#I won’t know what they sound like or if they sang like birds

[oasisofgalaxies]

Every so often I’m filled with an incredibly wide and heavy grief as I remember that I will never be able to see a dinosaur alive

[w3irdo666]

Hi! I wasn't sure if you were accepting requests at the moment

but can I get (romantic) Alastor x Lucifer's ex Seraphim Angel wife who he left plz?

S/o eventually left Heaven and still got to keep their wings and powers before it got taken. They meet him around the time he got to Hell and they hit it off

Anything else is up to you if you'd like

Oh, interesting idea!! I'll try my best, love youuu!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

The Drug In Me Is You

Alastor x Fem!reader x ex!Lucifer

Letter count:

Tags: slightly angst, sfw, slightly possesive behaviour, depression.

Notes: I hope i understood you right!!! Enjoy!!

Lucifer was a wonderful husband.. Constantly enveloped you in love. It seemed to you that you could not dream of anything more. Romantic dates, beautiful clothes, oh, you thought that you would drown in his care.... Which is what happened. Lucifer was undoubtedly magnificent a man...But not a great husband...When you got married, your joy knew no bounds...but...

A year later, you began to notice that he began to pay less attention to you. In the evening, he no longer went to you to cuddle in bed, but just turned his back to you and fell asleep.When you wanted to hug him, threw your hand away and answered annoyed, “Leave me alone.”

One day you were walking through a magnificent garden in paradise. The beauty of nature has always delighted you. Oh, these magnificent scarlet roses.. They look so fragile that it seems that if you touch them, they will fall into small pieces... Birds sang and flew in the sky .Everything was so wonderful, you even forgot about your husband for a while...But suddenly you heard someone’s voice. Your wings trembled slightly, not expecting that someone would be there. You came closer to the source of the sound and, hiding behind a tree, looked whose it was a voice...

Your heart skipped a beat and you felt tears running down your cheeks, like blades piercing your skin.Lucifer stood with another woman. His smile....he had not smiled as much as he smiled at this woman for a long time.You were hurt, terribly. He betrayed you. You were on the verge of hysterics. Turning around, you ran away, sobbing and wiping your tears with your hands.

Everything around you seemed so fake. These light clouds. Birds, flowers, plants. You flapped your three wings and quickly flew. Where? You didn’t know, but it certainly wasn’t where you were flying from.

..............................................................................................................

The next few days were a blur. You felt terrible, you suffered. Lucifer, betrayed you? You couldn’t accept it. When Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven because he got involved with a demon, you didn’t care anymore. You used to be a very joyful archangel. Everyone called you a ray of sunshine. But now... There were black bags under your eyes because of lack of sleep. Your eyes are red, tear-stained. Your condition was immediately noticed by other angels.

“Y/n, honey, are you okay....?” One day an archangel turned to you, concerned about your condition. But she was only met with a few rude words. This alerted her. Soon the angels began to avoid you. The archangels thought about making a decision about your expulsion. But before they could do anything, you expelled yourself. Having opened the portal, you descended into hell. “If I suffer here... It won’t be worse there..” You thought.

Unfortunately, you were wrong. A few days later, you sat curled up in a ball in some alley of hell. Your clothes were torn in some places, your wings were tattered, you felt emptier than an empty glass.Your tired eyes were closed. Your face was buried in your knees. You were so tired that you didn’t even have the strength to cry. Suddenly, you heard someone’s voice. It felt like someone was talking on the radio.

"What are you doing here, dear.With those...wings.Aren't you supposed to be in heaven?" His static voice sounded confident.

You raised your head slightly and opened your eyes. You saw a strange sinner in front of you... He was different from many of those you saw here. He was dressed in a beautiful fitted red suit, his black bow tie was beautifully attached to his shirt. He had a big smile on his face, showing his yellow, sharp teeth. His eyes were calm, but you could see a slight mockery in them.He had black gloves on his hands, and in one of his hands he held a red microphone on a stick.

"W...what do you want...?" You asked in a quiet, pitiful voice. You heard him laugh slightly.

"Ah, nothing important, dear, just curious what such.... creature..like you doing here?" He tilted his head to the side with slight -crack-.

"Who are you...?" You said weakly

"Ah, name's Alastor.Pleasure to meeting you! Quite a pleasure!" He bowed while saying this. You didn't say anything, only looked down at the ground. He continued watching you for few seconds then walked closer to you, standing in front of you.

Alastor couldn't help, but when he saw you, something woke up in him.He was in hell only few month, but still made reputation of dangerous cruel demon.But when he saw your poor, beautiful body, his heart skipped a beat. He felt a strange pull to protect you.

"Such an innocent soul..." he thought

............................................................................................................

You didn't know how it happened, but you find yourself in....his apartment...? With Alastor in front of you.There was a cup of tea in front of you. You looked at your reflection in the tea. You looked terrible. Shabby dirty hair, tired face...The demon continued to look at you, drinking his coffee. His smile never fell, you didn’t even care.

Your weak hand reached for the cup of tea. Fragile fingers clasped the handle of the tea, but your hands were too weak to lift the cup. Alastor noticed this and his eyes narrowed slightly. He put his cup on the saucer. Crossing his legs, he leaned back, watching you.

No matter how he tried to find pleasure in your suffering and raise the cup, he did not feel good. He felt sympathy for you, and a desire to protect. He slowly stood up and approached you.His beautiful long fingers took a cup of tea from your hand and brought the cup to your lips. Slightly surprised by such actions, you looked at the demon.

Opening your lips slightly, you started drinking tea with small sips.

After tea and some food (Alastor feed you too) Alastor showed you way to the bathroom, you needed it.You looked like complete mess.Alastor provided you with a towel, after which you went into the bathroom.When you came out of the bath, prepared clothes were waiting for you... Or rather, a shirt and pants...

When you were changing clothes, Alastor came into the room. He was amazed by your beauty. Your hair.. your smooth skin... Ah, those beautiful wings... He felt his pulse increase.His smile and eyes began to give off shades of warmth.

..............................................................................................................

You lived with Alastor for a long time.You became very close, you started to feel better. Every evening, over a cup of tea, he listened to your worries and sufferings... Usually he would have enjoyed this, but with you, he only felt the desire to calm you down. Every day spent with Alastor gave you more strength, and made you forget Lucifer.

In a hell full of lustful sinners and murderers, you have found comfort in a dangerous demon.No, he wasn't just a demon for you, Alastor, this soul..When he woke up in the evening because of your sobs in the next room, he would sigh and get up heading towards you. When he approaches you, he will lie down next to you and hug you. He hates touching.... But for you he will do anything.He would kill for a feeling of your wings wrap around him when you relax after telling him what bothering you.

When the angels officially kicked you out of heaven, you didn't care so much anymore.You cared only about one thing...only about one person...only about Alastor.

........................................................................................................

"Alastor, where are we?" You asked as you looked around.You were in some kind of garden. Although the flowers were not as luxurious as in heaven, life was visible in them... They looked so bewitching.Alastor coughed and turned away from you. You looked at him in surprise, not understanding his behavior.

"Alastor...?" You almost reached with your hand to his shoulder, but he quickly turned to you.

"Y/n.." Alastor began. His smile was on his face as usual, but you saw the uncertainty in his eyes when he turned to you with one black rose in his hand.You lowered your hand. Oh, how beautiful this rose was... Like an angel of death...

"yes..?"

"i....love you." He extended his hand with the rose towards you. His other hand was tightly gripping his microphone. Your cheeks turned slightly red due to the blush. You felt your heart beating faster and as if butterflies were fluttering in your stomach.He turned his head away, looking away.Without wasting a second, you grabbed his wrist with one hand and turned his face in your direction with the other. Alastor tensed at the contact, but when he felt your soft, plump lips on his, he almost melted.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the kiss. His arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you closer to him. You parted your lips slightly, allowing his tongue to penetrate. You let out a slight moan as your tongues intertwined.

After a few seconds, you pulled away each other. from each other and looked into each other's eyes. You smiled. Your cheeks were flushed with blush, but you were happy to think about it.

"I love you too."

Notes: I hope you liked it!!! Sorry that i didn't lost for a while (⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠;⁠)

[lostgirl677]

Home alone

One-shot

Winchester Brothers x Little sister! Reader

Masterlist

Request : Heyy, how are you doing? I was wondering if I could request for supernatural:3Maybe something where reader is Sam and Dean's little sister (13/14) and it's set on the first episode maybe.So, basically Sam leaves her home alone because he's going hunting with Dean, she finds out just in the morning because he hasn't left a note or anything and she starts to panic, but then she calls them and they calm her down?It's ok if you can't or don't take requests, I Hope you have a wonderful day! Remember to take care of yourself:3

A/N: Sorry it took a long time. I really do hope you'll like it. Maybe it won't be exactly how you expected it.

My eyes slowly opened as the birds sang softly near my window. I began to wipe the fatigue from my eyes as I sat up in bed. I had the weirdest dream last night. One where Dean entered the flat by a window and took Sam with him to find dad. It surely meant that I missed my dad and my brother after four years without seeing them. And Sam barely mentioning them nowadays didn’t help. As the drowsiness of sleep faded, I became aware of my surroundings and noticed that the apartment was eerily quiet this morning. This silence could only indicate two things: either it was very early, or I slept in. By the window, I could see that the sun was already up. I then decided to check my alarm to finally know what time it was. It was 8 AM. At least, I didn’t oversleep. Stretching my legs, I got up and made my way to the kitchen. Passing by the living room, I noticed that everything has been left untouched since yesterday. The coffee table was still covered in books and notebooks as well as various uncorked markers left haphazardly here and there. It was curious, since Sam was pretty much the tidy type, unlike Dean and I. I definitely won’t miss the opportunity to remind him that for once I was not the one leaving a mess behind.

But weirder, when I arrived in the kitchen I saw various cups and plates left on the table and the sink. Sam and Jess would never leave such a mess behind them. But they were probably still drunk from last night. “Sam? Jess?” I finally called. The silence was deafening. I thought for a second that maybe one of them was in the bathroom. So I came to the bathroom door and knocked softly. “Sam? Jess? Are you in there?” But again, complete silence was the only answer I got. There wasn’t even a water noise or the sound of someone brushing their teeth. There was only one room left, Sam and Jess’s. Maybe they were the ones oversleeping? I finally came to their room’s door. As I approached, I immediately noticed the absence of snoring noise. I then knocked on the door. I was once again met with utter silence. Frustration was slowly building in me. So I slowly opened the door and said “I’m coming inside! If I catch you doing something unsuitable for my innocent eyes, I won't be the most embarrassed!”. But, once the door was opened, I only saw a neatly made bed and an empty room.

I let out a rather loud sigh as I closed the door behind me. Maybe they went to the grocery store, or the library? I refuse to think about anything worse. But they would never leave me without at least a little note somewhere. So,  I made my way back to the kitchen to check the fridge to see if they left me a note. But there wasn’t anything in the fridge door or anywhere else. My heartbeat increased with each passing second. Panic was overtaking me and the worst case scenarios ran in my mind. What if something happened to them? What if our old ‘lifestyle’ finally caught up to us? Anxiety was slowly overwhelming me. But I tried to reassure myself and immediately thought about the table next to the door. I practically ran like a maniac toward it, in hope of finding something. But my hopes were crushed when I didn’t find a single note on the little notepad.

My last option was the phone. Thankfully, the little red light was flickering, indicating that someone had left a message. I pushed the button and silently prayed. But when I played the voicemail, I noticed that there wasn’t any message coming from Sam or Jess. I tried to call Jess and Sam right away. But I managed to get voicemail for both of them. “Sam, please! At least tell me you’re okay. I’m anxious. Please call me back soon!” I was really having trouble breathing. I let myself slide down the wall behind me and ended up sitting on the cold wooden floor. The flood of scary thoughts came back to torment me.

I always knew what lurked in the dark. Dad had made sure of it since I was little. Hell, he practically handed me a dagger when I told him I was afraid of monsters under my bed. Thankfully, Dean and Sam always made me feel safe. Even if I was only their half-sister, Dean and Sam were always there with me and never ostracized me for not having the same mother. If anything happened to them, I didn’t know what I would do. When Sam left for Stanford, he took me with him, leaving Dean and dad behind. They were always on my mind and I missed them everyday, especially Dean. He raised me more than dad ever did. I often had nightmares where something bad happened to them. What if it already happened and Sam was the next to die? What if…? My fear overwhelmed me and clouded my mind with the most horrific visions of my family’s corpses.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the phone ringing. Without even thinking, I jumped and threw myself on the phone. “Y/N?” His voice made my heart jump. “Sam?! Where are you? Are you okay? Where’s Jess?” I blurted out in haste, almost out of breath. “Easy, Y/N. Everything’s okay. Jess is at the library. She probably forgot to tell you, sorry. She’ll come back soon. I’m…” There was another male voice interrupting him. I recognized it right away. “Dean?! Oh my god, Dean! I’m so glad to hear your voice. I missed you so much.” I practically screamed on the phone. I heard a bit of bickering when Dean took the phone.”Happy to hear your voice too, sis. I miss you too.” I could hear the smile in his voice. I never felt more relieved in my life. But suddenly, I realized that if these two were together, it meant that something bad happened. “What happened?”, I asked anxiously. There was a bit of silence before Dean replied “Well, dad didn’t come back from one of his hunts. So I came to your apartment last night to get Sam’s ass in the car and try to find dad.” So, I heard them last night. I thought that it was a dream.

