#day6 the book of us: the demon

[bloomingbora]

people are matching their photocards with random cds on twitter, so i joined and decided to share them on this hellsite too

[sanctuary1988]

~ Fate's Cruel Hand |9| Gwi

French: /the petals of love/

Pairing: Gwi x fem! noble! Reader

Summary: A heartless vampire falls in love for the first time in centuries of loneliness. Passion, secrets, betrayal and love drown the royal palace. Will your love for Gwi prevail through time or will it wither away like a fallen rose petal? Maybe love was his punishment, maybe love was your salvation. Or wasn't it a curse to you both? Because, who can beat a race against time? Who can love in the dark? Who can love without truth? After all, even the most beautiful flower will wither away and end in ashes of time, remembered only by the one who cherished her the most.

Warnings: strangers to lovers?, fluff, angst, TENSION (again), general vampire stuff, melancholy, mentions of illness, crying, character death, HEAVY ANGST, feelings of grieving and sorrow, power play, secrets, period typical misogyny, age gap (huge), dark romance, conflicting emotions, feelings of lingering and wishing for someone/something, historical! AU, royal! AU?, cannon copilant, (let me know if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 5.1k words

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME & Welcome to chapter 9, darlings! A little treat from me to thank you all for all the love this story I began writing for sheer fun is receiving. Tagging @yumisventingmachine and @my-day6 for their unwavering support for this story. And by @yumisventingmachine wish, I wrote another poem for this chapter as well! Let me know your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear from you, loves. Enjoy! 🫶🫶🫶

*A/N: There's a poem I wrote for this story that you'll find in this chapter, I do not allow for it to be used in any other media or to be reposted/translated.

In solitude, I find your voice. 

A voice that’s already dead. 

My light was consumed by darkness within. 

A punishment, a curse that I cannot forgive. 

The petal has fallen from the rose. 

The nightmare awakened at dawn. 

An instinct that comes and goes. 

An immense power, yet also my one flaw. 

I have killed my heart. 

Like poison, my words command. 

A demon of temptation, 

a monster of damnation. 

The echoes of your voice are gone,

I can no longer hear you say my name. 

A name from a man that is now dead. 

Killed by the claws of my own fate. 

With a sigh, you closed the book before you put it aside. Each time you read one of the poems of the mysterious book you grew more and more melancholic. For they were beautiful in their own bittersweet nature. You understood that the author had lost someone or something precious to them. And the thought of it made your heartstrings being pulled cruelly. 

It was late at night but you couldn’t sleep. The news of your mother’s illness were still too fresh in your mind. Your heart ached at Gwi’s negation for you to go to her side and be there for her when she needed it the most. Defeated, you stood up, taking up the silver chamberstick at your side, you couldn’t help but observe the intricate design of it. The plate was made with cravings and subtle undulations that resembled a round leaf while the central socket was made into a beautiful rose where the candle stood proudly among the darkness. 

You left your room in silence, ignoring the whispers of your soul as they spoke to you about sorrow and grief. The shadows around you seemed to swallow down the only beacon of light you had in your life. You entered the throne room only to find Gwi sitting on the magnificent chair. You bowed down at him, not uttering a word before you continued to walk to the other side of the underground palace, where the library, your sanctuary, was. 

“It’s late, petal.”

You stopped in your tracks at the sound of his deep voice resonating across the walls. You gulped, turning slowly to face him while your heart raced within you. His eyes, as dark as the night itself were fixed on you with a mixture of authority and concern in their depths. 

“Why are you wandering the halls at this hour?”

You didn’t question why he was up himself. You didn’t question the slight worry that flashed in his eyes, or had it been the candles flickering around him? You didn’t protest about his decision that had crushed your heart. 

“I can’t sleep, My Lord. You said I didn’t need permission to visit the library.”

He hated it. He hated how sad your voice sounded. He hated how dull your eyes looked. He hated how cold you had grown to him. And he hated that he had caused all your pain. His expression softened at your words before he stood up and walked towards you, his movements graceful and commanding. Gwi stood in front of you, his presence was both overwhelming but oddly calming as well. 

“You have been troubled ever since I refused to let you visit your mother.”

His fingertips lifted your chin, forcing you to look into his eyes that you were so trying to avoid. His touch, that had once sent shivers down your spine, now felt cold against your skin and you missed the warmth that had blossomed between you both before the dreadful letter arrived. 

“I know that my decision hurt you, but I will not apologise for it. You belong to me, flower, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

“Even if that means breaking my heart?”

Your eyes held a fierceness he had never seen before, the tension rose like a tidal wave. The room spinned with unspoken words that were left to linger in the realm of your thoughts as you lost yourself in his eyes.

“Write to her.”

It sounded more like a command rather than a suggestion. But the softness of his eyes gave him away. His touch left your skin and he straightened back up, towering over your figure with his intimidating gaze. 

Gwi avoided your question for he did not want to speak the answer. He looked down at you with a mixture of longing and sorrow that swirled in the depths of his power. 

“Words are not compared to one’s presence, My Lord.”

Your answer was said without emotion whatsoever. It lacked your usual happiness, your cheerful tone. Your curiosity. It was flat as it danced through the night. 

