#goodbye vocal chords

[yolowritter]

Can I give you my rant about the absolute MESS Astruc and the rest of the staff did with the background of ML? Because it's infuriating to a history buff and cultural appreciator like me. Especially after the episode Darkblade shows they CAN do a good job (the story of the ancestor Darkblade is the last years of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and Conestable of France, just with names filed off), they just choose to be lazy. And infuriating.

Side material references the Fox, Bee, Turtle, Peacock, and Butterfly Miraculous as the Elemental Miraculous, drawing in the Wuxing... And they never explored that.

The Miraculous Order was based in Tibet... Except the Wuxing link above and everything else we see of the Order say they're Daoist-adiacent, and the Tibetan monasteries are Buddhist. And let's not go on the fact Tibet was a different and often rival civilization to China (even the CCP admits that, and bases their control on how China had CONQUERED Tibet before the British got involved) yet the Order is quite obviously Chinese...

Gabi Gassette changed name in Gabriel Agreste... Except this is impossible under French law. Changing one's personal name is already hard enough, and changing the family name requires a petition to the PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC proving you have a good reason under French law (and by what is shown, he didn't have one).

Joan of Arc never user her sword in combat, and in fact created her famous banner to have an excuse to not fight. So the scene of her getting time displaced and drawing a sword to fight is utterly ahistorical.

Lila Rossi is coded as an Italian, and I say that as an actual Italian. Her gestures, her expressivity, her hamminess, even her vindicativeness ("vendetta" is actually the generic Italian word for "revenge", but in English it became the word for "horrific revenge" because we're THAT vindicative), everything says she's an Italian teenaged girl. So all the "Cerise" nonsense is frankly ridiculous...

Now the really infuriating one, their take on Joan of Arc, of how she and the English bearer of the Black Cat were manipulated by the ambition of the Kings of France and England. Except Charles of France was the Dauphin, that is the heir to the throne, and grasping at straws to save France from the invasion when Joan showed up and requested he gave her an army to throw the English out of France and couldn't get crowned until Joan reconquered Reims, the city of the coronation. As for Henry VI of England, he was SIX (almost seven) when Joan entered the war (hence why Charles had a chance to reclaim the throne, to be crowned King of France one had to be a knight, and that meant one had to be an adult). These guys claimed Joan and Dark Grimalkin were manipulated by a desperate prince who was considering giving up and by a six years old child.

Sorry for the rant... But seriously, why did they do all of that?!

Because it's Thomas Astruc, and frankly I have no idea! Don't worry, rants are always welcome! By all means, I'm sure there's more stuff if we look for it! As a fellow history nerd, and also with Joan being my single favorite French historical figure ever, I have been seething ever since I saw their take on her. Henry the VI was literally just a child, and Charles was dependant on Joan because the English were demolishing France at the time! There is a perfectly good story in real history as to what could have happened to her and Dark Grimalkin! Just do an "partners on opposide sides of a war", slap in the iconic banner as her Miraculous weapon and call it a day! It would have been so much easier to follow real history! They didn't even need to do any work!

And as for the Cerise nonsense...that "explanation" better be really good. It better be Dark Souls-level deep lore with an interconnected backstory that ties up every single mystery in Lila's character better than Scooby Doo ever could, or I am going to lose my mind! I've already said this in my Lila post, but it's genuinely offensive that they had such a great idea for a character, and built her up so much...just to say "oh well actually she has three moms who don't even know eachother, and her name is Cerise, or Iris, or...something else". Lile c'mon! For Nooroo's sake here, it's a blatantly poor attempt to make her interesting again and it only worked because the fandom is grasping at straws for theory material because of the hiatus!

Any side material for the show just doesn't do a good enough job at actually giving us something new, or at the very least something interesting. The Miraculous and Kwami are constantly sidelined because why bother talking about this extremely high-potential universe you have in your show's Lore...if you didn't bother to fill in the blanks? Kwami are supposed to be Gods, Season 2 has references to Plagg blowing up Atlantis! Myths are apparently real in this universe! Please do something with that Thomas, it's free money! But nope, of course they ignore it.

The Guardian Order...well, I call them "The Jedi from Wish" for a reason. Like okay, religious order that has conservative thinking and backwards methods in a new world that is rapidly and constantly evolving. Cool concept! Unfortunately they don't even get their designs right, can't be consistent with which religion they're even based on, contradict themselves all the time, and make them utterly irrelevant after Su Han's first appearence. His only job in the story is to show up, yell at the protagonists, and then be proven wrong because "Ladybug is always right", only to apologize and then yeet himself to Brazil or something! I have an entire rant about this guy, but I'll refrain atm.

And lastly abt Gabriel's name change, I honestly didn't know that. Cool info, I'll add to my list of "times the writers didn't do their 5-minute google search". But like, c'mon. You're choosing to incorporate an important detail about your main villain into his backstory. Shouldn't you have somebody do the research to see if that's even possible? Even the intern is better than no one! I swear...and then us fanfic authors spend hours upon hours looking up obscure stuff just so one sentence/joke can be factually correct.

[everyryuujisuguro]

[blood-smiles]

❝ 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 ❞ ᯓ★୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄! 𝐍𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐗 𝐆𝐍! 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 TW ~ MDNI . slight nsfw . yandere content . stalking . blood kink(?) . submissive yandere . creepy thoughts . just a little needle talk . highly unprofessional behavior from yandere . reader is a simpand Yuuto (yandere!nurse) is utterly whipped for them

╰┈➤ It was the time of the year to get your blood drawn, the time you dreaded greatly, having to fast and being held down to a chair to get your life juice sucked out of you, what fun.

❤︎ the moment you walked in you noticed 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾, a fresh face in the hospital, and a pretty one at that, you weren't going to lie, at first you thought he was a girl.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 locked eyes with you, he had been assigned to check you in, the moment he looked into your stunning (e/c) eyes his heart skipped a whole beat, the blush blooming across his face was inevitable.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 noticed quickly how nervous you were, well.. It was understandable, nobody liked having their blood drawn, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was him that was making you nervous, your cute eyes barely met his own, from the way those adorable hands of yours fidgeted with the hem of your shirt, was it wrong to think you were so endearing..?

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 who treated you differently from other patients, deciding to guide you into a room to take your blood while gently asking you about yourself, nodding and smiling softly whenever you would reply, his cheeks getting hotter and hotter the more he spoke to you.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 was delighted- no, better said: Over the moon when you finally gave your name to him, (y/n) huh? it has such a nice ring to it! his (y/n).. it felt so right saying that, the syllables of your name rolled off his tongue smoothly,he could say it until his vocal chords burst, It would look so pretty carved into his skin!

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 who excused his lingering touch as 'finding your veins' just to feel the warmth radiating off of your arm, his own hand wrapped around yours, his fingers gently feeling around your arm.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 who offered his hand so you could squeeze when you felt scared of the needle.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 who sneakily snatched an extra vial of blood from you, secretly slipping the warm container into the pocket of his scrubs.

❤︎𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 who cooed and praised you as soon as the needle from your skin was extracted, his eyes softened with a twinge of guilt behind them, his hand twitched as he watched you exhale in relief, oh.. How he wanted to baby you, gently caress your heated cheeks and embrace you in his arms..

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 waved you goodbye, the melancholy and tiredness that plagued his body went away when you were around, instead being replaced with endless amounts of energy and joy,

❤︎ but now that same, horrible feeling was back, the ache in his joints and the pounding headache hit him suddenly, making him grasp his head with his hand.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 excused himself to the bathroom, splashing water on his face to perhaps lessen the effects of the headache,

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 dried his hands on his scrubs, his long fingers brushing against a lump in his pockets.. The light of his eyes suddenly returned as he recalled the blood vial he stole.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 carefully took the warm vial out of his pockets, his eyes following the movement of the crimson liquid inside, he gently clasped his hands around the object, it emanated warmth, successfully warming his hands up.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 pressed the heated glass against his cheek, his heart beat against his ribs erratically at the memory of your smile and how you held his hand so carefully.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 imagined what the look on your face would be if you saw him like this, what would you do to him if you found out he stole vials of your blood? Would you hit him? degrade him? only thinking of it made him rub his thighs together..

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 encircled his own hand around his throat, pressing down on his airways, a choked moan barely coming out of his mouth, his nails pressed down on the soft skin of his neck, imprinting crescent shaped indents on his throat.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 soon stopped, remembering he had to go back to work or else his supervisor would get on his back about where he was..

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 stared down at his hand, still feeling the ghost of softness from your hand, he cradled the hand you touched against his chest while looking down with a small smile.

❤︎ suddenly a gentle hand touched his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze, 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾's soft expression twisted into an irritated scowl, he shrugged off her hand discretely.

❤︎ he gazed up, covering the nasty show of displeasure with a welcoming smile, his supervisor smiled down at 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾, "Yes?" He asked trying to feign kindness, his supervisor, Danielle, blushed as soon as she noticed the smile on his face, "Yuuto, are you feeling okay? your face is awfully red.. Do you have a fever?" 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 had to hold back the urge to scoff.

❤︎ "..Actually, I'm feeling a little under the weather, haha.. I knew you would notice." 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 laughed stiffly, his fist were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white, the veins running along his forearms looking like they were about to burst from the sheer pressure,

Danielle however was oblivious to his aggressive body language, she giggled bashfully, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I.. Of course, Yuuto! Y-You should probably clock out early today, I don't want to over work you.. being sick and all.." She massaged his shoulder tenderly, the unwanted contact making rage bubble under his skin, his left eye twitched in irritation.

