#i create something so dazzling and gorgeous and i ride that high for like a solid week

[mariusroyale]

BEHOLD THE PRETTIEST THING IVE EVER DRAWN

and i am so glad its of my favs they deserve it 😤😤

what’s Donnie showing him?? idk i made the sketch on a plane

also look!! i gave raph markings bc GODDAMMIT HE DESERVES GLOWIES TOO,, i also made his hands darker bc that design stuck with me and its solid :> (and, obligatory tail additions bc they look so cute with them aaaa)

these designs were heavily inspired by itsjazzyjazzin and i jus went with it bc i rlly, rlly like putting snoots on them 🥳

[nctsworld]

two nights, one you

✩‌ jaemin ‌x‌ ‌reader‌ ‌|‌ fuckboy!jaemin | strangers (who f*ck) to (brief) enemies to lovers | ‌10.9k 

SUMMARY‌ ‌⇾‌ a last-minute one night stand gone awry is extended into two nights when you’re snowed in at the cute (but rude) stranger’s apartment on christmas eve. [loosely based on the movie, two night stand] // part of the x-mas in ncity collection  GENRES ⇾ crack | smut | fluff  WARNINGS‌ ‌⇾‌ ‌lots of bickering and dialogue, smut, oral s*x (f and m receiving), fingering, mentions of alcohol/drinking, swearing, bit of angst before the end, jaemin’s an asshole... or is he? RATING‌ ‌⇾‌ explicit TAGLIST ⇾‌ @infnteen​ 

AUTHOR’S NOTE ⇾ it’s late (and long fsldkm), srysry but here it is! i hope the humour comes out in this and look away if falls flat zzz fingers crossed that i can finish the last two installments for this collection asap! 

⇾ gif created by me, please don’t repost or share without credit!

Maybe it’s because it’s the evening of Christmas Eve Eve and you’re feeling more lonely than usual.

Maybe it’s due to the two glasses of wine you guzzled down in the span of fifteen minutes that get you buzzed.

Maybe it’s your prominent six-month dry spell and you’re in desperate need for some much needed rain in your drought.    

Or maybe it’s just pure impulsiveness.

Regardless of the reasons, you’re aiming to get laid tonight.  

It’s 9:45pm as you make the rounds on Tinder. You’ve used it in the past, searching for a relationship in vain, but haven’t used it much since you broke up with your last partner. Bringing the app alive again, you’re already bombarded by distasteful messages, off-putting one-liners and jokes, and swiping left more than you’d like.

You haven’t had a one-night stand before, but isn’t there anyone on here that is just a little bit attractive, nearby where you are, around your age, and is somewhat chivalrous about the topic besides saying DTF? Maybe you need to lower your standards if you want to get dicked down tonight.

But then, you land on him.

One Na Jaemin, 20 years old, and only four miles away from you.

Scrolling through his profile pictures and Instagram feed, you assume that he’s into photography, is on the athletic side from the various hobbies he partakes in, and he must be at least half-aware of his beauty because there’s the occasional pic that shows off his lean, toned arms, which, if you can be frank, is more flattering than the shirtless ones you constantly see. Oh, and he attends the same university as you.

The cherry on top? His bio is simple and upfront:

“Not up for anything serious, but always down for a good time ;)”

You swipe right without hesitation.

“It’s a Match!” flashes instantly at you. Your mouth swings open in disbelief.  

Usually, you’d wait for your matches to message you and play hard-to-get, but not tonight. Tonight, you’re initiating and leading all the conversations, completely driven by your thirst.  

Messaging Jaemin is a breeze. He types with more than half a brain, and he flirts, but it isn’t overwhelming or repulsive. Segueing the current topic, you drag your bottom lip upward as you send the following message:  

so, hypothetically... if one were to have good time with you would tonight work?

Not even twenty seconds later and he replies with:

-wow, dont you go straight to the point -im impressed -but yeah -tonight works ;)

He’s quick to send his address.

-let me know when ur here and ill come get you out front!

Smacking your lips together, you squeal to yourself in the comfort of your home, excited to meet with him, but then a thought hangs over you—this feels a little too good to be true. Horrible scenarios run through your head, so your fingers dash across your phone’s keyboard:

tbh i haven’t really done this b4 so im kinda new to this is it ok if we video call or smth? gotta make sure you’re real and not a serial killer i’m sure you understand 😛

-for sure for sure -totally get it -ive had my fair share of fake girls and serial killers so i feel u 😛

Grateful for his consideration, you rush to rearrange your hair after you send him a Zoom link, hoping you look decent enough to not have him back off from his initial offer. He appears in the video call on his phone with the front-facing camera on a few seconds after you connect.

“Hi,” you chirp.

A corner of his mouth lifts. “Hey.”  

Okay, he’s definitely cuter in real-time than in his pictures.  

“You know, I’m not gonna lie, but I lowkey expected to see a dick or something,” you joke in an attempt to dispel your nervousness.  

“Same,” he chuckles, running a hand through his black hair.

Oh God, he’s not just cute—he’s devastatingly gorgeous.

“So, this is my place...”

Jaemin moves around with his apartment in the background, revealing his living room first. Envy prods you as you note the brick walls, high ceiling windows, and well-appointed furnishings.

Recalling his address, you ask, “How’d you get a place in the heart of the city?”

“Lucked out,” he shrugs. His phone shakes a bit as he’s still moving. “My friend slash roommate—who is at his girlfriend’s place tonight, so we have the place all to ourselves—his parents own the condo and they gave me a friend discount on the rent.”

He finally stands in one place and turns the light on to reveal a room. “And this is my bedroom.”

Nothing out of the ordinary. A desk table with a gaming set-up, in tow with a gamer chair, and a decently-sized bed beside a nightstand.

“Oh, and here’s my closet.” Jaemin’s on the move again as he opens his closet doors. “Just to make sure you don’t think I hide the skins of my past one-nighters in here.”

A bubbly laugh rises from you. “Okay, I didn’t think of that before, but now you’ve planted the seed in my head. Maybe you hide them in the other rooms.”

“Nah, my roommate would kill me if I did.”

Both of you laugh in unison, and you bob your head with puffed cheeks.  

“Okay, it all seems very promising. I’m going to get ready and I’ll guess I’ll see you in a bit, Jaemin.”

“Sounds good,” Jaemin nods, then winks. Although you’re sitting down, he’s still able to get you weak in the knees. “See you soon.”

You end the call and rush to bundle up for the snow starting to come down outside. A twenty-minute train ride later, you’re at the front door of a rustic, industrial apartment complex. After informing Jaemin you’re outside, you glance up at the snowflakes falling from the dark pink-grey sky, anticipating for what comes next.

Sex with a hot guy, what can go wrong?  

So, you must’ve jinxed it because the sex is...  

Unsatisfying. Finished faster than you’d like it to be. Sadly, overall disappointing. If you had to rate it, three out of five stars, at best.

But hey, he came, and you sort of did, and it wasn’t the worst sex you’ve ever had. It half-quenched your dry spell.

And enough happened that it tired you out, leaving you passed out in the handsome stranger’s bed until morning.

In the morning, your eyes slowly flicker, unused to the foreign, sweet scent engulfing you in your bed. Correction: Jaemin’s bed.

Your eyes flicker faster as you glance through the almost wall-sized window. The snow hasn’t let up from last night. On the contrary, it seems like it’s snowing non-stop. You groan at the thought of going home in this weather.

The bed is without Jaemin’s presence as you reach for your phone on the nightstand. 10:36AM and a few notifications greet you. You rub your eyes and start combing through them, rising upward to sit up on the bed.

“Morning. You’re finally up.”

Peering up from your device, Jaemin’s standing by the door with folded arms. His plain sweater and sweatpants match the colour of his hair. The dazzling smile he gives is so contagious, you’re not even conscious of catching one too.  

“Out you go.”

You blink.

Once, twice, and then you tilt your head as you stare blankly at him, uncertain if you heard him correctly.

After a few moments, because you’re not moving an inch, his smile dissipates and he cocks an eyebrow in expectancy. A serious expression rolls over his face.  

Suddenly, Jaemin strolls to the side of the bed and hitches his thumb towards the door.

You definitely heard him right.

And he’s dead-serious.

You replay the video call from last night, dissecting how you thought he was nice and funny and—

Realization dawns on you.

Why would you expect anything more from a two-faced fuck boy?

Still awestruck by the situation, you’re still solid as a statue, so Jaemin takes matters into his own hands and grasps you by your elbow, casually dragging you from his bed like he’s taking out the trash.  

“What the fuck?!” you screech.

“C’mon, let’s go. Out out.”

“My clothes, though!” you protest in the middle of the hallway. He sighs in frustration, scurries to the bedroom, and returns with a small pile in his arms, then continues to drag you to the front door.  

“Are you always this pleasant with your guests the morning after?” you rage, putting on the rest of your clothes by the door. “You don’t even have the decency to offer me tea or coffee?”

“This was a one-night stand, not a bed and breakfast, sunshine,” he says as he watches you put your shoes on. He’s folding his arms again and leaning against the wall, his attitude dripping with smug. If he wasn’t a stranger, you’d punch it off his face. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were new to this, huh?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!”

“It means you’re a borderline virgin who needs to toodle-loo, get going and gone because you’re overstaying your welcome as we speak.”

Finishing putting on your coat, you’re fuming as your jaw hangs at the personal jab over your skills in bed. Jaemin swings the door open and shoves you through it.

“But I’ll admit, it was still nice having sex with you!” he chimes with a sickening grin and a hand on the door.  

“Aw, thanks asshole, wish I could say the same,” you sarcastically reply, resting a palm upon your chest.  

He scoffs. “From what I heard last night, I think I can confidently say that you had a great time.”

Flashbacks replay in your mind of your screaming fest from underneath him. Little did Jaemin actually know—

“You know, for someone who I assume has many one-night stands,” you spit with squinted eyes. “I’m surprised you can’t tell when girls fake it.”

You must’ve hit a sore spot because he grinds his teeth and you could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

Oh yeah, you’re definitely the winner in this fight.

“Okay, you know what, Merry Christmas and fuck you. Have a great life!”

“Fuck you, dickface. Wishing you a miserable Christmas!”

With a bitter smile, you flip him off as he slams the door in your face.

Carrying a basket filled with dirty clothes, Jaemin’s on the way down to the laundry room in the basement of his apartment with his shoulder scrunched up, squeezing his phone to his ear.

“Bro, she had the audacity to say that I didn’t make her come when she was screaming my God damn ear off—”

As he steps down the short flight of stairs and passes by the foyer area by the main entrance to the building, he notices you’re still here.

“Shit, uh, Jeno,” he mumbles. “I’m gonna have to call you back.”

He stuffs his phone into the pocket of his sweats and calls out to you as he strides closer. “Are you resorting to stalking me by my front door now?”

With crossed arms, you peer over your shoulder, eyes full of bitterness.

“Like I wanna be anywhere near you right now,” you grumble. You jerk your head towards the thick, wooden door. “It’s jammed from the snow.”

The laundry carrier shakes his head and places the basket onto the floor. “A little snow never hurt anyone. You’re probably just too weak.”

Stepping aside and holding out an arm, you signal for him to give it a try.

Jaemin twists the handle and, lo and behold, it doesn’t open. His forehead crinkles as he tries again and again, using more force each time.

Glancing through one of the partially frosted windows adjacent to the sides of the door, he notices the snow has piled enormously high, almost to the height of his chest.

“Well, shit.”  

Reluctantly, Jaemin brings you back to his apartment. You’re technically his guest and if he left you in the foyer to freeze, trouble would surely come his way, whether it be in the form of his landlords (also known as his roommate’s parents) or the police.

Without a word, he settles a spoon in a bowl, a carton of milk, and a box of cereal onto the small kitchen table.

At first, you stare at it venomously in rejection, thinking you can easily last a day without any hand-outs from this son of a bitch, but your stomach roars ferociously three seconds later.

As you chew across from him, you enjoy the company of your phone over him, while he does the same but with a cup of coffee in hand.

After finishing your food, you adamantly place your phone down and lean back into the chair, boring holes into his head.

“Why are you such an asshole?” you seethe observantly.

“Why are you such a bitch?” he retorts, not pulling his gaze away from his phone.

“Because you started it,” you say slowly, stating the obvious.

“No, you.”

You sigh defeatedly at his childish behaviour. The weather apps predict the snow will (hopefully) die down by tomorrow morning, thus you’re officially stuck with him for the next twenty-four hours or so. Your hands rake through your hair.

“Whether we like it or not, the snow isn’t going away until tomorrow. Merry Christmas Eve to us, I guess.”

He’s still glued to his phone. You exhale another sigh.

“Since we’re not getting out of this until then, can we just...” You soften your voice. “Start over?”

His eyes are still on the screen, but from the way his shoulders tense and how he stops scrolling, you know he’s considering your proposition.

“At least call a stalemate over this.” You drift your hand in the air, gesturing between you and him.

Blowing out air and shaking his head, he rests his phone onto the table.

“Fine.”

He crosses his arms, imitating you, and the two of you sit there, staring at each other in a long silence.  

One minute, to be exact.

You’re the one to break the silence game by running your hands over your face, letting out a hybrid of a groan and laugh.

“God, the fact that we had sex makes this kinda awkward, huh?”

Jaemin’s exterior melts slightly, letting out a snicker. He shrugs, “Then let’s just pretend that we didn’t have sex.”

“We can’t just pretend that we didn’t have sex,” you say, holding two upturned palms near your face.

“We did it, it’s done. I’ve seen your penis, you kicked me out, and you labelled me a prude—” You dart a finger towards him. “—which I am far from, by the way. All of those are pretty huge things.”

One of the corners of his mouth raises high. “Are you saying my penis is huge?”

“No, the implication of said penis is huge. Wipe that smirk off your face.”

He stretches an arm, holding an imaginary microphone to your face. “Do you deny that my penis is huge?”

Rolling your eyes, you swat his fist away. “What am I, on trial here?”

“Do you plead the fifth then?”

Annoyed, you roll your eyes again. Why do you get the feeling that you’re probably going to be doing this a lot more today? Another feeling tells you that if you don’t answer his question, he’ll probably pester you until you do.

You tilt your head side to side. “It’s... decently sized.”

“Bigger or smaller than average?”

“Perfect...” His eyes light up. “...ly average.” And a frown rolls over.

He squints his eyes accusingly at your sneer. “Are you lying like you did before about faking it?”

You scoff. “I wasn’t lying about faking it, and I’m not lying now about your average sized dick.”

Jaemin releases a disgruntled grumble and lifts his cup to his face. You notice he likes to take his coffee black and bitter, presumably like his heart.

“So, Miss I’m-Not-A-Prude-and-I’ve-Definitely-Had-Sex-Before.” His eyebrows perk up on the word definitely. “What’s your story? Why the last minute one-night stand?”

Shrugging your shoulders to your ears, you reply, “Haven’t had sex in a while.”

“When’s the last time you had sex?” he asks mid-sip.

“Half a year ago,” you respond nonchalantly, perching your chin into your palms.

Jaemin immediately chokes, almost spraying the coffee through his nose.

“Half a year?!” he gasps. It takes him a few hits to his chest to dispel the coughing. “Six months?!”

“Wow, you can count!” you exclaim in a condescending tone. You change the position of your hands so that your chin is now atop of the back of your curled fingers and tilt your head. “Can you also spell?”

“As a premed student, I can assure you that I am capable of doing both,” he says with a slight strain due to the coughing fit. The humble brag brings on another eye roll. Of course he’s a premed student with the attitude he wears.

“It’s just—” He clears his throat and swallows the last bit of coffee stuck in his windpipe. “—The last time I had a dry spell was for like, a month, tops.”

So the fuckboy gets laid way more on the daily than you expect. You’re torn between being envious over how much action he gets in comparison to you, or remorseful, since you’re now just one of the many notches on his bedpost.

No matter, sarcasm is always the best defence mechanism.

“Good for you, Jaemin. I’m sure you’re very proud of that.”

There’s an awkward beat. His head hangs for a moment while his thumbs stroke the sides of his cup. A strange pinch of guilt occurs. Did you overstep an unspoken line? But then he drags himself back to reality in a heartbeat.

Jaemin brings the cup to his mouth again, mumbling, “At least the sex on your part makes more sense now; you’re rusty as fuck.”

Completely aware of what he said, you trash your guilt entirely and narrow your eyes. “What did you just say?”

Following a long sip, he hums, “Mmm, nothing.” Soon after, he stands up with his cup.

“I’m gonna go game now. Feel free to watch Netflix on the TV and stay in the living room.”

As if you had anywhere else to go...  

He begins to walk towards his room as you mutter under your breath, “I’m not a dog.”

“Says the bitch,” he pipes up, taking you by surprise.  

“Thought we had a stalemate?!” you shout, leaning your head forward as you watch him entering his room.  

“Doesn’t mean we’re on peaceful terms!” he sing-shouts.

The flinging of the closed door echoes throughout the apartment.

Regret surges through you. You just had to choose a fuckboy fluent in assholery and end up incidentally being isolated with him during a snow storm on Christmas Eve.

You wonder if you can handle being around him for the next twenty-four hours without killing him first.

During the afternoon, you’re on the living room couch, playing a show as mostly background noise while you’re on your phone. At one point, your phone unsurprisingly begins to die and you tread over to Jaemin’s door to ask for a charger and if you can also take a shower. He’s still annoyed by your existence, but at least he hands you a charger and lets you know where the extra towels are.

Stepping into the living room with the towel in your hand as you dry your hair off, you peer out the large living room window and see nothing but white engulfing the streets and buildings as far as the eye can see.

You pray the snow will eventually stop as soon as possible so you can head back home.

By the middle of the afternoon, Jaemin emerges from his bedroom and shocks you by plopping down on the opposite end of the living room couch from where you’re sitting.

“Bored?” you ask, eyes fixated on the TV screen.

“Nope,” he replies, popping the p as he says it. His slings his arm around the top of the couch.

“Gotta keep an eye on you in case you do something.” Turning away from the screen, he faces you and motions circles with his hand. “You’ve got a little crazy in you, I can feel it.”

You quickly glance over at him, but try to refocus on the TV. “Need I remind you that you’re the crazy one, dragging me out of the apartment right as I woke up.”

That compels him to turn his whole body towards you. “Well, you’re the one who wanted a last-minute one-night stand.”

You match his stance. “As if I’m the first girl in your bed to stay in the morning?”

“Actually, yeah.” He aggressively tilts his head to one side. “Most girls leave before I even get up. The other percentage don’t fight me when I ask for them to go, so it looks like you’re the odd one out.”  

You press your lips together, refusing to admit that maybe he has a point, under the assumption that he’s telling the truth.

Jaemin twists his body back to the screen and adds, “I make it very clear on my profile that I don’t do morning afters, sweetheart.”

And you agree that his profile is clear about his intentions, but that doesn’t mean you can condone his shitty behaviour.

“Well, sorry that I expected just an ounce of respect instead of getting kicked to the curb after you stuck your dick in me,” you grumble, shifting back to the show and crossing your arms.

“Morning afters lead to attachments, and attachments lead to feelings, and feelings lead to relationships,” he says the string of words clinically, as if it’s a mantra that he lives by.

Your eyebrows knit together as you whip your head towards him once more, studying him.

“And what’s so wrong with that?”

Deliberately averting your gaze, Jaemin grates his tongue between his teeth, a slight tsk audibly heard, and his chin juts out. There’s definitely a story behind his ways. He huffs and changes the subject.  

“Seriously?” He holds a hand out. “You’re watching this trashy show?”

Squinting your eyes at him, you could probably interrogate him further, but you decide otherwise.  

“It may be trashy,” you concur, looking at the TV. “But it’s my trashy comfort show.”

Following an over-the-top acted out scene between the show’s main love interests, Jaemin shoots up from the couch.

“Yeah, no, I can’t handle this. Can we either put on something else or game or something?”

“Why don’t you go back to your room to game, Mr. I’m-Not-Bored?”

“Like I said, I gotta keep an eye on you,” he says while bending over in front of the TV, already setting up the Playstation. He tosses you a controller as he strides to his side of the couch again.

He mumbles to himself, “Need to make sure you don’t go crazy from the lack of human interaction.”

Either Jaemin is selfish and only looking out for himself, or he wants to make sure you’re not feeling lonely in a stranger’s home.

Likely the first reason, you deduce—because why would a guy like Jaemin care about a mere one-night stand?

Admittedly, you’re not the best at games, especially at fighting ones. You can comprehend the move lists, but you like to live by button smashing the controller and repeating moves over and over.  

So it’s hilarious when you beat Jaemin every round with your surprisingly fruitful technique.

“Okay, this is bullshit,” Jaemin complains, sticking his tongue out in irritation. His ass is currently being handed to him on a plate again since you’re almost done killing his character off. “You must be lying to me; you have to be a pro player or some shit.”

Jaemin’s health bar is dangerously low as your character jabs his with a sword. He winces out loud and you snicker.

“Why do you think I always lie about everything?! Dude, you have serious trust issues,” you joke before you steal the opportunity to slice his character. One more hit and he’s done for.

“I do not! I just—nooo!”

You rise to your feet and pump your arms in the air, turning in circles in joy over yet another win.

Sulking, Jaemin eyes your little dance from his end on the couch, but as he watches you more, a feeling balloons in his chest. Something he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Finally coming down from your post-win high, you spot an emerging grin from the corner of your eye, making you pause.    

“What?” you eye him suspiciously.

Your suspicion pops the sensation in his chest and, like a fish out of water, his eyes widen and his grin melts away.

“Nothing, uhm.” He ruffles his eyebrows and palms the back of his neck, quickly facing the TV. “Let’s go one more round and then we can switch to another game—”

Suddenly, the TV and surrounding lights switch off. Both of you waver your eyes, anticipating for them to come back on, but they unfortunately don’t.  

Jaemin rushes over to the window. When he swivels his head towards you, his face darkens.

“Looks like it’s at least the whole block. The streetlights are out too.”

Without another word, he dashes to the linen closet and brings back several blankets. He calmly explains that there won’t be heat since it’s connected to the electricity, so it’d be best to keep warm with the extra layers.

Not wanting to scare you, he doesn’t add the fact that due to the huge windows in the apartment, more unnecessary cold air will come in, but you’re already cognizant of it from your own logic and since the remaining heat dissolves rapidly.

You groan and retreat into the massive blanket over your shoulders, turtling your head.

You can’t believe you’re going to fucking die in this asshole’s apartment on Christmas Eve.

On the ends of the couch in your makeshift blanket jackets, both of you attend to your phones for a while.

From what people and the news outlets are saying, it’s not just the block, but the whole city grid is out. You frantically text your friends, giving updates on how you are and half-jokingly telling them that you’re going to die with your dreadful one-night stand. Some time passes and Jaemin tosses his phone  off to one side.  

“Well, since there’s nothing else to do and we should probably conserve our phone batteries—” You glance up at him from your phone and pout. Slowly nodding in agreement, you toss it aside too. “—why don’t we play a game of ‘I’ll-Give-You-Pointers-on-How-to-be-Better-in-Bed’?”

A smile burgeons on his irritatingly handsome face and your eyes roll. At this point, you wonder if the reaction is conditioned into you. “It’ll be my early Christmas gift to you.”

“Wow, so thoughtful, how could I ever thank you?” You drag the blanket closer to your chest in false gratitude.

You think for a serious moment if you really want to go through with this. Hearing Jaemin run his mouth on you unwarranted is already painful, but to give him the go-ahead to do so? Especially criticizing your skills in bed?  

You blow out a sigh, noting the slightly visible cloud. You’re grateful Jaemin has thick, downy blankets.  

Well, if you’re going to die, may as well know what went wrong, right?

“Fine, but if we’re playing this game, we have to say everything honestly and take the criticism we get.” You point a stern finger. “No rebuttals, just acceptance.”

“Wait.” Jaemin crinkles his face in genuine confusion as his hand peeks out from his blanket.

“You have things to criticize about me in bed?”

Your lips tremble before you burst into laughter. Displeasure is on Jaemin’s tight-lipped face as you laugh for a while, almost keeling over in your blanket ball onto the hardwood floor. “How conceited are you, oh, my fucking God?”

He slices his hand through the air. “I’ve never had any complaints—”

“Because you’re too busy focusing on your own orgasm, you selfish dickwad,” you say as your laughter dies down.  

He sits in his snit for a few more moments until he gets over it.

“Fine, fine,” he huffs. Jaemin knows he’s not going to enjoy this, but he’s the one who suggested it. He can’t back out now. “Let’s just get this over with, you go first.”

With your blanket held by your chest, you hop off your end of the couch and shuffle over in front of him where he’s seated. Beaming, you begin.

“Let’s start with foreplay.” Jaemin’s eyes light up with confidence, thinking he’s at least decent with that. You crush his expression as your lips purse and you shake your head.

“Non-existent.”

“What do you mean?! I kissed you as you took off your clothes.”

You stick your free hand out from your blanket, extending your index finger.

“One: you only kissed my lips. You know, there are other parts of me to kiss, like, I don’t know, my neck, my arms, my shoulders.”