“But do not deny the comfort they bring. There’s a reason why you are going to the library right now. Write to her, petal. I will see that your letters reach her and I’ll personally hand you her responses. You have my word.”

You looked up at him, searching for any sign that he was deceiving you, that he was making you believe a false truth so that you could move on from your worries and early grief. But you found none. There was not even a spark of lies in his dark eyes. So you sighed to yourself, in either surrender or acceptance you did not know anymore. 

You nodded at him, a subtle movement of your head that was enough to calm his heart as it weighed down with guilt for your heartbreak. A heartbreak he knew was necessary. A pain that rooted into the selfish desires of the vampire lord who claimed you as his one and only rose. 

You sat in the library, your mind wandering beyond your soul. Gwi watched you as he pretended to read a book, his eyes glancing at you from time to time. Silence drowned the sanctuary of books, the soft scraping of the brush against the paper filled your ears, quieting down the screams from your mind that threatened to pull you down a pit of anxiety. 

He watched you write, pour down your heart into the ink and parchment. The rose chamberstick you had carried with yourself rested at the corner of the small desk you were currently working at. The single flame flickered softly and the shadows bathed your beauty in darkness that suited your grey soul. 

Time was a foreign concept as you wrote, character after character, emotion after emotion. Word after word until the paper was filled with your handwriting. You sighed, putting the brush aside and waiting for the ink to dry. Your mind was still lost in your own cruel sentiment. Your heart felt heavy within you, was love really such a punishment? 

You looked up, your eyes meeting the ones of the vampire lord as he watched you with a certain sorrow in his dark eyes. You could have melted if you weren’t feeling betrayed by him and his decision of keeping you with him. 

You broke eye contact, a silent conversation that only you both could understand. A silent testament of pain and regret. A subtle wave of emotions that neither of you were fast enough to grasp. You folded your now dry letter before standing up, your yellow hanbok dress a contrast to your dulled out emotions. With silent steps, you walked to where he sat, his eyes followed your every move until he looked up at you from his sitting position. 

“You promised, My Lord. Please make it so that my mother receives this letter.”

Gwi looked at you, his eyes glued to the letter in your hand as you extended your arm to him. Then he looked at your expression, completely ridden of any emotion that had once graced your beauty. 

He took the letter from your hold, his fingers brushing yours. With a gentle motion, you bowed down at him before turning around with the intention of returning to the desk and picking up your chamberstick so that you could go back to your room but his hand stopped you as it held yours with a firm yet still gentle grip that sent shivers down your spine. You swallowed, only for then to look back down at your lord and master of the heart. 

“You do not love your father at all yet you have an interesting affection for your mother. Why’s that, petal?”

Your hand gripped his subconsciously as the question spoken by his deep voice made you remember things you had long since buried in the depths of your mind. 

“Would it make a difference if I told you?”

But he did not answer. Silence was his response. It wouldn’t matter whether you spoke of your burden or not when it came to Gwi’s decision of letting you go and visit your mother. It wouldn’t make a single difference. But his eyes spoke a language of silent compassion that made you sigh to yourself. 

“Sit down, flower.”

You obeyed. His murmured order made you act on command as he pulled you softly to the soft cushion next to him and you sat by his side while shadows swallowed the underground palace in its secrets and lies. 

“I spent the happiest years of my life with my mother. She taught me many things, even when I was just a mere child, her experience and her love made me survive in the world my father lived in.” 

The vampire lord listened to you with his complete attention. His eyes never left your face, even when you broke eye contact and stared into the burning flame of his own chamberstick, lost in your world of memories. He was still holding your hand, and his soft squeeze over your fingers brought you back to reality as you took a deep breath before continuing. 

“My father travelled a lot. There were things happening between them, things that I was too young to understand so he took me away from my home when I was twelve. I never saw my mother again.”

“Is that why you hate your father?”

You looked at him as he voiced that question. Your eyes shining with unshed tears at the confession of your soul that you had kept hidden for so many years it felt strange to let go. To speak of the secrecy. Of the past. Of the unchangeable times you had to live through. 

“At first, yes. But then I realised he was never a good father to me so I simply did not love him as a daughter is supposed to do.” 

It broke his heart to see you so shattered and vulnerable. So sad. For you were his flower, the beacon of light that had suddenly appeared in his life between the darkness he was drowning in. You were his most precious possession, his treasure. And it pained the seemingly heartless vampire to see you suffer like this, more so because your pain rooted to his cruel negation. 

“You really miss your mother, don’t you petal?”

A tear slipped down your cheek as you nodded. A lump formed in your throat, killing the words you so wanted to voice out. His other hand lifted in the air, hovering over your cheek as he hesitated for a moment. A second. A second too long before his skin touched yours. Wiping away the tear that slowly rolled down your precious skin. 

“Give me a week. Then we’ll go visit her.”

Your eyes lit up at what he said. His words had such power, such command that he was able to either make you sad or give you the world with a couple of sentences. It made your heart skip a beat and your hand squeezed his in gratitude. 

“Really? You are not playing with me, are you My Lord?”

Gwi tilted his head to the side, a soft, nearly hidden smirk danced over his lips at your evident change in mood. From sour to sweet. From grey to yellow with just two sentences that left his lips in deep waves of truth. 