“But, why didn’t you take me with you?” I asked and I knew that hurt was evident in my voice when I heard him sigh. “Listen Y/N, we didn’t want you involved in this. You finally have a normal life and we couldn't take it away from you just like that. It’s just another hunt involving what we think is a kind of ghost. It’s basically milk run for us. Soon, I’ll drive Sam back and you’ll keep living your life as if nothing happened.” “A normal life?! Are you kidding? I still sleep with a dagger under my pillow, just in case.” I heard Dean taking a deep breath. He was probably looking for a witty comeback , as always. But before he could answer, I heard Sam. “Y/N, we’re really sorry. But we didn’t know whether it was dangerous or not. We can’t risk losing our baby sis. Dean and I are going to be careful and I promise we’ll be back soon.” “We? Dean will join us?” I asked, hopeful. There was a bit of silence before I heard Dean reply “Well, we’ll see kiddo. It’s up to Sammy.” I heard Sam protesting at the nickname. “I just want to have my brothers with me.” I said, my voice cracking a bit. “I know, sweetheart.”, said Dean in a breath. “It’s a matter of days, I promise. We’ll find that bitch’s corpse, salt and burn it. We’ll be with you in no time.” He said in a reassuring tone. I smiled a little, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “What about dad?” I finally asked. “He can’t be that far. Don’t worry.”, said Sam. “Also, I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note. I didn't have the time.”, he added. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Just promise me you’ll both be careful and come back safe.” “We promise.”, they said in unison. “And please, update me whenever you can. I love you, goofs.” I heard them laugh. “Okay. We love you too, sis. See you soon.”, said Dean. And they hung up the phone.

I fell back on the floor, half relieved and half anxious. Trouble was definitely on the way, but at least, they were okay. I just had to wait for their next call. A sudden noise made me jump. To my relief, it was Jess. “Hey, Y/N! Sorry I didn’t tell you I was going to the library. But I figured that you would forgive me if I came back with your favorite pie.”, she said while shaking a bag. I got up and hugged her. She hugged me back while laughing a little “Wow. I know you love pie but not at this point.” She didn't know how  happy I was to see her. 

 Timeskip

Fire, fire everywhere. Jess was on the ceiling, burning and bleeding. I couldn’t do anything to help her. Dean had to grab both Sam and I before fire could attain us. Her face, her cries for help, it was replaying in my mind endlessly. I would never be able to forget it. 

Dean sat me on the curb, in the midst of the chaos around us. “Y/N, are you okay?”, he asked with a concerned voice. I vaguely nodded my head, still in shock. I couldn't even cry. I threw a glance at Sam. He was devastated. He was crying hard while clinging to me as if he was afraid I would disappear. They finally both took me in their arms. I missed that. But it was sad to have to wait for such a tragedy to finally have my brothers with me. After a moment, Dean sighed and  said “ I guess you’ll have to come with us, now.” And in no time, I was on the backseat of the Impala while Dean was driving to our next destination. 

@hobby27 @deans-spinster-witch

[c-t-r-l14]

The Song A Dove Sings

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Synopsis: You sing Xanthus a beautiful song; one he won’t forget for as long as he lives.

Warning: Mentions of blood.

———————————🧡——————————

As dawn made way for the morning rise, with the orange, pink and red hues rolling over into a sky blue, your eyelids fluttered open to the golden rays of sunlight poking its way through the curtains, and the gentle chirps of the birds roosting in nearby trees. The rays of sunlight that woven its way through the balcony window painted the room in an ethereal golden glow. You were enveloped in the warmness of the blankets, the strong hold of the man you loved most, and the faint, lingering smell of cologne and coca butter. You focused on the hushed sound of his breathing, and the warm air of his breath dancing on your neck. You looked at his peaceful expression, the way his blonde hair fell messily over his pale face, and those long, beautiful eyelashes that so perfectly complimented those stunning ruby red eyes you’ve adored so much. Like most people, you weren’t a fan of mornings—and it’s not for the typical reasons. Before you and Xanthus found each other, you woke up to a gaping cavity in your heart, suffocated by the air of solitude that filled the room. It didn’t matter how brightly the sun shined, how blue the sky was, or how loudly the birds sang; mundanity always hung above your head like a dark storm cloud. Seeing your partner’s face reminded you that you were not alone anymore. With every rise and fall of his chest, with every hushed breath that entered the atmosphere, you were reminded that your melancholic days were fewer and far in between. And so, with your eyelids getting heavier and heavier, yielding to the gentle call of sleep—you nestled further into the warm embrace of the one you loved most in this world.

Until you heard a familiar cooing sound. A familiar chirp—one that echoed in the air; its sound fluttering through the wind, just like the wings of the bird it belonged to.

A familiar song.

Your eyes popped open—any trace of fatigue and weariness melting away. As much as it pained you leave the serenity of Xanthus’ arms, you had to. So, with a quiet groan and a lot of caution, you slowly crept out of bed and tiptoed to the balcony window. And sure enough, there it was.

A Mourning Dove.

Your stomach swirled with nostalgia, and your chest felt heavy. It had been ages since you saw one, and even longer since you’ve heard its hauntingly beautiful call. As the bird sang, you took a moment to admire its muted colors—its little body covered in beige and light gray hues. The corners of your mouth quirked up fondly as you watched the dove’s chest and throat puff out to make each sound.

“Love?” A groggy voice groaned behind you.

You turned around to see Xanthus sitting upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“There’s a mourning dove outside,” you replied.

He got out of bed and walked over to the balcony window.

“Ah. So there is. I haven’t seen one in so long, which makes sense—they aren’t native to the U.K.”

You didn’t answer. You merely watched it sing some more. And although, for a time, the silence between you two was very comforting, you could practically feel Xanthus’ inquisitive gaze.

“I take it that you really like this bird?”

“Yeah. A long time ago, back when I used to live with my parents—a dove that looked just like this one would perch on a ledge outside my window, and sing— once in every blue moon. I know a lot of people think that it sings a sad song, but I never thought so. I always felt comforted, and even a little joyful when I’d hear its song.”

“Is that so?”

You hummed. “I’ve always envied them.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re free; they have peace. I didn’t have that growing up. For my entire life, I was forced to live in fear—always looking over my shoulder, always flinching at every corner. I never let myself fully trust people because I never knew what their true intentions were. It felt like I was…trapped in a cage. And since everyone was out to get me and family, I never really got a chance to actually live my life.”

The cage might’ve been spacious, filled with all the luxuries one could ever ask for—it might’ve been familiar, and full of the people you loved, but…

A cage is still a cage, nonetheless.

“Do you feel free now?” Xanthus asked.

You hummed and rested your head on his shoulder. Dontis was an absolute saint for opening up his home to you two. He’s helped you guys out in more ways in one. You certainly weren’t ungrateful for everything he’s done for you two, but at that point it’d been months since you’ve left his penthouse. Months since you’ve got to try new food, or interacted with new people. Months since you were able to live your life.

Yes, his house was full of luxuriously plush couches, beautiful paintings, and wide flat screen T.Vs, but you still weren’t free. A cage is still a cage. But even after everything you’ve been through, if there was one thing you’d gained—-it was peace. You’ve found peace with Xanthus, and that was enough for now.

“When I die, I think I wanna become a mourning dove.”

Xanthus turned his head toward you. “What?”

“I remember you telling me something about the jokes vampires make when they die. You told me that if you died, you’d come back as a bat. So, I’m telling you now that when I die, I’m gonna come back as a mourning dove. So make sure to keep your ears open;

‘Cause I’m gonna sing you a beautiful song.”

……..

No matter where he went or where he tried to hide, death followed Xanthus everywhere—but it never really bothered him until he met you. Humans lives were fleeting compared to his own, and as fragile as a porcelain tea cup, teetering dangerously on the edge of a high shelf; one nudge away from shattering into numerous irreparable pieces. He never liked thinking about your death, or what’d it be like if you were gone—so he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, and cherished your presence while you were still around.

But ever since you and him had that conversation, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He didn’t stop thinking about it when he held your broken and bloodied body in his arms—your face drained of any color, your eyes dull and lifeless.

He didn’t stop thinking about it as he tore Audric to shreds after what he did to you. He could still feel the warmth of his blood dripping from his fingers.

He didn’t stop thinking about it when he gave your eulogy, or when he and your loved ones walked to the graveyard.

And he most definitely didn’t stop thinking about it when they lowered your coffin 6 feet into the cold, dark ground.

He couldn’t bring himself to leave your grave—even after everyone left. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, or to mutter any sort of apology for getting you into this mess. For being so careless. For being so damn weak. All he could do was sit in front of your grave, with his face buried in his hands, and sob inconsolably. He’d lost the person he was supposed to protect; his lover, a piece of his soul. And now, he felt incomplete—broken, even. So, all he could do was sit there, and cry until there were no tears left to shed.

Until he heard a familiar coo. A familiar chirp.

A familiar song.

He took his face out of his hands, and looked up; the red, bloody tears still streaming out of his wide eyes. And sure enough, there it was, perched on your headstone:

A Mourning Dove.

Its little body was bathed in beige and light gray hues, its throat and chest puffed out as it sang. And Xanthus watched quietly in disbelief until it was over. He reached his hand out, and the dove perched on his finger. And as soon as the bird made contact, he felt it.

It was you.

You came back to say goodbye to him, one last time.

The dove cooed once more, and flew away—the faint flapping sounds of its wings fading further and further away. He watched as the dove flew toward the sky.

You were finally at peace. You were finally free.

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A/N: Ever since part 8.1–when Xanthus jokes about dying and being reincarnated as a bat, I couldn’t stop thinking about what kind of animal listener would end up being. I really, really love mourning doves, and I’ve always thought that they’d be a good fit for listener.

Masterlist

[tact-and-impulse]

Narumayo Zine 2024

Thanks @narumayo-zine for another fun and successful event! My fic's also on the AO3 collection. Everyone's amazing work can be found here!

A Cute Voice

Phoenix stamped the snow off his shoes. The wreaths on the lobby’s walls were a duller green, a few decorative pinecones had fallen on the linoleum. Holiday cheer had given way to a regular morning at work, back to business as usual. He checked the Wright & Co. mailbox, grabbed the stack of envelopes, and headed to the upper floor.

Hm? It’s not totally quiet. Music blared from behind the door, and a muffled voice joined in.

“Go, go! Steel Samurai…”

It sounded like Maya, especially because of the theme song, although he’d never heard her sing before. Curious, he turned the door handle as quietly as possible. The office was much tidier, the desk and table cleared of stray papers. But his attention landed on Maya, pulling up the blinds with her back to him.

“That brave hero will save the town, fly high!” A clear, sweet soprano left her lips. Effortlessly, she reached the high note, perfectly on pitch. She spun around and froze. “Ack, Nick! Uh, hi?”

“Hey, Maya. Having fun?”

She blushed, scrambling to turn off the music. “I came early to help clean, I thought you’d be here later.”

“Early bird catches the worm. Anyway, you don’t have to stop. You sing really well.” He insisted.

She let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, I don’t know. Aunt Morgan once heard me trying a lullaby on Pearl when she was a baby, and she told me to never do it again, so…”

A spark of righteous fury flared within Phoenix. “That’s-”

“New year, new stuff, right? What have you got there?” She dove for the mail, and then, they were occupied with sorting through the requests.

One potential client was at a ski lodge, and when Pearl returned from Medium Valley, they decided to make it a weekend trip. Of course, they were inevitably stuck in traffic. As Phoenix tapped the rental car’s steering wheel, Maya punched the radio button. A pop song poured through the speakers and from the backseat, Pearl screamed in delight, adding her own slightly off-key but animated enthusiasm.

Maya turned to grin at her. “You like this band, don’t you, Pearly?”

“I really do! Mystic Maya, won’t you sing along?”

“It’s okay, I don’t know all the lyrics.”

She pouted. “What about you, Mr. Nick?”

“Same here. But I’ll try if there’s something I’ve heard before.” And as if on cue, the next song was familiar. Just his luck. He could carry a tune, he wasn’t going to win any awards though. He sang the chorus and the bridge, glancing at Maya. She was smiling wide, her eyes lit up like shooting stars.

“Wow, you’re awesome.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic.”

“Totally serious, Nick!”

“Well, you can take a turn. You’re probably better than us and we won’t judge you at all.” He said, holding her gaze. Her lips trembled.

“What if you both sing a duet?!” Pearl exclaimed. “That would be so romantic-”

Then, the cars ahead moved, and the rest of the drive smoothly sent Pearl into a nap. Dense trees lined the road, glittering with salt, and signposts pointed to the main resort. In a promising sight, snowy slopes emerged from cloud cover, tiny dots of skiers creating downward trails. Phoenix spoke first.

“I’m sorry, Maya, I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“You weren’t!” She countered. “It’s only…I don’t know. I guess I’m nervous?”

“That’s alright. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be cheering you on.”

“…Thank you.” Her soft whisper rose and fell, a caress sliding around his neck.