You extend another finger. “And, two: it’s weird to not help someone take off their clothes. Like you’re in a super rush to get somewhere or something—”

“We’re fucking!” he cuts in sharply. “This is a one-night stand, not a relationship.”

Closing your eyes and dropping your head, you pinch the bridge of your nose. You sigh in exaggeration.

“Thought we agreed no rebuttals...” you softly sing-say.  

Jaemin’s head sinks a little into his blanket. “Sorry.”

Removing your hand, you shrug. “Maybe there’s some rule that I don’t know about one-night stands, so this could be on me.”

You start to aimlessly tread back and forth in front of him, dragging the blanket along too. “But fuck, foreplay is foreplay for a reason. You work your way up to the heat of the moment and it makes sex much better, regardless if you’re in a relationship with the person or not.”

“Next point.” You stop walking and direct your focus on him. Pointing your finger and looking him dead in the eye, you ask, “Do you know what a vagina is?”

He snorts with a simper. “Uhhh, is this a rhetorical question?”

“No, I’m legit asking,” you say with a raised eyebrow and snarky smile. “Because when you went down on me, all you flicked your tongue at was the outside of it, also called the labia if you didn’t know.”

“I’m premed, of course I—”

“Which is great! But you didn’t go any deeper nor did you go near my clit.”

You thrust your finger again. “Do you also know what that is?”

“Yes...” he groans with the flickering eyelids.

You swipe your arm through the air. “Maybe make use of it, and not only when you go down on girls. Even during sex, touching it is great.”

“And lastly,” you continue. “I’ll be honest here, you have a decent dick.”

Jaemin waggles his finger. “So you were lying before—”

“I wasn’t lying,” you retort firmly. “But anyways, you’ve got the stuff, but why don’t you put it to better use?”

With the following words, you attempt to gesture with your body and execute moves as graphic visuals. Jaemin giggles at the sight.

“Vary the speeds and the angle, don’t just slam it in me and go crazy fast from the get-go. Build up to the climax. Jesus, I couldn’t even get close to coming because you’re like a jackhammer from start to finish.”

When you finally finish, Jaemin’s giggles morph into hollow laughs. Frustration is blatant on your face, pondering if he even absorbed a single word you said.  

After he calms down, he asks, “Are you done?”

You mumble, “Yeah, I think so.”

The two of you switch places. He shuffles onto his feet with his blanket while you sit back on the couch.

Jaemin pulls the blanket across the floor as he ambles. “Okay, your head game is decent—”

“Excuse you, my head game is strong.”

“Uh-uh, rebuttal,” he points out.  

You sigh. Pinching your fingers together, you drag the invisible zipper across your mouth, then wave your hand, allowing him to resume.

“Your head game is decent. You definitely can deepthroat, but—” He mirrors you from before and extends his index finger.

“One: this happened only a few times, but your teeth scraped against my dick, which is why I assumed you were a borderline virgin.”

You fume silently at the accusation, attempting to not speak up with a heap of rebuttals. But he wasn’t wrong—if you teethed on his dick, that’s a classic virgin move.

“But that’s okay, because we already established that you’re just rusty.” Jaemin flashes you a fake comforting smile as he continues to pace. You flash him one back.

“And two—” He holds another finger out. “Don’t be scared to use your hands and stroke me. Give my dick some love. If it’s too wet, just wipe your hands on the bed or something.”

“Okay, duly noted,” you hum. “Next.”

“Don’t be scared to touch me.”

“I touched you so much during—”

He shoots you a glare. You roll your mouth inward, your lips disappearing instantly.

“Your hands were mostly on the sheets, which is hot, but guys like to be felt up too.”

The attractive individual peers up for a second, thinking to himself. “Even hotter when a girl feels herself up during the fucking, but that’s beside the point. Baby steps, just remember to touch the other person.”

Jaemin does a full-stop and faces you.

“And just... don’t fake it.” Distress is evident in his pout. You hate to admit it, but it’s a little cute. He raises an arm and jerks it in the air. “Why do girls fake it?”

“Because guys with egos like you can’t handle criticism,” you reply bluntly.  

“What are we doing, having this conversation, hm?”

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it didn’t snow in and keep us here together.” You peel a hand away and gesture to the window. “If I walked out of here this morning, you would’ve just fucked the next girl the same.”

He defends himself, “Faking it just feeds our egos.”

“Yeah, well, if I told you afterwards that I didn’t come, what would you do?”

“Try to make you come in other ways?”

Shaking your head, you scoff. “Guys like you aren’t that considerate.”

“You’re right.” He assents, holding his pointer finger against his chest. “Because guys like me aim to please.”

A brilliant thought leaps in his mind and Jaemin gasps. You can only assume bad things from the wicked smile he sends your way.  

“Why don’t we try it again?”

Perplexed, you squint at him.

“Try what again...?”

“Sex,” he says enthusiastically.

You blankly stare at him.

“You’ve gotta be joking,” you deadpan.

“I mean, there’s nothing else to do and it’ll keep us warm.” 

You continue to stare at him until you groan.

“Oh, my God...” Your blanket droops a bit off your shoulders as you drag your palms across your face. “I cannot believe I’m stuck in this snowstorm with you out of all people...”

Sitting next to you, Jaemin persistently reasons with you. “Think of it also as another learning experience for the future partners we’ll have.”

“Yeah, if we don’t die first!” you shriek.

“We’re not going to die,” Jaemin replies in a mocking tone and a dart of his tongue.  

Outside the window, the snow seems to have slowed down, but not by much.  

God, Jaemin better be fucking right because you want to live to see another day.  

“Fine,” you mutter and match his gaze. “But we have to be vocal throughout the whole thing. Say whatever’s on our mind.”

“Fine,” he agrees to your terms. He produces the same wicked smile again. “But can we film it then? So we can study it after?”

You fire him a death glare that melts his face off, even in the frigid atmosphere.

“I’m joking, I’m joking,” he says, waving his hand.

They say that jokes are half-meant true, but you think Jaemin fully meant it. Still in your blanket jackets, Jaemin snags your free hand and leads you to his room.

“You gotta give me credit for trying, though.”

“No.” You shake your head with an unwilling smile creeping on the edge of your lips. On second thought, maybe the joke was a little funny, but you still stand by your opinion that he’s the most annoying person in the world. “I don’t think I will.”

“Thank God Chenle has so many scented candles...”

On the edge of Jaemin’s bed, huddled by the blanket, you watch him light up several large jars, placing them on his nightstand and desk in hopes to brighten the room. It’s already late afternoon, but one could mistaken it for nighttime with the muddy sky due to the snow.

“Is Chenle your roommate?”

“Yeah,” Jaemin answers with a slight shiver, igniting the last candle near the bedside. He removed his blanket when he went to nab the matches and candles. “His girlfriend gets free ones from work, so she always gives him a shit ton, even though he never uses them.”

With a glowing hue against his face, he blows out the match. He makes his way to you, a cocky grin plastered on him, as he says, “Guess we’re making use of them now, though.”

Before you can even respond, Jaemin gets right down to business—sitting beside you on the mattress, he palms your face and drags you in for a kiss. You softly yelp, but immediately reciprocate.

The cover falls off your body as you reach to touch him, fingers drifting over his solid arms.

You don’t want to stroke his large ego, and maybe it’s because you haven’t had anyone else on you in a while, but Jaemin’s kisses are something else.

The cushiony pair of lips always executes enough pressure against your mouth, increasing and decreasing on command in perfect tandem and timing. His hands hover over your waist and the nape of your neck, fingers sinking into your hot skin.  

His mouth trails downward the side of your neck. You crane your head back, indulging in his caresses as soft moans trickle out.

He gently signals for you to recline back and lay onto the mattress, moving the sea of blankets aside. Inclined on his elbow, almost atop of you, his cool fingers glide under your top layers, his thumb stroking against your stomach.

Pulling away from your body, he tugs on the ends of your clothes. You rise from the bed to better the angle for him to discard of them.

The hairs on your skin are standing on end from the frigid air, but you’re too focused on Jaemin’s mouth migrating over your upper arm and your bra-covered chest to care. Without notice, he stuffs a cup of the bra to one side and takes your bosom into his mouth.

Air’s seized from your lungs and your core contracts from the pleasure. Your fingers tug on Jaemin’s luscious locks and his free hand squeezes your unoccupied breast.    

After a few twirls of his tongue and a gentle drawing of his teeth on the pointed tip, he mumbles hotly into your chest while he thumbs your other nipple, “Foreplay still non-existent?”

“It’s better, I guess,” you sigh with fluttering eyes. His chuckling reverberates against your cleavage, a sign of amusement from your obstinacy. A gasp pierces the room as Jaemin repeats his actions onto the other breast.

He aids you in taking off the rest of your clothes and, obviously aware of your goosebumps and shuddering, tells you to get underneath the blankets while he strips himself.

Under the toasty ocean of layers, despite how both of you are bare-boned and how easy it is to jump into the main act, Jaemin purposefully continues to prolong the foreplay. Side by side, your lips meld endlessly; your legs and hands are intertwined in an amorous pretzel.

Jaemin ensures he doesn’t leave any part of you untouched—the pads of fingers virtually graze over every inch of your body. Each grip and drag of his digits sends you in a frenzy. Your chest is pressed into him and your eyes are blinded with desire.

In the back of your mind, you think about how you were right about foreplay working up to the heat of the moment—literally, because you’re dripping, he’s hard, and you two have embraced so much that you don’t need the blankets anymore.  

On the other hand, you wonder if Jaemin was right about skipping foreplay, because with every whisper of each other’s name, the intimacy rises immensely. You don’t know him, and neither him with you, but you’re both freely drowning in one another in a plane beyond the lust.

Although the room’s beginning to smell of a mix of all the scented candles, Jaemin hones in and drinks in your sweet aroma and your entirety behind his hazy eyes and already tousled hair. All of a sudden, one drag of his fingers over a particular sensitive spot on your body makes you giggle.

“I’m ticklish over there.”

“You mean right—” He drums his fingers over the area again. “—here?”

With a toothy grin, he generates more suffering from you and you begin to lively howl. Soon enough, you beg him to stop.

“You’re such an asshat, c’mon, let me live!”

When he ceases, his head hangs over yours and your gazes connect.

The same feeling blooms in his chest from before in the living room.

He gulps as his eyes waver over your face, unknowingly tracing your beautiful features and etching them into his memory.

Your starry eyes. Your glowing aura. Your everything.

You barely register the change in his expression because he quickly tramples on his moment of weakness by kissing you passionately.

Jaemin whips the blankets aside as he lowers himself between your legs. Your eyes are fixated on him, matching his stare, until he starts to devour you by swiping against your lustrous folds. Your back bows, and, following a few more licks, Jaemin makes a point of his knowledge of the vagina by spreading your lips and ravishing your pussy, tongue penetrating deeply.

Rippled moans release in harmony with your undulating chest. You swear you’re getting more wet, too wet, likely making it overwhelming for Jaemin, but he’s eagerly lapping every drop up.  

“How’s that?” he inquires with a grin, hovering over your trembling nether lips. His mouth is evidently glossy, even under the dim lighting.

“Good,” you pant in the most nonchalant tone you can muster up. “Very good-ahhh—”

Jaemin kindly interrupts you by tonguing your clit as he fingers your sex deeply, shattering your fake indifference.

“Move your tongue up more,” you direct, creasing your eyebrows in despair. He follows your direction, and droning moans ensue.

Jaemin’s immersed in your pleasure, but also adding to his own. The more he laps up your wetness, the more he grinds his length against the bed, aching to be inside of you.

Your desire pulses faster, contracting tighter against his fingers, body winding tensely by the second.

“Fuck, Jaemin,” you whine, leaning your head to one side with a parted mouth. “I’m close.”

He draws back and temporarily replaces his tongue with his thumb.

“Good,” he pants, cocking his head to one side. His eyes are filled with determination. “Because I’m not stopping until you come at least two more times tonight.”

You exhale a light laugh. “That’s ambiti-ohgodohgod—”

His tongue works wonders on your clit once more, so much that he has to brace your bucking hips.

Okay, maybe Jaemin did learn a thing or two and actually listened to what you said during your critique.

But now it’s time to demonstrate to him what you’ve learned.

You don’t need much of a break to catch your breath, nor do you want to immediately freeze due to inactivity, so you pull Jaemin in for an intense kiss, tongue dipping into the remnants of your own nectar, then beckon for him to take your former place on the bed.

Perched on the bottom of your feet, you’re on one side of Jaemin, lackadaisically fisting his prominence. After a few strokes, you gradually swallow his inches, keeping in mind to relax your jaw and to not rush in order to avoid any potential teething. You do this to prove yourself worthy of giving head, but also in spite, because you absolutely do not need Jaemin to brand you a virgin again.  

You read his quiet groans and his long fingers running lazily through your hair as a positive sign and advance further.

Carefully, you rest your tongue beneath the underside of his cock and bob your head, licking him until he’s sopping with your saliva. His grip in your hair grows in strength as his length reaches the end of your throat, his groans becoming more and more drawn-out.

A needy whimper leaves him as you suddenly withdraw. Dribbles of your spit follow, and you wipe it off with the back of your hand.  

“How am I doing?” you glow in a pant, lazily stroking the doused shaft.

He simply nods with half-lidded eyes, barely able to look at you. “Yeah.”

You snicker at him in his breathless position, a prickle of pride running through your spine over the fact that you blew his mind as much as you blew his dick.

“Use your words, Jaemin.”

Teasingly, your fingers curl around his blunt head, soothing the sensitive tip and sending jolts throughout him.

“Fuck—” he pulls his bottom lip upward. “Awesome. You’re doing awesome.”

“Anything to critique?”

“Mm-mm,” he shakes his head restlessly. You revel a bit more in having the upper hand on him a little while longer. You grip him tighter and hasten your speed, leaving him gasping for air.

“Am I still rusty?”

“Nope, nope,” he croaks, voice rising to a whine. “Definitely not rusty.”

“You sure?” His cockiness has transferred over to you.

“Yes, yes—fuck, slow down, please,” Jaemin begs.    

Granting his wish, you abate your rhythm and free his inches from your touch.

You wipe your hands on the sides of the bed while Jaemin rummages through the drawer of his nightstand and hastily rolls over the rubber over himself before he prepares to enter the body beneath his.  

Recalling your advice, Jaemin mindfully starts off slow. You sigh blissfully in sync to his thrusts. He adjust himself, attempting another angle, and you draw in air between your teeth.

“There, there—“

Jaemin’s quick-witted and keeps at it, plunging a bit more vigorously. Out of habit, your hands grasp onto the bedsheets, but you wittingly attach them to his frame. Hands grazing his neck, his firm pecs, and his taut muscles.  

“Touch-touch my stomach,” he orders in a hush.

You hands follow through and feel up the flexed valley of his abs. Feeling up evolves into desperate gripping and even the slight dragging of your nails.

“Your abs are so fucking hot,” you state thoughtlessly, eyes eating up the view alongside his cock disappearing in and out of you. “Jesus, fuck.”

“Yeah?” he rasps with that devilish smirk of his. God, you want to smack it off him, but not right now—not when you’re reaching euphoria. “You’re not just saying that?”

Oh, you’ve definitely stroked his ego now, but there’s no turning back. Truth spills from you on a whim.

“You’re a fucking masterpiece,” you gasp acutely.

You’re starting to wither away, yet, as if they have a life of their own, your hands drift away from him and find a new home atop your breasts.

“You make me feel so good, Jaemin...”

Jaemin’s eyes go wide. His mouth hangs at the lewdness of you touching yourself.

“Fuck, holy shit.”

His gaze doesn’t leave your ecstatic face or humming body for a second as you knead your breasts and tweak your nipples between your fingers. Your back arches further when Jaemin deepens his sweet, fulfilling thrusts. He’s holding himself back, not wanting to end this beautiful deed just yet.

The stimulation bursts over your body, both from your own doing and Jaemin’s.  

You plead, “Faster, please, faster.”

And he complies, but he also rubs your bundle of nerves, causing a tight knot in you to build up and your shallow moans transform into heavy screams. You clasp onto his back and claw at the protruding shoulder blades.  

“I’m-I’m—”

You clench, both with your core and your nails digging into him, but Jaemin’s unrelenting, capturing your second peak for the evening.

Instead of coming after you, he shockingly veers lower and closer to you and curbs his pace.

“Was that real?”

You respond with an exhausted nod. Oddly, the smile he shows this time isn’t arrogant, but warm and teetering the line of tenderness. His lips fuse with yours before they stray towards your neck. The passion stews as he sucks your tits, all the while lunging laxly into you.  

With an obscene pop!, Jaemin removes himself from your nubs.

“Ready for the last round?”

His fast thrusts, hitting you precisely in the best spot, cloud your already weakened logic, deterring you from making any response.    

Perspiration is blatant on both individuals. For him, his forehead glistens gorgeously with his damp hair. For you, the back of your bent knees are gluing together. Your bodies are about to pass out, but you both persevere until the end.

As you convulse and perish together in beautiful agony, coincidentally enough, the bulbs in the room and in the streets leap to radiance.

Together, you collapse onto the bed side by side, panting heavily and laughing.

“Told you we weren’t going to die.”

You turn your head to see Jaemin looking at you with a cheeky grin. In retaliation, you stick your tongue out.

By nighttime, it’s finally stopped snowing outside. However, the streets won’t be cleared until morning, at the very least.

But... you’re surprisingly okay with that.

In a turn of events, the sex inexplicably makes the two of you warm up to each other. There still is targeted banter and tension between you, lingering from before, but it’s less hostile and more playful.

During a fancy Christmas Eve dinner of microwavable pizzas, you poke fun at each other’s majors and discuss your respective hobbies in depth, especially his love for photography. Jaemin even asks if he can take a picture of you, claiming that the kitchen lighting actually looks nice on someone for once.  

“Is that how you collect the memory of your one-night stands? Instead of hanging their skins in your closet, you sweet-talk your way and keep all the photos of them?” you joke, referring to the video call from yesterday night. It feels like an eternity ago, but snowstorms tend to do that.

He chuckles behind the camera as he snaps a photo of you scrunching your face cutely.

“Yeah, but you’re the first one who has clothes on,” he says, glancing down at the photo on the camera roll.  

“Ugh, gross,” you cringe and take a sip of tea.

Jaemin doesn’t add anything further. He leaves out the fact that he never keeps any traces of his one-night stands, that you’re the first girl he’s taken a picture of in a while.  

After a few hours of more talking and even some gaming with one another, sleep is much needed. Jaemin offers an extra toothbrush and a sweater and pair of sweats to sleep in. You’re facing each other on his bed, noses almost touching.  

“It’s been a while since I haven’t had sex with a girl before I slept next to them,” he whispers, adjusting himself comfortably. The side of his face rests on his piled hands. “It’s kinda nice.”

You cover your mouth as you yawn, then lay your hand back under your head, reflecting the same position as Jaemin.

“You know, it might be my sleepiness talking, but maybe you’re not the worst person in the world to be stuck with during a snowstorm.”

A lovely chuckle echoes in your ear. “I’m glad you’ve had a change of heart.”

After a few moments, your eyes are fluttering to a close until he softly calls out your name.

“Hm?” you stir awake, but not by much.

“Do you...?”

Jaemin doesn’t know what’s gotten to him, doesn’t quite understand why the defences he built for so long are crumbling down in only a day of knowing you.  

And yet, something urges him to give it a chance.

Blowing out a shaky sigh, he anxiously intertwines his fingers with yours. You hum softly at the action and a small smile blooms on your face.

“Do you want to go on a date with me sometime?”

“Hm?” His question doesn’t take you aback as much as you would be if you were fully awake. But even in your drowsy state, you have quips in hand. “Jaemin, the notorious fuckboy and serial one-night stander, wants to go on a date?”

“Yeah,” he replies gently, brushing your loose hair out of your face.

Another yawn. “I thought you said you don’t want feelings and relationships and all that shit.”

His fingers trace your pretty jawline and shrugs. “One date doesn’t mean we’re going to be in a relationship, I’m sure you know that.”

You pause for a good two seconds, but the two seconds feel like forever for Jaemin.

“Mmm, fine. One date, just one.” You barely hold up your pointer finger. “And only because it’s Christmas tomorrow. ‘Tis the season to be giving...”

Relief washes over Jaemin in the form of a smile. Embracing the blatant feeling in his chest this time, he plants a light kiss on your nose and wishes you sweet dreams, even though you’ve already fallen soundly asleep.  

Sunlight pours over your eyes on Christmas morning.

Déjà vu peculiarly creeps up on you, but the only thing that’s the same as yesterday is waking up in Jaemin’s bed.

He’s next to you this time, deep in his peaceful slumber, instead of waiting for you to leave by his doorframe. The snow has finally stopped, and you think you hear the faint noises of snow plows outside. You inhale deeply and also notice the faded aroma from all the scented candles from last night.

The scenes of yesterday flicker across your mind. The incredible sex. The talking. The dinner. The interlocking of his fingers with yours.

The date he asked you out on.

You stare at him, watching him sleep with a sense of content.

Turning your body, you routinely check your phone, which is charging beside his. You have a slew of Merry Christmas texts from several chats and a few private messages from your friends.

Your attention falls on Jaemin’s phone when it lights up with a notification, likely texts from his friends and family too.

But that’s not what you’re focusing on.

Your heart sinks at the sight of his lockscreen.

It’s a picture of him and a girl kissing.

A twinge emerges in your chest and twists harder and harder.

Jaemin being a fuckboy, you can respect. People can do whatever they want with their lives.

But to cheat?

That’s unforgivable, and a true sin if there ever was one.

You scramble to dash out of there, careful not to make any noises in fear of waking Jaemin up. However, Jaemin’s sensitive to the sounds of the front door, so he rouses awake. His eyes flit open, noticing how you’re gone. He then sees his phone blowing up and adds two and two together.

With his phone in hand, Jaemin rushes to get on a coat and stuffs his feet into his boots, not giving a shit that he’s wearing his thin pajamas in the coldness. He’s bounding down the flight of stairs and onto the bright, white wonderland of the streets.

He swivels his head and catches sight of you almost past down the block, slowly trekking through the thick snow. Jaemin sprints, as much as he can, and hops towards you.  

He yells your name, making others on the street turn, but you don’t. You continue forward without looking back.

“Wait! I can explain!”

You’re trying to gain speed, but cardio isn’t your friend. Thankfully for Jaemin, it’s a close friend for him.

“I don’t wanna fucking hear it, Jaemin,” you grunt, hearing the rapid crunching of his shoes coming closer. “Get lost.”

“No, listen to me for a second.”

The boyish man grasps you by the arm and turns you around. You throw his arm away from you and he holds his hands in the air, letting you know that he respects your space. He drops his hands and sees that you’re seething, even worse than you were when he kicked you out yesterday.

“How are you going to explain your lockscreen with you kissing your fucking girlfriend?! Hm?”

“Ex,” he pants in clarification. “Ex-girlfriend.”

Your eyebrows mesh together in utter confusion.

“Okay? That doesn’t make me feel any better, knowing that you’re still hung up on your ex.”

Jaemin shakes his head and rakes a hand through his hair. You note the large clouds he exhales and how he’s barely wearing any clothes. A tinge of sympathy passes through you, wanting to give him some of your clothes for extra layers, but you smother that quickly in your state of rage.  

“I’m not hung up on her. Remember you asked me yesterday why I don’t want girls to stay the next morning?”

You cock your head impatiently, as if saying, “Yeah.”

“Well, I don’t want to attach myself to girls. I can’t. I...”

He lowers his head to one side. Shutting his eyes, a long puff emits from his mouth.

“She cheated on me.”

The snow plows in the distance can’t compare to the pumping of your heart in your ears. All the feelings you felt in the last day, but especially in the last fifteen minutes, jumble together in your head, making you feel uneasy and unsure of what to exactly feel or comprehend of the situation.  

But you do know one thing, despite the fact that you two barely know each other, the pained look on his face is real—that this is the untold story behind his ways.  

Jaemin lifts his head and holds out his phone for emphasis. “The lockscreen serves as a constant reminder that dating and feelings will and can fuck me up.”

Carefully, he steps a little closer to you and slowly cups your face in his shaking hands. You don’t pull away nor is there the same anger from moments before, so he daintily runs his thumbs over your cheeks.

“Until you showed me yesterday that maybe I’m willing to give it all another shot. Risk it all for fuck knows what, but you make it look like it’s worth it.”

He continues his ramble after adjusting some of your hair from the ongoing breeze.

“Sure, it’s Christmas today, but I don’t want you to say yes to going on a date with me just because it is. I want you to say yes because maybe you like spending time with me just as much as I like to spend it with you.”

You’re completely disoriented—your eyes are shifting everywhere but his eyes and your lips are quivering with no words coming out. He sighs understandingly. 

“Look, I know you’re probably having second thoughts and you don’t have to give me an answer right now. Think on it for as much time as you need, but I want you to know that I genuinely like you and I want to go on an actual date with you.”

He peels his hand away from your face and raises it into the air as if taking an oath.

“I, Na Jaemin, the notorious fuckboy and serial one-night stander, will devote to monogamy once again if it means I can date you.”

His hands grab yours, kisses the back of them, and then he presses one kiss onto your icy cheek prior to walking away.

