and Reggie and Flynn are jumping up and down together. 

You roll your eyes before looking back at Julie. You build up enough confidence to say what you have been thinking. “I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks,” you whisper, not wanting anyone besides her to hear. Julie’s answer surprises you more than the kiss itself. 

“Me too.” A small giggle escapes her lips once she says it, and a relived laugh escapes yours. 

“Can we do it again?” You risk asking. She nods before you’re even finished speaking. 

“Please.” With a small smile you place a hand on her cheek and pull her face closer to yours, closing the gap between you once again. 

The cheers ring louder in your ears and as you pull away you can’t help but saying, “Best birthday ever.”

[dodgefred]

spring awakening for the direction thing please

this is another long one please hit read more

i sort of have two answers for this one because for a while i’ve been thinking about how i’d direct the spring awakening play so i have a bunch of ideas for that but you probably meant the spring awakening musical so i’m gonna do my thoughts for the play in bullet points and then i’ll go more in depth for the musical.

the play:

the time i wanted to seriously do this irl was mid-pandemic and i was losing my mind so a lot of my blocking ideas were fully socially distanced and every character would wear face masks matching their costumes.

on the note of costumes i really wanted to have the actors able to choose their own costumes. the style would be the nonspecific time period most productions go with w the girls in dresses and the boys in like suspenders or whatever. i think it would give the actors more of a sense of connection to the characters, especially considering how strange the text can be to modern americans.

it would be performed either outdoors in a field or in a blackbox theater. the set would be fairly minimalistic. i would love to find a set motif like the falsettos revival’s foam cube but i haven’t put too much thought into what exactly that motif would be.

i’m not sure how legal this is but i think it would be a fun reference to get soft instrumentals of the musical songs to play behind their corresponding scenes.

any scene where actors would need to be closer than six feet (touching, kissing, etc) would be prefilmed in a silhouette style and projected onto a white sheet. this way actors would only have to be physically close once and not every night. during the show, actors would go behind the sheet for the scene. metaphorically this would also be an indication of the concept that while the children generally aren’t afraid of sex or kissing, they still have the knowledge that it’s an intimate act and still have some sort of inherent shame attached to it.

unrelated to my ideas specifically for this because i just thought of this but on that note i also think it would be really interesting for a production where the actors act behind a white sheet and all the audience sees is silhouettes. i think it would be a really cool way to play with shapes like that, and a bit of an extra challenge for the actors to try and be emotive and expressive when no one can see their expressions. it would also add to the idea of the children in the show not being understood despite their best efforts.

now in terms of the musical, i’m jumping around a lot for this one because with spring awakening i’ve seen it so many times and everyone’s done it a million different ways and so i don’t have exact ideas for the show scene-by-scene like i did with alice by heart. i do have an overall concept i’d like to follow, as well as a few specific scenes that i’d like to address. this is also going to focus more on my mindset while directing rather than the blocking and concepts itself, because spring awakening is much more clear with its stage directions than alice by heart is.

i know this is cheesy af but hear me out: a les mis dallas-style modernized production would hit so different. i’ve seen a lot of spring awakening productions and a lot of them try modernizing it but the directors don’t understand that putting a modern outfit on a period piece isn’t going to change much in the grand scheme of things. however i do think a lot of the problems in spring awakening can and should be addressed under a modern lens- these are real issues that still plague today’s youth, albeit maybe less dramatic than death by botched abortion.

this is also why for the song of purple summer, i’d make this connection between past and present much more clear by making the final costumes historically accurate (or at least historically accurate to the extent that most productions go for) in a similar color palette to their everyday wear. this is kind of an inversion of what spring awakening tried to do when it was off-broadway / in previews on broadway, but hopefully less……bad?

i think in order to be effective, some spring awakening scenes need to be done a certain way and most productions don’t do them correctly.

the first of which is the beating scene. in most productions, wendla and melchior enjoy it too much. i think this needs to be the exact opposite. wendla is a young girl with no concept of bodily harm and this leads her into some much less than ideal situations throughout the show. in this scene, we need to see wendla’s regret as soon as the beating starts, and yet her stubbornness and naïveté prevails. for melchior, we have a young boy who doesn’t know what he’s doing, either. in the play, we find out one of melchior’s worst nightmares was a dream where he started punching his dog and couldn’t stop. while the musical doesn’t include this but it context, i still need to see that bit of backstory in a melchior. contrary to wendla, melchior’s regret begins to kick in more at the end. in this scene, their emotions directly foil each other. we need to actually be able to see that.

also while i adore otto and georg and their woyb reprise, i really don’t understand why it belongs to them and i think just the instrumentals itself should be a taunting reprise, or wendla can quietly sing it to herself as the scene fades to black.

the next vital scene is the hayloft scene. quick trigger warning here for discussions of rape here so feel free to skip to the next chunk of text if you don’t want to read that sort of thing! i also want to apologize if i misstep in my description of this scene in any way, and if i actually directed this, i’d like to talk to some survivors to see what would actually be an appropriate way to perform this scene in a nonromantic way. these are just my immediate thoughts with the scene presented.

in the text of the musical, the hayloft scene is heavily romanticized, but i still think with the right direction, it can be played as how it is in the play. in the play, it’s more clearly rape, and even though in the musical wendla says yes, i would like to emphasize the fact that wendla doesn’t know what she’s saying yes to. a very important point of emphasis of this should be the climax of i believe. as the rest of the ensemble comes to their final harmony, we should cut to a blackout and hear wendla scream in pain overtop of the music.

the vineyard scene needs to be performed much more tenderly and sensitively than written. i would ideally like to work with queer actors for this scene and ideally have hanschen and ernst’s connection be much more genuine.

i think it would also be neat if there was a big set piece that looked like a tree branch and this scene can take place sitting on top of it.

overall my ideas for spring awakening are a lot less cohesive than for alice by heart because i’ve been thinking about this for a longer time and therefore everything is all over the place and i have concepts in my head for literally three different productions of it i guess, but i think it would be so much fun to work on no matter which way i do it!

[stormblessed95]

It's Jungkook's Birthday!!

To celebrate, here are some of my personal favorite Jungkook stage moments/performances!

To start, we HAVE to start, with My Time. Here is a stage mix performance. I know everyone is in love with the red outfit... but personally, but my favorite was the Day 1 black leather outfit:

And of course begin and Euphoria too. His solo stages are top notch. Undeniably powerful and incredible!

