#*yells in only 9 album covers*

[blouisparadise]

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of May. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) Seven, Seven | Explicit | 1877 words

“Hello, baby girl,” Harry says as soon as the nurse places the bundle of joy into his arms. “We’ve been dying to meet you.”

2) A Sunny Afternoon | Explicit | 2002 words

Harry gets together with friends to celebrate life and uses the occasion to announce that he officially has an album finished.

or the celebration of Harry's House before it became what it is now.

3) Five Zero Five | Explicit | 2502 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

“So,” says Harry, and his fingers trail on Louis’ jaw, over his exposed neck. “I heard your cover tonight. Arctic Monkeys, really nice.” His fingers linger on Louis’ neck, stroke the Adam’s apple.

4) James Corden’s Lap Better Than Mine? | Mature | 3133 words

James takes Louis onto his lap, and Harry is furious. He cannot wait to get home and punish his kitten and show him Louis his.

5) Where The Water Touches The Sun | Explicit | 3400 words

Prompt #63: L&H in an established relationship where Louis is 5 months pregnant and the pheromones have made him horny as hell, it gets even worse when he wakes up and walks into his kitchen and sees his sexy husband fixing her sink with his shirt off. Maybe he has a fetish for men fixing things. Hot and kinky smut please. Harry calling lou a sexy milf while doing it and obviously the pregnancy kink stuff with h telling l about wanting to keep him full of his babies.

6) Student Teacher | Mature | 3901 words

Request: Louis is... 19 ish and Harry is 24 ish and umm So! Harry was like a student aid for one of Louis's classes in his Senior year of high school and Louis's friends always secretly teased him abt his crush on Harry. it wasn't that good of a secret bc Harry found out about it, he was 23 at the time and found it really funny. Anyways it's a couple of years later and Louis is a freshman in college and runs into Harry at a park while chasing his dog... coco, whos one of those white crusty alleyway dogs. (I love them.) Harry just hears a voice yelling and sees a dog running so he like catches the dog Louis catches up to Harry and he's all like. "omg." Harry looks Louis up and down and he's like "Oh you haven't grown." Louis pouts and then Harry ends up asking him out Louis gets scared and says no, but Harry gets his number anyways and they hang out at Harry's house (haha) as "friends" but they end up fucking on Harry's kitchen island instead of finishing decorating the cupcakes for Harry's goddaughter's bake sale fundraiser?

7) Ahora | Explicit | 4684 words

Note: The main pairing is Louis/Taylor Swift

Dom Taylor is tired and stressed after one of her shows at the Eras tour. Soft, sub Louis is waiting for her backstage. Rough sex ensues.

8) The Changing Season In A Messy World | Not Rated |8649 words

Prompt #35: H&L alpha son starting to get the teenage moody alpha hormones. One day he release all his anger on his sweet mother when he tried to talk to his son & harry don't really appreciate that. "He might be your mom, but he is my wife first & nobody talks to my wife like that"

9) Hide And Seek | Not Rated | 9808 words

Louis is 14 years old when his father dies and he's 19 when he meets General Styles.

10) Roommates | Mature| 13202 words

"I'm so happy I could kiss you! Thank you so much." Louis smiled up at Harry, who looked back with a daring smirk.

"Then why don't you?"

Louis blushed at that comment and leaned up pressing a gentle kiss to Harry's lips, it was soft and sweet. Something Harry hadn't experienced before.

"Happy?" Louis asked and giggled.

"Very." He answered.

11) Captain Cupid | Not Rated | 15331 words

“Right,” Niall started, finally getting the opportunity to unleash his horrible plan. “Well, as you both know, I’m an excellent matchmaker. A human Cupid.The best of the best at finding one's mate. And I’ve decided it’s time to make money doing it.”

“Oh, God no,” Louis groaned, picking up his empty plate and placing it in the sink. He needed to escape as quickly as possible.

Or the one where Niall enlists his friends to help start a speed dating side hustle. Things don't go as planned... or maybe they do?

12) After Hours | Explicit | 16707 words

Note: The main pairing is Louis/Pedro Pascal.

Louis Tomlinson is many things. A dancer, a barista, a one time con man. He's rarely experienced a good romantic relationship with a man but that's all about to change when he starts working at a nightclub in Texas.

13) The Mess We Created | Explicit | 21099 words

An innocent one night stand changed into something more than that.

14) Help Me, Help You Find Love | Explicit | 23781 words

“I help people hook up, not fall in love Styles”

“Think you can make an exception for me, Tomlinson?”

The one where they all attend a university for supernaturals and Werewolf Frat president and resident heartthrob Harry approaches on campus matchmaker Louis to help him find love.

15) Until The Pearls Get Lost | Explicit | 25519 words

London, 1933. Harry Styles, alpha, elusive bachelor and happy third wheel to his coupled friends, receives a visit from one Liam Payne, begging for his help.

Liam’s childhood friend Louis is about to become the talk of the city; left at the altar because the mating bond was rejected, Louis will spend the rest of his life in an institution unless Liam can find someone to take him in and care for him as he recovers. Most omegas with failed bonds are never the same again.

With rumours swirling around about the reason for the rejected bond, Harry gives in to Liam’s pleas. He hasn’t the slightest idea how that decision will shape the rest of his life.

16) Fetish For My Love | Explicit | 27388 words

Louis has too many worries to even think about a moment of peace in the days that now exhaust him and become a complete rush for him. Fortunately, Harry doesn't take long to take care of the matter as he knows that he has wanted it so much, finding the solution in a particular sheet full of colored stickers.

17) And When It Rains, You're Shining Down For Me | Explicit | 37081 words

“This is Harry, he’ll be your patient,” Liam gestured politely.

Harry froze when Louis’ eyes met his own once more. He felt himself getting lost in those eyes, so much so that he didn’t notice Niall and Liam leaving the room quietly but the sound of the door shutting behind them brought him out of the trance.

“Hello, I’m Louis,” the omega said, extending his hand for Harry to shake. The alpha could still sense some nervousness in his stance but decided to ignore it.

“‘’m Harry.”

Or the one where Harry is a grumpy boxer who gets injured and Louis is the lovely physiotherapist hired to help him, but getting pregnant wasn’t exactly in his recovery plan.

18) Hold Me How the Deep Night Has | Explicit | 48018 words

Louis Tomlinson needs a change. Stuck in a cycle of going to the job he hates, spending time with his friends, and avoiding the one man he hates most in this world, Louis' in desperate need of something new. So when he discovers an abandoned notebook on the way to work, the decision is easy to take it for himself and begin a journal amidst the empty pages. What can't be expected are the words that appear overnight directly beside his own, written on the same day 400 years in the past. What are the consequences of a magical connection between two men of different centuries? And who, among it all, is the mysterious E who only exists on the other side of Louis' journal?

19) Letters | Explicit | 58346 words

Louis lost his Alpha and mate in a deadly accident a year ago. Since then he has been writing letters to better deal with the grief and loss. But suddenly he gets answers from Harry Styles, an Alpha who himself is looking for meaning in life besides his career.

20) Oh, To Be Vulnerable | Mature | 63429 words

Disgruntled nurse Harry is, what some would call, a bit of a loner. Aside from work, he spends most of his time alone, either taking trips to the Boston library or going for walks around Quincy Market, or wallowing in his own sadness. He doesn’t seem to mind too much though. He takes his job seriously, and he likes it enough that he shows up every day, so what could be worth threatening his peace that he has worked so hard to create?

Louis, an overly-chipper and easily excitable orthodontics resident, can’t help but instantly fall for the boy in the photo that Niall shows him. With his education soon coming to a close, he is ready to get back into the dating game, and what a wonderful sight to begin with. The relationship between Harry and Louis has all the highs and lows that typical relationships do, but will Harry learn to trust Louis enough to let him in? And will Louis be able to manage his life turning every which way while also figuring out Harry?

21) LOUIS. | Explicit | 72202 words

“Oh, by the way Harry Styles, my name is Louis, Louis Tomlinson!” And with one last bright smile towards Harry, Louis was gone and out of his sight.

You’re who I've been searching for my whole life.

It's You.

22) You're Umami Baby | Mature | 87427 words

Umami: The essence of deliciousness.

Harry is a chef who never experienced umami until he meets his new dishwasher, Louis.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[cocainegirlsnblunts]

Smoothies In 1991

Jack Harlow - Officially meeting Jack

Interviewer: So can you two tell us where you first met and what were your first impressions on each other.

you started cracking up thinking about that day.

10/27/21.

After 2019 you weren’t so much in the spotlight, only because you chose too. You liked to be as private as possible and your work already got the recognition it deserved. Plus you’ve already done a few interviews here and there.

You were struggling with a lot at the time and the only option you had was to take a break from your career. You stayed lowkey, stopped posting, and anytime you were in a picture or anything it was RARE.

But anyway, 2021 you started to plan your comeback and so your friend Cole posted you on your Birthday

@colebennett ✓⃝

liked by madisonbeer, chanteljeffries, mariahthescientist and 238,595 others

colebennett happy 22nd birthday twin

And Cole has worked with many people, including Jack Harlow. Who you didn’t even know really but Cole had the amazing idea to take him to the Birthday Party your lovely Best Friend, Kali Uchis was throwing you.

Your Birthday is in late October so you always have a Costume Party. This year it was a Jazz Club/Old Hollywood themed.

Many people that you’ve worked with or have a bond with came. Here are some of the people who attended.

As you’re talking with friends, Cole approaches you with some people you’ve never met and didn’t really recognize.

“Yo Arlette” he yells.

“Cole Hey!!” you say noticing there’s some people behind him.

“Look I just wanted to introduce you to my boys here, you might know some of em, this is Jack, Jack Harlow.”

the world stopped spinning when you looked into his eyes, and you damn near lost your breath when he reached for handshake.

“Happy Birthday.” he says

“nice to meet you☺️☺️” omfg. LIKE WHO IS THIS???!??? you were screaming on the inside, last person you were geeking over was Jordan. (playboicarti)

“And then this is Urban and Druski” Cole continues to introduce you.

you greet them all with a smile and a nice to meet you, because like we mentioned earlier we aren’t so aware of the people poppin at the moment😬 but some knew you

“Hey I really love your work dude, New Choppa was insane” - Urban says

“Thank you so muchhh!” you say with a smile.

Fast forward the night, you took some pictures with your friends and everyone, including Jack because Cole insisted.

Cole posted it on his story and everyone was going crazy because this was your first appearance since 2019. (yk how we freak out when we see frank ocean, this is how everyone was reacting to you)

You: So yeah to break it all down, I wanted Jacks fine ass since the day I met him.

Jack’s Pov

At the time I was on the rise of my Career. The song I was featured on with Lil Nas X was the #1 song in the world. Got Nominated for hella stuff, got hella awards. I was really accomplishing my dreams.

My friend Cole Bennett, creator of Lyrical Lemonde, fucking legend. I’ve worked with him for the music video of What’s Poppin my first hit ever.

He had this friend, and I had known of Arlette because she was a big help in the artistic side of this industry and uh, Urban has mentioned her name to me before when he’d show me some album covers, or a music video but, i never knew the face behind all that was arlette’s beautiful self.

So it’s October, all these halloween parties are happening and Cole had hit me up and said, “Yo I have this friend, Arlette Viotto she works in the same category as me. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her but, she’s having a birthday party today at 9 PM they’re always really sick, i’d love for you to meet her man.

And me like I said I never even seen what she looked like, but I looked her up on google and I was sent to a whole different dimension looking at how beautiful she was. I was also appalled reading everything she was behind like damn I never knew. But I hit Cole back I said I am going to that party, we invited more of our friends and walking into this lil jazz club, they were playing that techno shit, it got turnt.

And I’m walking around I see hella people here, some people are coming to greet me ya know telling me congrats on being number one all that. Cole brings me to go meet this Arlette Viotto. And man was she even prettier in person.

Meanwhile Urban was over here fangirling, i remember. That shit was hilarious, but yeah I used my skills of eye contact and smooth talking. It was love at first sight.

okay first of all sorry for taking forever on this. I have gotten so unmotivated on like everything i been wanting to write about but here is what i have of this Jack Harlow series im attempting to do. I hope you love it and there’s more coming, trust and believe!!

[nimbasa-librarian]

Hanging Out, Hanging On

Don’t panic. Don’t panic Don’t Panic

You’re just hanging out with Jan. At her house. You’re just hanging out to listen to the Commotions. You’re just hanging out-!!

“Yah!” 

“Wuh?” 

Drew gave his partner an unimpressed stare. 

“I- Don’ give me tha!” 

Daniel pulled at her arm. “Yah! Mahsk!” 

Right. They were just standing there in front of the townhouse. She needed to ring the damn doorbell. 

“Fine, fine, don’ yell!” 

She walked up the stoop to the hardwood door painted blue, and sighed deeply. 

“Y’r just here t’listen to the new Commotion’s album. Tha’s all. Just here to listen t’it” Anya psyched herself up. “Okay” 

She rang the doorbell. 

There was a rather startling noise of things falling over, followed by a few seconds of silence before the door opened. 

“Hi! Hey, hi Anya. Thanks for comin’” 

“Oh, no problem! Yeah, uh, can I come in?” 

“Of course, come on!” 

Anya came inside with Drew and Daniel following behind, the two of them sharing an amused look. 

January led her friend inside of the home, walking through the parlor and front sitting room and over into the living room “My sister is out, but she might be coming back while we’re listening to the album - just a heads up” 

“Oh ah, tha’s no problem” 

“Excellent! Uh, take a seat, I'll be right back!” 

Anya gave her a nod as she disappeared into her small kitchen. 

Anya took a few deep, even breaths to calm herself. There was no need to freak out. She was just in the house of the cutest girl she’d ever seen. No big deal. 

“Yah?” 

‘M’fine, shush” Anya huffed

Daniel looked unimpressed at being shushed. 

“Ugh, ah know, jus - not now, okay?” 

Drew rolled his eyes at the nerves, starting to curiously look around the living room. 

Anya’s eyes fell on the woman’s record collection, eyes scanning the sorting and well-curated look of it on the antique bookshelf. 

“Oh wow… there’s a lot here..” 

Her eyes fell on the newer records, seeing Galarian punk of all things. 

Her eyes lit up at seeing a band she’d liked - “Well Wyndon”, but she spotted something even more familiar. 

Something… Pink. 

She couldn't help herself, that particular shade of borderline neon pink was only associated with - 

She held the record in her hands. 

“PIERS AND THE MINIONS - TEAM YELL ANTHEMS PART ONE” 

Huh… Anya didn’t know he’d made a new album. 

The album cover had nothing more than the stylized letters of the album title and Piers’ name in bright white, pink, and a stark black, making the colors really pop. 

It came out six months ago. She hadn’t even heard it had come out. 

… Had he removed her from the mailing list? Had she removed herself and forgotten?

She found herself staring at it for a moment before managing to shake herself out and putting back the record. 

She cleared her throat “Ah, January, can I use y’r restroom?” 

“Sure!” The woman called from her kitchen “First door down the hall!” 

“Thank ye” 

Anya shut herself into the bathroom for a moment, taking several deep breaths. 

In… Out…

Arceus above, you’d think 9 months in Nimbasa City would separate her feelings. 

But alas, it still stung. 

Okay, Anya. Deep breaths. Controlled breaths. You’re fine. 

There was a familiar “thunk thunk” against the door. 

“One moment” 

Deep breath, control breath. Okay. You’re fine. 

She left the restroom, and gave Drew - who was clearly concerned at her reaction to the album - a pat 

“Ahm alright, Drew. Le’s jus’ f’rget” 

“Yah…” 

Anya sighed, eventually just walking back into the living room. 