“Merry Christmas,” he says with a sad smile. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

Later that evening at your large family’s Christmas party, you take another dreadful gulp of your wine.

It’s the happy holiday season, but why does everyone feel the need to stick their nose in your dating life? Well, really, a lack there of.

“Why are you still single?” Layers of their voices resound the same question in your head. You take another swig.

Potential unsaid answers that you kept to yourself fly around as you swish the drink in your glass.  

Because you choose to be.

Okay, not really, but it’s the easiest answer.  

Because you haven’t found the right guy to get you back in the game.

What does that even mean? What makes the right guy even right?

The right guy? It’s someone who makes you laugh, someone who gives as good as they can take it, someone who wants you just as much as you do.

The cogs move in your head as you take one more sip before you finally come to the conclusion—  

Because you didn’t find the right guy until last night.

Despite the mess of today and yesterday morning, you realize that Jaemin is... actually sort of sweet. Annoying, yes, but he keeps you on your toes. It’s a plus that he’s easy on the eyes, but it’s a bigger plus that he’s even easier to talk to.

And if he can find it in his scorched heart to trust you, you can find it in your heart to trust him too.  

You quickly say your good-byes to your family and let them know you have other plans with friends tonight.

As the Uber rolls up to his apartment building, you realize you probably should’ve messaged him on Tinder, but it’s worth a shot to see if he’s home. Anyways, impulsiveness is a controlling entity, as evident from your Christmas Eve Eve’s adventure.

And in retrospect, perhaps Jaemin was the perfect pick of the crop after all.  

Someone’s entering the building and lets you in behind them. You take the stairs two at a time and hear booming music coming from his floor. At first, you assume it’s from other apartments, but it’s all coming from one—his.

Without a thought, your knuckle taps the door.  

A handsome figure that’s definitely not Jaemin opens the door. Behind him, you see a group of young men scattered around the living room, and some have a few girls tucked under their arms.

The man eyes you up and down with a spark in his eye. He’s not Jaemin, but he surely reminds you of him.

“And who might you be?” he asks.

“Who’s at the door, Jeno?” An unknown male voice hollers in a high pitch from the couch. He’s one of the guys with a girl attached to him.

You blink. “Uhm, I’m—”

“She’s with me!” Jaemin shoves the flirty stranger aside and tugs you by your wrist, making headway to his bedroom. He flips the light switch on and the door clicks shut.

“What are you doing h—”

You cut him off with a kiss.

An innocent one, at first, with hints of alcohol on each other’s lips. Your arms wrap around the other and the passion increases with the mingling of your tongues, each party tasting and confirming the specific drinks you both consumed tonight.  

Jaemin forces himself to pull away and presses his forehead against yours. “Did you just come all the way here to kiss me, or...?”

“Maybe I came over to ask... if I can stay with you for another night?” you playfully ask, fingers intertwining behind the nape of his neck.  

He chuckles heartily. His fingers sink into the sides of your waist. “Is my dick that great? The sex with me that amazing?”

“Mmm, that’s definitely a benefit,” you agree, fluttering your nose against his. “But I want more than that—“ You poke a finger to his chest. “—I want the man behind the dick.”

Your gazes converge, bringing you together as one.

“I want to go on that date with you. I want you, Jaemin.”

He flashes a megawatt smile that could compete with a million Christmas lights, but it fades suddenly and you’re unsure why he seems like he’s about to bawl his eyes out.

“That’s so beautiful, I might cry.” He brings a finger to his eye, pretending to shed a tear.

Oh, yeah—you’re definitely going to need to hire someone to constantly shove your eyeballs back into your sockets if you’re going to date Jaemin.

“Oh, shut up,” you whisper, yanking him in for another kiss.

Three dates later, including a memorable New Year’s Eve, you finally decide to rid of the Tinder app for good.

With his arm around you on his living room couch, Jaemin glances over your shoulder.

“Really? You’re finally deleting your Tinder?”

You snort in disbelief. “That’s gold, coming from the King of Tinder himself. When did you delete?”

He turns to face the television and shrugs coolly.

“Maybe I didn’t.”

“Wouldn’t put it past you,” you nod, eyes still on your phone.

“Nah, I’m kidding, I did.”    

You sharply turn your head.

“No way. When?” you press with narrow eyes.  

A shy smile emerges on Jaemin’s face as he picks his pants over his thighs.

“On the night of Christmas Eve, after you agreed to go on a date with me.”

[duker42]

Hello! I’ve been loving your “Complete” series! I know this kinda changes the story so you’re more than welcome to say no, but I was wondering if you could write an installment where y/n and Levi beat the odds and get pregnant? And Marc gets a little upset because he thinks they’ll love the baby more but his parents show him that’ll never happen, and remind him he’s going to be a big brother?

I’m glad that you have been enjoying it!

💜Together💜

It was a true miracle. Y/N stared at the doctor in absolute shock and slight panic. There wasn’t a reason why he should be telling her this. They had been told last year that it would never happen. 

Her first thoughts are of Levi. If he would be suspicious of her, secretly wondering if the child that now apparently rested in her womb was actually his. Or would he stay awake in the dark of the night and contemplate the idea that she had been unfaithful to him. 

Her thoughts were running rampant in her mind as she vaguely heard all the information about prenatal vitamins and a proper diet. She knew exactly what to do, she had spent so much time learning about how to have a healthy pregnancy when they had been desperately trying to create one. 

She was glad that the house was empty when she got home. Not ready to face the glowing little nine year old boy they had brought into their hearts and home. Not ready to face the questioning eyes of her husband. Levi always knew when something was wrong, and would pry it out of her quickly. 

Laying down on their bed, the sight of so many days of love making, she prayed as she held his pillow to her chest that this morning it wouldn’t be time she got to feel her husband’s embrace. 

~~~~~

Levi found her that way. Marc had darted outside, ready to hop on his bike and ride the neighborhood streets with his friends. He had smiled at the retreating, yelling figure of his son as the innocence of the happy actions made him thankful for everything life had given him. 

He leaned down and kissed her lips, musing that it was like kissing Sleeping Beauty and the gorgeous princess would love him forever as soon as he broke her spell. Instead of the sleepy smile he had expected, he found a look of panic and flash of fear, something he had never witnessed directed towards him in all their years together. 

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” His own tone was neutral, but inside his system was on high alert. What could possibly have made that look cross his wife’s face?

She bolted upright and began a panicked filled rambling string of sentences. He sat there, trying to follow until one particular phrase caught his attention. 

“…..I’d NEVER cheat on you.”

“Whoa….whoa…Calm down Y/N. I barely caught any of that. Why would I think you cheated on me?” The thought was ridiculous as it was heartbreaking. He knew for a fact that he alone held the romantic aspect of her heart. She wouldn’t even comment on the looks of another man if asked, just smiling at him and claiming he was the best looking thing she had ever seen. An Levi was observant enough to have noticed if her behavior had changed recently.

“Levi…..I’m pregnant.” She looked close to tears, and not the happy ones that Levi had always imagined. 

“Oh….You thought I would believe that you cheated on me?” Levi had quickly figured out what was running through her head. And while rational on her part, he knew that their relationship wasn’t like most. They were solid and happy, loving and completely faithful to one another and their family. 

“Idiot….I love you.” She started to relax at his insult and affirmation of love. “Even being declared sterile, I dug deep enough in the research to find out that there was a 0.010% of conception. Doctors don’t want to provide false hope. There have only been 10 cases in the last 20 years where a child was born from a sterile man. And now apparently, we are number 11.”

She should have know that he would have researched it, his analytical mind needed more answers than what a brief doctor’s explanation could provide. For the first time since being told the result of her “Flu Test” Y/N smiled a dazzling smile at her husband. 

“Levi! We are going to have a baby!!!!!”

~~~~~

Telling Marc hadn’t turned out quite like either of them expected.  Their happy and energetic son had looked horrified and ran off to his room, slamming the door shut. 

Y/N and Levi had quickly followed, and stood at the door at the little boy cried his heart out. Tapping gently, Y/N pushed it open to find Marc on his bed, holding an Iron Man pillow as he sobbed. 

One year earlier, she would have thought that he would be crying from missing his friends in the foster center or from the fear of his dad. She never would have guess the idea of being a brother would upset him so badly. 

“Marc….honey. Why does the idea of a baby upset you so much?” She sat down on one side of the bed, while Levi moved to the other, both of his parents surrounding the upset boy. 

His tear stained eyes looked up as he managed “Everyone always says that when their new Moms and Dads had their own kids, they didn’t love them anymore. Some were even given back!” He buried his head into the pillow again. 

Y/N and Levi exchanged a look, their eyes soft and painfilled at the torturous thoughts their son must be having. Levi gently picked him up and brought the still sobbing child to sit on his lap. 

His voice was deep and smooth “Marc, there is no way that would happen. Remember when your old dad came to try and take you? I would never let that happen. Well, I’m telling you right now, we will never love this new baby more than you, or you more than the baby. Both of you will be our children. There is enough room in our hearts for both of you equally.”

“Besides” Y/N interjected. “We need a strong, loving big brother for the new baby. And there is no one more perfect for that than you.” The little boy perked up at his mom’s words.

“That’s right. If you have a brother, you can help me teach him how to throw a ball, and we can all play fight together.” Levi said, ruffling his hair as he spoke. “And if its a sister, you can help me keep the little boys away from her.” He grinned at Y/N’s frown. 

“But, what is most important Marc, is that this is an adventure for all of us. We are already parents, to a wonderful little boy. But for you, this will be your first time being a big brother. It’s an important job. You think you’re up to the challenge?” Y/N asked, appealing to the boy’s love of conquering new things. 

“Oh yes mom! I’ll be the best big brother I can!” Marc had regained his smile and his tears were gone. “Wait, will I have to share a room?”

Y/N laughed as Levi assured him he wouldn’t have to share his space. They were about to embark on a new adventure, together.

[msminutes]

[𝟑]

They got what they wanted, to get Thor out of the way of the throne, but at what cost?

———

MIDGARD.

When Odin said that Thor was banished to Midgard, memories of over seventy years ago flashed before Arselia's eyes. Her memories on Midgard, that she wished she could bury within the deepest depths of her mind, managed to add onto the heartbreak of losing Thor. She never wanted the blonde-haired god to be banished away and rid of his power, just as she never wanted to say goodbye to her first love. The man that she adored with all her heart. The man that even though he was not a perfect soldier, he was a good man. For a warrior like her, it was expected that she was to fall in love with someone as strong as her. Someone that managed to balance her out when it comes to power and skill set. But he was different. It didn't matter how strong he was, what mattered is what he stood for. The way he fought even if he was too weak to do so and the way he wanted to fight for his country because it was the right thing to do. His morals is what made Arselia fall into the spell of love. So in 1939 when the raven-haired goddess decided to visit Midgard after not being there for a millennia, she ended up falling in love with Steven Grant Rogers.

Arselia excused herself from the golden room of the Bifrost and teleported to her quarters within the palace. She sat herself on her emerald silk covers and contemplated everything that Loki and her had done. She quickly rummages through her beside table and finds a photo of her with two other men. Would Steve be proud of the person she is? How would James feel if he found out what she did to make sure Thor stayed off the throne? James. A brown-haired and blue-eyed flirt. On her time on Midgard, she met James at a small diner when he decided to buy her a meal. That one encounter managed to change Arselia's life in the most extraordinary way.

《♛》《♛》《♛》

OCTOBER 1939 (MIDGARDIAN YEARS)

It was a exciting day when Arselia decided to visit the precious realm of Midgard. The humans there spoke of the Asgardian Gods and Goddesses as if they were a thing of myths, when in reality, they exist. Midgard always intrigued the goddess. The way their planet known as "Earth" came to be was a story that Arselia loved reading about. Recently Arselia had heard the whispers of a war that has broken out amongst the Midgardians, causing the Mischievous goddess to want to visit the realm even more. She decided that on that sunny day she would visit the realm. She prepared herself for her trip and even created outfits that she learned were the latest fashion trends of the realm. She wore a cream colored, button up shirt that had a collar. As for pants she wore high-waisted emerald green trousers, with a wide pant-leg. She decided on black heels to pair with the outfit and curled and styled her hair the way she saw in a book known as a magazine from Midgard.

Not wanting to waste time, she wrote a note addressing where she would be for a couple days and to ask Heimdall to summon her if there is an emergency. The blue and green eyed goddess left the note on her bedside table where the servants would surely see it and deliver it to her friends and family. She teleported to the golden room of the Bifrost and Heimdall waited at his podium with Hofund in hand. "I see you are prepared for your travels to Midgard." Arselia softly smiles and nods her head. "Any location in particular? The realm is fairly large." "Brooklyn. Brooklyn, New York." "As you wish, princess."

Flashes of rainbow fill Arselia's vision as the Bifrost takes her to her desired location. Arselia lands right behind an abandoned building in the city and she makes her way to walk with the crowds. People make their ways past one another to get to work as some interact in conversation. The sounds of what Arselia read to be known as a car fill the streets as she walks along the sidewalks. Examining Midgard, it seems to be better developed then what it was ages ago. More buildings were built, better technology, though not as advanced as Asgard. On this trip to Midgard Arselia has decided to blend in with the crowd, rather than show off her powers and be praised just as the myths have said about her.

As she walks, she reads a big sign that says "Lee's Diner." The goddess read much about the strange Midgardian concoctions and being here, she decided she wanted to try them. She walked into the diner and politely waited to be seated. "Hello and welcome to Lee's diner! Would you like a booth, table, or stool?" The cheery woman asks. "A stool would be grand. Thank you." The woman raises an eyebrow after Arselia speaks. "You're not from around here, aren't you?" "You could say that." The goddess chuckles and is lead to her stool by a large counter top. Behind the counter stood an older man working. Arselia examines the menu excitedly. "Hello, what can I get you today?" The older man kindly asks behind the counter. His white hair shines from the lighting of the room and his glasses show Arselia a small reflection of herself. "I was wondering if I could order the delicacy of a cheeseburger and the drink of a soda." "Of course, coming right up!"

The mischievous goddess patiently waited for her food. As she waited she looked around the small diner in delight. The colorful posters and signs excited her as she read them. Men and women of all ages ate happily with one another as they converse about their day. From what Arselia has gathered it seems to be about midday in Brooklyn, hence the reasoning why it is busy in the diner. Continuing to gaze around, she senses someone sit next to her. "What's a beautiful doll like you sitting here alone?" When she goes to see who she is talking with, her eyes meet piercing blue ones. She studies the man's features that decided to talk to her. Short brown hair, a nice sharp jawline, a dazzling smile that can get any women to become weak in the knees. His eyes though, they not only held confidence, but happiness. In her lifetime Arselia has learned to read a lot of people, but a person's eyes is what truly shows who they are.

"Well I don't always need someone by my side." The man raises an eyebrow just as the waitress she met before did. "Feisty and an accent. What's your name?" The raven-haired goddess knew exactly what he was doing. Flirting with her. She had been flirted with many times, but this time he was different. He seemed to be the type of man that would back off instantly if you said you weren't interested. He would know how to respect a woman and treat her right if he was fully committed to a relationship. Arselia would continue his little game of flirting, but wouldn't let it go anywhere. She wasn't there to be in a relationship, she was there to explore the wonders of Midgard and enjoy her journey. "Arselia." "Gorgeous name, Arselia." The man says as he takes her hand and kiss her knuckles. "Handsome and a gentlemen. What's your name?" The man smirked as his blue eyes shimmered. "James, but most people call me Bucky." "Well then James, it is very lovely to meet you." The waiter brought Arselia her food and her eyes widened by it. James caught this and chuckled. "You're not from around, huh?" The goddess looked at the man again and shook her head. "No. No I am not." "Well then, how about I show you the ins and outs of Brooklyn and you agree to go dancing with me tonight." Arselia thought about the man's offer and didn't see a reason to not agree to it. "Alright then." James flashed his wonderful smile at her called the waiter over. "I'll have what she's having." He said as he handed over a five dollar bill to the waiter. "You needn't do that. I can pay for my own meal." The woman learned of the customs and how to pay on Midgard and found that she could easily summon money via her powers. "It's ok, doll. I wanted to show how much of a gentlemen I can be." The brown-haired man said with a wink. The warrior rolled her eyes and continued eating her tasty meal.

The two conversed for a little while as they ate. She learned that James was twenty-two years old and lived with his mother, father, sisters, and brothers. She even learned that he had a best friend named Steven, or as most people called him Steve. When asked about where she came from or her family, the goddess of lies simply made up lies with that silver tongue of hers. After about an hour in the diner, the pair left and walked across the street to Bucky's car. Being the gentleman that he was, he opened and held the door for her as she got inside. To say Arselia was fascinated in an understatement. She had never seen a vehicle like this before. Sure Asgard has ships to travel to space in and different animals to ride, but this was different. The leather interior of the car felt smooth against her skin.

James got into the drivers seat of the tan colored car, and started it up. The two drove through the city and James explained all the buildings that were there and their purposes. As they drove the radio was set to a low volume and different slow tunes played. The windows of the cars were down and the wind blew through the raven-haired goddess' hair. Arselia's face was one of delight as James gave her information on the lovely city. An assortment of yellows, oranges, and pinks danced in the sky as night approached. "I'll drop you off at your place so that you can freshen up, then I'll pick you back up and we'll head to the bar." Arselia nods her head, then realizes something. She hasn't thought of a place to stay. She quickly comes up with a lie before she can orchestrate a plan on where her and her belongings would stay. "You can drop me off at the diner, I left my car their." James simply nods his head and hums along to a song playing. "Why don't we meet at the diner and walk together to the bar?" "That would be lovely."

James drops the goddess off and she makes her way to the abandoned building that the Bifrost dropped her off behind. Arselia figures that she can easily make a home out of it with some magic and her amazing interior design skills. She renovates the small building into a two story home that includes a kitchen, living room, dance room, dining room, master bedroom, guest bedroom, and a bathroom all with the furnishing inspired by the decade. As she uses magic to create her desired home, she gets ready for her dance date with James. The goddess decides to wear a floor length, elegant green dress. The sleeves are ruffled and towards the neckline of the dress is a little bow. She keeps her hairstyle and shoes the same, but applies a red lipstick. She looks in the mirror of her newly decorated room and adores the way she looks in her dress. Although she wears her classic green armor most days, she does like to wear a dress every once in a while.

Leaving the house she seals it with magic that doesn't allow anyone but her, or people she gives permission to, to enter. The night is young, yet as she walks towards the diner to meet James, their are already drunken men eyeing her in an alleyway. One whistles and decides to be the boldest one out of the group. "Where are you headed, dame?" "Somewhere you're not." The men chuckle and walk closer to her. "Why don't you let us take you out and buy you a drink." A tall man asks. His breath smelt heavily of alcohol and his words were slurred. Arselia simply smirks at the group of three men, then summons her daggers. "If you ever think about touching me I will be sure to cut off your hands as I electrocute you causing your brain to implode pain. I don't think we would want to make that much of a mess, now would we, boys?" The men's eyes are wide and step away from the mischievous goddess. "How- Who- What are you?" "A woman that wont hesitate to murder you slowly and painfully if I catch you attempting to do what you just did to other women as they make their ways." The now frightened men stumble out of the alley way and Arselia retracts her blades. The warrior takes a deep breath before going about back to the diner.

Whilst walking she sees the very man taking her out to dance. She also notices him engaging in conversation with a scrawny blonde-haired man. She can only assume it's the Steven fellow that James talked so much about. From the way the man talked about his best friend, it seems like he truly cares for him. "Hello boys." Arselia happily says as she walks towards them. James' breathe hitches when he sees the outfit Arselia chose. Steven's eyes widened when he saw her. He wasn't one to believe in love at first sight, but man was he attracted to her. Just by the way she was walking she held such power in her steps. But Steve would be a fool to think that he would ever have a chance with her. Most girls usually go for Bucky and leave him on the side lines wishing he was his best friend. She would never in a million years go for him. Right?

"Hello, I'm Arselia. You must be Steven, James has told me so much about you." The goddess says kindly. Steve's cheeks tint with pink and he holds out his hand for her to shake. "Y-yeah that's me." Arselia examines the man and his figure. She notices how small he is compared to the other men she has seen in the realm. But his eyes, they carry kindness with a hint of fear. She has yet to figure out what the fear is, but has a goal set on it. Whatever that fear may be, she wouldn't want the man in front of her to experience. He seemed so nice, so innocent. Something within her has such an urge to protect him from everything. Maybe she would.

"You look dashing, Lia." "Lia?" "Yes, that is my official nickname for you." James says with a smirk. The woman rolls her eyes as she thinks about how that is the same nickname Loki had given her. "Whatever you say, James." Steve looks to his friend in confusion. "Buck, I'm surprised you let her call you by your actual name, you usually hate that." "Key word, punk. Usually. But, I like when she says it." The brown-haired man winks then proceeds to take the goddess's hand and lead her to the bar. Steve resides to the warriors left as Bucky is to the right. The three of them get to know each other more as they walk, and enjoy the small breeze of the fresh night.

The trio make it to the bar where Bucky orders him and Arselia some alcohol she has never heard of before. Steve decides to go for a water and when Arselia asks why, he simply responds with the fact that he can't carry his alcohol. When Bucky finally dragged Arselia onto the dance floor, she wasn't used to this way of dancing, as it is fairly different from the way she would on Asgard. Fortunately, Bucky leads her and teaches her the proper steps and she manages to master it in no time. Throughout the night of dancing, she keeps her eyes on Steve and watches how no one has yet to offer him to dance. She feels bad for the scrawny man as she can see him sadly sit down with his water while her and his best friend have been happily dancing the night away. She looks Bucky in those piercing blue eyes as they sway to the music. "I feel bad for him." "Who?" "Steve." The man looks towards his friend and frowns. "No girl wants to ever dance with him. They say he's either too short or too skinny, they yet to realize he's a good person." "Can I?" "Can you what?" "Dance with him." The man in front of her raises his eyebrows in surprise, but lets go of the woman, allowing her to go over and talk to Steve.

The Goddess of Mischief makes her way to the table where Steve resides and offers him her hand. The man looks at her confused. "What?" "Would you like to dance?" "W-Why me? Aren't you here with Bucky?" "Yes, but I would like to dance with you, if you gave me the honor." Steve looked to the beautiful woman standing in front of him and hesitantly took her hand. "This was my first time dancing, you know." The goddess states as they walk to the dance floor. "Really, a beautiful dame, woman I should say, like you hasn't danced before?" "Well not like this." Steve eyes her curiously. "Well uh, this is my first time too." He says as he looks to the ground in shame. Arselia's eyes widen in disbelief. "You must have danced." "Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years just didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait." "For what?" "The right partner." Arselia tilts her head to the side. "Well, I hope I'm the right partner." Steve looks to the goddess with admiration in his eyes. "I'm sure you are."

In that moment of talking to Steve she felt a warm feeling in her stomach, almost as if butterflies were fluttering. Arselia had never once fallen in love, yeah she had one night stands that didn't have any attachments to them other than attraction, but this was different. This feeling inside her for a man who she had found out feared rejection the most, wanted to do anything but that to him. She wanted to embrace him.

The pair make it to the dance floor and Steve places his hands on her hip and in her other hands, after asking for permission. The two start dancing to a song that plays as they gaze into each other's eyes. Those ocean eyes that she adored. She could drown in those depths of blue everyday. And she did. But, nothing lasts forever. Bucky watched as the two danced together, he saw the way that they looked at each other intensely and with adoration, even if they had met not even three hours ago. Arselia was a beautiful woman, he couldn't deny that. But maybe, she would be Steve's beautiful woman. He promised to himself for Steve's sake to lay off of her and let him have this. There are other women out there, even if they weren't as extraordinary as she was.

TWO MONTHS LATER

DECEMBER 1939

Arselia sat in her apartment in front of the fire place with her record player going. She hummed to the tunes of the Midgardian song as she warmed up from being out all day. Lately she has been obsessed with going to the library and reading poetry. She especially loves the poet Edgar Allen Poe and his works of literature. "I see you have made yourself at home on Midgard." A voice says from behind Arselia's couch. Though, she could recognize that voice and sense that magic anywhere. "I have, my dear soul bond." She turns around to see an illusion of Loki adorned in his classic green armor. She watches as Loki looks around her cozy home. "It is very small for someone of your ranks." "That may be so, but it is perfect for me." The god looks at his soul bond and sees how happy she truly seems to be here. Not having any responsibilities except for exploring and meeting new people. "Would you stay here given the chance?" The raven-haired goddess considers her options. The people she's met here and the home she has created, she absolutely adores. Home. Asgard was her home, but this was different. Although she did miss her home realm, she enjoyed every moment of being here. She especially enjoyed being with Steve and James.

The goddess's lack of answering is an answer enough for Loki. He misses being able to be with his soul bond and talk to her on a daily basis. Projecting illusions across realms takes not only a lot of energy, but a lot of power. They talked about once each month she had been there. Though, this time around when the God of Mischief looks into his best friend's eyes he can see the happiness, the freedom, the love. "Who is he?" The woman's cheeks turn pink and she looks down. "Who is who?" Loki's mouth contorts into his infamous smirk and walks closer to his soul bond. "The man you have fallen for." Arselia looks up and rolls her eyes. "I have not fallen for anyone, you fool." "Though you may be the Goddess of Lies, I am the God of Lies. That right there, darling, was one of the biggest lies you have told." The goddess sighs and rests her head against the back of her couch. Loki simply sits next to her on the couch and summons a cup of his favorite tea for himself. "Well, go on."