❤︎ this woman doesn't know the concept of personal space, does she? Can't she see that he was taken? By you nonetheless, such blatant disrespect wouldn't slide.. Unfortunately he couldn't do anything too brash, this woman's affection was beneficial to him, however there is only room for one person in his heart, and he already decided that the only who would fill that space would be (y/n), not this.. nuisance.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 glanced at your file, his once narrowed eyes softened with fondness as his eyes stared at your picture, he really needed to get your face printed out so he could start a project shrine devout to you, his eyes scanned over your information on your file, he read over your home address many times, memorizing every small letter and number.. You lived awfully close to his house, how convenient! :)

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 clocked out, slinging his bag over his shoulder he left the clinic, he felt disgusted, utterly filthy and tainted by touch that came from anyone that wasn't you, he would need to scrub his skin raw when he got home.

❤︎ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝗇𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾 walked the convenience store near his house for a coffee, he was about to fall asleep standing, some caffeine was very much needed..

❤︎ You perked up when the bell near the entrance chimed, looking up to see who entered you didn't expect to meet the warm yellow hues of the hot nurse from the hospital..

❝ 𝖶𝖾𝗅𝗅, 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇'𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗎𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍? 𝖨 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗈 𝗌𝗈 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁! ♡︎ ❞

[thesparklingwriter]

just one drink

"...the night I met you, the stars were like, totally wonky."

tags: pet names, gn!reader, established relationship, reader is drunk, zhongli is doing his best not to laugh (another repost sorry guys)

content warning: alcohol

ao3 link | taglist | masterlist | next

It was just one drink. Or maybe it was two. In all honesty, you can’t really remember. You don’t drink very often, maybe once a year, once every two years if the situation so calls for it. But that also lends itself to a ridiculously low alcohol tolerance. So low, that in fact, one drink already has you stumbling around like a crazy person.

At first, Zhongli finds it amusing, the way you giggle so sweetly at everything he says, the way you run your hands through his hair with giddy laughter. You kiss his cheek, not caring about the fact that the rest of the dinner table-which consists of archons and adepti who have all had years to cultivate their alcohol tolerance-are watching you.

And then, the hyper giggling dissipates and you slump against him, resting your head against his shoulder as you think about the state of your life as it stands. Zhongli asks if you want to go home, but you shake your head fervently, not wanting to ruin his night. So he lets you rest your head in his lap and plant kisses on his hands if ever they linger too close to your face.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go home, my love?” He asks, looking down at you with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

“Li,” you sigh. “Why is the sky blue?”

Zhongli looks at you, chuckling softly. “Why is the jade yellow and the grass green?” He replies, the tenderness in his tone causing the rest of the table to watch with disinterested curiosity. It’s not every day that Morax, the god of war and contracts, can be find talking so sweetly to anyone on Teyvat or the realm above.

You sit up and scowl at him. “That doesn’t answer anything. I’m going home.” As you rise to your feet, you wobble, and Zhongli shoots up, ready to catch you if you should fall. He gives a sharp look at Venti, who told you the drink that has you plastered was basically water, and graciously says goodbye to everyone else as he helps you home.

By the time you’ve made it out of the door of the restaurant, you’ve gotten your footing again, and can happily skip around the streets of Liyue. The harbour is rarely ever empty, but today, it seems that most other people are at home, and you’re free to prance around as you wish.

“Do you think dragons can speak?” You ask Zhongli, returning back to him after spinning around for a few minutes. “I don’t think their vocal chords would be in the right place.”

“You’d be correct,” Zhongli says, smiling at you. He opens his mouth to explain how dragons communicate, but you’re off again, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at some silk flowers in someone’s courtyard. You crouch down to look at the flowers in more detail, lose your balance, and find yourself on the floor with no intention to get back up.

“They’re so pretty,” You say wistfully, tears bunching up in your eyes. “I wish I were a silk flower.”

“You wish to be a silk flower? I wouldn’t associate you with those–”

“Can you help me get up, please?” You look at Zhongli with round eyes, silently pleading for him to take pity on you. “It’s your fault I’m this drunk. You could, at the very least, help me.”

Zhongli sighs tenderly, lifting you up into his arms as if you were just wed, smiling as you wrap your arms around his neck. He’s more than happy to carry you home if that’s what’s going to get you there the fastest.

“Li,” you whisper against his chest.

“Yes, love?”

“Do you think people are destined to be with each other? Like, do you think that stars align and an eclipse happens and then boom! Soulmates.”

Zhongli chuckles. “I believe everything happens for a reason, yes. So, the stars must have aligned when I met you.”

“That’s a trick question. The night I met you, the stars were like, totally wonky.”

“Were they?” Zhongli enquires, laughing softly to himself. "How curious." But you’re fast asleep in his arms already, his laughter not registering to you. He carries you home, enjoying the fact that you’re allowing him to take care of you without complaint or physical antagonism. You smile in your sleep as he sets you down in bed, kissing your forehead lightly, gently grabbing his arm as he moves to step away.

“Where are you going?” You whine, attempting to sit up, but evidently being too sleepy to do so successfully. “Don’t go anywhere. Stay…here.” You point a finger at him accusingly, but the action is weak and makes him laugh. He shouldn’t laugh at you or your current turmoil, but how can he not when you just look so adorable? Every once in a while, it's nice to be reminded that you need him as much as he needs you, that he is just as valuable to you as you are to him.

“I’m not going anywhere, my love,” He says quietly. “Just changing.”

“Whose grand idea were clothes anyway?” You huff, rolling over in bed. “They’re uncomfortable and expensive and some are soooo ugly. They should be…illegal.”

“Yes, love, I agree.” Zhongli chuckles, stroking your hair as he sits in bed beside you. You move closer to him, nuzzling into his side.

“You’re such a yes-man sometimes, Li. Do you always say yes to everything everyone tells you to do?”

“No, only to you.”

You smile sleepily, throwing your arms around him unceremoniously. “You’re such a lap dog sometimes too.”

“And you can be incredibly bossy,” He smiles. “Seeing as I don’t wish to become seven inches shorter in my sleep, my only viable option is to be your lapdog until the day death calls my name.”

“That sounds nice.” You grin. "Do that."

© 2023, thesparklingwriter. please do not copy, edit, repost, or translate.

notes: okay so i had this idea cause my friends were talking about going out and getting wasted and i don't drink, but i have been told that when i drink monster (one time) i act like im drunk so this was inspired by that

taglist: removed as this is a repost

(coloured accounts couldn't be tagged)

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Wild Nights || CL16 {5}

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x songstress!reader Summary: You show your support for Charles and he shows his support for you. Warnings: 18+only, just Charles being himself WC: 2k

F1 Masterlist || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Epilogue

“Hurry up or you’re going to be late to your own show,” Bea urged as she tugged at your arm. “Come on, we have to go!”

You rose on your tiptoes and tried to look over the sea of people. “Just one more minute.”

“I gave you ten.”

You checked your phone again but there was no new message from Charles since his last update that he was just going to quickly shower. You had briefly seen him before the free practice, but other than a few quiet words in the back of Ferrari’s hospitality you hadn’t really spent any time with him since landing in Las Vegas. 

You had thought scheduling concerts in the same city would mean seeing more of Charles but nothing was ever quite that simple.

Sighing, you sent him a message apologising for leaving without a proper goodbye and reminded him not to wait up for you. It would be late by the time you finished the show and he needed an early night before his qualifying race, but hopefully you were able to find a few minutes together in the morning before he left.

The drive through the city was long with traffic congestion and you spent most of it checking your phone to the point that Bea leaned over and ripped it from your hands.

“Hey!” you growled as she tossed it into the front seat beside the chauffeur. “I was using that.”

“No, you were distracted by it.” She grabbed a bottle of champagne from the minifridge and popped the cork. “Here, bottoms up.”

“Classy,” you murmured as you took the bottle and drank straight from it.

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and took it back for a quick swig of her own. “At least I know it will get you to relax. Luckily your makeup has survived the day, there won’t be time to redo it.”

“There was a time when you said I didn’t need make up, is this you saying I’m getting ugly?”

“Pfft, bitch, please. If I thought you were ugly I would tell it to you straight, like a good friend. You’re beautiful and I’m jealous, I just thank god I have these,” she said as she grabbed her boobs for emphasis. “They kill my back, but they look damn good.”

“Forget your back, I heard they nearly killed Pierre,” you chuckled. “I think his fans would have a problem if you accidentally smothered him with those.”

“At least he would die happy and doing what he loved. Imagine that obituary.”

“I’d rather not.” Your nose wrinkled at the thought of any type of obituary for a racer, it was an all too real possibility you tried not to dwell on.

Bea agreed quietly with another drink from the bottle and cast her eyes out the window, taking in the bright lights of the strip. She nearly spit out her mouthful at the sight of an electronic billboard advertising the first Las Vegas F1 race. “Wow, they really got him again?”

You leaned over the seat and saw the ad of Charles decked out in a glittering jacket, elvis wig and pink feather boa as a deck of cards rained down. A laugh bubbled up as you took the bottle back and brought it up to your lips with a dopey smile. “He’s too sweet and trusting, a little gullible too.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” she joked as the car pulled into the service entrance of the MGM. and she took the half empty bottle away. “Can’t have you drunk on opening night.”

“Can I have my phone back?”

She reached through the front and grabbed it off the seat. “Fine, but no moping like a sad sap because we have to run.”

The door to the car opened to an entourage of people chiding you for the tardiness and you were hustled through the back channels of the building, stopping briefly in a room little larger than a closet to change outfits before you reached the backstage area.

“You have five minutes,” the head coordinator warned as Bea arrived with a cup of lemon, ginger and honey tea to help warm your vocal chords.

You thanked her as you sipped the hot drink and felt your phone vibrate with a notification as Scuderia Ferrari’s Instagram went live. ‘Music Challenge’ was the caption and you waved Bea over knowing they were always entertaining.

“Oh, I love this song,” Charles exclaimed as he nodded his head along.

“You say that every time,” Carlos complained.