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Bedsit Disco Queen and Jeff Buckley at Glastonbury

January 9, 2014 No Comments

I’ve just finished reading Bedsit Disco Queen, the music memoir by Everything But The Girls’ Tracey Thorn. I’m not really an Everything But The Girl fan but I have a fondness for random bits of their catalogue and even knew Rob Peters, the drummer on their 1986 album Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. But as soon as I saw the book in the library, I knew it was going to be a fascinating read for anybody who lived through the era. The paperback is released on January 16 and I heartily recommend it.

There’s one story from the book I’d like to share, which concerns Jeff Buckley. Thorn was a fan of Buckley and in April 1995, EBTG played a low key gig at Sin-e, the New York cafe where he had recorded his 1993 mini-album. Ben Watt (other half of EBTG) randomly met Jeff while they were having their hair cut at an East Village salon, they discovered they were both playing the Glastonbury Festival and Jeff suggested they do a song together. This is all forgotten until an hour before Everything But The Girls’ midday Glastonbury set.

And now, without warning or preamble, at eleven o’clock in the morning here is Jeff Buckley standing in front of me in my workman’s hut of a dressing room, and he has come to remind me that we have agreed to do a song together. We are due onstage in about half an hour. ‘Bloody hell, isn’t it a bit late now?’ I ask. He doesn’t think so. With a kind of gauche enthusiasm that makes him seem like a spectacularly gorgeous younger brother, he produces a guitar and begins to throw ideas at us.

They decide to cover The Smiths’ I Know It’s Over and the peformance is chaotic but enjoyable. Fast forward to late afternoon when Jeff Buckley is playing the main stage and Tracey and Ben are watching from the wings.

At the end of one song he looks over to us, catches Ben’s eye and starts beckoning him onstage with furious jerks of his head. It’s the scene at the end of Spinal Tap when the band reunite onstage! Ben picks up a guitar, gamely ambles on and plugs in. ‘OK,’ yells Jeff. ‘ we’re gonna do “Kick Out The Jams”. One-two-three-FAWH!’ Now Ben may well be the only guitarist in rock music who had never heard MC5’s punk anthem, let alone played it. Still, he’s nothing if not a quick learner, and after about eight bars he has sussed it and is off and running.

And that’s why, at the end of the song, Jeff Buckley says ‘Uh, thanks Ben.’

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[bindtorturekillme]

Your Eyes, Vacant & Stained

Ch.4 - 5k

Pairing: Frank Iero x Gerard Way

A handful of loud snapping sounds came from nearby, "Uh… guys?" Ray's voice sounded panicked.

"Yeah?" Gerard yelled back, Frank checked the mirrors but didn't see anything.

"The house with the red shutters!" Frank saw Ray pointing towards a house.

Warnings 

Gore, Death, Murder, WORK-IN-PROGRESS, not completed (and chapters unknown) but I know the ending, trust me guys I will write it, I just need people to love this idea with me, Zombies, Gay, mcr??

Support my AO3 with part four otherwise, enjoy ♥

Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap.10 |

The truck could only fit two comfortably, three if they squeezed, Ray and Mikey decided to take the trunk since they were both large in the shoulders. The roads were far from clear on the way to their next city, Gerard called it Mesq “With a Q”. He spoke with an accent that sounded like a cowboy impersonating a French man that made Frank laugh.

They drove slowly through large pile-ups, around bodies and potholes. Frank hung his arm out the window while Gerard drove. They didn’t come across many undead that were still walking, but when they did, Ray or Mikey would usually wind up their bats and spike their heads. Frank’s gut twisted every time one’s head blew up, he wasn’t able to comprehend how they were so okay with murder.

He checked his phone over and over again, but there were no new notifications. Frank wasn’t the type of person who was on social media, he barely gave anyone his phone number. But it was over forty-eight hours since he was in contact with anyone he knew, so he had forced himself to reach out. If Gerard was telling the truth, New Jersey wouldn’t have been hit yet, The Virus was barely into Utah. 

His first outgoing text was to a group chat he created with his parents and brother, at first he had no idea what to even say to them. He wasn't the type to reach out, but he told them he would let them know when he got back from this trip, which was supposed to be the previous day. He texted them as the group was piling their stuff into the truck. Frank sat in the passenger side with his duffle at his feet. He stared at the phone for a long time, typing up whole texts just to hate them and delete it all. Eventually, he settled with “Got caught up, not sure when I'll be back. Get to safety, if you’ve heard about the zombies, they’re real.” Now, they’d been driving for almost an hour and he hadn’t heard anything back. Frank gnawed at his lip but shoved his phone back into his pocket, attempting to push away the thought of his family.

Gerard glanced over casually, his sunglasses hid it from Frank. The handful of CD’s Frank discovered in the truck earlier didn’t satisfy Gerard, but he always kept two albums with him, he expressed they are "essential to him no matter the circumstances"; The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and Nirvana’s In Utero. They weren’t Frank’s favorite, but he didn’t judge. He wondered whether or not the music choice was why Ray and Mikey offered Frank the front.

Besides the numerous pile-ups everywhere, the skies were clear, the desert stretched far and the mountains cooked in the sunlight. As they drove, the trees got thicker and grass began to cover the ground. They drove almost an hour and a half before seeing the city sign they were looking for. They slowed down in front of it. A truck has driven through half of the sign, leaving just M-E-S-Q. Frank wondered if Gerard had scouted up here without him knowing, when he checked the map on his phone, it said they were in a city called Mesquite, but he continued to refer to it as Mesq, mimicking Gerard's bad accent every time.

A church had finished burning to their left, all that was left was charred pews, blackened ceiling beams had smashed into the confessionals and steeple. The giant marble crucifix with Jesus was still standing, though blacked from the smoke. A green field began to spread in front of them on the opposite side. Gerard had slowed as they drove into the city. A burning police car was turned over in the middle of the street they were following with more cars on either side like a barricade, bodies were everywhere, a semi was tipped over, crushing a few cars, a patch of cacti and more body parts. Between each mountain pass, Frank was able to see they followed a river and before long the mountains fell.

“I think we made it…” Frank’s low voice reached out the window to Ray and Mikey in the bed. 

Ray turned his head in towards the truck's back window, “Guys, is that a golf course?” 

Gerard chuckled menacingly, “I think you might be right!” He sped the car up, Frank gripping the handle above his door. Mikey got off his butt and started squatting in the trunk, looking like a meercat making sure it's safe to keep going, while Ray used his arm to hold on to the frame around them. Gerard swerved around some bodies but drove over ones that were macerated and unrecognizable. 

They followed the golf course until it ended, then they took the first ramp off highway 15 and quickly found the entrance to the course. The course reminded Frank of the hotel he woke up in. It wasn’t free from bodies and blood but there was a lot less dead here than the last few cities he'd gone through.

“Okay, before we settle here, we’re going to drive around a little bit,” Gerard explained to everyone but mostly for Frank. “We scope the neighborhood out in the truck first, for an easier getaway. This truck is… louder than what we like but at least we can outrun them.” Frank nodded in understanding and Gerard went past the course.

They didn’t go too far, another church was surrounded by a neighborhood that spanned three blocks. They turned down a street and Gerard instantly noticed a half eaten woman who was being dragged by three dogs, the dog's leashes were tied to her wrist, “I don’t think we’re in a safe-zone anymore…” Gerard grumbled.

Frank had his chin resting against the open window as he watched the zombies stand around, fumbling in their yards, he even noticed some inside the windows just staring at their tv’s that still aired reruns of pre scheduled shows. Occasionally one would notice they were driving past and Ray or Mikey would have to wind their bats up again. Ray made a joke about mailboxes and zombie heads feeling the same against a bat, but Frank’s ears were ringing as Rape Me by Nirvana played for the nth time. It wasn’t loud, but to Frank it sounded like the volume was on max.

Frank’s ears rang more, the truck's buzz was gone and he saw black fuzz around his vision again. Kurt Cobain’s voice moaned “rape meeee…… rape meeeee, again……….”, the louder his voice became, the more muffled it sounded. Eventually Kurt’s repeated screaming made Frank feel like he was at a bad house party, trapped in the bathroom while the music pounds at the door. A memory attempted to form, but Frank fought back. As his vision blackened slightly more, he whipped his head up and around to look at Gerard. Gerard wasn’t singing anymore, he definitely didn’t look relaxed. 

The bathroom Frank felt trapped in shrunk and his breathing got hard. Claustrophobia suddenly kicked in, Frank didn’t feel claustrophobic often, he knew he didn’t know how to handle it as his body grew hot and his head felt light. Anger bubbled in his chest like a cauldron about to boil over. He smashed the eject CD button and threw the CD down to Gerard’s feet. He turned back out the window, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in while a thick gust of air blew into his face.

Crunching gravel prevented a silence from happening, and it happened too fast for Gerard to realize what was going on. Frank opened his eyes again and turned back to Gerard, he pretended not to notice Ray and Mikey also staring in at them. “Sorry. Sorry, I just- It- Ugh.” Frank took a deep breath. “We’ve listened to that song a lot.” Frank’s head hung. Ray and Mikey quickly turned their backs to them again.

“Hey,” Gerard stretched his arm out and grabbed Frank’s leg. “You’re safe with us, there’s only a couple of us left, we gotta stick together.”

The cruise ended early when the truck coughed. Every zombie at the six closest houses whipped their heads towards the truck. Gerard cursed under his breath and grabbed the wheel with both hands, the zombies began approaching quicker than before stumbling over their own feet, some dropped hard onto their faces as they ran. 

Frank frantically looked around in front of them, attempting to remember which way the golf course was. 

A handful of loud snapping sounds came from nearby, "Uh… guys?" Ray's voice sounded panicked.

"Yeah?" Gerard yelled back, Frank checked the mirrors but didn't see anything.

"The house with the red shutters!" Frank saw Ray pointing towards a house.

"A good couple of these houses have red shutters, dude!" Gerard hadn't noticed Ray pointing, but Frank moved to stick his head out the back window to see which house it was.

A pack of hunchback creatures on all four paws were creeping out of a nearby home. Most of their jaws were intact and drooling a mix of saliva and blood. The creatures seemed to be dog-like, but most had chewed off tails or ears, and some of their legs were swollen with muscle. They were a sickly ash-brown color with huge circular lesions all over their bodies that were most likely bites that got infected. One of the creatures was much larger than the rest, thick with muscle but still covered in lesions, this ones skin was drooping and slopping off onto the ground. This one was also missing it's entire snout, a weird array of teeth protruded from the chunk of meat that was left of his face.

Their eyes traced the truck as the group stared. Swollen bloodshot eyes with little white left, their irises almost glowed neon yellow at certain angles.

The ones that were able to snarled and snapped, Gerard had slowed the car unintentionally as he was distracted by the hyena-esc scene developing before them. 

“You guys never mentioned zombie animals!” Frank’s frantic voice cut Gerard back to real life. A zombie screamed as it slammed its arms against the hood of the truck, all of them had been so distracted with what was behind them, they didn't realize the zombies were closing in. Francis realized quickly he was trapped.

In one swift move, Gerard shook his head, grabbed the wheel with both hands and said, “We didn’t know about them, either” before smashing his foot into the gas pedal. The zombie on the hood slid off and Gerard turned the wheels around it, crushing it's legs and making the truck jump on one side.  

Frank fumbled with his phone to get a map up again, Ray was making frantic sounds behind him that he couldn’t make out while Mikey stayed virtually silent as he smashed the zombie from the hoods head and watched the hungry beasts barrelling down the road at us.

The houses all looked the same as they rounded the corner and Gerard turning down every random turn he could didn’t help. To them, it felt like an infinite loop until ever so often the sound of a loud smash and pop as one would get too close and Mikey would use its skull for batting practice. 

“Take a left!!” Frank’s arm shot up over Gerard’s vision. Gerard slapped his arm down, swerving off the road momentarily. 

“Where?!” 

“HERE!” Frank grabbed the wheel this time and twisted it, Gerard felt a slight burn and the whole truck tipped more as Mikey got onto his knees and nearly hung out the side of the truck bed. Frank looked out the back window, “Mikey, I know we’re in danger, but can you sit FOR FIVE MINUTES?!” His anger was bubbling up and he knew it was the lack of alcohol.

Mikey’s stern face, although emotionless, sent a cold chill down Frank’s spin when they finally met eyes. “Drive better, I’m the only reason you’re alive right now.” Mikey turned away without giving Frank a second thought, only making Frank’s alcoholic anger boil. Ray was incoherently yelling still as he smashed down two more zombie dogs that had attempted to bite him. 

The golf course began emerging from the horizon like a mirage and Frank began laughing with relief. Gerard looked over at him a couple of times, unsure of how to respond as he noticed Frank was silently weeping as he laughed. 

Gerard checked the rearview, Mikey and Ray had taken out a good few dogs, he could only see four left. Each of them were running at different paces, snapping at the wheels and the back bumper. The most muscular one was staying behind the pack, Mikey had been watching that one since the houses. When it wasn't the first to attack, Mikey became suspicious.

“Give me your gun.” Frank held his hand out to Gerard, who was frantically looking back and forth between the road and mirrors. 

“What?”

“Give me your shotgun!” Frank pointed at it.

“I can’t,” Gerard grabbed the gun and wiggled, it was seemingly stuck between his seat and the car door.

“You didn’t notice?!”

“We were driving for TWO HOURS!” 

“GUYS!!” The sound of a loud popping made Frank and Gerard stop and turn to Mikey. He smashed another dog down, now only three were chasing. Ray was waiting for his moment to hit another. “The golf building is open.” 

Gerard and Frank followed Mikey’s point to see a giant gate to an employee’s only parking lot was now totally open, tall brick fences protected the lot and two people stood just inside the gates. They were getting close, “You need to slow down!” Frank shouted, a splattering pop interrupted him and he winced. Only one dog was left. 

Gerard let up his foot and let the car cruise to a slower speed, the dog was bounding at them now, snarling disgustingly with saliva and blood splattering everywhere. Ray and Mikey both got onto their knees and readied their aim as the final dog came at them. The two bats greeted one another after a loud splattering pop, aluminum meeting wood, the wood splintered loudly.

The final dogs head was gone and it's body slumped. Gerard and Frank attempted to catch a glimpse of the dog when Ray screeched. The creatures legs continued to run. At first they slowed and nearly stopped, but they quickly started running in place as if it was still going after them. Then the body started to wiggly more and Ray yelled about needing to get moving.

They rolled up to the golf course parking lot, carts and RV’s were littering the space. A large gate that separated the lot from the street closed behind them.

Two women stood together in matching uniforms, guns held defensively towards the truck. The truck slowed and came to a stop right in front of them, the women stood motionless but the gate behind them creaked shut.

Gerard gave them a wide grin and energetic wave. As either girl walked around each side of the truck, they demanded everyone get out, drop their weapons and undress. With very little protest, the group complied. Ray and Mikey left their bats in the trunk and raised their hands as they hopped out, Gerard and Frank flashed the girls their weapons before placing them on their sits.

"Make sure the gun isn't stuck next time..." Frank whispered to Gerard as they were putting their weapons back. Gerard's face went red before they turned their backs to each other.

"No! Not out here!" One of the girls exclaimed, everyone turned to look and saw Ray was taking his shirt off in front of the shorter of the two girls. "Go inside." She hid behind one hand as she pointed forward into the garage with her gun. Ray slid his shirt back down, chuckling before starting forward. Each girl stood behind two of the guys with their guns to their backs.

The girls introduced themselves as Scarlet and Charlotte, both had been employees and working when the virus came through. Their uniforms looked clean enough minus a few bruises and some torn seams. They made the men strip to check for bites, “Our boss turned after he claimed he wasn’t bitten,” Scarlet huffed out as the group got their redressed.

“We knew we couldn’t trust him, we won’t be that dumb again.” Charlotte finished and both girls sneered together at the thought of their now-zombified boss. They kept their guns pointed at the group, but brought them back outside to grab their weapons.