"His name is Steven and he is one of the kindest and generous men I have ever met. He is not a warrior, nor does he have the physique of one, but he does his best when it comes to fighting. With the recent war that has begun over here, their army needs more soldiers and he has been trying his best to enlist even though they keep turning him down. He is a small man who is weaker than others, yet he holds his head high when there is a challenge. Many men would rather stay at home not participating in the war to fight for their country. But him, he's different. No matter his size, he still wants to fight because it's the right thing to do. His morals and what he truly believes in is nothing but good. He is a true gentlemen and is so very kind." The goddess finishes her statement by releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding in. The god raises his eyebrows in astonishment. "You're in love, Lia." The goddess looks to her friend in disbelief. "I am not in love, Lo. Love is for children." "You have let down the walls you created for yourself millennia's ago and allowed him in. If anything you embraced him being there and breaking through your rough exterior. The way you talk about him as if he is everything to you and the look in your eyes when describing him just proves that. Also, I can sense your emotions and can feel the happiness residing within you when talking of him."

The goddess momentarily thinks about what her best friend has said. Has she really let down her walls for Steve and even Bucky? Was she in love with Steve? She wasn't sure what being in love was, but maybe it is the warm feeling that she gets whenever she is with Steve. "I hate when you're right." The god rolls his eyes as his illusion starts fading. "I have to go dear sister, do what you feel is right in your heart. Know that I love you." Arselia looks to Loki and smiles. "I love you most."

Arselia sits in her home with her mind going wild. She gets up off her couch and goes to her coat closet. Within the closet she sees the secret compartment that she hid Steve and Bucky's Christmas gifts in. They were shocked when they found out she didn't know what Christmas was, but eventually explained everything to her. They even helped her decorate her home and put up a tree for the holiday. The warrior took a look at the gifts and sighed. She bought Steve a pack of drawing pencils, the same pack that she bought herself and would allow him to borrow whenever her asks. The two of them would spend hours drawing together with the record player going in the background. She absolutely adored his drawings and wanted to see him do it more often with better materials. As for James, she got him a copy of Alice in Wonderland. He talked about how he read the story when he was younger and absolutely loved it. His favorite character was the Mad Hatter, so naturally she got a book that had him on the cover. Yeah, Arselia had fallen in love with Steven, Loki got that right. Though, she has also developed feelings for James. His charming personality caught her attention and the way he would always stand up for Steve whenever he got into a fight. She loved how he would stand behind him to make Steve seem like the bigger person in the situation and how he encouraged Steve to continue drawing. Even if she admired these things about the brown-haired man. She didn't feel the burning desire that she did for Steve. So in that moment of looking at the gifts she bought, the Goddess of Mischief, Lies, and Thunder had realized that during her trip to Midgard she had fallen in love with Steve Rogers.  

[adherantnerdhi]

Full Evelyne Brochu Clin d'oeil interview nov 2017 courtesy of @cophinebw​ @qqndextra   Fr-En  @_CharlieBrs  @madnanc​ @Mad_Me #TropLaSerie 女神級演員 魁北克眨眼雜誌2017年11月號專訪 text in the continue to read

The Divine Actress

After dazzling the world with international series Orphan Black and X Company, Evelyne Brochu is the heart of the popular Quebecois comedy Trop. Meet the ingenious intellectual with unmatched brilliant beauty and an open, radiant spirit/soul.

I really identify with Isabelle. Relationships are at the center of my life. What I like about my jobs are the people I meet, the friendships I develop through time and projects, team spirit, contact with others. And it's the same in life. At the center of my life are my boyfriend, my friends, my family.

Is it important for you that the projects you choose endorse values that are important for you?

I think it's the reason why I choose them and why they bring me so much joy. Like Trop for instance. I think it's a show that celebrates diversity, that tells us that we're stronger together. It's a story with plot twists, but there something inclusive in this show where characters aren't perfect. I think we have to produce a reversed speech : the world lacks kindness at several levels. The US has become a worldwide bully. But society is like an orchestra : when its leader normalizes completely indecent behaviors, it triggers completely indecent behaviors. Everything that can help us be sweeter, kinder, more accepting, happier, more hopeful, more helpful... I think it's awesome. It's even necessary. Watching Trop, while you're shooting season 2, one can only be overwhelmed by your dazzling beauty, you're more beautiful than ever...

Oh thank you! I’ll ride high on that compliment for a few weeks! (Laughs) It should be noted that there’s a film production team that creates beautiful lighting and great makeup artists who work on long hours. And Louise Archambault, one of the directors, told me, "it’s been awhile that I’ve seen you on screen, but I haven’t seen you this gorgeous, I don’t see the Evelyne that I knew, and this is who I want to see. " The fact that I was falling in love during the filming of the first season may have given me a lil’ “oomph!” (laughs) What relationship do you have with beauty? For me, beauty has two sides. One, it can serve to appreciate life.  Maybe it’s cheesy, but my grandmother always encouraged me to notice beauty, in a cloud, a flower, a painting, a song or a well-spoken word. We need to acknowledge beauty, because it’s one of the joys of life. And beauty, for women, can be a method to express themselves, to present to the world who we are, how we have fun, to show our inner light and charm. It can be very healthy. On the other side, beauty can easily become a lonely path. We’re pressured to achieve impossible high standards.  I have the impression that we’re all exposed to that. I think that one must be careful not to consider the beauty as an absolute: that it needs to be a certain thing, that this is beautiful but this is not. The definition of beauty is all encompassing and it’s everywhere. For All women and every moment of their life. I want to expand the notion of beauty. Let’s tell others, “Hey, you look great!” or “You’re gorgeous!”

After three years of being away, are you excited to play in Dostoievski’s “The Idiot” at the Theatre de Noveau Monde in Montreal, this spring? Yes! Nastassia Philipovna, my character, is paradoxically dangerous and captivating. She Is tragic but also hopeful. I’m really lucky to have been offered such a great challenging role. Dostoievski had the ability to see the complexity in people. All his characters are both beautiful and ugly, noble and crooks, epic and commonplace. I have read two versions of The Idiot and love it.

You seem to be a great reader. What role does reading plays in your life? It has two functions. First, it is a form of learning. For me, all forms of fiction are opportunities to be someone else, to plunge into a universe unknown to me. But I think literature is a medium that allows one to dive into the human psyche, to follow the movements of their thoughts. Secondly, reading is sort of an escape for me. But a more healthy one (laughs). Sometimes when we dive in other realities, we can escape our own. It was definitely a place for me when I was young. I can be super curious and imaginative, but reading enables me to remain in one place ... which is on a couch with a book in my hands (laughs).

You’re a lil’ bit of a nerd, right? Yes. I am a curious person, interested in the current events, the gossip, the self-reflection. When we’re curious, we learn something. For me, self-reflection is not pretentious, nor something to hide. I don’t understand how being intellectual is a bad thing. Celebrate it! Being ignorant is like wanting to eat ham sandwiches everyday. Do you not want try a different taste? To discover? Curiosity is cool, right?

Recently you co-wrote songs with your longtime friend Felix Dyotte on an album that will be released in 2018. Has it been a dream for you to sing? Yes, a dream and challenge. I find that you are more vulnerable when you’re not behind a character. And your voice is ... very close to the soul. I’m plunging into this project that I really like. And singing brings me so much joy!

If music makes you so happy, why choose an acting career? It’s the power tell stories. For me it is one of the most interesting things in life. Telling stories between ourselves allows us to ask “what is life? ". And working as an actor allows one to live history. Not write it, nor read it, but live it!  Short stories are just like songs. Being an actor, it’s carrying a story within your skin, within your face, within your voice, how you walk in scenes.  For me, it is perhaps the best way to be within a novel (Laughs).

Evelyne on the quick draw Current fave tv series: Documentary The Keepers Fave sport: Oh god, I am boring, but it's walking Fave wardrobe assesory: A long coat from Artizia (she does wear it a lot) Least fave colour to wear: mauve (light purple) Film that affected you the most:  Cinema Paradiso, that last scene in the film, just thinking/talking about brings me to tears. Where the projectioner dies while replaying the same kissing scenes on the big screen. To me it's one of the most beautiful scenes in the world.

女神級演員 魁北克眨眼雜誌2017年11月號 在國際知名的《黑色孤兒》和《密諜夥伴》的拍攝工作之後，艾芙琳布荷許在魁北克的熱門喜劇《太超過》當中擔任核心角色，和這位知性聰明、美麗耀眼，同時又有感性靈魂、開放思想與魅力四射的人面對面相談

當妳說妳在《太超過》裡的角色伊莎貝爾，和維爾吉妮福爾坦所飾演的妹妹，妳提到的是無條件的愛。愛對妳還說很重要吧！ 是的，真的在這種定義下，我將自己認同為伊莎貝爾，和人們的關係是我生命中的重要部份。也是我喜歡我的職業的原因，就是人與人之間的相遇，在時間的流逝與拍攝的過程當中所發展出來的愛。在生活當中如是也是如此。，無論是我的男友，我的朋友，我的家人！ 我想這正是我選擇能夠讓我開心的拍攝計畫的原因。例如《太超過》，我想這是一部呈現多方面群體差異性的連續劇，只要我們團結在一起我們就是最強大的。這同樣也是一個講述聯繫彼此，互助生活的故事，雖然故事中的人物都不完美。我想這樣稍微反面的敘述方式相當需要被製作出來：這個世界缺少不同層次的溫柔。美國變成世界上的霸王。社會就像一個交響樂團，當它的首席認為音樂缺乏變化的才是正常的同時，所有的元素也會缺乏變化。所有這些音樂元素使得我們更加甜美，更加溫柔，更能包容，更加快樂，更富有希望，更加團結，我想這真的很棒！也很必要！

在看《太超過》的時候，現在妳正在拍攝第二季，我們為妳的美麗而驚豔，真是比以前更明艷動人！ 喔，謝謝！我會為此跳躍幾個星期（笑）。必須知道的事後面有製作團隊在支持：有厲害的攝影團隊和燈光師在背後製作呢！而導演之一的Louise Archambault跟我說：「我們已經好長一段時間沒有小螢幕上看到妳，但我們也沒有到妳發光發射的樣子，我們沒看到我認識的艾芙琳，我希望他們能看到我認識妳的樣子。」這也是我在愛上拍攝第一季的過程當中讓我很「哇」的部份。（笑）

對妳而言，美麗和什麼有關？ 美麗對我而言有兩個角度。她可以讓我們更心嚷人生與生命。可能有點陳腔濫調，但我的祖母總是跟我分享生命之美，像雲、像花、像星星、像一首歌，或是嘉言錦句。我想應該要能呈現生命之美，因為生命的喜悅也在其中。 至於美麗，對女人而言，也許就是一種自我表達的方式，向世界自我介紹的方式。可以用非常健康的方式來看待。另一方面，美麗也可以是一個人無法通過的羊腸小徑。霸凌我們的靈魂，以及我們的能力去追求我們永遠也無法達到的高度。我彷彿有這樣的印象覺得大家都暴露這樣的危險當中。我想我們應該不要把美麗看成絕對的路線取徑：這應該這樣才會美，如果不是這樣就不是。我們應該擴展美麗的定義，能在每個地方都看見。在每一個女人身上，在生命的每一時刻。我想要擴大我們對美麗的定義。當我們可以對彼此說：「妳的動作真美！」或是「妳今天真是容光換發！」

闊別舞台三年，妳期待在蒙特婁的來年春天中，演出由新世界劇場製作的杜思妥耶夫斯基的《白痴》嗎？ 是！娜塔莎‧菲莉波芙娜，我的角色相當矛盾，危險又邪氣。她帶來了希望的雙面悲劇。我真是很幸運能夠挑戰這樣的角色。杜思妥耶夫斯基能夠精準的掌握存在的各種複雜面向。她所有的角色都既美麗又醜陋，高尚又卑賤，史詩般出彩卓越又平凡如下里巴人。我讀到了《白痴》當中的各種音量，真是愛死了。

妳似乎是個閱讀達人。閱讀在妳的生活中扮演什麼角色？ 有兩個功能。首先就是一種進修學習。所有形式的虛構故事，對我而言，就是了解他人生活的一種方式，能夠到別人的宇宙去，而這些是我在日常生活中不會接觸的。但我想文學是一種最能深入他人腦中想法的一種藝術形式，能夠觀察他們想法的變遷。第二個部份，閱讀是一種我可以逃到天涯海角去的方式。但是一種比較健康的方式（笑）。有時，深潛在另一個現實當中，可以當作是釋放我們自己現實世界中的情緒的出口。這當然就是我會在年輕的時候去尋找的部份。當我有時候超級好奇又充滿幻想的時候，閱讀就可以使我老實待在同一個地方，就是沙發上當個拿本書的馬鈴薯。（笑）

妳比較像是一個知性的好奇寶寶，是吧？ 是的我充滿好奇心，對我的當下狀況，和人們八卦的部份，都會產生反思。當我們好奇的時候，就會強迫地，學到一些事情。對我而言，反思並不是一件自命不凡或者應該掩藏躲避的事情。我無法理解為什麼我們將知性/智識主義視為挑剔的壞眼。崇尚無知，就好像自願每天只吃火腿三明治一樣。妳不希望可以品嚐嗎？不希望多多探索嗎？好奇心很酷吧？不是嗎？

妳最近和妳的老朋友菲利克斯•迪奥特一起寫歌，專輯即將在2018年發行，對妳而言歌唱一直是妳的夢想嗎？ 是的，但是根植於挑戰的夢想。我發現如果我們沒有躲在角色背後，我們是比較不設防的。歌唱的聲音比較接近靈魂深處。在這個工作計畫當中有我深深喜愛的部份。唱歌也讓我非常開心。

如果唱歌給妳帶來這麼多的樂趣，為什麼妳選擇以演員為主要職業？ 因為可以講故事。對我而言，這是接近他人，接近生命的最有趣的方式。當我們在詮釋敘述一個故事的時候，我們可以對自己說「人生生命究竟是什呢？」演員的職業當中就包含活出角色的人生。不是經由書寫！不是經由閱讀！而是經由活過！演員透過肌膚、臉部表情、聲音詮釋、走路步態在場景當中來活出故事的內容。這應該就是經歷小說最好的體驗方式吧！（笑）

＝＝＝ （作者註記）噗哧！和艾芙琳布荷許令人驚訝又親切的訪問在眨眼網站上也看得到，艾芙琳分享她的紀念小物！（譯結束）

艾芙琳快問快答 妳最近最喜歡的電視劇？ 紀錄片The Keepers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6792200/

妳最喜歡的運動？ 喔，額滴天！我聽起來像是歐巴桑了，不過是走路。

妳最近最喜歡的時尚裝扮？ Aritzia的絨面長大衣

妳最不可能穿上的顏色？ 紫紅色

妳最欣賞的電影場景？ 《天堂電影院》，最後一幕－－光是描述我就想掉淚－－放映師已死，螢幕上正在播放戀人親吻的場景，我覺得這是世界上最美的場景！

[kpopsinning]

Birthday Boy - Namjoon x Reader

“You’re gonna catch flies Joonie.” You broke him out of his trance, already getting worked up from the way he was staring at you. “Gonna come unwrap your present?”

word count: 3k (last minute drabble for the birthday boy!)

genre: smut 

“Jungkook,” you whined, shifting uncomfortably from the way your arms were pinned behind your back. Your best friend just chuckled, tying the ribbon tighter.

“Stop whining jagi, hyung is going to love it. I promise,” he assured you, trying to calm your nerves. You groaned a little in response, trying to turn and look at him.

“You know he hates it when you call me that,” you commented, but Jungkook just smirked. You two were so close that not even the fact you were dating his hyung would stop him from calling you pet names like that. Jungkook thought it was amusing to see Namjoon get riled up, but Namjoon of course also understood how close you two were and that Jungkook was harmless.

It was Namjoon’s birthday today, and you knew he would be home from the studio within the next 15 minutes. The day before while hanging out with Jungkook he had asked you about your plans for Joon’s birthday.

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, toying with a piece of your hair absentmindedly. “He comes home from the studio kind of late on Tuesdays so he might be tired. I’d like to go to a bar or something at least, but he might not be in the mood,” you sighed. Jungkook laughed.

“No Y/N, I meant your plans,” he emphasized, wiggling his eyebrows. You scoffed and hit him in the shoulder.

“You don’t get to know!” you chuckled, rolling your eyes. He leaned in closer, placing one of his hands on your thigh and squeezing it.

“I’m serious! You’re telling me you don’t have a little something extra planned for in the bedroom?!” Jungkook seemed genuinely surprised, and you could feel yourself blush.

“Well… uh…” you scratched the back of your neck. Sure, you knew you know would be most definitely be having sex on the night of his birthday, but you hadn’t planned anything special.

“Oh no no no, absolutely not,” Jungkook shook his head, standing and snatching your wrist. “You are giving hyung the best birthday of his life,” he explained, dragging you towards the front door and grabbing his keys. “We’re going to the mall.”

The rest of that afternoon was spent hopping from store to store, buying things you never thought you would. Apparently Jungkook was secretly an expert on this sort of thing. He knew you had your shy side, so he shouldn’t have been so shocked in finding out you didn’t have an elaborate plan for Namjoon’s birthday, but he certainly made sure to help you set up the best birthday surprise your boyfriend would ever receive.

Once the last of the ribbons were tied, he moved to the front of the bed to face you.

“You feel okay?” he asked, and you nodded. He smiled small, trying hard not to stare for too long at the masterpiece he had helped create. “Better hope Joon gets here soon, or I’ll take his gift myself,” he teased with a wink, causing you to blush and look down.

“Get out of here Kookie,” you chuckled, nodding towards the door. He held his hands up in defense and started cleaning a few things up as he left.

“Jungkook,” you caught him right as he was stepping out of the bedroom door. “Thank you for your help, seriously,” you sighed, and he just grinned in response.

“Have fun jagi, I know you’ll tell me everything tomorrow!” he called as he walked through the apartment, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes and laugh.

A few minutes after you heard Jungkook exit the front door, it opened and shut again right on queue: 10:15pm sharp, Namjoon was home.

“Babe?” he called into the apartment, surprised you weren’t in the living room watching tv like usual. He kicked off his shoes and took a few more steps in, stopping dead in his tracks. He looked down and saw a confetti trail leading towards the hallway. He laughed lightly, a bit taken back but very much amused. He followed the rainbow path all the way down the hall right up to your bedroom, pausing to read the small post-it note you had taped to the door.

'Happy Birthday, Jagi ♥’

He grinned and pushed open the door. When he stepped into the room he immediately froze, jaw visibly dropping.

Jungkook had helped you pick out the most beautiful new lingerie set. It was bright red, a lacy see through bralette as the top, an all lace thong, and a garter belt attaching to matching thigh high stockings. You had never worn anything like it, but it made you feel sexier than ever. There were small delicate ribbons adorning the lingerie set, hanging down in loops from the band of the bralette over your ribcage and the thong over your thighs. You also had a thicker, matching colored ribbon tied in a bow around your neck, and your arms were bound behind your back with the same ribbon woven into a criss crossing pattern. You had curled your hair so it fell in beautiful waves over your shoulder and back, and done your makeup perfectly. You wore a matching red lip color to the lingerie set.

When Namjoon walked in, you were kneeling on the bed facing him, looking up innocently through your long, false eyelashes. A mixture rose petals and confetti was scattered over the bed and bedroom floor, and a few balloons were tied to each bed post.

“You’re gonna catch flies Joonie.” You broke him out of his trance, already getting worked up from the way he was staring at you. “Gonna come unwrap your present?”

Namjoon had to blink a few times to come to his senses, and when he did, lust visibly washed over his face. Within a few long strides he was leaning kneeling against the bed, his large hands immediately ghosting over every inch of your visible skin.

“Holy shit…” he breathed, one hand coming up to cup your neck and pull you in for a kiss. You couldn’t help but smile into it, sighing from finally getting to kiss your lover at long last. You had been waiting all day for this moment.

After a minute he broke the passionate kiss, eyes going back to raking all over you.

“You… you look stunning.” It was almost as if he was at a loss for words. Namjoon was never this quiet, but you felt your confidence building knowing you were the one causing all this. You leaned back in and grabbed his bottom lip between your teeth and tugged on it gently. His hands snaked behind your back and he gladly began kissing you again, this time a bit more hungrily. There was still every bit of love and passion behind the kiss, even as your tongues tangled together.

Namjoon ran his fingertips over your arms until he felt the knot of the ribbons confiding you, nimbly undoing it and freeing your arms. Finally being able to touch him, you immediately snuck your hands under the hem of his t-shirt, fingertips dancing over his torso. He hummed in response, breaking the kiss just long enough for you to pull the shirt over his head and discard it. He still wasn’t saying anything, which really was unusual for him, but it wasn’t like it was making things weird. The desire building between you two was more than obvious, and nothing much needed to be said.

You reached down to palm him, feeling he was already well on his way to being fully hard.

“Let me take care of you Joonie, today’s all about you,” you breathed, pulling away from the kiss after several minutes. You stood up and quickly undid his belt, and he assisted in taking off his jeans and boxers. Before you could make another move he had you trapped in another kiss, hands squeezing your ass as he pressed your body’s close together.

“I could look at you forever jagi, you look you belong in an art museum,” he murmured, and butterflies erupted through your entire body from his words. You could easily say the same about him, always amazed by the sight of his naked body. You blushed a bit and kissed him one more time before guiding him to the bed.

Namjoon laid down and you sat yourself in between his legs getting right to business and wrapping your fingers around the base of his thick cock. You made sure to keep eye contact with him as you worked his cock to full hardness.

“Do you like your present so far, Joonie?” you asked, trying to keep your tone as seductive as possible. He flashed you one of his oh so dazzling smiles and nodded, running a hand through his hair as he watched you. You leaned down and softly kissed the tip of his cock before wrapping your lips around it. You pressed your tongue flat against it as you sunk down a bit further, bobbing your head up and down. With each movement you paused to suck on just the head of his cock, because you knew he liked it when you gave it a little extra attention. He moaned, but it was mostly just from the sight before him. He reached a hand out to brush some of your hair out of the way, holding it back for you as you kept going.

“You always know just what I like baby,” he praised has you sunk all the way down almost to the base of his cock. He bit down on his lip to surpress some moans- he was never the super vocal type in bed, unless he was being rough with you. Then he wouldn’t hold back with his moans and dirty talk, but today wasn’t going to be like that.

You sucked on his cock until you felt he was slicked up enough he’d be able to slide right in. Your plan for the night was to ride him, so you could do all the work and he could just sit back and relax. After a few more moments you pulled away, giving his cock a few more pumps. You moved up and straddled over this thighs, teasingly hooking your fingers under the band of your thong. This wasn’t the type of thing you were used to doing, being extra sexy and all, but you could tell he was more than enjoying it.

“Do you like this set Joonie? I know how much you love red,” you purred, biting down on your bottom lip. He groaned from just the sight, reaching out to run his hands over your thighs and feel the fabric of the stockings.

“I think you look gorgeous jagi,” he sighed, looking at you with a wonderful mixture of lust and love in his eyes.

“Good,” you hummed. “Then I’ll leave it on.”

You turned around so your back was towards him, hovering over his cock. You bent over slightly to give him a better view, arching your back as well. You reached one hand around to hold his cock, and the other snuck a few fingers in between your legs to push the fabric of the panties out of the way. You were visibly dripping, and Namjoon groaned quietly at the sight. You slid two fingers inside yourself and moaned, opening them up and showing Namjoon how ready you were for him.

You pulled your fingers out to make room for his cock, guiding it towards your entrance and rubbing it against yourself a few times.

“Fuck Joonie I’ve been thinking about this all day,” you moaned, leaning your head back a bit. Namjoon reached out to grab your ass, spreading your cheeks a bit and giving them a good squeeze.

“You look so good from this angle,” he moaned, unable to pull his eyes away from your wetness. You smirked a bit and slowly pushed him inside of you, gradually sliding down all the way on his cock so you were settled on his thighs. It felt better than you expected considering you didn’t give yourself any type of preparation. The only pain was coming from the familiar stretch you always got from his cock, but it felt great.

You slowly lifted yourself about halfway up before pushing back down, moaning from the way he filled you up. He was still holding on to your ass, absolutely entranced by what he was watching. You repeated the action, then repeated it again, building up a steady pace. You weren’t trying to go too hard or too fast, right now just focusing on making Namjoon feel good. You could hear him quietly moan once every so often, and that was all you needed to know you were going well. You made sure to gyrate your hips once in awhile, knowing for him this was also about the show.

After a while of the slower riding, you lifted up to turn and face him.

“Sit up,” you instructed and he did so, scooting up the bed a bit to lean against the headboard. You slid your hands behind his neck and pressed your foreheads together, enjoying the moment; having him inside of you, both breathing heavily against each other, warmth radiating off of one another.