“Kill Bill?”

“Correct!” The interviewer confirmed as Carlos groaned and fell back into the couch in defeat.

“How do you know that?”

“I listen to a lot of music.”

They both fell silent as the next song started and they both smashed their hands on their little bells.

“Flowers,” Carlos shouted. “Flowers, flowers, I got it first.”

“You got it loudest,” Charles disputed but the moment the next song started he was jumping up and pinging his bell in time. “Y/N, Love You Need!” He turned to Carlos and blew him a kiss. “It’s my song.”

“That’s not fair, I don’t have a song.”

“I’m sure someone has written a song about you, probably not a love song though,” Charles teased before he checked his watch. “Ay, I need to go or the next song she writes about me won’t be happy either. Ciao!”

“He quit so I win, right?”

“No, no, no I didn’t quit.” Charles paused his exit to point an accusing finger back at his teammate. “You took so long fixing your hair that we started late.”

“Still, I win, because you’re leaving.”

“See this,” Charles turned to the camera, his hand still waving to his team mate, “he doesn’t care about winning, he’s just upset he wasn’t invited to Y/N’s concert. Carlos?”

Carlos batted his eyelashes with a smile. “Yes, Charles?”

“Would you like to come with me?”

Carlos was already on his feet. “I thought you would never ask.”

Charles rolled his eyes but couldn’t help laughing. “Vamos, we’re late.”

You turned to Bea as the live feed ended and you shoved your phone into the storage cupboard beside the stairs leading to the stage. “Did you know he was coming?”

“Duh, who do you think set him up with a backstage pass?” She shrugged and put her own phone away along with her jacket. “I gave him a few in case he wanted to bring some friends.”

You cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “You mean Pierre…”

“I mean friends, and if that happens to be Pierre then I have no problem with that.”

You didn’t have an opportunity to tease her further about the commitment issues the two of them had before a microphone was shoved into your hands and you were pointed to the stage entrance.

“Kill it babe!” Bae shouted with a thumbs up as she jogged around to the other stage entrance for her cue.

The sold out crowd was a swirling mass of energy and it swelled as you stepped into the spotlight, their screams barely blocked by the earpieces that you had pushed into your ears as you took the stairs. The rush of seeing the excitement on their faces never ceased to amaze you and you bounced on your toes eagerly.

“What’s up, Las Vegas? Are you doing alright tonight?” Their responding screams shook the stage and widened your grin. “That’s good to hear, because, for me, well, I’m Fine.”

The music started and remembered the day you started writing the song, taking off from Monaco. It had begun as a tribute to Bea and the friendship you shared but then as the weeks went by and Charles stayed in touch it had evolved. It really was a song for any sort of relationship and why it was one of your favourites after Love You Need.

“Woke up too early, Almost put salt in my coffee, Oh, I thank God that you stopped me before that.”

You grinned to the shadows where you knew Bea was waiting, having been the inspiration for the line.

“Tripped over something, Spilt it all over your front seat, Didn't even say I'm sorry about that.”

You had been so frazzled trying to clean the mess up in Charles’ ridiculously expensive car that you had forgotten to apologise at the time. You had made it up to him later, and luckily it hadn’t stained, probably credit to the expensive upholstery.

“On and on, it's just more of the same And even when you ask if I'm okay… I try to say I'm fine (I'm fine).”

The drummer came in with the heavy beat for the chorus and the hands in the crowd waved in time as Bea jumped into the spotlight for her parts. This was what made it a favourite of yours, when she grasped your hand like she had when you had broken down over your ex. She had called you on your bullshit when you said you were fine and she had been there through the worst. It made performing this with her even more special. 

The entire concert was going to be even more special knowing Charles was going to be in the crowd soon and he knew exactly which songs were devoted to him. 

You shouldn’t have been surprised that he was coming because he balanced you, and everything was equal between you. You supported him in his races whenever you could make it to them and he supported you when he could make it to yours, but you knew how tired he would have been after his day. 

There were thousands of people beyond the blindly bright lights of the stage but somehow you knew where to look when you felt the energy shift halfway into the set. And there he was. 

He must have changed in the car as he was no longer wearing the bold red Ferrari shirt, opting for more sedate casual clothes to blend in with the crowd. It didn’t exactly stay that way when you pointed to him during one of his songs, singing the lines solely for him and drawing the attention to him.

“Can we stay frozen in time, in between hello and goodbye?”

You collapsed onto the bed of the hotel still riding the high from the concert and Charles fell down with you, equal parts of happiness and exhaustion warring in his eyes.

“You should get some sleep,” you said as you rolled onto your side to face him so you could cup his cheek, your thumb brushing over the 5 o’clock shadow along his jaw. 

“I will soon,” he murmured as his arm curled over your waist and pulled you closer. “I just want to hold you for a little while.” He tucked you into the curve of his body until there wasn’t any space left between you, his cheek resting atop your head. “You make me so proud, seeing you living your dream. I wish I could be at every concert.”

“Me too,” you sighed longingly. “It’s the hardest thing when we have to say goodbye.”

His chest rose and fell slowly as he relaxed in the embrace, bordering on the edge of sleep. “You’ve never asked me not to race.”

“Why would I do that?” You pulled back to see his face and recognised the look. It was something his ex had asked of him. “Would the moon ask the sun not to rise? No, because both are equally important and their paths still cross. We are the sun and the moon.”

You felt his smile as he kissed your forehead. “Am I the moon or the sun?” 

“The moon,” you stated as you tipped your head back so you could stare into those gorgeous eyes if his. “You are there to lighten my darkest nights.”

“And you make my day infinitely brighter.”

Click here for the epilogue.

Tagging: @91vhs @alwaysclassyeagle @applespiez @ravenqueen27 @booksobsess @tempo-rary-fix @baw-sixteen @im-an-overthinker @notleclerc

[steviewashere]

I Love the Look of You (The Lure of You)

Rating: General CW: None for this one! Tags: Post-Canon, Future Fic, Mild Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mostly Comfort, Fluff, Past Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Getting Back Together, Transfem Steve Harrington, MTF Steve Harrington, Bisexual Eddie Munson, Bartender Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington Loves Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Loves Steve Harrington, Reunions

For @steddie-week | July 5th Prompt: Reunion/Getting Back Together | WC: 1,565

Title from "All of You" by Ella Fitzgerald.

💕—————💕 Eddie had been relocated to Seattle. It wasn’t his decision and it wasn’t his uncle’s. Hell, Wayne wasn’t even allowed to come with him. But he had to go because the government told him to; because a town doesn’t forget a name, a face, an accusation. So he packed up his things, locked the backdoors to his van, and got on with his life.

Didn’t have the chance to say goodbyes. Couldn’t make his rounds. Go to the Henderson’s and hug Dustin until his arms were numb. Go to Robin’s and make promise on meeting up at some hippie queer bar. Go to Steve’s and thank him for saving his life, for a relationship that just barely started. Couldn’t, so he didn’t, so he left.

He’s got a marginally good, boring life now. His name is still Eddie. His face is barely aged. Twenty-five and bartending at some underground thing; men with men and women kissing women, that sort of place. There were familiar faces within the community and they’ve all come to know him, to recognize him as just him and nothing else. So, it’s easy to say his interest is piqued when he spots a new girl’s face.

She’s Eddie’s height. Thick and toned. Tanned, an oddball sort of thing to see come out of Northern Washington. She had an aquiline nose, honey-brown eyes that lidded halfway, average lips that stretched wide over impossibly perfect teeth, and brunette hair that was broken by blonde highlights—it went down to her chest in perfect little waves, barely brushing the outline of her cleavage. And god was she stunning; a dress that left little to the imagination, spaghetti straps, all black with white flowers dotted all over it, and some black velvet kitten heels to match. She noticed him looking, though, and startled with recognition. And that was all the warning Eddie got before she was striding over, fast and determined.

“Hey, there,” Eddie purred, “what can I get a pretty girl—“

“Eddie?” Her voice was rich. Stuck in her throat. Crackling as if her vocal chords were fighting to make the noise. She leaned across the bar’s counter, palms flat to the surface, biceps flexing. And her face came closer to his, eyes scrutinizing.

He cleared his throat. “Uh…Yeah, that’s me. Didn’t think you knew—“

“This is where you’ve been all this time?” She asks incredulously. Her right hand flitters out. Palm wide and fingers long, thick. There are pronounced veins in the back of her hand. She’s built like a boxer, Eddie notices. And for a startlingly fearful moment, he thinks the girl is going to swing at him. But then her hand reaches up to his face. Cradles his cheek. A painted, manicured thumbnail tracing the edge of the gnarly patch of scar by his mouth. Her touch is familiar, so easy to fall into, to crave more of. So he leans into it. May as well.

She assesses him for a few silent seconds more. Hand moving from his cheek to his shoulder to his left hand spotted with rings. That’s when she pulls something off her free hand. Goes to Eddie’s right and slips the thing onto his finger.

Looking down, he nearly sobs. It’s the black stoned ring, silver band, the only ring that ever perfectly fit his fingers. His mom’s ring.

Steve’s ring.

“It’s…” He heaves a deep breath. “Steve?”

However, she shifts at that. Her eyes dart from where Eddie meets them. And she picks at the neatly done cuticles of her left hand. “Not my name anymore, Eds.”

“Not your…Oh,” he says softly, “what’s your name, sweetheart?”

She swallows. Her throat bobbing with it. “Stevie,” she mutters, “I know it’s close to the old name, but—“

“I used to call you that,” Eddie points out dumbly.

Stevie nods. Slow, careful. Her eyes watering. Pointed at some stuck on crumb on the countertop. “You did and it felt good,” she murmurs, “wanted to tell you, but you were already gone.”