“I’m not that cruel, sweet flower.”

You smiled. That smile he had secretly missed. That smile that was enough to light up his life. Even when he didn’t voice it out to you. That smile that was your most beautiful jewel. 

Ever so subtly you leaned into his touch, his warmth hand cradled your face with such delicacy as if you were going to break. 

“Thank you, My Lord. Really, thank you. I can’t express how much this means to me.”

Your words were whispered only for him to hear. The intimacy of the moment grew in your heart like petals that wrapped your soul with feathering touches. His touch lingered on your skin, his hold gentle and almost reverent. He could see the myriad of emotions that swirled in your beautiful (e/c) eyes– the relief, the gratitude and the rekindling of a fragile hope he’d do anything in his power to keep alive.

“Don’t thank me. Just because you serve me doesn’t mean I want to see you sad. Your tears are like poison, flower. They kill the heart of the poet ever so slowly.”

Your heart skipped a beat, losing yourself in his eyes that held so many secrets and so many emotions you couldn’t decipher. So many things were left unsaid. So many things said in silent understanding. 

Gwi noticed your change in mood in the next couple of days. You weren’t back to your usual self but his promise gave you hope. Gave you something to hold onto. He watched you with warmer eyes as you poured down his evening tea. The tension as palpable as the robe he subtly fisted as your addictive scent invaded his senses. 

“We are leaving tomorrow, petal. Have you packed already?”

His dark murmur made you lift your gaze from the tea you were making, there was a delicate spark in your eyes that had turned emotionless. Grey in its nature. 

“Yes, My Lord. I have everything I may need.”

He hummed softly, a dark sound of acknowledgement that made you feel bothered inside at the deepness of it. You handed him his tea and he took a sip, the sweet taste making him sigh softly. 

“My tea has turned sweet ever since you came into my life, petal of mine.”

You looked up, surprised at his sudden words that left you both, yearning for more and scared of their true meaning. A meaning you were starting to understand as the silence stretched on between you both. Gwi took another sip before his eyes locked with yours and your heart skipped a beat the moment you met his intense gaze. 

“I’m not talking about tea.”

“I know, My Lord.”

He smirked against the cup, sipping the last bit of the sweet beverage as your cheeks dusted in pink at his words and the confirmation you blurted out about your understanding. You didn’t dare say another word because you knew something stupid would be spoken once more. And the vampire lord seemed amused at your flustered state that you could have sworn you heard him chuckle. 

“Go and rest, my sweet flower. You’ll need your strength for our journey, we’ll leave at nightfall.”

You bowed down, your eyes meeting his for a split second before you turned around, walking down the steps that led to his throne and across the grand room. Your back towards him as you made your way back to your room. 

Gwi watched you go as he held the empty cup of tea in his large hand. The sweet taste lingered on his tongue as he remembered your warm presence. Never has his tea been so sweet. But when he said he wasn’t talking about the tea, he meant it. For the vampire lord referred to his life. A life tainted with power and immortality. Master of the night. Owner of the Crown. Yet drowning in the shadows of his past choices. Darkness was bitter. But your light had sweetened his life in a way he never thought it to be possible. He never allowed it to exist before. But it felt right to have you so close. Almost as if your fates were tangled before he had seen you that day in the gardens. The day he claimed you as his flower among a garden of thorns. 

Back in your room, you prepared yourself to sleep, changing your beautiful dress to a comfortable nightgown before you lay in your bedding. A sigh left your lips as you got comfortable, sleep quickly claimed you, stopping the racing thoughts in your mind about your journey tomorrow at dusk. 

You were already asleep when Gwi entered your bedroom. His silent steps carried his looming figure across the room before he stood next to you, his eyes, tainted with crimson desire, watched you sleep ever so peacefully. He held your rose-like chamberstick and he couldn’t help but think how it could only belong to you. His flower. His sweet flower. The vampire lord allowed himself that moment of admiration. That single fragment of time of complete lust over your innocent soul, mesmerised by your beauty and enhanced by the nature of your heart. 

He returned you the chamberstick before he left you alone as you lived in the land of dreams during his domain at night. The candle extinguished not long after that, leaving you in the darkness of the room while thoughts of you pierced Gwi’s mind without mercy at all. 

You waited anxiously for dusk to settle. You sat in a bench at the gardens, the last rays of sun kissed your skin and Gwi couldn’t help but admire your golden beauty from the shadows of his underground palace. You were reading something, he couldn’t tell exactly what it was. The book seemed worn out by time and you were so engrossed in it he almost left you be as you read all by yourself in the last and gentle rays of sun. 

But when the sky began darkening you closed the book and stood up, walking back to the underground palace with hurried steps. You walked through the halls, the torches illuminating your beauty as you made your way through the place you now called your home. 

Gwi was not in the throne room so you walked directly to your room with haste; you put the book aside before putting on your long cloak that would protect you from the chilly breeze at night. You fixed your hair, arranging your preferred hairpin, the one Gwi gave you, before you walked back to the throne room only to see the vampire lord walking down the hallway opposite from you, his robes moving gracefully with each step he took. 

