#definitely not the kind of song that comes to mind when you say funky

[thelargefrye]

HOW ATEEZ FUCKS YOU (18+)

pairing : poly ateez x f!reader

genre : smut + headcannons + idol au

warnings : unprotected sex + dom/sub dynamics + mxm + i put warnings before each member so you can skip them if you want because there’s a lot going on with each member

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT **

HONGJOONG

warnings : semi-public sex + mentions of safe word + praise kink + filming and photographing

studio sex.

he's fucked all of you at least once in his studio

loves holding you close as he fucks you

EYE CONTACT!!

loves watching how your face contorts into pleasure

you love when he praises you to no end

can't take degradation from him, he once tried to degrade you and you cried before using your safe word

that was first time you have ever used your safe word and hongjoong felt his whole world shatter

treats you so gentle, sometimes a little too gentle for your liking

sometimes you just want him to take his frustrations out on you and most of the time he'll willingly comply

loves taking pictures of you

has a polaroid camera he uses just to take pictures of you during sex

has definitely made sex songs to fuck you too

and also recorded your moans to use in songs that only the nine of you will ever hear

SEONGHWA

warnings : sending nudes + humiliation kink + spit kink + oral (f receiving) + mxm

you are constantly teasing him and being an absolute menace

you love sending pictures and videos to him in order to tease him

he WILL humiliate you in front of the others if you push him to far

he once made you sit naked on your knees in the living room for hours while him and the others fucked your mouth

pretty sure you both have some kind of spit kink

he likes spitting in your mouth but you LOVE when he does it

seonghwa gives the best aftercare, will baby you as he cleans you up

will give you aftercare even if he wasn't your partner, if you ask him to take care of you he will

loves kissing

also loves when you're vocal as fuck and tells him how good he's making you feel

has used you in order to tempt hongjoong home once

sent videos the leader of him playing with your pussy and you begging him to come home

it worked

loves fucking hongjoong while he eats you out

YUNHO

warnings : size kink + strength kink + overstimulation + edging + squirting

a lot more dominant than what people would expect

has a type of power over everyone

you would rather go to hongjoong's room than face a punishment from yunho

size kink!!

he has a strength kink and really likes showing off how strong he is to everyone

please do not make him jealous, you WILL regret it

you once made him jealous while at a music show, and once you got home he edged you for hours

then finally overstimulated you for hours

you learned that day that yunho’s horny and jealous levels are almost the same

the two of you like going at it rough most of the time, but yunho has a sixth sense and can tell when you just need to be loved rather than fucked

“shh don’t say anything pretty, i’ll take care of you tonight”

really likes tag teaming you with seonghwa

has a competition with seonghwa to see who can get you to squirt the most

YEOSANG

warnings : pussy-whipped yeosang + face-sitting + somno + public sex + thigh riding

poor guy is pussy WHIPPED

loves playing with your pussy

please sit on his face, he will beg if he needs to

somno - you both love waking each other up this way

has definitely fucked you at "the show" in either an empty dressing room or the bathroom

totally didn't drag you off after witnessing one too many idols flirting with you

very vanilla between you too but neither of you mind

the two of you often end up laughing/giggling with one another

you have spiced it up here and there especially with funky positions

you kind of have a thing for his biceps and him manhandling you whatever position he wants

you love riding his thigh especially when he flexes it

it makes him feel prideful when he can get you off with just his thigh

SAN

warnings : body worship + edging + mutual masturbation + cum play + creampies + filming on a cam site + mentions of role playing and sex toys

san loves to body worship

whether it's you or wooyoung or even yunho, he loves to let his partner know how beautiful he thinks they are

kisses all over from your face to your ankles

he can either be slow and sensual or an absolute menace

he once edged you for two hours straight for no reason

MUTUAL MASTURBATION

like… he loves jacking off over top of you while you touch yourself

watching you struggle to pleasure yourself because he does way better

teasing you “awe baby what’s wrong, can you not satisfy yourself like i can” AND HE WOULD SAY IT WITH A POUT TOO

likes cumming all over your body just as much as he likes kissing all over you body

creampies are a thing, loves shoving his cum back into you after watching it slowly leak out

you, him, and wooyoung secretly started a cam account

a lot of roleplaying and toys used

your most popular video is titled “BEST FRIEND AND GF F**K WHILE BF SLEEPS NEXT TO THEM”

loves tag teaming you with wooyoung or yeosang or even both

the four of you just have such good dynamics that each time is different from the previous one

MINGI

warnings : lazy sex + pillow princess + cockwarming + voyeurism + pegging + lingerie and cosplaying

loves lazy sex

mingi is a real pillow princess when he wants to be

loves cockwarming and falling asleep or while watching a movie

sorry mingi is a boobs man, he loves your boobs and has some oral fixation with them

he also really likes watching you and yunho

something about watching his two best friends have sex just turns him on

please fuck him with a strap-on

he really enjoys it especially when yunho is there to control your thrust telling you when to speed up, down, or even stop

really likes when you dress up for him

whether it’s lingerie or some sexy cosplay, he doesn’t care

WOOYOUNG

warnings : brat switch wooyoung + lingerie + mentions of strip teases + hate sex

he's both a bratty dom and a bratty sub

just a brat

loves to tease you no matter what

he's really good at telling when you're stressed about life and will always offer to help

depending on how you feel that goes one of two ways

either he has you lay there and he does all the work, he's very passionate in those moments while still managing to tease you a little

or he lays there and lets you use him however you want

both are very enjoyable for him

loves buying you lingerie and having you do fashion shows turned strip teases for him

the others were kind of surprised all your lingerie comes from him only because they wouldn’t expect him to be into that

when you guys argue or get upset at each other, it always ends with hate sex

just you two fighting over dominance and getting your anger out

JONGHO

warnings : strength kink + manhandling + marking + muscle kink (?) + double v penetration

strength kink

you really love it when he manhandles you into any position he wants

but he will also let you do the same with him

he doesn't want to admit it but he really likes it when you control him and tell him what to do

a lot more experimental than people think and is willing to try something if you or the others are

loves when you mark him

especially when you run your nails down his back or litter his skin with hickeys

will take videos of him working out and send them to you because he KNOWS how turned on you get when any of them workout

loves taking you with yeosang

like double v penetration, you three spent what felt like months preparing you for both their cocks

[dear-satan]

heavy metal lover

vendetta!Leon Kennedy x fem!Reader

summary: you decide to go to a heavy metal band concert, where you meet Leon and end up fucking in his jeep warning: 18+ only please, age difference, dirty talking

From an early age your taste in music was quite…. Strange. From childhood, your parents instilled in you a love of "heavier" sounds and bands like AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Metallica were no strangers to you. You grew up listening to this kind of music, but it wasn't as if you didn't know the popular radio hits that your friends listened to. Nor did you turn up your nose at various parties or discos, swaying to the sound of disco or other funky tunes that left no room to dance on the dance floor. You've also stopped by a couple of concerts of bands whose names you didn't even know, to accompany your friends to this amazing fun….

It's a shame, however, that this only worked one way.

When you found out that your favourite heavy metal band was playing in your area, you fainted with happiness. You almost immediately bought a ticket and informed your parents of your attendance, assuring them that you would not be going alone, which was a big lie. Despite many requests, harmless blackmail or playing on your emotions, none of your friends agreed to go to the concert with you, using various excuses. "I have to look after my younger sister", "I already have an appointment". - these were the most common explanations you heard. An idea even crossed your mind, we to join some groups and go with other young people, which you almost immediately gave up. You weren't that brave and so you just stood in the huge field in front of the stage alone, holding a plastic cup of beer.

"And what am I supposed to do all this time?" you mutter to yourself while checking in with yourself, looking at the watch on your phone. There were still forty minutes until the concert started and you had no idea what to do in that time. You'd already had three, maybe four beers, giving you the courage to spend the rest of the evening among a crowd of unknown people jumping and shouting the words of the songs played by the band. You shook your head with a choke as you sipped your drink twisting your face into a slight grimace at the end. "Fuck this shit."

"Aren't you too young to drink, kid?" a low, slightly hoarse voice reached your ears at which you turned suddenly. Your eyes immediately met the blue irises of a rather tall guy crossing his arms over his chest. His dark fringe fell over one part of his face adding to his seriousness and causing a warm shiver to travel down your spine.

"And aren't you too old to come to places like this?" you replied, shrugging your shoulders. A slight smile appeared on his face and he shook his head, pulling out a breastplate from his leather jacket which immediately caught your attention.

"Would you like some?"

"I shouldn't mix. Besides, I don't take anything from unknown, older guys." You lifted your chin up slightly. Yes, definitely the alcohol you had drunk so far was giving you courage.

"In that case. Kennedy, Leon Kennedy." He extended a hand towards you which you immediately shook. It was big… Much bigger than yours which made it fit perfectly. His skin was soft and the warmth it gave you a tingling sensation in your stomach. "What's your name, kid?"

"Y/N.. And I'm not a kid."

"In that case… How about a doll? Better?" you rolled your eyes however a slight smile crept onto your lips. Not knowing why, but that nickname sounded incredibly good in his mouth. "So now that we know each other…. So what do you say, do you want something stronger?"

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

"Holy shit, Kennedy…" You groaned feeling his flexing fingers inside you. You tightened your hands on his leather jacket gently lifting your hips giving him better access. You didn't know at what exact moment drinking Jack Daniels together turned into hot kisses on his lap in the black jeep parked near the field or even when your trousers along with your panties were on the seat next to him. You just let yourself lose yourself in it.

"Such an good little girl." he purred in your ear clasping his free hand on your exposed buttock. He was not drunk and the sight of you in such a state drove him to a state of near intoxication. "Fuck, such a tight pussy just for me." He pushed his fingers all the way in, listening to the loud moaning coming out of your mouth. With his thumb he began to roll small circles on your swollen clit. "Show what a little slut you are."

You clenched your eyelids with a swish letting the air out of your mouth, it was sick. You had just let a stranger fuck you in his car, but you had no desire to stop it. The tone of his voice, the firm grip of his hands…. Shit, even his leather jacket and emo fringe worked on you like a good intoxicant.

"Please… The concert is about to begin…" the heat in your belly was accumulating with every second of his caresses. You were so damn wet and the walls of your pussy yearned to clamp down on something much bigger.

"Impatient girl, huh?" he sneered removing his fingers to bring them to your lips "Open."

You followed his order. Without even giving you a second he pushed them violently into your mouth allowing you to taste yourself. You, like an obedient doggie, began to suck his fingers while your hands slowly unbuckled the belt holding his trousers. It didn't matter how fucking bad your behaviour was or if remorse would get you the next day - you just wanted to feel his cock in your begging pussy. You didn't give a shit anymore how much the concert was about to start. You wanted him. You craved the feel of fucking Leon Kennedy.

You easily managed his belt and then the fastening of his jeans, and to your eyes appeared a really sizable bulge on his soaked white boxers. Leon apparently enjoyed your greediness so he didn't even think of interrupting you. He was happy to cede the initiative to you himself, relishing your soft tongue still roaming over his fingers, causing another quiet sigh to fall from his lips.

"Excites you to fuck a toddler in a car, huh?" you grabbed the elastic of his underwear pulling it down thereby allowing his cock to bump against his black t-shirt.

"O-ouch, shut up." he growled nervously pressing his back into the chair. He grabbed your hips and lifted them so that your entrance was right above him. Without waiting a second longer he forcibly dropped them, entering you up to your balls. "God… Such a good whore. Tell me, any of your young friends fucked you yet?" He watched as you wriggled on his cock trying to get used to its size. "Or maybe I'm your first, huh? How would your daddy react if he found out his little girl lost her virginity in the car of some guy his age?" he began to make quick, rather aggressive movements sliding out of you halfway to enter then all the way in.

You answered nothing, unable to string together a single, decent sentence. Instead, you threw your head back, catching the steering wheel with your hand, wanting to maintain at least some stability while riding him. God, just the feel of his cock made you feel so many different emotions, but when you added his fingers rubbing your thirsty and throbbing clit, you felt like you were in heaven. Your whole attention was now focused on him and the pleasure he was giving you. Not on your own conscience, not on possibly being caught by people passing by. Your world now revolved solely around your heavy metal lover and also the fulfilment that was approaching with his every thrust.

"I-I'm… I'm s-so close…" you gasped out as you felt his movements on your clit accelerate. His other hand, hitherto resting on your hip went around your neck, clenching hard enough to leave marks.

"C'mon Y/N, c-come for me." he hissed, feeling your orgasm approaching.

A few thrusts further your body went through a wave of pleasure and your pussy began to clamp down on his swollen cock, which also began to pulsate. You moaned loudly as trickles of cum spilled inside you wanting to hold this wonderful moment for as long as possible. The pressure of his hand on your neck diminished, allowing you to helplessly sink down onto Leon's rapidly rising chest. Closing your eyelids you took in his scent while his hand on your back brought you back to earth.

"For an old guy you're pretty good at this." you couldn't help but make a mischievous comment to which he just laughed, patting your back.

"I'll take that as a set…" He took the liberty of placing a small kiss on the top of your head. Willingly, he helped you off his lap so that you sat down on the seat next to him, bringing himself to order, which he also did with himself. "So, doll, shall we go? I think we've still got a chance to push our way to the front somewhere."

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #6

Red Moon In Venus - Kali Uchis

Main genres: Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Psychedelic Soul

A decent sampling of: Synth Funk, Smooth Soul

Coming out as a Kali Uchis stan.

But for real, the Colombian American singer/songwriter seems to be the one artist that music hipsters, the English mainstream(ish), and the Hispanic mainstream can all collectively agree upon. Part of this is most definitely owed to Kali's versatility as an artist, with a primary basis of sound rooted in R&B (particularly neo-soul) but regularly dipping her toes into the waters of reggaetón, hip hop, bolero, and afrobeats.

Kali is also a definite lover of retro chic, given her clear appreciation for mid 20th century easy-listening pop and old Hollywood glamour. She cites artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Celia Cruz, and Curtis Mayfield as some of her biggest influences. At the same time, she modernizes these influences and aesthetics with a post-sexual revolution ethos of overpowering feminine-centred eroticism and fiercely wielded confidence and self-love.

Her voice is pleasant, mature, and strikingly womanly, in that same kind of way when you first discover as a child the sensation of being struck by the awe-inspiring beauty of a grown woman. Even as a gay man, I can confidently say that I think this is a sort of universal childhood experience, right?

Actually, I think a lot of Kali Uchis' success as an artist can be attributed to just how likable her musical persona is. I think that deep down, many of us want to be a Kali - completely liberated, in touch with our sensuality, and going through life as a warm and confident optimist. She makes music that isn't just well-written; it makes you feel good about life.

After making a big splash with her stellar 2018 LP Isolation and following it up with the success of 2020's Sin Miedo which was more invested in her Latin American roots and corresponding following, I was very curious to see where she would take things next with her career.

In the end, as it would turn out, Kali Uchis' 2023 record didn't really amount to anything that surprising. Instead, we were treated to a progression and evolution in her sound that feels very natural to her, culminating in an album that makes good on the typical promises of a Kali Uchis project.

That is to say, Red Moon In Venus exists in a rose-tinted world bedecked with lush palm trees and populated by curvaceous mermaids. The record is a creamy cocktail of smooth and funky soul jams with the sweet taste of cinnamon kisses and strawberry wine. A true musical oasis of the richest fruits.

Kali really is at the top of her game here. Everything is a subtle improvement on what already mostly worked for her on past projects, with a little more psychedelic flavour added into the mix, resulting in a final product that just sounds and feels really gorgeous and summery to listen to. Not all great music has to be challenging; this just does incredibly well at what it is already comfortable doing.

The record's first song proper is the lead single "I Wish You Roses", a beautiful parting gift to an ex-lover she holds no grudge towards. Petals flutter past the mind's eye as the world of this neo-soul paean springs to life with all the shades of a summer's rainbow. This song is a soft sigh of relief, heard quite vividly in the actual noticeable sighing melodies of those psychedelic keyboards in the chorus. A very classy song, expressing a sentiment not nearly heard often enough in most music about breakups.

"All Mine" is a lights off "wah-wah" slow jam describing a greedy lover's fantasy of having someone completely to themselves. The sound of the passionate id taking over the superego's domain.

Fans of the big city pop explosion that happened on the internet with the surge of Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love" a few years ago may get a lot of mileage out of "Endlessly", a synth funk track that captures a similar kind of metropolitan utopianism. Kali really knows how to bring the kind of riding-passenger-in-a-red-convertible energy that a track like this one needs to really all come together.

"Moral Conscience", in mild contrast to "I Wish You Roses", is a cautionary tale of karma hunting down an ex-lover who hurt her. Even still, there's more of an air that she's simply warning the wrongful party here - it's not a threat, she's just stating a fact about how the world works (as she sees it anyway). Still keeping it classy. Musically, this is thick and fleecy, lounging languidly in a boudoir sofette with low humming synths.

"Deserve Me" is an elegant and drip-droppy hip hop soul duet with Summer Walker, who is now officially my new favourite random feature after previously popping up on last year's Kendrick Lamar record. Very killer refrain on this cut, almost as addictive as the track that follows it. Speaking of which...

"Moonlight" was quite possibly my SOTY for 2023. A lot can be said for how erotic round shapes are for basically all genders and sexual preferences, and I don't know how to explain this but the song simply sounds ROUND in every possible way. The funk bass is so bubbly and horny and sopping wet that it's probably illegal in many parts of the world. Kali is giving it her ALL on those verses. Absolutely luxurious production. The chorus has that subtle air of mystery that really ensnares the erotic imagination. I can't even remember the last time I heard a song that positively oozed sex like this, while also describing such a clearly healthy relationship. Is it possible to be getting drunk off of flowery bubble bath fumes? Because this is precisely what it would feel like. Interstellar spa getaway for two in the neon pink galaxy of Aphrodite. Perfect fucking song. A++ goddamn.