Eddie inhales sharply at that. “I was,” he states, soured in his mouth. “I had to go, Stevie. There wasn’t another option.” He eyes her for another beat, looks over his shoulder at the fire exit door, and glances back. “Wanna come outside with me for my smoke break?”

She startles in her spot, but settles back warmly. “I’d like that.”

Mere minutes later, they’re standing shoulder to shoulder in the dingy back alleyway. Cigarettes between their fingers, barely sucked down on.

“I went looking for you,” she says, breaking the tentative silence.

Eddie hums. “Found me all the way out here,” he murmurs, “you here for a while?”

“Live here now, actually. In an apartment near Pike. Not the best place, but it’s comfortable. A little muggy from time to time.”

“Robin come with you?”

Stevie takes an inhale of her cigarette, slow and thoughtful like. Blows it out in one gentle gust. “I wish,” she mutters. “She’s actually over in Boston. University of Massachusetts. Women’s studies, minoring in music. I’m proud of her.”

“That’s great,” Eddie notes honestly. “What brought you out here, Stevie? You running from the law?”

She giggles. It’s a sweet little laugh. Raspy, real, a little raw. Her shoulder bumps his and he swears he sees sparks. “No, I just needed a change of scenery. Figured I would use the last of my college fund to come out here, see the sights, maybe find myself. And, well, looks like I’ve done all that. Not sure what else I’m here for.”

“You have, haven’t you?” Eddie wonders aloud. He bumps her shoulder this time. Sees out of the corner of his eye the soft, pleased smile that warms her face. “May I ask what led to…” He gestures vaguely at her whole figure. “Who’s Stevie?”

“Just me,” she says, easy as that. “Me, but now I’m a girl. It’s kinda silly how I started the whole discovery thing. I thought, y’know, what if I had boobs? Literally just laid in my bed one night, couldn’t sleep, and asked the question to nobody. Liked the idea of it. Fell asleep. Had a dream where I was a girl and…Well, now I’m here.”

Eddie makes an acknowledging hum. “You’re happy,” he breathes, not a question.

“Yeah,” she answers anyway. “I’m the happiest I’ve been since…Not to sour the mood, but since us.”

He flicks his cigarette on the ground, stomps it out, and leans against the brick wall at his back. Looks upon her softly. Gazing.

“I missed you,” he quietly admits, “I think about you every night, you know? What life could’ve been had I not—“

“You didn’t have a choice, Eds. Don’t beat yourself up over it,” she responds. She settles against the wall, too. Smashes her cigarette into the scraps of garbage below them. It’s not the most romantic place, but it feels like theirs. “I missed you, too,” Stevie states just as quietly. “There wasn’t a single damn moment where you didn’t cross my mind. Used to drive everybody back in Hawkins crazy. They’d be playing Dungeons & Dragons and I’d sit and watch, wonder if you kept playing—they always looked at me like they could read my thoughts. And there were times where I’d be driving Robin to work and she’d turn on the radio only to hear that Judas Priest tape you left in the glovebox—“

“Was wondering where that went,” he murmurs.

She laughs something soft from her chest. Wraps her left hand around his wrist. Thumb over his pulse point. “—I always had to tell her that I’d been purposefully listening to it. She always used to look at me with…with grief, a sadness. Used to drive me insane. But I could tell that everybody missed you, too.”

He shifts his arm so that they’re holding hands. Fingers intertwined. Her manicured nails digging gently into the softness of his palm. “Do you think they still miss me?” Eddie asks softly.

“They never stopped. I know I never did.”

His breath stutters at that. Something finally clawing away, opening him raw and aching. “You think enough time has passed that I can go back? That I can talk to them again?”

“I think enough time has passed that you can do whatever you want, Eds.”

He sniffs. Squeezes her hand.

“Does that mean I can have the chance to fall in love with you all over again?”

“As long as you don’t mind that I’m—“

“Stevie, I’ve never minded who you are,” he breathes out. “I just want you.”

“Yes, Eds. Of course you can.”

With that he kisses her. Slow, methodical, all encompassing. Like slipping out of his shoes and hanging up his jacket. Like finding Stevie in the living room in sweatpants and a t-shirt, watching a game on the television. Like fitting in alongside, coming home, being alive.

She pulls back, just a hair, nose to nose. “Come home with me at the end of the night? We can dance to that Judas Priest tape like we used to before.”

“Stevie,” he murmurs, cooing. Her eyes sparkle, the corners of them crinkling at the way he says her name. He hopes to make her smile like that all the time—lips or no. “I would be honored. Nothing more that I want to do than just be with you.”

💕—————💕

[divine-misfortune]

Mushy May, day 9. Warming them up.

Rating: E

Pairing: Ifrit/Dewdrop

Words: 865

Summary: Dew knows true warmth for the first time, and he can't get enough. Neither can Ifrit. Or, Ifrit and Dew fuck for the first time post Dew's transition.

Thank you @forlorn-crows (the beloved) for doing this as always :)

Head dropping into the pillow, Ifrit knew he was inches away from unraveling and no amount of measured breathing would save him from that fact. 

He could have laughed at himself, should have cursed at himself, but all he managed was a shuddered sigh as the freshly made fire ghoul sank down the length of his cock. Slowly, with his skinny thighs trembling where they bracketed his hips. Dew was struggling just as much as he was. It was a familiar but impossible stretch, always was, but it was different this time. He was carving out a spot for Ifrit and Ifrit alone, giving himself and this elementally changed body to Ifrit. Dew had been set on it, on Ifrit being the first - on Ifrit always being his first. Having barged into his room, skin still steaming, smelling of incense and salt, he wasted no time. 

Ash certainly dirtied his sheets, still smeared on Dew's body and now on his own, but Ifrit couldn’t find the concern for linens within himself. Not when the embrace of Dew's walls were both molten and velvet, too snug around his poor cock to leave room for anything in his head. All he could focus on were the multiple, searing points of contact between them and the heat. 

He was used to the heat. A fire ghoul forged from an eternal flame within the endless pits of sulfur, Ifrit found home within hellfire but Dew was beyond it. Well past burning and Ifrit wanted to bear the scars of the blaze he was becoming. 

Literal sparks crackled around Dew's head like some strange halo when he abruptly forced himself down those last few torturous inches. Impatient as ever, a changing of element would never take that from him. It knocked the wind from both of them. 

His eyes nearly rolled up into his skull but he did all he could not to fold and admit to the coiling sensation in his belly. If he ignored the way his balls ached maybe he could hold out. 

Dew wasn't fairing much better, clearly. His mouth had fallen open in a silent cry, chin tucked to his chest, steadying himself against Ifrit's broad chest. The red in his cheeks practically glowed, a striking hue against pale cool-toned skin. He was burning up from the inside out, a flame trapped and flickering under his skin, and Ifrit didn't want to blink lest he miss a second of his lover or the fruit of this long awaited rebirth. The head of his cock was just as flushed. Angry and leaking profusely against Ifrit's stomach, a water ghoul trait his vessel stubbornly clung onto much to Dew's apparent chagrin.

Palms sliding up Dew's thighs, feeling the twitching muscle beneath the weight of his hands, it all felt too real. A day he'd been waiting for. Suspended in anticipation, counting down the seconds until Dew and him were alike at the deepest parts of their being. Made kindred flames at the behest of the morning star himself. 

Ifrit squeezed at his hips to bring Dew back to earth with him. They both deserved to exist wholly in this moment. His fingers nearly touched around his waist. 

“I'm here” Dew rasps. The first words he'd spoken since before he was whisked away by clergy members to a place Ifrit could not follow. The first words since he'd punctuated their temporary goodbye with a kiss too chaste to savor the meaning of. His voice was deeper or perhaps his vocal chords were stripped raw. 

“You're here.” Ifrit whispered, smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. It's big and a bit too goofy for the position they found themselves in but it makes Dew's heart flutter and his cock jump. They both notice the latter. “How does it feel?” 

Dew lifted his head, soot stained hair curtaining his face. Carefully placed shadows on his sharp features. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, not yet bruised but pinker than they'd ever been. Everything was new down to the very sensations. He struggled to find the words, clearly. Ifrit could see the tangled threads of thought behind those copper tinged eyes. 

“Hot.” The word practically dripped off his tongue, sighing out wisps of smoke as Ifrit tucked his hair behind his ear. He wanted to bottle it and save it. “Never felt this warm before,” his shoulders shook with a breathless laugh. “S'weird.” 

“Bad?” 

“Good, real good…Is it always like this?” 

“Oh firefly,” the pet name somehow makes Dew feel tighter around him and Ifrit was forced to admit defeat. He couldn't last like this. “You'll never feel cold again. Don't even need me to keep you warm anymore.” 

Something a little like panic, or even disappointment flickered in his eyes. “But - But you still will, right?” 

Ifrit pulled him down. Chest to chest where they could both feel the steady beating of their hearts falling in sync. The short lived tension in his body melts away. Evaporates like steam, unseen and forgotten immediately. He thinks Dew might have finally found a way to crawl under his skin and stay there with how he clung to him. 

“Always, droplet.” 

[kpophubb]

♥︎ нєєѕєυηց'ѕ вσуƒяιєηԃ нαвιтѕ ♡

❥ Hot and cute things lee heeseung does as your bf !

♥︎🄶🄴🄽🅁🄴: 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝗁𝖼 ᰔ !w:mentions of making out! // 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘦. 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪'𝘮 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺." ♡

✼••┈┈┈┈••✼♡✼••┈┈┈┈••✼♥︎✼••┈┈┈┈••✼

☆ 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗦- heeseung loves to feel you pressed closely to him. His large frame engulfing your tiny one, his arms draped around your torso and his chin resting on your shoulder in a protective and safe hug. Once he buries you in his embrace, he’s quite reluctant to let you go..; quietly surrendering himself to the beating of your heart against his chest and the blissful harmony of your mutual breaths colliding. He wishes everytime so time would stop, and he could be holding his beloved you like this forever. :’)

☆ 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨- if you’re his girl, you’re definitely up for his personal midnight concerts and acoustic live covers of beautiful love songs. His raw vocals and angel voice penetrating deep inside your heart, unraveling your deepest chambers bit by bit and his artsy fingers playing the chords of his guitar, the sweet melody accompanying his sweet voice to produce a magical masterpiece.