When the girls first introduced themselves, they had to reassure the group they were not related. Although, to the guys, they looked as though they could be twins, they looked exactly the same yet completely different.

Scarlet was nearly a foot and a half shorter than Charlotte, Charlotte’s small but long arms resembled slender man whereas Scarlet's short, round body was closer to the Venus of Willendorf. Scarlet kept her hair long and blonde whereas Charlotte’s was short and very clearly dyed a bright red. Charlotte kept her face bare, Scarlet, although smudged, still had a full face of make-up with lashes still attached.

Charlotte led the group, Scarlet followed behind everyone, through a small lobby area, then a hallway and a few doors. A small grouping of cubicles had been dismembered and recreated into a good sized barracked room. They had two makeshift beds made out of two couches and a handful of loveseats. A mini-fridge still ran in the corner next to a floor fan that wasn’t on, they had dismembered some of the desks in order to cover more of the windows that faced outside much like what the guys had done at their warehouse.

Maybe this group getting bigger is a good thing... Frank's head swam as everyone filed into the room. It felt cramped even with Frank and Ray standing by the door.

Gerard and Mikey each found a hole in the blinds to peer through and saw the perfectly manicured green stretch for miles; they couldn’t see the end. The green also had a handful of zombified people lingering slowly, a couple golf carts were overturned, some with struggling and unmoving zombies stuck under them. 

“Oh hey, if you see the fat, old, bald man with the giant “fuck-you” hat, that’s our boss.” Scarlet chuckled, not holding back.

“Yeah, we weren’t really able to kill him…” Charlotte added, quietly.

“Well, how many are out there? There’s six of us now, I’m sure one moaner can’t take six of us.” Gerard wondered out loud innocently. 

“Well I can tell there’s more than-” Mikey began speaking when Charlotte and Scarlet busted out laughing.

“Did you just say MOANers?!” Charlotte howled, Scarlet held her stomach.

“I told him it was bad.” Frank interjected, Ray snickered next to him but covered his mouth with his hand.

“God, do most men only ever think with their dick?” Scarlet wiped a tear from her face.

“What do you mean?!” Gerard pulled from the window defensively, Mikey ignored him and continued to search outside.

“It sounds like boner!” Charlotte and Scarlet made each other laugh again.

“I told you.” Frank looked at Gerard who was red in cheeks but not backing down.

“Okay then what would you rather call them? Zombies like every other cliche?! Who even says they qualify as zombies?!” Gerard was throwing his hands around as he spoke.

“That's what they are!” Scarlet, Charlotte, and  Frank all said in unison causing Scarlet and Charlotte to start giggling. Frank didn’t take his eyes off Gerard, Gerard lingered on Frank so long he wondered what Gerard was thinking.

"They can't die unless you kill their brain, so," Scarlet began.

"What else do they need in order to "qualify as a zombie"." Scarlet and Charlotte air quoted in unison as Charlotte finished.

Ray leaned close to Frank's ear and whispered, "I know they said they aren't blood related but I'm starting to think they were one brain that was split between two robots." Frank covered his mouth as they giggled together, Gerard was too distracted by the girls to notice.

“Come on, there’s a million names we could use, do we need to use the sexy one?” Scarlet said.

“How is it sexy?!” Gerard defensively crossed his arms.

“Besides it rhyming with boners, it’s literally Moan. Moaners. Moan.” Scarlet mocked a moan as Charlotte explained.

“That. Is. The. Sound. They. Make.” Geoff overemphasized.

“Actually it sounds more like a gurgling, growling screech but-” Scarlet jumped in.

“Guys!” Mikey’s deep voice boomed off the small walls as he pulled away from the window. “Can we move on from this? Who cares what they’re called. They can't die unless we smash their entire bodies, actually, so we need to learn more about this virus before we should even care about what we call them."

“Smash their entire body...?” Scarlet started.

"Everyone, come here," Mikey moved back to looked out the window, eventually, after moving a desk, everyone was able to find a spot to look outside. A handful of people roamed aimlessly, bodies still wriggled under some turned over carts. It took a moment to find again but Mikey directed everyone's attention towards a creature on all fours, missing a head.

The creature was walking around, if it bumped into something, it would just turn towards a new direction and start aimlessly walking again until it hit something else.

"What... is... that..." Scarlet whimpered.

"Has anything had zombie dogs before?" Charlotte sounded panicked.

"A few things have, actually," Mikey told her, "but I've never seen a zombie continue to work after it's head has been decapitated."

"Is that the same-?" Ray trailed off, Mikey responded with a quick 'yup'.

Okay, so, we we all saw that things head explode, but it's still moving... Frank was going over every trope he could think of, "Maybe we need to burn the bodies?"

Gerard groaned. "If we need to burn their bodies, they might as well be braindead vampires."

"But they don't suck our blood." Frank argued.

"No, but they do still eat us." Mikey interjected. "So, we'll need to keep an eye on that." He pulled away finally and everyone copied. "We should become more acquainted if we want to work together." Mikey was so stoic and straight forward, Frank thought sometimes he was a robot, he never saw him even crack a grin.

How do you not cope with humor?

“Weeellll... This is where we sleep! And eat… and hide for most of the day.” Scarlet attempted to help Mikey move the conversation on. The creature was outside, therefore not an issue until they needed to go outside again. Frank and Ray had stepped back towards the door to eliminate the closeness from the window gazing.  

“But, we have another whole set of cubicles just a little farther down the hallway, we just haven’t been back there to do much.” Charlotte began walking out, Frank and Ray moved to let her through then followed close behind. 

The cubicles down the hall were disheveled and abandoned but there were no bodies and most of the blood that did plague the room was stained into the carpets and dried. 

“We don’t have much more for furniture…” Scarlet interrupted from the back of the group, each person slowly moving in. 

“But we can definitely probably break into one of those RV’s in the back.” Gerard was always looking for some way to commit a crime in a lawless land, Frank’s stomach twisted with excitement and hope for a real bed to sleep in. He wondered if they’d have to share RV’s, he couldn’t recall how many were in the lot when they pulled up since he was more concerned about the dogs that were chasing them then the guns being pointed at them. He hoped if they did have to share, he’d be able to convince Gerard to be with him. 

“Is there a reason you guys haven’t tried that yet?” Ray’s voice snapped Frank out of his daydream that almost went too far. Scarlet and Charlotte exchanged a nervous look and laugh before addressing the question.

“We just weren’t sure if those RV’s were clear of zombies or not so we figured it would be safer in here,” Scarlet began.

“Our boss was helping us, it was the three of us left, that’s how we have these.” The girls held up their weapons before Charlotte continued. “He had a bat, we just aren’t sure where it went… Before he turned, he asked us to…”

“Y’know,” Scarlet put her thumb to her throat before slicing across it. “So we brought him outside, thinking we’d keep the blood outside and not contaminate anything else in here. Right when we were about to do the deed,”

“We realized we totally forgot the gun.” When Charlotte took over again, Frank felt a pulse behind his eye and his whole skull cap THUMPed… THUMPed… “So we had to go back inside,”

“Find the guns,” Scarlet pointed out.

“Find the guns,” Charlotte reiterated dramatically. “Then go back outside,”

“And LITERALLY old yeller the guy. So, we head back outside, right?” 

“We round the corner where we left him and BOOM!” The four men each jumped at the same time as Charlotte yelled in their faces. 

“He’s totally gone.” Scarlet tightened her lips in disappointment. “So, obviously, we weren’t going to just sit outside and wait to be eaten.”

“HELL no. We came back in, hunkered back down in here and watched outside for a little bit before we saw him drag his ancient feet across the green.” The girls stopped talking, looking satisfied with their story.  

"Well." Ray broke the silence that lasted too long. "We can take care of him before we leave,"

"Are you guys thinking about leaving already?" Charlotte interrupted, looking around panicked.

"We don't have to come with you, but we need help getting our boss!" Scarlet pleaded.

"Yeah, we wanna at least fulfill his wish before we lose your help..." Charlotte added.

"We definitely aren't leaving yet," Gerard said. "And we aren't opposed to you guys coming with," Frank noticed Mikey roll his eyes and slump against a wall. "But, we'll definitely need a bigger car, so breaking into those RV's might be our only option..." Gerard pondered out loud while the two girls exclaimed excitedly together.

As soon as the room quieted down, Frank's stomach growled, he keeled over a little with embarrassment but they had not made enough food for him to get more before they left this morning. God dammit... Everyone turned to look at him.

"We'll go to the kitchen next." Scarlet walked out the door before anyone could say anything, and they all followed, twisting through only a couple doors. The kitchen was huge, bigger than the rooms they were sleeping in, and all of the appliances were stainless steel.

Multiple refrigerators and bread racks held buckets worth of food. Some prepped foods sat waiting to be put together, an entire parties worth of premade and wrapped dinners also took up most of one of the refrigerators. "We've basically been living off of these," Scarlet handed one up to Frank, he was the shortest one in the group but Scarlet made him feel tall, she barley made it to his chest with the top of her head.

He pulled the saran wrap off the plate to see a pile of mashed potatoes, a smaller pile of mixed vegetables, and three breaded pork chops laying neatly half off the last one. Scarlet continued to hand out the pre-made dinners to everyone, including Charlotte, who took two, most likely so Scarlet could eat as well. No one denied the food, Scarlet pointed to a set of three microwaves all stacked next to a bread baking oven that they all convened around as they warmed the food.

Over dinner, Gerard and Ray explained everything they knew about the virus to Scarlet and Charlotte much like they had to Frank the first night he was with them. This time Frank added his own story of how he woke up  in a hotel room with two of his dead coworkers, Charlotte 'aww'-ed but Frank shut it down saying he barley knew them, he was just afraid he had killed someone. He chuckled at himself but no one else responded how he thought they would, he cleared his throat  and got up, putting his plate into a sink that already had a few empty plates it in, left them there as they continued the conversation.

[lovely-menza]

Thank u @jeffament sweetheart for tagging me in this it was fun 💜💖

rainbow album covers challenge - place your favourite albums in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black)

So I present you the lovely-menza's basic bitch moodboard <3

I'm tagging @ritchieblackless, @the-rippers, @thespiritofvexation, @princessleiaqueen, @j-e-f-3-0, @malinov-kompot, @0mmadawn, @blackccelebration, @mewstashio, @crampdown, @cxrgans & @see-sawed ofc you don't have to do it but this one is very tempting :)c

[3raaaachachacha]

9:01 pm

Kim Seungmin x female reader / 605 words / angst / fluff

Warnings: thunderstorms, mentions of anxiety

⊱ ──────────────────────── ⊰

Another petrified scream left your lips as you curled up in your bed, trying your best to nestle yourself as far into the covers as you could. You kept the pillow securely over your head as another ear-piercing crash of thunder shook your apartment. Most of the time, you could handle a small storm, but this thunderstorm was insane. High winds, constant pouring rain that began to flood to streets below, and deafening thunder crashes. You had texted your boyfriend about it shortly after it began, and you were waiting for him to arrive home, but clearly, he was stuck somewhere.

You needed him to be here with you. It only got worse as suddenly, there was a bright flash of lightning, followed by an ear shattering boom and the power went out. You began to hyperventilate as tears fell down your cheeks from the fear and anxiety that coursed through your body.

“Y/N! Y/N, where are you?” Seungmin called out as if he had just ran all the way home. He maneuvered around your apartment in the dark as you were too frozen to even speak up to indicate where you were.

You heard your door open as Seungmin saw you shaking underneath the covers, “Baby, come here,” He panted, pulling you into his arms as you tightly wrapped your arms around his neck, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get home sooner.”

“Did you run home in the rain?” You asked through sniffles as you felt his wet shirt and hair, pulling away to look at him in the moonlight.

“I had to get here to be with you. I know how much these storms scare you and I couldn’t live with myself if I wasn’t here to protect you,” He confessed as he pulled away from you to quickly change his shirt and light a few candles.

You waited patiently, still shaking as another loud crash shook the apartment, making you scream from the sudden noise. Seungmin rushed over to you before carefully getting into bed next to you and pulling you into his warm chest. He made sure to wrap his arms around you tightly as he began to stroke your hair and back to try and calm you down.

“I wish I could stop this terrible weather, but all I can do is hold you and talk with you baby,” Seungmin said, kissing the top of your head, “Do you want to hear about my day baby?”

You nodded your head, face still nuzzled into his chest, “The boys and I were recording for our next album and it was all nice, until Minho had to start picking on Changbin. Then Changbin got annoyed with him and Bang Chan got mad at both of them and yelled. I thought it was hilarious since both of them looked scared shitless, but they had it coming for arguing over the last piece of pizza. I mean, we easily could have ordered more food if we needed it.”

Seungmin heard your small giggles coming from his chest as he could see a small grin on your face. He internally cheered himself on for helping his girlfriend feel better, but he didn’t want to stop there. Even as the storm began to subside, he wanted to make sure you felt safe, which was his reasoning for not letting you out of his reach the rest of the night. It made you laugh since you were beginning to feel alright again, but nonetheless, you were extremely grateful to have a boyfriend that would run out in a terrible storm, just to come home and comfort his girlfriend.

⊱ ──────────────────────── ⊰

- Admin 🦋

[bubblesuga]

Mahina || Part 1

Summary: Jungkook couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something drawing him to you. Like the moon tugs at the tides, he needed to be beside you. genre: smut, fluff, angst word count: 4,626 tags: idol!au, fantasy!au

When Jungkook awoke this morning, something was... different.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the air in his room seemed to have shifted slightly. He felt lighter on his feet, a sudden bounce to his step while he pulled himself off of the bed and towards the bathroom.

He brushes his teeth as usual, carefully scrubbing his tongue and admiring his reflection in the mirror. The eyebrow piercing was a good edition, he thinks. It accentuates his high brow and sparkles underneath even the dimmest light. Spritzing himself with cologne, he opens the bathroom door just in time.

"Jungkook, I made breakfast! Hurry up!"

Smiling to himself, he trots down the stairs of the far too large penthouse he and his band mates bought a couple years ago. He doesn't mind sharing with 6 other people, though. Having grown up with no siblings, he enjoys the dynamics at play when he speaks to the members. They're all his brothers, co-workers, family... He couldn't have asked for a better turn out when it came to finding a career path.

Yoongi is standing in the kitchen when Jungkook walks in, the smell of pork and kimchi filling his nose. Thanking his hyung, he grabs a bowl and starts filling up.

"You seem happy this morning," Yoongi raises an eyebrow, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Jungkook shrugs, "I just woke up in a really good mood. I feel like--" he takes a bit of his food, then speaks with his mouth full, "--something amazing is going to happen today."

"We just have rehearsals?" Yoongi's statement comes off as more of a question.

"Exactly." Jungkook says, continuing to munch on his food. Yoongi looks at the younger man and shakes his head, continuing to fry meat for the rest of the members.

"Hey, did Namjoon come home last night?" Seokjin asks as he walks into the kitchen. He takes a spot beside Jungkook on the counter, reaching into his bowl and grabbing a piece of pork belly. Jungkook attempts to push his hand away but Seokjin smacks it and grabs the meat anyway.

Yoongi shakes his head again, "Nah. He stayed at the studio last night, said something about a last minute inspiration."

Jungkook has noticed Namjoon's lack of attentiveness recently. It seems as though his head is always filled with potential themes and lyrics and beats, much more so than even in the early days of the band. He's curious about his inspiration as of late but Namjoon doesn't seem to want to give away his methods any time soon.

"He's been doing that a lot lately." Jungkook thinks outloud.

"More power to him," Seokjin says, "man works his ass off and it benefits all of us."

Yeah, it definitely does.

~*~*~

"5, 6, 7-"

Hoseok's counting is cut off by the music blasting again. It's the third run through of the new choreography, Jungkook is center and carefully watches the rest of his hyungs in the mirror. He moves to the left, following Hoseok's lead and smiling as he notices a mis-step on Jimin's part. Jimin throws his head back and yells, lifting his shirt up and wiping some of the sweat that's accumulated on his brow.