Everything was perfect.

As you started to move your hips again Namjoon caught your lips in another kiss, opened mouthed and slow. You kept things passionate like that for a bit longer before breaking the kiss, ready to really wow him.

You kept your hands around his neck as you starting bouncing up and down on his cock, sucking your bottom lip between your teeth. His hands slid up from your ass over your waist and to your breasts, groping them roughly as you sped up your pace. He leaned his head back and groaned quickly, and you took the opportunity to press your lips against his beautiful jawline.

“Fuck babe, your cock always feels so good,” you moaned, breathing heavily into the skin of his neck. You sped up even more, establishing a perfect rhythm to bounce on his cock to. You shifted your hips slightly so he was hitting your g-spot and let out a higher pitched moaned. He grinned, lifting his head up to look at your again.

“I want us to come at the same time,” he panted, hands moving back down to squeeze your ass. “For my birthday,” he added with a wink. You chucked a bit at that. You’d seriously give this boy everything you owned if that’s what he wanted. You’d do anything for him.

“Fuck yes Joonie I’m already so close, you make me feel so good,” you panted, adjusting a bit so you could lift yourself higher on his cock and slam yourself down harder. He grunted, leaning in to bite on one of your nipples, sucking gently on the sensitive bud. One of his hands came forward to your crotch, leaving it in a position so it’d rub against your clit each time you slammed down on his cock. Your moans grew even louder at the new friction.

Even when it was supposed to be all about him, he still managed to find a way to pleasure you in all the right ways.

“I’m getting close jagi, keep going,” he grunted. Your stomach was tensing and you knew you were close as well.

With the hand rubbing against your clit and the mouth on your breasts it didn’t take much longer for you to reach for climax.

“Fuck Joon! I’m coming,” you moaned loudly. At your words he grabbed your hips tightly, slamming you down and holding you there so he could release as well. The room filled with the sounds of both your erotic moans and heavy breathing. Once your high had completely washed through you, you slumped forward against your partner. Namjoon just chuckled, burying his face in the crook of your neck and taking in your scent.

“Y/N…” he breathed, and you could feel him smiling into your skin. “That was… that was amazing,” once again, he seemed at a loss for words for typical Namjoon. You smiled as well and pulled back, moving off of him and climbing off the bed.

“Just give me two seconds,” you huffed, going into the bathroom and clean yourself off and put the ruined panties in the laundry. The only thought on your mind now was getting to cuddle with your Joonie.

Within two minutes you were back in the bedroom, and you noticed Namjoon had changed too, as well as cleaned some of the decoration off the bed. You eagerly hopped back into bed, cuddling into Namjoon’s side and slinging your arm over his still slightly sweaty body.

“Did you do all that yourself?” he murmured into your hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You blushed a little and chewed your lip.

“I uh… had some help,” you shrugged. He pulled back to look at you and raised an eyebrow.

“Jungkook?”

Of course he knew he was the only person who’d help you with something as elaborate as this. You had to bite back the smile threatening to show through. He rolled his eyes a bit and threw himself on top of you, and you giggled as he pretended to smother you.

“I’m just going to pretend maknae DIDN’T see you dressed like that,” he sighed and rolled his eyes, but you could see the small smile he was trying to hold back. He leaned down and kissed you again.

“Happy birthday, Namjoon,” you mumbled against his lips, tangling your fingers in his soft hair.

[suit-lady]

The Stuff of Nightmares.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: You and Peter are dating. There’s some fluff, but then Peter encounters a new villain that may just change his world forever.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, probably a swear or two, Peter has PTSD (!!)

Word Count: 2935 (it’s so long I’m so sorry)

A/N: I’m really proud of this. But just a warning, I cried when I wrote this, and the friends of mine who have read this cried while reading this. So, please, enjoy, but get ready for a wild ride! xoxo

Lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky. The word bounced around in Peter’s mind, creating an endless echo. Across the counter where he was seated, you were baking something while also trying to dance to the music quietly playing from your Bluetooth speaker. You were humming along as you stirred ingredients together in a large glass mixing bowl, and you were swaying your hips at a similar rhythm to your arm. As Peter looked at you, it seemed like the entire rest of the world melted away. Nothing existed in moments like this… Nothing but you.

He didn’t want to distract you, so he waited until your creation had made its way to the oven before coming up behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist. Resting his chin on your shoulder, he spoke. “Hi there, babe.”

You laughed in nervous surprise, responding, “Oh, hello Peter.”

He planted a quick kiss on your cheek before saying, “That smells amazing, by the way.”

You turned your head so that you could kiss him on the lips. “Well, you’re gonna have to wait for like an hour, sorry.”

With a smirk, Peter made it clear he was fine with that and dragged you over to the couch. He laid you across the couch and hovered just above you, teasingly not touching you. Then, he started dusting kisses along your jawbone and your neck, so softly that you could barely feel his lips against your skin. You groaned in frustration and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, and, before either of you knew it, the alarm signaling an hour had passed was going off.

With a heavy sigh, Peter lifted himself off you and helped you up as well. You rushed over to the kitchen to pull your favorite baked dish out of the oven. It smelled absolutely heavenly, and you and Peter wasted no time devouring the entire dish. When the pan was empty, you both laughed at yourselves for getting carried away, though neither of you had expected any different.

Afterwards, you and Peter watched a movie. You had sat at the end of the couch, and he had lazily sprawled out across your lap. Instead of watching the movie, you spent the two hours absentmindedly playing with Peter’s hair and running your fingertips along his body. Every once in a while, he would look up at you, either to tell you to pay attention, or to lean upwards for a few kisses before paying attention to the film again. It was nights like these with Peter you wished would last forever.

Once the movie was over, you grabbed your purse and your bag to head home for the night. It took you nearly fifteen minutes to put on your shoes because Peter was too impatient to wait for more kisses…not that you minded. When it got this late, and he got tired, he would get really cuddly, and you absolutely adored it. He was absolutely irresistible and he knew it.

Eventually, you got yourself out the door and started heading toward your apartment, which was a quick twelve-minute walk from the Parkers’. You texted your mom that you were on your way home, and turned on your favorite playlist to walk home to. As you turned a corner, however, you thought you saw a shady figure following you in the distance. Pretending to answer a text, you turned off your music and listened for his footsteps. You had mace in your purse, but your hands were shaking. Though you’d walked home from Peter’s this late many times in the past six months, no one had ever followed you. You were terrified, but you did your best to encourage yourself into not being scared anymore.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on your shoulder. “Hey there, gorgeous. What’re you doing walking all by yourself? Don’t you know Queens is dangerous at night?” He flashed a malicious grin at you.

“Y-yes, I do,” you said, your quiet, shaky voice giving away to your fear. Your hand gripped the mace in your purse as the perv’s arm slid down to your waist.

“Hey buddy. She’s not alone, and I recommend you back off.”

You looked up to see the Spider-Man perched atop a lamppost. At the sight of him, you felt the hand on your waist go rigid. Carefully, the creep lifted his arm away and backed up a few steps, hands in the air. He sputtered an apology and tried to take off in the opposite direction. Spider-Man, scoffing, shot him with a web grenade and yelled something about the webbing disintegrating in a few hours. You were pretty sure you heard him call the guy “Mr. Pervert” as well. Adorable.

Then, Spider-Man turned his attention to you. “Are you alright, miss?”

You blushed slightly. Here you were, standing in front of your celebrity crush. You’d told your friends, and even Peter once, that you daydreamed about meeting your hero sometimes… Now, here he was. Your hands started shaking again, but it was nerves this time, not fear.

“Uh-uhm…I’m fine, thank you, Spider-Man.”

“Where are you headed?” You told him the name of your apartment building. “Can I accompany you? I imagine you’re still a little shaken.”

You nodded, thanking him. As he walked along next to you, you thought about how awkward he looked not swinging through the air. When he was high above the city, he just looked so…majestic. It seemed odd to you to see him as a regular guy. Sure, he probably lived a relatively normal life when he wasn’t wearing a mask, but it didn’t seem right to think of him as anything but Spider-Man.

“What?” he asked, catching you staring.

You coughed awkwardly, turning your gaze to the ground. “Uh, n-nothing…”

Spider-Man laughed, and you looked at him quizzically. “Sorry,” he said, “you’re just so cute when you blush like that.” A pause. “Always are.”

“Uh…excuse me?”

Spider-Man gasped and started stuttering, trying to backtrack, “I, um, I mean…” Even though you couldn’t see his face, you knew he was debating on his answer. He sighed. “I’ve seen you around. I watch for creeps like that sometimes.”

You blush deepened slightly. Spider-Man had looked out for you…more than once. Your absolute favorite hero had made sure you never got hurt. With a smile, you thanked him.

He held a hand out in front of you, causing you to stop walking. He shot a web onto the light of a nearby streetlamp and hung upside down. With one hand, he pulled the mask away to reveal just his mouth. He smiled—an absolutely dazzling sight.

“I have an idea about how you can thank me,” he said, the smile curving into a smirk. “Kiss me.”

“What?” you nearly shouted before covering your mouth.

“Kiss me,” he repeated.

“Uh, Spider-Man, sir, I’m really flattered, but uh, I kind of have a boyfriend, and, uh, I would really rather not do that,” you babbled on, nervous and slightly in shock.

“But…I’m Spider-Man,” he said.

“Well, um…” A blush crept onto your cheeks as your thoughts focused on your boyfriend, Peter. “I really like my boyfriend, Peter…He’s so sweet, and he’s everything I’ve ever wanted…I wouldn’t want to hurt him, sir…” You swallowed hard before awkwardly admitting your feelings to this superhero stranger. “I haven’t told him yet, but…I think I love him.”

“(Y/N)…” a hushed whisper left Spider-Man’s lips. “I…”

You were too caught up in your own thoughts. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I haven’t said that to anybody yet, I—”

“(Y/N),” Spider-Man repeated, firmly enough to stop your sentence in its tracks. He reached down and pulled the rest of the mask off, revealing his face. “I love you too, (Y/N).”

Your voice came as barely a breath. “Oh my goodness.” You felt dizzy. The boy you’d been dating for nearly six months was the Spider-Man. More than that, he loved you.

Before you knew what you were doing, you were kissing him. The inverted kiss was a little awkward at first, but the amount of passion between the two of you was unmatched by any kiss you’d shared before. For a moment, Peter broke the kiss so that he could lower himself and pull you into a real kiss, one that left you dazed and on cloud nine. Your head was swimming, and you couldn’t remember ever being happier.

“Wanna see something amazing?” Peter whispered against your hair.

“Yes?” you responded in half-question, unsure of what to expect after…well, all of this.

“Hold on tight, babe.”

You wrapped your arms around his middle as he shot a web toward the roof of a nearby skyscraper. Suddenly, you were flying through the air with Spider-Man, Peter Parker, your love, and you honestly felt like you were dreaming. You landed on the flat top of one of the tallest buildings in Queens. Then, Peter extended his arm in a wide half-circle, gesturing to the beauty of the city below the two of you. You were immediately breath-taken by the sight.

After spending a bit of time kissing and watching the city, Peter took you the rest of the way home, fully clad as Spider-Man. He said that he wanted to give you the full superhero experience. While you laughed at him for it, it was honestly the icing on the cake to probably the best night of your life. Your goodnight was long, neither of you wanting the latest “I love you” to be the last.

Little did either of you know…you had been watched.

 -

 About a week later, Peter encountered a new villain. He was out doing his nightly Spider-Man sweep when he noticed someone trying to break into a house. Swooping down, he scoped out the perpetrator before taking any action. The man was carrying a weapon that gave Peter a stark reminder of the Vulture. Careful not to startle the man, he shot a web grenade at him, trapping him against the door. He landed effortlessly on the pebbled walkway behind the villain.

“Don’t you know Queens has a superhero protecting it?” he asked.

The perp smirked. “Of course I do. It really doesn’t matter if I get into this house.”

The man tilted his head toward his waistband, where the weapon was in a holster. As the thing glowed a mysterious purple, Peter’s eyes widened. His mind was suddenly back to several months ago, climbing the Washington Monument, listening to Karen telling him that his friends potentially had less than three minutes left to live. His breath quickening, he searched for any sharp object he could find. He, with Karen’s calm(ish) guidance, managed to cut enough of the webbing away to grab the armed bomb from the villain. Without a second thought, he swung away, landing on the side of one of the tallest buildings within reach.

Swinging webs back and forth, he created a massive slingshot that he was sure would shoot the bomb far enough that no one would be hurt. He pulled back on the slingshot as hard as he could and hurled the bomb hundreds of meters away. Far beneath, Peter followed, worried that the bomb would explode on its descent back toward the earth. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding when the bomb burst in a tiny spark overheard. As the explosion casted a pale purple light over that section of Queens, Peter leaned against the building to take a breather.

“Peter,” Karen spoke after his breathing slowed a bit. “That man is still attached to that house.”

“Oh, you’re right!” He shouted as he let his webs carry him back to the house, to the man…that had somehow cut away his webbing. The man was gone.

 -

 Over the next few weeks, Peter met that man several more times, and the man was always ready with something to foil Peter. Aunt May worried; Peter refused to watch the news because some were asking if Spider-Man had met his match. Sure, Spidey stopped the crimes, but the criminal was still out there. The local news station had started calling him “The Weasel” because he always stayed right out of Spider-Man’s grasp. While he wouldn’t admit it, this villain was taking a toll on him.

He’d started asking you to come over more often because, every time after seeing this man, his anxiety would spike. Every time, The Weasel would have some sort of weapon that looked just like those the Vulture had manufactured for so many years. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about how close all his friends had been to death that day. What would have happened if he had been too late? What if the next time he sees this villain is the time he is too late? You weren’t quite the right size to be Peter’s big spoon, but you laid behind him and held him as he quaked from the panic coursing through is body.

 -

 Then, it happened. The night where everything went horribly, irreversibly wrong.

You were busy that night studying for an elective class that Peter wasn’t taking, so he was spending some extra time out and about as Spider-Man. The only thing he enjoyed as much as spending time with you was flying through the city, catching bad guys. That morning, he’d gotten back a physics exam and found out he’d aced it, so his mood was flying as high as his body as he surveyed his beloved Queens. He was just relaxing, going over the day’s events. Everything was so peaceful, and he loved it. Just at the sun was beginning to paint the sky in gorgeous colours, Peter was pulled from his thoughts by a horrifying familiar scream.

(Y/N)!

The buildings around him made it difficult to track exactly where your cry had come from, and the fact that his heart had jumped into his throat wasn’t helping. Finally, he found you on top of your apartment building with none other than The Weasel. It was obvious you’d been forced there, as your wrists and ankles were tied. You were standing, though you looked terribly uncomfortable and undoubtedly terrified.

“What do you want with her?” Peter shouted as soon as he landed next to the villain.

“Nothing,” the horrible man answered. “It’s what I want with you.”

Without warning, he pushed you over the edge of the building. Peter cried out after you, his scream lost in the wind as you plummeted toward the ground. Frantically, he tried shooting webbing out to catch you, but both of his containers of web fluid were completely empty. He couldn’t let you just die like this! He had a parachute; he could catch you. As he went to hurl himself over the edge, however, The Weasel caught him by the shoulder.

“Ah-ah-ah, Spider-Man… I want you to hurt.”

You were so far down below that Peter wasn’t sure when you hit the ground, but he knew it was a drop that no human would survive. Before he knew it, his mask was soaked with tears and was clinging to his face. His entire body was convulsing unnaturally; he couldn’t stand on his own. Behind him, The Weasel laughed heartily and ran before Peter could regain his bearings.

Peter didn’t know how long he lied on that rooftop, but it was pitch dark by the time he started the long walk home. He vaguely remembered the police stopping by after 911 had been called about your body. When he got home, May was waiting on the couch, as he expected. She opened her mouth to yell at him but stopped short when she saw how broken he was. Pulling him into her arms and rubbing his back, she tried consoling him.

“Everything is gonna be alright, sweetie. What happened?”

“The Weasel, Aunt May. He killed (Y/N). He killed her.”

Aunt May was stunned into silence. Eventually, Peter collapsed onto his bed and fell unconscious immediately.

In his dreams, he was bombarded with memories of you. When he first admitted his feelings to you, that awkward first date to go out for ice cream, the plethora of movie nights on the couch, introducing you to May, the first time you spent the night together, the first “I love you”. He relived each and every one, but something in his heart knew it was all wrong. Something was wrong with the visions he was having. Then, he relived your death. Over and over again, he saw The Weasel shove your body off the roof.

 -

 “(Y/N)!” Peter yelled in a panic, shocking himself awake.

“What’s the matter, Peter?” a soft voice asked him.

“I was too late to save her… I was too late to save (Y/N)… Too late, too late…” he kept muttering to himself, still not completely aware of his surroundings.

A pair of arms tightened around him. “Baby, it was just a bad dream.”

He’d never turned over so fast in his life. “(Y/N)?” came his choked whisper.

“Yes, honey,” you said, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “Who else would I be?”

His sigh of relief shook you; you knew whatever he’d seen had been the worst so far. He went to tell you about it, but you shook your head, signaling that it could wait. Nodding, he took the opportunity that you were both awake to pull you as close as he possibly could, pressing your bodies together. Then, he kissed you as if it were the last time he ever would, and you kissed him the same.

Fin.

[devilishdewitt]

Ladies of Burlesque  Halloween Edition

Did Moscow’s most elegant burlesque show sizzle or sparkle in its first Halloween edition?

Follow me, and I shall tell you…

Now and forever, 

~The Eternal Disclaimer~

It is hereby declared that this little nook of the world wide web shall be devoted to the praise & critique of the art of burlesque, specifically in Russia.

Let it also be known that I am first and foremost a benevolent force, and every single criticism is documented solely for the purpose of evolution, growth and inspiration, darling.

Never forget - it is fantastic that the burlesque scene in Russia has grown so much in the last few years. Brava, ladies! As a fact and a statement, it is absolutely fabulous.

However, I volunteer to wear the heavy crown of expertise, having seen many a show in many a place, and having a keen eye for detail and a heart hungry for that wow factor. I always come with an open heart, am quite easily entertained, and know how hard the craft is - I can overlook many a fault when there’s stage presence, charisma and that fire of passion. Oh, and self-irony.

All is sickly without self-irony.

Now, onwards! To fabulousness!

Falling into the familiar arms of Cafe Michel, Ladies of Burlesque is back with a Halloween twist - still sans Pavlova, regrettably.

Before we go any further, dearest reader, allow me to ask you a question:

What is Halloween?

That’s a thought that every Halloween event organiser should start with when planning such an experience. Is it a mystical Samhain ritual? A fun-filled costume party? A celebration of all things spooky? 

Which route are you taking - the solemn occult? Silliness & ease? Pop culture parody? Classic horror? Proper nightmare?

As evident from the non-existent amalgamating style, this conversation never happened at the production meeting. Or if it did, it simply didn’t show.

Having already reviewed Michel, I saw nothing new. No improvements - but no worsening, either. What’s worse than worsening, though, is the lack of atmosphere. It was not created with decor, music or anything else.

The crowd was not really dressed for the occasion - perhaps because the occasion was never properly described and explained. The rules of the game were not set.

Pity. Could’ve been tremendous. The line-up is quite a thrill, darling.

This time we had two exciting guests from Saint Petersburg!

Thank you, Haunted Cathouse, for sending us something truly thrilling!

Natali Pashkof, the self-proclaimed enfant terrible of Russian Burlesque fully lived up to the title. Her Saw number was a dream - style-wise, impeccable. This is what I call a Halloween act! Flawless costume. The licking of the saw - rousingly revolting. The Widow act wasn’t as stunning as Saw, but still of decent quality. Satisfying eye contact with the audience. I wish we could’ve seen her “The Ring” act as well. 

And the mystifying Vurtica! Living our Snow White Evil Queen fantasy, darling! Perhaps the most layered and strategic costume of the night. And the blood-soaked heart-shaped sponge is sheer, pure genius. The Earthy Witch was equally tempting - fantastic audience participation, magnificent costume, so well thought through. Dare I say, a sexy cauldron?…Very smart juxtaposition of the heaviness of the music and the air of the movements. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one!

Shall we move on to our familiar Moscow/Novosibirsk (ruby red) stars?

The night opened with Marie Weinberg, and I must say, improvement is evident. She is gaining the confidence that ignites her charm. And I can forgive the (again) ill-fitting dress and meowing of the opening act - because her second entrance was a dream. Transforming from a dark vampire into an angelic temptress, she hid behind a boa of intriguing proportions - to reveal stunning diamanté details that truly showed off her hypnotising tattoos. And her hairdo is impeccable. 

Still, can’t say that the singing is of a level that I find entertaining or enjoyable, but perhaps in time all will come.

Allow me to summon my witchy powers and properly curse the DJ. He did not fail to disappoint with lost cues, lack of volume awareness and overall buffoonery. Whoever hired him should rethink their choices. Or, if it was a last-minute arrangement, it goes without saying that it should never be so. If the organisers do not understand how an idiotically wrong cue can mess up the mood and the act, why are they in a position of power?

A very similar situation happened at their shows several times before.

Ladies! Invest in a smart, sensitive, intuitive - or at least, attentive - sound gentleman. It’ll change your lives.

So a few days ago, we, the public, were offered an explanation of the difference between Bar Burlesque and the big dinner shows (God bless social media). One of the points was that it’s a taster session - to see if you might enjoy the big show.

So in theory, people who came to see the latest Bar Burlesque might’ve been in the audience for this show. That means that they saw Tamasinushka’s poster-gracing “Queen of the Forest” (we all know it’s Little Red Riding Hood, but alright) twice.

We also saw The Moon…that was on the same stage last time.

I’m afraid to say the energy was the same - lacking. Sometimes the moves were so painfully slow, you couldn’t help but wonder if it’s a tactic to make the acts longer and attempt to hide the missing intricacy of the costumes. Tamasinushka is a graceful, mesmerising eyeful, and the pearl costume was precious - but still, somewhat lacklustre in comparison to some of the other acts. Perhaps preparations for the Russian Burlesque Festival are getting the best of her.

What do you expect me to say about Katerina Sahara? Consistently flawless. She brought her winged friends with her - the exotic twerking emerald bird and the dazzling dragon. Both were impeccable. What else is there to say? True professionalism. I was especially thrilled by all the bird of paradise improvising - the lady who’s bosom was caressed seemed to be quite exhilarated by the experience. The Sugar Factory/ Twerk Bakery star kept the crowd on their toes as they craved every next move.

One of her main talents is measure. Balance. The strategy of her undressing is always faultlessly thought through.

Blanche de Moscu, you stunner. Bringing the Fire Priestess and The Admiral, she shined like she tends to do - with glorious abandon. The Fire costume got a gentle upgrade, and The Admiral stunned and entertained. To my taste, it is one of the best burlesque acts in Russia. A flawless mix of sexuality and sensuality, masculine and feminine, humour and drop-dead army seriousness. And the costume, my god, the costume!…Nostalgic in the best possible way. Nostalgic in the most modern way. She hypnotised and entertained, seduced and enthralled. A wonder of a performer!

And that glitter trick - so small, yet so powerful.

Ellisha Fox brought the Poodle act that we saw at the Real Variety Show a few months back. Even though I understand and admire the sentiment behind the act, I stand my ground - the music doesn’t fit the mood of the piece at all, and it’s not quite theatre, not quite burlesque, and remains one of most undercooked acts of our superstar.

However, Ellisha’s undercooked is still a knockout. What a gem.

The Phoenix was an exact repetition of what we saw at the last LoB show. Still more focused on the movements than anything else.

Side note - wondering why Ellisha’s appearance at Alice Shpiller’s Halloween extravaganza was so abruptly cancelled. I hope it had nothing to do with inner-burly webs and whispers, for that just ruins the party for everyone, doesn’t it, darling? Boylesque should be seen and celebrated as much as possible, and putting a seal on Ellisha as if he’s a branded asset will do no good - not for the culture in general nor the reputation of the dominating company.

Helen the Stage Bunny - yes, bunny this time! -  looked absolutely gorgeous. That girl is a treasure - she’s doing a job that requires maximum attention and concentration with elegance, ease and poise, despite being the bait for every single tasteless hostess joke.

Vanilla Absolut - oh how I love a drag queen! The name is stunning, and so is the gal. She blessed us with a sensational atheist/satanist lipsync to “Personal Jesus” by Marilyn Manson (of course). Strutting her stuff in shockingly high heels, she expertly mingled with the crowd, jumped, bended in all directions and made the space her own.

The same lucky lady who got touched by Sahara got to lick the Bible! Some girls have all the luck…

Tanya Konfetki. Must I comment?

For the sake of all I believe in, yes.

She looked beautiful. So refreshing to see her well-dressed, and the head-piece was beguiling.

Still, there was no flow to her hosting.

The ending was abrupt, the humour lacked elegance, and overall it was quite…dull. At times she seemed lost before the crowd, and endless self-comparisons to Pavlova didn’t do anything for her. It’s easy to see how much she wants to be the hostess (which is probably the domineering reason why she’s on that stage), but the skills, the charm and the ease are just not there. Perhaps it will come in time. Perhaps not. 