Within minutes, they rolled into the parking lot. Maya tumbled out, her face flushed as she coaxed Pearl to wake up. It had to be the brisk wind. Nevertheless, the cold wasn’t quite touching Phoenix, his ears still hot.

***

Cards flipped, fabric rustled, applause resounded again and again. Trucy had pleaded to attend this magic convention, and by her unwavering expression of wonder, Phoenix didn’t regret it. She watched the other magicians with rapt attention, happily relaying to him what she learned. While she practiced some new maneuvers with Mr. Hat, he went to grab drinks. Apple juice for her, cider for him.

As he picked up the glasses, murmurs rippled from the entrance. Some rich patroness, apparently. However, his breath caught at the figure assisting the newcomer. Long dark hair, cascading over purple robes. A touch of mascara and lip gloss, highlighting more mature features.

Maya.

There had been furtive phone calls and tearstained letters, but this was the first time he’d seen her in person since his badge was taken. He almost wanted to hide. However, any escape was rendered impossible, when he found Trucy chatting with Pearl, who had a growth spurt. He felt Maya’s gaze on him, unable to meet hers, until the convention ended and the girls declared they wanted to get dinner together. So, they ended up at a ramen shop, receiving generous bowls. Trucy and Pearl held an excitable conversation, Maya offering small compliments about the food.

In the dark blue evening, they returned to the hotel. Phoenix carried Trucy, as he walked alongside Maya and a staggering Pearl. Their room was because of Maya’s employer, she explained, who liked the occult. It was certainly a far cry from the Wright Talent Agency; Pearl crashed onto a large silk-covered bed, while Maya insisted on giving them some of the goodies. He couldn’t bring himself to walk away. In his arms, Trucy stirred, her brows creasing in internal turmoil. Pearl rolled onto one side, then the other. Maya started to hum, that became a verse under her breath, in a low, soothing song. The girls grew calmer, and Phoenix felt like breathing was a little easier.

“This is my happiness, I want you to know. I’ll turn to the sky, and keep singing by the window.” She handed over the bag, with a brave smile. “Here you are, Nick.”

He managed to choke out. “Thank you, Maya. For this, and the singing.”

“Not a lot else to do under a waterfall, so vocal training must have paid off.” She deflected. “I’m getting stronger, so I can help you. Just…please, wait. You’ll have your badge back, I know you will.”

He could only nod and pull his beanie further down. More than ever, he wanted to believe in her words.

***

The thought didn’t occur to Phoenix until they were stateside again. Outside the airport, it was pitch black. Bleary-eyed with jet lag and adjusting his watch out of Khura’in time, he asked Maya. “Where are you staying?”

“I guess I can find a hotel room.” She yawned.

After everything that had happened? “Or, you can stay over with me.”

Her eyes widened.

He quickly corrected. “And Trucy! I think she invited Pearl too, I’ll call…” Embarrassed, he brought out his phone and let the girls know, who said they’d have hot drinks and their bedding ready.

“Separate rooms, Daddy?” Trucy innocently asked.

“Y-yes, of course!”

“Aw, okaaay. See you soon.”

As they waited for the cab, they sat in an empty area. Maya gave a bemused look at his suitcase but instead, she said. “You know, I don’t think I’ve said it enough times, but thank you, Nick.”

“I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. And now, you’re home again.”

“Yes, it’s so good to be back.” She ran her fingers through her sleek dark hair, closing one eye.

“If you want to rest, you can use my shoulder.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” And she promptly did.

Phoenix dropped his gaze; their hands were an inch apart, and carefully, his moved closer, just enough for the slightest touch. She shifted, but didn’t speak. Still, he recognized that she was awake. It just felt right to summon his voice, into a tune from one of his daughter’s shows. A closing, and an invitation to see another magic act soon.

And unexpectedly, Maya began to quietly sing. Low warm notes, climbing to that pure bright soprano. “Tides may ebb and flow, and the sun may rise and fall. Still, you’re with me through it all.”

He held his breath. He didn’t want to miss a single second.

“The shell you gave me sings a lullaby of the waves. It takes me back to that summer day.” She paused. “My mom and Mia used to sing this to me, but that’s all I remember of it.”

“It was wonderful.”

“Even in my exhausted state?”

“Not that I could tell. You’ve always had a cute voice.” He murmured.

Her hand bumped his, in protest. But she didn’t draw away. In the next instant, he captured her wrist, and she twisted around to intertwine their fingers. “Probably, no karaoke yet. At least, for now, I can sing just for you.”

He couldn’t resist smiling. “I’m glad.” And maybe, a little thrilled he was the sole exception. He did like her singing voice very much. The minutes stretched on, and he was on the verge of dozing off when his phone rang with the cab’s arrival. Their hands remained in place, as they wheeled their luggage through the airport. And they walked into the cool night, towards a well-deserved homecoming.

[akaridream]

after dark pt. 3: stakeout (hawks x reader)

tags: hawks x reader

cw: cursing, hawks is a big fat flirt, afab reader, mentions of drugs/alcohol

taglist: @inkthgoat @pnsduck @animedreamworlds @melxdig @mizvaun @mysideeffectsofyou

masterlist

From the roof across from the Fukuoka police headquarters, you watched the sun drift lower in the gray sky. Your shadow was long and wind howled in your ear. In the other, you were being entertained by Hawks’ incessant singing.

“And all I am is a man, I want the world in my hands,” he sang, off-key and unabashed through your ear piece.

You pulled your hoodie tight around your ears. “Oh, please don’t ruin The Neighborhood for me too,” you laughed.

“Ruin?” he said, feigning offense. “You get a private karaoke session and this is how you thank me?”

Tired of pacing, you laid down on your stomach, chin on top of your hands, peering over the side of the building. “If I had my way, we’d be listening to an orchestral suite or something.”

“Orchestral suite?” He fake snored, making you scoff.

“Don’t be so uncultured, bird brain,” you sneered. “There’s one called The Planets, it’s actually really cool. Each movement was written to be the personification of the Greek gods they’re-” Hawks snored even louder, but you just talked over him. “It’s actually really interesting!”

He laughed. “Relax, I’m just messing with you. Tell me about-”

“Hold on a sec, I’ve got movement.” Your eyes focused on the door of the police station.

“Ugh, finally. Dude is supposed to be on patrol already, not cooped up in the office,” Hawks whined.

“Never mind, it’s not him,” you said, body relaxing.

“Damn. Is surveillance always this boring?” he asked.

“Not when I get to listen to the music I like,” you joked.

“Wow, so ungrateful! But you like The Neighborhood enough to know them at least, right?”

“Yes, I like some popular stuff. But I find long, complex pieces to be more mentally stimulating when I’m working, especially since I’m always alone.”

“So what’s so cool about this Planets piece?” Hawks asked. You could tell he was munching on a snack.

“I don’t want to put you to sleep.”

“You won’t, I like hearing you talk about stuff.” You could hear the smile in his voice. It made your heart stutter.

“Well… Okay,” you resigned. “So each planet has a totally different vibe. Like, Mars is the god of war and that movement is aggressive and bombastic, definitely sounds war-like. But then Venus is next and it’s this ethereal, soft piece with a dreamy feeling. All seven are totally different. So yeah, it’s neat.”

“Sounds cool. Do you have a favorite?”

“That’s tough. Everyone loves Jupiter, and for good reason. It’s bright and vibrant and the main melody is gorgeous. I also really appreciate Saturn, it has this solemn vibe but has this really pretty ending. And I really like the far away, mystical feeling of Neptune, it definitely makes you feel like you’re floating through endless space. But I also can’t overlook the dreamy, almost sleepy sense you get from Venus… Sorry, I’m rambling,” you chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

“No, not at all,” he said. “Like I said, I like hearing you talk. You’ll have to send your favorite one to me, I’ll check it out.”

“Really?” you asked. “You aren’t just making fun of me for liking classical music?”

“Hey, I may joke around a bunch but I promise I’m not making fun of you, angel. You’re smart, so I’m sure you have good taste.”

There’s that word again. Angel. Why does it make my heart stop like that? Wish I had the guts to ask why he insists on calling me that, you thought. But you were too scared to broach the line of flirting just yet, especially since you were on the job. How awkward would the rest of your contract be if he wasn’t interested? Plus, you weren’t kidding when you told him you were chronically single. You had no idea how to act in a relationship, and there was little doubt in your mind that Hawks was experienced. His confidence was proof that he knew just how attractive he was. You’ve never had trouble with emotions before, so get this little crush under control, you told yourself.

“So what do you usually listen to?” you asked.

“Pssh, I dabble in all sorts of stuff. Some pop stuff, some metal, whatever’s good. How about we go for some Local Natives next, they’re a little more indie.”

After the first few bars, you started tapping your foot. “Hm, good bass line,” you said, barely hearing Hawks humming along. “Did you say you like metal?”

“Oh yeah. But I won’t scare you off with that just yet,” he chuckled. “It can get a little intense.”

“Hey, I get it. We all need an outlet for that teenage angst.”

Hawks gave a full-voiced laugh. “For sure! Speaking of angst, you ever get into American Emo stuff?”

“Yeah, quite a bit when I was young,” you said.

“I’ll make us a playlist and we can serenade each other all evening tomorrow. Let me know your requests!”

“Will do,” you said, internally laughing at the thought of Hawks outside your bedroom window with a boom box like in the movies.

Your target finally exited the police station and headed for his patrol vehicle. Hawks turned off the music and switched your headsets to listen in to the police scanner so you could follow the target without needing to trail him directly. While Hawks’ wings were built for speed, yours were not. You followed as closely as you could, taking shortcuts across rooftops to rest your wings while keeping an eye on the streets below.

“Sounds like he’s going to do some detective stuff, probably a follow-up interview,” Hawks said.

“Yep, headed north. Any movement there yet?” you asked.

“Actually, my target just walked out. He’s with two others. Just regular office chit-chat.” He paused. “Seems to be headed to the train station with the others. He gets on at Hakata and heads south to Kasuga, so I’ll just fly there- Well, apparently he forgot something in his office.” He paused again. “But he isn’t going back inside, just standing around looking at his phone. Weird.”

“That is weird. Wonder what his deal is,” you said, thankful that your target had stopped for coffee so you could catch your breath.

“Okay, he’s on the move again. I’m suspicious now, so I might tail him to see which train he gets on.”

Hawks followed his target from the rooftops to the train station, then sent out a feather to discern which direction he would go.

“He’s heading north,” Hawks said, surprised. “That’s unusual. He must not have wanted his co-workers to know where he was going. I’m going to head up to the next station, see if he gets off there.”

Once he reached the next train station, Hawks carefully scanned the crowd, looking for his suspect from the Safety Commission.

“Must have stayed on the train. Hopping up to Hakozaki next.”

“That’s pretty close to where I am. They might be meeting up after all,” you said.

“I’ll be surprised. If they’re links in the Trigger supply chain, it’s pretty bold of them to meet up so soon. I mean, your guy just got caught about a week ago.” Hawks grew quiet in thought as you both flew over the city.

“Just made it to Hakozaki, and I already see him getting off the train,” Hawks said. “He’s heading east towards the river.”

“Shit. So am I,” you said. “You feel confident in getting a clear photo of him whenever he stops walking?”

“I took one of him already, just in the crowd at the station.”

“Really? That’s perfect. Maybe you know what you’re doing after all, Hero,” you said.

“You taught me well, and I may not be as dumb as I look at least.”

“You getting close? I’m across from a fried chicken place we might have to check out,” he asked, kneeling near the edge of the roof.

After tailing the police cruiser for a few more blocks, you spotted crimson wings ahead, despite the dying daylight. You drifted on the wind towards him, your silent wings aiding your stealthy approach.

You smirked and landed several feet behind him, your boots crunching the gravel giving away your position. He whipped around, slightly startled.

“Damn, your wings really are silent! You’d make for a bad-ass stealth hero, you know.” The way his bright eyes raked over your form made you self-conscious, but his smile told you he was pleased with what he saw. “The all-black outfit really suits you.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Oh please. You’re laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?”

“Laying what on thick?” He stood and drew near to you, flashing a coquettish grin.

“You’re such a flatterer, Hawks.”

He brushed away a strand of hair stuck to your hood. “What, I’m not allowed to compliment you?”

You blushed and couldn’t hide your smile. “We are co-workers, you know.”

“Yeah, for now.” His flirty tone made your cheeks flare to life further. No guy had ever shown you attention like this. He must just be this way with everyone. Can’t let myself think I’m anything special compared to the number three hero in the country.

You walked to the edge of the building together, peering over to the street below. Hawks’ target from the Safety Commission looked around, then spotted the police cruiser pulling over near the next intersection. He began walking with purpose.

“Think I should head down to street level and try to listen in?” you asked.

Hawks shook his head. “Don’t want you to get spotted. I’ll send down a feather.” He handed your digital camera over to you. “Try and get some pics of them together without going all the way down there.” Despite his typical lighthearted demeanor, Hawks’ tone was serious and his eyes narrowed in focus.

You nodded, both of you watching the man below. Without a word, he entered the police vehicle.

“Well, that tears it, huh?” Hawks asked, sending a red feather down to rest on the roof of the car.

You fluttered over to a lower roof to take pictures of the pair. Thanks to the street noise, you couldn’t make out any of their conversation. Hopefully Hawks’ feathers are as useful as they seem. Your camera shutter clicked away as they conversed. After taking a sufficient number of photos, you returned to Hawks’ side.