"It's okay, Jiminie," Hoseok sings, "this shit is hard."

Seokjin nods in agreement, "Yeah, what the hell happened to a laid back choreography for this come back?"

"It's the last one of the year. We gotta go out with a bang." Jungkook turns back to look at Namjoon, who chugs water in the corner of the room. "Speaking of big come backs, are you working on your mixtape?"

Namjoon laughs, "Nah, definitely not. I'm trying to get a couple more songs for the album."

"Don't we have like 14 tracks?" Taehyung speaks for the first time since rehearsal started.

"16 is better than 14." Namjoon smiles, listening to Hoseok as he calls everyone over again.

"One more time. 5, 6-"

It's then that the doors burst open and Hyun enters in. "And this is the rehearsal room containing the 7 men you will be photographing."

Jungkook's eyes travel to the person his manager is talking to, and he has to hold back a gasp. He feels the way his jaw drops, but he's unable to close his mouth while he looks at you. God, you're gorgeous. Your hair cascades down your back and your clothes cling to your body in all the right ways. Jungkook struggles to tear his eyes away, but once he sees your smile he realizes there's no way he can turn away. You're literally glowing, with god-like shining eyes. Who are you?

"Boys, this is _____. She's in charge of photography and will be around to film Bangtan Bombs, behind the scenes, or anything you all want filmed and made into content."

Jungkook repeats your name in his head five times. He whispers it to himself once while everyone else heads to you to shake your hand. Jungkook stands back, finally blinking his eyes.

You step forward after having shook the hands of everyone else, "And you're Jungkook," you smile again, "I like your tattoos. Glad you're finally willing to show them."

"T- tattoos..." Jungkook mutters pathetically as he takes your outstretched hand. You giggle, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Well, anyway. It was nice to meet you all. I'm excited to work closely with every one of you." your words are met with a chorus of 'same!' from everyone except for Jungkook.

Hyun puts a hand on your shoulder and leads you out of the room, continuing on the tour of the HYBE building. Jungkook stares after you, the doorway now long empty but he couldn't look away. You were, by far, the most beautiful woman he has ever come across. With your simple torn jeans and black t-shirt, he feels you could pull off anything you put on your body.

It's not until Yoongi speaks does Jungkook finally tear his eyes away, "Could you have been any creepier?"

"What?"

Jimin bursts into laughter, his frustration with the choreography long gone, "You were-" he takes a deep breath in between laughter, "you were staring at her like she was the last woman on the planet!"

"W- what?" Jungkook stammers.

Jimin doesn't respond, only laughing louder as he falls to the ground. Jungkook can see the hidden smirks of the rest of the members, turning his to look at everyone, "What the fuck just happened?"

"Love at first sight?" Taehyung suggests.

"More like love at first drool." Seokjin begins laughing before he even finishes his sentence, causing the rest of the members to groan at his joke.

Jungkook doesn't react to Seokjin though, as he turns to look back at the empty doorway. If love at first sight is a real thing, Jungkook just experienced it to the fullest extent.

~*~*~

Jungkook manages to continue the rest of rehearsal without a problem, except for the way his mind kept traveling back to you. Saying your name in his head again, he washes up in the gym showers. He thinks back to the way your skin seemed to be literally glowing to him, and your bright white teeth hypnotizing him.

Never in his life has he had such a short conversation with someone that had such an impact. He wants to learn everything about you, your passions, the music you like, the books you read. He hopes that you enjoy some of the same things he does, so he has an excuse to talk to you.

Though his interest in you is certainly piqued, he has to keep in mind that you are, essentially, his employee, and fantasizing about your employee is more than inappropriate.

Fantasizing might not be the right word, but he can't help and imagine conversations between the two of you. Your voice is so pretty, it's light but carries through the room. You make sure your presence is known, though with the way you shine you didn't have to try hard. He smiles to himself, closing his eyes and rinsing off the conditioner from hair. Then, he wonders what your hair looks like when it's wet.

Okay, Jungkook. That's enough.

He shakes the water off his head and wraps a towel around his body. Exiting the shower, he realizes he forgot his bag in the dance room and sighs. Checking the time on his phone, he realizes that it's after 9 pm. The odds of anyone other than the members being here is pretty slim so he can just walk his way to the rehearsal room and change in there, right?

Right.

Tightening the towel around his waist, he walks out of the gym bathroom and strolls down the hall. He scrolls through his phone while he walks, rounding the corner and hearing your voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Lee. I'm very excited to properly start tomorrow."

"We're excited to have you," Jungkook peeks his head around the corner and watches Hyun bow to you, "your work is incredible and I know Taehyung in particular loves your shooting style."

What? Taehyung knows her? Jungkook must have missed that earlier when he couldn't stop staring at you.

"Yeah! It still blows my mind that one of the bangtan boys followed my work," you let out a small, somewhat embarrassed giggle, "thank god for Instagram."

You and Hyun share a laugh, followed by a goodbye. Jungkook gasps as he sees you turn in his direction, rushing to a small doorway and pushing himself up against the wall. You can't see him like this, not already. He's nearly naked and he knows this towel isn't big enough to cover himself as well as he should in front of a stranger, so he holds his breath as your foot steps become closer... and closer... and-

"Hey Jungkook."

Fuck.

Jungkook exhales a breath and moves to tighten the towel around his waist even more. You're eyes are not scanning his body like he thought you would be. Of course, Jungkook knows that sounds cocky of him to say but he can't help but assume that that would be the outcome of this situation. Either way, his face still burns when your eyes meet his. Those gorgeous, glowing eyes.

"Were ya hiding?" you laugh, tilting your head to the side, and Jungkook realizes that he's still pressed up against the wall.

"I- I, uh-" come on Jungkook, get it together, "Sorry. I didn't want you to see me naked."

"Oh please. When humans are naked, they're at their purest forms. It's natural, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." you smile brightly, moving a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. Your phrasing is odd, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he swallows, "You're right, but I'm sure you wouldn't have been okay with my dick just hangin' out. Neither would the security watching the cameras."

You laugh, a proper laugh that doesn't seem to be masked by something else, and Jungkook realizes it's melodic. A fine tune singing into his ears as one of the most beautiful songs he has ever heard. It's soft, breathy, and makes him want to make you laugh for the rest of eternity.

"Either way," you say after a moment, the hint of humor still in your voice, "nothing to be ashamed of. I'll see you tomorrow, Jungkook."

Jungkook tilts his head, watching you wave and waving back as you carry your feet towards the elevators.

~*~*~

The air was even lighter this morning, and Jungkook can't help but think you play a part in his bright mood.

Following the conversation yesterday, Jungkook walked with a grin on his face to grab his clothes. You're incredibly charismatic, an stark difference to Jungkook's usual shy and laid back personality. Despite your conversations together being minimal, Jungkook feels you and him are going to be close.

Jungkook hops out of bed and styles his hair carefully. Checking his phone as he brushes his teeth, he's received a text from Taehyung apologizing because he had already left. The house sounds still, he remembers Yoongi and Seokjin opted at staying at their respective apartments tonight, wanting to be a little closer to home. Namjoon probably stayed at the studio again and Jimin and Hoseok more than likely left with Taehyung. He shrugs, making a quick protein shake and grabbing a banana before heading out of the door.

As he drives to work, he makes note at how much more productive the members have been these days. Not that they never were, but the usual slump of exhaustion that follows months of continuous promotions, rehearsals, and recording doesn't seem to be hitting anyone this time around. Surely, the explanation is the high everyone is riding from the success of Butter and Permission To dance in the west. It's motivated everyone, including Jungkook himself.

He pulls into the parking garage, rides the elevator up to the 13th floor, and steps off only to be stopped by Hoseok.

"Jungkookie!" Hoseok wraps his arms around Jungkook's neck and squeezes him tight.

"Hoseokie!" Jungkook mocks, giving a pat to the older one's back. Hoseok pulls away with a chuckle, "I guess _____ is doing behind the scene shoots today. Something about wanting to catch us in our element."

"Oh? Like individual shoots?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "she's with Yoongi in his studio right now. She told me to tell everyone to choose a thing they do on a daily basis that might be interesting to see for ARMY."

"Should I work out?" Jungkook smirks. Hoseok rolls his eyes, patting Jungkook's pecs,

"You work out enough." Smiling, he begin walking towards the commons area,

"I'm almost to where I want to be." "Whatever Jungkook, you bully us enough already." Hoseok pats Jungkook's head and walks away, leaving Jungkook to sit on the couches for a moment.

He picks up his phone and scrolls through Weverse and Twitter for a moment. Despite not being as active as people wish he could be, he does keep up with what everyone is talking about. Currently he sees excitement about their online concert from last year coming to DVD, and "JUNGKOOK'S ABS" is trending.

Yeah, he's definitely going to work out for his behind the scenes.

Holding his phone up, he snaps a quick selfie and posts it to Twitter. Once a month seems to be a good formula.

"Jungkook?" Yoongi's voice enters the room, "She's gonna shoot with Namjoon then you."

"Ah," Jungkook stands, "time to get nice and sweaty for ARMY."

"You're such a freak." Yoongi laughs, watching Jungkook leave the room.

Jungkook begins on the treadmill, listening to music and trying not to think about the fact that you're going to be photographing him while he's working out. He feels somewhat dumb, being so incredibly invested in your opinions of him already, but like yesterday proved, there was something about you that drew him in.

He speeds up the treadmill, his calves burning and his breathing quickening while he runs. It's incredible, the feeling of absolute bliss he feels after a run. When his muscles ache and his chest feels clear, he feels most at peace. Though, peace isn't difficult to come across these days. Even with the sadness of not being able to perform live like he wants to, it's not as looming as it was before. It's incredibly exhilarating to wake up not feeling like the end is near. It happened so suddenly, he's not sure what changed.

At the beginning, when they had to cancel the tour and stay in Korea, Jungkook felt as though life was never going to be the same. It was dark for everyone. He remembers Jimin crying in the bathroom after the cancellation, which caused Jungkook to start crying as well. He scrolled through social media for hours, reading the anger and frustration at those who had to return their tickets. It pained him, to see such a bleak view of the fans he adored.

Now that it's been close to 2 years, Jungkook has learned to-- for lack of a better term-- live with it. He wakes up every day and tries his hardest to live, and that's all you can do when your passion in life is ripped away from you due to an ongoing worldwide pandemic.

The gym doors slide open and Jungkook looks in the mirror to see you.

You have a camera around your neck, Jungkook recognizes it as a Canon. You close the door behind you and stop him as Jungkook starts to slow down the treadmill.

"Pretend like I'm not even here." you nearly whisper, and Jungkook has to stop himself from choking on his spit. Your voice sounded almost sultry. He can't tell if that was his imagination or if it was intentional on your part.

Jungkook shakes his head, turning up the speed just a little bit more.

He hears the shutter on your camera clicking, the action setting in full effect as he runs. You move around him, being sure not to get yourself in the mirror of the shots. The only noises in the room are his breathing and the sounds of his feet hitting the runway. It's rough, his chest heaving the more he pushes himself, but he's more interested in the way you seem to float around the room, or the fact that your hands seem dwarfed by the large camera.

It makes him wonder what your hands would look like on him.

A necklace dangles from your neck, it's gold and shines under the lights of the gym. It falls gently into the crevice of your chest, what looks like a golden moon on the end of the chain.

Again, he wonders what your skin would feel like against his.

"You gotta stop looking at the camera." you giggle.

He didn't even realize his eyes were following you. Suddenly, it's like a wave of confidence washes over him. Confidence that he was not ready for.

He swallows, taking a deep breath, "I'm not looking at the camera." Why is he saying this?

"Yes you are," you grin, "I have like 7 pictures in a row of you looking directly at the camera."

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm looking at the person holding the camera." Shut up, Jungkook. Stop talking!

"Oh?" you laugh, "what's catching your eye?"

"The necklace." what the fuck? He basically admitted to staring at your tits!

"The necklace that's right in between my tits?"

He laughs, you snap a picture.

"I guess so, I'm sorry." The usual nervousness that he would feel at an admission like that is non-existent. He feels comfortable enough to talk to you like this, and judging by the way you smile, you're comfortable with it too.

"No need to be sorry," you snap another picture, "I know they draw attention."

Jungkook nods, "They certainly do."

"What do you like about them?"

The question throws Jungkook for a loop but he doesn't let that show.

"They're perky," he explains, stopping the treadmill, "and your shirts show off the perfect amount to leave some to the imagination."

"Ah, so you're imagining my tits?"

"Yes."

You smirk, walking away. For a moment, Jungkook is scared he said too much, but it's very quickly washed away by the sound of the lock turning. "So," you begin, "you're saying that if I took off my shirt, you wouldn't be opposed to looking at me?"

Jungkook shakes his head, "I also wouldn't be opposed to touching you."

"Well," you slip off your shirt, "I'm ready."

Jungkook feels his cock twitch in his gym shorts at the sight of your bra. Of your fucking bra.

Despite the blood rushing to his cock, he shakes his head, "Oh come on, darling. You know that's not enough for me."

"Your shirt first, buddy." your eyes follow Jungkook as he grips the hem of his shirt and pulls it off. Now that there's verbal consent, your eyes roam all over his torso. He's ripped, Jungkook knows this, but under your gaze he feels like a meal. Like he's about to get devoured by you, and he can't say he's not enjoying the idea.

You reach behind you, unhooking your bra and allowing it to fall to the ground.

Jungkook's eyes widen at sight, stepping closer to you and falling to his knees. He places his nose against your torso, inhaling your scent. The sensuality of the small gasp that left your mouth fueled Jungkook. He grabs your hands and pulls you down to his level, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips.

It's rough and heated, all teeth and tongue. He's not used to being this way, to feeling almost primal in his movements. He gnaws at your bottom lip, eliciting another moan from you. It's high pitched and nearly whiny, proving that you're suddenly filled with as much need as he is.

"I'm gonna fuck you," Jungkook states, "right here. Right now."

"Please." you toss your head back, falling onto the padded floors of the gym. Jungkook follows suit, kissing his way down your body until he reaches your navel. Again, he presses his nose into you and inhales, you smell so damn good.

He keeps smelling, inhaling your scent as he undoes the buttons of your jeans. The less clothing there, the stronger your scent becomes. He feels insatiable, nearly ripping off your panties to get to your center.

"Fuck, you're so wet already," Jungkook groans, his voice deep with want, with need. Taking a single finger up your slit, he draws it back and sucks your juices clean, "and you taste as good as you smell."

You stare up at him with hooded eyes, holding yourself up on your elbows and spreading your legs as wide as you can. "Now that you've had a taste you might as well finish it."

Jungkook doesn't need to be told twice, diving into your soaked folds with his tongue. He moves fast but also meticulously, being sure to take note of all the places that make you moan a little louder, sink a little deeper into him. Your hand reaches down and snakes its way through his hair, tugging at the roots.

At that point, Jungkook begins to kick off his shorts without pulling away.

"Fuck, I've always wanted to fuck you," you moan in between words, "you always look so good everywhere you go."

"Yeah?" Jungkook chuckles, "did you imagine fucking me before you got hired here?"

You nod, "I couldn't help it, I knew you'd be good."

As Jungkook manages to get his shorts off, he grips ahold of his aching member. Pulling up to his knees, his thumb doesn't stop rubbing harsh circles against your clit.

"That's hot," Jungkook breathes, "I've been wanting to take you since I first saw you."

"Then do it." you demand, and a flip switches in Jungkook's brain.

He pulls his fingers away from you and leans forward, "Taste yourself."

You don't hesitate to take his fingers into your mouth, Jungkook feeling your tongue dance across the pads of his fingers. Feeling himself twitch, he strokes himself for a little bit of relief while you suck.