You bowed down at him, approaching him with less quick steps. His eyes never left your figure, feeling how his heart skipped a beat upon seeing you wearing your red hairpin. His gift. His claim over his flower. 

“My Lord.”

You greeted, your voice soft and filled with emotions he wasn’t quick enough to grasp as they passed over your eyes in a split second. A second too fast. 

“Are you ready, petal?”

You nodded, a small smile dancing over your lips as you both left the underground palace in silent harmony. Gwi watched you from the corner of his eye, how you took two steps while he took one, how you bit nervously at your lower lip, either in desperation or anxiety he couldn’t tell. But despite all that, you were as beautiful as ever. With your dark cloak trailing behind you and the hairpin catching the torches’ light, you appeared next to him as an angel in disguise. Happy after his orders, feeling safe knowing that he was going with you on the long journey back to a place you hadn’t been in years. Back to a place you once called your home. 

The sun no longer burned his skin as he stepped outside of the underground palace, the last rays of sun hid behind the mountains and the stars began painting the darkening sky instead. His kingdom began. For he was master of the night. And you, his precious flower, stood next to him. 

“Your things are already loaded in the carriage, flower. We’ll arrive tomorrow at night time.”

You stopped walking and he subconsciously mirrored your actions. Your eyes, wide and happy, met his stoic features that softened upon gazing down at you. 

“Thank you, My Lord.”

You were looking at him with so much tenderness his heart felt tight in his chest. Decades of living in eternal power only to succumb to you, a beautiful mortal woman that mesmerised a heart he thought to be death, frozen by time and fate. 

He sent you a soft smile. Small and rare in his usually dark beauty. The chilly air made your hair fly in delicate strands, you never tied it up. Not like the other women in the palace, you always opted for a half updo, adorning it with beautiful hair pins and jewellery that only made you look more enchanting in his eyes. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he was so mesmerised by you, it was a simple thing to do but you, despite your high status in society, did not abide by its rules. 

You bowed to him and only him. And with the small gesture of leaving your hair down, you were different. Just like him. Worthy of your place at his side. As his flower. As his jewel. 

His hand grabbed yours, the contact made your breath hitch as your heart skipped a beat. A shiver ran down your spine and you nearly shuddered at the sudden contact. He pulled you with him wordlessly. You were never going to admit it, at least not for now but you loved the feeling of his larger hand around yours. Unknowingly to you, Gwi thought the same thing as he led you through the gardens and to where the carriage was waiting to take you both to your home. 

The night was peaceful. There was still some light being reflected from the last rays of the sun and you took a deep breath, preparing yourself for the journey and to be with your mother. You tried to not think too much of the outcome of your visit but the news of her grave illness made your heart sink deeper within your soul every time you thought about it. However, Gwi’s presence next to you grounded your racing thoughts and anxious mind. He remained by your side like a rock to your thunderous life and subconsciously, you squeezed his hand a little bit tighter with that thought.

“My Lord! My Lady!”

A sudden voice interrupted your peace. You tensed ever so subtly but Gwi sensed your change in mood. How the quiet night was shattered as he turned around and you did the same only to see a man walking with hurried steps towards you both. 

You swallowed, his hand squeezed yours as the man finally stood in front of you as he panted softly. 

“Forgive me, My Lord, but I bring important news.”

“Speak.”

Gwi commanded, his voice lacking the warmth to which he spoke to you and you shivered at the detached sound that came past his lips. The word was spoken so harshly it made you flinch. 

“I bring news about your mother, Lady (y/n).”

Your breath hitched in your throat yet you so desperately gripped onto hope. A spark that had bloomed in your soul over the past week. The last straw that kept your heart alive. 

“Is she alright? Did she receive my letters?”

You asked, your voice sounded curious above everything else. You have written to your mother for the last week every day. Gwi had promised to send your letters and you trusted in his word. You only hoped this man before you was here to bring you her sweet responses. 

“My Lady… your mother passed away last night. My condolences.”

The man bowed down at you in respect. Your heart stopped and your hand went limp in Gwi’s hold. You took a step forward, silently pleading to the messenger to tell you it was false. That your mother was fine. That she was better. That she had written back to you. 

“No, it can’t be.”

Your broken whispers tore at the vampire’s heart. Tears welled up in your eyes as you shook your head. It could be real. It couldn’t. You were just going to visit her. You were going to spend the last moments with her. A tightness filled your chest just as a lump began forming in your throat. 

“Forgive me, My Lady.”

The pain numbed you. It crashed over you like tidal waves; you weren’t even able to cry despite the need to scream out your agony. You simply turned around without a word.

“Flower, wait.”

But you didn’t. You couldn’t hear him over the sudden ringing in your ears that took hold of you. You didn’t hear Gwi’s voice inside the turmoil of your heart. You didn’t hear anything. Your mind was empty. Blank of any thought. He watched you walk away with a sorrowful expression, your steps were defeated and agonising in a pain he very much understood as well. 

“Her Ladyship left a letter, My Lord. For Lady (y/n).”

Gwi turned to look back down at the messenger with silent urgency, his mind screaming at him to go back to you. To comfort you. As a guilt he had never felt before gnawed at his heart. A heart he once claimed to be dead. The vampire lord snatched the letter from the messenger’s hold before he was walking back to the underground palace, his steps in a hurry as he grieved with you. 