“They’re working together, and it’s definitely related to Trigger,” he said, eyes closed in concentration. “They’re surprisingly confident despite the report last week. Yamamoto- the PSC guy says he can supply more on Thursday. Officer Mori says that’s fine. They’re going to meet at Bay 7 at the docks, 10 pm. No correspondence until then.”

“Damn. You were dead on, then.”

Yamamoto exited the vehicle and hailed a cab. Hawks’ feather darted from the police cruiser to the roof of the cab, listening in.

“Sounds like he’s headed home now. Must be making serious cash if he can afford a cab for that distance,” Hawks said. He recalled his feather and stood, rubbing the stubble on his chin. You watched the gears turn in his mind and couldn’t stop the thought of how incredibly handsome he was. His large hands, strong jaw, glimmering eyes… He chewed his lip in thought, making you subconsciously lick your own lips. He is not making this easy for me… He’s too fucking hot.

As if he could sense your stare, he caught your eye. “You okay?” he asked, voice low.

Mortified at being caught, you shook your head. “Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. Just thinking.” Suddenly warm, you lowered your hood, trying to get the cool air to circulate around your burning ears.

“Yeah, I was too. Have to wonder if there’s anyone else in the PSC or the police department involved or if it’s just the two of them. We should try and figure out who Yamamoto is getting his supply from and when.”

“Yes, I agree. Perhaps we can dig up some intel tomorrow or Wednesday, then catch the hand-off Thursday night,” you suggested.

He nodded. “Yeah, good plan.” He sighed and shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s as much as we can do for now. But hey, I’m glad we got what we were looking for.”

You snorted. “Yeah, me too. Can’t believe it went so well, actually. I almost never get anything usable on the first night.”

“For real? Then we should spent the rest of the evening getting some dinner to celebrate our first success!” he said with a brilliant grin. “I think that fried chicken place is open til nine!”

“We’ve only been at it for a couple hours now and you’re already done for the evening? We could go back to my office and start looking for info,” you said, crossing your arms.

“Well, I’ve been doing hero work all day and I’m starving! And your office is aaaall the way across town. We’ve already made progress, so I think we deserve a little reward. So, what do you say? Join me?” he asked, extending a hand towards you.

“Have you forgotten that you’re super famous? I can’t be seen with you in public!” you said, more harshly than you meant it.

“Aw, angel,” he pouted. “You aren’t going to let me take you out?” He tilted his head like a curious puppy.

Had it been anyone but the ever-charming and undeniably attractive Hawks, you might have scoffed. Instead, you sighed and relented.

“Do they have takeout?” you asked.

Hawks beamed. “Sure do! What sounds good to you?”

“Whatever you’re having, so long as it isn’t too spicy,” you said.

Hawks started punching the restaurant’s number into his phone. “You know, my apartment isn’t too far from here. We could always take this back to my place to eat, if you get tired of eating on rooftops.”

Your eyes grew wide. “You’re trying to get me to go back to your place on our first night of work?” you chuckled, assuming he was joking.

Realizing how his words had come off, he stammered. “Oh shit, uh- That’s not how I meant for it to come out at all! I mean- Yeah, I’m placing an order for pick-up, please.” His cheeks burned a lovely shade of red to resemble his feathers. He rubbed the back of his neck and you laughed silently as he fumbled through the dinner order. So he finally breaks the confident persona, only to come off even more endearing. He’s so cute my heart might explode.

He hung up the phone and turned back to you bashfully. “Should be ready in ten minutes,” he said, swallowing hard and chuckling. “Sorry, I really didn’t mean it like I was trying to hit on you or anything.” He paused. “Uh- Not that I wouldn’t hit on you, I mean, you’re gorgeous! But taking you back to my place would be-”

You laughed. “Hawks, relax, okay? I’m not mad or anything.” He calmed down and laughed with you. He thinks I’m gorgeous?

“Good. Sooo, you don’t mind me hitting on you then? Just a little?” he asked, cocking a brow up.

Your heart soared and you gave a coy smile. “Oh, if you must. So long as we’re done working.” You met his eyes, bravely returning his flirtatious spark.

“Yeah? Like… Everyday when we’re done, or after our little contract is up?” he asked eagerly.

“Geez, you are so impatient!”

“Yeah, maybe I am.” He shrugged. “But what can I say, you really are gorgeous.”

You couldn’t maintain eye contact, so instead you raked your eyes over his body. “Oh, shut up. But… You aren’t so bad yourself, bird brain.”

A soft blush bloomed across his cheeks and he shrugged. “Eh, I try not to look like a total wreck at least. While we wait, you wanna show me that planet orchestra you were talking about?” he asked

“Yeah. I may not be the brightest bird, but I like to be open to new things.”

You smiled and pulled out your phone as you sat on the ledge. “I’ll play it through the headsets, okay? This one’s Jupiter, I think you’ll like it best.”

Hawks sat down next to you, his wings puffed up to block the biting wind. They were much larger than yours, but they didn’t intimidate you as they had upon your first meeting. Now, they were your shield.

The song began with a jovial burst of energy. The driving percussion and triumphant brass energized you, and you found it hard to sit still without conducting an invisible orchestra with your fingers.

“Sounds like a movie,” Hawks remarked.

You nodded. “Yeah! A ton of modern film composers have been influenced by this suite.” You closed your eyes, allowing your head to sway with your favorite passage.

Hawks was trying to pay attention to the music. He really was. But he was far more enraptured by you. Your excited heartbeat, your soft scent, your angelic wings nestled within his own. The elegant music only emphasized his infatuation with your beauty. He knew you would eventually open your eyes and catch him staring, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off you.

You sat in comfortable quietness, enjoying the music together. You felt Hawks’ arm gently resting against yours, pinky nestled against yours. Butterflies surged in your gut as you allowed yourself to lean into him. He provided warmth, deep in your chest and relief from the cool wind. As the lengthy song neared conclusion, you opened your eyes. Hawks’ golden irises sparkled in the dim light, his gaze soft and attentive. He glanced at your lips, but turned his head away.

Was he… Thinking about kissing me? Or am I totally misreading him? I have to be over-thinking it. He’s a flirt with everyone, right? Gotta keep this professional. Probably shouldn’t have said he could hit on me.

As silence filled the air once more, you opened your mouth to speak. Hawks’ stomach gave a noisy growl, sending you both into a laughing fit.

“Right on cue, as always!” he said.

He stood and offered his hands to you, helping you to your feet. Not letting your hands go, he pulled you close.

“Would it be super cheesy to say that song was almost as beautiful as you?” he asked with a cheeky smirk.

You giggled. “Yes, extremely.”

He laughed too and brushed his thumb over the back of your hand. “Guess I’ll just keep it to myself then. Back in a few with dinner.”

As he fluttered down to the street, your heart hammered against your ribs. You rested your icy fingers against your burning cheeks. He is such a dork. An absolutely adorable dork.

part 4

[lieblingspulli]

Memories in my Palm: SKZ

W.c: 3k

Bang Chan x Reader

Summary: bang chan rot. I am sad and happy and everything in between because of this. 

A/n: Highly inspired by The Flower Garden (sorry Im so obsessed with Howl’s moving castle, the music is just so vividly moving I can’t resist writing when I listen to these songs 😣) and the whole ep Strawberries by Vietra. Highly recommend listening to this album on repeat while reading it! Enjoy!

Masterlist!

SKZ Masterlist

You remember the exact moment you encountered Chan for the first time. He was just a boy, running to achieve a dream that he didn’t even know the certainty of. He was at the beginning of his trainee days. You were at the beginning of your life post-high school. The both of you were seeking perfection from an imperfect experience. When you reflect back on your meeting, sometimes you feel as if it were fate. That life brought you to this boy that would become something bigger than himself. 

You remember that day clearly. The sun was shining and summer had just arrived. The heat was beating down on Seoul relentlessly. You picked the nearest park you could find and figured a park would fit better than your stuffy room, still unpacked from moving. 

The cool air in the shade provided a sweet refuge from the stuffy hotness of the sun. The grass tickled your legs and you smelled the sweet flowery scent of a nearby flower bush as you sat to rest in the cool shade. The sounds of conversations floated in the air idly, existing as background noise to the calmness of your day. Children played with their dogs. Grandparents encouraged toddlers to walk. Parents cooed at their children after a tumble. The chatter was loud, but it faded to a comfortable white noise. 

You thought about the taste of your favorite sweet ice cream melt in your mouth as you watched a child walk by with a popsicle in hand. That same ice cream had nurtured you throughout your childhood and the taste of vanilla never failed to make you remember the times you had bought the cone from the ice cream shop around the corner. That same cone that the worker handed to you in your youth nurtured your adulthood as you moved to an unfamiliar place. Your mouth watered as you laid in the grass, careful to place your arm behind your head and contemplate how familiar yet different the environment around you felt. 

There was a wave of cool air as the breeze picked up. The sound of leaves rustling tempted you into closing your eyes, singing a lullaby that eased you into a trance. Birds sang and you closed your eyes to listen. You were tempted to fall asleep right there, but some nearby voices interrupted your tranquility. You cracked an eye open. 

“Dude, I don’t know what to do, I lost all my progress on my track.” 

“Everything?” 

“Yea, everything. I’m so screwed.” 

“Hey, it’s not that bad. Do you have the original file?”

“No, that’s gone too.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yea.” 

“Maybe I can try and help you recreate it?”

“It took me literal hours to make. I think it’ll take longer to recreate it. There were so many track layers, and I’m so stupid too. There were original beats on there that only existed on that file. Good lord.” 

“Ji, breathe. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll just tell Seungmin I can’t meet with him today and I’ll help you out.” 

A moment of silence. 

“Chan, I can’t make you do that. You’ve got so much to do already. And Seungmin won’t be happy either.” 

“It’s okay. He can deal with it. Besides, I want to help. I feel bad, I know what it’s like to lose a whole track, near completion. It’s a shitty feeling.” 

“You’d do that for me?” 

“Yeah man, what wouldn’t I do?” Some laughs. A soft smack. 

“Thanks. I really really really appreciate that.” 

“Of course. I just want to help.” 

 You peek around you, not moving your head to be more inconspicuous. Out of the corner of your eye, you see two boys sitting near the tree you were laying next to. They must not have seen you, considering you were behind them. The two boys seemed to be a bit lanky and awkward. One had blond-ish hair and was wearing all black, the other had chocolate brown hair and was fiddling around with his beanie in his hands. You quietly listened to their continuing conversation. 

“I just feel like the songs I’m submitting are all being struck down. I’m not really sure what to change about them.” 

The one with the beanie hugged his knees tightly to his chest. It seemed a bit hot to be wearing a beanie. But the same could be said for the one in black. You mentally rolled your eyes- boys. From their demeanor and way of talking, you assumed they were around the same age you were. Maybe the one in black was a little older. 

“I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with them Ji. Everyone’s just gotta focus on improving right now. I mean, look at Felix. He’s trying really hard to learn a new language he’s gotta sing in. Or Seungmin. He’s tasked with working on his dance. But like I said- there’s nothing wrong with their skills, they just have room to improve.” The older boy spoke so eloquently. ‘Ji’ as he was called, just nodded solemnly and looked off in thought. Chan, whose name you gathered from their approaching conversation, nudged his friend. 

“It’s just the beginning. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We haven’t even released a full album yet!” Chan giggled and you could hear the way his laugh trembled with excitement. It was contagious. 

“I guess you’re right.” Chan’s friend smiled. Chan just replied, “I’ve been here for years Jisung. I know a thing or two.” You smiled as Chan smiled, but quickly caught yourself for being creepy and listening in on a private conversation. However much you told yourself it wasn’t right, you couldn’t stop listening and focusing on how Chan encouraged his friend.

Even in the uncomfortable summer heat, surrounded by too many people and feeling uncomfortable emotions, Chan managed to lift his friend up out of the dumps. You were fascinated with the way this random boy managed to match the happiness of a puppy. 

The conversation went on for a little longer, but you tried not to listen in much, assuming a private conversation should stay that way. But for the rest of the day, the demeanor of ‘Chan’ left an impression on you. His smile and his ability to be a friend to lean on stuck to your memory. Even after the two boys had walked away, you replayed the way Chan had so wisely maneuvered his friend’s negative thoughts into ones seeking improvement. 

That afternoon, you decided to walk away from that park and get yourself that ice cream. While eating it, you wondered if you could ever be that type of person for your friends. You resolved to be that friend, walked up to the counter, and paid for the next person after you. That summer afternoon would stick with you for a long time. 

-

It wasn’t until you frequented that specific park that you noticed the same boy over and over again. As the summer heat died down and the leaves of the tree you sat by started to change colors and fall off, you began to notice Chan more and more. At first, it would be brief, in passing. He would walk by you as you sat on a nearby bench. Or he would be listening to some sort of music on a bench as you made your walk to your tree. But eventually, you saw him more and more, and he saw you. 

One day, he even said hi as you walked by. That was a mistake. You had walked by with your ice cream in hand (even in 50 degree weather) and he was seated on a bench when you two made eye contact. At first, you resolved to just walk past, but as soon as you tried to, he looked directly in your eyes and smiled. 

“Hi, how’s it going?” 