"Taste good?" He questions.

"Delicious."

"Good girl." He murmurs, leaning down and connecting your lips with his again. As he does so, he runs the head of his cock against your slit, enjoying the gasp you let out every time he brushes against your clit. You feel so warm, so inviting. He can taste you so well, he wants nothing more than to dive in.

So he does.

Pressing into you slowly, he feels your warmth envelope him. Your legs wrap around his hips and guide him in all the way. When he slips all the way in, you both pull away for a moan.

"So fucking good. So tight." He moves his hips achingly slow, enjoying the noises of content leaving your lips. Your moans spur him on as your tightness engulfs him yet again. He leans down and presses a kiss to your neck, your hot skin nearly burning his lips, "I don't want to hurt you."

You shake your head, "You can't hurt me. I promise."

Jungkook isn't sure what takes over him at this point, but he feels his lips begin to thrust harshly into you. He doesn't process the rest of the world, the only thing that's certain is you. You're everything that he needs to focus on now, your whines, your moans, the feeling of your legs guiding him in and out of you. He wants to take you here over and over again until the end of time, and he's never felt that about anyone before in his life.

Your lips are beginning to bruise from the rough kisses he's been laying on you, so he takes a gentle approach and sucks on your jawline. Every few thrusts, he rests his forehead against yours. Then he moves again. Then rests.

"Tell me how good I feel." you whisper against his lips, breathy.

"Baby," Jungkook's brows knit together in pleasure, "you feel so good around me. So warm. I want to cum in you and fill you up so bad. Do-n't stop squeezing- fuck."

Jungkook abandons the pace he tried to keep and slams into you, pulling you on top of him and lifting you up and down on his cock. You let out a scream as he reaches a point he hasn't touched before, your cunt tightening exponentially around him.

He latches his mouth onto your nipples, the sensitive peaks hardening against his tongue. Your nails rake down his chest while you grind against him, your ass smacking against his thighs while he begins thrusting upward.

His hands grip your hips harshly, sure enough to leave bruises by his fingertips. He feels his orgasm approaching quickly, but he needs you to cum first. He need to feel you cum around him. "Fuck," he growls through clenched teeth, "cum. I need you to cum. Cum around me, please please please!"

"I'm gonna- I'm-" your sentence is cut off by your orgasm taking over, clenching deliciously around Jungkook and pushing him over the edge. His hips stutter and he releases into you, your warmth mixing with his as he collapses onto the ground. You're both silent for a while, your chests heaving as you try to calm down. Jungkook leans up, keeping you in a hug as your knees move to either side of his hips. Neither of you make a move to pull apart, Jungkook softening inside of you but the sensitivity feels so good.

He rests his chin on your shoulder, glancing behind you and towards the mirrors. On the inner edge of each of your shoulder blades, lay two large scars. They're old, pink in color now. Jungkook reaches a finger up to trace the scars but is stopped by a knock on the door.

"Hey, I'm ready when you are _____!" Jimin's voice sounds through the gym, muffled by the door.

"Shit." You whisper, "shit, shit, shit!"

You quickly pull off of him, beginning to slip your panties and bra back on.

Jungkook flinches at the sudden loss of warmth around him, looking down at his cock and seeing a mixture of his and your cum coating his thighs. "Don't you need to clean up?" he whispers.

"I'll stop by the bathroom on the way." you murmur, now fully dressed, "thank you for that, by the way." you wink, grabbing the back of his neck and pressing a hard kiss against him. Then, you're out the door.

Jungkook is left naked on the floor, confused, and wanting to ask why exactly you have asymmetrical scars on your back.

[clue-can-writes]

Making Fun

Red Velvet 6th Member

Dumb Dumb Era

Jiwoo loves watching her boyfriend perform, but she didn’t think she would love it more when he performed her songs

Based on this ask!

*Minhyuk is the one in the red dress with braids and yellow tights, in case you wanted to know

The Red Velvet members had finished promotions for Dumb Dumb and their album, The Red a while ago, but the hype over the album was still present! Overall the song had been successful, even if Jiwoo didn’t like the concept that much. However, this era had helped her meet her boyfriend, even if it was just by chance! After their “non-date,” Jiwoo realised that she really liked Minhyuk, enough to fully go against SM and start officially dating the same day!

They had been texting back and forth, but they hadn’t gotten another chance to be together, as BtoB was currently promoting their EP, I Mean. Thankfully, they were at the end of promotions and Minhyuk and Jiwoo had been texting, trying to get a date for their date!

Minhyuk: Good Morning! :)

Minhyuk: Are you up?

Minhyuk: Babe?

Minhyuk: Babe?

Minhyuk: Jiwoo?

Minhyuk: Seo Jiwoo?

Minhyuk: Did you die?

Jiwoo: Dude. It’s 6 in the morning

Minhyuk: I just wanted to tell you I love you! :)

Jiwoo: Yea, I love you too. Now why are you texting me this early?

Minhyuk: I think the more important question is why are you up this early? You would sleep on the roof of a car if it meant getting a few more minutes!

Jiwoo: Yeri and Seungwan thought it would be fun to play a video game at 5 in the morning. I woke up when Sooyoung pulled me out of bed to make them stop fighting.

Minhyuk: That sounds fun!

Jiwoo: ....What do you want?

Minhyuk: Well, I know you don’t have anything going on, so I wanted to see if you were free tonight. We’re going on “The Boss is Watching” later today, but we should be done by tonight!

Jiwoo: Yea, that would be fun

Minhyuk: Has anyone ever told you how dry your texts are?

Jiwoo: Yea. Sooyoung told me to use more exclamation marks to make it seem like i’m interested.

Minhyuk: Well she does have a point! But I do like it! It makes me know that i’m really texting you and not a demon that took over your body!

Jiwoo:

Minhyuk: Babe?

Minhyuk: Jiwoo?

Minhyuk: I can see when you read my texts.

Jiwoo: Did you still want to go out tonight?

Minhyuk: Yes!! :)

Jiwoo: Ok

Minhyuk: Thanks for letting me know that you’re not a demon!

Jiwoo: Dude

Minhyuk: I was thinking we could pick up some food and then go for a walk! Since it will be later, we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone finding us! I can pick you up from somewhere and we could eat in my car!

Jiwoo: That’s good, but it does make it seem like you’re trying to kidnap me with food

Minhyuk: Would it work?

Jiwoo: ...Yes

Minhyuk: Great! I’ll pick you up outside your dorm at 9? Does that work for you?

Jiwoo: Yea, that should be fun!

Minhyuk: Demon

And with that, Jiwoo turned off her phone. Even if she acted like she didn’t enjoy his quips, she did! It made her feel like they were a real couple, instead of two friends just hanging out. 

“JIWOO UNNIE!! SEULGI UNNIE TRIED TO MAKE TOAST BUT SHE BURNED IT!!”

“IT’S NOT THAT BURNT! NOW SIT DOWN, ENJOY YOUR TOAST, AND DON’T YELL AT YOUR MOTHER!”

Jiwoo shook her head at the antics of her members, knowing that with Irene already gone for that day, she would have to take care of them. She and Irene shared a lot of the leader roles, even if only Irene had the official leader title.

“YERI YOU CAN’T WASH THE TOASTER IN THE SINK! YOU’LL DIE!”

Jiwoo could already tell this was going to be a long day.

(Time skip)

Jiwoo had less than an hour before Minhyuk would pick her up for their date and she could not stop bouncing with excitement. She told her members and SM that Moonbyul was picking her up to go to a movie she had been dying to see! Thankfully, Jiwoo had covered for Moonbyul on multiple occasions to the point that she basically owed her a favor.

“Someone’s in a good mood!” Wendy remarks, checking over Jiwoo. 

“I love whenever you hang out with Moonbyul! You always come back in such a good mood!” Yeri remarks from her spot at the table. 

Jiwoo smiles and walks over to the maknae, looking over her finished homework sheets. “Do you want me to help you with anything before I leave?”

“No, I’m good! Go enjoy your date with Moonbyul unnie!”

Jiwoo ruffled Yeri’s hair, chuckling at the baby. She was used to their teasing about her and Moonbyul, and besides, it was a really good cover! She went to the couch and sat down next to Seulgi, the younger girl instinctively laying her head on Jiwoo’s shoulder. Even if they weren’t that close, Seulgi always tried to find a way to snuggle with Jiwoo.

“Hey, did you guys see this?” Irene asked, walking over to the older girls. She pulled up a video on her phone. It was a clip from the show, The Boss is Watching, the same show Minhyuk said BtoB was promoting on!

Irene started the video and they heard Dumb Dumb playing. Jiwoo became confused because they weren’t performing, but her confusion turned into shock when she saw BtoB dressed as the Red Velvet members, performing Dumb Dumb! 

She was in shock watching her boyfriend perform more dramatically than they had ever performed before. She watched the full performance, noticing the fact that Minhyuk sang her ending ad-libs in the song! She sat back up, absolutely loving every second of that!

“Well don’t show that to SM or they might replace us!” Jiwoo said, gaining a few laughs from her members.

Irene turned off her phone, “I have to say, I don’t think we have ever performed the song like that.”

“We could always try!”

Jiwoo laughed at Seungwan’s comment, when she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She opened it to see a text from Minhyuk, telling her that she was here. She smiled and got up, “Bye guys! Monnbyul’s downstairs and I’ll be back tonight!”

“Be safe!” Irene called after her.

“DON’T DIE!!” Sooyoung yelled at her.

She shut the door behind her and walked down to her boyfriends car, already happier than she was before. She got in the passenger's seat and smiled up at her boyfriend.

“What are you so happy for? Not that I’m complaining, I love seeing you smile!”

“I just watched one of the best covers of one of our songs that I had ever seen! It was amazing! It was breathtaking! It was...”

“Me and BtoB?” Minhyuk asked, already knowing her answer. He didn’t think that it would be out this early, but sadly it was. “I have to ask, was it bad? We didn’t have that long to learn the choreography, so we had to work with what we had.”

Jiwoo smiled at him, “Yes, you did it amazingly! I was surprised at how well you 4 actually danced! Also, I don’t know why you had more energy it your minute performance than we have ever had performing that song, but it was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve seen all day!”

“I’m glad you liked it! I was thinking of you the whole time!”

“Yea, I’m sure you were!”

Unknown to Jiwoo at the time, but that was the moment she started fully falling for Minhyuk. The way he joked with her and made fun of her was all in good nature and she realised that she wanted to just spend a little more time with him, even if it was just for the night!

“Do you want to listen to some music? I know that great song by an amazing group and it just got released this year!” Minhyuk asked, as he reached for the radio.

Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb

[retrosofa]

Movie Trivia: Sailor Moon R

I wrote up some trivia about the Sailor Moon R film, namely it’s connection with the TV series. Out of the three original films, R seems to be the only one that directly references the main TV series continuity. Whether it's truly canon or not is up for debate, but it definitely feels as though it adds an extra layer to the original TV series.

Check it out!

1. Introduction

The opening scene is a re-imagining of the little “Usagi introductions” that were used in the first series, up until the reveal of the Moon Princess. There is also a nice visual throwback to the original eye catch.

2. The Villains

Fiore is very obviously modeled after Ail, an anime exclusive antagonist who appears in the Makaijuu arc of Sailor Moon R. The reason being is that this film is Ikuhara’s “re-imagining” of the Makaijuu arc.

The Xenian Flower is modeled after Youma Cyrene’s human disguise from episode 6, which was Ikuhara’s directorial debut in the Sailor Moon universe. Kazuko Tadano was the animation director for that episode, as well as this film.

Ail and An’s original voice actors, Hikaru Midorikawa and Yumi Toma also provided the voices for Fiore, and Xenian, respectively.

3. Tuxedo Mask sacrifices himself for Sailor Moon

This one is very obvious. In both episode 34 and the R film, Tuxedo is brutally impaled while protecting Moon. The shots are almost identical.

4. The death of Mamoru’s parents

We get another callback to episode 34. Amusingly, the doctor has a different design (and voice actor?) between the TV series and film. Young Mamoru doesn't have bandages in the film, perhaps to signify time has passed between his parents dying and meeting Fiore? There are many discrepancies with flashbacks to the TV series, but also flashbacks exclusive to the actual film. For example, Mamoru remembers Fiore as being a human boy but Fiore's memories prove otherwise. Also, pay attention to the iconic rose that appears in the flashback scenes.

This was likely an intentional choice by Ikuhara to illustrate that memories aren't linear.

5. Chibiusa’s Gun

Chibiusa turns Luna P into a toy gun, which she fires at Sailor Moon. Obviously a throwback to her first appearance (in both the anime and manga), where she threatens Usagi with a gun (which later turned out to be toy).

6. Homage to Zoisite

I never noticed this until I glanced over the Sailor Moon R Movie Memorial Album. This shot of Fiore emerging from the flowerbed seems to be inspired by Zoisite covered by rats in episode 31. Ikuhara also directed that episode.

7. Memories of Usagi

These flashbacks really fascinate me. Let's break them down: Ami: This moment is from episode 20. This particular sequence in the film was handled by Hisashi Kagawa, who was also the animation director for episode 20. Some details are spot on, while others aren't.

Rei: This flashback appears to based on Usagi and Rei’s exchange at the end of episode 54. Most of the details are different (the actual scene happened at Rei’s school, not the shrine, etc). I guess Ikuhara was trying to say Rei has an unreliable memory? LOL

Mako: This is Mako's first formal meeting with Usagi from episode 25. Again, Kawagawa also worked on episode 25. This flashback is the most accurate.

Minako: Appears to be based on the very beginning of episode 35. The setting is completely different (TV series was near water, movie is in a park?) and Minako has a cute response to Usagi's fan girling that isn’t in the TV episode. This movie (as well as the Make up! mini movie) reference Minako's past as Sailor V, something that doesn't get mentioned again after S.

8. Climax

The entire climax of the film is obviously an homage to the final battle in episode 46. Ikuhara also directed that episode. Interestingly enough, the shots of the girls yelling their transformation phrases would be copied in episode 88.

9. Mamoru’s Mind

Fiore communicating with Mamoru within his mind is inspired by a similar scene in episode 51. The backgrounds are identical. Episode 51 was also directed by Ikuhara.

10. The Kiss

The kiss at the very end of the film was modeled after a scene at the end of the manga’s first story arc.

There you have it!

[oasis-for3v3r]

Cloud 9 <3

Prompt-reader is a famous singer and performs her first live performance with David Bowie, doing a duet of Under Pressure on Live Aid

David Bowie x Reader Platonic Pairing @laneofpennies​ @a-none-bee​ @angelofhell323​

Warnings: none unless you count descriptions of nervousness. And a lengthy fic

Okay, let’s do it.

Was the first thing you said to yourself. At eight am. On a Saturday. In the middle of July. You usually be sleeping until 2pm on weekends since you were usually so busy on the weekdays. Being Englands new up- and- coming musician is all. 

“Ow!” you said as your foot slipped on something and stubbed your toe on the edge of the dresser. You bit back a mirad of curses as you picked up the foul weapon.

Oh.

Sky Heavens- Head in the Clouds. Your first album. Of course. You were lucky enough to get one from the store. Nearly all of the record shops were sold out. You should be happy, I mean sales were doing great, and as for the royalties-

Oh my gosh how has it ben 25 minutes already?!. 

It was a very important day for you.. you were preforming for your first crowd ever. So of course you were excited. but more nervous because, it was your first time. And you had terrible stage fright. And you were doing a duet with David Bowie. Oh you almost forgot.

Your first performance was gonna be Live Aid.

As you tucked in your fancy bell-sleeved bloused you asked yourself a string of questions. For example:

How in the hell did you get into live aid?

What song were you gonna sing with David, er Mr.Bowie?

Were there gonna be high notes? Could you even hit them?

Am i dressing too casual?