☆ 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗣- heeseung loves to sing you to sleep. As your head is rested on his chest, he would brush soft pats along your back and sing you romantic songs, kissing the top of your head every now and then in between. If you’re sitting infront of him, he would make sure to gaze lovingly into your eyes directly, holding and playing with your hands, brushing his thumb with the back of it as he hits the most beautiful notes with his honey voice. He would always end the song sessions with “I love yous” and silly (but shy) confessions, and you’d be both laughing like dumb little dorks inside eachother’s arms everytime he has occasional voice cracks from being distracted by your captivating beauty.

☆ 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗𝗕𝗬𝗘 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦- goodbye kisses are a must or else don’t be surprised to see a grown up 21 year old man pouting displeasing against your door frame, making at you the biggest bambi eyes asking for a kissy. 🥺👉🏻👈🏻 it’s only when you give him a kiss on the cheek that he smiles and agrees to leave for work, but he’s the cheek kiss will never really ends there, for your romantic boyfriend would tug you by your waist and pull you in for a cheesy kiss on the lips as well. 😳

☆ 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗦- heeseung is a total romantic. A hopeless romantic, who believes in buying flowers, leaving love notes and making grand gestures like kissing under the stars as significant. Thus, your doorbell ringing in random hours of the day, to opening them to a big giggling hee with a bouquet of flowers covering his rose is the very normal thing in your daily life. T-T <3 and every damn time, there’s a small handwritten note attached somewhere in the bouquet, and hints of chocolates accompanying the flowers on your rough days to cheer you up and make you smile.

☆ 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗬𝗢𝗨- hee is a total baby inside closed doors. He needs a lot of love and care, and smiles like a child when you bask him in your affection. Feeding him, cooking ramen for him, kissing his forehead, ruffling his fluffy hair and complimenting him a lot gets him mewling and curling into your lap like a happy little kitten. 🥺

☆ 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧- isn’t this giving signature heeseung vibes? Cause this is how most of your nights are spent. Lots of laughter and midnight snacks, cuddling and messy kisses and at the end him bowing down whilst holding back his laughter like a gentleman and placing his hand out towards you to take it for a dance. He’s gonna rest his one hand softly at your waist and intertwine your fingers with the other, pulling you closer to him until his scent is infused inside your lungs like burning coal. Then, you both sway your bodies to the soft rhythm and lose yourself in eachother’s eyes while heartwarming and promising smiles creep up to your faces. Ofcourse, there might be some moments where your goofy boyfriend steps on your feet (accidentally) and ruins the moment by laughing out loud. <3

☆ 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦- his love language is sending you playlists. He’s got assorted playlists for every kind of mood- for rainy days, for happy days, for sad days where you need to be loved harder, for car rides, for dinner dates and what not? Will send you Spotify links all day and be so ecstatic if you comment on his song choice and send him songs and lyrics in turn! 😍 sing along with him, and you’re his girl for LIFE!!

☆ 𝗚𝗟𝗨𝗘-𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗧-he has his hands glued to your waist all the time. Especially because it is so comforting to rest his chin on your shoulder and wrap himself to you tightly. Expect him to always steal kisses from you, and kiss your cheeks and neck so fondly whenever he’s doing so. Too often, the innocent kissing, turns to something far more steamy, his wet soft lips sending shivers down your spine as they linger on your skin much longer than needed.

☆ 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦- your cheeks are his favourite cushions to kiss. He loves to press his lips into your soft skin, and even just mushes them and fondles them out of care and laughs at you when it makes you unintentionally pout and you frown at his giggle. Cheek kisses are his go to form of kisses, signature kisses that he’s always giving you before going out or right after coming home. However, when you’re the one giving him a kiss on his cheek, he’s as bright as a tomato, blushing and being dorky like a teenager experiencing love for the first time.

☆ 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗬 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦- heeseung’s a messy kisser. Kissing you so deeply and passionately while pressing you to whatever surface is behind, one second having his fingers in your hair and the other, his hands running up and down your hips. He makes you tiptoe to reach him and the next second, he’s lifted you up with your legs draped around his waist, carrying you to the bed. When his kisses are steamy, you can feel his hands hover over your chest, cupping them and his tongue darting inside your mouth, venturing for his sweet dominance that leaves you breathless and gasping for air.

☆ 𝗣𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗦- being heeseung’s girl means getting the vip princess treatment. Hence, expect him to give you piggy back rides on his back, and being extra goofy at times, running around and pretending to drop you. But the cutest part is ofc how he carries you on his back especially after your night dates, as you ruffle his hair from fondness and he mumbles your favourite songs all the way back home. :’)

☆ 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗙𝗬- to make you laugh, he’d do anything always. From wearing weird head bands and sunglasses to doing silly little dances and expressions that make no sense, he’s always doing it all just for the sweet melody of your laughter that reverberates throughout his entire body and makes him feel so Damn complete.

☆ 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗜𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗟𝗔𝗣- it’s almost an involuntary action, the way he pulls your wrists and situates you on his lap, draping his arms around your stomach, and making you face him so he can land a soft kiss on your chin. Whether it’s intimate or soft, you know he is always pulling you on his lap, stroking your hips with his hands and exploring your mouth- so wet and deep with his artsy mouth.💋🫦

☆ 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗥- man’s always so proud of you and so soft for you, ngl. He loves stroking your hand in easing, loving motions and patting your head to show his affection for you and silently deliver the message how proud he is of you. Gently caressing the top of your head with his palms and delicate fingers, occasionally even leaving a doting kiss on your forehead from time to time.

☆ 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧- he’s your #1 simp. The kind of simp who cheers you on so loudly, but immediately gets shy afterwards lol. But still a simp right? He loves to call you his angel, his beautiful girl and looks at you with potential big bambi heart eyes. When you dress up for him, he sides your hair and plants a kiss on your shoulder, fondly gazing at your reflection in the mirror and calling you the most beautiful woman alive before giving you the most heart warming smile ever.

☆ 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗬𝗦- hee loves enhypen and thinks of them as his own family 🥺 so if you blend with them and think of them as your family too, you are easily the trump card holder to his heart! >.< there’s nothing purer to him than watching y’all bunched up in the living room, telling jokes and playing games, eating together and behaving like the best of friends! They love you and care for you so much, and so do you in return. {You get Bonus points: if you’re already an engene ;) <3}

☆ 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚- do I even need to elaborate?? Hee’s obsessed with g a m i n g. And if you’re someone who’s good at it or knows about it, he’s gonna literally see you with a different light and might even poke your back trying to find out your hidden wings cause to him, you’re the “angel of his dreams” lmao. Even if you can’t play games, he’s gonna make you sit in between his legs so cozily on his gaming chair, and blabber all about the different levels and how to play. He’s so cute when he’s invested in it that you can’t help but give in anyway.

☆ 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥- heeseung loves cupping your face and pressing your foreheads together, closing your eyes, bonking your noses with eachother’s, mumbling soft I love yous against your lips, stroking them in feather light motions with his. He often does this with you while cuddling the most, that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

☆ 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗘𝗬𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦- eye contacts are his prime love language!! 100% gives you the most affectionate and loving doey eyes ever. Even when he’s sitting across the room for you or glancing at you from a distance, he’s holding eye contact with you and pouting his lips to blow a kiss. (And he soon laughs afterwards bc he’s just so weird in love😭) lee heeseung has a doting habit of losing himself in your beautiful, starry eyes with no idea of getting his way back. He’s just so so in love with you.

☆ 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗡- the feel of your soft, supple skin feels like heaven close to his lips. 💋😳 hence, he’s always looking for a chance to sneak his hands inside your clothes, touching your bare waist and playing with the hem of your under garments. He loves massaging your skin too, your exposed shoulders with ofcourse not his hands, but his feathery soft plush lips.

☆ 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗬 - tummy pats = happy babie hee!!>.< I swear he just goes into baby mode everytime he’s stroking your cute little tummy!! Your tummy is his c u s h i o n, he’s always mushing his face and nose with your stomach, making you tickle tickle and even falling asleep like that. He loves to roll his head on your stomach too, the way you laugh and twitch when his hair tickles your sensitive skin haha. All in all, he’s just the cutest baby ever for you!!!!! <33

☆ 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗦 & 𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦- his back hugs are intimate. Intimate in both a pure and hot way. The way he comes and drapes himself around your body from the back, pressing his heart beat towards your back and places his chin on your shoulder like fitting two pieces of a same puzzle together and finally having a beautiful, complete picture. He begins trailing butterfly kisses on your shoulder, bit by bit the feathery motions becoming deep with wet and hasty kisses plunging into your shoulders to your collarbones upto your neck. He loves sucking hickeys on your sensitive flesh and withdraws momentarily to trace the area with his nose, making you whimper and whine for more of his needy kisses.

☆ 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥- making out in the shower, with the feel of the hot water on your skin and the feel of your hot, wet tongues intertwined with eachother as your hasty breaths collide and make the shower panel bleary. There’s nothing sexier than that to the both of you, the sound of your muffled moans cancelling out by the sound of the shower tap, his fingers and hands running over your silky, naked body. His mouth never only leaves your mouth fed, but makes sure to explore in every other sweet areas of your skin, making you tremble and lose your footing from how good he makes you feel. Like he gives you a fulfilling taste like you’re floating in heaven at the same time the taste of temptation that burns you as intensely as hellfire.