You tripped on the sidewalk crack. Fortunately, you didn’t fall. Unfortunately, your ice cream did. 

“Oh my gosh- I’m so sorry!” 

You put your hand over your mouth and stared at the now dirty ice cream on the sidewalk. For a split second, you didn’t know whether to shake your head and say it’s okay or to be shocked that he said hi to you. 

Chan had risen from the bench when you dropped your ice cream and was awkwardly sticking his hands out, prepared to catch you when you almost fell. You were standing with an empty ice cream cone. You realized that it was just silent and had to say something. You looked at Chan. 

“Oh no, It’s all good, it’s cold anyway.” You awkwardly laughed and looked around, not sure what to do. Should you be picking up the ice cream with a napkin? Do you just leave it there? You were so absorbed with the sidewalk that Chan’s response startled you. 

“I can get you another one, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. It’s just, I’ve seen you around before and wanted to say something but I didn’t realize the sidewalk-” Chan rambled on and you stared at him wide-eyed. You blinked. The wind picked up. The napkin in your hand (from your bag of course) flew away. Chan shut his mouth and watched it fly away. It all happened so fast. 

The two of you ran after it, as it was the last one in your bag and he just wanted to help. The wind took the stupid napkin down a nearby hill and unfortunately as you reached for it, you lost your balance and fell forward. Chan, being the good guy he always was, reached for your waist as you fell in front of him and he lost his balance too. The two of you ended up in a heap at the bottom of the hill. It was a large hill. 

“I am so sorry, oh my god!” Chan immediately got on his knees and checked that you weren’t seriously injured. You groaned and sat on your butt, trying to pick pieces of dry grass from your hair. 

“It’s fine. I’m sorry, I’m super clumsy.” You huffed and rubbed your palms, which had scraped down on the way to the bottom. Chan reached for your elbow and hesitated. 

“Can I?” He wanted to check your arm. You nodded. He carefully reached and gently grabbed your palms, checking them for dirt. He blew off the debris and carefully inspected them. You winced, your palms felt raw. 

“They don’t look too bad, but some ointment and a bandaid should help. Are you okay? Do you need help getting up?” Chan looked at you. He was sitting on his knees and heels, leaning close to you. He must have crawled over to you after you fell. You shook your head, feeling your mouth go dry. This was super embarrassing. 

“Thanks for helping. I think I can get up.” You smiled painfully, feeling the true shock of embarrassment. You totally just dragged this guy down a super tall hill with you. For a napkin. He nodded and smiled back, revealing two deep dimples on his cheeks. Your cheeks turned red, but you looked down at your palms before he could see. 

He leaned back and stood up, reaching out to help in case you needed it. You attempted to get up, but the rawness of your palms burned so bad as soon as you put pressure to get up. You hissed. 

“Here- grab my forearm. Carefully.” Chan reached out with his arms and instructed you. You complied and he grabbed your own forearms from below. With a count to three and a little grunt, he pulled you up quickly. You felt a bit dizzy from the fall and sudden pull. Chan firmly held onto your arms and steadied you. 

“You okay?” He gently asked. You nodded and whispered a thank you. 

“Can you walk?” You blushed and nodded. 

“I can try?” You smelled his cologne. He was quite close. He looked you in the eyes with pure concern for a split second before breaking a wild grin. You smiled at his tousled hair and the dirt smear on his cheek. 

Chan laughed and sighed in relief. 

“Good. I thought I was going to have to cart you off this grass field with a stretcher.” He let go and you instantly missed the space where his hands had been grabbing you for support. You nervously laughed. 

“At least we didn’t break anything right?” You lightly joked and brushed some grass off your pants. He chuckled, the novelty and the awkwardness of the whole situation already passing by. 

“I’m really sorry about that by the way.” You tried to apologize again. He just shook his head and stuck his hands in his pocket. 

“Nah, I should be the one apologizing. I was the catalyst for the events that just took place.” He groaned and it was your turn to laugh at him. 

“It’s okay really.” You tried reassuring him. He suddenly got shy. 

“Do you want to get another ice cream? My treat.” He shyly asked. You blushed and felt your ears get hot. 

“As long as we don’t eat it by the hill, sure.” You joked. He smiled and laughed. You loved when he laughed like that. His dimples were eye-catching and his eyes sparkled. He motioned for you to lead the way and followed behind you up the hill, making sure if you fell again, that he’d be there to catch you. 

-

And here you were, about 5 years later. You and Chan were sitting across from each other on the couch that you both owned. Sitting in the apartment you shared with him. Sitting in the home you made with him. 5 years of dating later, you now shared your life with him. No more falls, no more spilled ice cream. Just him as your pillar. But all of that seemed so far away from you now. 

“Babe, I wanna fix this. I feel so bad, I really want to make it up to you.” Chan leaned forward to grab your hand, but you retracted it. Whether it was from anger, or from sadness, you didn’t care to be touching him right now. He had left you waiting on him, he had promised to take you out for a self-care day. But as usual, he ran late, and then late turned into not showing up at all. It was now the next day. 

Chan had turned up at your door with a bouquet of flowers and the clothes on his back. You had slammed the door in his face. 

“You forgot about me Chan.” You whispered and looked down, tears dripping off your chin. 

“Y/n. I’ll do better. I want to always be there for you. I want to be there when you need me and be there when you don’t. I love you. Please.” He desperately pleaded. You stared at your palms. The open windows of the apartment invited the cool summer breeze. You stared at the smooth lines on your palm, remembering the cool air you had felt when you first met Chan. The sounds of the swaying tree branches and children playing echoed in your ears. 

“Y/n?” Chan carefully studied you. 

You looked up at him and studied his eyes. You took in his appearance. He looked tired. He looked like he needed to shower. Like he needed to be hugged and reassured. You remembered the conversation he had with Jisung. How he turned Jisung’s negativity into encouragement. How his strong presence anchored the fleeting fear of Jisung’s mind. Your eyes softened and you reached out to hold his hands in yours. He tightly grabbed them and kissed your knuckles. 

“Chan? Remember when we fell down that hill after you made me drop my ice cream?” 

You smiled. He looked startled, but then his tired eyes curved with his smile. He chuckled in embarrassment. 

“Yea. I felt so bad. I was just trying to get your number.” He lovingly smiled at you, a twinge of embarrassment dusting his cheeks pink. You closed your eyes and held his hand, remembering the way he tightly gripped your arms that day. You remembered the soft smell of his cologne and the grassy smell of his jacket as he handed it to you on your walk to the ice cream shop. You rubbed his hand with your thumb and laughed. You truly remembered the tone of his voice as he comforted Jisung. You deeply remembered the concern in his words as he asked if you could walk on your own. 

“It’s okay Chan.” You looked up and he searched your eyes for any sort of anger. You smiled at him, and thought of all the times he had comforted you, or comforted anyone in his life. You realized then that all he truly wanted was to take care of the people he loved, even though he drew from an empty cup himself. You got up and he got up too, sighing as you hugged him close. You wanted to be that person for him, whenever he needed it the most. 

Feeling his hands, feeling the memories of your meeting in your palms, it made you remember the promise you made to yourself to be a pillar for anyone you knew. This wasn’t about you anymore. This was him too. So, instead of you, you chose the both of you. You chose him and you chose his well being. 

“It’s okay Channie. I’m here for you. I’ll always be.” You whispered and you pulled away slightly to kiss his cheek. 

Chan’s concerned face turned into one of deep relief and deep exhaustion. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and you wiped them for him as they fell. 

“I love you so much Y/n. I just wanted to help.” 

His words echoed those of the words he had spoken five years ago. 

“Channie. Let me help you. You do so much for everyone, I think it’s time you get help too.” You gently told him and you held his face in your palms, glad that he had helped to heal them all those years ago. 

He nodded and closed his eyes, accepting your love and patience. You kissed his lips and he melted into your embrace. You held his face in your hands, ready to always keep the memory of him in your palms. 

[vesperadreamer]

The Siren

You were exhausted from the day and needed to get away from your family as well. The pier always brought you relief and relaxation, just listening to the sea helped to wash away your worries and stresses from the day. You laid back and listened closely, something caught your attention and you shot up trying to listen closer. It sounded like a woman was singing, though the song seemed to be one of longing and yearning. You had to find the source to sate your curiosity and hopefully you could give them some company on a lonely moonlit night.

You followed the source as best you could by ear, letting the song slowly guide you towards your destination. You came to the opening of a cave and carefully moved inside and spotted the source, a woman sitting on a rock lit up by the moon as she sang. However you noticed something wrong, she wasn’t human in fact she looked like she came from the ocean. You saw her legs and arms, her webbed hands and feet, and the finned tail just slightly swaying. You’ve never seen a creature like her before let alone read of one, what could she be you wondered.

You approached slowly and silently before taking a careful seat in the sand as you watched her. How beautiful she was, how mesmerising her voice was, it all mixed together making you want to be with her, stay as long as you could. When her song stopped, you realised that she had been watching you at some point. “What is a human like you doing here? Shouldn’t your kind be at home and sleeping? Do you not know what my kind does to pretty little humans like you? Do you even know what I am?”

So many questions at once, but they were also simple, “I was enjoying the peace and quiet away from people, letting the sea wash away my worries and stress from the day until I heard your singing and followed it. Other than that, I don’t know what you are, I don’t even think I’ve read about your kind.” She laughed at your answers, probably finding them funny before she gave you a wide grin. “I am a siren and you may call me Siren, my sweet pearl. We lead people astray with song and beauty before watching them fall into the sea to be devoured by us.”

Fear gripped you, you swore sirens were either bird-like or had fish lower halves but now you knew the reality of how they could walk on land just devour you whenever. “I won’t eat a pretty little thing like you, my pearl. We only go after those with blackened hearts full of corruption, sin and evil. Its a special sight of ours so don’t you worry.” You relaxed a bit and thought about how if she wanted you dead then she could have just done it while you were entranced by her song and beauty. Maybe she wasn’t bad.

She hopped down and you got a proper look at her, she really did have mythological beauty all things considered. She held out a hand and you looked at it, then at her curiously. “Would you like to see my world? It might help you relax, though I doubt you want to get your clothing wet.” Wait what? You blinked for a moment as you looked at yourself and back at her, she didn’t wear clothes, she was naked. You hid your face behind your hands, sure you were different cultures and people but you expected some modesty. Did they not wear clothing? Did they just not care for it? You really couldn’t tell.

“Theres no reason to be afraid my dear pearl, I’ll be keeping you safe for the entire trip.” You drank in her words and mulled them over, she thought you afraid and not shy or embarrassed. She really didn’t seem to care about the thought of nudity, it was possibly quite natural for her. You sighed and began to slowly and reluctantly remove your clothes, this probably wouldn’t be the only difference you’d see between your worlds, but you certainly hoped it’d be the last embarrassing one. You took her hand once you were finished and she slowly led you into the water, you took a deep and final breath just before you fully submerged.

Everything rushed past you as she held you close, the world under the water’s surface was beautifully lit up by the moonlight. You watched a school swim past you and they had quite a variety of wonderful colours. It didn’t take long before you needed air and badly, you began to squirm and struggle as Siren seemed to watch before turning you around to face her and kiss you. Her kiss caught you by surprise before you realised she was providing you air, making sure you’d be able to stay long and see more of her world. Her world was so much different than yours and you were more than happy to learn about it.

There wasn’t just an entire world beneath the water’s surface, it felt like an entirely different existence altogether. You saw so much life before you, all swimming past as the two of you moved gracefully through the waters. Your eyes were slowly met with a sight of vibrant colours and life, a forest made entirely of kelp and coral housing so many creatures. This was a beauty beyond your imagination, something that you’d never have been able to experience had you turned Siren’s offer down. You wanted her to show you more, you wanted to experience so much more of what she had to offer.

Your heart began to race when sharks began to circle the two of you, were they hungry and planning to eat you? You watched as Siren held out a hand and one of the sharks moved in to brush against it, letting her pet it. She grabbed one of your hands and held it out for you as another shark moved in to brush against you. You could pet the sharks, you were petting the sharks. The sharks were quite affectionate and friendly as you pet them, they almost reminded you of dogs with how they seemed to enjoy the attention. You loved it all, you loved this world Siren was showing and you couldn’t help but wonder what more there was to explore.

She pulled you along and deep into the waters through a dizzying cave system, where was she taking you this time? What was she going to show you? You both surfaced underneath the moonlight in an open top cave with an island in the middle where she placed you at the centre. You looked around curiously as you breathed in the surface air, what was she going to show you this time? She gave you a smile as she sat down, taking your hand in hers. “My dear, wouldn’t you like to throw away your stressful life on the surface? Wouldn’t you like a permanent place with me? You’ll be well fed and taken care of, that I promise.” 

The offer was extremely tempting, could you even really resist seeing such wonders constantly? No need to work or please strangers or family, nobody yelling at you for a small mistake, it was all such a wonderful thought. “Yes! I don’t want to go back, please let me stay!” You saw her grin widen and then came your fear as you saw her razor sharp teeth, they looked like they could tear through flesh quite easily. She moved closer and pinned you down, her face being brought close to your neck and her teeth grazing it, was this your end? 