I could say a few words as to how this is a back-loaded record, but I think y'all have heard me call something front or back loaded at least a dozen times and I'm struggling to find original ways to express this sentiment. Either way, this is a milder case - more just that the second half is so consistently brilliant that it kinda blows the first half out of the water, particularly that early-mid section. The weakest moments here are the least imaginative ones.

But a very good chunk of this record is just pure gold. Red Moon In Venus is a vibrant and aesthetically immaculate R&B record, possibly the best of the new decade thus far.

As I publish this review, Kali has already dropped another album in the first few weeks of 2024 and it sounds almost as good as this one. I don't know how exactly she's doing it but she makes exploring a variety of genres and killing it at every one of them look so easy. Kali Uchis is the queen of her medium right now.

9/10

Highlights: "Moonlight", "I Wish You Roses", "Deserve Me (with Summer Walker)", "Moral Conscience", "All Mine", "Endlessly", "Not Too Late (Interlude)", "Love Between", "Happy Now"

[you-turn-it-into-light]

H-el-ical// - Kaihouku (解放区) (2022) Album Review

Sorry I’m a bit late to the party, I was busy and waiting for the physical album to arrive. I’ve given it one listen so my thoughts might not be super coherent but I’ll also give some updated thoughts on the songs that reappear in the track list.

Overall Thoughts:

The promo image made me think that we’d see a larger picture of Hikaru, there’d be more of that paint and we’d see the full outfit, so I’m a little disappointed with the cover art especially the regular edition.

No extra booklet coming with the limited edition is disappointing as well

While I enjoy that Hikaru branched out with composers more, I wish she kept writing more of the lyrics. I like it when artists write their own lyrics because it feels more like their song and Hikaru’s lyrics added a lot of character and a feeling of connection with her through the songs. I hope she doesn’t go down the route of continuing to only let people write lyrics for her songs.

I’m a bit let down by the new songs, I only love one of them lol.

I like the new route she’s taking, most of these songs sound different that stuff she’s done before and it’s a nice break from the samey stuff from her last few mini albums. Even though I’m sad there weren’t more dark or epic songs in this album, it’s really just my personal preference.

Altern-ate- (7/10)

This song is interesting in some ways, I really like the verses and the bridge especially. The arrangement is quite epic and I love the choir in the beginning and the strings section near the end. I like how the lyrics incorporate both lines from within the anime with 「二人で一つ」(the two of us become one) and 「この物語の集約じゃない」(I am not the protagonist of this story) as well as the actual Gleipnir norse mythology. Hikaru really did but a lot of effort into these lyrics and they’re so interesting. The main strings riff however is a little boring and the chorus is also quite bland. There are also a couple of moments in the studio recording that I go ‘okay Hikaru you didn’t want to do a second take?’ like the ‘nazo wa tokenai mama’ and parts where she was obviously straining her voice but at this point I expect this is every Hikaru song.

Rasen no Mayu (螺旋の繭) (6.5/10)

I don’t mind this song, it sends like a very generic pop-rock song. I like Hikaru’s low notes in the verses and the chorus is growing on me with each listen to be honest. The subtle additions of two harmonies is a nice touch but the chorus is honestly my favourite part. The instrumentation and arrangement is honestly kind of generic and forgettable, nothing much to say about it. I like the song fine but it’s probably the most forgettable out of all the new songs.

The Sacred Torch (4/10)

This song is just kind of... okay? I don’t mind the verses and I like the urgency of the the pre-choruses but the chorus is boring and bland. The flavour of this song isn’t really my thing and it’s definitely my least favourite A-Side in all of H-el-ical//’s single’s thus far. The final 「灯かかげ」 sounds cool but Hikaru sounds very strained in that part as well. Also why do the strings sound midi? Can they not afford actual strings?

Ambient Border (6/10)

Are those midi strings again? Ugh. I love dramatic songs in musicals and this definitely gives me that vibe. The verses are boring but I like the chorus and especially the bridge (mostly the line ノイズと残響酸性雨の中で錆び付いた) it’s very dramatic and feels like it could be in the climax of a story. Similar to Rasen no Mayu, the instrumentation and arrangement is nothing to write home about and neither is the song really. I feel like I’ll enjoy it more if I hear it in the context of the musical.

YES NO (イエスノウ) (8/10)

This song is so 80′s it’s so great. The combination of electronic sounds and the guitar phrases are very funky and I love the sound. The chorus is great but the bridge is so sexy, definitely my favourite part. Hikaru’s low notes in time with the bass and cowbell in the background and then the guitar comes back in? Sounds great. The piano solo was also great. This is a great song to dance to and it’s one of the sexiest things Hikaru’s ever sung. I have this song’s rating as an 8 because while there are lots of things I like about this song, I don’t think there’s there’s anything I LOVE about it.

Kanashii Kedamono (カナシイケダモノ) (9/10)

My favourite song in the album. The guitar riff and chill vibe caught me immediately then Hikaru’s singing in the pre-chorus successfully got me in. It sounds similar to YES NO but I feel like it’s more dramatic. The bridge though??? The melody is so good, and the arrangement and instrumentation of the lines 「震えるまま　ありのままの」 is so dramatic I love it. The arrangement isn’t anything super interesting, but I like the guitar in the verses and the horns in the chorus, none of it sounds midi so I love it. The last chorus is especially great. Definitely my favourite.

Kawaisou da yo (かわいそうだよ) (7/10)

Hikaru’s singing in this song is mostly great, she conveys a lot of emotion in the lyrics, especially the line 「I hate youでも逢いたくて」sounds very raw. The breathy way she sings in most of the song makes the final chorus with its key change more impactful in my opinion. The arrangement is nothing to write home but I like the sound of the shirt it was very nice. The lyrics are nice as well, they’re more raw than anything else Hikaru’s sung and it’s a nice change. I really wanted to love this song but it just reminds me of too many other generic J-Pop ballads (in my opinion) that I can’t fall in love with it. It’s one of those songs that I only like because Hikaru’s singing it I guess.

disclose (8/10)

I remember I fell in love with this song the first time I heard this song, it was what I always wanted in a Hikaru solo song and it’s still really great. The arrangement is interesting and dramatic, I love how Gushimiyagi contrasts the arrangements between the verses. The instrumentation in this song is heavy and impactful and the addition of sound effects and occasional midi choir in the background really adds to the effect. Hikaru’s singing is very strained in the chorus but I think it adds to the desperate feeling the song is going for. Similar to other songs Gushimiyagi has composed, the chorus is my least favourite part. Repeating the same two notes over and over again isn’t really interesting to me. But overall, love this song.

clea-rly- (7.5/10)

I still love the heavy rock feeling of this song, it suits Hikaru very well. I love the arrangement of this song it’s so cool and the added electronic elements add rather than detract from the arrangement. Again though, the verses and pre-chorus are the best parts (except for the bridge cause the way Hikaru sings 「感覚を味わいたくない？」is soooo sexy) and the chorus is just boring because it’s just the same phrase over and over again like STOP. I like the idea of Altern-ate-’s single songs being from the perspectives of the main protagonist even though I hated the show. Anyway, This song is a lot of fun and I really like it, even if it can sound a bit basic.

JUST DO IT (4/10)

I actually like the chorus the best in this song, it sounds more dramatic and less cheesy than the rest of the song (even if it’s a bit repetitive). I guess I’m against the very premise of this song because I’ve heard what the anime’s about and it’s so stupid lmao. The rest of the song isn’t really my cup of tea, the technological electronic sounds fit the tone of the show but I don’t really like them. The english parts of the intro and outro are so cheesy I can’t handle them. Overall, IMPOSSIBLE LOVE is better go listen to that.

landscape (5.5/10)

I like the verses of the song, the guitar phrases are really calming and give a very atmosphere to the song, the strings in the second verse are also lovely. I don’t mind the electronic elements of the song but the chorus isn’t really my thing. I like how experimental and layered this song is, but it’s interesting but also boring at the same time. If they entire song was like the verses I would probably like the song them a lot more.

pulsation (English ver.) (5/10)

The only real thing to talk about with this version is the lyrics and some of the new arrangement choices I guess. I don’t mind the English lyrics, but the way Hikaru chose to space the syllables in the line of ‘The sky is so blue’ always bothers me, like why did you decide to speed ‘the sky’ together then extend ‘sky’ when you could just sing ‘the sky is’ evenly, like it fits... Also the way ‘anymore now’ is extended is so strange and kind of interrupts the flow of the song in my opinion. The arrangement changes are interesting if a little overwhelming and obnoxious (in the case of the bridge). This version is a nice alternative, but I prefer the original.

Favourite Songs: Kanashii Kedamono, YES NO, disclose

Least Favourite Songs: JUST DO IT, The Sacred Torch, landscape (not including pulsation (English ver.))

[idontwannabreakdown]

Ariel's Costumes in Ready For Combat

So, excluding the acoustic videos, I am pretty sure this is the least amount of costume changes in any video. If I'm not mistaken, the only other (non-acoustic) music video that only has one costume is Now You Know. Now, in Amorphous the costumes being light and dark seemed to represent Ariel's struggle with her demons and finding the light. I find it very interesting that songs like Now You Know and Ready For Combat don't mirror that, especially when the costumes in YCKU and Scripted follow that pattern as well. Both of these songs are fight songs. Ariel knows where she's at and she's pissed. There's not really any internal struggle in the song and that's why there's only one costume.

Before I do any actual analysis I do just wanna say how poor this costume is for fighting. I don't box, I've never wrapped my hands because my dad and tae kwon do instructor were very much just like "keep your wrist straight and you won't break anything" so I cannot comment on if her hands are wrapped in a way that would actually protect her joints. The shoes, while those are really cute would be absolutely awful to do any sort of physical activity in. Tall shoes like that provide horrible ankle support and you will get hurt. Not to mention those are wedges and she will most definitely step on her laces and fall. I'm sorry. And why are you wearing jewelry to a fight? It will get grabbed or ripped off/out and it will hurt.

But also like, maybe that's the point

This entire song is finally about standing up and fighting back after being taken advantage of, of course, she's not going to be fully equipped. If you've been talked down to, taken advantage of, ignored, etc, the first time you stand up for yourself it is going to be messy, you may not be fully equipped for what happens next. Or alternatively, this could be her doing things her way. After reading Turn Your Pain into Art and knowing what we know from Icon's experience with T&N, this could show that she's gonna fight her way, even if everyone around her is putting her down and telling her there's a "better" or "proper" way to do things. I mean just look at the colors. Both black and gold are pretty powerful and the venom shorts!!! Oh My God the Venom shorts!!!! The first line that comes to mind is "You're only as strong as you think you are" and this totally fits Ready For Combat. It's kinda like a prequel, she's realized her strength and now she's ready to fight. Not to mention the vipers on the shorts, again Venom, but also Blindside. "Feeling like a viper finally shed my skin/bet you didn't know I had it from the outside in" and "I'm about to strike/ gonna leave a mark" It's both a reminder of the pain she came from and also a reminder of her own strength.

I'm so sorry if this is jumbled

I'm readjusting to my meds so everything is funky and also I'm tired

Please please please use this to start a dialogue I live for these kinds of discussions

[artoflifehealingarts]

Oh and I do still have an Onlyfans and this preceded their Pay per view DM post:

There are two 30 minute videos I have been wanting to share plus another I still have to pass onto phone in order to upload. I try to keep the very sacred art separate and the shamanic also compartmentalized so as to work on all these projects in some kind of order.

They say people commit when they invest and am sorry but what's more important than your energy and health.

You want to know when you have "enough" Its when you take that next breath. Without it ..you have nothing. No matter how far, how much you made or how many titles without that breath you have nothing. That is why in these times your energy, which us a top commodity.. C'MON THEY STUDY YOU TO SEE WHERE YOUR ATTENTION ATTEND WHAT? WHERE YOUR ATTENTION GOES!

AND THAT BE WHERE YOUR ENERGY GOES. THEY GOT YA WANKIN IT ALL AWAY, PISSED OFF, CHASING THE DOLLAR WISHING YOU COULD MAKE SOMEONE HOLLER YOUR NAME, TAKING SELFIES SHOUTING OUT .. "LOOK I EXIST? I AM HERE!"

ARE YOU?

You want everyone to feel you but you won't even feel yourself. You want everyone to understand you but you wont even understand yourself. You cling to your past selves and future self abandoning the self. The self in the now. Then later complain about being left, betrayed and ignored or misunderstood. Cry me a river.

Fuck society and all it's worth and be yourself. Live by your own code of morality and stand for something within not outside or someone else's version of right and wrong.

Take the fucking responsibility of what you consider right or wrong and flow with it.

Trust yourself. Go within in order to communicate through: song, words, engineering, building, painting, being, smiling, kindness and legacy what you valued and loved.

Fuck trying to get people to like you or fuck you

Fuck yourself, make love to yourself on an energetic higher level and then fick yourself some more. Get to know each and every inch of yourself and then guide lovers there. Be brave and fearless . Fuck in a way that celebrates being alive.

If my legs are open these days..these days, not always..these days I inhale all that sweet love into my pussy and I rejoice at the reunion of the sun & the moon the king and the queen. I don't doubt myself ..if I am with someone these dats I know they are a king or queen and probably out of my societal media league because I keep attracting higher minded light beings.

The stronger I get the better energy I attract. The more I can receive The more I open The more I expand Expand and open more.The deeper into the realm between the subconscious and conscious

Much love..no matter what the lighting I dislike video indoors People always say. Oh you look so much better in person. Lmao.I say wtf how funky fudgely do I look in person lol?

Anyway ..fuck it I hope this all helps Am really routing for the men, the kings..the guys that conquered the world..ya know?

They can support the new definition if the woman and the higher Shakti energy

If the men don't rise then…the higher shakti energy will simply scatter ..no direction without the logic.

I can go further into the socio economic manifestation if all this but eh another day Go wank Warm up your towels And wank somemore

Leave your troubles at the door and restore Inhale exhale Liberate yourself Release Come And come some more. Have fully body orgasms Anal orgasms Laugh Crygasm

But come Come to life! .I write best when I just DO THE GRAMMAR ..handicap..i get it don't flip if that makes you batty.just read it out loud and begin breathing Pause and .fuck yourself for me Right in the soul

Oh so yeah. People commit to what they pay for. I am doing 10 of these with the last gifting you a total squirt but BUT first ya gotta earn it.

At the end if video 11 a wrap up which will also answer any questions I get along the way. Please DM feel free Free!

Respectfully of course. I am life itself just like you, so respect and honor me in regards to my being here just like you. Being here on a planet spinning around a sun im outer space without a clue ..knowing what's been told to me and what I feel and have experienced. I am different Gid sakes I have Congo, Mali, Senegal, native Yucatan indigenous, I am DIVERSITY

And I understand being different, challenged and stressed and I know what walking in this swamp of currents feels like but I would not be walking or able to have some vision and a life of meaning without my shamanic and Vama Marga tantra

Be needless be a needless lover give unto yourself all that energy you hold within and can inhale and take all that energy around you and alchemically transform it

All that be around you can serve you

mind is a tool emotions are tools you are in a super fucking vessel and you are conscious!

Stop trying to fuck like the discovery channel..I mean do it.. experience it all and then

Come to the Light side baby

the full body O's will do you right...OF is

@ mysticfemme all genders strict training, I tried food play have stopped and started a bunch. Men will say they love and respect it but eh..now I have a crew of faithful followers that does the work so they get 30 minute technique, breath and deep energetic health videos.. just sayin', the more the merrier! And if you do join in start at the bottom and await DMs and when ready jump into full course. I love Sploshing so will only do that fetish or play Sargent Master and Dark Eros you into Kingship and Queendom

[ivory-line]

DOWNSIDE // I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

so right now this is my top ranking for this album. it reminds me of early the killers especially the way he sings the chorus the second time. i think for me it's the breaths in between each "darling I need" that seals it for me. i do also think this is the song with the widest appeal on the album like it's very indie rock with signature idkhow elements. very very catchy and i think it's a great opener for the album especially because dallon immediately switches it up with a very funky song directly after. it's a good bridge from the first album to the new one. i've already had to come back to edit this one to say i love the way he says "cold copper kisses on my eyes" like phenomenal line phenomenal delivery and the rework in the final stanza sends me. full disclosure i've been pining after someone for two years now so that is definitely gonna color some of my opinions but if i'm gonna pull any lyrics from this one it has to be the chorus because it just sticks with you:

i wanna listen to you whisper to me

i wanna watch bad american movies

don't wanna give another kiss with my baby on my mind

it wasn't kind, it was kind of boring

i put a pill in my cup every morning

and when i die, they'll put those cold copper kisses on my eyes

and now i'm fighting for a look at the downside

[fantastickkay]

Album Review of the Week: Jonas Brothers - The Album (2023) ☆☆

After Happiness Begins largely fell flat for me in 2019, I was skeptical of a new Jonas Brothers effort but definitely had my ears open. I was a huge fan of theirs from about 2007-2010 and will always support them! The lead single Wings had a nice hook as they were teasing it but, clocking in at less than 2 minutes (!!) it left a lot to be desired. An aside, I never thought I would see the day when 1950s length songs would be in style again. Less than 2 minutes, really? Dang. It also whips back and forth between upbeat and downtempo which can be really irritating. The next single, Waffle House, did actually get me hooked and I was excitedly cautious - their comment of this album being "Bee Gees" inspired still lingering in the back of my mind in a negative way. I am not a fan of their falsetto tendencies, Bee Gees or JB.