☆ 𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗨𝗣 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦- pls don’t even get me started on this one.. If you get texts like “are you wifi? Cause I’m totally feeling a connection” or “you know what’s on the menu? Me-N-U” randomly throughout the day, no you don’t have to take your boyfriend to a therapist, it’s just the way he is. T-T he’s low-key so proud and thinks of himself as funny, making proud smug faces and expecting you to reply. Even tho the lines are so bad, his expectant face is so cute that you type out a reply, cringing out and wheezing at the same time.

☆ 𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦- hee is a passionate vocalist and we all know how energetic he gets when he’s doing karaoke!! He’s gonna insist to take you for karaoke after your lunch dates, and tho it initially starts off as sweet serenading, soon enough, he will begin singing off pitch and loudly, embarrassing himself and being his questionable self, all to make you laugh and wheeze like he so adores seeing.

☆ 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗘𝗦- this is a must!!! Matching nike shoes oh pls! He’s gonna love to put your small feet in between his ones, gently tapping your shoes and teasing yours for being so tiny! But he finds it so cozy and will love to plan outfits together with the same shoes, and even take the Pinterest type couple shoe pictures!!🥺

☆ 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗦- midnight is his favourite date time. The world is so quiet, the night is so cozy and the city lights are so aesthetic and appealing. He loves making you wear his oversized jackets, and holds your hands, tucking your intertwined hands in his pocket and just walking in the empty streets while exchanging glances of blissful silence and heartfelt love. <3 y’all would take many blurry couple pictures (bc that’s his style) and kiss on the riverside, confessing I love yous and giggling together when you hear their echoes back.

☆ 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗦- he loves taking aesthetic pictures with you! The couple pictures we all envy and swoon over, making hearts together, hugging pictures without faces, forehead kiss pictures, piggy back pictures and what not! You are going to have a whole personalised album of your loving moments stored on his phone, and he’s gonna set some as his lockscreen and home screen as well! Proudly shows them off to his members too, but gets all chuckly and blushy when they tease their hyung for being so evidently lovesick. 🤭😳

☆ 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗜𝗡 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦- to heeseung, you look the most beautiful when you’re in his oversized shirts, hair up in a messy bun, bare face and just rolling on the bed or working in the kitchen. He’s gonna purposely request you all the time to keep wearing his clothes and you do so gladly, loving the feel of the soft material on your skin and scent on him lingering all over your body when you wear them, making you feel like home.

☆ 𝗖𝗨𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛- couch> bed for hee! Cause basically everytime you’re lying on the living room couch to watch tv or work on your assignments, clingy hee always shows up from nowhere and dashes to squeeze you! He lies on top of you, squishing you with his weight and just behaving like a big 21 year old koala. He thinks cuddling is the best therapy in the world and really, hee cuddles makes you forget all your stress and gives you comfort and joy, like a fresh dose of pure serotonin!

☆ 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦- once he starts kissing, he just can’t stop kissing you. You taste so sugary to him, the feeling of your soft lips and the warmth from your rushed breaths- the combination that makes his head dizzy and needy like a mad man starving for ages. He kisses you like he’s a dying man and you’re his last source of oxygen, pulling you towards him till your bodies are pressed together and the heat from your body slips inside his and makes him feel hot inside. He can kiss you for hours and hours with no end, usually continuing throughout the whole night that only cease at the creak of dawn, when he falls asleep with his lips still brushed against yours. Move an inch, and there he is whining in his sleep at the loss of contact while being still fast asleep.

☆ 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗙𝗧𝗟𝗬- another very lee heeseung type love language! He just loves how soft and pretty your face is, and he HAS to scan every nook and cranny of your face tenderly with his artsy fingers. Tapping his fingers over your eyelids, over your cheeks and nose, Cupid bow, lips and jaw. Gets so fascinated by you as if he’s seeing a human being for the first time, and looks at you with starry eyes that glisten with endless awe. (Yeah yeah, proceeds to attack you with kisses soon after) ❤️❤️

✼••┈┈┈┈••✼♡✼••┈┈┈┈••✼♥︎✼••┈┈┈┈••✼

🄰/🄽: this fic is very special, dedicated for our lovely @hee-pster ♡ jan, I hope this little fic brings you comfort, joy and makes you feel warm and loved. I love you so much.

Tagging: @csmicbot (sorry I made you wait so long for this) @cloudcutter @yjjungwon @ingkai

𝕻𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 & 𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖉𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖘 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖊𝖓𝖏𝖔𝖞! :) <3

[reddamselette]

A lie, it had been.

Everything that had brought them to that moment—to pause and still the world around them as their ears rang and their hearts pounded, blood rushing to their heads as their bodies wanted so desperately to collapse and buckle—a lie.

They would never return home together. And Leo, always the hero and never the saved, he accepted his fate. It was his plan all along. He was never going to return home. Leo said his goodbyes and made his peace with no one waiting for him at home. Jason had Thalia and Nico and he needed to survive.

Leo cupped Jason’s cheeks delicately in injured, bandaged hands and pulled him in for a kiss. He tasted blood and salt from his own tears as Jason deepened the kiss.

But Leo was specialized in distractions—too smart for his own good to ever let things go. Once they parted, Jason was trapped and Leo offered an apologetic smile. He leaned in, bringing his lips to Jason’s ear and whispered softly as he choked back on tears. Then, for the last time, he walked away.

Jason’s voice was hoarse, his vocal chords ripped to shreds as he shouted and cried, screamed and sobbed watching as the love of his life was submerged beneath the crackling fire belonging to a pool of lava.

I didn’t know what it felt like to be alive until I met you. In every universe, I’ll die so you can live, Mi Cíelo.

[taylorhawkins]

14 Essential-Listening Taylor Hawkins Tunes

… that aren’t “Cold Day in the Sun”!

1. Pitiful (Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders)

One of his most emotionally raw tracks. I love the strange chords he used on the acoustic guitar to convey the somber depiction of guilt and shame associated with drug addiction described in the lyrics. This is a really painful song to listen to, but it’s beautiful.

2. The Path We’re On (Nighttime Boogie Association)

Matt Cameron and Taylor share vocal duties on this tune (Taylor sings the verses, Matt sings the choruses). Their voices together are pure heaven! Also features Melvins’ Buzz Osbourne snd Steven McDonald on guitar & bass. This group unfortunately only put out 2 songs during the pandemic, but they’re a magical 2.

3. I Could Be Somebody Else (NHC)

Psychedelic in every aspect of that word, this one is best experienced cranked with headphones. Trippy as hell. Dave Navarro was right when he said Taylor is a mind-blowing lyricist and singer. Another emotionally raw tune, when he said one of NHC’s songs makes him feel naked, I think he was referring to this one.

4. Running In Place (Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders)

This song takes you on a journey. It eases you in, then crescendos into classic prog-influenced chaos before it turns to a stream of pretty guitar work and layered vocals as it drops you back off. Taylor said this one was something he wrote talking to himself, trying to bring himself back down to earth and not go crazy. “The Teacher” by Foo Fighters almost certainly took inspiration from this song - the breakdown is nearly identical, and the “…say goodbye” outro is very similar.

5. Too Much for My Own Good (Phil X & the Drills)

This song by Phil X features Taylor on the drums. This is such a fun rock & roll tune that will definitely be stuck in your head for days but you won’t be mad about it. Every person I’ve ever played this to has loved it!! PS- you’ve definitely heard Phil X before, his discography as a studio musician is wild.

6. You Drive Me Insane (Taylor Hawkins & the Coattails Riders)

I love the trippy riff and the vocals in this song, it’s a California rock & roll vibe and it’s one of my top favorites of his. One of his sexier tunes he said was written about Mrs. Alison Hawkins.

7. Southern Belles

No group credited as he played every instrument and sang this one! (I think the bass is either Chris Chaney or Nate Mendel, but I couldn’t find out for sure). This is a heavy-hitting, super catchy one about his southern family roots. Really under-appreciated track from the same EP that gave us “Range Rover Bitch”.

8. Never Enough (Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders)

Taylor’s vocal range doesn’t get talked about enough… The cathartic way he belts his heart out at the end of this song gets me every single time. His voice was so beautiful. Another of that emotionally raw side of his music.

9. It’s Ok Now (Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders)

Another earworm, this one’s rhythm is bound to make you move. His voice is pure rock and roll. I think you can really hear how much his songwriting impacted the Foo Fighters’ music on this album, even though many people think Dave told everyone what to play…when you really listen, that doesn’t seem to be the case. This song feels like summer sunshine to me.

10. Guess I’ll Go Away (Edgar Winter)

Taylor on vocals for “Brother Johnny”, a tribute to Johnny Winter album, this was one of the last things he did musically. He SLAYED that shit. He sounds so good. Rock and fucking roll.

11. Louise (Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders)

I have no idea how he played that drumbeat and sang this song at the same time. Mind boggling. This song is so unique and so catchy, I don’t get why it wasn’t a hit. The rhythm section is my favorite part of the whole thing, Taylor and Chris Chaney locked in together SO well. It’s no wonder they played together from the Alanis days all the way up to him putting the ‘C’ in NHC.

12. Fearless (NHC)

This is a Pink Floyd cover…But it’s an amazing one! It’s groovy and trippy and they’re so locked in together, they were made to play music with each other. NHC unfortunately has a very small discography, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have selected a cover…but maybe I would’ve anyway, this one is just so good!

13. You’re No Good at Life No More (Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders)

Taylor and Dave Grohl split the vocals on this one and it’s such a wild ride. You can really hear his Queen influence throughout this album… so much so that he manifested Roger Taylor’s appearance on the last track! D&T’s voices together are magic as you hear on “Rope” by Foo Fighters and their cover of “Come Together”, I always wish they sang together more often.

14. Perfect Day

Only a minute long, this beautiful song is just Taylor and his guitar. A sweet reminder he wrote for Mrs. Hawkins that his love is always with her no matter where he goes. I’m sure she treasures this one. There’s so much love in it.