Oh my gosh, were going after Queen.

Your final though was punctuated with a hailing of a cab. You felt dizzy after you entered the car so you focused on the horizon, which made your eyes get heavier and heavier until...

“Ma’am this is a cab not a daycare” the driver grunted.

Your head snapped up, wiping the drool off off your chin. You have got to stop making this a habit. You scolded to yourself.

Every time your legs hit the ground of Wembely Stadium, you could feel the muscles in your leg turn into jelly. Your heartbeat is playing the percussion. And your pretty sure that your haven’t taken a breath since coming out of the cab.

You finally taken a breather when you hear commotion coming from the nearest hallway. You saw so many stars you could’ve swore you were in space. You saw Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May, (you couldn’t find John Deacon) Adam Ant was sitting on a couch reading a magazine. Next to him was Elvis Costello sticking straws down his hair, you were about to laugh when-

“Boo!”

“Jesus!”

 “No this is David.” joked a lanky man with blond hair, and a pastel blue suit, matching your all white outfit (with a pale blue headband) making you too look like the color of the sky.

“Mr.Bow- David, hi!” you exclaimed, trying to sound as cheery as possible. 

He hesitated for a moment looking in your eyes as if searching for something only for a moment. “Come into my trailer, i need to talk to you.” he says softly.

You followed him into what looked like a portal to the personification of serenity. There were books piled on top of a small table. A kettle burning on low. With not surprisingly, a pile of teacups littered on top of the counter.  You also noticed (on nosier inspection) small annotations scribbled in the corners.

“Y/N!!”

“YES” you exclaimed, jumping slightly. You have got to start paying more attention to your surroundings.

“Tell me whats on your mind, and be honest” his voice was filled with concern, but somehow still comforting.

You took a breath- seventh one today. And started:

“ I feel like everyone will be disappointed, when they see me. All I ever wanted to do was make music that someone will relate to and find comfort in. And now that I have that, which I am very grateful for, I have to handle the price of fame as well. People put celebrities on pedestals and if they make one mistake in the public eye the pedestal crumbles. And don’t even get me started on the media. And today one of the biggest days in history, and if I do bad, then i will not only disappoint myself but the families in Africa who are relying on me to succeed. And-”

“Y/N” David said sternly “Calm down, you will be fine.” He took a breather and said.” You remind me of myself when I was younger, a shy little Capricorn boy, I just wanted to make music, and the fame tagged along. Its what happens eventually. I just used theatrics to cover up the stage fright.” “Now I just focus on the crowd as if they were one person and give them ll the light I have.”

“As for you when singing Under Pressure with me- while singing Freddie’s part- I want you to take all of the audience’s energy, make it into light and give it towards the sky.” “Give everybody hope.”

Just then you heard.a knock at the trailer. it was time for you to get ready. 

You watched as Queen rocked the show. This was gonna be hard for you to follow up. You felt like this performance was gonna be talked about for decades. You felt pity for the future generations that wont get to see this. 

You watched with butterflies in your stomach, as you saw David perform TVC 15 which bleed into Rebel Rebel. You smiled with fondness, as the corners of your mouth twitched,(which happened often when you’re nervous). When you were turned around.

Moustace, Freddie Mercury.

“Hello, Darling. You’re going up next with Under Pressure, right?”

“Y-Yes ” you were shaking

“ Well don’t fuck it up darling. And make everyone proud.” He said with a smile (that was also in his eyes)

You nodded, and he turned you back around. Just in time for you to be handed a microphone and introduced by David.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage-for the first time ever- Sky Heavens!!!”

You heard more applause than you expected. But then again it was your very first time ;)

You heard the beginning of the song, and you knew you had no time to be nervous as you started:

Mmm num ba de Dum bum ba be Doo buh dum ba beh beh

Then together-

Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you, no man ask for Under pressure that burns a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets

Um ba ba be Um ba ba be De day da Ee day da- that's okay

So far you have just been looking at the horizon, seeing the sun begin its descent, little by little. 

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out!" Pray tomorrow gets me higher Pressure on people, people on streets

This is for peace and hope in Africa.

Chipping around, kick my brains around the floor These are the days it never rains but it pours Ee do ba be Ee da ba ba ba Um bo bo People on streets Ee da de da de People on streets

This is for anyone who has felt stress for being themselves

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about Watching some good friends screaming, 'Let me out' Pray tomorrow gets me higher, high Pressure on people, people on streets

The sun was setting now, making the crowd look like angels and your outfit dipped in the sun. David was looking at you with the biggest grin on his face as if seeing his child gain confidence. The high note was coming, and you were ready.

Take all the Audiences Energy

Turned away from it all like a blind man

Make it into light

Sat on a fence but it don't work

Give it towards the sky

Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn 

Give everybody hope

Why, why, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

That was the highest note you had ever hit. The energy that the crowd was giving you was electric. You felt unstoppable.

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking

David was practically yelling into the mic, as he felt unstoppable with you too.

Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?

Because love's such an old-fashioned word And love dares you to care for The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night And love (People on streets) dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is our last dance This is ourselves under pressure Under pressure Under pressure Pressure

On the final word you hugged David, he shouted in your ear so you hear him over the roaring crowd. “YOU DID IT LOVE!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU111″

You look over his shoulder to see Freddie Mercury.

Clapping.

For You.

You felt as if there was the sun poured inside of you. As if you were weightless. You found your new home; on Cloud 9.

[avinaccia]

A Completely Objective and Logical Ranking of Every Hetalia Character Song

New character songs are dropping,  I have too much time on my hands, let’s go. 

Also here’s a Youtube playlist for the ~✨nostalgia✨~

Bring it on in the tags 

71. Ah Legendary Class⭐The Awesome Me Highway [Prussia]: Absolutely tearing it up on the drums and on the vocal cords alike (I pray for Atsushi Kousaka). Great for the memes. 

70.  Happy Thoughts Museum [???]: This is listed as an official song but I had literally never heard of the title. Then I listened to it and BAM! Smack back to 2013 watching the teasers for the show on Funimation. Not sure I’d count it as a character song though...

69. (Nice)  My Song that is written by me for me [Prussia]: Deafened me but I can appreciate the industrial grind.

68.  My House is...Quiet. ~With the Trolls~ [Norway]: I have never heard this song, nor can I find any version of it online. By default it goes here and I am so sorry Norge.

67.  Make a Wish to Santa♪ [Sealand]: The discordant notes and childish exuberance only serve to make this sound like a demonic plea to Santa to eliminate the singer’s enemies.

66.  Heaven and Hell on Earth [Rome]: Rome sounds like he’s been in the corner of a restroom. Extra points for the metal version, minus points for the fact that the beach scene was replayed like 1764 times.

65. Canada Complete Introduction [Canada]: Quiet af until Kumacheerio shows up and blows out your speakers. they did you dirty my darling 😔

64.  It’s Easy!!! [America]: I don't think any video of this has ever stayed up for more than 20 seconds. Sounds cool, but like I was listening to 20 different genres at once, someone make him calm down.

63.  Bù Zàiyì the Small Stuff ☆ [China]: I cannot for the life of me find the complete song anywhere, clips have a cool beat though

62.  Let's Boil Hot Water♪ [Italy]: Exactly what it says on the tin..though a bit too close to elevator music for my tastes.

61.  The Fragrance of Early Summer [Japan]: Very ‘from the books’ Japan-esque song

60.  Peace Sounds Nice…[Baltic Trio]: All well and good until the radio demon shows up

59.  W●D●C ~World Dancing~ [America]: How a song can sound like it’s from 4 different decades at once is beyond me

58.  Overflowing Passion [BFT]: This is just drunken karaoke and I have 0 clue what’s going on #iconicforallthewrongreasons

57. Ren●Ren●Renaissance♪ [Rome+Chibitalia]: Wholesome Grandpa with Grandson content - barring the fact that Italy sounds on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Rome has had too much wine.

56.  Roma Antiqua [Rome]: Similar energy to any one of China’s songs - there’s a part of the song where it sounds like he’s singing in the shower, and I will never not laugh at [CENSORED]

55.  Country From Where the Sun Rises, Zipangu [Japan]: Very chill, very Japan, but just meh for me.

54.  Moon Over Emei Shan [China]: Good message, okay song.

53.  My Friend [England]: What a mind palace you must have Mr. Kirkland

52.  With Love, from Iceland [Iceland]: Three words: Heavy. Metal. Puffin.

51.  Having Friends is Nice...♫ [Russia]: Russia is the cutest thing ever

50.  Mm. [Sweden]: Smooth transition from WWE Smackdown to shopping at IKEA.

49.  Why don’t you come over? ~Beyond the Northern Lights~ [Iceland]: I don’t want to be mean but...this does sound like the second closing theme to an anime whose first closing was much more popular (à la Soul Eater)

48. Gakuen☆Festa [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Sounds like a 60s song of the summer but oh dear their voices do not go together. Hella cute though.

47.  Wa! Wa!! World Ondo [Main Cast]: One time I travelled 10 hours in a coach bus with a bunch of teenagers to a city of note in my country, and the only souvenir I bought was the fucking PAINT IT WHITE DVD. Perfectly chaotic, UN ĐĕùX~~

46.  In the Bluebell Woods [England]: In the album cover for this song he’s holding a guitar but this is not a rock song. Still has ‘running through the hills’ levels of dramatism though.

45.  Poi Poi Poi♪ [Taiwan]: You’re telling me that Taiwan, someone whose has *ONE LINE* in Beautiful World (which is criminal tbh what kind of representation-) managed to get an eNTIRE CHARACTER SONG???????

44.  White Flame [Russia]: There’s something to be said for a song that is 3x the length of any Hetalia episode

43.  Ich liebe… [Germany]: Baking cakes for your friends has never been so wholesome.

42.  We Wish you a Merry Christmas [America, China, England, France, Russia]: Nice to see they’ve gotten their shit together since United Nations Sta-hmm.

41.  Ah, Worldwide à la mode [France]: Sounds like a Disney Princess song, hard not to picture France frolicking in a field of flowers.

40.  Che Bello! ~My House is the Greatest!⭐~ [Italy]: Would not be out of place in an advertisement for Sea World.

39.  May You Smile Today [Japan]: THE feel good song of the summer

38.  Let’s Look Behind the Rainbow [Italy]: I will protect you.

37.  I'm your HERO☆ [America]: “Anyone who’s sad or sullen will be arrested” did NOT age well.

36.  Mein Gott! [Prussia]: Alternating headphone effect at the beginning is cool, so is the confidence...the actual singing on the other hand...

35. Nihao⭐China [China]: Listen, all of China’s character songs are great, I just can’t vibe with this one like some of the others.

34.  Pechka ~Light My Heart~ [Russia]: I’m still having difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that this and Winter were released at the same time.

33.  Pukapuka⭐Vacation [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Seems just a bit too much like they’re running on a treadmill that’s picking up speed and trying to sing at the same time. Peppy.

32.  Santa Claus is Coming to Town [Germany, Italy, Japan]: This is unironically the best song sung by this trio; can only vibe with for two months out of the year though.

31.  Excuse Me, I Am Sorry [Japan]: Japan’s character traits speedrun. Gives me barbershop quartet vibes for some reason but is catchy as hell.

30.  The Story of Snow and Dreams [Russia]: A superhero anime opening in the making

29. England’s Evil Demon Summoning Song [England]: Sir that is not how you roast a marshmallow, don’t cut yourself on that edge.

28.  Moi Moi Sauna♪ [Finland]: Exactly the type of song you’d expect and it’s wonderful

27.  United Nations Star⭐ [America, China, England, France, Russia]: This isn’t as much of a song as it is a four minute struggle for everyone to sing without America yelling every 5 seconds...Like a particularly musical episode of Hetalia.

26.  Paris is Indeed Splendid [France]: Paris-pa-pa-pa-paris

25.  Absolutely Invincible British Gentleman [England]: Poppy, rocky, polka-dotty

24.  Vorwärts Marsch! [Germany]: To quote the comment section: “This sounds like a German version of I’ll Make a Man out of you.” There’s some truth to that.

23.  Hamburger Street [America]: The product of America’s rapper phase. 8/10 because he’s trying so hard and because I can unironically sing along to all of this.

22.  Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy [Hong Kong]: A song that would absolutely destroy the ankles of anyone in DDR.

21.  I Am German-Made [Germany]: There was once a version that had Germany and Prussia singing at the same time and it sounded positively demonic and Broadway could never

20.  La pasión no se detiene ~Unstoppable Passion~ [Spain]: Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping...

19.  Fall in Love, Mademoiselle [France]: Sounds like it should be in Mozart Opera Rock, I have kiss kiss falled in love.

18. Embrace the Très Bien Moi [France]: This is the definition of SELF LOVE PEOPLE. 

17. Carrot and Stick [Belarus&Ukraine]: Absolutely DRIPPING in 2000s power ballad energy. The type of song that plays on repeat in the mind of the widow whose millionaire husband ‘mysteriously disappeared’ (and the only legit character song ever acknowledged by the anime)

16. C.B.C (Cowboyz Boot Camp) Vol. 1 [America]: AH MAH GAWWDDD

15. Winter [Russia]: Heavy metal fever dream and the perfect song for an angst-ridden teenager

14.  Seychelles Here ⭐ Vacation Island [Seychelles]: UN👏DER👏RA👏TED SONG👏OF 👏THE 👏SUM👏MER👏

13.  Nah, it will settle itself somehow [Romano]: One day I aspire to reach this level of chill

12.  Let’s Enjoy Today [England]: I will never not feel happy when listening to this.

11.  Einsamkeit [Germany]: Ludwig manages to air every single one of his worries about not being good enough compared to his friends and always being perceived as mean or uptight when he’s actually just a softie and now my heart hurts. 💔

10.  Aiyaa Four Thousand Years [China]: A very poignant and beautiful song about the passage of time and the inevitability of its passing; comparable to an ancient ballad complete with explosive crescendos and meaningful lyrics.

9.  Bon Bon Bon❤️C’est Bon C’est Bon! [France]: Peppy, cheerful, adorable, groundbreaking; has been my alarm tone for six years and I’ve yet to tire of it. 9/10 The moaning interspersed throughout has been an interesting wake-up call.

8.  Let’s Enjoy! Let’s Get Excited! Cheers! [Denmark]: This is on par with Everytime we Touch by Cascada in terms of rage potential unlocked (the good kind)

7.  Dream Journey [Japan]: Whoever’s playing the shakuhachi is absolutely KILLING IT. Dramatic, wonderful, great metaphors.

6.  Gourmet’s Heart Beginner Level [China]: Absolute banger, I’m a vegetarian but this would inspire me to eat shumai.

5.  Always with you...Nordic Five! [Nordic FIVVVVVEEEE]: Everyone harmonizes beautifully except for Denmark. Extremely catchy, number placement seemed appropriate. 

4.  Pub and GO! [England]: I love this trash man

3. Maji Kandou⭐Hong Kong Night [Hong Kong]: If you thought Denmark’s song was a banger JUST YOU WAIT. I WILL BLOW OUT MY SPEAKERS LISTENING TO LO-HA-SU.

2. Steady Rhythmus [Germany]: THIS SONG IS METAL AF. Seriously, if it can be classified as ‘hardcore’ by my father and his group of 50-somethings who have decided to single-handedly gatekeep the metal and hardrock genres, it can do anything.

1.  The Delicious Tomato Song 🍅 [Romano]: Beautiful, absolutely awe-inspiring, poignant, catchy lyrics with an extremely deep meaning that only years of meticulous research and analysis can unlock, Romano I love you.