His solo dance to save me during MMA 2019 was holy crap amazing:

His iconic performance and cover of Rainism, which BLEW MY MIND:

When he opened up their I Need U performance in 2015 with a solo dance to Suga playing the instrumental on the piano:

Jungkook leading and mostly in the center for the mic drop dance break and SLAYING:

His Airplane pt. 2 intro plus just his confidence through the whole song and the way he ends it off. Ugh, love it:

When Jungkook KILLED IT rapping Namjoons verse of Ddaeng in 5th muster. Ughhh I love when we get Rapper Jungkook, I swear:

He was FEELING himself this day with this Boy With Luv performance and it now lives rent free, thank you very much:

Fake Love is Jungkook's song. Change my mind, you can't. It's his. It's better if we all just admit it. He nails every variation of this song they do and all the dance breaks too:

The way he goes all out for blood sweat and tears is really not funny either. Please look up and watch fancams of this performance for him, I'm at my video limit or I would link some:

ON is also Jungkooks song. He slays that performance every damn time. I really really really hope he gets to perform it in front of ARMY soon! He deserves to show off and hear us all die and scream for him in person:

And lastly I'll mention that if you didn't see him perform Idol in Sowoozoo Muster 2021. Please please go look it up. I still haven't recovered and I might never recover from him during that song... from that whole concert in general. Omg:

Happy 24th Birthday Jungkook! You are amazing!! We love you so much! These are just a few of my favorite stage performances from him, seriously there are so many, I could talk about it and Jungkook's stage presence FOREVER! But I'll end here anyway because of space requirements. Lol love this man!

[reallyhardy]

regent’s open air theatre LSOH (2018) breakdown

act two. continuing on from [this post about act one!]

after the intermission they went back into mushnik’s for ‘call back in the morning’ which featured the ensemble in the number with a bunch of telephones kind of tangling/tying up audrey and seymour with them, but by the end they’d all been disentangled - it looked so chaotic i was so impressed with how well organised it was to free them by the end of the song :’) found a backstage clip showing some ensemble members from this scene:

then it was time for more heartbreak!!! the scene where seymour shows audrey his leather jacket. i kinda loved the jacket itself tbh, it had all this fringe on the back and sleeves (which was another visual call to audrey ii in drag queen form, who wears a jacket with chain “fringe” on the sleeves) and there was a rhinestone plant and ‘seymour’ written in rhinestones. but of course audrey is horrified and backed herself up against the wall and started crying and after seymour threw the jacket away they go into suddenly seymour which was done quite sweetly - seymour handed her his ‘kleenex’ (but it was a wet wipe because she actually did take off her lipstick with it)

ALSO notably there to cast a sinister light on the emotional moment - the mushnik’s shop rotates to reveal the audrey ii plant, which was grinning behind audrey and seymour as they hug at the end of the song. LOVED THIS extremely ominous the fact that the plant was smiling evilly behind them was just chef’s kiss things are about to go horribly wrong.

but anyway. now that seymour and audrey are ‘official’ they kiss!!! kind of. it was more like… seymour leaned in and kissed her nose and then sort of…slid his face down kind of towards her mouth??? it was so awkward but...v cute :’)

and of course now that we’re in act ii things are going a little worse and it’s definitely showing on seymour, who has not been beaming nearly so much and looks pretty stressed out and upset a lot of the time. by suppertime he’s freaking out and looks genuinely so mad and angry with himself when mushnik gets eaten by the plant: which was done by having the plant mouth open, mushnik step inside, and then drag queen audrey ii step up behind and attack while vines close in, and then the mouth closes up:

i think... there was more of audrey ii trying to be flirtatious with seymour either before or after this, but he is much more disgusted by it and doesn’t have to try to snap himself out of it:

(note by this point audrey ii’s wig no longer resembles OG audrey’s, and by now seymour hates her guts.) this continues into ‘the meek shall inherit’ and i loved the staging of this one because the ensemble are still in black-and-white but now wearing these pink-green gloves with pointy ends (so they look like audrey ii’s vines) and they had vines extending out from the scenery/props too, all closing in on seymour who’s freaking out even more.

in this one matt willis made multiple quick changes to play all the different characters trying to buy seymour/the plant, and he was brill each time (this wasn’t all of the looks but it was all i could find from the show trailer:)

oh, and when it came to the “then there’s audrey” part of the song, seymour takes the kleenex from suddenly seymour out of his pocket.

so seymour plots to try and kill audrey ii by grabbing a bunch of weapons (and tying a green rambo-style headband around his head) but before he can get to it audrey comes in with her seymour-costume!!! (she was even shorter next to seymour then because she was wearing converse instead of heels) and argghhh it was just so cute!!! and the sweater she put on was the one she had to come back for during ‘feed me’ which was a cute touch.

(i could only find a design sketch for the main actress in that costume, but did also find her understudy rosalind james in the same outfit.) then... sadness again though because then they go into the ‘would you still like me/i’d still love you’ scene. ‘somewhere that’s green’ plays instrumental while seymour promises he’ll find them a better life. they do their adorable little awkward kiss again and then audrey leaves.

heading toward the end then into suppertime reprise/sominex, and then the confrontation… the whole time me knowing what’s coming i was just like audrey don’t but then of course…audrey does. (also she had another costume change, this time into a half-blue-half-pink nightdress with a transparent pink raincoat on top.)

she steps into the plant ‘mouth’ and audrey ii bites her neck vampire style (so there’s no doubt that she has been wounded, no “she just fell asleep because of the sominex” theory here,) before seymour can get her out.

somewhere that’s green reprise of course i was crying again – the actress kind of played the ‘when i die, which should be very shortly’ line for funnies rather than sincerely BUT. then she went into the reprise and ohhh my god i was so sad watching seymour hold her. i noticed they never really properly kissed on the mouth (because seymour’s bad at kissing) but he was really desperately hugging her and shaking and kissing her all over on her shoulders and her hands and it was DEVASTATING.

after audrey dies seymour kept crying her name which was…i thought a bit much but sure, why not. he was sad. then he carried her to the plant and she stood up and walked backwards so they were looking at each other as she went into the plant’s “mouth” and he held onto her hands as long as he could. (this time there were no vines and the drag queen version of audrey ii wasn’t there either so it was more of an emotional parting than watching a violent/comical death.)