Miracle has a really nice funky beat which is largely marred from that dreaded falsetto. With a different vocal style, this song could have been a banger! Yet, once again, it ends at just over 2 minutes without anything really exciting happening. (please let bridges come back!)

Montana Sky gives a bit of a redemption moment. It has a country flavor that they do actually make work for them and their own style. I can definitely picture myself on a road trip enjoying this song with the wind flowing through the car.

Sail Away has a lot of potential to be a really cool song, but once again it misses the mark just enough that it leaves me scratching my head in confusion. It is clearly attempting to meld together a few different genres and trends but comes across more disjointed than anything. The vocal style is very abrasive paired with the music on this particular track as well. In an attempt to appreciate the good, it does have a bridge!

Americana is an interesting track. Just as I was starting to get into it - IT ENDED!! 2 minutes exactly, with a 9 second fade out. It ends up feeling more like an interlude with the choppy vocal style, attempted rap? and repetitive nature. I'm not sure what exactly is happening, it's almost cool (again).

Celebrate! is a fantastic sentiment, they did go through a lot to be able to come back together. It's just far too cheesy and pleading to be in a commercial rather than a serious song. That's not to say that I expect it to be truly "serious" - my whole taste is "guilty pleasures" and unserious. I just mean an earnest piece of music, not something to slap on a Target commercial.

Back to Waffle House, by far the best track on this album. It has true verses, a dynamic chorus and a clear subject. It utilizes the same chanting you hear in the previous track, but in a much better and more engaging way.

Vacation Eyes sounds like it's right out of the mid-1980s with it's slappy, groovy bass. I'm not one of those people that see music in colors, but this song is definitely a pale pink sunset. It has a nice sentiment as well, I can definitely groove to this track.

Summer In the Hamptons is not my style at all. It's borderline vulgar with obnoxious repetitive instrumentation and a disjointed melody. I suppose that's just what happens when the pale pink sunset goes dark!

Summer Baby is the worst track on this album. The falsetto is out in full force and turned up much too high in relation to the music, either that or it simply cuts right through and seems louder. Still, the vocal melody is disjointed which I keep saying but there is just no variety in how they are singing and we all know they are capable and have the talent to at least give some variety and texture!

Vocally, Little Bird is a fantastic song compared to the rest. They are finally singing normally, although the lyrics are cheesy and contrived. I do appreciate the dedication to their children but it sounds like a 9th grader wrote these lyrics.

Walls is firstly kind of an odd song because at the time this was released they were all married and the longest song on this album, by far, is saying that if "you would ever leave me, the walls would cry"? It is slow, boring and weird. Weird because it has a woman saying one phrase in Spanish repeated throughout and it seems to glitch at one point and get super repetitive. The slowness morphed into what seemed like a rockier edge but I couldn't stand to listen to this album for another minute and a half.

Overall, this is a very disappointing release because I know that they are capable of much better. Nick just released a solo album in 2021 that was fantastic and both Nick and Joe have great voices when they use their proper range. Honestly, I just got frustrated listening to it and couldn't wait for it to be over. Even though this 12-track album clocks in at only 32 minutes, I couldn't wait for it to be over. That's something. There were points when it could have been a good album but just fell flat over and over again.

I did not buy a physical of this album, original images sourced from Discogs.

[pillowradar1]

What Does ‎Halloween Night Mean?

Recommendations for terrifying/darker ambient music? Listed below are some recommendations for what could occur. What can easily Try This take away coming from this? Say thanks to you for reading. Satisfied Halloween all! Even more Halloween creativity coming very soon, [Revised 6/29-11 15:20 AM] Thanks goes out to some of you who helped create this job possible, particularly in the opinions! On weekend breaks I such as to stroll my dog late at night down this long 2kilometres back road near where I live, he runs off chain and foods around in the waste, and I listen to songs. Last year I purchased it the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and I assume its opportunity I was less on the fencing concerning it. The second point to take note: I really love cats. But it's vital to keep in mind that the various other pussy-cats I have left after being in these conditions possess the very same condition. It's scary along with all the left buildings and shattered home windows. I've quit reading it. In reality, I only began reading it.". He stopped briefly for a instant. "And currently it's the second publication in a three-part series -- a whole lot of the books that we went through together and the books that we see with each other. So he's performed that previously -- but I'm not stating there's nothing like that that will certainly go with in to the collection, because there is actuallyn't considerably else. I put on scary popular music for an added kick, but therefore far I've merely been capable to locate one or two tracks to fulfill the feeling. I've captured a pair of songs that appear definitely similar, but the one I was working on is truly different. It is also the second cd to be released, so it'll be difficult to discover anything that really feels the same and I presume that's the scenario. I actually such as this cd therefore much, I'm actually appearing onward to it. Anything goes really, it doesn't possess to be background - therefore much I've acquired The Exorcist music and a pair of keep track of from Cryobiosis but I'm on the lookout for more. When would you like to participate in for The Magician? There are actually some spot on that list, all within the US, there's a great deal of various nations that could be interested. Anyone wanna help a brother out? Get in touch with me, and I'll inform you how. And through the means, my sibling's girl called in ill, and her family members hurried her carelessly to the health center, and there were all my questions answered. "How did you get right into that movie?". asked my sibling. "She was on the phone phoning me regarding the movie. It was frightening. Even though it was all scary to her, it wasn't like it was anything primary. I'd highly recommend the "Aliens" soundtrack through James Horner. This has to be a showpiece of audio concept. The Music There are some tracks on this cd that all seem quite great, though some are merely better than others. A lot of the tracks through Kornet have even more than one monitor. It isn't only the primary tune; there are actually some great songs by the guys. In standard, the verses are very straightforward and easy.

Back in the time, I'd queue up this soundtrack while participating in Bungee's Marathon on my aged Mac. I couldn't even remember where I received it before it dropped to me. But, it was in the archives! Thus I made an effort to go into it later. It's thus tough to mention my title. I was actually appearing forward to it. It was pretty long. But I was fired up to find all of these outrageous and funky-looking tracks. I recognized they were something unique. It was ideal for that game. It's like my papa's property! It's therefore considerably much better! All we require currently is a little bit more opportunity. And to get back to genuine lifestyle, it's important to have some time before we move on to yet another subject. MARK: You did say you're presuming about some kind of journey. What type of adventures are you talking concerning? TAYLOR: There was perhaps a pair. For your stroll, I'd highly recommend making a playlist of the soundtrack's slower parts (Main Title/LV-426, Newt, Dark Discovery). The very most essential point to don't forget is to not participate in the beat. You've dropped your track, thus obtain to the end of your groove. The first beat is for the end of your gouge, so begin playing on the second beat. You listen to the beat on the CD. The very first Beat is on the CD and plays it on a computer system.

[zoasart]

them out in the club dancing to some funky music

voulez-vous~

[zackcrazyvalentine]

me seeing the ask masterlist realizing most of them are mine : 🤡

BUT ANYWAYS

CONCERNING THE FAMILY DAY

THE SIBLINGS 🛐

i’m not saying that i have a crush on ace’s brother , cater’s sisters and sebek’s siblings because of that some fanart but that’s exactly what i’m saying

ACE’S MOM DESTROYING HER SON LIFE IN FRONT MC ? FORGET THAT ACE’S BROTHER CAME IN WITH THE RECEIPTS . HE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT AND 👏🏾HE 👏🏾IS 👏🏾PREPARED👏🏾

“hey did you know that ace used to looooove going around butt naked when he was younger ?” “DON’T YOU DARE-“ “here i have pictures , videos , posters and mugs printed of it-“

CATER’S SISTERS WOULD PROBABLY BE ALL OVER MC

“oh they’re so cute ~ !” “(new nickname)-chan ! do you wanna see some baby pics of cater ? look at this one he couldn’t quite stand on his legs and he-“ “HAHAHAHAHAA yeah so funny ! but would you like at the time it’s to go-“

sebek’s siblings would probably resemble their parents ? i see his sister being just like his mother and his brother as calm as his father ? ACTUALLY THE WHOLE ZIGVOLT COUPLE GIVE ME BAKUGOU’S PARENTS VIBES-

JACK’S LITTLE SIBLINGS-

I- THE LOVE I HAVE FOR THEM WHEN WE DON’T EVEN KNOW THEIR NAMES-

his brother is in middle school if i’m not wrong so just like all these AnGsTy teenage boys (and his brother-) he would be like “i-it’s not like i needed your help or anything o(｀ω´ )o” sure whatever rocks you boat-

HIS LITTLE SISTER WOULD BE LIKE CHEKA . THE MINUTE SHE SAW HER BROTHER SHE WOULD BE LIKE “hey big bro ! look i grew a lot since last time ! i’m a big girl now so i can go with you do luge next time ! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ” PLEASE SHE WOULD BE ADORABLE WITH THE EARS AND ALL DOWOWODKWOMEODMEKWOWKSOWKSDKSOWKEOEOOEE

TREY’S LITTLE SIBLINGS. you’re watching from afar as a flock of children come and proceed to pummel your friend to the ground-

they would be the kind of siblings that’s asks questions about everything and anything at any time i just know-

LETS NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT KALIM’S SIBLINGS BECAUSE ITS A FUCKING ARMY AT THIS POINT-

imagine this

in a dark room somewhere in nrc . multiples children are sat besides a round table with sunglasses on and glass of grape juice adult beverages in their hand .

Okay i don’t know how to write so that it would makes sense BUT BASICALLY ITS JUST A “MY BROTHER/UNCLE BETTER YOU POO BECAUSE HE-“

yes the same would happen with the older siblings i am convinced-

also don’t worry it wasn’t too long i’m happy it gave you inspiration-

ASK AND YE SHALL RECIVE!!!!

HONESTLY, SAME ANON!! I HAVE A BIG FAT CRUSH in Cater’s Sisters and Ace’s Brother (and Sebek’s, Azul’s & Deuces mamas) 😭😭😭

Sorry, but I'll do a hard pass writing for Kalim's mansion-full of siblings 🙇‍♀️ (plus I don't think Crowley would let 30+ kids-teens-toddles-babies come into NRC lol, maybe just the following 3 after Kalim) BUT INSTEAD!!! I hope you like the bonus character~

LOL THE FIGTH TO FIND OUT WHO'S BROTHER IS THE BEST, A CHAOTIC BATTLEFIELD FILLED WITH BABY PICTURES AND ANECDOTES OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CUTE/STUPID/HEARTWARMING THINGS ALL OF THEM DID

-- -- -- --

MC attentively watched as skilled hands mix card in different flashy ways, while Ace sat beside them with a bored and irritated look on his face.

“This is your card!” The older redhead took a random card and showed it to MC. Sparkles shone in their eyes as they smiled a big bright smile, amazed at the card trick.

Ace interrupted the moment. “Oh, yeah, duh! The easiest trick there is! You just had to cast a simple spell that allows only your eyes to see which card [Name] picked highlighted in red!”

Big Brother Trappola looked at his sibling with an unamused face, MC mirroring the look at having their momentary joy crumbled like that. “Sure, a simple trick, but it was I who taught it to you. Don’t forget little Ace! You’re always following my steps~”

The heart suit boy sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head and looking some other way.

“Ah, he definitely is following a~ll your advices, Big Bro! Ace is always mentioning how you taught him many useful tricks for life!” MC became a little tattletale to antagonize their friend.

The Hearstlabyul student tensed, blushing as he looked at the other two. His sibling smirked, “Really now~? Oh, I didn’t know you loved me so much, baby bro! Say, [Name], let me tall you all my favorite stories of Ace when he was little! I even brought our old photo album for you to view! You can keep it if you like~” The aforementioned photo record appeared, “Look at this one! Ace used to wear his tighty whities like a superhero mask!”

At that, the 1st year tugged his friend away from his mischievous older brother, dragging them far away from his influences.

~°~  ~°~

“Cay-nii! Look look! We found your cute little friend before we could find you, and they were so kind to bring us here!” The younger of the two Diamond sisters waved at her brother. However, her arm remained linked with MC’s.

Cater looked scared, despair quickly painting his face. All his attempts to hide, ruined But now that his sisters had MC in their arms... He couldn’t run the risk of them embarrassing him in front of his crush.

“A-Ahaha..! Yeah, look at that..!” The orange haired boy awkwardly laughed, approaching the menace that were his sisters (with a cute, clueless MC between them).

MC spoke up with that bright smile on their face, "Your sisters are so lovely, Cater! I wouldn't mind having siblings as nice as these."

"Oh if only you knew, little Prefect." Cater though to himself.

The sisters looked at each other, then at their younger brother. "Is that so, [Name]-chan~?" The older one inquired, words drawled out in a playful yet dark tone. Oh no, Cater tensed at what they were planning.

Acting quickly, the girls dragged MC over to one of Heartslabyul's many couches. "You're always welcomed into the family, [Nickname]-chan!" "To show you you're a Diamond now, let us watch some of Cater's old baby pics! He was the most adorable little brother back then!"

The Heartslabyul student hurried up to his siblings, trying his best to ruin their "bonding" activity.

~°~ ~°~

The evening was nice, warm with a comfortable breeze... The surprising thing was that MC shared many laughs with Sebek and his siblings through the day.

They were nice, very nice! The girl was intense like their friend, while the boy was tamer, on the shy side.

They shared many stories about their family life: the fishing trips to catch salmon, what their parents were up to in the clinic and the new patients they got to work with (quite a colorful array, one must say), life in Valley of Thorns, tales of their magical awakening and how Sebek threw up when his magic woke up, funny stories of childhood games, and thought MC many songs!

With how much they butt heads with Sebek, MC wholeheartedly welcomed this wonderful day filled with happiness, shared with their friend and his siblings!

~°~ ~°~

A Magift practice match supervised by Leona

MC sat on the sidelines, a bouncing wolf pup sitting on their lap. The small child marveled at the highspeed tricks and plays of both teams. "Big Bro Jack!! Go go go, Big Bro Jack!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, cheering her brother on.

At their side, an embarrassed sigh could be heard. Jack's little brother, who held striking resemblance with him (specially with that attitude), tried to hide away from onlookers' eyes after his sister's cheer.

But then...

Jack snatched the disk from the enemy team, sending it flying through the air with a mighty powerful flick from his magical pen and--!

"SCOOOOORE!!!!" Both young wolves screamed in happiness, tails wagging a couple times as their adrenaline kicked.

Leona laughed at the reaction. "Not so indifferent now, huh, squirt?" His hand ruffled the wolf boy's hair. The boy blushed at getting caught cheering like that.

A sudden snicker startled the siblings as they looked at the hyena beastman. "You resemble your brother a lot. I'm sure you could become as good of a player as Jack some day."

The little girl gasped in amazement, siblings looking at each other with excited sparkles in their eyes at the compliment the older of the two just received.

"Ah~, they're just as adorable as Jack!" MC gushed internally.

~°~ ~°~

"Trey-nii!" "Big Bro!" "Trey-Trey!" Many voices came their way, sounding excited about finally getting to see their beloved brother once more.

Trey chuckled nervously, "Here we go..." Suddenly, MC saw three little kids glomp their friend. Two hugged his legs while the other climbed up to cling to his torso.

"How have you been, big bro?" "Have you made friends?! Many friends?!" "Do you have sweets? I smell cake!" "Your house here looks funky!" "Can we go inside the big house, Trey-Trey?!" "Can I pick a pretty rose, Trey-nii? I really want a pretty rose!"

They fired multiple questions at their 3rd year friend. So young, so curious, a perfect embodiment of childhood...

MC giggled, "You never told me your siblings were so inquisitive. It's so cute!"

Their attention immediately turned to MC. In a hurry, they let go of Trey and approached the magicless human.

"You're a friend of Trey-nii, right?! Right?!" "You're pre~tty, no wonder Trey-Trey likes you!" "Hey, hey! Do you also have a big house like big bro?!" "Do you have any siblings? I wanna befriend my brother's friends' siblings!" "A pretty person like you deserves a pretty rose... Trey-nii! Can we pick roses to make a crown? Plea~se?!"

"Now now, let's not overwhelm [Name] in our first meeting, yes?" Trey's call silenced them in a second. "I do believe you must first introduce yourselves before asking so many questions to a stranger, don't you think?"

The trio looked to the ground and fidget with their clothes. "Yes, Big Brother Trey..."

The glasses wearing student shot an apologetic look to MC. "Why don't we go inside and get your introductions done, as well as your questions answered, over a slice of tart and a cup of tea? Sounds good? Maybe you can meet some other friends of mine, too."

The kids perked up, happy smiles brightening their faces as they nodded and took each of Trey's hands. The remaining child looked at MC, who smiled and stretched their hand for them to take before making their way into Heartslabyul dorm.

~°~ ~°~

"My Ruggie really did that?!" The old woman was surprised, wrinkled face showing her emotions.

MC affirmed with their head, "Yes, he's always helping me forage for herbs and tasty plants to use for meals! Really useful for cutting off expenses. He even taught me few recipes with said plants, recipes taught by you, Miss!"

Ruggie's grandmother smiled proudly. "He's such a nice soul, isn't he? Always bringing cans of food when he comes visit us to ensure the little ones back home have something to eat." She held MC's hand in both of hers, using the one on top to give the prefect's a couple taps.

"You treasure those recipes with your life, young one! And please," Her eyes were so gentle as she looked up at them, "Keep an eye out for my Ruggie, yes? He tends to overwork himself. Please, fulfill my role while I'm away from him, make sure he eats and sleeps well, that he stays hydrated and relaxes his mind. That is all I could ever ask from you."

MC's heart contracted with adoration at how kind this old lady was, a beautiful old soul still full of vigor.

They nodded, squeezing those calloused yet warm hands of hers.

Meanwhile, the eavesdropping hyena sniffled at the sweet moment between his grandmother and friend. He was deeply touched.

Two peopled he held dear to his heart were getting along swimmingly! More over, they just showed him they care equally as much about him as he does for them.