You felt her lips press against your neck and she began to trail kisses up to your jaw, then your cheek, then your lips. She wasn’t going to eat you, she promised that in the beginning didn’t she? You watched her pull back smiling at you once more as you felt something move between your legs, you were frozen as you saw she had plans to mate you tonight and you couldn’t help but watch as it seemed to slowly stroke your leg. “Sirens and Merfolk are an all female species darling, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reproduce with each other or you.” You shook your head, you didn’t want this, you couldn't! 

You felt Siren cup your cheek, watching as it slid back inside her, “If you don’t want it, that's fine. I wouldn’t dare force you to take something of that size, especially since you’re not of our kind. You need preparation, you need to want it. She returned to kissing you once more as thoughts about her almost fucking you with her cock began to wash away from your mind. You liked that she wouldn’t force you, that she’d be how you wanted her, waiting for you to be ready and ask. She pulled away once more, watching you pant from the makeout session. “Now how about I get started on introducing you to pleasures only I can give you?” You couldn’t agree fast enough to her proposal as she got to work.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

It took so long for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie to materialize that two knockoffs beat it to the finish line: The Banana Splits Movie and Willy’s Wonderland. The thing is, neither of those films was particularly good, so the wait could’ve been worth it. Unfortunately, the long-awaited feature-length adaptation of the video game by Scott Cawthon is yet another heartbreak. In fact, it’s even more of a letdown than the others because this is the film you’ve actually been waiting for, rather than the store-brand substitute.

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a once-successful Chuck-E-Cheese-like entertainment center with animatronic mascots who sang, played music and entertained guests, was shut down in the 1980s after several child disappearances. In the present day, Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) struggles to make ends meet while taking care of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), and agrees to work as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s. Mike is still traumatized from the disappearance of his younger brother many years ago. Every night, he revisits his memories of that fateful day through his dreams, hoping some new detail will emerge and allow him to figure out who took Garrett. On his first night at Freddy Fazbear’s, he has a different dream, making him wonder if the mystery surrounding the abandonned building might help him get some answers.

I should begin this review by telling you that I only have second-hand knowledge of the game. I know what it’s about, I know the characters but I’ve never played. One thing I know is that it’s a horror game whose frights are primarily jump scares. This makes the film’s lack of scares - particularly of jump scares - stunning. If there was one movie that could’ve used long, tense stretches of someone in near darkness wandering through corridors while the audience waits for something to pop up out of nowhere, it was Five Nights at Freddy’s. Instead, we get a plot that frankly, was ill-conceived from the start.

One of the major issues with this film is the storyline with Garrett. When we meet Mike, he’s so mentally unhinged he violently beats a man he thinks is kidnapping a child. You’re supposed to think “Oh no! Poor guy! He's so messed up!". Instead, you begin suspecting the mechanical bear with gears for brains is smarter than him - you’re right. Of all the jobs Mike could’ve gotten, security guard is probably the worst one. See, he insists on going to sleep at the same time, every night. Before he goes to sleep, he stares at a photo of the trees from the park where his brother went missing and listens to the sound of birds. Mike believes that we actually remember everything we see and that if you can’t remember just yet, you can unlock your memories by visiting them through your dreams. You want to feel bad for him because his parents are dead now, leaving him alone to take care of his sister but he’s an irresponsible menace. You don’t sympathize with him at all.

Mike won't win you over even after the film introduces the picture’s villain: his estranged aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson). She wants custody of Abby so she can collect those monthly government child tax checks. You're wondering why she's necessary. Aren't those killer robots the villains? Well, she's included so she can hire a bunch of dumb-dumbs to break into Freddy Fazbear's. It's no surprise that they all get turned into hamburger meat and no, you won’t see anything shocking even then, as the killer mascots go through the trouble to clean up after themselves once the carnage is over. PG-13 horror can work. It doesn't here.

I cannot overstate how baffling the "missing brother" backstory thing is. It's more nonsense than sense, particularly once Mike realizes what happens in his dreams can carry over to real life. It's all building up to a mystery so easy to deduce you'll feel like a galaxy-brained genius. Not only is it obvious; it's clumsy. Loads of exposition is delivered point-blank by police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) and the ending is as convincing as this film is gory, which is to say not at all. At least Matthew Lillard as Mike's career counsellor seems to be having fun.

What's the worst thing about Five Nights at Freddy's? It might be this running gag that comes up a few times and then again during the end credits. I say that because it shows director Emma Tammi - who probably did her best while the executives pushed and bullied the junior director into making this watered-down would-be spook-fest - knows the premise would've been perfect for a horror-comedy. Instead, it's unintentionally funny at best - there's a scene in which one of the killer animatronics takes a cab ride(!!!) - and boring at worst. I'm sure die-hard fans will think it's great but that's only because of the name that's been slapped onto the poster. Five Nights at Freddy's is a colossal, disappointing mess.  (April 6, 2023)

[e350tb]

Gravity Falls - The Matchmabel - Chapter I

Chapter I: Summer Again

Gravity Falls, Oregon - June 2017

It was a warm summer’s morning. The sun was shining, the birds sang, and a gentle breeze danced through the pine trees. It was one of the nicest days the town of Gravity Falls had had all year - and Dipper Pines was in his attic bedroom with the blinds drawn and the lights out, sitting on a laptop.

It wasn’t that Dipper was avoiding being outside today, nor that he wanted to avoid company. He was just busy, trying to write a college application that simply wasn’t coming together.

“I can offer the University… um… geez, I dunno, does experience with the supernatural count?” he asked himself. “They probably won’t believe that. Maybe if I write it as ‘ability to think outside the box…’”

He glanced down at the example questionnaire he’d printed out, reading the next question.

“What I want out of college is…” He frowned. “What I want out of college is…”

He clicked his tongue.

“...a diploma?” He shrugged. “Ugh, I’m getting nowhere with this.”

He heard the sound of steps on the ladder, and looked over to see Mabel climbing up.

“Are you still working on that thing?”

Mabel was carrying a large photo album under her arm, already covered in glitter and stickers.

“Yeah,” sighed Dipper.

“You were on that laptop the whole drive up!” exclaimed Mabel, setting the photo album down on her bed and walking over. “What’s the point in a summer vacation if you spend the whole time up here thinking about…”

She glanced at the questionnaire.

“...wow, that’s a lot of questions.”

“Yeah, and I’ve gotta answer them in three pages or less,” replied Dipper. “And it’s gotta be double-spaced. Maybe they’re recycling some kind of medieval torture method for this.”

“Well maybe you can take a break?” suggested Mabel.

“Mom says she wants this done by the end of the week.”

“Mom’s not here!” Mabel put her arm over his shoulder. “Besides, I’ve got something even more important for you to do!”

“I doubt it, but hit me.”

Mabel walked back over to her bed and picked up the photo album.

“This is the last time we’re in Gravity Falls before we turn 18,” said Mabel. “And I thought we could celebrate that by making a photo album!”

“Haven’t you already made, like, seventeen scrapbooks?” asked Dipper, tilting his head.

“This one’s different!” exclaimed Mabel. “It’s not for me. It’s for Grunkle Stan, and Grunkle Ford, and Soos and Wendy! I wanna give them a big album full of all our adventures!”

“...are we including Weirdmaggeddon?”

“No.”

“...or that time Soos let that slime monster into the gift shop?”

“That’s not as bad as Weirdmaggedon.”

“Ugh. Easy for you to say. You didn’t have to clean it up.”

“No, Dipper.” Mabel tapped the cover. “It’s the Good Times Album. It’s only for good times.”

Dipper shrugged.

“You know what? I could use some time away from this essay,” he replied. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just find some old pictures to put in here,” replied Mabel. “Like on your phone and stuff! Stroll down my favourite street…”

She put her arm over Dipper’s shoulder again and extended her hand.

“Memory Lane!”

“Mabel, your favourite street’s Chapman Street,” said Dipper flatly. “Cause it sells those cola lollipops.”

“Oh yeah, that place is amazing,” Mabel nodded. “But you get my point!”

Dipper chuckled.

“Sure,” he said. “I bet I can dig something out.”

“Yes!” Mabel jumped up, grinning. “Alright, I’m gonna go through my polaroids!”

“That’s what was in the giant box you put in the car?” asked Dipper. “The reason I had to carry Waddles on my lap because it filled up the backseat?”

“See you soon!”

Mabel practically leapt down the stairs.

Dipper closed his laptop and let out a long hmmm. He knew he could check his phone - there were plenty of old photos on it - but he also remembered that he had some printed photos lying around somewhere, and wondered for a moment if it was worth looking through them.

“Hmm… oh wait, I remember!”

He climbed off his bed and leaned down, pulling a large cardboard box out from underneath. With some effort, he lifted it onto the bed and opened the flaps on top.

This was the fabled ‘Wendy box’ - Stan had told him to keep it five years ago, and despite being a source of some embarrassment in hindsight, he was glad he had. The box had a lot of pictures of events that he had no other photographic record of, like that night at the Dusk 2 Dawn (although he had gone through it a few years ago and thrown out some of the candid ones he’d taken at the start of that summer - those were a bit creepy, he had to admit.) Maybe, he thought, he could find some good pictures for the album in it.

He was about to start looking when he heard a call.

“Dipper! The fate of the universe depends upon you!”

Dipper smiled.

“Coming!”

He didn’t really believe that the fate of the universe depended on him - he just knew that this was Ford’s way of getting him to come downstairs quickly.

He found Ford pacing in front of the dining table. The old scientist was wearing large boots - larger than his normal ones - and rubber gloves, and he was carrying several large sacks over his shoulder. He grinned as Dipper entered the room.

“Dipper!” he said. “Glad you’re here, I need your help! It’s Strangeshroom Season!”

“Strangeshroom Season?”

“Not one of my most creative names, I’ll admit,” said Ford. “At the start of every summer, the strangeshrooms bloom in the deep forest, but only for two days - today and tomorrow. Then they vanish, just as mysteriously as they appeared. Which means we only have two days to harvest as many as possible.”

“What’s a strangeshroom?”

“Well, it’s a mushroom, but… well, strange.” Ford shrugged. “Each type of strangeshroom has a different property. There’s a kind that explodes in your mouth, a kind that regresses you into a monkey, and a kind that tastes a bit like a lemon drop - and there could be hundreds more! I used to look for them every year and I’d always find new ones. I haven’t been able to for a while, but this is the first time I’ve been in town when they’ve bloomed since I returned to this dimension.”

“So we’re gonna go pick mushrooms?”

“Strangeshrooms, my boy, strangeshrooms!” Ford grinned. “And we won’t just pick them - we’ll test them!”

Dipper nodded.

“Alright,” he declared. “I’m in.”

“Excellent!” Ford clapped his hands together, the rubber slapping together loudly. “Let me just grab you some strange gloves - they’re regular rubber gloves, but the patent office doesn’t need to know that…”

He walked out of the room - revealing Pacifica Northwest, sitting at the dining table behind him, holding a large manila envelope.

“Oh,” said Dipper. “Hey Pacifica.”

“Dipper.”

Dipper sat down at the table.

“What’s with the envelope?” he asked.

“I borrowed some magazines off of your sister last summer,” replied Pacifica. “Dad thinks these are too low-class, so I’m not allowed to buy them.”

“Oh. Uh… that’s unfortunate.”

They sat quietly for a moment or so, Dipper rapping his fingers on the table.

“Heard your dad bought a new mansion,” he said at last.

“Yeah, up on the hill near the old railroad line,” Pacifica nodded. “It’s pretty nice.”

“This one’s not haunted?”

Pacifica rolled her eyes.

“No,” she replied. “Dad hired an exorcist.”

“Oh, you don’t wanna trust those guys,” Dipper snorted. “Most of ‘em are frauds.”

“Well, maybe you can take a look then…”

Unbeknownst to them, Mabel had been walking to the dining room from the kitchen. She had just heard Pacifica’s words, and had quickly hidden herself behind the doorframe, listening in.

“Yeah, alright.” Dipper shrugged. “I’ll come by on Saturday?”

“Sounds good to me,” replied Pacifica. “Call it a date?”

Mabel gasped, covering her mouth.

“Sure,” said Dipper. “A ghost-hunting date.”

Mabel’s eyes widened, and she darted back into the kitchen. This, of course, meant she wasn’t there to hear the rest of the discussion.

“How much do you want for this, then?” asked Pacifica.

“Hmm… $20 sound good?”

“Done. I’ll make it $40 if it actually ends up being haunted.”

“Deal.”

“Found ‘em!”

Ford strolled back into the room, passing a pair of rubber gloves to Dipper.

“Had to make sure it was the right pair,” he said. “I made you your own shock gloves… which were meant to be a birthday present, so pretend to be surprised when you get them.”

“Gotcha.” Dipper nodded.

“Oh, one more thing,” said Ford. “I’ve invited Wendy along. A third set of hands is always good, and I trust her in the forest more than I trust Soos.”

“Good call.”

“Thank you.” Ford looked over her shoulder. “I told her to meet up outside, so we should probably head out.”

“Yep, sounds like a plan,” said Dipper. “See you around, Pacifica.”

“Yep,” said Pacifica.

Dipper and Ford walked out of the house, leaving Pacifica alone. Neither had any idea that Mabel, her photo album forgotten, was already pulling her thoughts together as she sprinted up to the attic.

It was time to bring her matchmaking skills out of retirement.