after that seymour tries to kill the plant (drag queen audrey ii was standing above, on top of the mushnik store prop) so he shot at her first with his halloween prop gun and then tossed the boxes of rat poison into the plant mouth, and then of course charged into the mouth and the vines are back and grab and crush him and then he’s dead. RIP that silly fool who i loved.

then it’s don’t feed the plants! the urchins come out and are wearing new outfits and open the number…

then there was the ‘characters come back onstage as plant buds’ version of the ending, but oh my god. this was so much fun i loved it so much. mushnik, orin, audrey and seymour dash out of the plant opening wearing audrey ii-ified costumes and!!! it was amazing. mushnik was in a sparkly green sequin jacket and kilt, orin was wearing his black combat boots  and a sequin minidress, audrey was wearing a big poofy 1950s-ish (you know, because of her somewhere thats green dreams) pink-and-blue dress with flowers and little white gloves (and still her glasses) (and i remember as she ran out on stage she mouthed WHAT THE FUCK lmao) and seymour’s was this big puffy clown suit (probably because…he’s kind of a fool) over his blue shirt (now with sparkly red blood on it, implying that his arms/legs have been eaten) and all the ensemble also had similar crazy plant looks, very flytrap with a lot of teeth and big floppy tongues.

seymour and audrey had the little ‘we’ll have tomorrow’ line too which made my LSOH-obsessed ass get tearful again too - they grabbed each others hands for it and !!! my emotions.

there were a few bows after that but then audrey ii interrupted and was like wait we ain’t finished!!! and they did mean green mother from outer space as this huge dance number which was extremely fun. this finale was very similar to how the spongebob musical ends - after the song they tossed huge green beach balls into the audience and had a huge confetti cannon explosion. of course i went nuts for it lmao. and the best part is that THERE IS A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:

and then it was over. iirc it took a total 10 hours for my sister travelling there and back in on day, but it was 1000% worth it!!! next post: gonna look at costumes in detail!!!

[trevor-wilson-covington]

The Possibilities...Part 2

// After the last post of the CD covers I did went over so well with y’all, I decided to do the other 13 songs in the show and added in some character themed ones as well. Hope y’all like these ones as much as you did the last batch. I have 20, so they’ll be in 2 separate posts! 😊😄

** I also gave little descriptions for each cover to explain why I chose a certain pic, how I came up with the character or band specific logo in the top corner, and/or any other needed explanations (like college age looking characters or what’s up with Caleb).**

PART 1

~ For this one, I was deciding between a neon sign of a rainbow or going for a more generic picture of someone on a cliff side for lyrics like “That we're standing on the edge of...Something big, something crazy...Our best days are yet unknown...That this moment is ours to own...'Cause we're standing on the edge of great”. In the end, I liked the rainbow neon heart the most because it felt like it connected with lyrics “Shout, shout...C'mon and let it out, out...Don't gotta hide it...Let your colors blind their eyes...Be who you are, no compromise” really well. 

Logo: The band logo inside a Dahlia, which, depending on the CD cover, changes color to fit its background better

~ This cover I looked forward to as I worked on all the other ones, as I had found this art back when I was doing aesthetic/mood boards of the songs late last year. It is an amazing fit for the song and the control Caleb and his curse have over the boys as they perform it, a puppet master controlling his puppets for his own gain. 

Logo: Took the logo I had done my best to recreate for OSOH and used it here

~ Finally, for this one I had between stuck between doing this flower (or weed, idek) picture or one of 3 options of ones with trees that were miraculously still standing in the middle of a lake or in a foggy field. All encapsulated the feeling of standing strong and lyrics like “Even if I'm the last standing...I'ma stand tall...I'ma stand tall” very well, but a mutual and I decided the flower best represented Julie and the incredible strength/bravery she showcased going up on that stage and performing without the boys. Like the flower, Julie was persevering and deciding even without her band, her family, by her side she would “keep on going when it's all falling apart” because she’s “gotta keep on dreaming...’gotta catch that feeling" like the strong, amazing performer she is and always has been. 

Logo: The band logo inside a Dahlia, matching the color of the flower, Julie, because they’re a family now  

~ For Julie and the rest of the teens, I decided that it would be alright to age up because trying to find an exact match to their ages and looks using the resources I had was going to be practically impossible. This pic I had used for a Julie/Rose, mother-daughter mood board last year and thought it would work great here. (If i did do something wrong with this representation of Julie in regards to skin tone, let me know)

Logo: The same thing, Julie’s initials inside a Dahlia, that I used in Part 1 of this post set for songs she performed alone

~ I had a few options for a Luke pic, including 2 that ended up being too Charlie for this post, but when I found this pic I thought this would work best. Trying to find a pic that captures his hair, the beanie, and his style while also somewhat resembling Luke is stressful and impossible without likely losing my mind in the process. So, I decided a vague resemblance would work and decided to use my artistic license to say this is how I am choosing to represent our ghost himbo leading singer. The beanie felt right and not having the person’s whole face visible allowed for use of the imagination and for that air of mystery Luke aims to give off. 

Logo: I made a special logo for Luke of his initials in the same font as I used for them in the PH cover logo, but for this logo decided to put them atop a journal to represent the one he writes all his songs in and holds as sacred and many times off-limits to others      

~ For Alex, I also had a hard time finding a close enough match that worked to represent him through hair, clothing, or even stature. I ended up finding this pic, of an actor from Outer Banks I believe, that seemed to fit the Alex vibe well enough to me, despite not have any of those matching clothing items or a perfect match for hairstyle. 

Logo: For this one I went with the expected, default fanny pack with his initials on it because there wasn’t quite any other sticker options on the site I use for these that screamed Alex and the fanny pack is intrinsic to his character (and we love it)

~ Now for Reggie, I was able to find a pic that had both his look and allowed for him to have an instrument, even if I couldn’t for the other 2 himbos. It’s a pic of a member of The Neighbourhood performing and the leather jacket/white shirt, hair, and what I believe is a bass guitar fit with Reggie so well. I had 2 options of pics of this band member from 2 angles, but ended up deciding this one looked best. 