It wasn’t until you arrived at your room that you finally crumbled. Falling to your knees as a heartbreaking sob escaped your lips. The tears rolled down your cheeks like endless rivers of pain you could no longer contain and you cried. You grieved. You screamed. You died as well as the hope in your heart, extinguishing like a flame at night. Drowning in sorrow as your sobs filled the once happy room. 

The petals from the cherry blossom fell over you like a constant reminder of how life goes on. How time will never stop. And the tears came harder, like arrows that pierced your heart; merciless in their nature and poisonous in the darkness that was your pain. 

Your heart broke, your chest hurt. How come grief could hurt so much? How could you endure such an amount of cruel pain? How were you meant to go on? There were so many things left unsaid, so many emotions that lingered in the air. So much time that was stolen by fate’s cruel hand.  

A sudden presence made you look up, the tears did not stop falling. Gwi knelt next to you, his eyes mirroring your sorrow as your lip trembled. You felt crushed, betrayed. You felt dead. 

“She’s gone.”

His hand cradled your cheek with a tenderness that made more tears spill from your beautiful eyes. Your whisper held so much pain within the words that it felt as if you had made him swallow poison coming from the roots of your own thorns. 

“I know, petal. I know.”

Your eyes closed as you welcomed the pain as if it had always existed. You felt robbed by fate, stolen of memories you were meant to have. And the next second, he embraced you. Pressing you against his chest and you clung to his robes in desperation. He shushed you, his big hand cradling the back of your head as you mourned for your mother, for a life you were robbed of, for the opportunity of seeing her again and the memories that were now alive only in your mind. 

Every sob and cry that escaped your lips pained him profusely. Never in his astonishingly long life had Gwi ever felt such pain. Such worry over a mortal human before. Making your pain his own. Your sadness was his sadness. And your grief was his to embrace as well. 

He didn’t say anything. There were no words that could offer you even an ounce of comfort. So he just held you. He pressed you against him, making your sorrow melt his frozen heart. You buried your face in his chest, seeking comfort in his embrace as his arms grounded your screaming and guilty mind. Your broken heart. Your dead touch. He grounded you. He offered you comfort. Perhaps there were no words that could ease your pain but his presence was enough. 

If anyone had seen the mighty vampire lord embracing you in your grief they would have fainted from the shock. Because after decades of suppressing his emotions and hiding behind his cold facade, he showed sparks of life in his broken soul. But that revelation was only for your eyes to feel and for your hands to touch. It was you who wrapped his heart in your petals of love. It was you who revived his dead soul. 

And even in your heartbroken state, it was him whom you clung to. Him whose comfort was enough to keep you in this headspace. You fisted his robes, crying and whimpering as the pain only intensified. 

“It’s okay. Just cry, my flower. Cry, it’s alright.”

And you did that. You held onto his words. You allowed your sadness to spill in the form of your pearls of pain. You cried. You cried until there were no tears to spill. You cried until your soul was empty and only Gwi held you through the darkness that fell upon you by fate’s cruel hand. 

In solitude, I find your voice. 

A voice that’s already dead. 

My light was consumed by darkness within. 

A punishment, a curse that I cannot forgive. 

The petal has fallen from the rose. 

The nightmare awakened at dawn. 

An instinct that comes and goes. 

An immense power, yet also my one flaw. 

I have killed my heart. 

Like poison, my words command. 

A demon of temptation, 

a monster of damnation. 

The echoes of your voice are gone,

I can no longer hear you say my name. 

A name from a man that is now dead. 

Killed by the claws of my own fate.

May/28/2024

A/N: Thoughts? O.O

My inbox is open, darlings! Or feel free to leave a comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts and inputs for the story! Take care, everyone 🫶

~ Masterpost

[wonpiltual]

hii omg someone tagged me in this ages ago and now i can’t find the post bc it’s too far back in my notifs 😭 so whichever beloved mutual tagged me i’m so sorry but i gotta release this from my drafts: here’s the 9 albums i’ve been listening to lately

kendrick lamar’s mr. morale and the big steppers (2022) ★ beyoncé’s cowboy carter (2024) ★ slowthai’s ugly (2023) ★ day6’s fourever (2024) ★ rina sawayama’s sawayama (2020) ★ fleetwood mac’s rumours (1977) ★ megan thee stallion’s suga (2020) ★ mitski’s be the cowboy (2018) ★ day6’s the book of us: the demon (2020)

and i’ll tag @ashmp3 @muteddaydreams @walkwithmegirl and @luvcall , aka more beloved mutuals from my notifs 🫶🏼

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Comeback Celebration: Revisiting The Book of Us: The Demon

So, this was the album that made me pay attention to Day6! Though it was their next album, Negentropy, that put them on my favorite artists list, The Demon is definitely a standout album from 2020. After that album, I became enough of a fan to start exploring their past tracks--during which time I experienced, of course, the obligatory listening to "Shoot Me" for three days nonstop phase.

The Demon was a huge emotional statement that met a lot of people exactly where they were at in 2020, I think, and I was one of those people. I'm super picky about albums--though I love lots of songs every year, not many albums are cohesive enough for my taste. The Demon, though, was an album I loved listening to all the way though. It managed to be both a bitter, exhausted blur & a collection of wildly catchy songs that could each stand on their own. In celebration of Day6's return, let's take a look at The Demon again--it's been a while since I've heard some of these tracks!