-- -- --

BUT WE ALL LOVE YOUR ASKS, ANON!!!!

KEEP BLESSING US WITH YOUR IDEAS!!!!

[tampon-on-the-sidewalk]

Songs You Should Know From The Rasmus

An iconic band is representing Finland in Eurovision this year! However, most people who have known about The Rasmus prior to Jezebel usually think of their biggest hit, In The Shadows. I want to shed light on the songs that have gone unheard, and show how amazing these guys are. I will attempt to narrow it down to two per album. Under the cut because long! This will be in chronological order and hopefully show their evolution as a band.

Song- Album- Year

1. Fool- Peep- 1996  I chose this one because it’s the closest in lyrics to their current sound! Their first album I like to call the genre Skunk-ska punk. It’s also one of the few songs in the debut that you can understand his English! The singing is so fast in the others that you really can’t tell what Lauri is saying. An important note- Aki is not the drummer in this album, but rather Janne Heiskanen. Founding Guitarist Pauli Rantalsami can be heard here. 2. Small- Peep- 1996 This one moreso sets the tone for the entire Album, and their sound for the next few albums. Definitely more of a funky sound.  3. Sophia- Playboys- 1997 When I think oldschool rasmus, this is the first song that comes to mind! The brass, the composition of the song, the fast-paced lyrics and over-all fun feel of the song despite the lyrics. This album has a lot of guest performers, from the instruments to backing vocals, which I think is pretty astounding.  4. Blue- Playboys- 1997  I wanted to put this one in as well, because there’s something about the way the older songs are composed that really tell a story. If you have the time, I recommend this whole album in that regard.  5.  Help me Sing-Hell of a Tester- 1998 This album is the last time we hear the brass in a Rasmus song. Lauri’s vocals are starting to come in a bit stronger, and his pronunciation is improving. I really like this one musically. 6. City of the Dead- Hell of a Tester- 1998 As you could expect from an album titled ‘Hell of a tester’, there are a lot of experimental tracks on this. This is where their sound starts to sound like Dead Letters/Hide From the Sun. 

7.  One & Only-Into- 2001. This album was VERY difficult to pick just two songs from, because they’re all so great and diverse. This is when the band really starts to take form. I feel like Lauri’s vocals are the strongest in this album(at least, until 2008) and this is the debut album of current drummer Aki Hakala. Most of the songs in this have a cinematic feel. 8. Bullet- Into- 2001 Despite not being a single, I feel like this song is also a very recognizable Rasmus song. You can start to hear a bit of Dead Letters take shape.  9. Time to Burn- Dead Letters- 2003 I’m partial to this one because it was actually the first Rasmus song I’ve ever heard! The somewhat depressing lyrics, the energy of the whole piece, the chorus is just. Perfection.  10.  In My Life- Dead Letters- 2003  Content warning for sun glare in the video The song was definitely an anthem to me as a little gay boy growing up. A very uplifting, empowering song. The ending of the song is one of my favourites. 11. Dancer In the Dark(bonus track)- Hide From the Sun- 2005 The Rasmus has always been great at the opening instrumentals of their songs, and this is no exception. The chorus really tugs at my heart. This album in general has probably the darkest lyrics of their entire discography. You can really feel the pain in some of these. 12. Dead Promises- Hide From the Sun- 2005 An intense song that just keeps building as it goes. Also has the lyric that inspired the album title!   13. Lost and Lonely- Black Roses- 2008 I was torn between which one to showcase the musicality of this album(this or Ghost of Love). The composition of both songs is somewhat similar, but it’s so beautiful. I chose this one as the ending instrumental is so pretty. It should be known that Desmond Child(who helped write Jezebel) also worked on this album alongside the band. 14. Dangerous Kind- Black Roses- 2008 Probably the most upbeat(next to Your Forgiveness) song of the album. The thing about this album, is all the songs almost feel like one song strung along.  15. Sky- The Rasmus- 2012 For a self-titled album, this couldn’t be more different than what they were known for which is why it’s so amazing. The vulnerability in all of the songs really speaks to me but this one in particular? For starters, the lyrics are about a man on death row coming to terms with everything before he’s executed. The fact that Lauri could write a song like this is just astounding. Easily my favourite The Rasmus song of all time. 16.   Empire- Dark Matters- 2017. I’m going to be brutally honest, this album as a whole was a huge letdown to me. None of the songs were particularly memorable, the instrumental hooks in the beginning that they’re so well known for are nowhere to be found(at least not to the caliber they’re known for), and I feel like Lauri’s vocals aren’t strong at all. However, this song definitely packs a punch and is very personal for both he and Eero(EDIT, it was Pauli), who were going through marital issues at the time. This album is the last one to feature guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi.  17. Bones Honorable mention. This song reminds me specifically of a different band, but I can’t think of who it is. Maybe Reflexion? It’s very powerful yet subtle where it counts. This is not in an album yet! Thanks for reading, and happy listening!

[niccerooniererer]

so some of yall may remember that I mentioned that I wrote a few fanfics and I was considering posting them (tho not all cuz I feel like not all of them are worthy enough) so I went fuck it, why not post it on tumblr then so here, I wanna show off this 2k word fanfic thingy I wrote about Chuck and Taylor, kind of angsty and about Taylor feeling like he’s not good enough for Chuck (in the best friend way, they aren’t together in this) because Chuck is popular and a lot of people are interested in him...... with a sort of sweet ending. Also excuse me if my way of speaking gets a little funky at times, can’t help it I’m bilingual

Another tune, another song to make you feel like it will be better. That it will be easier. That you will go through with everything even if clumsily. But It feels no use, the lies haven’t converted in your brain. That’s what Taylor was feeling as he buried himself in his bed under his pillows, as if he was trying to hide himself from the world. To disappear so he can stop worrying about messing up and just… He felt tears come to him as he listened to more songs. They just made his tears come out even more. Why… Oh why does it have to be one of those days? He had been trying to invite Chuck out somewhere but he kept just fumbling around and changing subjects, unable to. Wouldn’t that just make it obvious how down bad he is for Chuck? Wouldn’t that just make him a weak loser chasing a dream that won’t come true? Would he even… wanna be with him at all? Chuck could have anyone. He’s charismatic, handsome, sweet, well known too, more of a people person than Taylor will ever be… Why would he want to be with someone so different and… boring? He doesn’t know if to feel shame for how plain and boring he feels, or if to feel jealous because Chuck has so much more going on, more than he’ll ever have. These thoughts cut like swords, but these days they ring so true and they won’t stop ringing until Taylor goes insane because of them. Today was one of these breaking points. 

He was still sniffling away under his pillows, trying to calm down when the door to his room opened.

“Hey Tay- wait, where are you?” Chuck took a careful step in. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. He noticed the human shape under the pillows and the blankets. Blankets? It’s not everyday Taylor uses more than 1. Taylor said nothing back to him.

“Are… are you good, man?” Chuck asked as he sat down beside the shape. He only heard a slight sniffle. He’s usually louder than that when he’s sleeping, so he was definitely awake.

“I hope you’re feeling okay… I don’t think I can help right now cuz I’ll have to go for a photoshoot but… yeah” Chuck awkwardly finished and left the room, closing the door behind himself. Taylor could hear Chuck leave through the door, leaving the apartment and his thoughts all to himself. He slowly sat up and just… sat there.

“I didn’t even say a thing to him” Taylor thought out loud to himself, lowering his head in his hands, as if he was trying to keep in the last of his happy thoughts he thought he might still have. But god, it really felt like there was no more.

He got up to clean his face. The cold water felt nice, something refreshing to sooth his soul a little. As he was walking back to his room, he felt dull, yearning pain in his stomach. He… didn’t eat today yet. He sighed, giving in to his needs. He dragged himself to the fridge, from where he took out a frozen pizza. He slammed a few things on it before he put it in the oven.. These things never really have a lot of things on them… The dumb thought that he doesn’t even deserve pizza with real flavour crossed his mind which he quickly tried to shake out of his mind. It’s absurd and laughable, yet it makes him feel miserable. Why is his psyche so gullible into negative thoughts? 

The pizza tasted nice enough, a bittersweet contrast to his mood. At least he felt a little less empty now. He didn’t like to be mean but… right now,  Chuck’s absence was nice for him too. It was letting him feel less connected to him, as if he’s just some average sad guy, living alone. In all that silence, it felt like home to him right now. He opened one of the windows and just… looked out. It was growing into night, the Sun was already below the horizon. Time sure passes fast when you’re buried under so much sadness you can’t fight… At least the breeze he felt coming in was making him feel better… Though not too much. His thoughts drift back to him… He gripped the windowsill, trying to release his demons that pick at him and try to pick him apart. Pick him apart until all he is is a mess that’s broken and awkward and all on show for him to see just how pathetic his roommate is. So then he could see how beyond Taylor he truly is. Ugh damn it….. He breathed in slow and out, trying to keep himself in a functional human shape. As functional as he can be… He closed the window, that’s when the door to the halls opened, revealing Chuck. The 2 stared at each other for a few seconds.

“Hey.” Taylor said flatly, he couldn’t hide his feelings this fast “I’m going to my room… if you need me or something”

As if he’d be needed.

“Hey- actually uhm…” Chuck hesitated before extending his hand towards Taylor, he had a plastic bag “I… bought you something small… it’s not much but I just wanted to… uh, yeah,,”

Taylor carefully took it, noticeably avoiding touching Chuck’s hand.

“Thanks… I guess” Taylor then went straight to his room, without another word to Chuck. Why… Why was he this cold to him? What did he do? He’s never had Taylor be this cold to him ever… He felt like they were close and… even getting closer but… Guess not. Guess it’s not how it’s supposed to be. He just doesn’t know what he did and that’s gonna bother him to hell, with an unknown force taking his best friend away from him… He even had a long day… He wished he could actually spend the night hanging closer to Taylor but…What should he do? He thought and decided to ask friends for advice.

“Oh he’s just a gloomy guy, let him be”

“Why are you wasting your time on him so much? it must be so exhausting, you could always hang out with me”

“He causes you so much sadness, you should focus on other people for a while”

And even more answers Chuck just wasn’t happy with the least. He wants to help Taylor and no one is trying to help him find out how to. He threw his phone on his bed in frustration and went to Taylor, he’s just… gonna try his best.

He opened the door to Taylor’s room to find him sipping on the sundae he bought him, huddled up on his bed with his earphones in. It took a few seconds for him to notice Chuck.

“What?” Taylor asked, the coldness from his words crystallized the feelings of Chuck feeling his soul stabbed by them like ice rods.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

Chuck came further into the room.

“You’re… not usually like this…you’re usually more-”

“Well, that would be really fucking hard to always stay happy, did you know??” Taylor’s voice cracked, the tears once again trying to show up for another showing. 

“I’m… I’m here if you need to talk about it… I’m here for you whenever I can be…”

“Isn’t that exhausting?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it exhausting to coddle me up from feeling like shit?”

“I… I don’t mind it uh…”

“Sure”

Chuck was trying to find his words but Taylor’s answer froze him. His lips slightly switched as he then felt these words coming to him, tired of dancing around words just to then not say what he would truly want to say.

“Of course I don’t mind, I love spending time with you, there’s seriously nothing better than that. I love nothing more than spending the chillest nights with you, nothing can compare I swear to god” Chuck teared up by the end.

Taylor was looking at him shocked. He at first tried to ignore these words but Chuck… The way he looked back at him, so sincere and frustrated. It felt like daggers to his chest… He felt so selfish, feeling tears coming out, his sundae shaking in his hand.

“Why do you think that? What do I have that others don’t? I’m not even anything interesting, so many more interesting people are interested in you and you’re wasting energy on me?”

“Stop talking like that, god damn it” Chuck cried out as he stepped in even closer, close enough to grab Taylor by his collar which he did “I don’t need any of those guys, I need YOU”

The 2 shared a long stare into each other’s eyes, at least it felt very long. With both seeing the amount of pain in the other’s eyes and expression, both worn out from stress and doubts and fears.

“I hate it so bad when you think like that, Tay’, literally no one could ever replace you or be better than you for me”

“It’s just so hard y'know… I feel so… inferior to you…. Do you even know how many people tried to befriend me just to try and get closer to you? Too many, way too many, and it made me feel like I’m just another useless guy to you”

“Dude I… I cannot put into words how much you are not that, you are funny, you are fun to be around, you are the kinda chill I need with my busy life, you are like… a home to come to and heal like nobody else… Why would you never mention this to me? That you feel that way”

“It’s selfish… “

“It’s not”

“But it is because I…” Taylor lowered himself, pulling his head to his lap to hide himself away, as if his face not showing would end the conversation.

“No matter what it is, it’s not. I want you to know that you can share your feelings with me, all of them, I wanna be there for you. What kinda best friend would I be if I wasn’t?”

Taylor could barely help it as he slammed down his sundae on his nightstand, and he sprung up and pulled Chuck into a hug, crying into his shirt (and tiddies). Chuck hugged Taylor back tightly, slowly kneeling down to his level to get a bit more comfortable. Though as they pulled away from each other, them being this close to each other did hit different for a whole second. Both of them looked upset and blushing from all the tears and frustration. They spent a bit of time like that, before Chuck awkwardly spoke up.

“Can I… stay here tonight?”

“For what?” the question came out a bit distant and cold which flustered Taylor “I mean uh… We’ve… never been like that before so it’s…”

“I just want a little comfort”

Taylor sighed, trying to shake off the embarrassment and the gay little happiness the idea gave him.

“Sure, come here”

Taylor pulled the covers away and scooted a bit back. Chuck got on, real close to Taylor. This felt a little too… thought inducing… On both of them.

“Oh by the way umm” Chuck started, clearly very embarrassed about what he’s gonna say “I think I mentioned it only once but I kind of prefer to be a little spoon if that’s cool with you”

“Oh yeah, I remember that” Taylor only realized after a few seconds had passed that what he said sounded quite fruity. “And um yeah, I can deal with that.”

“Thanks,, means a lot that you let me do this”

“I mean… I need it a little too so… guess it’s mutual like that”

They settled down, with Chuck facing away from Taylor, facing to his door instead, with Taylor having his arms around Chuck, keeping him in a secure hold, which felt very nice to Chuck and he wished they could do this regularly. And because it was so nice, it helped soothe, the tiredness from the emotions drifted both of them into some great and well deserved sleep. Finally something nice that happened today.

[maybeimamuppet]

you happened

hey darlings!! happy wednesday!!!

let’s get right into it shall we?

tw for

discussion of canon events in mg (outing, etc)

discussion of canon events in the prom (homophobia, etc.)

this was requested by @spidy-nugget like forever ago so thank you for your patience and i hope you enjoy!

—

“Oh!” Cady says, interrupting herself in the middle of a sentence. “I just remembered! My cousin is coming to visit next week, do you guys want to meet her?”

“Emma?” Damian asks excitedly. Cady nods. “Yes! Is she bringing the-her… Broadway friends?”

“I dunno, she didn’t tell me,” Cady giggles. “But probably, she said they usually visit her at some point every summer.”

“I should probably be there to stop him from combusting if they do come,” Janis huffs. “But also, yes, I want to meet her too.”

“She’s an absolute icon,” Damian says happily. “God, her song. Still makes me cry.”

“You cried watching Finding Dory yesterday,” Janis retaliates.

“It’s a sad movie! Sometimes!” Damian defends. “Anyway, tell me all about Emma.”

“Okay,” Cady giggles again. “She’s a year older than us, and she’s my cousin on my mom’s side. Um… you know her whole… prom fiasco. I’ve only met her in person once when I was ten, for Rhys’ funeral. But we were pen pals when we were really little. And now we just text and stuff.”

“Cute,” Damian says. “And is her girlfriend coming?”

“Oh! Yeah,” Cady says around a mouthful of Janis’ milkshake. “Her name is Alyssa, she’s, like, super smart. Did every possible activity in high school, that kind of thing. But she’s been with Emma when we’ve Facetimed and stuff before and she’s super sweet.”

“Aww,” Damian coos. “I can’t wait!”

————-

Luckily for him, Damian doesn’t have to wait too long. Emma and Alyssa arrive the following week in Emma’s pickup. Damian has been pressed against the window all day, like a small child watching for the ice cream truck. He gasps dramatically when four people in matching sequined tracksuits also hop out of the backseat, grumbling about being cramped together for such a long trip.

Cady opens the door to let everyone in, and is quickly swamped by a crowd of people much taller than her. Janis pops up on her tippy toes to try and find her girlfriend to save her, but doesn’t succeed.

Everyone heads into the living room, and Janis laughs when she finds Cady being carried in like a sack of potatoes by one of the men that came with Emma.

“Emma, why didn’t you tell me your cousin was so adorable?” He demands. “Look at this, she’s so small.”

“Please put me down,” Cady squeaks. Janis heads over and reaches for her.

“Can I have my girlfriend back, please?”

“And she’s gay!” The man says happily, passing Cady over like she’s a small dog. Janis holds her close and smoothes her hair back to where it was.

“Bi, actually,” Cady grumbles.

“Well, aren’t you something. Oh, my name is Barry, by the way. As if you haven’t heard of me.”

“Barry, we talked about this,” Emma chides. “They haven’t. Except Damian.”

“And where is this Damian? I want to meet him,” one of the ladies says. “Oh, and my name is Dee Dee.”

Damian enters shyly and gives a little wave. Janis cackles, “Dude, you’re totally starstruck, look at you!”

“Uh-hi,” he stutters. “I’m Damian.”

“Aww!” The other lady says. “Look at your little cheeks, what a sweetheart! I’m Angie.”

Damian blushes violently as he’s cooed over by Angie. Barry hauls her off to get a good look at him.

“I like this,” he says. “It’s like a mini me.”