Logo: A cowboy on a horse to represent Reggie and his country music career dreams, plus ‘Home Is Where My Horse Is’, with his initials in a fitting font over it  

~ While I was hesitant to use a pic of 2 girls on the ‘Flying Solo’ cover in an attempt to not unintentionally represent Madi and Jadah’s skin tones wrong, for this one just aiming to represent Flynn by herself I did my best to find a pic of a girl that not only got Flynn’s hair as we see it in the show represented but also had a close match to her/Jadah’s skin tone. Here’s to hoping I did her justice (but if I still did do something wrong with this representation of Flynn in those regards, let me know)! I thought the outfit, while not as eclectic as Flynn’s on the show, worked well for a casual look for Flynn in like Senior year of high school or even college, since the pics age all these characters up a bit. 

Logo: For the logo I went with a turntable sticker and Flynn’s initials, including letters for ‘no last name’ as people have used for her in post tags, until we learn of a last name for her hopefully in the future

~ While looking for neon sign pics for other CD covers in this post set I came across many with people in them, a handful that also would have worked for Carrie, before finding this one among them. I loved the neon glow off the girl and the close match, as far as I can tell in the lighting, to Carrie/Savannah’s strawberry blonde hair. The outfit, similar to Flynn’s, works for end of high school or during college, where Carrie might dress in toned down versions of her usual style, we see her in during the show. The piercing and more carefree demeanor being effects of her letting go of the image she hid behind in HS and becoming a more authentic Carrie. 

Logo: I chose to put her initials over a diamond both because I wanted to use a diamond like I almost did for the pic in the ‘WOW’ cover and because of the diamond’s symbolism of things like strength/power, creativity, and balance/clarity

~ Finally, for Caleb I had originally had a sepia colored picture of a magician looking guy in a top hat looking out onto the ocean or some body of water with his back to the camera...then I found this one. My mutual, who has been helping me with this post set, and I nicknamed him ‘Sexy Caleb’! He just gives off that suave, over-the-top magician vibe that is kinda Caleb’s thing. Since the rest of the characters were merely resemblance pics of the characters, I thought why not just go that route with Caleb’s and have fun with it. This was the result and I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I do! 

Logo: Went with the default sticker of a top hat for Caleb’s logo because it just works so well to represent him and the added initials on it almost look like goggles, like he wears in the very last scene of the season

[sexywmatsui48]

Love or Duty | Chapter 1

Jurina convinced herself she stood in front of the bar to relieve the stress of her hectic day. Staring at the red neon letters above the door, Acceptance, she glanced back towards the darkening street. Salary men and women left office buildings, going back home after work. Strutting around dressed up to the nines in their black uniforms, some joined the subway, while others waited for their bus. Whether listening to music coming from their headphones, or their gaze riveted to their phone. Nothing on their face let transpire the frenetic pace of life in Tokyo.

Jurina’s fingers clutched her briefcase. Go back to her apartment and call it a day: that’s precisely what she should do. Forget about the foolish thought of passing that door. Returning her attention to the flashy red letters, she swallowed the lump in her throat. How often did her steps slow down when she passed in front of this bar? How many times had she paused a moment too long and considered entering, before quickly changing her mind and resume her walk?

Jurina closed her eyes, trying to force herself to move along and erase the inappropriate ideas flooding her mind. If she had resisted the temptation on dozens of occasions, she could do it once more. Against all common sense, a newfound determination swept through her. Taking off her wedding band, she slipped it in her vest pocket and marched forward, entering the Acceptance bar.

A funky, upbeat music welcomed her, her arrival prompting a few heads to turn around. She remained at the entrance, observing the place. On the left side of the room, was erected a stage, the instruments indicating that a band was expected to play. Around the stage were disposed velvet comfy chairs, a few occupied by customers. Between the stage and the first row of chairs, sufficient space had been left to dance. On the right side of the room, was the bar, some clients enjoying a drink at the counter, perched on a bar stool. The blue subdued lighting created a warm and cozy atmosphere.

On a Wednesday, it was far from full. By the number of people slowly approaching the stage, Jurina guessed the upcoming show was much anticipated and would attract a lot of attention. To complete her studying, she noted the bar was filled with women, without a single man in sight. She didn’t expect any less. After all, Acceptance was renowned for attracting a specific type of clientele.

Forcing her legs to move, she walked towards the bar, and took a seat on one of the elevated black stools. Placing her hands on the wood counter, her eyes rested on the empty space on her ring finger. Jurina felt a pang of guilt, and reconsidered her presence. This was wrong; she shouldn’t be here. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the front door. The female bartender was busy attending another customer. There was still time to change her mind and leave unnoticed.

 “Hi, you’re new? I’ve never seen you here.”

Jurina swung her head to her left, where the feminine voice came from. A few stools away was sitting a woman in her thirties. Long, dark hair fell around her shoulders and down her back. Jet black mascara outlined her eyelashes. She wore a white sleeveless top, a mini red full skirt, along with a pair of blue sandals. Jurina felt ill-at-ease in her black salary woman outfit. Her black vest, buttoned over a white shirt, and her black pair of trousers, contrasted sharply with the woman’s relaxed appearance.  

A gentle smile played across the woman’s lips, highlighted by a subtle, pale pink lipstick.

Jurina caught herself staring at her lips a moment too long.

“Yes, it’s my first time,” Jurina replied. She looked away. Jurina wasn’t a shy person. She was outgoing, and had no difficulty to engage in casual conversations with friends or coworkers. People praised her good nature. When a party was organized, she never refused. So why was she acting so distant? Another peek at her absent ring reminded her of her immoral intentions. She hadn’t only come to this place to empty her head after a long, exhausting day. She was in search of something else.

“May I join you?”

Jurina glanced back at her, and nodded her head in agreement. A smile of pleasure plastered the woman’s features. She moved to sit next to her.

“You haven’t ordered. What would you like to drink?”

Jurina’s attention fell onto the half-filled tulip glass in front of the stranger. “What are you drinking?”

“Sun and the Moon. It’s a mix of pineapple, melon and cranberry. It has a sweet taste, but it’s also alcoholic. It contains a lot of vodka.”

Jurina read between the lines; the woman was warning her against the possible effects the beverage could have on her. She was resistant to alcohol. Tonight, she wanted to forget about her problems. If this drink could help, it was what she needed.

“I’ll have the same,” Jurina replied.