BONUS: Closing Songs

5. Hatafutte Parade (World Series) 

4. Hetalian⭐Jet (The World Twinkle): The song is good, the dancing is cursed 

3. Chikyuu Marugoto Hug Shitainda (World⭐Stars)

2. Marukaite Chikyuu (Hetalia: Axis Powers): nE NE PaPA

1. Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo (The Beautiful World)

[ihearthes]

A Big Hit 

(Inspired by Harry’s Grammy Nominations)

Author: @ihearthes Pairing: Harry x Reader Insert (1st person) Rating: Fluff Word Count: 1364

24 November 2020

The rhythmic pounding of the small punching bag in the guest room woke me. Blinking, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with the back of my hand. What the fuck was he thinking?

“Jesus, Styles, it’s like the middle of the night,” I groaned, standing in the doorway as I leaned against the doorjamb and watched his lithe body work around the bag. “Barefoot even? What’s gotten into you?”

He blew his breath out steadily in between punches, grunting to me. “Love, it’s nearly 8:45. Not even close to the middle of the night.”

“Fine.” Crossing my arms, I continued to observe his footwork, listening to the forced air evacuating his lungs. “What’s on your mind?”

“Grammy noms today.”

Oh. Duh. I wanted to smack my forehead, but refrained. Fuck. How had this date snuck up on me? “What time are you due on set?”

He shook his head. “Not until noon. The anxiety is eating at me, though. I mean…” Dropping his stance and elbows, he starkly gazed at me. “If I’m not on the list, I’ll move on without blinking. But the lead-up to the event is…” He swallowed, and I watched his throat shift. 

“Sounds like you need a sparring partner. Let me grab my gear.”

“Love?” He called as I moved towards my room. 

“Yeah?”

“I won’t be gentle today.”

“No problem. I don’t like it when you pull your punches anyway.”

Quickly, I divested myself of my nightshirt (one of Harry’s Fine Line Live at the Forum shirts) and dragged on my workout gear, sans shoes. If he was doing this barefoot, I wasn’t going to risk stomping on his toes in my shoes. 

The bass and drums of LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out fill the room, and I wince, worried my neighbors might not appreciate the vibrating walls. Whatever though. If they were still asleep at this time of the morning, that was their fault. 

“Ready,” I announced, standing in front of him as I wrapped my hands before slipping into my boxing pads. “What drill first?”

“Jab, lead uppercut, lead hook.”

Nodding, I silently agree that this is the kind of workout he needs. “You loose enough for this one?”

“Yep. Just get ready.” He took his boxing stance, holding his arms out in preparation. 

“Loose, H. This isn’t supposed to be a powerhouse move. We’re working on fluidity, remember.” 

“Got it. Let’s go.” He practiced the sequence three or four times, shuffling his feet as he threw the light punches. 

“Double up!” Quickly, Harry repeated the series twice in a row without stopping. “Less body! More arm!” His form was slipping, and I knew his attention was drawn elsewhere. As he paused, shaking out his shoulder, I asked, “What time, darling?”

“Starts at 9, but my categories aren’t right away.”

Shit. Nine o’clock had ticked past five minutes ago. “Mind if I turn it on just to listen?” 

His nonchalant shrug wouldn’t have fooled anyone. “Whatever you want.”

Walking to the television I use to play workout tapes, I searched for the correct channel, switching off the stereo first. Landing on the network, I turned back to him, my hands up, the pads ready. The voice in the background droned on. 

“Okay. Let’s go three times in a row, shall we? Relaxed. Loose. Work your arm and not your body. Check your angles.”

The sweat began to pour from both of us as we focused on the workout at hand, pretending to ignore the noise from the television. Stopping for a moment, Harry grabbed his water bottle, squirting the liquid into his mouth. 

“Ready for the other side? Straight, uppercut, hook.” 

Immediately, Harry started throwing the reverse punches, pushing air out of his lungs as the nominees for Best Folk Album were being announced by Lauren Daigle. Her melodic voice carried through the space, punctuated only by the puffs of breath drawn from Harry, his arms chasing the oxygen around the room. 

Sharon Osbourne was up next, announcing names I couldn’t recall from comedy and visual media. Harry’s punches slowed as she began to reveal the nominees for Best Music Video. The smile that spread over his face when he heard the words “Adore You” started at the left corner of his mouth, overtaking his whole face as the dimple deepened until he was grinning like a jack-o-lantern carved by the most excited kid on the block. The punches renewed their efforts as he doubled up, nearly causing me to lose pace and drop the pads to my side.

On top of the console, Harry’s phone began buzzing repeatedly. 

“Harry!” I yelled, sure he would want a break to celebrate. 

“Don’t drop your hands, love!” His continued punches kept me on my toes. “I’ve got more categories coming, and I am about to burst from nerves.” 

Classical fields were divulged next, and I urged him on, “Let’s go between the two, H. Left combo and then right combo.” 

Dancing around each other, we continued practicing the boxing moves, our feet shuffling and scraping on the mats on the floor. R&B categories followed classical, and I was starting to sweat more from the nerves than the workout -- although the workout was a close second with Harry’s controlled punches soaring through the air as I attempted to catch them all with the mitts in a gentle way that would encourage him to keep moving. 

Megan Thee Stallion started with Best Solo Performance, and Harry’s punches fell harder through the first three nominees. When his name fell from her lips, Harry slipped and skipped a hook. 

“Want to stop now?” I asked. 

But he shook his head. “Keep going, love.” Picking up the punches, he pounded my mitts, my hands going numb. 

“Next up we have best pop vocal album. And the nominees are…” 

Harry dropped his hands, planting them on his waist, sucking in air as he bent over. 

“...Changes by Justin Bieber…” 

Harry’s head moved from side to side, his reaction directed to the floor, though I could guess at his thoughts. 

“...Chromatica by Lady Gaga…” 

Lifting his gaze to mine, he smiled a tight smile, and I could see the excitement tinged with nerves. 

“...Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa…”

His hand pumped into the air at his friend’s name.

“...Fine Line by Harry Styles…”

Dropping his hands to his sides, he stood up straight, his mouth gaping at me. “Did she just…? Did I hear her say…? Tears rose to his eyes, and he buried his face in his hands. “Shit. She did, didn’t she? Three nominations, baby.”

Megan’s voice droned on, but we were on an island of glee. His shoulders shook. I felt tears forming behind my eyes too. The biggest categories were yet to come, and we listened to no avail. But the thrill of the three nominations couldn’t be dampened by the lack of general field nominations. 

Stripping the pads off my hands, I made a running start and jumped into Harry’s arms, his glove-covered hands cradling my weight as I pressed my lips to his again and again. 

“Grammy-nominated musician Harry Styles,” I whispered to him between kisses, repeating the phrase multiple times. “Three-time Grammy-nominated musician Harry E. Styles. I’m so proud of you, darling.” Peppering his face with kisses, I wasn’t at all surprised as he spun us around so that my back slammed against the wall and he ground into me. 

“How do you think it will feel making love to a Grammy-nominated musician?” Harry demanded as he swirled his hips into my core. 

“Pretty fucking amazing like always,” I replied. 

The frenetic buzzing of his phone led to it being knocked to the floor, and we both laughed. 

“You better answer that. Your adoring public awaits. Put your mum on speaker. And Jeffrey too! I want to hear all of the celebration!” Dropping to the floor, I headed to the door. 

“Where are you going?” 

I planted one hand on my hip, cocking it in his direction, “If you think I’m celebrating my GRAMMY-NOMINATED boyfriend without champagne, you should think again!” 

As I sauntered off, I heard his laugh following me. 

Thanks to @melissas173 for the title. 

[trekkiepirate]

TOP FIVE The Amazing Devil lyrics!

YOU ALSO MADE THIS HARD HOW DARE YOU YOU MAY MAKE IT UP TO ME BY LISTENING TO LOVE RUN AND SCREAMING ABOUT NEW YORK TORCH SONG WITH ME, MEI MEI.

1. Welcome to the storm/I am thunder/welcome to my table/bring your hunger (it was my gateway lyric, the one I listened to a bajillion times in a song I listened to a million times until I finally bought the album so Bandcamp would let me listen without limits and started down the path of being a TAD nerd/Dear Heart) - The Horror And The Wild

2. It’s like all the wallpaper inside my heart/is slowly slowly peeling off/and I’m showing all the stains and things/they wrote on the wall before (I mentioned this a bit in the songs list, but when I was very sick, like sauntering vaguely towards literally dying, all I could do was lay and stare at my wallpaper in my childhood bedroom, so I built this image of my heart, covered in wallpaper to hide the pain I was in and the heartaches I’d had, and the dark parts of me, slap some pretty floral wallpaper on it so no one would see how very much I was hurting and wanted to give up already and die. When I heard this line, I had to pause the damn song and cry. Like, pause the song, slowly get up from my work desk and make my way to the bathroom in the building and just go into a stall and lean on the wall a bit and cry. How Joey Batey could write something like that, speaking so completely to a very private part of myself, cracked me open enough for the absolute LOVE I have for TAD to come flowing in) - Two Damn Minutes

3. I promise you I’m not broken/I promise you there’s more/more to come, more to reach for/ more to hurl at the door/goodbye to all my darkness/there’s nothing here but light/adieu to all the faceless things that sleep with me at night/this here is not makeup it’s a porcelain tomb/and this here is not singing I’m just screaming in tune (basically all of Farewell Wanderlust is utterly fantastic, but this part is so good for just singing at the top of my lungs, it’s hopeful and dark and emotional and gorgeous and if I ever meet Joey Batey, I may have to kiss his forehead just to get close to kissing the beautiful brain that came up with it, well with all these lyrics, well just because it’s a cute forehead on a perfect, stupid face and I wanna kiss him) - Farewell Wanderlust

4. Though some would harm you/none not one no none/would raise to you a hand nor thumb/not while by you I stand and hum (1. I am GONNA write the fic that needs that last bit as a the title one day; 2. it’s just utterly gorgeous and the rhythm of it and the way it feels when you sing it, this whole bit is *chefs kiss*) - Not Yet/Love Run

5. Burying her head into his chest and clinging to the moment, ‘where have you been?’/She’ll whisper ‘I’ve waited oh so long for you to come’/And as the stars above them hum and hear them/he’ll turn to her and say ‘that’s what she said’ (1. I really think the entirety of Fair is the best love song I have ever heard in my life and I want to find someone who makes me live it but this bit is so funny and cute and perfect, 2. when I read a comment to Dandelion/Jaskier in the books: “maybe the ability to go from touching lyricism to obscenity so easily is a talent” I thought of this line and just yelled IT IS AND JOEY BATEY GOT IT IN SPADES HE WAS BORN TO BE JASKIER) -Fair

Honourable mentions (Like I could only choose 5 C’MON Y’ALL KNOW ME AND YOU’RE LUCKY I JUST DOUBLED IT AND I DIDN’T PICK A LYRIC FROM EACH SONG COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS LIEBLINGS):

5. And they’re telling jokes/tell ‘em that one about two men in a tent/laughs out loud at mine/do you like my accent, like my accent? (mostly because telling the joke this references is always fun and I got to tell it to Jason Ritter and it was one of the best moments of last year for me when he chuckled a bit) - Pruning Shears

6. Could be ghosts or monsters or a robot vampire I dunno (It’s just silly and fun and I love it muchly, also hella fun to sign) - Wild Blue Yonder

7. Pray for me cause I won’t pray for you (this just speaks to the former Catholic school kid I was, and also I would 100% not be surprised if Joey grew up in a Catholic/Christian school too because this whole song seems just FEELS like someone who grew up in that world and had a few too many questions about it for the other people to be cool with, like I did, but I may be projecting) - Pray

8. Sing me awake with a song about pirates (Grabs the lyrics to “Shipful of Monsters” JOEY I CAN 100% DO THIS IF YOU’D LIKE *wink and eyebrow waggle*) - Not Yet/Love Run

9. I am above you, And I love you, don’t you know/That I’ll be with you all along, as long as you are kind/To those who are not strong and cannot find their scarlet welly boots (this line has been comfort and pain and fire and balm to the soul wound left by my beloved grandma’s death) - Welly Boots

10. Every moon in the sky/Every promise and lie/all hell and its fire waits for us (I just love the rhythm of this 10/10 would recommend tossing your head back and sing-screaming this at the sky)

Honourable Honourable mention to the way Joey Batey growls “No, no, not I” in That Unwanted Animal and single-handedly claimed all the tiny fragments of sexual attraction my gray-ace ass was allotted for the next decade

[cultofbeatles]

stories from geoff emerick’s book “here, there, and everywhere: my life recording with the beatles” that stood out to me:

(semi long post with book spoilers..obviously lol)

john asking why they couldn't get a similar voice effect by dangling him from the ceiling and paul affectionately teasing him 

then john actually sending mal out during the sgt pepper sessions to find rope strong enough to hold him from the ceiling so that he could disguise his voice in a different way 

john whispering to paul that he was going to tell the audience to rattle their jewelry and paul saying “i dare ya!” 

john constantly turning his volume up and george competing with him to the point that george martin would have to make them turn it down 

george dragging his heavy tamboura to the studio because he didn't trust anyone else to carry it 

paul coming into the studio saying “gather round lads, and have a listen to our next single,” and john glaring at him 

anytime george martin was out sick they behaved like students with a substitute teacher 

john wanting to put a microphone in water during yellow submarine so it could sound like he was underwater, the studio manager coming in right as they were putting the microphone in the cup, and john quickly hiding it behind his back until he left 

george martin asking what they've brought into the studio, paul beginning to speak but john cuts him off with “i've got a good one!”, and paul smiling as he shrugs his shoulders 

“that was absolutely brilliant,” - paul mccartney after hearing strawberry fields for the first time 

john bringing in an alarm clock as a joke to “come in handy for waking up ringo when he was needed for an overdub.” but it actually ending up in a day in the life 

john being fascinated with technology but the worst with technology (why do i feel like he'd have the hardest time understanding social media)

ringo making a joke about hiring half of an orchestra and making them play it twice since getting a whole orchestra would be a lot of money, and everyone actually taking it serious and doing exactly that  

the spirit of sgt pepper being “if you got an idea, let’s try it.”

john taking acid in the studio, george martin taking him on the roof for a breath of fresh air, leaving him alone up there, paul and george goofing off recording and singling before doing a double take at each other and running up to the roof to get john 

john encouraging staff to break dress code and wear colorful clothes 

the other three beatles standing by and encouraging ringo while he did the vocals for with a little help from my friends. they even were giving him genuine advice and cheered when he finished.

john bringing in a strobe light to the studio and them all running around in the dark for about five minutes. spending the whole night playing in instruments that weren't tuned and just giggling. all of the staff just leaving one by one without telling them before finally security had to kick them out.

the beatles reading reviews about their albums in snobby voices 

brian epstein almost crying because they were acting like brats about performing live again 

paul wearing the fucking sgt pepper suit to his brother’s session for literally no reason 

john showing george martin i am the walrus and george asking what the hell he was suppose to do with it 

john saying he wanted his voice to sound like he was on the moon

 the fans outside the studio being in john’s way one night so he used the microphone in his car to yell “fuck off, the lot of you!” and laughed as they all jumped out of the way 

george harrison being nervous about singing for some reason but paul, of all people, encouraging him 

john, paul, and george sitting around a tv in the studio to watch a tv appearance ringo was making and teasing him but also encouraging him the whole time 

“there was new tension between john and paul, and even between john and ringo, in addition to the often strained relationship that paul had with george and the resentment ringo sometimes exhibited when paul coached him too much on the drum parts.”

john telling yoko she should sing paul’s part in the song and paul being shocked and very upset by it 

“there was an exceptionally good vibe that night - possibly because john and yoko weren't around...”

paul going on vacation and coming back to listening to revolution 9. at the end he said, “not bad.” 

paul’s demanding they redo obladi, oblada all over again, john storming out, but only to return later out of his mind and scream “i am fucking stoned! i am more stoned than you have ever been. in fact i am more stoned than you'll ever be. and this is how the song will go.”

geoff saying john and paul’s relationship turned into “i don't like what you're suggesting because i don't like you.”