“Just don’t break him,” Emma pleads. “Damian, can I trust you to babysit for a while?”

That prompts a, ‘Hey!’ from all four adults, and an eager nod from Damian. “I can show them around town.”

“This is not a town, darling,” Dee Dee says gently. “But what is there to see?”

“We have… uh-“

“There’s an IHOP!” Cady chirps. “And the mall. That’s kind of it until you get to Chicago. Or the lake.”

“This is the most precious soul,” Barry says happily.

“Dame, we did it. I never thought I’d see the day we found someone gayer than you,” Janis laughs.

“Oh, I like this one too,” Barry says. “Funky little lesbian. She dresses like Emma but goth.”

“I do love the hair,” Emma agrees. “I’m dressed more like Cady today though.”

They both look down at their almost-matching flannels and jean shorts, then back at each other with a nod.

“Same boots though,” Janis cheers, lifting a foot. Emma laughs and nudges it with one of her own doc martens. “Nice.”

“Precious,” Angie says. “Okay, we’ll leave you gals alone now. Damian, show us the sights.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Damian says, leading the adults to the door.

“Yes, show us to the… hopping eyes,” Dee Dee says, sounding both bored and intrigued at the same time. Damian waves goodbye to Janis excitedly and closes the door after him.

“Well,” Emma chuckles. “Oh, I hope he’ll be okay.”

“I think he’ll be fine,” Alyssa soothes. “He’s in good company, and he’s a theatre kid, he gets their… vibes.”

“Theatre kid is an understatement for that boy,” Janis tuts affectionately.

“True,” Cady giggles. “Anyway, we can hang out in my room, if you want?”

Emma and Alyssa nod, so Cady leads everyone up to her bedroom. Janis flops onto the bed and Cady crawls in behind her, lifting her head onto her lap. Alyssa and Emma look around curiously for a second before joining them.

“Who did these?” Alyssa asks, pointing to the paintings and collages adorning the walls. “They’re incredible, especially this one. It looks just like you guys!”

Janis flushes as she points to the one she won her art contest with, of she and Damian and Cady all together. “I did.”

“Dang,” Emma breathes. “You have some serious talent, Janis.”

“Thanks,” Janis squeaks.

“No, seriously! Do you have stuff here?” Emma insists.

“A few things, yeah,” Janis says confusedly, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

Emma lifts her guitar case onto the bed and flicks the latches open, pulling out her famous instrument. It’s covered in stickers and little doodles, much like Janis’ jackets.

“Will you do something on this for me?”

Janis’ eyes go wide. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course!” Emma chuckles. “There’s room down here if you want it visible, or on the back.”

Janis carefully takes the instrument and assesses the material, trying to put an idea together in her mind. She runs to Cady’s desk when one comes to her, where she keeps a supply of basic colors and brushes in case of emergency. Cady doesn’t mind keeping them, they remind her of her girlfriend.

Cady grins affectionately as Emma and Alyssa cuddle in together. “How did you two meet?”

Her cousin turns to smile at her girlfriend. “I kind of always knew of her from school and stuff, but we didn’t really get close until sophomore year.”

Alyssa nods in agreement. “My mom wanted me to be more creative and have another skill or whatever, so she signed me up for guitar classes. Just so happens she was my teacher.”

“You really sucked,” Emma teases. Alyssa scoffs, aghast, and shoves her so hard she nearly falls off the bed. “Ack! Hey, I was kidding!”

“I know,” Alyssa giggles. “I did suck, I’ve never been much good at artsy stuff.”

“I was never good at art either,” Cady chuckles at their antics. “Jay’s tried to teach me to paint a couple times and it hasn’t gone too well.”

She peeks around the other couple to where her own girlfriend is sitting cross-legged on the ground, tongue poked out to the side as she carefully brushes a stroke of paint onto Emma’s guitar. Janis looks up when she feels her gaze, and grins happily when she sees Cady.

“You have the right instincts, I keep telling you,” she says. “You just get cranky too fast and then start attacking me with it.”

Everyone else bursts out laughing. Emma says, “I don’t blame her, I hated art class. What were we talking about?”

“How we met, dummy,” Alyssa huffs, kissing behind Emma’s ear.

“Oh yeah! So, we started off with actual lessons, but then we started getting to know each other more,” Emma explains. “And then I came out and got kicked out, which… a lot of people heard about, so Lyss figured I was a safe person to tell that she was questioning.”

Cady nods, listening intently to the story.

“I came out to her that summer,” Alyssa says. “And she said she’d had a crush on me all along, and asked me out. So we went on a walk and then got coffee and the rest is history.”

“We forgot to mention the serious gay panic I had during our first lesson,” Emma chuckles. “But that’s the gist of it.”

“How cute,” Cady coos.

“What about you two, how long have you been together?” Alyssa asks kindly, flicking Emma’s ear gently as she aggressively plops down onto her lap.

“Four months,” Janis pipes up immediately.

“Man, you crushed on her for that long without saying anything, Cades?” Emma says, impressed. Janis pops her head up and listens in.

“Oh?”

“She never shut up about you for, like, almost a year,” Emma laughs. Cady flushes scarlet and looks down at her lap with a flustered squeak. “I’m assuming it was you, she never gave a name. But it was always a tall, hot artist with cool hair and nice muscles. And I think she mentioned your butt a few times, she thinks that’s cute.”

Janis cackles as Cady flops facedown onto her bed and groans into a pillow. “How cute, I didn’t know that. But I shouldn’t laugh, I definitely wasn’t any better.”

“How did you get together?” Alyssa asks, patting Cady’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Janis snorts from the ground and Cady gives another groan into her pillow. “What?”

“You tell them,” Cady grumbles, poking her face out just long enough that it’s not muffled.

“Baby, it’s cute,” Janis coos.

“No it’s not!”

“Okay, fine, I’ll tell it in a way that makes me look just as dorky,” Janis compromises. “Caddy came to my school in September from Kenya, and she had these adorable little cargo shorts and socks with sandals on, and-“

“Hold on, what?” Alyssa insists. “Kenya?”

“Cady grew up there, her parents are zoologists,” Emma explains.

“How many conversations have we had with her? And you never thought to tell me she’s from Africa?”

“It never came up! We both had a lot going on the first year and then we just didn’t bring it up,” Emma defends. “And now you know.”

“Sorry,” Alyssa says. “Keep going.”

“It’s all good,” Janis chuckles. “Anyway, I fell for her so bad the first day that I dragged Damian into the bathroom at lunch and made him let her join our group.”

Cady pops her head up and looks to her girlfriend. “You did?”

“Yeah, duh,” Janis says. “We’re not known for socializing with the new kids, I just thought you were cute.”

Cady blushes again, but doesn’t return to her pillow. “Keep going.”

Janis chuckles and continues telling the story as she finishes her small painting on Emma’s guitar. “So we became friends that day, and then had… an ordeal, through the rest of junior year and didn’t really reconnect until spring.”

Cady’s told Emma and Alyssa the whole story, so they both nod at Janis’ quick explanation.

“We got really close over the summer, and apparently we were both crushing on each other. But we didn’t notice, somehow. And then I sorta snapped on her birthday this year and decided to fess up, so I made that,” Janis points to the black and white collage hanging next to one of her paintings on the wall. “But before I could give it to her, this little firecracker got wasted and started crying in my lap about how much she loved me.”

“I wasn’t that drunk!” Cady huffs.

“I found you lying on the ground singing yourself to sleep,” Janis giggles. “And you didn’t recognize me, clearly. Just climbed into my lap and spilled your guts. I was lucky it wasn’t literal.”

���Janis Sarkisian,” Cady grumbles. “Behave.”

“Fine, fine,” Janis chuckles. “Anyway, once she sobered up a little bit we had a chat and realized we both had feelings for each other, so we started dating. And now we’re here.”

“That did not make you sound anywhere near as dorky as me,” Cady huffs. “But yeah, that’s… that’s it.”

Emma snorts once the story is done. “That does sound like Cady. But if that’s what it took, then I guess it was worth it.”

Cady turns to look at Janis again. “It was. But you guys went through a lot more than us, that must have been tough on both of you.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Emma chuckles, trying to sneak a peek at Janis’ work. The angle isn’t quite right, so she gives up before she falls off her girlfriend. “You guys went through a lot. But yeah, it was really tough. I’m so lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Alyssa murmurs back. “You guys know the story?”

“I do,” Cady says. “I think Jay and Damian just know the bare bones. It’s your story to tell, I didn’t want to give too many details away.”

Alyssa gives her a grateful smile, and Cady grins back. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Of course,” Janis pipes up. “I finished, by the way. Um, here.”

“Hey, you stole my idea!” Cady jokingly whines when she sees what Janis has done.

“But it’s so perfect!” Janis defends. Emma takes her guitar to see, and smiles at the new lion with a rainbow mane in the spot they’d picked. “And it’s kind of for both of us.”

“This is awesome,” Emma says. “Oh! I get it, it’s a pride thing! Pride of lions, and then… oh. Clever!”

“It was actually Caddy’s idea, she made me a rock with it at pride last week,” Janis says. “I thought it fit.”

“It does, you’re really talented!” Alyssa says, leaning over her girlfriend’s shoulder to see it. Janis’ text tone goes off, so she pulls her phone out of the pocket of her shorts to check it. Cady peeks over to see what it is too as Janis bursts out laughing. It’s a picture of Damian surrounded by his new friends, now in a matching tracksuit all of his own.

jamian: Sent a picture: JAN LOOKIT

danis: nice outfit

jamian: Thank u it really suits me doesnt it

danis: honestly

danis: yeah kinda

jamian: Sent a picture: Thank u

jamian: Anyway we’re going to ihop next yall should meet us there

danis: kk love u

jamian: Love u too

“I think your little crew adopted Damian,” Janis chuckles at Emma and Alyssa, showing them the photo of a very excited Damian.

“Aww,” Emma chuckles. “I’m glad they didn’t kill him, they can be a lot to handle.”

“He seems fine,” Janis shrugs. “Whose truck are we taking?”

“Oh, is that one in the driveway yours?” Emma says excitedly. Janis nods. “It’s nice!”

“We’ve been in Em’s all day,” Alyssa chuckles. “Probably best to take yours.”

“I call shotgun!” Cady yells, already tugging on her shoes and running downstairs.

“As if I’d let anyone else,” Janis mumbles affectionately under her breath.

————-

The waitstaff at IHOP look more than a little frightened at the size of their group, and especially at the crew in tracksuits.

“Ey, yo!” One of them calls. “Guys, come here! It’s that guy from the thing! That show!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Trent grumbles under his breath. “Why is it always that? I played Hamlet!”

They’re quickly escorted to a large table near the back, and Trent signs a few menus as a little gift to the now very excited waiters.

“Was Juilliard worth it?” He mutters to himself. Angie, who’s sat next to him, nudges him with an elbow to shut him up.

Janis and Emma both order for their girlfriends, and also order themselves the same meal of chicken and waffles. Dee Dee gets french toast, Angie gets an omelet, Trent gets some crepes, and Barry gets the most horrifically sweet looking pancakes anyone’s ever seen. Apparently they’re cupcake flavored.

Alyssa looks very content with her large Belgian waffle, and Cady seems delighted with her chocolate chip pancakes decorated with whipped cream to look like a face. It’s definitely from the children’s menu, but nobody says anything.

“So tell us about you guys,” Dee Dee says once their food gets delivered. She looks eagerly to her friends, as if to say, ‘Look how nice I can be when I want to.’ Barry claps quietly for her.

“What do you want to know?” Damian asks. Dee Dee puts her head in her hands, clearly not knowing how to continue. Trent takes over for her.

“How do you guys know each other?”

“Oh!” Damian says excitedly. “Janis and I have been friends, like, forever. We met in tap dance class when we were three.”

“And you knocked my fucking teeth out in that class when we were five,” Janis grumbles.

“By accident!” Damian defends amidst the giggles of their whole group. “I got really into it. Anyway, so we’ve been friends forever. And then little Caddy happened along in junior year, and we kind of kidnapped her for a while.”

“No, I needed to be kidnapped,” Cady laughs. “I was a total wreck. They actually sort of rescued me from the school bathroom at lunch.”

“You were eating in the bathroom?” Barry asks, sounding both empathetic and disgusted. “Oh, you poor sweet thing.”

“I was the new kid, y’know?” Cady shrugs. “Nobody wanted to eat with the dork from Africa.”

Angie chokes on a bite of her food, and Trent thumps her on the back. “From what now?”

“I’m from Kenya,” Cady giggles. “Well, technically I was born in Oregon. But I lived in Kenya for thirteen years.”

“Just, like, in the wilderness?” Barry asks in shock. “With the lions and tigers and… bears and stuff?”

Cady laughs out loud. “Pretty much. But there’s no tigers or bears.”

“But there were lions?” Trent insists.

“Oh, yeah,” Cady says like it’s entirely normal. “That’s mostly what we were studying. They were kind of my only friends.”

“And they never showed any interest in… consuming you?” Dee Dee asks worriedly. Cady laughs again.

“Lions are just big cats, you know, guys? As long as you’re careful and respect their boundaries they won’t hurt you,” she chuckles. “I got swiped at a few times when I was little, but I never needed more than fifteen stitches.”

“Fifteen?” Angie yelps.

“That is kind of a lot, Cades,” Emma chuckles. “I never had to get more than three as a kid.”

“Oh. Well, I was kind of asking for it, I was playing too rough,” Cady hums.

“With a lion,” Alyssa insists. “Do you have pictures?” Cady nods and passes over her phone for them to scroll through her camera roll.

“Anyway, please keep going,” Angie says, leaning across the table to try to see.

“That’s basically it,” Janis shrugs. “Until you get into the whole mess that happened junior year.”

Cady and Damian nod in agreement. The adults all look very excited at the prospect of some new drama. “Do tell.”

The art freaks all look to one another warily, wondering who should begin. Cady decides to after a second of back and forth.

“Well, um… I sat with these two on my first day,” she begins. “But then just before lunch ended I met these three girls. We called them the Plastics.”

“Why?” Angie asks curiously. Damian shows them all a photo. “Oh. I already don’t like this one.” Janis snorts quietly as she points to Regina.

“Anyway, they said I should sit with them, and Janis and Damian wanted me to so I could spy on them,” Cady says sheepishly. “They have some… personal history.”

“Oh?” Trent asks. Cady looks to Janis, this bit is her story to tell.

“Regina, the one in the middle, outed me in eighth grade,” Janis says. “Carved slurs into my locker, that kinda thing.”

“Oh, honey,” Barry says sadly. “That bitch.”

Janis chuckles weakly. “Yeah. The other two just kind of went along with it. They were just generally bitchy to everyone. But I didn’t have many friends because of her, and I went through a lot of counseling and stuff because of it. Spent some time in the hospital for… reasons, but that’s not… something we need to discuss right now.”

Everyone nods, respecting her privacy. Cady continues telling the story. “So, I pretended to join them and would kind of report back to Janis and Damian. I learned that they had this book, called the Burn Book, where they would write mean things about people from the yearbook and stuff. And at the same time I was crushing for a long time on this boy named Aaron, but he was Regina’s ex. She had dumped him earlier for another guy. And she was actually cheating on him with the other one.”

“Oh, can I tell this bit?” Janis asks. Cady nods and gestures for her to keep going. “So, around Halloween, Cady went to Aaron’s party, and I don’t know exactly what happened, but he basically got back together with Regina.”

“What kind of idiot-“ Trent begins, getting cut off by a stomp on the foot from Dee Dee.

“So poor Caddy came to my house,” Janis says, trying to keep down giggles at the memory. “Fucking slams my basement door open, but Dame and I were watching horror movies. Caddy was dressed as some corpse bride with a knife in her back and everything, and Damian screamed so loud, like, higher than I’ve ever heard. But she was crying, so we helped her and then came up with a revenge plot.”

Dee Dee suddenly looks very interested, leaning forwards slightly and resting her head on her folded hands.

“Caddy had these snack bars from Kenya, they’re… Swedish, I think?” Damian says. Cady nods. “They make you gain weight, like, really quickly. Regina was kind of obsessed with her weight and image and stuff, so we got Caddy to tell her they were actually a diet bar to help lose weight.”

“No,” Angie gasps. Everyone laughs at her reaction.

“Yeah,” Cady laughs. “I don’t think anything major happened until around Christmas. The Plastics did this dance every year at the winter talent show, and we had to wear these skimpy little Santa outfits. But Regina had already gained a fair bit of weight, so her skirt didn’t fit…”

“It fell off in the middle of the routine in front of everyone,” Janis cackles. Emma and Alyssa both look slightly scared of her. “Sorry. Personal vindication. But yeah, that was kind of the beginning of the end for her. Cady kind of… got lost in it, by that point. It was hard to tell if she was pretending or not.”

Cady looks down at her lap in shame, so Janis takes her hand under the table and kisses the side of her head a few times to comfort her. Damian keeps going with the story.

“So, Caddy basically overthrew Regina as Queen Bee of the school. She threw a little party and didn’t invite us or Regina, so she kind of was attacking both fronts. We got pretty mad and stopped associating with her, and Regina was obviously furious,” he says. “And so as revenge for that, Regina photocopied the Burn Book and spread all the pages around the school. I saw, like, seven fights before first period even started that day.”

“But didn’t they know that she had written it?” Trent asks.

“That’s the thing, she put herself in it,” Janis adds, now holding Cady on her lap. “So nobody suspected her. She went to the principal and blamed Gretchen and Karen, they’re the other two, and Cady.”

“I don’t like this story,” Barry whines. “Tell me something good happens.”

“Oh, just wait,” Janis chuckles darkly. “There was an assembly called that day, and they tried to make us apologize to each other and do trust exercises or something like that. I kind of went rogue and only apologized to myself and rallied the rest of the girls in our grade.”