The other woman expressed slight surprise, but didn’t say anything. She addressed the female bartender. “Akane. Can you serve the same to my friend?”

“Of course.” Jurina didn’t miss the curious look the bartender gave her, as if assessing her, before sending her a polite smile and preparing the drink.

“Do you come here often?” Jurina asked; it was impossible to ignore the familiarity between both women.

“Not that much, but the bartender is a good friend of mine. Who can say no to free drinks?” she said in a playful, joking tone. “I sometimes come on the weekend. Today is an exception. I had a long day at work, and needed to…” She trailed away, searching for her words. Her brow wrinkled with thoughts.

“Unwind?” Jurina offered.

“Yes.” The woman’s features softened; her lips curled into a smile. “Where are my manners. I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Rena.”

“Jurina.”

“Well, Jurina. Nice to meet you.” A drink was placed in front of Jurina, and she thanked the bartender. “I hope you’ll enjoy your drink.”

Jurina brought her glass to her lips, taking a sip. The woman was right; it contained a strong dose of alcohol. Despite it, she couldn’t resist taking another taste. It was different from what she was used to, but there was nothing wrong with trying something new. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the other woman watching her.

“I like it.” Jurina lowered her glass on the counter. “It has a sweet taste in the mouth. I might be tempted to take a few more.”

Rena let out a soft chuckle. “Yes, this cocktail can have this effect. I’m glad you like it. It’s my favorite.”

“I work in an advertising company. There are often tight deadlines to respect, and my days can be a little stressful,” Jurina said, marking a pause. A few women left the counter to approach the scene. The band had arrived. Jurina felt no desire to follow the gathering of people. Beside her, her companion had her gaze fixed on her, and was listening with attention. “What about you?”

“I’m an actress. At the moment, I’m playing in Central Hospital, a medical show that airs on TBS every Friday at 7 PM. You might have heard of it?”

“Well, I…” Jurina’s face clouded with slight embarrassment. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t watch a lot of TV.”

Rena’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “It’s alright, it’s a small part. I play the role of a lab technician. You wouldn’t have remembered me.”

“That’s hard to believe,” Jurina shook her head in disapproval. “I don’t see how anyone could forget a beautiful woman like you.”

Jurina tensed. Her heart beat increased. What on earth was she saying? She had blurted those words without thinking. She raised her glass, drinking hard.

Rena giggled. “Thank you for the compliment. So, you think I’m beautiful?”

Jurina returned her gaze to her, startled. The woman was teasing her. “I do.” The answer left her lips more naturally than she wished to admit. It had to be the alcohol speaking. She had already emptied her first glass. Deep down, she knew it was a false excuse. Her female companion was lovely, charming and attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. It was impossible to not feel drawn to her.

Rena went back to her drink, looking pensive. Jurina feared she had gone too far. Had she been too straightforward? “Be careful, or I’ll believe you’re flirting with me.”

“I…” Jurina didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t mind,” Rena said; she laid her hand on top of Jurina’s. “After all, I’m the one who approached you.”

The contact sent her pulses racing. Jurina knew it was wrong to feel that way. Every fiber in her body warned her against it, what would happen if she pursued with this interaction and train of thoughts.

“I’ll take another one.” Rena signaled the bartender. “What about you? Do you want another drink, or…” she paused for a breath, letting slip a twinge of doubt through her mask of confidence. “Do you want to stop here?”

Jurina was at a cross path. Reason told her to put some distance between them and leave before it was too late. Another part of herself, the one that led her to push the door of that bar, was eager to discover what would follow. Before she could open her mouth to answer, her head had nodded her consent. The woman displayed the most captivating smile, one she found unable to resist.  

 **********

After the third drink, Jurina perceived the influence of alcohol on her system. It made her more open, talkative. In Rena’s presence, she didn’t see the time pass by. During two hours, they discussed various topics, from music, cooking and traveling. Never did they broach, as if a tacit agreement existed between them, any subject that touched their private life.

Their complicity made Jurina forget all about the late hour. Every opportunity was good for Rena to brush Jurina’s shoulder, or rest her hand upon her leg. Rena used the music as a pretense to lean over and speak against her ear, her lips touching her cheek too frequently to be an accident. Her rose perfume, that reached Jurina’s nostrils whenever she invaded her personal space, blended with the freshness of citrus scents, both soothing and intoxicating at the same time.  

They were playing a dangerous game.

“This is my favorite song.” Rena’s attention was drawn by the ballad the band was singing. “Will you dance with me?”

The proposal set up a few alarms in Jurina’s head. “I-I’m not so much of a dancer…”

“Oh, come on.” Rena raised from the stool. She reached for her hand. “Everyone knows how to slow dance.”

Jurina didn’t have the opportunity to protest that she dragged her towards the stage. She stopped in the middle of the dancefloor, amidst the other couples of dancers, and threw her arms around her neck. Jurina’s heart hammered in her chest. She stood transfixed on the spot, unable to move, Rena’s body pressed against hers.

“You’re supposed to put your hands around my waist,” Rena murmured playfully to her ear. “Or people are going to look at us awkwardly.”

Jurina met her gaze, amusement flickering in the eyes that met hers. Jurina’s hands touched her waist, tentative, then slipped her arms around her. They moved in rhythm with the music, brushing the floor softly. Before Rena’s tender smile, Jurina let herself go. Little by little, the tension melted from her body and she slowly relaxed. When Rena buried her face against her shoulder, Jurina tightened her hold ever so slightly.

It was like time was suspended, and nothing else mattered but the two of them. Jurina didn’t pay attention to the lyrics of the song, or the other couples dancing. All she could focus on was the gorgeous woman in her arms, and the intimacy they shared. How was it possible to feel such a strong connection to someone she barely met? She shushed the little voice in her head telling her this was wrong. While the truth scared her, it was impossible to deny they were attracted to each other.

She could have danced with her all night.

Everything eventually comes to an end. In the background, the music faded, breaking the magic.  Rena disentangled her arms from her neck. The band announced it was the last song, and the crowd dissipated. None of them made any move to leave. Rena’s lips were so close to hers; she could have easily stolen a kiss. Jurina felt a twinge of shame for letting such a thought cross her mind.