1. Day and Night

This isn't my favorite Day6 song, but it's definitely top five. I think it was my favorite track from this album right from the beginning--though "1 to 10" was tough competition--and it's definitely still my most-listened track from The Demon. Actually, I bet it's my most-listened track from Day6 as a whole.

Listening again, it's wild just how comforting I find the melodies. Two lines in, and I already feel like I'm coming home from a long trip. The harmonies are wonderful, and I'm obsessed with Sungjin's performance here. I think what I love most about "Day and Night" is that, even as it manages to be genuinely sonically cheerful, pulling itself together into a friendly, upbeat mask, the signature Day6 angst still shows through. (Come to think of it, that's also what I love most about my actual favorite Day6 song, "everyday we fight".) The vocals seem all-to-frequently on the verge of bursting into a full-on wailing ballad, but they're always reined back in, as if the speaker is reminding themself--no, you're singing a cute pop song, you can't be sad. Maybe it's that push-and-pull I find comforting--there's just enough overwhelming emotion hidden in this song that my own emotions can find an outlet, without really having to delve into how crappy I feel. It's like the perfect amount of escapism? Though, at this point, it might just be that I know this song like the back of my hand, and that's what I find comforting--I really did live off this one for a couple of years.

2. Zombie

This is the least exciting track off the album, but I think that's kind of the point. Day6 songs are big and dramatic, like, all the time (which is, of course, why I stan them). So the most impactful emotional statement of this comeback was just... making the title track this kind of dull, soft number. Don't get me wrong, though, because I do actually like this song! The chorus is iconic--I would recognize it anywhere--and that Coldplay-esque electric guitar is gorgeous. Funny enough, I remember "Zombie" being softer & quieter than it actually is. Maybe I remember singing it to myself, a half-whisper without the instrumental, more than I remember the actual song?

3. Tick Tock

Now this is what exhaustion sounds like. This song has a bunch of beautiful vocal moments going on--I think they're what makes this album so listenable, even in its darkest moods. When the vocals aren't there, though, and you're just left with that plodding guitar? And that incessant drum, too, forcing you into a pace just slow enough to be uncomfortable? That's atmosphere, that's for sure. No wonder I loved this song in my junior year of high school--it totally understood me in my silence, silence and barely getting by, dreading every day that I had to put one foot in front of the other.

4. Love me or Leave me

I was not expecting this, of all things, to be Day6's #3 song on Spotify. Like, I listened to it as much as the next guy for all of 2020... and a lot of 2021... but I don't know, it was never my favorite from the album? And I definitely don't like it more than "Better Better" </3

... Okay, I did forget how delightful this instrumental is. The house influences are meshed in so perfectly, especially in the prechoruses. It's fun because it's dance music, but it's also fun because it's inventive in some very exciting ways, and the melodies make my heart feel like it's going to explode!! Yeah, I guess I kind of get it...

5. STOP

The only thing I remembered about this song is that the guitar tastes like dirt--which I was definitely right about, like damn that's an interesting texture! The instrumental is... unpleasantly exciting? (Shoutout to the video-game-shooting noises, whatever those are.) "STOP" is also super singable--I'm surprised I didn't remember how delightful these vocal parts are! I've developed more of a taste for rock music over the years, which might be why I'm enjoying this one so much on revisiting--it might be my new favorite from the album, actually!

6. 1 to 10

This remains a classic, straightforward angst track! There's plenty of lovely belting in the verses and the chorus, reminding me that I'm human and need to breathe.

7. Afraid

Isn't there a Reddit poll somewhere that says this is the best Day6 song ever? I see why it sticks with people--it's loud, but all the layers don't turn the sadness to anger, instead they turn it to this all-consuming, desperate hope instead. The chorus is this expansive, energetic, living thing, and some of its life rubs off on me--what am I going to do with all this sadness? Make it into courage, I guess.

Overall...

Wow, this was fantastic--I remembered The Demon as a solid album, but not this compelling. I remember this album as The Burnout Album; in my memory, it's static, forever in quarantine. Revisiting The Demon, though, I was fully invested in lipsync karaoke for at least half of these tracks. I think it's the vocal performances that fill each song with energy and motion, and they give the album its cohesiveness, too--they make The Demon's world flow together into this strange pop-rock landscape that's consistent, if only in that it can't seem to settle comfortably anywhere. Pop-rock usually tries to find a happy medium between the two genres, taking the most compatible parts of each, but The Demon seems to pick the least compatible parts and pull them together (quite impressively, I think) by sheer force of will. I'm really in love with all the creativity in this album, the variety of influences it draws from; and, looking back, I definitely see that chaotic spark in it, the one that got me sooo obsessed with Negentropy in 2021, even if The Demon's mood is a lot darker.