“Go Janis,” Angie says, sounding impressed. “Stick it to the man.”

“Thanks,” Janis laughs. “But it only lasted a few minutes.”

“Damn it,” Barry groans. “What happened?”

“Regina got hit by a bus,” Cady says. Angie spits her mouthful of lemonade over Trent.

“She what?”

“Yeah,” Cady laughs. “So, that time kind of sucked for both of us. She was in the hospital recovering, and everyone was saying that I pushed her in front of it or that she jumped in front of it on purpose because of me.”

“She didn’t die?” Dee Dee clarifies. Everyone is more than a little concerned at the disappointment in her voice.

“No,” Cady chuckles. “Well, she died for, like, fifteen seconds, but she was resuscitated and she’s fine now.”

“And did you push her?” Barry asks. “We’re all friends here, you can tell us.”

“No!” Cady huffs. “I may have been a raging bitch, but I’m not an attempted murderer.”

���You didn’t feed anyone to a lion back in Kenya?” Janis teases gently.

“I’ll do it to you if you’re not careful,” Cady retaliates with a laugh. “Where did we leave off?”

“Regina got hit by a bus and you didn’t push her,” Trent says helpfully, still dabbing some lemonade out of his sweater with a wad of napkins.

“Oh,” Damian says. “Okay, so, I don’t… totally remember what happened in between that and Spring Fling, but it’s really not important.”

“I was suspended for the Book, that’s kind of it,” Cady says, gesturing for him to continue.

“Oh, yeah! Anyway, Spring Fling at our school is basically prom but for underclassmen, prom is just for the seniors. Jan and I were each other’s dates, she decorated our outfits and stuff, we looked killer if I do say so myself.”

Janis rolls her eyes lovingly and whacks him with an elbow.

“And Caddy was banned, so she wasn’t supposed to be there, but she showed up towards the end with the Mathletes,” Damian continues. “And she had been nominated for queen, and she won. So she went up on stage and gave the most beautiful speech I’ve ever heard and broke her crown, and we all got a piece. So now we’re all friends and life is good.”

“Nice ending, Dame,” Janis laughs. “Hasty conclusions. But that it is basically how it happened.”

Everyone blinks at them. Trent says, “That was like being in a war zone. Just one bombshell after another.”

“It kinda was, our math teacher got stabbed in the leg at one point,” Cady hums. “Anyway, what’s your guys’ story? If you want to share.”

“Oh, yeah, I’d like to know more,” Damian says. “Jan and I really only know the bare bones. What was in the news, and stuff.”

“You guys can start,” Emma says, pulling a face as Alyssa gently dabs some syrup off her lip. Alyssa giggles when Emma tries to bite her hand and kisses Emma’s cheek.

“Ooh, okay!” Barry says eagerly. “We were in a show. Well, Dee Dee and I. We were in a delightful little show called Eleanor.”

“As in…” Janis says confusedly.

“Eleanor Roosevelt,” Dee Dee explains. She seems surprised when the kids all nod in understanding. “You’ve heard of her?”

“Yeah?” Cady says, tilting her head. “She’s one of the most famous first ladies of all time, we learned about her in our history class.”

“Not nearly enough,” Janis grumbles. “Gotta make time for the men.”

“Amen sister,” Angie huffs.

“Really…” Dee Dee hums interestedly. “Anyway, it was… not a success. Poor advance sales, and then…”

“We bombed opening night,” Barry grumbles. “Apparently. But it wasn’t the show, it was… it was us. The media panned us as aging narcissists and we had to close.”

“On opening night?” Damian gasps in horror. Dee Dee and Barry both nod sadly.

“Regretfully, yes. So, we had to try to change the narrative,” Dee Dee says. “We decided to find a good cause and do something. So we were going to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.”

“But Barry has a bad back,” Trent pipes up. “So then we thought about, like, recycling or fixing poverty or world hunger.”

“But that was all too much for us to handle,” Angie says. “So I went on Twitter and found-”

“Me!” Emma says. “Apparently that all happened on the same night as the first assembly where the PTA cancelled prom in the first place. I guess we were trending.”

“And they only cancelled it because you two wanted to go together?” Janis asks sadly.

“Yep. Well, nobody knew about Alyssa, but they cancelled it because they knew I wanted to bring my girlfriend,” Emma explains.

“Those bitches,” Janis grumbles. “Sorry.”

“Believe me, we get it,” Emma laughs. “But my bit of the story isn’t quite here yet.”

“Oh, yes!” Dee Dee realizes. “So, we decided to help Emma, but we were completely out of funds and had no way to get all the way to Indiana from New York.”

“But I had just booked a non-equity tour of Godspell,” Trent half-brags. The other half seems rather depressed at that statement. “So we came on the tour bus.”

“Can I start our part?” Alyssa asks. Emma nods and squeezes her hand under the table. “So, they obviously gave no indication that they were coming. Emma and Principal Hawkins had gone to the State’s Attorney by that point and put some legal pressure on the PTA, so we had another assembly to discuss options.”

“We?” Damian asks.

“Oh, my mom was the head of the PTA,” Alyssa says casually. Damian chokes on his drink and Janis nearly drops Cady on the ground.

“Your mom cancelled your prom?” Janis asks in shock. Alyssa nods sadly. “Oh, because you… she didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It was what it was. She knows now,” Alyssa hums. “Anyway, I was there to speak for student council. I was mid-sentence, and then they come barreling into the gym with signs and yelling at everyone.”

“Educating everyone,” Barry corrects. “Loudly and with signs.”

“Right, educating. Sorry,” Alyssa laughs. “So my mom totally loses her shit. It’s chaos. I think Trent had a cowbell at some point?”

Trent reaches into a messenger bag next to him and pulls out a cowbell, resting it on the table with a quiet thunk.

“You just keep that with you?” Janis chuckles.

“For emergencies,” Trent explains. “You’d be surprised.”

Janis tries to think of what emergencies she’s faced that would either be helped or solved with the addition of a cowbell, and surprisingly, she can think of a few.

“Of course he keeps it all the time,” Emma chuckles. “I don’t remember… most of what happened that time. But after a few days they announced that the prom was back on.”

“Because of you?” Damian asks, looking to the stars.

“No,” they all say at the same time Emma says, “I think so.”

Everyone looks her way. “I told you this at the time, but you guys really scared people! I think you at least had a part.”

“How sweet,” Dee Dee says. “Let’s say we had an ensemble part in getting it back on.”

That gets a chuckle from everyone at the table, before Barry continues with the story.

“I, obviously, had to take Emma shopping,” he says. “She only had one dress and it was… a travesty would be an understatement.”

“I’m honestly not sure where it came from,” Emma chuckles. “Just think Little House on the Prarie but somehow so much worse.”

“So we went to the mall, and found this lovely blue dress and some good shoes,” Barry says. Emma looks like she would disagree with his choice of adjectives, but nods. “Did her hair and makeup all fancy, and bought her a corsage.”

“Aww,” Cady coos. “How sweet.”

“That part was fun,” Emma agrees fondly. “But…”

“When we got there,” Barry says. “Poor thing was so excited, but it was-it was just-“

Dee Dee continues for him, as Barry gets too emotional to keep going. “It was totally empty. Barry took Emma into the gym, and it was just horrific. There were barely any decorations, and they were just thrown up. I would be stunned if they spent more than ten dollars on the whole thing.”

“Oh god,” Damian says sadly. “I heard it was a fake, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“It sucked,” Emma chuckles sardonically, trying not to get too heavy in the middle of an IHOP. “More than anything. I didn’t care about the decorations, I just… it was so lonely, you know? I realized then that so many people I thought cared about me just didn’t. So many people I thought were my friends, weren’t. I had never felt more alone.”

“It sounds awful,” Janis says.

“It was,” Emma mumbles. Alyssa takes her hand under the table and gives it a gentle squeeze. Emma looks up and gives her a sad but grateful grin.

“I was at the… other prom. The real one,” Alyssa continues, seeming ashamed. “I had no idea what they had done, everyone on student council and the PTA hid it from me too. Some of my friends had seen us together and realized I was the ‘secret girlfriend’ and were trying to break us up.”

“Which worked,” Emma admits sadly. “I called her to try to get her to come to my own personal prom so I could at least have her there, but her mom was at the real one with her and she couldn’t leave. And I just sort of… lost it. I hung up and we didn’t talk again for a week.”

“I never blamed you for that,” Alyssa murmurs gently. “You were still trying to process everything and I just added to it.”

“No, you didn’t,” Emma insists. “We can talk more later. Anyway. I ran out, obviously. And Angie actually came after me, which was nice. She just let me cry and didn’t make me do anything. Helped me get my makeup off and stuff. She even slept on my bedroom floor in case I needed something. It was kind of like having a mom there, which I really needed.”

“How fucking old-“ Angie begins, but Trent claps a hand over her mouth. Emma laughs and continues.

“And then the rest of them came by the next day even though I yelled at them,” she says.

“With ice cream!” Barry butts in. “That’s an important detail.”

“Oh yeah, they brought me Häagen Dazs,” Emma laughs. “It was cute. Especially because they thought I wouldn’t know what it was.”

“Can you blame us? You live in the most yeehaw hick town in Indiana,” Trent says. “And that’s saying something.”

“It’s not that bad,” Emma tuts. “Anyway, they brought ice cream and were trying to convince me to do something to bring more attention to what was happening. Dee Dee actually got me on a talk show at one point, but I knew I would never be able to do something like that.”

“You still owe me a house,” Dee Dee grumbles under her breath. “But what she wound up doing was much better anyway.”

“The song?” Damian asks. Emma nods.

“I had it sort of in my head for a while, and I managed to piece it together in about a week,” she replies. “I was terrified, but it was just an overnight thing. I woke up the next day and it already had two million views.”

Alyssa squeezes her hand with a proud smile. “Half of them were me.”

“The other half were Damian,” Janis chuckles. “He made me watch it at lunch one day and we both watched it so many times we knew all the words by the next day.”

“Aww,” Emma says. “You guys are so sweet.”

“We try,” Janis and Damian say at the same time, locking eyes and glaring at each other once they notice. Cady giggles at their antics.

“Anyway,” Emma laughs. “I wasn’t expecting even that many, but people just kept watching, and then I started getting all these comments on it that were so precious. All these other queer kids all over the world sharing their stories too. Eventually it got back to Principal Hawkins and all of them, and they helped figure out how to set up an inclusive prom. And funded it, which was very helpful.”

“Yeah, helpful,” Dee Dee grumbles under her breath.

“Once we saw where the money was going it was so worth it,” Barry says, gently kicking Dee Dee under the table. “It was beautiful.”

“It really was,” Emma agrees. “But god, it took forever to set up.”

“God, yeah,” Alyssa says. “Oh, and we got back together, like, as we were setting everything up, we forgot to mention that.”

“Oh yeah,” Emma says. “Her mom came when she heard what we were doing in the gym because we never got PTA approval-“

“So she was mad,” Alyssa butts in.

“Very mad,” Emma chuckles. “But you came with her and told her to stop talking, which was both hilarious and terrifying. And then you told me you loved me in front of everyone. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

“Me either,” Alyssa says quietly.

“Aww,” Cady says, even though she’s heard the whole story before. It’s always a good one to repeat. “How sweet.”

“So after that whole thing we finished setting everything up,” Emma continues, smiling at her girlfriend. “And it was beautiful, even I was impressed.”

“You looked so happy when everyone started showing up,” Alyssa says fondly. “I was so proud of you. I still am. You gave so many people an incredible night they wouldn’t have had without you.”

Emma flushes slightly and looks down at her lap. Alyssa squishes her cheeks in her hand to get her to look back up.

“It really was an incredible night,” she says. “And we finally got to dance together, I think that was my favorite part.”

“That was good,” Alyssa nods. “But you’re a terrible dancer.”

“Hey! Just because I didn’t take dance classes for years,” Emma pouts.

“Oh, hush, I’m joking,” Alyssa says, kissing Emma’s cheek.

“You missed,” Emma continues pouting. Alyssa frowns in confusion and kisses her cheek again, but in a different spot. “You missed.”

Alyssa gives her a chaste kiss on the lips this time, and Emma finally smiles. Alyssa rolls her eyes lovingly. “You’re such a dork, goodness gracious.”

“You guys are almost as cute as Caddy and Janis,” Damian says, trying to snap them out of it and get them to remember the presence of the group.

“Almost?” Alyssa says, her competitive side making a slight appearance. “I think you’re biased.”

“Oh, definitely,” Damian agrees. “We don’t really have any unbiased judges though.”

“True. We’ll say it’s a truce for now,” Alyssa says. “Are we all done? I need to get up for a bit. I’m stuffed.”

“I think so,” Cady says, looking around at all the empty plates around. “We could go to the beach for the sunset, if you guys want. It’s not too far a drive.”

“Ooh, yes please,” Emma says excitedly. The adults play rock paper scissors to work out payment, and Dee Dee grumbles under her breath when she loses.

“Hungry kids. Why are pancakes so expensive?”

————-

“Oh, guys, look!” Damian says, pointing to a window of a thrift shop nearby. “We could go try on dresses!”

“We?” Janis chuckles, carrying Cady on her back. “You gonna get into a ballgown, D?”

“Why not?” Damian asks. “I have the figure for it, shut up.”

“I thought we were going to the beach,” Angie says.

“We can do both,” Barry says, seeming strangely excited. “Wear dresses to the beach.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Cady says eagerly, squeezing her legs together a bit to get Janis to go in, as if she’s riding a pony. “Please?”

“I am not paying,” Dee Dee says immediately. Everyone else nods, that’s only fair.

“Fine, fine. Come along,” Trent says, leading them into the shop as their gaggle of children follow like ducklings.

—-

The employees look a bit concerned as all nine of them parade to the discounted gown section and start looking for ones in their sizes. Damian finds his first, a royal purple gown with a high neck and a slit that would reach about to his knee. He takes it off the rack and heads over to the changing room, rapidly followed by Barry with his silver gown.

“How did-“ Emma stutters. “I guess they knew what they were looking for.”

Angie helps Trent find one that would fit him, an emerald green dress with long sleeves and a nice v-neck collar. He shrugs and follows Barry and Damian. Angie then moves on to find one of her own, and picks out a sleek black dress made of lace and with a shorter skirt, about to the knee. Dee Dee follows with one she seems to have grabbed at random, a nice yellow gown complete with a cape.

Alyssa picks a pink dress with a longer train, since she wore a short dress to both of her real proms and wants to experiment a little. Cady picks a yellow one, with longer sleeves and a bow in the back. The skirt is short, which makes her a little nervous, but she decides to give it a go.

Janis and Emma both look a bit lost, staring aimlessly at the racks and flicking through them weakly.

“Jayjay, try this one,” Cady says, offering a long, red, short-sleeved gown that looks like it would have a rather tight fit. Maybe Cady has some selfish motivations here, but she’ll never admit it. Janis raises a slightly suspicious eyebrow, but takes the dress and hauls her girlfriend off to the changing rooms.

“They all look so itchy,” Emma shudders slightly. Alyssa laughs and takes one of her hands.

“If you got one made of something like this it wouldn’t be too bad,” she says, showing Emma one made of an almost satin-like material. “And it’ll only be a couple hours at most. We’re going to the beach, sand is itchy anyway.”

“True,” Emma agrees with a little nod. “I like this one.”

“So try it,” Alyssa chuckles as Emma grabs an amethyst colored ballgown with a big poofy skirt. “Come on.”

Most of their group is waiting outside the rooms, clad in their ill fitting gowns. Trent’s is a bit too big, Barry’s is missing some sequins, and Angie’s has a small hole in the sleeve, but none of them complain.

Cady and Janis open the curtains to their respective rooms, revealing their dresses to one another. Janis is somehow not tall enough to fill her dress out, which makes her look a bit like Morticia Addams, but she doesn’t mind. Cady’s is almost perfect, but the skirt clings to her legs in an odd way.

“You look nice!” Cady says, gently adjusting Janis’ sleeve as Janis tugs at her collar.

“It’s a bit tight,” Janis says, sounding rather choked.

“I can fix that once we buy it,” Barry says, looking at himself in the mirror. Everyone looks at him in concern. “What? I have a stitch kit, I’ll just cut the collar off it.”

“Oh,” everyone says. Alyssa and Emma exit the changing rooms then, prompting coos from everyone.

“Emmy, you look beautiful!” Alyssa says, pulling her girlfriend into a hug. “The color really suits you.”

“Does it?” Emma says, sarcastically striking a pose. “It feels very… purple.”

“I like purple,” Alyssa hums, adjusting Emma’s skirt.

“You look really nice,” Emma replies, looking at Alyssa’s long dress. Hers is the closest to fitting correctly out of everyone’s.

“Thanks!” Alyssa says, putting her hands on her hips and popping out a knee. Emma laughs and kisses her gently.

“Okay, let’s go!” Angie says happily, having been taking pictures of everyone like a proud mom taking photos for her Facebook. Angie, Trent, and Barry split the cost among them, and they unleash their prom-ready selves onto the public.

—————-

“So you guys just graduated, right?” Alyssa asks, strolling down the shore holding hands with Emma. Cady and Janis are also hand in hand walking next to them.

“Yep!” Cady chirps.

“So you must’ve just had your senior prom too, what was yours like?”

“It was so fun! Damian took me shopping and I had the most beautiful dress,” Cady replies eagerly. “And Janis had a suit to match and it was… she looked… so hot.”

“Ooh,” Emma teases. “Scandalous.”

“Hey,” Cady says. “I’m allowed to think she’s hot.”

“Fair enough,” Emma shrugs.

“What about you guys, how are you handling your post-prom fame?” Janis jokes.