Rena took her hand, and lead them back to the bar. All along the way, Jurina tried to analyze what had transpired between them. Why had she let another woman get so close to her? Her actions were irrational. She should have left that bar hours ago. In fact, she shouldn’t even have passed that door in the first place. They regained their seat, both falling into an unusual silence.

Rena raised her glass to her lips, and Jurina mimicked her actions, trying to make sense of the situation. When she glanced back in Rena’s direction, she found her looking at her intently. Rena settled her drink back on the counter. Her hand found hers, linking their fingers together. “I’m going to the bathroom. Will you join me?”

Jurina’s heart raced at Rena’s suggestive smile.

She didn’t wait for an answer and left. Jurina followed her retreating form, not losing the implication of what she had offered. She reached for her drink, noticing how little was left of it, and emptied it down in one gulp. Her feet moved on their own volition. Before she realized it, she had pushed the bathroom door.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

Rena waited on the other side of the room, her back leaned against the white, tiled bathroom wall. Jurina watched her expression of pleasure change to longing. She shuddered, and felt a burning need for her grow deep inside of her. She swept the place around, enough to acknowledge they were alone. Rena tore herself away from the wall and reduced the few meters separating them. Once in front of her, she wound her arms around her neck and drew Jurina’s mouth to hers.

“I’ve wanted you since you took a seat at the bar.”

The moment Rena’s lips made contact with hers, Jurina threw herself into that kiss. Rena’s lips parted and her mouth opened in invitation. That small invitation was all Jurina needed. Jurina pulled her close, and kissed her hungrily. The simple taste of her elicited reactions from her body that swept her away in their intensity.

Jurina could feel herself sliding towards that dangerous cliff. The cliff where the entire world gave way before her burning urges. Her hands wrapped around Rena’s waist, holding her steady. Rena never hesitated nor resisted. The more Jurina took, the more Rena gave, and she clung to her, Rena’s body pressed so closely against hers she could feel every supple curve moulding to her.

How long they stayed that way, drowning in the taste and touch of the other’s mouth, Jurina didn't know, and truly didn't care. Had it not been for the demands of their oxygen starved lungs, she might not have pulled her lips from her own. Rena was here in her arms, and Jurina was losing herself in the smell of her, the taste of her, the very feel of her soft, warm skin beneath her fingertips where they brushed her bare shoulders.

Her hands moved down her back, exploring, trying to slip underneath her white shirt. Their kisses turned more demanding, pressing. It was messy, urgent. When Jurina kissed her, she discovered she had more passion and fire within her than she ever imagined, for one luscious taste of Rena’s lips only left her hungrier for more.

“I needed that so badly,” Rena gasped.

“Me too,” Jurina confessed.

When Jurina’s mouth met hers again, Rena took control of the kiss, her tongue plundering the depths of her mouth and leaving her trembling with arousal and desire. Jurina drew back long enough to gaze at her with enough unbridled passion in her eyes, for the other woman to know they both wished the same thing.

Their kisses turned more passionate, none of them showing signs of wanting to stop. Jurina found herself pushed against the wall. She heard her vest falling on the ground, and a pair of hasty fingers unbuttoning her shirt. Next thing she knew, Rena’s palms were mapping her breasts through her bra, her nipples pulling tight under her ministrations.

“You’ll need that.”

The kiss was broken; Jurina dragged her heavy-lidded eyes open. Trying to figure out what she meant, she followed Rena’s actions. Detaching herself from her, Rena placed a coin in the wall machine, and retrieved the fallen condom. Surprise flashed in Jurina’s eyes. “H-How did you know?”

Rena gave her a malicious, knowing look. “You think I didn’t notice the bulge between your legs? It’s not a secret what kind of people come to this bar.”

Jurina was taken aback, speechless. “So, you have… with people like me?”

“I don’t have any preferences, but yes, a couple of times. Why?” She slipped the plastic bag into the front pocket of Jurina’s pants. “Isn’t it what you were looking for when you entered that bar?”

“I…” Jurina made no immediate reply, and considered for a moment. “I’m not sure what I was searching.”  

Confusion crossed Rena’s features. “You wanted some company.” She lightly swept her tongue between Jurina’s lips, pressing her warm, soft lips to hers. “Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not…” Jurina couldn’t deny it.

“Then, come in.”

Rena grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her into an empty toilet, shutting the door close behind them. Jurina didn’t know what she found the most frightening and enticing at the same time: that she wanted another woman so much, or that she was desired with equal hunger. Rena didn’t waste time to work on her pants, pulling them down, then pushed her down on the toilet seat. Jurina’s mouth went dry; her heart jolted. She watched in awe as Rena’s hand disappeared under her red full skirt and pulled off a pair of pink underwear, letting it fall on the floor.  

She grew more excited as Rena hiked her skirt up and straddled her. Jurina helped her remove her white top from above her head, Rena tossing it aside, her pink bra following the same path. Jurina pulled her closer, and latched her lips onto hers. Her hands moved up so her thumbs touched the undersides of her exposed breasts. Jurina could feel Rena’s heartbeat, and she breathed more heavily by every second. With every breath, her breasts moved slightly and Jurina moved towards her nipples. She caressed them freely and fully, cupping one in each hand and rubbing each in a circular motion.

“D-Don’t make me wait.” Rena’s voice sounded husky, a little breathless. “I want you inside me.”

Jurina needed no further encouragement. Her hand reached between Rena’s legs, but was halted in her exploration. “There’s no need for any more foreplay.” Rena grabbed her wrist. “Trust me, I’m ready.” Jurina gently freed herself from her hold. She resumed her progress underneath Rena’s skirt, approaching the soft flesh of her inner thighs. Her fingers came in contact with damp folds. “See? Told you.” Rena smirked back at her. She hooked a finger on each side of Jurina’s boxers and inched them down, revealing Jurina’s manhood. Astonishment touched her face, followed by an amused smile.

Jurina felt slightly embarrassed.

She was as hard as stone.

Rena touched Jurina’s cheek and ran her thumb across her lips. She leaned forward, gently kissing her. “Do you want to put it on, or will I? What do you prefer?”

Through her frenzy mind, it took Jurina a few seconds to remember where Rena had placed the condom. Jurina retrieved it from her pants pocket, and tore it open, slipping the protection on over her erection. Rena took a moment to position herself, then reached between Jurina’s legs and guided her manhood into her. She lowered herself smoothly, gently, until Jurina held her completely inside her. Jurina gave a gasp of excitement as she felt the hot, moist clench of her muscles on her.