The virtual appearance of Anja Pavlova was an unexpected treat.

VERDICT

Still the most poised burlesque show in Moscow (and most likely in Russia), but then again, there’s hardly any competition.

Evolution is a process that occurs naturally, and I hope that the Ladies will steer in a glorious direction. They have everything for it.

Is St Petersburg the Russian capital of NeoBurlesque? 

Moscow is yet to learn how to do justice to the harrowing beauty of Halloween.

~~~

The next Bar Burlesque is on the 15th of November - nearly sold-out. Next big dinner show is December 7-8th.

Care for a ticket, darling?

[artificialqueens]

Kitty Boy 2 (Bianca x Adore)- Squeaky

AU where people are born with cat ears, which they lose when have sex. Those who no longer have animal features are differentiated by society as “adults”.

OR: The story of how Danny loses his ears.

Danny sometimes pretends to be a girl. He’s got a baby face and penchant for wearing skirts. With his hair up in pigtails and his soft ears, Danny easily passes as female on the streets of Azusa. It’s just easier that way. No one questions a seventeen year old girl, who’s still got her ears. Not the way they hiss and jeer at a ‘pussy boy.’

He feels disjointed from his body. Danny watches the cute boys at school, tail curling at the edges, but they never look back. One of his friends trips him down the stairs in front of his crush, and he turns into a red tomato. Fuck, he’s going to be a virgin forever, isn’t he?

It feels like there’s two version of him: there’s pathetic Danny, and there’s big voice Danny. That version is stronger and more powerful. So when he fails to get all the way on American Idol, it’s a huge blow to his already struggling self esteem.

After that, Danny spends too much time in the shower, trying to escape the world by singing songs to himself. Only there, away from everything, can he relax. But Danny can’t hide behind a tattered skirt or his shower forever. He still wants to share his voice with the world. He still wants to become something more than just another gay boy, who hasn’t lost his ears.

Danny smooths his black shirt as he waits for his number to be called. This time he’s older and…no, not wiser. Just a little less naive. He counts to ten and then pushes the door open.

“I remember you,” Paula Abdul says as he strides in. Danny’s tail curls around his jeans as he stands before the judges, sizing them up as they size him up. Simon Cowell bites his pen and stares straight at him. Shit.

Randy Jackson snaps his fingers: “Danny, wassup?”

“Nothing much,” he says even as his ears twitch. “Just trying to keep my nerves down.”

“What do you think happened last time?” Paula questions as she scribbles something down on her notepad.

“Uh, a lot. Bad song choice- one. And my nerves just…” Danny trails off as he widens his eyes and gesticulates wildly.

Him? Nervous? It’s more likely than you think.

Then he just throws his head back and sings ‘Proud Mary.’ His tail swings to the beat, and he feels every note. In his lungs. In the snap of his fingers. In the curl of his toes. It’s like Danny’s back in the shower, and all his anxiety is vanishing to the hot smoke.

Danny takes a final breath and waits for the judges to speak. His tail curls around his legs again as he comes down from the high.

“I can’t believe the voice that comes out of this body,” Paula says as Randy Jackson laughs. He flushes as he waits for Simon to say something, anything.

“You’ve got a very good voice, Danny.”

“Thank you very much, Simon.”

“You’re more confident, if that’s possible, this year.”

“I’m just trying to be myself more,” Danny explains. “Last year I was so not myself.”

Randy Jackson interrupts him: “But I thought it was a really good audition. One of the best I’ve seen all day. I was like, woah, what!”

“It’s just not expected to have that kinda voice to come out of you,” Paula repeats, and if Danny wasn’t beaming, he might have wondered what she meant by that. Unexpected because of his age? Or because he still had his ears? But then he realizes that’s three ‘yes’s, and he dosen’t care.

“I’m going to Hollywood, baby!” Danny screams, black shirt riding up, as he runs out the room with the golden ticket above his head. For once in his life, he’s not self conscious of his ears or his tail. He feels whole and ready to take on the world.

“This is what I needed,” Danny tells the camera with a wink as he waves his ticket. “A second chance.”

——-

So then why do they treat him like he’s some sort of comedy act?

The PR people tell him straight to his face “don’t lose your ears while you’re on the show.” That’s not a problem- there’s no boy in boot camp crawling up into his bunk. Still, their words sting a little. Is that his only appeal? He’s innocent like a Jonas Brother? Should also he start wearing a purity ring around his tail to appeal to middle America?

“This is bullshit,” Danny rants to his mother on the phone. 

“Just butch it up baby, so they don’t make fun of me.”

“But…I just want to be me!”

“So be yourself. Just…” his mother sighs. “Just try to have fun?”

“I’ll try,” he sighs and holds the phone to his chest, heart twisting.

Once more, Danny is a stranger inside his own skin. When he’s practicing his songs, he tugs on his ears. Simon, aside from his first audition, doesn’t take too kindly to him. He calls him ‘grotesque’ and ‘useless,’ and all that does wonders for Danny’s self-esteem.

When he’s eliminated, Danny is more relieved than heartbroken.

“Our next guest is one of the most popular contestants on this year’s American Idol,” Ellen Degeneres announces.

When Danny walks onto the stage of the Ellen show, his heart sinks as he sees himself on the TV monitors. Oh god, they dressed him up like a preacher’s daughter. His cat ears are sleek and perky on top of his fringe, and he’s got a white collared shirt like a pilgrim. They might as well just have written ‘Chasity Kink’ over his chest. 

“Hey, Danny.”

“Hey, Ellen,” he grins, tucking his fingertips under his jeans. His tail has curled itself around his ridiculous shirt, as if to hide him from the eyes of the crowd.

“I think you’re great, and I love your voice. What do you think went wrong on American Idol? And do you have any regrets?”

“I don’t have any r-” He cuts himself off with a laugh. “Yeah, I do. I regret my first song choice. I would have put more thought into it. The one that Simon called ‘grotesque.’ I mean I liked my other two…I was having fun with it…I was being myself?”

“That’s what I love about you. You’re yourself,” Ellen says empathetically, and Danny’s heart twists in his chest even as he nods.

His tail nervously twitches, but he keeps smiling as Ellen continues to call him “un-apologetically” himself. If only he was.

Danny’s relieved when Ellen asks him to sing. Only then does his tail relax. He sways to the sweet rhythm, closes his eyes, and tries to forget everything but the words and the melody.

——-

Angel Baby is his first escape. His ears are hidden beneath a thick, black wig. His tail is strapped to his padded thighs, tucked away just like his cock. He loves to make videos on Youtube pretending to be his “chola” persona. Then comes Violet Valentine for when he’s working the club scene. Valentine is sexy and free, in every way that Danny isn’t.

But Adore is his perfect escape.

He created her to leave Danny behind, and Adore lets him do just that. It’s not the same as the early days when he used to dress up as a girl because Adore is a queen not some little girl. She’s an illusion that everyone chooses to believe in. It’s less about gender or sexuality, although it’s that too, and more of a home. Yes, when Danny is Adore, he finally feels like he’s at ease inside himself.

So when he gets the call to be on Drag Race, Danny screams even louder than he did when he got the Hollywood ticket. Here’s the chance to show the world, really show them, who he is. Everything is a flurry of panic and heels and sparkles as he struggles to fill up a suitcase.

Before she knows it, Adore’s strutting into the workroom with a “I’m hooome”. She feels fishy and fresh in her green wig and tight, red dress.

“I’m so excited I could pee,” Adore giggles as she throws her coat over her shoulder and totters over to the one of the chairs. She’s not wearing any underwear, but she has her tail tucked away. Priorities.

Then there’s a commotion as Bendla “Terminally Delightful” Creme flutters in, Gia lands like fresh tilapia, and Laganja death drops. Adore’s known Laganja ever since she was in her first club, so to see her here? It’s nice to have a friend.

Then some other bitches arrive, whose names Adore can’t remember cause they leave five minutes later. The Rumail siren sounds, and she falls off her chair. Classic. Adore isn’t the queen of math, but she’s counts seven instead of fourteen queens.

More than anything though, she’s nervous for the first challenge. Adore ends up jumping off a platform looking like a crazy person. As she stumbles away and takes off her wig, Adore can hear audible gasps from the other girls. Oh right, she has ears.

“I still can’t believe you have them,” Laganja, of all the queens, remarks.

Adore flushes: “I’m not a prude, I’m just waiting for the right guy to show up, you know what I mean?”

“Aw, I think it’s sweet,” Bendela chimes in.

“Very purr-e. Get it…like pure?” Gia jokes and makes a clawing motion. No one laughs.

While Gia is stacked with a wardrobe of glam gowns, Adore has like…four gowns. Her tail wraps around her as she stares at all the glittering gowns that the other queens produce from their suitcases. Suddenly, her clothes from Azusa don’t seem as dazzling.

Laganja her, uh, “sister” wins the mini-challenge and gives her a box full of crap to work with. Adore may or may not have hot glued the fabric to her mannequin. Everyone’s ready, and Adore’s still trying to de-tatter her pile of tatters to form a dress. Basically, she’s a hot mess, minus the ‘hot’ part.

Somehow, Adore manages to escape the bottom two, and Kelly-What’s-Her-Face leaves. It’ll be a whole week until she sees the other seven queens.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she confesses to Laganja as they load up into the cars. The other girl just kinda squeezes her shoulder, and Adore’s heart sinks. So much for friends.

But Adore has more to worry about then Langaja’s betrayal. Like seven new queens. There’s Courtney Act AKA drop dead gorgeous with a voice to match Adore’s. Then there’s Miss.Pack-Your-Bags-Del-Rio.

She doesn’t like Bianca from the moment she meets her. Bianca’s quick and sharp tongued, while Adore’s tripping over her tongue like she’s still learning to read. Adore can sense competition, and this bitch is fierce. But she’s also…a bitch.

Adore takes off her wig for the first time in front of her, ears wiggling free, and Bianca gives the camera a look. How can she read Adore with nothing but her eyes alone? It makes Adore’s stomach twist into a small, insecure knot, and her tail twists with it.

When she’s alone in her hotel room, worrying about everything she could have done better, Adore remembers that look. Bianca’s twisting face haunts her as she tosses and turns.

So when Bendela asks “if there’s anyone on the other team that you just wouldn’t want to work with,” Adore’s honest as fuck.

“Probably Bianca. I feel like she’s just ‘competition, competition, competition.’”

Adore, tugging on the strands of her red wig, can sense the drama stirring as the other team comes back in. Speak of the devil and Bianca will appear.

“So…what were you saying?” Bianca asks as she perches, like a black crow, across from Adore. She can hear the whirr of the cameras eagerly zoom in on her face. Fuck, Adore’s done reality TV but never like this.

“They asked me who I wouldn’t work with, and I said you, Bianca.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t?”

“The energy I get from you is very competition-”

“Well, isn’t that what we’re here for?”

“I just feel like you have a really strong personality, and our personalities would clash, and if I was the team leader, you’d sell me up the river.”

“Oh, I…what’s your name again?” Bianca quips.

Even if she’s joking, Adore doesn’t laugh like the other girls. In every dark joke, there’s a glimmer of truth. Bianca doesn’t think Adore’s serious competition.

While the cameras and conversation drift away, Adore hasn’t forgotten.

Later that night, Danny dreams that Bianca’s pulling at his tail, hard. When he tries to get away, the queen just holds him down and forcibly strokes his ears, humiliating him in front of the hungry glint of the cameras.

Danny wakes up in a cold sweat, and he’s hot with arousal. He groans as he rolls in his hotel bed, trying to ignore his flushed cock. Finally, humiliated, he shoves his hand down into his boxers. Bianca’s harsh face melts away into Roy’s.

Fuck, what is this competition doing to me? Danny thinks as he bites his bottom lip. He pants and strokes himself, tail desperately curling around his thigh. It’s not enough. Danny hates how much his stomach twists with arousal as he imagines Roy holding him down, petting him, and whispering taunting words into his ear.

Danny bites his pillow as he cums. Pathetic. Why is he thirsting over this bitch? Maybe it’s like prison where people start to look more attractive than they are. Maybe.

——–

He feels trapped by the judges expectations. Usually, he’s free to be his punk rock self. Now, Danny has to worry about cinching up Adore for Visage and being glam for Ru Paul. The more they push, the more he wants to push back. It feels like he’s just came back from singing in front of Simon Cowell and been told that his song’s grotesque.

The last human being on earth he expects to come to his rescue is Roy.

“You’ve just got to breathe,” Roy whispers in the hallway, hand resting against Danny’s shoulder. He leans into his touch.

“Easy for you to say, you’ve got this competition on lock.”

“Do you want to borrow one of my corsets? Here, I’ll help you,” Roy says, and his whole body language has changed. He seems so human and real. It’s nothing like the competition-hungry beast in Danny’s head.

Danny nods, takes a deep breathe, and feels…ok.

Not perfect but ok.

True to his word, Roy helps him with his body shape. Maybe, just maybe, Roy might not be as evil or as cunty as he wants everyone to believe.

“You can do this,” Bianca whispers before the run way.

“Why are you being so nice to me? Are you ok?“

“I…you’re a good kid,” Bianca replies, but Adore wonders if there’s anything else. Adore can’t stay a moment longer, has to go out on stage to strut, but Adore wants to look closer, wants to know if there’s more.

——–

Bianca wins the crown, but Adore, cliche as it may sound, feels like she’s won something better. Even when she’s not in drag, Adore has a different energy to her. Everything is open with possibility and adventure. Suddenly, the world is her stage, but she’s not listening to the ‘judges.’ She’s playing her own rules.

“Look pretty happy for a loser,” Bianca teases.

Adore only laughs. Before she might have taken the comment to heart, but outside of the competition, she can see that it is just a joke. What’s this strange glow? Confidence?

“Bitch, you know Ru’s taking half that money through taxes anyways.”

“That’s the government,” Bianca corrects with a wink as they walk back to their Uber. Adore bites her red lip as they squeeze inside. Bianca is pressed up so close to her, and Adore’s tail, strapped to her, twitches. Oh god, how is that just one touch sets her off like this?

“Whatever, I’m going to earn my money through tax free stripping and singing,” Adore giggles. She feels drunk off the LA night. The city is rushing by them, but she’s safe here, pressed up against Bianca’s side.

Adore strips off into Danny, one lash at a time. His ears twitch as he shakes off his wig and curls up into Roy’s bed. It’s so soft and warm, and it has Roy’s familiar scent. Then Roy squeaks down onto the bed and messes up his hair, hands running over his ears. Danny can’t help but purr at the sensation.

“I think you’re driving Reddit crazy looking like that,” Roy says, and his hand rests on Danny’s head. Danny looks up at him with a yawn, nose twitching, as he leans into his touch.

“Like what?”

“Like that,” Roy grumbles as he flops down next to him and then tugs at his ears. “With these.”

“Is this still Reddit we’re talking about? Or you?” Danny asks, dipping his voice lower. He scoots closer, so their thighs are touching again. Roy’s in nothing but sweats. There’s just a hint of aftershave and strong perfume, and Danny wants to bury his face into his shoulder. So he does.

“What are you doing?” Roy grumbles, but his hand betrays him as it wraps up into Danny’s hair and starts to stroke his ears. Danny’s cock twitches in his boxers at the same time as his tail. Stomach twisting, Danny starts to purr a little bit louder.

Roy’s face is just inches from his: “Feel good, hm?”

Danny, feeling bold, leans closer. Roy tastes like a shot of vodka, and he shivers. When Roy pushes him back and pins him to the bed, Danny’s sure he could drunk just from the taste of him. He can feel Roy’s bulge against his thigh. So thick and nice. When the older man pulls back, Danny whimpers with need.

“Why’d you stop?”

“Because I…” Roy flushes. “I don’t want to take anyone's ears. I….”

“Who said anything about taking them?”

Roy stiffens even as Danny crawls closer, tail wagging behind him.

“I’m giving them to you,” he purrs.

Danny wraps his legs around Roy’s waist, so he’s straddling him, and he runs his hand down his bare chest. Just the gentle brush of his fingertips made Roy moan. Danny leaned down for another kiss as he ground his hips down, his couch twitched under him.

Roy is so gentle. Nothing like he thought he would be. He’s sweet and takes his time covering his fingers with lube. By the time he’s pressing one inside of Danny, he’s hard with anticipation.

“I’m a virgin not a fucking baby; you can be a little rougher,” Danny whines.

“Calm down,” Roy whispers in his ear. “I want this to feel good for you and your virginal ass.”

“Is that your idea of sexy talk?”

Roy just kisses him quite, and Danny’s giggling against his lips. He’d never thought sex would be this normal. He’d always thought it’d be fucking wild and life changing, but this feels so perfect and natural. Danny bites back a groan as Roy squeezes in another finger inside of him. They fit so perfectly. Big and nice. 

“Any slower and we’d be going backwards,” Danny complains only because he loves the way it makes Roy’s fingers twitch in annoyance. They curve inside him and rub against that spot. 

“Shut up,” Roy groans. 

“Make me, how ‘bout that?”

Three fingers now, and Danny’s starting to feel the pain. It only turns him on more. His cock is leaking precum. His tail and toes curl in need. He feels like he’s been stretched open, and Danny loves it. 

Then Roy instructs him to get on all fours and rubs his cock against the curve of Danny’s ass. Danny whimpers at the loss of fingers, but he’s excited for more. The change of positions makes him squirm. He can’t believe this is finally happening.

“There we go,” Roy breathes as he presses the tip of his cock inside and reaches forward to rub Danny’s ears. The stimulation is everything. Oh, god, he needs to be filled up now. He wants Roy to just-

“F-fuck me,” Danny moans as Roy does just that.

Roy’s running his hands over his ears as he fucks him, and the pressure of his cock against his prostate combined with his fingers in his hair? It’s heaven. Danny’s eyes roll back from the pleasure. His cock twitches, ignored. 

“Feeling it now, baby?” Roy teases.

“O-oh, yeah,” Danny laughs and then it turns into a groan.

Roy’s speeding up his pace, and the foreign feeling of being filled up is so fucking nice. Danny just wants Roy to stay inside him. Fuck him. Take him. 

It’s the feeling of Roy pulling on his ears as he slams into his prostate that pushes him over the edge. Danny cums with a groan, spilling all over the sheets. Roy grunts as he pulls out and cums all over his back. 

“Messy,” Danny whines as he curls up on Roy’s chest, eyes fluttering shut. He yawns. 

“Exhausted after only one round? And I’m the old one?”

“You really gonna judge me if I fall asleep?”

Roy presses a soft kiss to his cheek: “Fuck, no. I’m sleeping too.”

You know what? For once in his goddamned life Danny doesn’t feel judged. He just feels…happy. He isn’t sure why he thought the ears were a big of a deal. In the morning, they’re gone, but he has something better- Roy.  

[simon112]

Frozen 4 fantasy plot/Fanfic

Arendelle held a grand summer celebration, and Anna invited Elsa and the Northuldra tribe to join them!Elsa led the Northuldra tribe to the celebrations, and the people of Arendelle also welcomed casts super gorgeous ice magic to kick off the celebration of the Kingdom of Arendelle.

People are troubled by this extremely hot summer. Thanks to the magic of the fifth spirit Elsa, Arendelle was spared the summer.

(Scene : The dinner venue for the celebration, where people on both sides dance, sing and drink)

Anna and Elsa sat in the corner, holding the glass in their hands, staring at the wine inside the glass.

Anna misses her previous free life,but now that she was the queen, she had to take care of the people and guard the kingdom, and the pressure was so great that it made her a little weary.(Anna leans her head on Elsa's shoulder.)

At this time, the ground began to shake. It turned out that the spirit of the earth came to the celebration site .Elsa thinks they are here for the event! But the spirit of the earth suddenly threw huge stones towards the venue .Seeing this, Elsa stepped forward to stop the Earth spirits and demanded that they return to the forest immediately, but the Earth spirits did not respond to Elsa's order!

Elsa observed that they were being manipulated by unknown forces!To stop them from continuing to hurt to the detrimentof innocent people,Elsa had to temporarily freeze them with magic!

Elsa feels Ahtohallan may have happened something ,so immediately ride Water Spirit-Nokk to Ahtohallan!

The event scene was a mess. Anna, Kristoff and Olaf were busy cleaning up the scene and placing the injured.

(Scene : Ahtohallan)

Elsa returned to Ahtohallan, She noticed that the light from Ahtohallan had disappeared, she went deep and came to the place where she became the fifth spirit, trying to find out the exact cause!

At this point, a low voice appeared!

Mysterious Voice: : You're finally here!

Elsa: Who are you? What happened to Ahtohallan? ? Why did the Earth spirits suddenly attack our kingdom?

Mysterious sound : Silence! ! You have too many questions!

(A powerful force pulls Elsa deeper into Ahtohallan.)

(A ball of white light appeared in front of Elsa.)

Elsa: Who are you?

Mysterious Voice : I am the real fifth spirit, Elsa!

Elsa: So what am I?

Fifth Spirit: You're just a replacement when I'm sealed,I didn't expect them to choose a weak woman to replace me!

Elsa: Why are you sealed here?

Fifth Spirit: Hundreds of years ago, I invited the other 4 spirits to join me in destroying humanity and conquering the world! Human s life is too short, too fragile! I don't care about humans at all, but they're against me, a bunch of cowards!

They worked with the Kingdom of Arendelle and the Northuldra tribe to seal me!

Elsa: Cherish life is not a coward

Fifth Spirit: You are not qualified to tell me what to do!

Elsa: Why can you manipulate the spirit of the earth to attack us?

Fifth Spirit: Earth Spirits is huge and slow to move!They can't move as easily as wind, fire, water. So they're in charge of staying in the forest and watching me. So I kept whispering and hypnotizing them beside them!

Elsa: I'll stop you! (Elsa poses ready for attack)

Fifth Spirit: Can you? (Unleash a more powerful force than Elsa.)

(The forces on both sides collided with each other, causing Ahtohallan to collapse)

Elsa climbed out of the called Nokk to come and return to Arendelle as quickly as possible.

Fifth Spirit: No one can stop me! ! (Roaring)

(Scene: Arendelle Kingdom)

Anna and the people finally cleared the venue. At this point, Elsa arrived, and she explained to Anna what had happened and the enemies that were about to come, and they must quickly take the people out of the Arundel kingdom and take refuge elsewhere.

At this time, the fifth spirit reached the Kingdom of Arendelle ! It released the frozen Earth spirits,them began to destroy the buildings of Arendelle, and the people began to flee,Anna,Elsa,Kristoff and Olaf helps people take other 3 spirits tried to stop the fifth spirit and Earth spirits,butfailed because the power gap was too large!

A group of people temporarily hid on the hillside and rested.!

(Trolls come to Anna and; Elsa)

Grand Pabbie uses magic to illustrate Anna and Elsa is the bridge between the link kingdom and the magic forest!

But now the magic of Elsa and Anna alone is not enough to protect everyone. As the representative of kingdom and forest,they must make herself stronger, must have a larger growth, two people together is the truly powerful fifth spirit, so that it is possible to defeat the current enemy.

Grand Pabbie told them that advancing to the East might find the answer.

Before the enemy noticed, they secretly ran back to the basement of the castle to find the map to the East Continent and the book containing the fifth spiritual data!Then they commissioned Grand Pabbie to protect everyone.

So Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven embarked on a journey to the eastern continent.

(Scene: Desert)

The eastern continent is a region full of valleys, deserts, hot weather and long journeys that make them very uncomfortable. Even Elsa's ice magic has weakened a lot because of the high temperature.

Suddenly, an oasis appeared in the distance, and they hurried forward to rehydrate.

After solving the moisture problem, Anna took out her book and map to look at it.

The book records that hundreds of years ago, the ancestors of the Kingdom of Arendelle came to the east to find a way to destroy the fifth spirit. Finally, they asked the warlocks in the east to create a sword with powerful magical power! With the help of this sword,Northuldra tribe and the 4 spirits, they successfully sealed the fifth spirit.

But the king of Arendelle used the power of this sword to attack the surrounding countries, which made the sword very sad. After that, the sword turned into a meteor and flew to the east, and eventually fell somewhere in this for enough qualified people to find it!

A group of people continued to search for the hiding place of the sword.

They came to a valley. Suddenly, there was a sand storm behind them, so they ran to the back of the nearby rock pile to take refuge. Unexpectedly, there was a cave behind the rock pile. Anna found that the cave was recorded on the map, and they went Decided to enter the cave!

The depth of the cave was very deep. The group walked cautiously, but Olaf, who was focused on speaking, did not notice that there was a hole in the ground, so he fell into it, and they jumped down to save Olaf!

When they reached the bottom of the pothole, they found that the environment was very different, and the walls glowed moved on, and then they found a pool in front, with a bare rock in the middle, and a sword lying on the rock. Anna took out the book to compare the shape of the sword and found that that was the goal of their this journey-Lost magic sword!

Anna, Queen Arendelle, thought she should get the sword, so others were waiting for Anna on the took the ice boat made by Elsa to the center of the swimming pool. When Anna picked up the sword, the sword suddenly burst into a strong and dazzling light forms a ball and will surround it. The others were nervous and ready to help Anna, but they were blocked by obstacles created by the magic of the sword.

In the sphere of light, a soul appears!

Soul of sword: no matter who it is! There must be enough and important reasons to wake me up!

Anna: Are you... the spirit of the sword?

Soul of sword: I'm used to being called "soul of sword"

Anna: I'm Anna! Queen of Arendelle! I'm here to see you. Please help me to avoid the destruction of our home by the fifth spirit and earth spirits!

Soul of sword:Arendelle!Hundreds of years ago, your ancestors used me to kill many innocent lives!As a descendant of King Arundel,how dare you ask me for help?Get out!

Anna : No,please! I really need your help . I'm sorry about the past thing, but the people of the kingdom are innocent and I can't put them in danger.!

(Soul of sword looked at Anna and pondered for a long time.)

Soul of sword:Okay.I ask you a question, if you get it right, I will go with you.

Anna: : OK, I accept.

Soul of sword: Listen carefully .What is as changeable as wind, warm as fire, transparent as water, and hard as land?

(Anna thought for a long time, suddenly found tears on the cheek)

Anna : It's Tears.

Soul of sword: How to say!?

Anna : Tears of laughter, tears of sadness ( at change - wind),tears contain my