[bunnyscar]

The Siliven's Request: Part 15

Alaine and Manas slept outside the town that night, finding a grove of trees to rest under. Though she had been half afraid the townspeople would come out after them to kill Manas, she and Manas found themselves alone in the morning, except for birds chirping overhead.

“Manas, where should we go now?” Alaine asked.

“I suppose we keep heading for the capital,” Manas replied with a shrug.

“No,” Alaine objected. “I doubt they would let a Siliven in at all now. We’re going to find a place where we can both live.” Though Manas gave her a hesitant look, he nodded and didn’t press further. After a pause, Alaine suggested, “Manas, what if we escaped to a different land? I mean, aren’t there other continents than this one?” she suggested.

Manas frowned. “Yes, there are other lands beyond this one, but they are mostly unreachable. If you keep going east past Fairen, you’ll find nothing but rocky barren ground until you reach the desert, which no one knows how long it goes. To the north is a formidable range of high mountains, and to the south is the sea. I suppose we could try to find a ship heading to one of the countries you humans trade with, but I don’t know that they would let us on the ship, since I’m a Siliven.” he replied.

“What about to the west?” Alaine asked.

“The west...I’m not sure. The maps I learned when I was a boy never showed that area in much detail, and no one ever answered when I asked about it,” Manas said.

“Why not try going west, then?” Alaine suggested. “And if we can’t get out that way either, we can just turn around and find somewhere else.”

Manas thought for a minute, then shrugged and nodded. “West it is then,” he said.

For the next few days they avoided taking the road, instead making their way through grassy fields and small wooded areas that opened up once again into fields every few yards. They found a stream winding through some trees at one point and followed it northward, surviving on whatever wild animals and fish they could find. Alaine found it quite peaceful traveling this way. It was almost easy to forget that a war was going on: the sun shone brightly through the trees and sparkled merrily on the stream, birds sang cheerfully in the trees, and flowers of all colors littered the fields.

The one time Alaine went into a town by herself to procure a new cloak, however, she was acutely reminded of the reality. In the town, everyone was on edge. People hurried about anxiously, casting wary glances behind them, and talking together in low voices. A troop of soldiers marched through the town, on their way to the battlefield. Listening to the conversations in the market, Alaine gathered that the war was happening south of them, but was slowly creeping northward to the capital. Several towns had already evacuated and were fleeing north, traveling in caravans and crowding other towns that had not fled yet. It troubled Alaine that the battles were coming north, but when she told Manas, he said there was not much they could do, besides keep heading north and west. And pray that they reached the west before the war reached them.

“It’s getting dark, we should stop for the night,” Manas commented. Glancing up at the sky, which had turned a brilliant orange and purple, Alaine nodded. As they sat down next to a tree, they suddenly heard cries and shouts.

Startled, Alaine stood and turned in the direction of the cries. It sounded like someone was in trouble! She hesitated. Manas looked curiously at her. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to say we should go help them?”

“But, they might try to kill you,” she said uncertainly.

Manas chuckled and replied, “I won’t let them kill me, Sara. If I bother them, I’ll just step away while you figure out what’s wrong.”

“Okay,” Alaine agreed uncertainly. They followed the cries, which took them to the road. Across from them was a wagon with several people in front of it, bending over something on the ground. Alaine’s eyes widened as she suddenly recognized one of the people.

“Master Alf! What’s wrong?” she cried, running up to the old man, who looked up in surprise. The other humans looked up as well, their already concerned faces turning pale with fright at seeing Manas, who followed Alaine.

“Sara! What are you doing out here!” Alf exclaimed. He shook his head. “Well, we can talk about what happened with you later. Pim and I joined a group of people that were fleeing to the capital, but then we got attacked by wild animals, and Pim…” He hesitated, glancing at the figure on the ground. Alaine’s eyes strayed there and she gasped.

Pim lay on the ground, moaning, his eyes rolled back with pain. He lay in a pool of blood, and where his right arm had been was only a mangled mess of blood and flesh. Alaine’s stomach churned at the sight, and she swallowed back bile. One of the other travelers said shakily, “He tried to protect us from the beast, but it got his arm. I’m afraid...there’s not much hope for him. I know a little healing magic, but it’s not enough for a wound like that.”

Alaine stared in horror. Suddenly, she felt Manas’ hand on her shoulder.

“You know healing magic? Can you close up wounds at least?” he asked the man who had spoken earlier.

The man said hesitantly, “Yes, I can close up small wounds, but this wound is too big and messy for me to completely stop it.”

“If I made the wound smaller, could you close it up most of the way?” Manas demanded, his blue eyes boring holes into the man.

“Y-yes, probably,” the man answered, unnerved.

“Very well,” Manas said, rolling up his sleeves. “Sara, help the boy feel better. You with the healing magic, when I tell you to, close up the wound I’m about to make. Alf, I need you to put water where his arm is when I say the word,” he ordered. Everyone stared at him.

“What are you planning to do?” Alf asked anxiously.

“Save him an arm, hopefully,” Manas sighed, crouching down next to Pim. “Though I’ll warn you, I’ve never done this before, so I can’t guarantee anything. At the least, let’s hope it’ll let him live.”

The travelers stared at each other, hesitating. Manas glared at the healer man, and snapped, “Or do you want to let him die?” Rousing himself, the man crouched down as well. Alaine knelt, took a shaky breath, pulled up in her mind the conversations she had had with Pim, and whispered, “Pim, remember playing with your sister at home.”

Pim’s pained face relaxed into a more peaceful expression. Manas stretched out his arm, which turned into an axe. He brought it down swiftly just below Pim’s right shoulder, neatly cutting off the mangled arm. “Now,” he ordered the healer, who immediately began using healing magic where Manas had cut. Though Pim frowned slightly, he did not stir. Once the wound had stopped bleeding and skin seemed to be growing over it, Manas ordered Alf to put water on it. Alf obeyed, using his magic to produce a good amount. Manas put out his hand, which became like liquid, just as it had when he had un-poisoned the river, and he spread it over the healing wound. Slowly, metal began to appear, seemingly to grow out from Pim’s shoulder and form the shape of an arm. Breathlessly, the onlookers watched as the metal grew to the length of Pim’s other arm, then formed the shape of a hook at the end.

At last, Manas withdrew his hand, solidifying it back into its regular form. He sighed wearily and surveyed his work. “H-how,” the healer stammered, gaping at the metal limb Manas had created.

“Hmm, not very pretty, I’m afraid, but it’ll at least let him pick up some things,” Manas commented.

Alaine, who had been focused on helping Pim ignore the pain, looked up and suddenly noticed the metal arm. Her eyes widened. “Did you do that, Manas?” she asked stunned.

Manas nodded. “Yes. He should be out of danger now, though I suppose he’ll need a lot of rest. At least he won’t bleed to death,” he said.

“Thank you, thank you,” Alf cried, tears filling his eyes. “Please, how can we ever repay you?”

“Well,” Manas said slowly, then glanced at Alaine and paused. Though she looked quite tired, her face was suffused with a smile of relief. That was enough for Manas. He stood and said, “Well, you needn’t pay us back.”

“Please,” urged Alf, “let us at least give you some food and a place to sleep tonight.”

“Yes, at least let us do that much,” the healer said, several of the other travelers nodding agreement.

“It’s all right, Manas,” Alaine commented with a smile. “We would be grateful to accept some food and a place to sleep,” she said to Alf.

Pim, who seemed to have fallen into a peaceful sleep, was taken into a cart that the travelers had been using. Someone started a fire, and a cooking pot was placed on it. Alaine sat next to the fire, feeling exhausted from the excitement and from using her magic. Though she had not used it as long as when she had helped the poisoned invalids, Pim had been in much more pain, making it difficult to keep his mind focused on happy memories of his home and family. Glancing at Manas, though, Alaine could see that he was even more tired, barely staying awake in time to eat the stew that their hosts prepared. And no wonder. He himself had said he’d never done this, and even if he had turned liquid into metal before, no doubt it had taken a lot more concentration and skill to form a shape and attach it to the body. Manas was quite amazing. Alaine smiled to herself.

“Sara, here,” Alf said, handing her some of the stew. She took the bowl gratefully, cupping her hands around it and letting its warmth spread through her hands.

“I cannot thank you and Manas enough,” Alf said, sitting next to her with his own bowl.

“I didn’t really do anything,” Alaine replied. “It was Manas who did all the work.”

Alf shook his head. “Still, thank you,” he said. After eating a few spoonfuls of the stew, Alf spoke again, “By the way, what happened after you and Manas left Pim and I? We looked for you that next morning, but couldn’t find you. I'm afraid Pim was quite upset at Manas. He still thought that Manas was tricking you, and was afraid that he might have done something to you.”

Alaine explained that they had been avoiding villages, and that they were hoping to head west. “West,” Alf exclaimed in surprise. “Why do you want to go there?”

“Well, it’s not going to be easy to find work now that the war is going on,” Alaine said slowly, “and with Manas being a Siliven, that makes it even harder. If we found another country, perhaps we could find a place where we could both be accepted.”

“I suppose it’s possible,” Alf said. “But it would be quite a big change. We don’t know hardly anything about other lands, especially not to the west. And is there nothing in this land that you would be sad to leave behind?”

Alaine paused. True, she would be leaving the land she had grown up in, the land that she came from. But what did she have here? Her parents were dead, her only living relative hated her, she had no home, and she had not found any job yet. The only thing that had been constant since leaving her uncle had been Manas.

“If it’s with Manas, I think I’ll be fine,” she commented.

Alf blinked, then smiled. “I see,” he said with a chuckle. “Well then, you have my heartiest wishes that you will be able to find another home beyond our borders.” Alaine thanked him. “Why don’t you and Manas travel with us a bit further? The capital is a bit north and west from here, so we would be heading in the same direction,” Alf suggested. “After what Manas did, I don’t think the rest of the group will object.”

“That would be wonderful, but….will Pim be okay with that?” Alaine said hesitantly.

“Pim will just have to accept it,” Alf replied resolutely. “Manas did save his life, so he ought to at least show some appreciation.”

“Well then, we would be happy to, I’m sure,” Alaine said. “I’ll let Manas know…” she stood and turned to go ask Manas, only to see that he had already curled up in his cloak and was asleep. She would have to tell him tomorrow.

Link to part 14:

[sayurifellfrost]

Prompt #3: Issles (Extra Credit)

Character: S’vexrha Tchuma

Age: 18

TW: Abuse

The door was slammed open using her body, the impact against her back immediately tearing the air from her lungs before she found herself thrown into the room. Her body met the floor with a violent thud, yet she quickly pushed herself up to sit and back to lean against the nearest wall - flashing a shit-eating grin Grymahtyn’s way as the Sea Wolf barged into the room after her.

“Do you realise what you have DONE, Vexrha?!” He bellowed, the green tint of his skin flaring up with the rage that boiled within him.

“Quite well, actually..” S’vexrha retorted, bowing her head to let her crimson gaze peek at him from beneath her fringe. “I can tell you in detail, if you’d like!”

Her head raised back up to fixate her gaze in his, her grin growing a little wider. In his fury, Grymahtyn flung a foot forward, slamming it into S’vexrha’s torso and pushing her further into the wall, a crack emitting from her ribs. Her taunting expression swiftly shifted into one of pain, teeth gritting with a hiss before she forced a new smirk onto her lips.

“No..? Your loss..” S’vexrha uttered. “.. Just like you lost Sayuri.”

A massive fist swung for her skull, immediately making her crash into the floor, dazed. A wheezing breath left her, followed by a faint laughter.

“You.. won’t ever touch her again..”

“We already found your helper, Vexrha. Sang like a bloody bird when we threatened harm on her brother.” Grymahtyn spoke over her, drowning out the words he was in utter denial of.

S’vexrha shifted herself to sit upright, pain shooting through her ribs and head as she slumped back against the wall.

“I didn’t give her much of a choice but to agree.” She shrugged. “Did you think I helped D’khoreh out of the goodness of my heart? I did it so they’d owe me.”

The words that left her mouth sounded truthful enough, but they were far from it. The sun she had helped D’khoreh was because she cared, because she knew he was in the same situation as her - D’nhehli was the one who decided she owed her, even if S’vexrha had initially denied it.

“I refuse to believe only you were behind this, Vexrha.”

“Well, no. Sayuri’s sister was, too!” S’vexrha beamed a taunting smile. “I sought her out, you know. She understood me, despite the restrictions you have put on me.. Knew I was not her enemy.”

“And what? She simply believed your words?”

“Not entirely, so I offered her something that made it quite clear.”

The Sea Wolf narrowed his pale eyes at S’vexrha, who kept her head high and proud, grin widening.

“.. I told her about the group in the Burning Wall.” S’vexrha admitted. “I am the reason S’jinh, T’zikra, Girha and Wilmaer died. I am the reason Arnkel was carved up. And I regret nothing.”

Grymahtyn’s hand swept down to lock around S’vexrha’s throat, tearing her up from the ground and slamming her back-first into the wall. Her hands moved up to hold onto his, her cocky smile refusing to leave her lips.

“..E-everyone.. who died.. t-this sun.. Y-you can.. a-attribute.. to me, t-too..” She wheezed. “..You.. h-have lost.. Grym..”