Rena began moving on top of her. She moved slowly, sliding out of her until only the tip remained inside then slowly thrusting back in again until she filled her completely. Each stroke made her whimper and moan slightly, her arms tightening around her. Rena continued her slow languid movements, holding her intense chocolate-eyed gaze with her own. They rocked together, two minds slowly merging to become one as their bodies melded until it was impossible for her to know which was her pleasure and which was hers.

She rocked rhythmically, back and forth, rising and falling, changing sometimes to a lewd circular sway. It drove them both crazy, if the hitches in their breathing were any indication. Jurina drew one of those tight nipples into her mouth. Gripping handfuls of her hair, Rena let out a sharp cry of pleasure. Jurina’s hands gripped Rena’s hips and grinded her down on her. Jurina sped up the tempo.

Hard and fast she pushed her down on her, her tongue moving in sync with her hips, encouraged by Rena’s rising passion, by the hands that clenched her back. Jurina sent her free hand down to where they were joined, teasing and coaxing her sensitive bud. Rena’s moans of pleasure encouraged her fiery plundering of her body. Jurina closed her eyes and let the pleasure radiate outward from where their bodies were joined. Jurina felt a pulling at her shaft in rhythm to their movement. It was the muscles inside Rena, caressing her. Jurina made a low sound in her throat.  

“You can hold it. Just… a little longer.”

Jurina heard Rena’s whispering pleas, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She teetered on some brink of ecstasy, trembling on the edge just this side of sanity. Rena’s breath was coming faster now. They went on, moving in unison. Rena adjusted the angle to reach her most sensitive spot, far up inside her womb. That made Jurina’s eyes open. The physical pleasure could no longer be separated from the mental, and she felt them both rising to the edge toward the crest of ultimate pleasure.

Rena reached that pinnacle first. Gasping out Jurina’s name, she shuddered around her, her contractions clamping down on her shaft. Rena clung to her while her body shivered in the aftershocks. Jurina’s own release followed on the heels of hers. She lost all control and climaxed with her, riding the waves of pleasure.

When Jurina returned to herself, it was to the feeling of Rena’s fingers stroking her hair. A sensation of satisfaction drifted from her, a sated happiness and warmth that was intoxicating. Rena’s body still trembled from the force of her last orgasm and she shuddered as well. Breathing heavily, still buried deeply inside of her, Jurina dropped a trail of kisses down her neck, and on her shoulder.

Minute by minute, they came down from the euphoria but remained locked in each other’s arms. For the first time in more years Jurina could remember, she had finally experienced sexual pleasure again.

Jurina felt Rena backing slightly, and pressing her lips against hers. A smile pulled at her lips and she returned the kiss, almost wishing this moment could last forever. Eventually, Rena slowly removed herself from on top of her. She retrieved her fallen clothes from the floor, and readjusted them as best as she could. Jurina watched her moving towards the door, and she knew this was it. Her short, but memorable encounter with Rena was coming to an end. She turned around in her direction. “Thank you. I enjoyed it.”

Rena gave her one last lingering smile and unlocked the door. Jurina followed the sound of her footsteps drawing away, followed by the bathroom door opening and shutting close. Jurina was left alone with her thoughts. A one-night stand. It was all that it was. Once Jurina would have left that place, she would return to her daily life, and pretend that moment never occurred.

**********

Jurina dropped her keys in the ashtray, and hanged her vest on the coatrack. Removing her shoes in the entrance, she was careful not to make too much noise as she made her way inside the dark apartment. She stole a peek in the direction of the bedroom: the lights were off. Pushing the bathroom door, she removed her clothes, and entered the shower. A steady stream of warm water cascaded over her shoulders, washing away any physical trace of her misconduct.

Visions of Rena filled her mind. She had no intention of seeing her again. No clarification was needed for them to know what this nightly encounter was. But it didn’t mean Rena was someone easy to forget. She had made her feel something, on both an emotional and physical level, that she hadn’t felt in years.

Jurina made her way to the bedroom, slowly opening the door. Her gaze fell down on her wife, sleeping soundly in bed. The pang of guilt got bigger. She made her way towards her own side of the bed, and took a seat on the side of the bed, her back turned to the other woman while she put on her pajamas. She had to repeat herself again and again it was only a moment of weakness, to not let the shame consume her. Placing her wedding ring on the bedside table, she quietly slipped between the sheets.

The mattress shifted behind her.

“Did you stay at work late again?”

“Yes, I wanted to finish some paperwork.” Jurina bit down on her lower lip. It was the first time she lied to her wife.

“You can arrive at work later. Don’t forget we have a meeting at 11 AM with the board committee.”

“I won’t…” Jurina’s voice trailed away uneasily. “Thank you for reminding me. Goodnight, Sakura.”

“Goodnight.”

Behind her back, Jurina heard her wife falling back asleep. Jurina tried to do the same, but found herself wide awake. She stared at the wedding ring on the bedside table, reminder of the commitment she had made to the woman sleeping in bed with her. And the misdeed she had committed tonight for the first time. Jurina squeezed her eyes shut, wishing to erase from her mind once and for all any memory of Rena’s enchanting dark, brown eyes.

[dannymayevent]

Great work @paper-glasses completing the daily calendar! It was great seeing all of the different art works you came up with!

This fic was created by @phandom-phriend for your day 29 prompt Heat

*tw mentions of death, parental fights

----

Ever since she saw those people on the TV screen with their loud instruments and voices, with their crazy hair colors and even wilder outfits, Ember knew she wanted, needed, to be part of that. Her parents were always quick to turn off the television when these bands came on, or change the radio station when something particularly loud or out of their comfort zones came on. But even at nine, that couldn’t stop Ember.

The second she had the chance, she found herself in the music room of her school. It wasn’t much, seeing as the school was for elementary students who couldn’t really grasp the idea of complexity quite yet, but she was desperate to get her small hands on something. Anything. The teacher was more than happy to help with her little hobby, taking the time to teach her things about rhythm and notes. Teaching her how each part worked to create the whole of what would later be heard on the radio by thousands.

Ember was entranced.