My Ranking: STOP >> Day and Night >> Tick Tock >> Love me or Leave me >> 1 to 10 >> Afraid >> Zombie

[etherealyoungk]

i've said it once and i'll say it again, but the book of us demon album is one of day6's best albums

[ka5hika]

the book of us: attraction

read it on ao3!

word count: 15271 (2/5 chapters done)

rating : T (Vivid Bad Swearing) | category: m/f

relationships: akian , background toukoha

summary:

“Meaning is rather being made than being found. I find hearts when I’m making meaning.” — Day6, The Book Of Us

People find each other. We all get drawn to each other, by some indescribable force of humanity. Then we get to know each other, and then, life gets a little more energetic, a little more exciting, a little more chaotic. However, sometimes, the demons we all hold inside get in the way of our bonding. Regardless of what goes down, there’s always this glue-like force there to bring us back together, to pick up the pieces.

In the end, all the chaos, all the pain is swallowed up in love. That is the story of humanity, the book of us.

With that being said, this particular story ends up being relatively simple:

An meets her neighbor-slash-coworker Akito. Although they start off awkward, they live, they learn and they love.

[mytinystay]

🎵💿 DISCOGRAPHY TAG 💿🎵

rules: pick an artist or band and share your favourite song/s from each of their albums, then tag some mutuals!

Tagged by @suhnnyskiess ! thank you for tagging me and for the Twice recs, very appreciated&lt;3

Tagging: whoever wants to do it!! let me know if you don't mind sharing those song recs✨

Artist: Day6🌱 (are we even surprised?)

❝The Book of Us: Negentropy❞ Only / Above the clouds

❝The Book of Us: The Demon❞ Day and Night / STOP / 1 to 10

❝The Best Day 2❞ Finale (yes I included it to mention Finale)

❝The Book of Us: Entropy❞ OUCH / 365247 / EMERGENCY / Sweet Chaos (liStEn- you can't make me choose just 3 with this amazing album)

❝The Book of Us: Gravity❞ Time of Our Life / For Me / How to Love (tbh the whole album)

❝Remember Us: Youth Pt.2❞ Days Gone By / Headache / So Cool / Marathon (again the whole album)

❝Unlock❞ Breaking Down / Falling / Say Hello (underrated album, I decided to not choose the promoted songs of the different EPs that came before this album)

❝Shoot Me: Youth Pt.1❞ Shoot Me / Somehow / Talking To

❝Moonrise❞ What can I do? / I'll Remember / Hi Hello / All Alone ("I love this album" said for the 4th time)

❝Sunrise❞ I Wait / I'm Serious / My Day / I Would

❝Daydream❞ Sing Me / Hunt

❝The Day❞ Like that Sun / Freely / Congratulations (my beloved<;3)

Special Mention: EoD🌙

❝Right Through Me❞ WE / Walk / Home Alone / Love Parade

❝The Book of Us: Gluon❞ Ocean / Where the sea sleeps / To be continued -Outro-

[briankang]

hi tay!! day6 for the kpop ask game <3

kobe my loveeee 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

✦ my first bias

mr jae park himself. i saw an upload of him playing among us with bambam and mark (tuan) and thought he was insanely funny

✦ my current bias(es)

this might come as a surprise. but i do enjoy that young k guy just a little. just a bit.

✦ my album and/or era ranking (or favorite of each)

ok so favs from each album (including even of day and solo albums hehe):

the day: congratulations

daydream: first time

sunrise: dance dance/my day

moonrise: pouring/be lazy

shoot me: youth part 1: shoot me/WARNING!

UNLOCK: stop the rain

remember us: youth part 2: 121U

the book of us: gravity: time of our life/for me (this entire album tbh)

the book of us: entropy: EMERGENCY

THE BEST DAY2: finale

the book of us: the demon: zombie/STOP

the book of us: gluon - nothing can tear us apart: where the sea sleeps

the book of us: negentropy - chaos swallowed up in love: you make me/healer

right through me: WALK/from the ending of a tragedy

eternal: come as you are

pilmography: a journey

✦ how i got into them

seungmin talked about the eod cb on bubble and i was like. huh. heard of those guys i think! and thought it was rlly good!!!

✦ which member would be my best friend:

wonpil!!! i think we’d have a lot of stupid laughs together over dumb shit while also being crybabies together 💕

✦ something i associate with them (or with a bias/any member)

brian to me is always leather jackets and toronto and little jazz songs 💕

📥 send me a kpop group & i'll answer

[puppy-phum]

comfort faves 💜

thank you jessi @oswlld ♥ have a good break and see you in february! i’ll miss you until then. 

comfort movie: dew the movie, the yin-yang master: dream of eternity, brokeback mountain, spirit - stallion of the cimarron, fast & furious 5

comfort food: ramen, fried rice, greek salad, meat soup

comfort clothes: whatever might remind me of the things i love. currently it’s my the eclipse hoodie and some leisurewear in pastel purple that reminds me of, surprise surprise, jimmy

comfort song/album: love yourself: tear (bts), spirit’s finnish soundtrack, the book of us: the demon (day6), moonchild (rm), repeat until death (novo amor), the lost tomb reboot soundtrack, atlas I (sleeping at last), eyes half closed (crywolf) - songs in cursive

comfort book: notes on a nervous planet by matt haig. tbh i find all of matt haig’s books incredibly comforting, which is probably their point bc they’re written to sound like a mental hug

comfort game: dragon age: inquisition, the mass effect trilogy, assassin’s creed rogue, the witcher 3 (mostly bc of geralt’s voice. i find his voice incredibly calming. plus the ost is spectacular)

tagging: @dimpledpran @i-am-just-a-kiddo @ashenlights @snimeat @stormyoceans @namchyoon ♥

[milliezm]

"She conquered her demons and wore her scars like wings".