“Pretty well,” Emma chuckles. “Or at least I think we are.”

“You certainly are,” Alyssa murmurs.

“Oh yeah, aren’t you starting a nonprofit or something?” Cady asks.

“Wait, what?” Janis asks.

“I’m trying,” Emma laughs again. “Lyss’ mom is actually helping me. And trying to start a charity looks, like, super good on college applications, so that’s nice.”

“I thought your mom started this whole fiasco,” Janis says confusedly.

“Oh, she did,” Alyssa confirms. “But she’s cool with the gays now. She had a lot of questions and stuff, and she’s still having to work pretty hard at it. Changing opinions and thought patterns that were instilled in you from

childhood is tough. But she’s trying.”

“Yeah, she came to pride with us this year,” Emma says. “It was cute, she had a rainbow pantsuit and everything.”

“Go mom,” Janis chuckles. “I’m glad she turned things around.”

“Me too,” Alyssa murmurs quietly.

“Me three,” Emma says, squeezing her hand.

“So what’s this charity you’re getting going?” Cady asks.

“It’s called the Unruly Hearts Foundation,” Emma explains. “It’s a nonprofit that takes donations and stuff to throw other inclusive events around the country. Create safe spaces. And we also donate a fair bit to LGBTQ+ shelters and stuff, too.”

“That’s awesome,” Janis says. “I’m broke but I’ll donate a bit once I get my commissions business going.”

“Thanks, Janis,” Emma chuckles. “You know, we could use some branding. A logo, stuff for our website. If you’re interest-“

“Yes,” Janis interrupts. “I’m interested. Please.”

“Groovy,” Emma laughs. “I’ll be in touch, get Cady to give you my number.”

“You say groovy too?!” Damian asks eagerly as he makes an appearance. “These two always make fun of me for it.”

“Hell yeah I say groovy,” Emma says, giving Damian a fist bump. “Sometimes it’s the only word that fits the vibes, you know?”

“Yes!” Damian says. “See? Emma gets it.”

“I think ‘tits’ is pretty versatile,” Janis says. “You kind of look like Ursula, by the way, Dame.”

“Thanks,” Damian says, swishing his purple skirt around. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

“It was,” Janis huffs. “As if I’d ever insult you.”

“You called me a ‘fucking deplorable kneecap’ on the way here,” Damian retaliates. Emma and Alyssa rode separately and burst out laughing.

“And now I have grown as a person. Developed myself.”

“It was ten minutes ago!”

“And? I’m not the same me I was two minutes ago, let alone ten,” Janis defends.

“Thank god,” Damian grumbles jokingly.

“Hey!” Janis says, breaking away from Cady and running after him. Damian shrieks and holds up his skirts to run away.

“Do we need to intervene here, Cades?” Emma asks with a slight chuckle as Damian and Janis sprint up and down the shoreline in a sort of oval.

“Nah,” Cady shrugs. “They do stuff like this about once a week. Janis knows she needs him, she won’t actually do anything.”

Just as she says that, Damian takes a hard left and runs full tilt into the lake. Janis pauses for a second before shrugging and running after him.

“Or maybe she will.”

“That water must be cold,” Alyssa chuckles in concern.

“Let’s find out!” Emma says boldly, tightening her grip on Alyssa’s hand and running them towards the water as well. Alyssa shrieks as they leap into the lake with a splash. Cady realizes she’s alone and also runs in, managing a cannonball into the water.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Barry yells, walking up on a sort of puddle of teenagers in soaking wet dresses.

“They’re being kids, let them live,” Dee Dee says. “Unrelated, can you swim?”

“Yeah, wh- don’t you dare,” Barry says, turning to face her.

“Oh, I would never,” Dee Dee says, aghast at the mere suggestion. Trent then comes sprinting up and tackles Barry into the lake. “But he would.”

Angie cackles and high fives her. Dee Dee crosses her arms over her chest and smiles down as Barry pops back up with a splutter.

“Dee Dee Allen!” Barry demands. “Get your ass in here.”

“No, I don’t think I will, thank you,” Dee Dee says casually, rocking slightly on the balls of her feet.

“Oh come on,” Angie coaxes. “It’s only fair.”

“I didn’t push him!”

“You had a role.”

Dee Dee ponders this for a moment before she begrudgingly reaches to take Angie’s hand, and they leap in together.

“Yay!” Emma cheers, delighted that all her friends made it into the lake one way or another. Some of them are significantly less happy about this, but everyone is laughing eventually.

“Hey, Caddy,” Janis says. She swims over to her girlfriend and kisses her gently, before booping her nose. “Tag. You’re it.”

Cady laughs as Janis swims away as fast as she can, rapidly followed by the rest of the group. Cady swims around for a second while she ponders her options to decide who to go after. Emma is a strong swimmer, being on her high school swim team and all. Alyssa is okay, but a bit weaker.

Barry seems to be the slowest, and gives her the best chance of success. He looks very anxious as Cady stares him down before lunging for him. He shrieks as Cady manages to snag his skirt and tap his arm under the water before she backstrokes away.

“Damn it,” he puffs. “I’m having elementary school flashbacks.”

“Better than middle school flashbacks,” Angie calls.

“Amen,” Janis says. She screams as Barry goes for her and swims away, huddling behind Damian for protection.

“Hey!” Damian whines, swimming away from her and creating a sort of three-way chase. Janis quickly gives up on Damian’s protection and swims to Cady instead.

“Protect me,” she pleads. Cady smiles as Janis hides behind her, peeking over her shoulder to check where the threat is.

“You’re so cute.”

“No I’m not,” Janis pouts. “I’m being stealthy.”

“Uhhuh,” Cady says as Janis clings to her like a precious little octopus. “If you get me tagged again I’m breaking up with you.”

“That’s fair,” Janis agrees with a shrug. Alyssa suddenly gives a shriek as Barry taps her leg under the water. “Uh oh.”

————-

After an hour or so of tag, the sun begins to set for the day. The water temperature plummets and everyone swims to shore to watch the sky be painted beautiful shades of pink and orange and purple. The adults and Damian head back to the car to go hunt for towels and dry clothes somewhere.

But Cady, Janis, Emma and Alyssa stay behind, deciding they don’t mind so much if they’re in heavy, cold dresses and getting covered in itchy sand. Cady holds Janis on her lap and Alyssa has Emma in hers, all of them staring out over the expanse of the water before them together.

“You guys should visit more often,” Cady says quietly as the first stars begin to make an appearance.

“Absolutely,” Alyssa says, looking down at her girlfriend. “This was an awesome day.”

“And we’ll have more,” Emma says.

Together.

—-

thank you so much for reading! hope you enjoyed!

lots of love,

ezzy

[boognish-worshipper]

Midnight City AU

it took me forever to decide where to go with this chapter and i was literally getting fed up editing it 😭 i’ve been so busy with all the chaos goin on in my life rn too so yeah writing’s been feeling delayed over all but i decided to just finalize this one for rn and uhhh sorry if it seems funky or shortttt

//Chapter 3: Vanished

The next day, Trevor went back to Sterling Lake Park, after spending the night at Wade’s. He agreed to meet up with him there later, walking around the park with his earbuds in. As he threw himself down on his usual bench, he settled on listening to his usual playlist of his favorite songs. He scrolled through nosedivr once again, taking a photo of the lake. It was foggy, and the thick air sat atop the water. He liked when it was like that. A sturdy drumbeat thumped in his ears, making him feel whole. He paused it briefly, just to change it to a different song that was even louder, but with the lack of music he could now hear the crunch of gravel not too far away. He thought he told Wade to come later on? He looked up from his phone, pulling out an earbud. It was the guy from yesterday.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Amanda?” He asked, glancing around.

“Uhh she’s.. not here today. I kinda came to see if you were here. I wanna get to know more people at this park if I’m gonna hang ‘round here more I guess.”

“But she doesn’t like me?”

“She don’t gotta know.”

“Well aren’t you Boyfriend of the Year.”

“Oh uh, we aren’t dating yet.”

“Thought she was your girl though.”

“She is, she is. But it’s nothing serious. Not yet. And I don’t know what happened between you guys but you don’t seem that bad, so if I wanna talk to you that’s more of a her problem than me.”

“Huh.”

Today Michael wore an eCola shirt, which was obviously made to resemble their old logo, with blue jeans. He had on a pair of red sneakers this time to match the color of the shirt. They looked slightly newer, compared to the pair he wore yesterday. He dressed nice for such a basic style. Trevor on the other hand, threw on an old, frayed Love Fist t-shirt, and messy jeans. He wore a different pair of boots, some kind of knockoff of a popular name brand. A pair of purple lensed circular glasses sat on his head, the nose pieces caught in his hair.

“So.. uh. Mind if I sit there?”

“Not like I own the bench or anything, go right ahead.”

He cautiously sat next to Trevor, hands in his lap. Trevor started one of his other playlists up again, settling on a mix of Paramore and Green Day. He left an earbud out, just so he wouldn’t be completely rude. He mindlessly scrolled, occasionally looking back at the lake or casting a sideways glance at Michael, who was looking at him funny. Sighing, he paused his music, putting his earbuds away.

“What.”

“I.. nothin’ man. I just, I dunno. What is the point of coming here?”

“It’s a public fuckin’ park man.”

“I know, but you said that you don’t even really like the people here, so what’s the point?”

“There is no ‘point’ to it. I just like time to myself is all. These guys don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. They only start trouble when they see fit.”

“Ah… I see? What were you listening to by the way?”

Trevor stifled a groan, not really wanting to talk to the guy when he had time to freely plot his scheme.

“Pop punk shit. Ever heard of it?”

“Uh, no? I thought punk wasn’t supposed to be popular. Or fit in. Or whatever.”

“That’s merely the ideology, which I do follow, dear Michael. I just like the sound I guess. You know Paramore?”

“Not really. I don’t listen to that stuff much.”

“Then what the fuck do you listen to?”

“Not sure if it has a genre per say, but I like that song Radioactive goin’ around? Songs that sound like that I guess.”

“You like Imagine Dragons?”

“That’s what they’re called?”

Trevor could only stare at him. Was this guy living under a rock?

“Uh.. yeah. Y’know what- never mind, what else do you listen to?”

“80s music?”

No wonder this guy was unaware of who’s popular now.

“Amanda’s been trying to get me into groups like the 1975. I actually kinda like them.”

Trevor rolled his eyes.

“Of course she did.”

“They’re not that bad to be honest. She likes that weird alternative shit.”

“Yeah, I know. By the way, there is a name for that genre. Indie rock. Can’t stand the stuff.”

“How come?”

“You know, you ask a lotta fuckin’ questions.”

“I’m just tryna understand this shit here. I ain’t in the loop of all these trends.”

“Well, for your information I just find the style to be too slow and whiny for my taste. I like fast, upbeat, wild stuff.”

“Any recommendations then? I wanna impress Amanda by at least knowing one artist off that nosedivr thing she goes on.”

He raised a brow, not really wanting to share anything else knowing he would just repeat it back to her, but he shrugged and continued.

“Alright. Besides pop punk, I like experimental songs. Underground groups. Crystal Castles are my favorite.”

“Never heard of ‘em.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to.”

“Right.”

“If you want more indie rock shit though, I suggest listening to I don’t know, the Arctic Monkeys? That seems more like her taste.”

“These bands have such weird names.”

“I think bands have always been like that.”

“Hey wait a sec, I thought you didn’t like that stuff? How do you know the name of one of those groups?”

“Ugh… I guess I might as well say it if you’re gonna get with her, but we were friends at some point. She introduced me to those bands, but even then I didn’t really like it. We had a stupid falling out I’d rather not get into.”

“Oh.. sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be. Shit happens. You definitely seem like her type though, no wonder she got with you.”

“What’s her type?”

“Heh. As if I’d tell you.” He scoffed.

“C’mon man, please?”

“Nope.”

Michael frowned, slumping in his seat.

“Fine. Whatever. Not like I need to know.”

“You could at least pretend you don’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“You clearly do, bro.”

He sat arms crossed, turning a smidge away from Trevor. This was his opportunity to listen to his tunes again, but before he could Michael spoke up.

“Can I… can I listen to whatever you’re listening to?”

“Huh?”

“I wanna hear what you’re into.”

Trevor shot him a puzzled look.

“Uh.. okay.”

Wiping off an earbud, he handed one to Michael. He already had one in.

“Pick your poison cowboy.”

“Cowboy?”

“Just a nickname I give people.” He shrugged.

Michael settled on his experimental music, actually nodding along to the sound. They were closer than a minute ago, and it made Trevor uncomfortable for whatever reason. Maybe because he was never in such close proximity to strangers, but the other part of him didn’t care that much. Michael’s eyes were closed, smiling.

“You like it?”

“Yeah! Reminds me of synth stuff from the 80s, just more modern I guess.”

He smiled back at Michael, appreciating the fact there was someone else who liked the music he liked. The two listened to a couple different playlists he had, up until the moment Wade arrived at the park.

“Trevor! Hey!”

“Woah. Who’s your friend?”

“Hm?” He pulled out the single earbud, turning his head around. Wade had clown makeup on, making Trevor jump in his seat.

“Fucks sake. Hey Wade.”

“Ooh who’s this?”

He wasn’t sure if Wade freaked him out or not, seeing as the guy not only had matted locs, but many facial piercings as well. And the clown shit. He stood up to introduce them to one another.

“Wade, this is Michael. Michael, Wade.”

The way Michael looked at him was like a kid seeing a zoo animal for the first time. He looked bewildered, but not disgusted.

“Hi. What’s with the..?” He wavered a hand in Wade’s direction.

“Oh! It’s jus’ clown face. Not tryna scare ya or nothin’!”

“Uh huh… man. How have I never been around these parts? You guys are real different.”

“You got that right, Mike.”

“Seems like I’ve been missin’ out. I hangout with some dudes who would hate this place if I’m being honest.”

“I’ll have to meet ‘em sometime.” Trevor chuckled.

“They’re real cool guys. Didn’t expect our paths to cross, but anything’s possible in this fuckin’ city.”

“Oh yeah. Land of opportunities, for all types of wackjobs.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

A hand tapped Trevor on the shoulder.

“Uh, excuse me, Trevor, but are we still gonna talk about the Merryweather thingy-”

“Wade! Shut it-”

“What Merryweather thing?”

“Nothing, nothing. Not important.” He said, gritting his teeth, glare strong on Wade.

“Okay..”

“But you said we’d talk about it over icecream!”

“Later, Wade. Not right now.”

“Fiiine. Can we still get icecream though?”

“Sure. Promise. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! Bye Trevor, bye stranger!”

Michael lifted a hand to haphazardly to wave goodbye.

“What was that about?”

“I told ya man, nothin’. Just going over some plans we’re making.”

“Is it about that special event being held there?”

“How you know about that?”

“Mandy told me.”

“Mandy… yeah. Figures as much.”

“She got an invite, and wants me to go as her plus one. I don’t know if I really wanna go though, I’m still pretty unfamiliar with all this.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

“Seriously, what is your beef with those guys?”

“I told you, they start shit when they want. Taught ‘em a lesson and that was it. Nearly got me banned from this place, but it was kinda worth the looks on their faces.”

“You are.. quite peculiar y’know. Anyway, you mind showing more of that music? I was honestly gettin’ a kick outta it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

He sat back down next to Michael, handing him the same earbud as before. He clicked on one of his favorite Crystal Castles songs, Vanished. As they were listening, Michael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hey wait a minute.. I think I’ve heard this before.”

“You have? I thought you didn’t know them.”

“No, I mean yeah I haven’t, but that’s not it. The lyrics. Vocals. I’ve heard them in a different song.”

“Oh.”

“Lemme think, lemme think, ah… I got it! Pass me your phone real quick.”

His fingers typed in the song title fast, pressing play right away. It was an indie rock song, much to Trevor’s dismay. But something stopped him from complaining, seeing how Michael’s face lit up.

“Yeah! This is it, Sex City by Van She. Y’know, I honestly think that’s neat.”

“What is?”

“The fact that a song you like, samples a song I like! Who would’ve guessed?” He said, eyes sparkling. Trevor didn’t notice how bright they were until now. The eye contact, along with the lack of space between them, made him feel stuffy again. He averted his eyes back to his phone, trying to loosen up a bit. As the song played, he savored in the sound, shocking himself a bit. The rock sound was there, but had an 80s sort of feel to it. The song finished before he knew it.

“So.. What’d ya think?”

“You know my thoughts on indie shit. Wasn’t for me, sorry.”

“Oh c’mon, you know you liked it.”

“Nope. Prefer Vanished.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, but I honestly think they’re both really good. You think that too, I can feel it.”

“Whatever you say bro.”

He switched the song over to that Grimes song he listened to yesterday, the two of them sitting silently. It was a pleasant afternoon they shared. Suddenly Michael’s phone went off, and he yanked the earbud out.

“Ah shit. I gotta take this. Mandy.”

“Gotcha.”

Trevor grabbed the other earbud, putting it back in. He saw Michael wave his free hand around, looking close to hurling his phone right into the lake. Trevor assumed he must’ve been shouting as well, from the way other people were looking at him. Hanging up not much later, he returned to the bench, as Trevor put his earbuds away.

“Fuckin’ Christ.”

“So.. how’d it go?”

“She’s finally not mad at me anymore, but demanded I go take her shopping now. I swear, she’s gonna clear out my bank account or something.”

“How? You guys aren’t even dating.”

“I know, but I just can’t say no to her.”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, I’m sorry to leave so suddenly, but I really gotta go before she goes back to being pissed at me. See ya around?”

“I’ll be here man.”