temperature ( warmth - fire ) ,tears are originally the water in our bodies ( transparent ), tears will not flow down easily ( fortitude - earth)

Sword Ling :You ...you are right! ! Looks like I must to go with you.!

Anna : Thank you!

(The light ball disappears, Anna holds the sword in their hands, and they quickly return to the Arendelle Kingdom)

(Scene: Kingdom of Arendelle)

Water & Fire & Wing spirits are still struggling to fight Earth spirits & Fifth Spirit, but they are still not opponents of the fifth spirit & earth spirits.

At this time, the spirit of the earth also noticed the people who were hiding.

Grand Pabbie led Trolls to use magic to delay them to give people time to evacuate! But their magic can't resist for long!

At this time, Anna, Elsa, Christoph, Olaf and Sven returned to Arendelle in time.

(After that is the scene of the battle between the two sides)

In the end, Anna and Elsa simultaneously pierced the heart of the fifth spirit with their own weapons (elsa used an ice sword), and the fifth spirit was completely destroyed!

Earth spirits also lifted control.

Elsa replaces the fifth spirit that was destroyed, and at this time she finally became the true fifth spirit!

As for Anna, soul of sword recognizes Anna is worthy of its Queen of Arendelle,is worth it to follow,so it turns into a necklace and stays with Anna (it is more convenient for Anna to carry).

Anna has become a monarch who can protect the people with her own strength! No longer completely dependent on Elsa's magic

(ending)

A few years later,the kingdom of Arendelle has been rebuilt .Anna and Kristoff already have twin daughters. Their names are Elna and Krissa. (I created their names with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff's name)

(Post-credits scene)

Elna and Krissa ran to the castle hall in the middle of the night to play, just like their mother and aunt childhood this point, some ice crystals appeared in Elna's hands, and some sparks appeared in Krissa's hands!

Scene:( Ahtohallan)

An unknown character appeared in the collapsed Ahtohallan, picking up the ice crystals on the ground!(It's female hands )

[jayloncormierca]

5 Best Strains For Anxiety By: Lavendersasquatch

5 Best Strains For Anxiety

We’ve all been there, you’re in a group passing around a joint or bong. Everyone is happy and getting lifted. Your turn comes, you take a deep hit and cough, pass it to the left. As the weed creeps into your soul, you feel the creeping panic consume you. You have to switch to manual breathing to keep from going into full freak out mode. The world gets smaller, you feel like you’re in a bad episode of That 70’s show. Your chest can tighten, you can have racing thoughts and shakes.

This is a product of smoking cannabis that causes anxiety. If you’re prone to anxiety, certain strains can cause paranoia and anxiety. This sensation is not pleasant and can be avoided by educating yourself. A lot of people use weed to treat their anxiety, so it’s very much a paradox when the weed causes you anxiety. It’s also a popular misconception that all sativa strains cause anxiety. This is untrue! Where as most indicas are known for their calming and sedative effects. There are also sativas that are okay for anxious earthlings.

Let’s talk about the best strains for anxiety from www.Weed-deals.ca to smoke to avoid falling down the rabbit-hole of panic.

5 BEST STRAINS FOR ANXIETY

Best Strains For Anxiety #1 Kosher Kush AKA Sofa Kush

Its Earthy and pungent smells instantly remind you of camping in the woods. Kosher Kush can clock in at over 28% THC. A pure indica with your stereotypical indica effects that are desired with such a strain.  Many users are extremely pleased with the results it produces as it’s a heavy hitter. As a result is great for chronic pain, intense anxiety, and panic disorders. As the high starts to wear down, you’ll be lulled into a peaceful sleep with no adverse effects. Minus a case of the munchies. So grab your bong, snacks, cozy up on the sofa and enjoy the ride. This strain is so good for a relaxing evening after a high stress day.

#2 Cali Sour Diesel

This is an excellent hybrid for getting things done and not causing extreme paranoia.  Cali SD is a pungent diesel and pepper scented flower. It dazzles with pretty orange hairs, and light green buds. This strain will give you feelings of euphoria while melting the stress away.  It’s not an overwhelming high so you’re capable of getting things done. It’s sativa genetics are known to increase your mood, and keep you focused while enjoying your day. With its indica side giving you the pain relief and keeping you feeling light and bouncy. As the effects wear off, you can be found sometimes stuck to the couch . This strain is 100% good for daytime use and you get some of that magic sativa energy in there .

#3 Bubba Kush

This infamous indica is notorious for its sedating effects. When consumed, you’re instantly wrapped in a feeling of comfort and joy. Kind of like drinking your favourite tea on a cold and stressful day!  Bubba kush has an excellent flavour profile with all the best cannabis scents combined. Bubba kush has a lemon, earthy, with a coffee in the woods smell. As a classic indica, the effects give you a happy, sleepy, cozy feelings with a blanket of dream-like euphoria consuming you. The appearance of the buds are light green with orange hairs and caked with THC. It typically has medium round sized buds with a nice but fluffy density.  Make sure to have munchies on hand as this strain is known to induce appetite.

#4 Blue Dream

This sativa dominant hybrid is a strain that’s loved amongst new and even the most experienced cannabis connoisseurs. It is bred from blueberry and Haze strains. As a result it’s genetics mash together to create an amazing flavour profile that will blow your mind. Blue Dream gives you the full body high with a gentle cerebral massage to invigorate uplifted and creative vibes. This strain won’t put your brain in a fog or cause paranoia. Blue Dream leaves its users happy, relaxed, and focused without causing its users to burnout. Its flavour profile has been described as blueberry scented with a touch of of library. Not an unpleasant odor but it’s like reading an old book in a blueberry field.

#5 Gorilla Glue #4 aka GG4

This indica dominant hybrid can clock in at THC percentages of almost 30%. It’s a popular favourite for those looking to “glue” themselves to the couch. GG4’s resinous trichome caked buds are almost glue like, giving them that sticky classic cannabis feel. Flavours of chocolate, diesel, and pine tickle your senses and give off that nice cannabis smell. This is not a strain to use during the daytime, unless your plans are chilling on the couch with snacks and binging Netflix.

One of the best strains for anxiety. It gives you a high dose of euphoria without the annoying anxiety nagging at you. This strain is great for relaxing and unwinding by yourself or with friends as it induces feelings of joy and giggles. Medical users like GG4 for its epic pain relief qualities. I can 100% say this is true, I recovered from an unpleasant surgery by using GG4 to alleviate my symptoms. Make sure to have water on hand because this strain will leave you thirsty as heck.

Bonus Strain White Widow

I reached out to instagram and asked my amazing friends and followers what works for them. White widow was one that mentioned a few times and I personally don’t know much about it.

White widow is 60/40 sativa hybrid with users reporting it giving you an epic heady high and can help users with attention disorders focus and get things done. It’s flavour profile is well rounded with hints of lemon, earthy, cheesy, tropical flavour with hints of sweetness. With its light green decent sized buds coated in crystal, it’s a gorgeous looking flower.  Its effects are energetic, happy, focused, and great for nausea and anxiety.

Best Strains For Anxiety Conclusion

When looking for strains. Research before you consume as this will help avoid the unpleasant side effects. that come with smoking weed that induces anxiety. If you happen to do this unknowingly you can help yourself. CBD will counteract your high and help stabilize you. A cool shower, a cup of cold water, and not letting your mind get the best of you helps also. Purchase your cannabis through a trusted source like Weed-deals.  They carry all the strains above at super affordable rates. I hope you learned something new and know what to look for when looking to relieve your anxiety and relax.

The post 5 Best Strains For Anxiety By: Lavendersasquatch appeared first on Weed Deals.

source https://www.weed-deals.ca/5-best-strains-for-anxiety/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-best-strains-for-anxiety source https://weeddeals.blogspot.com/2019/07/5-best-strains-for-anxiety-by.html

[karaclevelandca]

5 Best Strains For Anxiety By: Lavendersasquatch

5 Best Strains For Anxiety

We’ve all been there, you’re in a group passing around a joint or bong. Everyone is happy and getting lifted. Your turn comes, you take a deep hit and cough, pass it to the left. As the weed creeps into your soul, you feel the creeping panic consume you. You have to switch to manual breathing to keep from going into full freak out mode. The world gets smaller, you feel like you’re in a bad episode of That 70’s show. Your chest can tighten, you can have racing thoughts and shakes.

This is a product of smoking cannabis that causes anxiety. If you’re prone to anxiety, certain strains can cause paranoia and anxiety. This sensation is not pleasant and can be avoided by educating yourself. A lot of people use weed to treat their anxiety, so it’s very much a paradox when the weed causes you anxiety. It’s also a popular misconception that all sativa strains cause anxiety. This is untrue! Where as most indicas are known for their calming and sedative effects. There are also sativas that are okay for anxious earthlings.

Let’s talk about the best strains for anxiety from www.Weed-deals.ca to smoke to avoid falling down the rabbit-hole of panic.

5 BEST STRAINS FOR ANXIETY

Best Strains For Anxiety #1 Kosher Kush AKA Sofa Kush

Its Earthy and pungent smells instantly remind you of camping in the woods. Kosher Kush can clock in at over 28% THC. A pure indica with your stereotypical indica effects that are desired with such a strain.  Many users are extremely pleased with the results it produces as it’s a heavy hitter. As a result is great for chronic pain, intense anxiety, and panic disorders. As the high starts to wear down, you’ll be lulled into a peaceful sleep with no adverse effects. Minus a case of the munchies. So grab your bong, snacks, cozy up on the sofa and enjoy the ride. This strain is so good for a relaxing evening after a high stress day.

#2 Cali Sour Diesel

This is an excellent hybrid for getting things done and not causing extreme paranoia.  Cali SD is a pungent diesel and pepper scented flower. It dazzles with pretty orange hairs, and light green buds. This strain will give you feelings of euphoria while melting the stress away.  It’s not an overwhelming high so you’re capable of getting things done. It’s sativa genetics are known to increase your mood, and keep you focused while enjoying your day. With its indica side giving you the pain relief and keeping you feeling light and bouncy. As the effects wear off, you can be found sometimes stuck to the couch . This strain is 100% good for daytime use and you get some of that magic sativa energy in there .

#3 Bubba Kush

This infamous indica is notorious for its sedating effects. When consumed, you’re instantly wrapped in a feeling of comfort and joy. Kind of like drinking your favourite tea on a cold and stressful day!  Bubba kush has an excellent flavour profile with all the best cannabis scents combined. Bubba kush has a lemon, earthy, with a coffee in the woods smell. As a classic indica, the effects give you a happy, sleepy, cozy feelings with a blanket of dream-like euphoria consuming you. The appearance of the buds are light green with orange hairs and caked with THC. It typically has medium round sized buds with a nice but fluffy density.  Make sure to have munchies on hand as this strain is known to induce appetite.

#4 Blue Dream

This sativa dominant hybrid is a strain that’s loved amongst new and even the most experienced cannabis connoisseurs. It is bred from blueberry and Haze strains. As a result it’s genetics mash together to create an amazing flavour profile that will blow your mind. Blue Dream gives you the full body high with a gentle cerebral massage to invigorate uplifted and creative vibes. This strain won’t put your brain in a fog or cause paranoia. Blue Dream leaves its users happy, relaxed, and focused without causing its users to burnout. Its flavour profile has been described as blueberry scented with a touch of of library. Not an unpleasant odor but it’s like reading an old book in a blueberry field.

#5 Gorilla Glue #4 aka GG4

This indica dominant hybrid can clock in at THC percentages of almost 30%. It’s a popular favourite for those looking to “glue” themselves to the couch. GG4’s resinous trichome caked buds are almost glue like, giving them that sticky classic cannabis feel. Flavours of chocolate, diesel, and pine tickle your senses and give off that nice cannabis smell. This is not a strain to use during the daytime, unless your plans are chilling on the couch with snacks and binging Netflix.

One of the best strains for anxiety. It gives you a high dose of euphoria without the annoying anxiety nagging at you. This strain is great for relaxing and unwinding by yourself or with friends as it induces feelings of joy and giggles. Medical users like GG4 for its epic pain relief qualities. I can 100% say this is true, I recovered from an unpleasant surgery by using GG4 to alleviate my symptoms. Make sure to have water on hand because this strain will leave you thirsty as heck.

Bonus Strain White Widow

I reached out to instagram and asked my amazing friends and followers what works for them. White widow was one that mentioned a few times and I personally don’t know much about it.

White widow is 60/40 sativa hybrid with users reporting it giving you an epic heady high and can help users with attention disorders focus and get things done. It’s flavour profile is well rounded with hints of lemon, earthy, cheesy, tropical flavour with hints of sweetness. With its light green decent sized buds coated in crystal, it’s a gorgeous looking flower.  Its effects are energetic, happy, focused, and great for nausea and anxiety.

Best Strains For Anxiety Conclusion

When looking for strains. Research before you consume as this will help avoid the unpleasant side effects. that come with smoking weed that induces anxiety. If you happen to do this unknowingly you can help yourself. CBD will counteract your high and help stabilize you. A cool shower, a cup of cold water, and not letting your mind get the best of you helps also. Purchase your cannabis through a trusted source like Weed-deals.  They carry all the strains above at super affordable rates. I hope you learned something new and know what to look for when looking to relieve your anxiety and relax.

The post 5 Best Strains For Anxiety By: Lavendersasquatch appeared first on Weed Deals.

source https://www.weed-deals.ca/5-best-strains-for-anxiety/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-best-strains-for-anxiety source https://weeddealsca.tumblr.com/post/186595537782

[ownerwhale0-blog]

Luxurious Chateau Laurier Wedding with Floral Tunnel

A beautiful wedding for a gorgeous bride! We are simply swept away by this luxurious Chateau Laurier wedding and its fabulous floral tunnel (definitely fragrant.). A grand ballroom with marvelous high ceiling looked so extra as it already is, the neutral color palette that most of us love, and oh, the low lying clouds kissing the dance floor, believe us, it’s another dream fairytale wedding came to life!

Toast Events and Wedecor did wonders on this magical union at the Chateau and Lace & Luce Photography didn’t miss to capture every bit of it.

From the bride:

Elias and I were introduced through mutual friends. At the time I lived in San Diego and him in Orange County. During one of our calls, Elias said, “I want to ask you to dinner, but under one condition. I get to pick the place and you can’t say no”. Little did I know, he picked a restaurant in Toronto and also asked me to be his date for his medical school reunion. I still can’t believe I got on a plane for a first date. Did I mention we hadn’t even met in person yet?!

Taking a leap of faith, I arrived in Toronto where we spent the day riding bikes throughout the historic downtown, sipping sangria by the harbour front. It was the start of something neither of us had ever experienced.

And just like that, one year to the day, somewhere on a beach in San Diego, he rode upon a white horse and asked her to marry him… Literally!” I knew he was the one very early on because I could not be without him. We spent all of our time together despite the distance. I kept a journal/prayer book of the “perfect man” that I had started when I was 19. Looking back, it’s kind of funny- but he fit the description, to the T; dark hair, green eyes with a curl that falls in front of his eyes, kind heart, strong personality. He was the one I had been looking for.

I remember the first time Elias took me to visit his family in Ottawa, Canada. It was Fall of 2016. We walked through Major’s Hill Park which was the first time I saw the Chateau Laurier. I recall being dazed and in awe of the castle thinking to myself “If I ever marry Elias, I want to get married there!” I have always been drawn to fairytales and old world romance so naturally, I wanted our wedding to have this same feeling as if you were transported through time in an enchanted castle.

We meticulously designed our wedding with Elise from Toast Events who brought our vision to life. Elise immersed herself in the design process using the grand ballroom and springtime in France as our main inspiration. She guided us to include the unique gold crown moulding details in our stationary, cake and stage design. Designed a spoked estate table floor plan which centered around our cherry blossom trees, and through various vendors, custom designed white draping to cover the existing 30ft burgundy curtains, imported rustic Parisian furniture and hand-carved charger plates from overseas. We also created a live floral tunnel to lead from our cocktail hour to the reception dinner. It was one of the magical highlights of the day. When I look back it was more then we could have ever dreamed.

My gown was also inspired by our chateau vision, I wanted something that was timeless with a modern twist. The Drillia by Pronovias was my vision put to life. From our horseback engagement on the beach to our castle reception our wedding felt like a modern fairytale.

Of course, this dazzling cake from Valentina Sweets deserves a spotlight!

Wedding Vendors: Photography: Lace & Luce Photography Planning and Styling: Toast Events Florals, Invitations, and Decor: Wedecor Cake: Valentina Sweets Dress: Pronovias Venue: Fairmont Chateau Laurier Charger Plates: Amy & Jen Decor Hair: Show Pony Make-up: One Fine Beauty

Source: https://ruffledblog.com/luxurious-chateau-laurier-wedding/

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

Looking Back on 2017: A Rollercoaster Year

These round-up posts are a great way for us to finally reflect on the year that has just passed by. When travelling around, moving from country to country, events and memories start to blend together. By physically sitting here and writing about the year that’s about to end, it’s a great opportunity for me to think about all that Nick and I have experienced, and accomplished in 2017.

Since 2012, I’ve created these wrap-up posts:

2012 was “A Very Memorable Year”

2013 was “A Year of Firsts”

2014 “Started and Ended With Mexico”

2015 was “A Year of Spontaneity”

2016 was ” A Year of Big Decisions”

For this year, there are numerous ways I could describe it: exciting, adventurous, emotional, rocky…, but I think the main term that is appropriate for the year is “roller coaster”. It was definitely a year of ups and downs. Actually, I could also call this article the “year of miles” because we took so many flights, trains, buses and car rides!

Sipping on some coconuts and watching sunset in Canggu Bali

This was our travel route this year:

Argentina -> Uruguay -> Argentina -> Chile -> Argentina -> Turkey -> Scotland -> England -> Greece -> Kyrgyzstan -> Thailand -> Indonesia -> Canada -> Indonesia -> Japan -> Mexico

2017 started out in South America…

Argentina

Argentina is an incredibly diverse country filled with deserts, glaciers, jungles, cities, and the ocean. This was where we spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and we had high hopes for the bustling capital city of Buenos Aires – a place we thought would delight us with its tango dancing, delectable steaks, and overall city vibe.

But, unfortunately, we were underwhelmed during our month long stay and had a love / hate (dislike) relationship with Buenos Aires. You can read more about our feelings on the city here.

Thankfully, we were not disappointed with the rest of the country of Argentina whatsoever! We went on a 10 day road trip through the desert and wine region of Salta, including Cafayate, Cachi, Purmamarca, Tilcara and the salt flats. The scenery during that trip was unbelievable, and the wine was superb.

Happy New Year!! We were the only ones to countdown to midnight in Buenos Aires…but oh well

READ MORE:

Travelling Salta: A Culture-Rich Region of Argentina

Road Trip in Northwestern Argentina: Salta to Cafayate

Road Trip in Northwestern Argentina: Cafayate to Tilcara and the Salt Flats

Cafayate – It’s All About The Wine!

We also checked out the university city of Mendoza, which is most famous for its wineries (ever heard of Norton and Trapiche?) and the nearby Aconcagua Mountain, which is the highest mountain outside of Asia. Argentina is home to Patagonia, which offers beautiful mountain landscapes, dazzling glaciers and awesome hiking opportunities. We visited this southern part of Argentina and explored El Calafate and El Chalten, both offering stunning natural wonders.

The hiking in El Chalten was awesome!

By this point, we had experienced the capital city, the deserts, the wine region and Patagonia. But, we weren’t finished yet. Last up was the Lake District, a popular destination for camping, hiking, boating and fishing. Starting in Bariloche, we road tripped through Villa La Angostura, San Martin de los Andes, the Limay River and Lake Lolog.

We spent around 2.5 months in Argentina, and although this is an expensive country to visit, it’s worth every penny. From the steaks, wine, glaciers & mountains, to the desert landscapes and welcoming locals, Argentina truly has it all.

Click here to see our videos from Argengina, and click here to see all of our articles.

Road tripping around Cafayate area was amazing!

Uruguay

Not knowing a thing about Uruguay, once we realized that we could travel there by boat in about 2 hours from Buenos Aires, we added it to our South American itinerary.

Uruguay surprised us with its quiet towns, liberal ways and pretty architecture. Although we only spent a week in the country, we really enjoyed sauntering through Colonia and sipping on Uruguayan wine. The capital city of Montevideo also surprised us with its long seaside promenade, funky street art, mate culture and beautiful old town.

Click here to see our videos from Uruguay, and click here to see our articles.

We went to a tango show in Montevideo and it was excellent

Chile

I’ve been interested in this country ever since a childhood friend visited with her family when we were kids. Although Chile neighbours with Argentina, the imposing Andes mountain range separates the two countries, allowing Chile to have a culture and style all its own.

We started out in the Capital City of Santiago where we met up with fellow travel bloggers AJ & Thalita who we had been online friends with, but hadn’t met in person. As expected, we had an awesome time. In the city we also watched street performers, went on a walking tour and checked out the fish market. We actually really liked Santiago and wished that we had chosen to spend a month there, rather than Buenos Aires (sorry BA).

Dancing on the streets of Santiago. This city had a great vibe.

By this point, we had been moving around for almost 3 months straight without stopping for longer than 7 days. Nick was worrying about work deadlines, and the lower back problems I was having in Argentina were continuing. Sitting on busses wasn’t helping things, plus with an upcoming 8 day trek in Patagonia planned, I needed to do something…and fast.

We decided to stop for 2 weeks and rent a little Airbnb in the city of Valparaiso. With colourful homes, awesome street art, incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and an overall “cool” (if a little bit sketchy) vibe, we ended up really liking this place. I went to physiotherapy during the mornings, we worked in the afternoons, and spent the evenings sipping on wine and enjoying the view from our apartment.

With a view like this one, it’s hard to get any work done!

Although we had a good time in the cities, the main reason we came to Chile was to tackle the “O” Circuit Trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Together with our friends Jarryd & Alesha, we loaded up our backpacks and hit the trail to embark on an epic 8 day camping and trekking trip through the mountains of Patagonia!

The 4 of us were constantly in awe of the natural beauty surrounding us. I would consider this trek to be difficult, but if you can manage it, it’s incredibly rewarding. Read more about our trip here:

Our Experience on the Famous “O” Circuit Trek in Patagonia

The Ultimate Guide to Trekking and Camping on The “O” Circuit in Torres del Paine

What To Pack For a Trekking and Camping Trip in Torres del Paine

The Frances Valley on the Torres del Paine trek is stunning!

We spent 5 weeks travelling in Chile and had some wonderful experiences. But, as with most places, there’s still much more of this country that we would like to see.

Click here to see our videos from Chile, and click here for our articles.

Leaving South America

We were in South America from November 10, 2016 to April 13, 2017. Those 5 months were filled with outdoor adventures, exciting cities, cool culture, and of course, a lot of fantastic wine! Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile were amazing countries, but it was time for our South American journey to end, and move on…to Europe.

Turkey

Istanbul is one of our favourite cities in the world. And if you’ve been following our journey for the past couple of years, you’ll know that we spoke at the World Tourism Forum about bloggers working together with travel brands. This year, we weren’t speaking, but we were invited to Istanbul again to attend the INFLOW Travel Summit.

Not only was the event a lot of fun, but we were able to meet some of our favourite bloggers in person for the first time – Dave & Deb of The Planet D! Plus, we were able to reconnect with old friends, meet new people, stay in swanky accommodation and attend a lot of fun parties.

Meeting up with old friends and making new ones in Istanbul

Not to mention the fact that we were flown Business Class with Turkish Airlines. This was our first time sitting at the front of the plane, and it definitely made being in economy a lot more difficult to handle when we inevitably had to return to the back of the plane on our own dime. The business trip to Istanbul was a quick 6 days and from there we headed off to the UK.

Scotland & England

This time, we weren’t going to the UK to travel around on our own, we were there to meet up with my Dad and his wife and go on a fun road trip from Edinburgh to London. This was the first time we met any of our family members abroad. Usually they will come and join us somewhere, but since Dad and Kathy are retired, they had their own trip planned and we came to crash their travels!

We had been to England a couple of times in the past, but it was our first time in Scotland. Edinburgh was an excellent introduction to the country, but the most memorable part of Scotland was meeting my Dad’s cousins (and their kids) for the first time.

Me with my second cousins, or cousins removed, or whatever! Good times

We only spent a short period of time in Scotland, but we’re certain that we’ll return to see more. The road trip continued with stops in Jedburgh, Melrose, Newcastle, Durham, York, Nottingham, Coventry, Baginton, The Cotswolds, and finally, London.

After we parted ways with my family, Nick and I spent some time in London catching up with our good friend Jason who we travelled with in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and fellow bloggers James & Sarah (The Whole World Or Nothing).

The Melrose Abby in Scotland was gorgeous!