[wuahae]

✶ seventeen, after it all ends.

post-breakup hcs, ft. vocal team (special track: dust)

-> hip hop | performance

the spring air rests cool on jeonghan’s skin. reserved for late nights when the weather suits him perfectly, he likes to think walking helps clear his mind, but it seems even a small thing like this has become harder to fit into his busy schedule as of late. tonight, though, he indulges himself a little, falling into a ritual he practically knows by heart. the last time he'd done this, he had done it with you, a few weeks before you had—ah. (after the breakup, jeonghan had tried to cut off the frayed ends of the thread. deleting old photos he had saved of you, throwing away the small things in his wallet that you had given him.) he likes to think that he's moved past it by now, letting go of a past he can never come back to. and yet, jeonghan finds himself led to the corner of the street you would stop him at, the lamplight you would always kiss him under. (he doesn't think he could forget any of it. your twinkle in your eye every time you pulled him in for the kiss, as if it could never get old. the light still flickers twice every three minutes, only you're no longer there to count the seconds with him.) jeonghan briefly wonders if he should break the habit while he still can, change to a different route that isn't so entrenched in memories. but for now, he walks past the lamplight without pause; you may still linger in the flickering, but he'll be just fine counting the seconds by himself.

joshua runs into your mom on a drizzly tuesday afternoon in the leafy greens section of the veggie aisle. he matches her warmth with an easily, falling back into exchanging cheerful pleasantries, and for a moment, it's like nothing has changed. your mom still tells him he gets more handsome every time she sees him, and she absorbs his polite compliments shamelessly with a hint of socially acceptable bashfulness. ("how are they?" he asks, eventually. the question isn't solely out of obligation either; you'd both ended things on good terms, even if the only texts exchanged lately were happy birthdays and holiday wishes.) you're doing well, from what your mom tells him. a new job in a new city, a nice apartment to go along with it, and—("it seems serious, they might be getting married soon!") his following congratulations are genuine, but for a moment, joshua imagines what it would have been like if you'd never broken up. would you have still moved to a new city and gotten that new job? (now that he thinks about it, he would have proposed by now, right?) tomorrow, joshua will go back to his normal life, passing through the what-ifs like a light mist. but today, when the grocery store feels more like a bubble waiting to be popped and the distance between him and you resembles the past more than the present, he allows the ache of an old wound on a rainy day.

jihoon deletes his fiftieth unfinished draft in his song files, crumples yet another scribbled sheet of paper and throws it onto the floor. none of the chords sound right, his lyrics all come stilted and awkward and fuck, he can’t think of anything except for the things he wants to forget the most. (everything jihoon tries to put on paper ends up permeated by you. the way you had gently reminded him to take care of himself, the way there was still so much love in your eyes even as you said goodbye. you, you, youyouyou—) and for all his insistence that he just doesn’t have time for this, some part of jihoon knows that he can’t keep doing this forever. that inevitably, everything he’s been pushing down and stifling will come back up twice as volatile, flames catching onto stray threads of cloth the more he tries to smother it; it’s a disaster waiting to implode on itself, but it’s a choice he wants to make for himself. (now that he thinks about it, his stubborness was always the thing you hated most about him.) a fire will still burn even if you cast your eyes away, but jihoon chooses to bury the flames under work and projects and anything else, even if it will eventually swallow him whole from the inside out.

seokmin’s world still spins tilted off its axis. he brings it upon himself, really, each memory he refuses to let go crashing into him like ocean waves, the tide dragging him under. and just when he pulls himself up to the surface and blinks the salt out of his eyes, another wave crashes into him again, doomed to repeat itself. (the shore is within close distance. seokmin could walk back, if he wanted to—break the cycle of crash-drown-breathe-repeat. but his feet sink in the sand, the weight of his body heavy in the water. crash, drown, breathe.) it’s stupid, he knows, to be holding onto something that can’t be held onto anymore, but seokmin doesn’t know what else to do. you were his first; at least, the first that really mattered. (he doesn’t want to say it, but a part of him is still holding out hope. that his phone will ring and you’re calling to ask him to pick you up and to bring your favorite hoodie of his because you’re cold and it will return to how it once was. stupid.) everything is still the same. your hairties laying precariously on the bathroom counter, his shampoo bottles organized the same way you’d insisted on rearranging long ago, the potted plants you’d brought home one day sitting by the windowsill to soak up sunlight. his home is still yours as much as it is his—the only difference is that you aren’t there anymore.

it finally hits seungkwan a week after, on a sunny saturday morning. he starts his day as normal—washes his face, brushes his teeth, goes into his kitchen to make his breakfast. his leaky faucet drips, a single drop falling every few seconds; it's been leaky for a long time, he's aware, since even before the breakup. and admittedly, the breakup itself is a blur—all he remembers is the feeling, really. the defensiveness that swelled up and burst from inside his chest, the way he had said some things he’d meant and other things he didn’t. (seungkwan will be the first to admit to himself that it was petty, the way he had egged you both onto the path of no return. the ending comes neat and clean, seungkwan makes sure of it.) another drop plops to the bottom of the sink, and he suddenly remembers the note you had stuck on the refrigerator door weeks ago, make sure to call the plumber! scrawled onto it. the weakening adhesive is already starting to peel off, softly, slowly, and seungkwan swallows hard. there’s only one toothbrush in the bathroom now, the hook next to where he hangs his keys stays empty. seungkwan looks down to cups on the table, the americano he had habitually made for two. gently, he peels the note off the fridge, what little stickiness is left on it. (drip, drip, drop.) seungkwan dials the number, finally, when there’s nothing left but the ripples of what once was. it’s best to still the water himself, rather than wait for the end; it’s best to let go.

[brittscafe]

Love in the Dark Chapter 1

Kisuke Urahara x reader, mini fanfic series.

Chapter 1: Turn Back the Pendulum

110 years ago...

Panted breaths leave your lips and the rain pelts down onto your soul reaper uniform. You push your legs to sprint as fast as you can, heart ramming against your chest.

You shove the door open and rush inside, feet sliding across the ground as you leave water behind. You grab onto the siding of the door and swing yourself inside the room.

You stop in your tracks and your jaw drops open.

Kisuke Urahara, fast asleep on your shared bed. His messy blonde hair is hanging over his face and his arms are reached over on your side of the bed.

A frown tugs on your face and you quietly walk over to him. You drop down onto your knees and hunch over. You carefully run your fingers through his soft hair and push it behind his ear.

You dip your head down and press a soft, loving kiss to his lips.

You were glad Kisuke was a really deep sleeper.

"I am so sorry," you speak, your voice trembling. The fresh tears fill up to the brim of your eyes and you squeeze your eyes shut. You quickly wipe the tears away and clear your throat.

You flutter your eyes open and glance away from Kisuke. You push yourself up onto your weak feet and rush out of the room.

You leap through the rain and up onto a rooftop. His back faces you and you glare at him. Your nostrils flare up as the slowly turns around, a sly smile across his face and his large glasses frame his face.

Sosuke Aizen.

"Did you say your goodbyes?" he asks with a snarky voice.

"Open the portal," you demand, ignoring his previous question. He lets out a tiny chuckle and marches over towards you. He grabs onto your jaw and roughly digs his fingers into your fragile skin.

He forces you to turn your head towards him and your stomach twists into uneasy knots.

"Oh, I'm gonna the open the portal, but I've changed the rules," Aizen explains and your eyes widen.

"What? I did everything you asked! I'll take the blame for the hollow experiments and then I'll disappear and nothing happens to Kisuke," you repeat the plan.

"Wrong. You're going to leave the soul society no matter what, but Kisuke will be the one to blame for the experiments."

Your eyes widen and your stomach twists into uneasy knots.

"Either way...you win, don't you?" you speak through gritted teeth with a tone full of anger and hate.

"Yes, I do and there's nothing you can do to stop it," Aizen releases his tight grip on your jaw and steps back. Your eyes dart around and the thunder booms loudly.

You glance up into the sky and the rain pelts down onto your face. You gaze down at the sword tucked into your belt and you can feel the energy pulsing through your veins.

I'm what you need.

"No!" you shout out, your vocal chords straining in your throat. Your hand shoots over to the handle of your sword and pull it out, swinging it at Aizen.

"You won't win this fight. Raise your white flag," Aizen demands, cocking his head. 

"I'd rather die," you hiss out, raising your sword up to your face. A shaky breath leaves your throat

Aizen raises his sword and leaps towards you. You easily block his attack and shove him off. His feet slide across the roof of the building and you huffs quietly.

You use your flash step and appear right by Aizen's side, slashing through his uniform and into his skin.

The fresh blood drips onto the ground and the rain quickly washes it away. Your soaking wet hair sticks to your neck and face as you pant heavily.

Your eyes widen in realization and your lips slightly part open. All you have to do is say Kisuke's name and I'll come to you. You slightly lower your sword and Aizen's eyes widen.

"Kis-" you start to shout out, but Kaname shoves his sword through your back, leaving you breathless. The tears instantly fill up your eyes and you can taste the bitter blood forming in the back of your throat.

A sudden gasp leaves your lips and pain rattles your entire body. Your eyes dart down to the sword sticking out from your stomach and your breath shudders.

"Kaname?" you call out, glancing back at the man. Your whole body rattles in horror. A raspy screams escapes your lips as Kaname rips his sword out from your body and you collapse on your knees.

Your sword clatters on the ground beside you and you pant heavily, your breaths ragged and rapid.

The senkaimon starts to open up behind you and fresh tears run down your cheeks.

"Why?" you choke out, glancing up at Aizen.

"It's all a part of my plan," Aizen's words send a chill down your spine and you gulp.