In middle school the very first thing she did was join the band. It wasn’t quite what she wanted, but even that tiny drum set served as the perfect outlet. Her parents had been fighting more and more lately, but because they were so absorbed in their own petty fights they didn’t even notice that she often returned home late from practice. It worked for her in that way, seeing as music still didn’t really seem to be their ‘thing’, but when she actually wanted for their eyes to look her way…

So Ember tried. She tried so hard to excel in all her classes, in her band performance, even in her chores to try and turn those angry glares into proud fondness like it used to be. Or maybe it was never like that and it was simply her child mind making the best of things. But it is a goal she strived to achieve in some sort of way from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed each night.

In the end, her grades slipped. Ember was still trying so hard, but it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t bring herself to focus on her studies the same way that she focused on music. No matter what she tried, she just couldn’t get the same joy from reading or equations that she got from beats and lyrics. Sitting in a classroom could never have the same appeal as being on a stage, but it seems that kind of logic doesn't work on teachers or state tests. Who knew?

In eighth grade, a friend of hers introduced her to the guitar. It was something her dad kept propped up in the living room corner. The previous times she had been over, Ember had thought the item was merely a decoration to ‘tie the room together’. But when he found Ember staring at it and offered to teach her, that was a moment she could never forget for the rest of her life.

Feeling those strings under her fingertips. The way her heart beat with each sound that strummed from the instrument with only a slight movement of her hand. The way it sent shivers down her spine with the absolute feeling of power and pride dancing in her veins with every new note. This was her instrument. The guitar called to her in a way that drums and flutes and clarinets never had. She knew that from that moment on, she would do everything in her grasp to keep this feeling with her.

At sixteen she is no longer in band, but instead choir. They had recruited her during freshman year and she found that she enjoyed singing just as much as she enjoyed the guitar. The freedom and range it gave her, the chances for solos and the spotlight. For all those eyes on her. Her parents never came to a show, but when the stage lights flashed in her eyes so that the crowd became nothing but shadows, it was easy to pretend they approved. To pretend things were okay and that she would see them after the show. To prove her worth was more on the stage than it could ever be on paper.

Now she is also working part time at some stupid diner. It’s totally not her scene with the overly stressed coworkers and the customers that pretend to know their jobs better than they do. The grease from the food and the same six songs playing during her long shifts aren’t quite the excitement she’s looking for. Not to mention the tacky uniform that totally clashes with her bright red curls…

So if she keeps waiting for a Help Wanted sign to appear in the window of the record shop across the street, who really needs to know?

But it pays well. Well enough that she finally, finally, gets what she’s been wanting for so long. An electric guitar of her very own, colors customized to shine perfectly in the spotlights glow. Holding that gem in her hands for the first time nearly brought her to her knees. This, this right here in her thin hands, is her legacy. This shop in this small town is going to be the start of something great, it’s just that no one else knows it yet.

At eighteen it’s her senior year and she refuses to graduate without doing something she deems herself as great. So without a second thought she signs up for some talent show with a grand prize of $5,000 and a record deal. She has to drive three states away and skip a few school days to make the auditions, but school work and attendance has never stopped her before.

A week later, she got an email congratulating her on making it into the first round.

And just like that she began to shoot up to the top like a rocket going to the depths of space. Ember won round after round after round. Sure, seeing the crying faces of her competition that got sent home wasn’t a good feeling. But the feeling of being so close to stardom, being recognized as one of the best, let those negative feelings be drowned out. They all may have had dreams, but she did too. And she wasn’t going to give hers up for anything or anyone.

And then

She

Won

She won the competition, driving all over the country to different venues to perform her way to the top all by herself. All those hours practicing, all those moments where she chose not to give in when the rest of the world told her to, lead up to this moment. This very moment where the gold and silver confetti falls from the ceiling accompanied by matching balloons. This moment where the judges she's seen face to face countless times over the course of this journey walk up to her with a golden trophy. This moment where she gets to choose which record label she wants to sign to.

This moment where she is truly free.

Then came time for her first live performance. Her hair all tied up, makeup done in a way to leave an impression. Outfit displaying all the power and ferocity within. This would be her debut song to the world. The first pillar after a long string of stepping stones leading her to the fame she has desired since she was small. Her parents still aren’t in the crowd, but that’s okay now. Now she has fans that watched her journey cheering her name. And the only way she plans to go is up.

Except that didn’t happen. Halfway through her song there was an… accident. One of the stage crew members didn’t properly put out their cigarette backstage and started a small fire. It could have been easily handled, but the assistant who found it panicked and fanned it with the papers they had been holding, unintentionally making the flames bigger.

By the time Ember realized the heat wasn’t from her workout of working her stage magic, but from the hidden flames backstage, it was already too late. The rope they had used in place of the rusted metal beam that once held one of the spotlights burned.

The rope burned and the light came tumbling down, down, down. All she could do was look up into it as the bulb flickered out. Look up and hope against all hope that this wasn’t it. That there would be more to her story.

“... But I woke up in the ghost zone instead of some hospital bed. Years had already passed by the time I manifested and everyone… everyone had already forgotten about me. Just another news story. Well, they did change the safety measures for stage performances after that. So I guess that’s a win.” Ember sighed, looking out at the stars above them. Sometimes it hurt to look at them, all twinkling and bright above her.

Sometimes she worries that one might fall.

“I’m… sorry, Ember.” Danny said sadly. He knew that all ghosts had their story, a reason they remained. But hearing them never got easier. The pain of having lost everything just to be stuck in some kind of in-between is a burden that feels like it’s too much to bear, but there is no escaping it either.

“It’s okay. Well, it’s not, but you don’t have to be sorry.”

“I wish I could help you.”

“Well, you could let me perform my hypnotizing show without issues.”

Danny laughed and shook his head. “Fat chance. Unless you can do it without the whole mind control thing, I don’t think that can work.”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” Ember laughed back before standing up “Well, maybe one tame show wouldn’t be so bad.”

The halfa stood up after her and smiled. “Then it’s a deal. The mayor owes me one, so I’m sure I can get you a great stadium attendance.”

“You know…. You’re not so bad, kid.”

“Neither are you.”

The two stayed silent for a moment, simply looking out to the stars, both of them thinking about their broken dreams caused by being a ghost. So many things were lost or taken from them. But that’s the funny thing about being broken, sometimes your edges line up with someone else's. Sometimes with someone you would never even expect.