I. Meet the soul

Having the name Millie Everelyn, I do not set a specific nickname and allows people to call me anything – as convenient. Born in the December sky twenty years ago, making me one of the fire signs, Sagittarius. Proudly, I am one of a part of a house with people who are bravery and courage, where the house has a representation of lion with the colors are scarlet and gold. Yes, I am a Gryffindor. As for personality, I am an ENTP who likes to be discussed with many things and use She/Her as my pronouns. I love animals, especially dogs and cats. I am currently trying to find out about many animals and learn about them. I am the oldest sibling with eight younger siblings {cats} – I have eight adorable cats. Last but not least, I'm a meme collector.

II. Interest of the soul

I am a music lover and like all genres of songs, whatever they are. But the genres that I often listen to are: Pop, Rock, Metal, Indie, Hip-Hop, R&B. My top five Kpop groups: BoyNextDoor, 82Major, P1Harmony, Kiss Of Life, Fromis_9. My top five KHHRNB: DPR Gang, Jey, Zico, Gemini, DEAN.

Furthermore, here is a list bands that I like:

Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Simple Plan, Bad Omens, Bring Me The Horizon, Caskets, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Evanescence, Thousand Foot Krutch, Green Day, Three Days Grace, Skillet, Suster Of A Down, Our Last Night, Sleeping With Sirens, One Ok Rock, BABYMETAL, My First Story, Oasis, Nirvana, Papa Roach, Tetrarch RADWIMPS, Xdinary Heroes, The Rose, Day6, Rolling Quartz, AliA. (This is just the big part, because it would be very long if I mentioned more).

Not just that, I also found myself interested in reading, whether it's books, manga, manhwa, even though I haven't read that much. My current reading: The Girl Who Lived Twice, Museru Kurai no Ai o Ageru (Choking on Love), Operation: True Love. Apart from that, I like anime and am paying attention to Korean dramas of any genre. My current watching: Takt Op Destiny, Twinkling Watermelon, DC Titans.

III. Addendum: Pay attention

My account is safe for everyone, no matter who you are, including minors. But with a note: sometimes I curse about various things, make sure you're okay with that. I love to make friends with everyone but can easily lost my social energy, my bad. If you want to keep in touch with me on DM, feel free to hit me up, I will be happy to talk to you. 

DNI if you can't respect each other, don't want interact with me, hates my favorite, racist, homophobic, likes to make fuss and make people uncomfortable.

[fildzahputri]

hey! it's been several months since my last post! today I tried to fight with my laziness. I felt burnout, from work, and daily routine, you named it! I've been procrastinating for 3 days until today. So, today I am trying to start my work to proofread a manuscript and write this post. I think I have ADHD spectrum (maybe?) because I can't focus on one thing longer than 30 minutes. I always get distracted or unconsciously I will make myself get distracted. Okay, I will end it here! hahaha LOL! I will write about my go-to songs for each Day6's albums! I get inspiration from one of Day6's fan accounts on Instagram. Here we go!

The Day (2015) - Freehage, Congratulations

Daydream (2016) - First time, Sing me

Sunrise (2017) - How I Can Say, Dance Dance, My Day, Goodbye Winter

Moonrise (2017) - I'll Remember, Pouring, I'll Try, Whatever!

Shoot Me : Youth Part 1 (2018) - Shoot Me, Somehow, Feeling Good, Still

Remember Us : Youth Part 2 (2018) - Days Gone By, So Cool, Beautiful Feeling, Marathon, Hurt Road

The Book of Us : Gravity (2019) - For Me, Cover, Best Part

The Book of Us : Entropy (2019) - Deep in Love, Sweet Chaos, Not Mine, Like a Flowing Wind

The Book of Us : Demon (2020) - Love Me or Leave Me, Afraid

The Book of Us : Gluon - Nothing Can Tear Us Apart (2020) - Landed, Thanks to

The Book of Us : Negentropy - Chaos swallowed up in love (2021) - Healer, You Make Me, Only, One, Above the Clouds

Right Through Me (2021) - We, Right Through Me

Eternal (2021) - Best Song, Microphone, Good Night, Dear

Letters With Notes (2023) - Natural, Strange, Playground, Nothing but

Fourever (2024) - Welcome to the Show, Happy, Sad Ending, Let Me Love You, Didn't Know

that's it! I like all of their songs! This list is my go-to song for each album. I'll introduce those songs if someone asks me hahaha

[ladywitch6six]

🍒 lips, heaven flavor.

Affected by my own edits, that smile, sir.

Do not repost, dear please.

Twitter: lady_witch_6

[nexttimeisnotthesame]

“Happiness comes when two hearts are equally warm. But there’s a demon who doesn’t allow it.” — Jae (＜The Book of Us : The Demon＞ Trailer Film)

[suggable]

The Book of Us series

(credit @bjjkpd on twitter)