Whatever plan Aizen had, it's gonna condemn everyone straight to hell.

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 812: Willie Nelson Stardust

My father-in-law passed away on February 23rd after a long battle with Parkinson’s and various other ailments. Over the last six years, my husband and I made frequent trips down to central Oregon to check in on my in-laws and help out around the house. During some visits, it seemed possible that his dad would be around for another decade or more. And on other visits, we wondered if he would be around more than a few months. Things took a rough turn around Thanksgiving of last year and his health declined considerably. My husband spent most of January in Oregon while I’ve spent 2024 fulfilling tour obligations with three different bands and making trips down to visit them during any available downtime.

My father-in-law was a great guy. He grew up in the Bay Area and was around for all the excitement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. He was buddies with Pigpen from the Grateful Dead and attempted to go to the Altamont Free Concert but was stuck in the traffic jam when news traveled down the road about all the chaos and violence incited by the Hells Angels. He loved ZZ Top and Creedence Clearwater Revival and Tina Turner. But more than anything, he loved Willie Nelson.

Stardust, in particular, got a lot of spins around their house when I’d come to visit. In some ways, it’s odd that this was their Willie album of choice. After all, the ten songs on Stardust are all covers of old pop standards. Columbia Records was even hesitant to release it considering that Willie was riding strong on his outlaw country reputation at the time. But the album became a huge hit—a quintuple platinum album and a favorite among both fans and critics.

I won’t lie, I prefer Willie’s own songs, but the slow, sparse, and relaxed vibe of Stardust grew on me. I also appreciated how he chose songs with less conventional melodies (“Blue Skies,” “All of Me,” etc) and how his minimalist slow-hand style seemed perfectly suited to those compositions. The stretches of empty space, the chord changes that feel a little counterintuitive at first but then settle nicely into the larger song, the playful but rough-hewn quality to the vocals—it all has a hazy, late night, intoxicating vibe. I don’t even remember when I picked up my personal copy but it’s been a part of my collection for at least two decades.

Over the years, I heard less and less music at my in-law’s house. Television became the more constant companion, perhaps because the sound of people talking filled the conversational void stemming from the reclusive nature of my father-in-law’s disease. But when they began doing hospice at home back in January, they switched back to music. In his last days, we kept the stereo on throughout the day, switching between various CDs from their collection. I was occasionally tasked with picking out music, and I grappled with finding something that was familiar and comforting without running the risk of forever being tainted by the circumstances. Stardust was a family favorite but I never put it on for fear that it would render it off-limits once his father passed.

The hospice nurse called us on a Tuesday in February to say my father-in-law was near the end. He wasn’t eating or drinking and his breathing was labored. My husband and I drove all night hoping to make it to central Oregon in time to say goodbye. He was nearly unresponsive by that point, though he would squeeze your hand if you talked to him. Despite his condition, he managed to to hang in there for another week-and-a-half. In that time, I had to return to Seattle for rehearsals, then had to fly out to the East Coast for a weekend of shows, then flew back to Oregon, then had to fly back to Seattle to check in on a friend that was mentally struggling after being involved in a motor vehicle fatality involving an inebriated man that had been running across a busy highway.

The call came in the afternoon. My father-in-law passed peacefully. My husband and his mother had been listening to Stardust at the time, and he took his last breath during “September Song.”

The struggle was over. It had been a long decline and by the end it was hard to recognize the warm, witty, and vibrant man I first met nearly 26 years ago in the withered and incapacitated person we’d been tending to for the last few months. I was grateful to know my father-in-law for so many years, to have a stockpile of memories of him before things got so difficult. And in the weeks since he’s passed I’ve listened to Stardust a few times. The wistful nature of the album has an added element of sadness, but the memories of listening to it in happy moments outweigh its more recent association. If anything, “September Song” feels like an even more bittersweet reminder to savor the moment and hold your loved one’s close, because seasons change and all things must pass.

Oh, it's a long long while

From May to December

But the days grow short

When you reach September

When the autumn weather

Turns leaves to flame

One hasn't got time

For the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down

To a precious few

September, November

And these few precious days

I'll spend with you

These precious days

I'll spend with you

[polteergeistt]

come get your art mister, its goat boy fluff time.

MY VOCAL CHORDS ARE ITCHING I NEED TO FUCKING SCREAM ABOUT SO MANY THINGS THERE IS SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS SO STRAP UP. I'M GONNA WRITE IN SMALL TEXT FOR THE REST OF THIS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE TOO LOUD AND HURT BRAINS BUT CONSIDER ME YELLING IN INSANITY AND CUTENESS OVERLOAD AND GAY PANIC

OKAY SO FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS GOLD. THIS IS CUTE AS FUCK. I NEED THIS ACTUALLY. I WANT MY OWN PERSONAL REAL LIFE IVY MAN SO BAD I'M GOING INSANE. YES SIR PLEASE LET ME REST ON YOUR WARM CHEST WHILE YOU PLAY WITH MY HAIR PLEASE AND THANK YOU. HOW MANY SACRIFICES WOULD YOU LIKE IN EXCHANGE.

SECOND IS YOUR FUCKING SCRUMPTIOUS ART STYLE AND THE WAY YOU DREW US. YOUR ARTSTYLE IS SO FINE IT'S UNIQUE AND INSANE AND I LOVE IT VERY MUCH. I'M ALSO A BIG FAN OF THE BLUE AND RED. FUCK YEAH NINTENDO SWITCH CORE YA LOVE TO SEE IT. I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THIS FUCKER'S SMILE BECAUSE IT IS ADORABLE BEYOND WORDS. ALSO I'M KISSING AND BITING HIS NOSE SO HARD ARE YOU KIDDING ME.

SMILE LINES AND EYE CREASES ?????? IN THIS ECONOMY ???????? OH MY FUCKING GOAT THANK YOU SO MUCH DUCK YOU ARE THE BEST I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I WANT TO SQUISH YOU

I LOVE HIS EARS AND HIS HAIR AND HIS ANTLERS. HE IS SUCH A COOL GUY. I WANT TO HUG HIM TIGHT. I WANT TO FALL ASLEEP IN HIS ARMS SO BAD I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO EXPLODE. DUCKIE LAD WE ARE MAKING SLOPPY WITH TONGUE AND YOU IN MY LAP. IT'S THE LAW. I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE GOOD BOY PATS AND KISSES JUST GIVE ME ONE CHANCE. OKAY I'M OFF YEARNING AND WRITHING IN BED GOODBYE EVERYONE I LOVE YOU

[stardustedknuckles]

Just had a very unsettling train of thought that started out innocently enough: what if the Hells could find someone to speak with dead just to let FCG's spirit know they love him? To say goodbye?

And then I remembered how Matt does the weird quiet, whispery strained voice for dead people because their vocal chords are usually heavily damaged, etc. The way he does the final exhale once the questions are over. And like. FCG was a robot. The damage doesn't really affect that. And though speaking with the dead means speaking to a fraction of that person, a shadow, I just had the very chilling mental image of FCG's head replying in a near-perfect chipper way. It's like they never left, except their eyes won't light up and it's just a tad slower, maybe glitching now and then.

Creepy. But also heartbreaking.

[dustedmagazine]

Horse Jumper of Love — Disaster Trick (Run for Cover)

Photo by Pond Creative

Horse Jumper of Love’s second album blows out introspective songs into wailing crescendos. Guitars bristle, flare and dissolve into fuzz, while quiet, contemplative lyrics unfold in the hurricane’s unblinking eye. “Wink,” the first single, spools out in chilled post-rocking chords, drums kicking up dust in the long sustained intervals. The singer, Dmitri Giannopoulos, sings in a shrugging, self-effacing tenor, navigating twisty melodies with an unhurried, unbothered nonchalance. The song is a battering ram and a weighted blanket, equal parts brute force and solace.

The music has undergone a shift since Heartbreak Rules, from 2023, an album I liked a lot. That record was a mostly solo endeavor, just Giannopoulos singing songs he’d knocked out during COVID quarantine and John Margaris coming in late to play a few piano parts. This one is much more of a band effort. Margaris plays bass throughout, and James Doran drums. There are guest appearances from of-the-moment indie rockers including Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman, MJ Lenderman and Ella Williams of Squirrel Flower. Though still morose and inward-looking, the songs bloom into sprawling, distorted, nocturnal flower. They are larger but very personal.

“Snow Angel,” for instance, establishes a slow acoustic strum, then blows it to bits with fuzz. The sound coils and uncoils, storming ahead with inexorable anthemic vigor, then turning inward on itself in wounded dissonance. “Curtain” strips back the Horse Jumper experience to flared electric chords and vocals. The song digs into the bleakest existential questions—the self, its relation with others, mortality — in clean, echoing isolation. Giannopoulos croons, “Do you think yours is the only point of view? Do you that think others haven’t done it, too? Did you follow that nasty rule? You wave that goodbye and they close the black curtain on you.”

The sound is mesmerizing, pitched somewhere between Polvo’s guitar-wrenching abstractions and David Grubbs’ surreal sung poetry and Bedhead but with more explosions. Ovlov comes to mind, too, in the tactile onslaught of distorted guitar sound. Yet the words are good, too, if hard to catch, as they bob up to the surface of guitar skree, then sink under again. “Lip Reader” has one of the disc’s most arresting images, in a verse that goes, “You were singing your song in the doorway/I could see you in the other room/like a lip reader from the other side/you’re from another side.”  The line between the living and the dead, the real and the imagined, is wavery and blurred.

At times, Giannopoulos recalls other, far more acoustically centered artists. The spare, stark “Word,” for instance, sounds a good bit like whispery, gothic Boduf songs. The trick he’s mastered, however, is hitching vulnerability to blaring, swelling, overwhelming guitar sounds. It’s not often that music this loud and distorted can break your heart.

Jennifer Kelly