After sightseeing and visiting in London, we made our way to the seaside city of Brighton where we chilled out in a nice, centrally located Airbnb. We wandered around the “Lanes”, I worked more on my back issues (this time seeing a chiropractor), and we caught up with old friends! We always have a lot of fun when we’re in the UK, and always seem to have a lot of pints 😉

Then… We Didn’t Know Where To Go

Up until this point, we had our year somewhat planned. It wasn’t planned in terms of cities we would visit, but we had a rough outline of the countries we wanted to travel to. And, we knew exactly when we needed to be in Istanbul, Kyrgyzstan and Scotland.

While we were sitting in Brighton, we were trying to figure out where to go next. This shouldn’t be a difficult decision, but for some reason it was.

Our 10 year anniversary was coming up and we wanted to spend it somewhere a little more romantic (and warmer) than the UK – not to mention, England is a bit on the pricey side, and the ales are too tempting!

After being in the UK for 3 weeks, it was time to move on

We hummed and hawed for about a week while hanging out in Brighton and just couldn’t think of anywhere. Feeling a bit frustrated with ourselves for having not planned anything special for our 10 year anniversary, it finally came to us.

Greece!

Greece

Greece has to be one of the most romantic destinations on Earth. Sure, we had been there in the past, but this time around we visited different islands than the ones back in 2012. We flew from London to Zakynthos and started our wonderful 1 month anniversary trip

First up were the Ionian Islands of Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Corfu.

We stayed in beautiful accommodations, explored the islands by car, ate our weight in Greek food, learned about the culture and lazed on some of the best beaches in Greece. Each of the islands had something special to offer, and although they are neighbours, each one was unique.

Shipwreck beach as seen from above – Zakynthos Island, Greece

READ MORE:

Zakynthos, Greece: Our Last Minute Travel Decision

15 Cool Things To Do in Zakynthos, Greece

Discovering The Magic of Kefalonia: Our 5 Day Travel Guide

Corfu, Greece: Celebrating Our 10 Year Anniversary in Style

Best Things To Do in Corfu, Greece’s Ionian Star

From the Ionian Islands, we flew to the eastern and lesser-known islands of Greece: Chios and Lesvos. These two culturally rich islands have a lot to offer, with hardly any tourists around. We joined a cycling tour, a cooking class, a scuba dive trip and a sailing trip. We explored each island with a rental car and loved meeting the local people.

We loved the unique architecture and designs in Pyrgi Chios

As with all of the destinations in Greece, the food and scenery were fantastic.

I think of all the spots in Greece that we’ve been, Chios is our favourite island to date. Its culture, beaches, history, people and activities are amazing.

Although we had a wonderful time in Greece, we both knew that we were travelling too fast and rather than feeling relaxed and refreshed at the end of the trip, we were a bit stressed and overwhelmed. Plus, Nick had a brutal cold (his 4th of the year) and we both had horrible allergies. We love Greece, but apparently we’re allergic to it!

Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia is unreal!

Kyrgyzstan

It seems random to go from Greece to Kyrgyzstan, but we had a press trip planned with USAID – BGI, Discover Kyrgyzstan and our friends from NOMADasaurus. Since our first trip to Kyrgyzstan in 2013, we’ve been in love with the culture and nature in the country. Naturally, being invited to promote a new trekking route in Kyrgyzstan was a dream trip for us.

Not only were we visiting a country that we love, travelling with our friends, and plotting out a new trekking route in Jyrgalan, but we were getting paid for it. It was the ideal marketing campaign for us personally, and it worked perfectly for the adventurous travellers who read our blog! After 2 weeks in Kyrgyzstan, we were moving on again.

The scenery on “our” trek in Jyrgalan was incredible

READ MORE:

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: A How-To Guide For The Keskenkija Trail

Trekking in Jyrgalan: Our Experience Marking The New Keskenkija Trail

Top 10 Things To Do in Karakol (That Don’t Involve Trekking)

Thailand

We hadn’t touched down in Southeast Asia since 2012 and were excited to be back in the region. Thailand has always held a special place in our hearts as it was the first stop on our very first backpacking trip. We landed in Bangkok and reminisced about our previous travels to the buzzing capital.

It was my birthday 2 days later and I spent it enjoying breakfast in bed, shopping at markets and eating street food. We topped the day off with sunset drinks at the awesome Moon Bar with expansive views of the city. We also met up with our good friends Johnny Ward and Jen & Stevo – fun times all around in Bangkok!

Happy Birthday to me at Moon Bar in Bangkok

After the excitement from my birthday and being in Bangkok wore off, we again knew that we needed to stop somewhere to unpack for a bit, enjoy some downtime, and get caught up on work. And once again, we were frustrated. This time, not for lack of planning, sore lower back, brutal colds, fast paced travel, or uncontrollable allergies, but at how long it took us to find a place that we liked.

We spent days and days searching online for something in our price range, and in the style that we wanted. In fact, we started looking for places on Koh Samui way back in South America! Eventually, after sporadically looking in the months that followed, we gave up and hoped that if we looked closer to the date, we would find something suitable.

Finally, while we were in Bangkok, we solidified a deal with a property manager on Koh Samui island. We rented “Ginger Villa” for 6 weeks and couldn’t have been happier with the place.

In the past, we had rented a home in San Pancho, a lakeside casita in Guatemala, and apartments in Malta, Croatia, Argentina and Chile (plus, we’ve housesat at some pretty luxurious accommodations in the Caribbean).

But, this was the first private pool villa that we had ever rented for ourselves, and it was perfect. We hired a motorbike for the duration of our stay and explored the lush island. We lazed on the pretty beaches, and ate meals at some of our favourite street stalls and beach side restaurants. But, for the most part, we hung out at our pool and enjoyed the jungle view.

Our villa in Koh Samui. Even though we did get a lot of work done, it was hard to concentrate sometimes!

An Invitation to Indonesia

During our stay in Thailand, we received an invitation from the Tourism Board of Indonesia to take part in a two week scuba diving trip. Now, if you know anything about Indonesia, you’ll know that the dive sites here are world class, but are difficult to reach.

Only one of us was invited on the trip and it was up to us to decide who would go. In some cases, if we had to choose between us, neither of us would attend. But, Nick is a scuba diver and this paid trip was too good of an opportunity to pass up! Being paid to do something you love is what it’s all about.

The scuba diving in Komodo is awesome!

So, we flew from Thailand to Indonesia and rented a little guesthouse for me in Canggu Bali. While Nick was away diving, I would stay in Canggu and try to find a villa for us to rent for the next 2 months. This beach town is known as being a digital nomad hotspot with an entrepreneurial vibe and it’s somewhere that we felt would be a good place to spend some time.

What actually ended up happening was I got very sick while Nick was away and barely even left the guesthouse. It was the first time we had properly been apart for more than 48 hours in 10 years, and everyone was joking that we can’t handle being separated! Which is probably true 😉

Needless to say, the scuba dive trip was epic. The group of divers and the crew were great, the dive sites were incredible and the experience of diving from a liveaboard boat is one Nick will never forget.

Can you even believe this view? Raja Ampat is unreal

READ MORE:

Getting Paid To Scuba Dive: My Experience Working With The Indonesia Tourism Board

Scuba Diving in Alor: The Ultimate Diver’s Guide

Diving in Komodo: Dragons, Dolphins & Mantas

Diving in Raja Ampat: The Richest Marine Biodiversity on Earth

Canggu, Bali

Once Nick returned, the two of us set off to try to find a villa. The search was long and drawn out and filled with some rundown villas at exorbitant prices – one owner was asking $1500 USD for a place that had mould all over the walls. He tried to tell us that this was normal in Bali…

Again, we were feeling a bit defeated when it came to finding a place, and again, we were shown to relax and trust that something will work out for us. It always does.

Eventually about 2 weeks later, we found a modern 2 bedroom, private pool villa in an excellent location! We were so happy with the accommodation. The place was massive and it included cleaning 3 times a week, pool maintenance 3 times a week, fast WiFi and linen changes weekly.

The outside of our villa in Canggu Bali – we loved this place!

This is where we lived and worked for the next 2 months. The vibe in Canggu was exactly what we were looking for. We were surrounded by likeminded people and met many inspiring remote workers. Our friends Nikki & Michelle from Cheeky Passports stayed with us for a week, plus we became good friends with Tom and Anna (Adventure In You) and had lots of fun together – maybe a little too much fun at times 😉

In Canggu there were awesome restaurants serving up all kinds of cuisine, and some funky cafes too. The beach was beautiful and watching sunset and surfers was our favourite pastime.

View from one of our favourite restaurants in Canggu (Milu By Nook)

Canada

Unexpectedly, I had to return to Canada to console my brother during a crisis. It was the first time I had flown alone since being with Nick, let alone flying from Bali to Edmonton which takes 38 hours including layovers. But, I was ready for the challenge and my travel days (there and back to Bali) ran smoothly.

The circumstances for my visit were awful, but being with my brother and parents was nice nonetheless.

As it was when Nick left me for his scuba diving trip, when I went to Canada Nick got incredibly sick with stomach issues and a brutal cold that lingered for about a month. As a result, he had a considerable amount of blood work done and as far as doctors can tell, there’s nothing wrong.

Japan

Nick is a sushi fanatic. He doesn’t just like sushi, he loves it and can eat around 35 pieces of nigiri in one sitting – plus miso soup, and maybe a roll or two!

It just so happened that our villa rental was up on November 19th, which is also Nick’s birthday. So, I planned a 2 week trip to Japan for Nick’s big day. We flew out on a red eye flight and arrived in Japan on the morning of the 19th.

Of course, we had sushi for lunch and Nick was in his happy place

Sushi!! Happy Birthday Nick

Since we only had 2 weeks, we kept the amount of destinations to a minimum and visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Takayama (with day trips to Shirakawago and Fukuyama). It was a great mix of a cosmopolitan city, the mountains, historical sites and small villages.

We ate endless amounts of Japanese food, went on some great walking tours, joined a sushi making class, cycled around Kyoto, stayed in a traditional Ryokan with onsen…and much more.

It was Nick’s favourite birthday to date.

Travelling by train was great in Japan, it’s our favourite mode of transport by far

Mexico

As I’m writing this, we’re currently in Mexico. I’m staring out at the brilliant blue sky and swaying palm trees. Iguanas and squirrels are chasing each other, woodpeckers are pecking at the palm trees and mariachi music is blaring from the nearby bar.

I’m not even sure how many times we’ve been to Mexico, but I know we’ve spent over 6 months here. This time around, we’re in the country to visit with friends and family. We have 15 different family members coming to meet us in Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta (mostly at different times), and 2 sets of friends that we’re meeting in Sayulita and Puerto Escondido

Manzanillo is where we’ll close out 2017 and ring in the new year…with tacos, beers and margaritas.

Manzanillo is on the west coast, which means there are some awesome sunsets!

Going Forward

Looking back, it was a great year filled with amazing destinations. But, it was also a bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of emotions and health.

We’ve had a few realizations this year, with the main one being that we want to be surrounded by a community of friends. Meeting up with all of our blogging / travelling friends this year really solidified that idea. It’s so great to be surrounded by likeminded people and we’re hoping to spend more time in the same destinations as our friends and family in the coming year.

The second thing we realized is that we need to pay more attention to our health, and put it at the forefront of what’s important to us. We’re not 20 years old anymore! Nick had numerous colds and some stomach issues this year, my back problems were (are) pretty bad and we both don’t exercise nearly enough.

Going forward into 2018, we have a few things that we’ll be working on healthwise, businesswise and in our personal lives. While we’re here in Mexico we’ll be figuring out where we need to be in 2018 and the actions we need to take to complete our goals! One thing’s for sure, we’ll be abroad and exploring somewhere new in this wonderful world.

As always, thank you so much for reading our website, commenting on our posts, emailing us, and engaging with us on social media. We love hearing from our readers and helping out in any way that we can. We really appreciate all of your support and we’re happy to have you along for the ride 

Happy New Year! Here’s to a travel-filled, happy 2018

– The Goats (Dariece & Nick)

The post Looking Back on 2017: A Rollercoaster Year appeared first on Goats On The Road.

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An Appreciation of the Pat Metheny Group’s “Still Life (Talking)” 30 years on

Pat Metheny: acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizers; Lyle Mays: piano, keyboards; Steve Rodby: acoustic and electric basses; Paul Wertico: drums; Armando Marcal: percussion, voice; David Blamires: voice, Mark Ledford: voice.  Recorded March/April 1987 at Power Station, New York, New York.  Engineer: Rob Eaton, assistant engineer: Alexander Haas. Produced by Pat Metheny, Co-Producer: Lyle Mays, Associate Producers: Steve Rodby & Paul Wertico, with Steven Cantor and David Oakes. Originally Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, Remastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, New York, New York.  Originally released on Geffen Records, and reissued in 2006 on Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions.

Thirty years ago in 1987, the Pat Metheny Group released the defining “Still Life (Talking)”.  The album was significant in several ways, as much as it was an expansion on the Brazilian sound of “First Circle”, it was also a departure.  The guitarist's ending of a nine year relationship with ECM signaled a resounding shift that reverberates to this day. Metheny was the first jazz artist to be signed to Geffen records in 1985, releasing the brilliant if controversial “Song X” with free jazz icon, the late Ornette Coleman that perhaps did even more to solidify his reputation amongst jazz purists than “80/81” (ECM, 1980) as a force to be reckoned with.  “Song X” revealed in no uncertain terms that he had reached an unprecedented level of creative and artistic control that at the time for any jazz artist was extremely rare: his Metheny Group Productions imprint allowed for complete freedom to make the product, Geffen only distributed the final album.  “Still Life (Talking)” sonically is a masterpiece, the use of the recording studio as an instrument is increased tenfold with engineer Rob Eaton at the helm who was an assistant engineer for “First Circle” beginning to define the sonic signature of the Metheny Group which he would refine and perfect over the next eighteen years.  Specifically Steve Rodby's bass sound is much richer and present than it’s predecessor adding an extremely sharp focus to the rhythm section of PMG co pilot, the great pianist Lyle Mays, then drummer Paul Wertico, and percussionist Armando Marcal, making his band debut.  The large palette of sounds courtesy of Mays unmistakeable synth orchestrations from his Oberheim, and Prophet V were enriched by the recent addition of the Roland JX 10, a synth that would become the main source of his signature (as Mays called it in a Jazziz interview podcast) flutophone sound and Metheny's much more in depth use of the Synclavier.  Though first heard on “Offramp” (ECM, 1982) by 1987 he had head first dove into it's composing, sequencing  and sampling capabilities,  increasingly evident on the new album.  Metheny created basic sketches of the tunes through the Synclavier which would be enhanced by the live musicians.  Adding even more to the dense textures were the recruitment of Canadian vocalist and guitarist David Blamires and Detroit vocalist/trumpeter the late Mark Ledford (1960-2004) to replace Pedro Aznar who had temporarily left the band and the two men opened the music up even more with their  decidedly more poppish and soul inflected approach to wordless vocals.  Additionally they could play just about any instrument under the sun, particularly dazzling in concert.

I first heard the album in either my sophomore or junior year of high school, as the guitar and orchestra teacher, and also my mentor Lawrence Lolli was transcribing the ethereal, memorable intro to “Minuano”.  At the time, I was still inextricably wedded to straight ahead jazz, hard bop to be exact, and in my snobbery foolishly considered Metheny “smooth jazz”, something that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Even at that stage, Lolli who is a diehard Metheny fan and was trying to open me to Pat's universe, there was something magical about that  lilting intro.  Less than a year later I became a raging Metheny fan, and this album as well as every album he's ever made has not left constant rotation in my daily listening.   A sort of gently cycling repeating guitar figure gorgeously dressed by Marcal's shaker percussion and distant melancholic vocals from Blamires and Ledford is initially stated, then again in a gorgeous unison falsetto. Ledford's voice really pops out on this second repeat of the vocal line, as if they are just examining the beauty of the universe at a leisurely pace.  The intro is  iconic, and was sadly excised from the piece around the time of the tour associated with “Secret Story”, and the tune is played to the present day without the haunting intro. The liquid rubato of the intro dissipates into the driving 6/8 main section, featuring Metheny's infamous “pop” of his E string, (something he uses to check the reverb levels of the guitar and to signal sound man David Oakes) leading into the triumphant main theme. Metheny's solo is beautiful, never at of a lack of ideas, Rodby's rock steady bass churning out the changes, and Marcal decorating the proceedings when needed. Interestingly this album was the first to feature Metheny's guitar to be miked to pick up a semi acoustic quality of his hollow body guitar, something that has subsequently been a feature of his sound the past fifteen years, but the test pilot of that sound so to speak appeared here.

“So May It Secretly Begin”, a richly detailed melodic line that has been one the guitarist continues to investigate in stripped down contexts to the present is also meant as a nod to the CTI era orchestrations of arranger/ composer Don Sebesky, and painter Paul Klee.  While the tune and Sebesky only bear a superficial resemblance, the depth of texture created by swelling Synclavier strings and Mays' use of flute patches set the tone on a grand scale for the graceful, sensuous melody stated by Metheny.  The acoustic like attack of his stereo miked Gibson ES 175 is boldly highlighted once more as it was on “Minuano” and again on “Third Wind” setting the stage for one of Lyle Mays' finest lyrical solos on record.  The piece with  subtle details of layers of activity throughout is something that became a Metheny trademark gives the listener food for thought upon multiple hearings. Additional bright color is added at the close with Ledford and Blamires doubling the main melodic line in falsetto vocals.  “So May It Secretly Begin” thoroughly a standard of the Metheny repertoire, actually has a puzzling place out of jazz, as the piece has been sampled multiple times by hip hop artists.  The reason why it seems puzzling is that the bridge and main “hook” of the song have been sampled pretty much straight through, such as on Statik Selektah's “To the Top”, and it sounds extremely out of context without the rest of the tune. While even more people get exposed to the beauty of Metheny's music through the sample it reveals an issue that producers seem to have with the guitarist's music in that they seem to be unable to negotiate successfully the rhythmic and harmonic complexities it contains.  Nevertheless, the tune placed second on the album continues an inspired thread that concludes the first side on LP, with “Last Train Home”.

“Last Train Home” may actually be one of Metheny's most famous and  visually evocative melodies.  One literally can imagine a train making a long journey as the sun sets, or already at dusk courtesy of Wertico's steady chugging brushes on snare, and Rodby's never flagging pulse.  The melody, played on Coral electric sitar, a stalwart instrument of many 60's and 70's pop classics is a melancholic glow all the way through, with a slight Asian tinge towards the end of the melody.  The guitarist's solo is one of his best ever in terms of purely being in service to the song, and the backgrounds of Ledford and Blamires' vocals are exquisite building to the tremendous post solo interlude contributed by Lyle Mays (though the tune is solely a Metheny composition) with breathtaking three voice counterpoint  resolving in a hymn like and serene manner, to usher in the melody to fade out.  “Last Train Home” has found tremendous life outside the record, infamously appearing in a Publix commercial, and most recently used as the closing theme for the Japanese animated JoJo's Bizarre Adventure television series once again exposing an audience to Metheny's music that may not have heard otherwise, a sure sign of the lasting legacy of “Still Life (Talking)”.

The back half of the album begins with the powerful one-two punch of “(It's Just) Talk” and the classic, anthemic “Third Wind”, smoldering Brazilian groovers with inspired melodies and solos.  “(It's Just) Talk” began life in embryonic form as the PMG played the piece in radically different form live during 1981-2 where it sounded more like a Lee Morgan “Sidewinder” boogaloo than what it became known as.  The melody of the final version on the album showcases Ledford and Blamires soul tinged approach to wordless vocals perfectly with the backdrop of Armando Marcal's ebullient cuica barks, the tune is probably known best for it's great repeating vocal line at the end of the tune which generates tremendous momentum.  Live, the tune showcased creatively bursting solos from Metheny and Mays and a heavily pulsating rhythm courtesy of the rhythm section.  Marcal's timbale blasts that signal “Third Wind” usher in a composition that's not only famous for it's wonderful melody, but the quicksilver lightning guitar break. Metheny's nod to the jazz tradition is explicit, with a burst of notes codified in his own bebop dialect conjuring Charlie Parker's break on “A Night in Tunisia”.  For all the frankly absurd criticisms of many that the guitarist does not swing, “Third Wind's” illustrious break and solo throws such claims out the window.  His invention is liquid, furious and meaningful with Wertico's constantly shifting ride cymbal swing behind him, comping and orchestrations from Mays put a bold exclamation on the proceedings and move the piece into a dizzying second section.  The chromatic movement  of this part of the composition further exposes the ties to bebop.  Again, for the consideration of space on the subsequent “Secret Story” and “We Live Here” tours, this middle section was cut, and turned into a drum-percussion duet section incorporating portions of the tune “Straight on Red” from the album “Travels” (ECM, 1983). Following the polyrhythmic web of the second section, with a heroic bed of Mays' synth and brass laid down, the classic final melody over a churning 12/8 rhythm is revealed.  The imminently singable vocal figure sets up a trademark smoldering Roland GR300 guitar synth solo for Metheny, one of his finest moments on record.  The guitarist has said that the use of the GR300 enables him to get into the range of an alto or soprano saxophone, and the horn like quality suggested by the synth's peculiar yet enchanting saw tooth wave tone take full of advantage of his aims.

The last two pieces, Lyle Mays' dark, haunting “Distance”, primarily synth driven, with eerie atmospheric vocals, percussion and subtle undercurrents of Synclavier triggered sampled sounds, along with the guitarist's stunning, heart wrenching “In Her Family” form a through composed final chapter and epilogue of sorts, as one uninterrupted piece. “Distance” would take on a considerably different complexion live, never really played verbatim as on the record it opened vistas for a searching Mays improvisation, otherwordly Synclavier guitar triggered soundscapes, and eerie colors from the rest of the band.  This engagement of the Group's avant garde proclivities of the band as a radio recording from the Montreux Jazz Festival and 1987 video from Argentina on youtube  demonstrate the breadth of just what this ensemble was capable of, nothing off limits in the “one long song” universe of Pat Metheny.

To close this appreciation of an unforgettable album, a note about how the legacy of “Still Life (Talking)” remains a vital force in contemporary jazz.  The Pat Metheny Group's “Brazilian trilogy” which started with the aforementioned “First Circle”, the sound was so engaging that it kind started a life of it's own.  While the guitarist by no means spearheaded the Brazilian jazz movement he was clearly inspired by musicians who deeply influenced him like Toninho Horta and Ivan Lins, and brought that joy he felt from Brazilian music. The one of a kind accessibility of  “Still Life (Talking)” spawned what has occasionally been called in Metheny fan circles as “Pat-lite”.

The fact that the album had come in the prime years of  so called smooth jazz radio, and received airplay on said stations created this culture of some bands trying to capture the feeling of the PMG on the surface but without the spark of the inner workings that truly make his music special. For example Canadian guitarist Brian Hughes' album “Under One Sky” (Justin Time, 1992) and the track “Nine Doors” is an obvious display of love for Metheny, and sounds like something distinctly from the “Still Life” period, but to these ears, it's missing something.

When the deluxe, 2 CD remastered edition of Metheny's watershed solo “Secret Story” (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 1992) was reissued in 2006, the guitarist unearthed “Understanding”, a tune that was intended for “Still Life (Talking)” but rejected.  The tune was performed live in 1987, as a folksy-pop inspired ballad, with room for improvisation, but the released version is purely composed with a string section from the original “Secret Story” sessions, and additional guitar from Metheny.  Regardless of it's brief length the composition is a gem, and could have stood with the original “Still Life” album.  

The 2006 Nonesuch remaster and reissue of “Still Life (Talking)” is definitive, a stone classic that remains one of the best recordings in the Pat Metheny catalog.  The album really stands the test of time with stunning compositions, immaculate sound and production. No collection should be without it.

Footnotes: Pedro Aznar, the phenomenal Argentinean vocalist and multi instrument would return for the follow up “Letter From Home” (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 1989) and subsequent 1991 world tour that produced “The Road To You: Recorded Live in Europe” (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 1993).

In a 2006 podcast supplement celebrating the reissue of the album, Metheny noted the band really disliked “Still Life (Talking)” initially and the album was nearly shelved.  By consensus, they decided to release it, and the album later won the 1988 Grammy award for Best  Jazz Fusion Performance, and was a certified gold record having sold over 500,000 copies.

(c) 2017, CJ Shearn