Michael stood up, storming away. Seemed like he had a short temper, huh? He wondered to himself how long he was gonna stick around, seeing how Amanda’s dating history was… an extensive list. He thought back to last night, when he had seen that post of them, remembering the fact that no guy stayed for longer than a week. It almost made him bummed, seeing as he only had Ron and Wade for friends. Lester too, but that was on rare occasion. Shit. The plans. What time was it?

“Ah, fuck me.” He muttered. How did he let the day go by so quick?

He shot a text to Wade, telling him to grab Ron and meet at some icecream place. He did promise Wade after all.

Ron ended up meeting them there a little bit later, apologizing profusely before Trevor told him to just sit down and shut up. He did just that, almost apologizing once more.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Who do we know that would help us sneak into that club to cause sheer utter mayhem?”

Ron raised his hand excitedly.

“I could get Floyd maybe-”

“Definite fuckin’ no. He would have a heart attack the minute he set foot in there.”

This was getting nowhere. He tossed his head back to look up at the sky. As he did, he saw a couple walking out of the icecream place.

“Oh fucking hell.”

Was this guy following him or something? He snapped his head forward, trying to be a little more hidden.

“What? Trevor what is it?”

“Shh! Keep your fucking voice down Ron!”

He made all three of them lower their heads as the couple walked away, peeking over his shoulder to make sure they were gone. As he did, he could’ve sworn he saw Michael looking back at him. The both of them turned away as quick as possible from the split second of eye contact.

“Trevor?” Ron repeated.

“It was nothing. Just thought I saw someone.”

“Ain’t that the Michael fella I met today?”

“Nope. Don’t think it is.”

“Are ya sure-”

“Pretty fucking positive. Now, back on topic.”

The next hour or so still went nowhere. Wade had gone through two servings of icecream, and Ron started to get restless. Trevor was just bored.

“Ughhh there has to be something we can do!”

“I don’t know what to tell you Trevor. We’ll find someone, soon. There’s enough time isn’t there?”

“Yeah, but I’m not waitin’ til the last possible fuckin’ second to get a guy to help us out here.”

“But we still have time.”

“If you fuckin’ say so Ron.”

The three of them called it a night, as Trevor tossed around the idea of possibly getting Michael involved in his head. On one hand he wanted to out of spite just to make Amanda and the other hipsters mad, and on the other he didn’t want to screw up whatever new friendship he had started with Michael. Ron did say they had time to find someone soon. They weren’t exactly in a rush, but he still wanted to make sure their plan was concrete. They all went back to Wade’s, Trevor deciding to take a walk along the beach. He threw on the same playlist from earlier, watching the sunset. As he walked, he didn’t pay much mind to where he was going, bumping into someone.

“Ah fuck, watch where you’re going-”

“Shit, sorry man-”

As they spun around from the collision, he realized exactly who he had run into.

“Trevor?”

What the fuck?

“What the fuck? Are you following me or something?”

“Huh?”

“This is the third time I’ve seen you today. What are you even doing here?”

“Uh, it’s a public fuckin’ beach man.” He said, mocking the comment Trevor had made earlier.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“Hey, I’m just tellin’ you how it is. I didn’t purposely search for you, hell I didn’t even know you lived this way.”

“I do. So make like a tree and fuck off.” He said bitterly.

“Woah, chill the fuck out. What’s your deal? I thought we were cool man.”

“I don’t like being followed.”

“I just told you I wasn’t!”

“It doesn’t exactly seem like it. You just so happen to look for me this morning, and just happen to go to the same icecream place I went, and then I find you here? I mean Jesus-”

“I’m telling you, it’s all purely coincidence.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fuckin’ hell man..” He mumbled.

“Y’know, you’re as fuckin’ stubborn as Amanda is. I already told you-”

Trevor balled his fists, before jabbing a finger into Michael’s chest.

“Don’t fucking compare me to her.”

Michael threw his hands up defensively, not realizing he touched a nerve.

“Woah woah, easy dude. I didn’t think it was that bad between you guys.”

He exhaled loudly, unclenching his hands.

“It wasn’t. Isn’t. Just.. don’t compare me to her.”

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling hard himself.

“Look, I think you’re cool and all but you can’t flip out on me like that. I mean we are just getting to know each other y’know. I can’t have you wanting to bite my head off like that if I just so happen to keep running into you. I really am just trying to navigate the area better, so forgive me if I came off as some sorta fuckin’ stalker. Amanda went home and I had nothing better to do so I chose to walk over this way.”

“Hmph. Fine. Whatever.”

“So we good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now, since we’re already here why don’t we just hangout or something?”

Trevor folded his arms, trying to look like he didn’t want to spend another minute with him. It didn’t really work though, because he actually did want to talk to him more.

“If you insist.”

“Alrighty.”

The two of them started to head in the direction of the boardwalk, neither one speaking yet. After finding a bench to sit on as the sun sunk below the horizon, the silence was still there. This sort of thing was bizarre for both of them in different ways. Michael never really frequented these parts of LS, and Trevor never really hit it off with any kind of stranger. Ron and Wade were exceptions if anything, and he had known Lester for a while now. Yet there was something about this guy that didn’t make him feel like he was spending time with a stranger, even though he knew jack shit about him. He might as well try to make small talk.

“So I-”

“So uhh-”

They spoke over each other while trying to start up a conversation, making things feel a little more awkward.

“Shit sorry, you go first.”

“Nah nah you go.”

“Um. Okay. So.. tell me about yourself? We haven’t really talked about much besides music.”

“Yeah.. right. What do ya wanna know?”

“I just asked you to tell me about yourself, so it’s your job to decide what to say.”

Michael gave him a sardonic smile in response to that, partly because he wasn’t sure what to bring up about himself. It seemed like they were gonna be here a while if they wanted to say the most basic shit you say when getting to know someone.

“Well, I ain’t that interesting if you really need to know. I’m guessing you already know about my whole ‘affinity for the 80s’ thing, like the culture n shit that came from it. Real sick stuff.”

“If you say so.”

“Yeah. Anyway, if you really want to know plain shit about me though, I will tell ya that my favorite color’s blue.”

Trevor snickered at that.

“Pfft, seriously? We’re talking favorite colors now?”

“Hey man, you said you wanted to know more about me.”

“Uh yeah, but that’s so fuckin’ silly.”

“Maybe it is, but what about you? You got one?”

“Favorite color? You kiddin’?”

“I’m waiting..”

“Uh huh… I’ll give. Always liked the color red I guess. Like, in variety. Not picky about something as childish as that.”

“What’s childish about that?”

“Cuz only kids exchange that whole ‘oh what’s your favorite color?’ thing. It’s like if I were to ask you what your favorite dinosaur is.”

“Hmm.. I’d probably say a T-Rex.”

“Oh now you’re just pulling my dick. And no, I’m not telling you what mine is just because you did.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you though. That was all you.”

“Mm… shut it.”

“You got one though?”

“I’m not telling you!”

“Ah ah, I didn’t ask which one, I asked if you had one.”

“Well I don’t, so knock it off.”

“That’s fair. I won’t push.”

They grew silent for the second time that night, before Trevor mumbled something under his breath.

“It’s a pterodactyl..”

“What was that?”

He forced a breath through his nose, acting annoyed.

“It’s a fuckin’ pterodactyl. That’s mine. Okay?”

“Hah, okay. Any reason why?”

“You’re so nosy.”

“You’re the one who started this conversation about getting to know each other man.”

“Ugh, I know that.” He said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

“I think it’s cool that they could fly and shit. I like flying.”

“You like flying?”

“Loved it.”

“Wait, you tellin’ me you fly? Like, planes and shit?”

Trevor winced at the words, regretting what he just said.

“I did.. at some point. Air Force shit. They said I was one of the best they’d seen in a while but I.. left. Sort of.”

“Then why’d you leave?”

“I didn’t exactly leave on my own accord. More or less got kicked out.”

“How come-”

“I don’t like talking about it. I know we’re opening up or whatever the fuck but that.. that’s still too soon for me to want to bring up. Especially to someone I barely know.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He said, even though it really wasn’t. It’s not like Michael knew though, he really wasn’t trying to prod in a bad way.

It was almost pitch black by the time their conversation got to that point, only distant streetlight and the nearby pier lighting up their surroundings. The whole mood had shifted, and both of them decided to just break it off there.

“Hey uh, I’ll probably see you tomorrow man. If I’m with Amanda I think I’ll just send a wave or something your way.”

“Got it. See ya.”

“Bye.”

Trevor stayed put, watching Michael leave as he turned down a random one way street. This guy was tripping him out and he couldn’t pin point why. It was getting late though, and walked off himself back to Wade’s. He’ll save that vexed question for another night.

//ahhhhhh i rlly did not know what i wanted to do with this….,,., sorry if this wasn’t as good as the first two !! i alrdy know i repeated a bunch of stuff in there and i feel like it got kinda sloppy so again, soz (including typos or whtevr)

but uhhhh anyway yeah i cut it off here bc i wanted to continue some of this shit in the next chapter ig lol,, more stuff to come soon god willing

[jentlemahae]

(Album Review) Sticker by NCT 127 – Did It Really Stick?

Just last week, South Korean group NCT 127 – numbers referring to the longitude coordinate of Seoul – released their long-awaited, third full-length album, Sticker, which immediately caused an uproar among their fans. Some really loved it, while some really hated it (and were not silent about it). It’s the so-called ‘third album syndrome’, where artists create a record that is so new even for them, that it ends up being polarizing for the fanbase. Sticker might have been just that for 127, as fans are either calling it a masterpiece or a huge disappointment – no in-between.

(Those who are already familiar with NCT 127 may skip the following section. Those who are not – buckle up!)

A beginner’s guide to NCT

For those who may not know, NCT (short for “Neo Culture Technology”) is a boy-group under SM Entertainment. The band has been able to stand out from the KPOP landscape since its very debut, and not only because of their music and talents, but also thanks to their distinctive concept. In a nutshell, the idea is that the group can have an unlimited (or infinite) number of members, as fresh new boys can be added to the lineup at any given time. So far, they have accumulated 23 members, divided into four different subunits – NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV (fixed units), and NCT U (rotational unit).

Each subgroup has its own characteristic sound and/or concept, but there is one thing they have in common – they are all known for going against the current, be it musically or style-wise. In fact, they are considered the pioneers of the takeover on KPOP by ‘noise music’. But what is noise music? Sometimes affectionately called ‘pots and pans’, it is a genre characterized by an expressive use of sound that is not bound to traditional music rules, and encapsulates different chords and types of notes within a song. Nowadays, it has become the main style of the 4th Generation, and NCT were the ones who truly popularized it to the current audience (despite being 3rd Gen).

NCT 127’s approach to noise music is particularly fascinating. Fans describe their sound as ‘NEO’, which is confusing and vague unless you are familiar with their discography – then it makes perfect sense! The group always takes noise music to the next level, yet manages to not make it sound completely nonsensical and (too) migraine-inducing.

Now that you are all up to speed, we can proceed with the actual review!

Sticker – peeling the songs off

After weeks of teasers and hints, NCT 127 finally unveiled to their eager, hungry fans their new single and album, Sticker. This record perfectly encapsulates the cornucopia of sounds that the band is known for, as the songs go from EDM to hip-hop to heart-warming ballads. And of course, the group’s signature sound – the pots and pans are here, louder and stronger than ever. But enough chit-chat for now – let’s go through the album together.

Sticker (8.5/10)

NCT 127 made the bold choice to open the record with the title track, Sticker. Why ‘bold choice’? Well, let’s just say the song is not exactly easily digestible… The melody is a plethora of sounds, yet feels almost empty and subdued to the vocals at the same time. It is a bacchanal of frenzied beats and a dirty bass line accompanied by a shrill flute and piano, with cut-throat raps and beautiful harmonies that are disjointed from the overall melody. Sticker is chaos, but an intentional one, thus its instability manages to captivate you whilst disarming you.

Truth be told, I was a bit taken aback by the song when I first listened to it. Nothing appeared to make sense to my ears, as they seem to be fighting with the beat (and losing) throughout the entire track. But that’s exactly the point. The disconnection between the instrumentals and the singing is clearly done on purpose, perhaps in order to further highlight the members’ impressive vocals, which overpower and outbalance the otherwise empty beat. Or maybe the purpose was just to render the song more impactful, which sure as hell worked – you may not like Sticker, but the song is likely to remain stuck in your head one way or another.

Lemonade (8.3/10)

The second track was teased by the group prior to the official release of the album with a track video, and was immediately loved by fans. This catchy B-side includes an addictive deep bass which makes the perfect beat for both powerful raps and hefty vocals, a signature cocktail in NCT music.

The song is so good that a puzzling question immediately erupted following the release of the record, and spread like wildfire within 127’s fanbase – why wasn’t ‘Lemonade’ the title track? After all, everyone likes it, both fans and non-fans, and it could easily be something you’d expect to find at the top of the charts. In contrast to Sticker, on which everybody seems to be divided. So, wouldn’t it make sense for it to be the title track, given its striking popular appeal?

The answer is no. What some fans don’t seem to understand is that when it comes down to KPOP title tracks (especially nowadays), the issue is not whether it is the best or the catchiest song on the record. The real question is, does it make an impact? Given how new KPOP groups are popping up left and right, managing to leave enough of an impression on the listeners can make or break a career. The title track needs to be instantly stuck in your mind, and for that Sticker fits the bill, as Lemonade sounds just like any other song you could hear in the first 30 minutes of Inkigayo. It’s good, but ordinary. It just doesn’t cut it, and NCT 127 clearly know that.

Breakfast (8/10)

Third song on the record, Breakfast feels reminiscent of past SM boy groups’ releases, namely SHINee’s song Prism from the album 1 and 1. The song encompasses bright melodies and retro beats with a modernized twist, which serve as a perfect mix with the members’ voices. The song’s main stars are the vocalists (particularly HAECHAN, whose tone works wonders with the genre), while the raps are tamer for the group’s standard.

Focus (9/10)

The fourth track is a mid-tempo R&B romantic song, a genre that is characteristic of 127’s B-sides and displays the group’s more soulful edge. Focus flawlessly showcases the members’ honeyed and warm vocals (especially JAEHYUN’s), and the slow lazy-like raps remind of early 2000’s sultry slow jams. This track was an immediate fan-favorite (as attested by yours truly).

The Rainy Night (9.5/10)

The Rainy Night is an R&B-tinged ballad reminiscent of boybands in the 90’s, and is the perfect follow-up to Focus, as vocals appear to be the true protagonists of both songs. In the track, TAEIL manages to stand out in particular by showing off his impressive range, with his beautiful adlibs on the suit-and-tie beat.

Far (6.2/10)

Next up is Far, characterized by a boom-clap drumline and a chanted chorus. Despite being rather forgettable, it is a good song after all – something straight out of a superhero movie soundtrack. It just sounds like something we’ve heard before at least a million times from about any KPOP boy group out there.

Bring The Noize (6.6/10)

Bring The Noize is about as NEO as it can get, with loud and thunderous beats, growling raps and sounds mimicking a car engine, which together make you feel as if your head were in a blender. Just like Sticker, this song is pure chaos, but of an overwhelming and impetuous kind because of its packed production. Yet, I think that’s where it all goes sideways – Bring The Noize is just too overwhelming, because it’s too crowded. On top of the production overflowing with sounds and effects, the vocal aspect of the song is simply too much. All members sing or rap on the track, but the variety of vocal colors is disarming and confusing to the ears in the worst way. Simply put, some members could have stayed silent in that recording booth…

Magic Carpet Ride (6.4/10)

Doing a full 180 from the previous track, Magic Carpet Ride is a ballad with pop elements, and a melodic beat that particularly shows off DOYOUNG and JAEHYUN’s vocals. Despite being a lovely song, it’s nothing particularly exceptional – it’s good for what it is, but it falls slightly flat and forgettable. Nevertheless, it does a wonderful job in proving that not every KPOP song needs a rap part…

Road Trip (7.3/10)

Road Trip shows off 127’s more boyish and bright side, with nice layers of guitar, drums and delicate vocals, proving once again how the band’s is not just a loud gimmick. The song is enjoyable – however, it’s not something we haven’t heard before from NCT. It’s sweet and lovely, but it’s definitely nothing to write home about.

Dreamer (7.4/10)

This upbeat song gives yet another sweet and poppy feel to the tracklist, with retro beats, trumpet riffs and a happy-go-lucky melody. Dreamer kinda sounds like something out of an Old Navy commercial, but I mean it in a good way – its funky, childlike charm combined with the uplifting lyrics is likely to put a smile on your face!

Promise You (7.2/10)

127 chose to end the album with a letter dedicated to their fanbase, NCTzens. Due to the ongoing pandemic, groups have not been able to meet fans in a long time as they normally would. In Promise You they sing about being separated from a loved one and then being reunited again, which is likely a nod towards their fans. Musically, the song intertwines retro-inspired beats with atmospheric synths, that give it a dreamy-like appeal. The track is sweet and serves as a great album closer, as wrapping up the record with DOYOUNG singing “So stay” in a longing yet reassuring tone, feels like the perfect goodbye.

So, did it stick?

Overall, Sticker is a very well-made album – it has ballads, upbeat tracks, addictive songs, and a decent dose of the good ol’ pots and pans. Does it sound like something we have never heard before in KPOP? No! Does it sound like something we’ve never heard before from NCT? Also… No… But whilst the record follows a similar algorithm to 127’s past albums, it is still incredibly enjoyable without sounding boring or too déjà vu. It has a good 50/50 mix of experimental songs to ballads and R&B-influenced tracks, and it leaves room for both rappers and vocalists to shine.

The album truly screams ‘NCT 127’ – it’s experimental, not sonically cohesive, confusing, and a little weird. Plus, just like all of the group’s music, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Or better yet, it’s not at first listen. Sticker might be odd and disarming, but it will get to you eventually – you just gotta let it stick.

8/10