geoff finally quitting during the white album and george, paul, and ringo waiting outside to talk to him but won’t look him in the eye. it was john who finally spoke up and tried to convince him to stay. (not without throwing an insult paul’s way of course).

during abbey road sessions paul would get back in the habit of sliding down the stairway banister like he use to do in 1962

after he returned from his car crash John was talking happily with the other beatles before yoko gained his attention again 

yoko saying “beatles” instead of “the beatles” and paul calling her out for it 

paul asking john if he wanted to help do backing vocals, john saying no and then leaving for the day 

paul and linda leaving through a completely different staircase so they wouldn't even have to run into john and yoko 

george harrison telling paul how to play bass when recording something 

john being good at constructive criticism and paul being horrible at it 

paul wanting to do backup vocals on come together but john telling him he's got it covered himself 

all the staff hiding their food from the beatles because they'd eat it 

obviously the famous biscuit story 

paul having to beg ringo to do a drum solo 

john being rude to ringo about his drumming and ringo spending the rest of the day trying to perfect it for john 

any time paul would make a mistake on a song he'd be like “oops! let me go do it again!” and the staff would be like “NO! its fine please god.”

john getting spooked when a policeman came into the studio once

john and both george’s spending forever on a track only to find out it was fine hours ago, paul was just being a perfectionist 

ringo being there for moral support during vocal recordings 

john telling yoko to stay in the control room while he, paul, and george do record the guitar solos for the end 

coming up with an album cover and name and ringo saying “fuck it, let’s just step outside and name it abbey road.”

geoff coming in with a sunburn once and john being very concerned for him 

john wanting to get into fishing 

geoff was with paul the day he learned about john’s death :( 

geoff once heard that when brian was in drug rehab john sent him flowers with a note that said “you know i love you.”

my heart is broken once again by a beatles book :)

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Civic Auditorium Arena in Omaha, NE, USA - September 13, 1980

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Fan Stories

“I don't know if anyone has ever been able to appreciate a rock concert as much as I did when I saw Queen at age 7. I knew the order the songs were supposed to be in, the way the stage was supposed to look, and what the band was supposed to do. And everything happened perfectly. Except for that damn mustache. Late summer 1980, I was pestering my mom to take me into town to get candy. She said, "Do you really want to get candy, or would you rather get tickets to see Queen?" I stopped in my tracks and started being the nicest boy you could imagine. I thought maybe she was kidding, but knew she wouldn't kid me about something like that. I guess my dad had already OKd it too. Like Axl Rose once said about Queen: "They meant everything to me." We drove all the way to Omaha to get tickets: they were $9 in advance, or $11 the day of the show if still available (though now I'm not sure how they weren't sold out immediately). I'm still not quite sure why Queen was playing smaller arenas at that point, since I think they had already begun playing stadiums. Finally, September 13 arrived. I was in 2nd grade. Ads had been all over the radio for this concert. One of my baby-sitters and two of her friends rode up with us also, and they went off on their own when we got there. The show was one of those infamous "general admission" things, so our seats depended solely on how early we arrived. I think we got to the arena at about 9 am... almost a full 12 hours before the show actually started (much longer in 7-year-old hours). A single word, "QUEEN", was boldly displayed on the marquee above the many doors where small lines were beginning to form. Excited bands of people were running/gathering everywhere. Queen was one of the biggest five bands in the world at that time: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was on the charts, The Game had just been released, and "Another One Bites the Dust" was soon-to-be released as a single. We picked one of the lines and got ready for what was indeed halfway dangerous: the growing mob of people ready to run in when the doors would open. This was a big issue of the time, as it was the year before that 11 people were crushed to death at the turnstiles of a Who concert. (An episode of the TV show W.K.R.P. in Cincinnati even focused on this.) People were starting to press onto the transparent doors trying to look inside, when suddenly there was the sound of tires screeching from the street: a white limousine honked twice and sped around the corner toward the other side of the arena, and was gone within seconds. The "big kids" screamed and ran after it; I was too small to do this, but we got better places in line! When everyone came back, they said they actually saw Freddie and John get out of it and be scuffled into the building before getting attacked by the mob of people. In the meantime, others around us were starting to talk to my mom. Two of them were a man and a lady who were apparently on date, and they ended up even staying by and sitting by us through the show. Some other people also offered to kind of stay around my mom and I to make sure I'd be safe on the way in. A couple of times, a big fat drunk guy yelled out, "Who's your favorite group?" and of course everyone yelled "Queen!"

Now people were beginning to bang on the doors of the entrance. I think the doors finally opened at around 11 am. When they did, we and other people from several sides of the arena moved in, towards those coming in from other doors on opposite sides: within seconds, everyone had funneled from outside to stopping cold in the lobby, having basically run into each other. This is exactly where everyone stayed for the next two hours. A human shield of several people were intact around my mom and I preventing my being crushed... and all I could see for two hours were a bunch of butts! Once in awhile someone would try and lift me up to see all the people. From the distance, the drunk guy again repeated the "Who's your favorite band?" line a couple of times, realizing that more people could hear him now that he was indoors and echoing, and everyone gave the appropriate response. By the fifth time, only the drunk people were responding to him, and by the tenth time people were laughing and moaning. Every so often, some loud music would come out of the arena like a band was tuning-up, but it wasn't Queen music so everyone figured it was just the opening act. At 1 pm, the turnstiles were finally opened. I was kind of keeping my guard around me as everyone pressed forward, and everything was moving faster the closer we got, but by surveying the area I thought I'd be safe. I had my ticket in my hand. The guy from the couple was going to try and enter first, then me, and then my mom. When I got to the turnstiles, my mom and the guy grabbed my arms on both sides and completely hoisted me over. A surprised old man tore my ticket while I was in mid-air. Suddenly, we were standing relatively calmly inside: the difficult part was over, and we were at least safe from here on out. People were still running everywhere and screaming, but the hallways were pretty big so it wasn't too dangerous as long as we stayed toward the edge. Most people were still outside, since we were somewhat early. An older 12-year-old tore around the corner, then his '70s-style tennis shoes screeched against the floor and he fell down for a second as he decided to which way to go. We knew we were sort of on a mission to walk fast toward a balcony and just get seats instead of wandering around indecisively like others. We went straight up toward the second level balcony, as others ran the opposite way down to the main floor. My mom and I and the people we'd befriended walked right next to the wall, and I pressed against it while just a few feet away scattered groups of people would sometimes run by full-speed. I would have wanted to be on the main floor, but my mom had previously explained to me how, unless we were in the balcony, we would have to actually stand through the whole show (there weren't any chairs on the main floor) and would hardly be able to see anything. Plus, along with the horror stories of people running in at the beginning of a rock concert, I had also heard how people supposedly got crushed to death against the stage... so sitting in the balcony was just fine with me. We got two seats in the front of the second balcony, just by the railing to the balcony below. We were on the right side of the arena, about halfway back, so we couldn't complain. Now, I knew this was the beginning of the biggest wait: sitting in the same spot from 1 in the afternoon to about 9 at night.

The main parts of the stage I liked (from viewing the pictures in my Live Killers album) were intact: the steps were lined with lights under Roger's drums, and middle of the main stage had a small plank stage that stuck out for Freddie to walk on, where the crowd could touch him but not too easily. Most of the instruments, and all of Roger's drum set, were covered in giant sheets of plastic. I'd never seen such big speakers; I had a flashback when I saw the black and white photo to the right because that's what they looked like with the house lights up. Throughout the afternoon, the lights in the arena would go out, then come back on... like we were being teased. Finally when it was about time for the opening band, the lights went off longer than usual and the band took the stage. The opening band was someone we had never heard of, and my mom and I both can't even remember who it was now (two people have e-mailed me saying it was a band called "Dakota"). I don't think they had any hits, and then apparently disappeared soon after. The crowd tolerated the first two or three songs. Then, every song ended with "Just one more song!" much to the audience's vocal dismay. I went on a trip to the bathroom, and they were still playing when I came back. Then they left. Ten minutes later, they came back and said "Just one more song!" and I think they played three. People were yelling, "We want Queen!" People were getting harsh to the point it was just uncomfortable even seeing the band on the stage. Everyone cheered when they left. The lights came back on. Another two hours. Just seeing them walk across the stage would have been enough for me, so at that age I really couldn't comprehend being in their presence for a whole two-hour concert. This wait was easier though because every second we knew the show could start. Seeing Queen still seemed like it was too good to be true, like some act of God would occur just before the show to prevent it. Then, the lights went out. There's no feeling like the wait in total darkness just before a Queen concert. It was 10 minutes of black and the loudest screaming I'd ever heard. I remember it was "scary" and so I think Brian might have also been playing the weeping guitar sound like the beginning of the We Will Rock You concert video. It was a good scary feeling though, like going up the first hill of a roller coaster. After several minutes of intense darkness and the crowd screaming, when I felt like my ears didn't have room for any more sound to enter (though I loved it), the even louder sound of thunder clapped across the arena with an incredibly blinding light. I could see everyone on the main floor have to turn completely around in unison toward the back of the arena because the lights were so bright. I kept trying to glance at the stage to see what was happening, but it was too bright to see anything... plus, in between the flashes, it was too dark to see anything. It was sort of an unnerving state, being totally blinded in that big of a place with that many people, and coming to the realizaton that it would be unthinkable to actually move around and that we were basically helpless. I was holding my mom's hand. Queen had the whole crowd paralyzed in their tracks before the show even began.

I'm not sure if the lights all rose up like in the We Will Rock You video or not (since we couldn't see), or if they were already raised because of the opening band. Eventually the thunder and noise turned to music. Finally, through my wincing, Freddie Mercury was suddenly in front of my own little eyes on the front extended stage in all the smoke. I'd never even seen a celebrity in person before, much less my idol at the time. I didn't think they would open with the fast version of "We Will Rock You" for some reason, since that's at the beginning of the Live Killers album and I thought they would want to do something different, but was surprised that they opened with a non-Queen song: "Jailhouse Rock". The stage looked similar to that in the We Will Rock You concert video, with the smaller panels of lights replacing the single giant panel from previous tours; however, I'm certain there was at least another entire, higher level of moving lights (not only from seeing them at the concert, but also looking at the pictures for years afterwards). The lights in the We Will Rock You video seem extremely cut-back. Instead of one row of panels of lights across the back of the stage, the panels were all over the place and the ones above the band moved straight up and down on poles and tilted back and forth. There were also little men somehow sitting amongst the panels who manually operated at least a dozen spotlights, and more guys doing this from a small section hanging down from the ceiling at the middle of the arena. Since the spotlights were directed from the top of the arena, there wasn't a big bulky spotlight booth in the middle of the main floor taking up space, and the audio booth was placed along the right side of the arena (down not to far from us) so it wasn't in anyone's way. In the darkness between a lot of the songs, flashlights darted around the stage... we couldn't figure out if it was the band or engineers setting things up. Thankfully, no one came out on stage before the show to announce the band (I've always thought this is really cheesy). Freddie had on those red leather pants with the blue knee-pads... and, unfortunately, that ugly mustache! "What do you think about my new mustache?" Freddie asked. (Mixed applause.) "Some people don't like it, but I just say 'fu** 'em.'" (Crowd goes wild.). Freddie drank some water, then tossed the rest out onto the crowd along with his cup. He tossed his tambourine out later, and I couldn't imagine what it would actually be like to touch it. Freddie also had that long silver microphone stand that he always danced around with in the videos. He was running all over the place; one second he was on the plank at our side of the arena, the next at the other side. The three high school girls who rode up with us were excited because when he went to the end of one of the planks he ended up level and close to them in the balcony (but upset because, had one not been on crutches, they would have stayed on the main floor where Freddie tossed his tambourine!). Once or twice I remember looking into the middle of the arena and some kind of explosion occurred in mid-air (apparently launched from the lighting duct at the top of the arena). There weren't that many lighters in the audience, but instead everyone was using those green glow-sticks that come out around Halloween (I think these were new at the time). The audience kept throwing their green glow sticks up on the stage until at times it was covered, and more than once Brian kicked off some back into the audience (and I think he might have been getting upset but I'm not sure!).

There were numerous parts of the show I knew had to be there... and they all were. The first was the "scary" sound effects and section of "Get Down, Make Love", where Queen showed off their lights. (At that age, I thought the erotic sound effects were simply supposed to represent the monster breaking-in on the cover of News of the World). Smoke shrouded the band, as the panels of lights took over and moved around to the audience's ooohs and aaahs. My mom and I were trying to figure out what was on Roger's bass drum, since it didn't look like an album cover; it turned out to be the white "face" design, also in the We Will Rock You video. Back then, concerts didn't have big video screens, so we just had to use the binoculars that we'd brought. Some spotlights were gathering on Freddie and Brian as they went to sit on two stools toward the right of the stage, and my mom got excited because we knew "Love of My Life" was coming. Freddie announced, "This is our first time in Omaha... " as the song started, and got the crowd to sing along like on the Live Killers album. Meanwhile, I had become a source of info for those around who wanted to know what the songs were; every time a new song would start, people would ask me what it was! I really don't know if anyone has ever actually been able to appreciate a concert as much as I did that night: I was only 7, but had every album except the first two, and knew every song they played except maybe two or three. But what's interesting is how fans often wish they could experience how a "classic" band was 20 years prior... and this is strangely how I felt I was experiencing the show, because at my age it seemed like Queen had been around 20 years. There were parts of the show, including the stage design, that were "legendary" to me, but were only 2-3 years old in reality. Now, 20 years later, they're legendary to everyone else. Periodically, the guy next to me changed the tape in his "hidden" tape recorder. We knew the show was close to the end when "Bohemian Rhapsody" began. Everyone clapped to the pre-recorded opera section, and as the Live Killers liner notes say: "The audience and the lights take care of the rest." The crowd went nuts when Roger hit the famous gong at the end.

I think there were two or three more songs, and then everything went black for about 10 minutes. Could it be that they were actually not going to play the standard "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions/God Save the Queen" closing? The house lights may have even come on for awhile, then went back off. A few people were starting to leave, and I kept telling my mom that they had to end the concert that way, because that's the only way a Queen concert ends... but then even I was having doubts. Finally, the yellow lights around the gong all turned on, pointing directly on Roger, who started the drums of "We Will Rock You" and everyone stomped their feet and clapped. Of course "We Are the Champions" was next, and Freddie shook some of the hands flailing in front of the stage while singing it. I remember there was one hand jumping up and down that never got shook! Freddie bent his neck way back when he sang "... of the world!" at the very end like I knew he was supposed to from videos on TV, and we hoped for another song but knew that was probably going to be it. A grand finale of Queen's famous pyrotechnics began shooting everywhere from the stage, the lights were all moving around, and everyone was jumping all over in the aisles. Soon the pre-recorded Night at the Opera version of "God Save the Queen" did begin playing...but, nobody really sang to it since this is America and no one knows the words! At this point, I tried to make sure I was truly fathoming what it was like to actually see the band members in front of me since they'd be gone soon. Freddie was still dancing around and danced out a little door behind the drums, and the rest of the band followed one-by-one, with John being last as he waved to everybody one last time. The lights flickered and moved some more to the rest of the song, slowly going dark along with the rest of the arena, with the final rise of the crowd's applause. Perfect. Except for that damn mustache. We walked down what seemed like endless spiraling stairs on the way out...extremely slowly this time. My ears had that weird "ringing" feeling like everyone said I'd have, but that I'd never experienced before. Spotlights were panning the sky outside. We said goodbye to the couple we'd been with during the show. A guy in his late 20s started talking to us on the long way out; he laughed and told me how he'd also had to argue with his mom who said Queen would never come to Omaha. My mom asked him if he thought I'd even remember the whole thing since I was so little. He looked down at me, saw my grin from ear-to-ear, and said, "He'll never forget this."” - Jim