The Roegadyn threw her, launching her across the room to slam into the floor. She didn’t even bother to move this time as she collided with it. A sharp impact in her side sent her rolling, another audible crack emitting from her ribs and making her hiss in pain. Another was quick to follow, and it became more of a repetitive motion. Occasionally, he’d switch it up and yank her up by her neck and slam her into the nearest wall or punch her, and S’vexrha could do naught to even try to protect herself.

Blood filled her mouth and she felt numerous bones break beneath the impacts. Her consciousness flickered, as she struggled to stay awake throughout it all. She could no longer register sound, even if she knew they filled the room.

She resigned herself to her fate, as she quietly wished for it all to end.

Afterall.. They had no reason to come back for her now, did they?

She felt herself drop to the ground, and no more impacts followed. Her dotted gaze locked atop of her own hand, mutely watching as weak little embers sparked around her fingers before flickering out once more, shortly followed by her own consciousness.

[dearestaeneas]

just a little thing. posting this here to keep myself accountable to keep going with it (although we both know that’s not true. i’d keep going anyway, i just want to share this start with other people). i have deep and annoying and verbose thoughts about that sentiment, but i won’t bore you with them here. here’s a fella! he’s fun! maybe you’ll see the rest of him, maybe not. lemme know!

---

Black. White. Black. White. Black. White. Black. White. Black. White. Black. White.

One color, one foot. She could not misstep. It wasn’t allowed.

She didn’t notice when the white became pink, or the black purple.

When she tripped, the spell was broken and her mind reset. The high walls of the maze were a deep, earthy green and had the texture of shrubbery, although Eris knew better by now. It was soft to the touch and felt alive, but the deep gashes on her arm where the walls bit back as she tried to push her way through ached, the blood long since dried. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she gazed back on where she’d been. Pink and purple as far as the eye could see, striped and soft, disguising itself as grass.

Eris rubbed her eyes, flinching at the jolt of pain the action brought. There was a dryness to them, as if she hadn’t blinked in hours. They felt raw.

“Stopping already?” Bird said. She glanced up. Roses dotted the lying hedges, bright and sweet-smelling. Bird poked his head from the center of one some feet above her sitting head. They’d have been eye level if she stood.

“I fell,” she grumbled, struggling to her feet. Bird cocked his head at her, beady black eyes boring into her skull.

He squawked, “How unprofessional!”

Brushing the dirt from her knees and palms, she rolled her eyes and began walking again. This time her eyes looked about her, careful to not fall into the trap of the path again. Bird’s head disappeared from the rose behind her as if sucked in. Wings flapped, coming closer and closer.

When he’d first appeared, she’d been frightened by the sound. Time was difficult enough to keep track of and the eerie silence of the labyrinth had become disconcertingly familiar. He landed on her shoulder then, much like he did now.

“You’re going the wrong way,” he sang, much like he did then.

The voices of the labyrinth toyed with her, whispering and singing, screaming and sobbing. It was getting old, if she was honest.

“Are you going to help?” Eris asked, voice hard and even.

Bird laughed then, a loud and grating shriek. “You wouldn’t listen if I did.”

“Then stop commenting on it.”

The path had been straight for what was likely to be miles after endlessly nauseating twists and turns: at one junction Eris found herself so turned around it must have been an hour before she realized she’d been moving in the same circle. Black and white then. Purple and pink now.

Eris and Bird forged ahead, silent companions. She was growing fond of him despite her best efforts. He brought her berries safe enough to eat and water from a spring she could always hear in the distance but never find for herself.

[momobani]

P1Harmony Harmony: Set In album review

Unsolicited album review (p3!!)

I’ve been a p1ece since debut and I just get so excited about new music, no one asks for these nor cares, but I have fun doing it, so there. Hope everyone’s enjoying the album!!

Warning: long post [1.4k], I got carried away lmao.

Note - this is the first time P1Harmony has done the showcase first, then dropped the MV and then the rest of the album, the order does feel a little funny but it was actually really nice to hear two of the songs yesterday (they sang Better Together at the showcase as well as the title).

As always, I did keep up with the teasers, so it definitely won’t be a total surprise listening to the album. I feel like instead of spoiling it though, I got so hyped so I guess the teasers did their job alright. I also watched the showcase yesterday and heard both songs and I really liked both. 

Bonus: Jiung helped write Better Together!!! Intak and Jongseob always have their rap writing credits but to see a composition credit is just such a joy, especially because we know how much Jiung likes writing music and how much pride he takes in it.

Back Down (+MV)

Alright first things first - holy shit the visuals!!!!! I loved the underground idk ‘lair’ or whatever you can call the hang out spot since they dropped the prologue. It’s amazing, the detail, the decor is perfect. I immediately thought of the Ninja Turtles when I saw it, and I had a good look around on the bird app and found other people had a similar thought so I guess maybe FNC was going for it? If it’s so obvious lol. But I love it so much; the guys said this album is about friendship and I totally see why there’s a sort of reference to the ninja turtles - they’re a cute bunch (of brothers) but also friends and they go on cool missions and stuff so the vibe is perfect.

Okay the song: I could tell from the few seconds we got as teasers that this was going to be a bop but omg it’s so much better than that, it’s a whole banger! (Keeho’s intro, sir, do you have something to say?) There’s something so satisfying about Jongseob’s hard ‘rr’ sound and I love the bass boom in the instrumental. (also the MV - they got super powers or something from getting electrocuted? fun!) Intak’s “bro!” took me out (actually his whole verse did but yea), then the MV transition where they jump up from the sewers to the metro was just so neat omg. I love the sort of New York setting they’re emulating, it really keeps up the reference to the Ninja Turtles. Keeho with those glasses and earrings, he actually looks like he time travelled from the 90s lol. The backpacks make them look like turtles I’m sorry I said it but I find it adorable.

RA TA TA TA!!!!!!

Tag yourself I’m the pizza person looking down in the sewer.

Jiung is out for my life, he serving too hard this era, everyone say thank you to the stylists. But also the styling is as usual so incredible and everyone looks amazing!!

Soul throwing the pizza at us, the trio against the moonlight and standing on top of the buildings? So very Ninja Turtles, my heart is happy haha (i love the ninja turtles, can you tell?)

Omg the little captions too, comic book feel, it’s fun. BUT THEN

Jiung driving (Jiung driving me insane, p1eces sound off if you’re alive)

SOUL LINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY

The pre-chorus is so long, what a build up, it’s like 3 different phrases? It’s dope.

The suits the suits the suits the suits also the little video game style thing when they’re “fighting” each other is so cute

Also I had this thought when I saw Keeho with this hair at the showcase yesterday - it really reminded me of something then I got it: he’s in his Rockhopper Penguin era, duh

Keeyang bridge - I love the way the instrumental gets so minimal, like yes, please we want to hear the vocals (ft Jiung losing his mind around the table lmao).

Intak’s ‘time to change it now’ - change what dude???!!! Also he looked like a cute school kid with that backpack lol I feel like I’m taking my kids to school when I see them with those massive bags haha.

The chorus of this song is so full of energy it’s definitely one of their biggest hype songs and that’s saying something.

I just checked how long the song is and it’s only 2:48?? It feels so much longer than that not just cuz of the video but like so much happens in it? anyway, interesting since it’s their shortest title track (all of the others are at least 3 mins long)

BFF

The instrumental touched my soul for a second. Speaking of which, SOUL LINES???!!!!!! YESSSSS my kid getting something after how long omg. The build up is beautiful. This is Yes Man’s younger, more playful sibling. That guitar? riff is ingrained in my heart now, no going back. Jongseob’s shimmy shimmy ah haha cute! This song is an instant serotonin boost I’m smiling so much. It’s so short though I need more!! So I’ll listen to it again sskskskskjdn

The ‘by your side’ harmony!! I want to dance, it’s so fun and cute omg. Jongseob’s singing yesss.

Secret Sauce

The intro????? i’m-

Beat is sick omg, the build up too. “future’s coming” interesting you should mention that.

Chorus took a totally different turn then I expected lol. The adlibs!!!! The gang vocals!!!! The whispering in the background behind the rapper’s verses holy shit, that’s cool.

Shimmy shimmy count x1000 aosfousduf

Taeyang please, have mercy, also that little ‘sauce’ adlib (i think it was actually Soul for some reason) before Keeho’s lines. What is that noise?? It sounded like an electronic xylophone or something wtf that was so cool

(in conclusion shimmy shimmy has me in a chokehold)

One and only

What????? The teaser didn’t do this song justice I say that like 20 secs in.

BOOM!

Funky lil instrumental, my beloved. Okay if BFF was related to Yes Man, so is this one, it’s like the funky cousin that is so loud but you love them anyway. Life of the party type of thing. BOOM! ZOOM! (i promised I’m not possessed by the music). SOUL LINESSSSSSS I’LL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT THIS, KID’S DOING SO WELL!! The bridge, there’s so much going on in the instrumental holy shit. NANANANANANAANANA - you know a song is good when it has that.

Look At Me Now

(I really liked the Korean title, it’s something like “the child who swallowed the sun”?) just from the teasers I thought this might be one of my super all times favourite in the piwon catalog, let’s see if that’s true lol.

Jiung I’m on my last straw

THE GUITAR RIFF! INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS RIGHT NOWWWW

DRUMS HOLY HOLY HOLY OMFG

THIS GENRE IS SUCH A GREAT BLEND, ESPECIALLY FOR PIWON

Jongseob pop off my child :’)

“I’m on the top floor” - I’m somewhere in space, speeding toward the sun while listening to this song wbu (this is going to be my new 3am psychosis song lskdjosidsds)

SOUL LINES!!!

This is p1eces’ boxer/WWE theme song, y’know when they announce the contenders and stuff, and they come out to epic music? This is the song

Better Together

(heard this yesterday watching the showcase, it was lovely as a performance)

I love the rapper’s vocals!!

I feel like Taeyang really owns this for some reason - like in the chorus especially.

Piwon’s medium pop ballads are always top notch, they all have that softness and upbeat chord progression that’s like sunshine on a rainy day.

I want an acoustic performance for some reason - I totally see this with a bunch of guitars and maybe around a camp fire?

SOUL LINES!!!!

Piwon harmonies!!!!!

*

In conclusion, Piwon have a god tier, no-skip discography and when kpoppies find out about them it’s over for everyone. I don’t know how they do it, like every album they put out is consistently brilliant and they manage to stay fresh and do different things while keeping that distinct p1harmony flavour, I really wonder what they put in the fish cake water.

I’m not a person who likes the obsessive fan culture with voting and streaming but honestly I would hope that there’s some way to give piwon a win, they more than deserved it for this whole year, every album/title was incredible and they’ve done so much, I’m so proud of them.

I really hope the guys can have some time off since they really had such a busy year, 3 albums, a tour, extra performances and all the harmony forest stuff too, holy shit, it’s really insane, but it was also so amazing and I hope they’re proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.

anyways, I love p1harmony and I hope you do too <333

[cookiethreat]

Random things #3:

It was a beautiful late afternoon that the Hero couldn’t stop admiring.

The sun shined on the leaves, turning them to a rose red.

There was a comfortable breeze in the air, the birds sang their songs, and the summer skies shined with blue and yellow.

If only the Hero could get a break like this every time.

They were walking in a small park, it wasn’t filled with many people. They were walking on a small trail, with their hands in their pockets humming a quiet tune to themselves.

There were no fights with anyone, everything had seemed peaceful. Hero wished this could happen everyday.

As they walked, they started to feel weird.

They felt knots suddenly tie into their stomach, goosebumps appeared on their skin. The breeze suddenly didn’t feel comfortable to them.

Someone was watching them.

They grew paranoid, only continuing to walk faster. They flipped their hood over their head.

But then they heard footsteps following behind.

Someone was following them.

With immediate reaction, the Hero turned and pulled out the gun they had.

They never want to pull any guns out, but they used it for emergencies.

There was a brief pause before Hero saw who had followed them.

It was Villain, in their casual outfit with their hands in the air. They didn’t seem scared of Hero’s defense at all.

“Uh-oh…” Villain had a tease in their voice, almost sounding like a chuckle. “Hero’s caught me, yay…”

Hero moved the gun to the side, but refused to put it down.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Relax, relax,” Villain murmured, slowly putting their hands down. “I’m not planning to do anything bad.” They looked around the setting. “Not on a nice day like this.”

“Right…” The Hero felt puzzled and confused. Most times the Villain would randomly appear with weapons, henchmen, or whatever it took to cause a fight with Hero. But this seemed different. Too different.

There was no weapons on Villain. None on their belt, in their hands, or their pockets. There was nobody else with them, it was just the two. It made an unsettling feeling inside of Hero.

“Say… since it’s nice out… mind if I walk with you?”

Oh hell no.

Immediately Hero aimed the gun right back at Villain. This was a trick. A trap.

“No. Absolutely not. I know where this will go Villain. And I won’t let you do anything.”

There was a quiet chuckle from the Villain. And they started to approach Hero.

Hero put two hands on the gun.

“I mean it.” Hero snapped. They took a step back. “Stay back.”

But Hero’s command did nothing. Instead, the Villain only approached more.

They knew Hero wouldn’t shoot them. Not with people nearby.

The Hero could only stand there and yell threats, but none of it worked.

Eventually the Villain was now alongside them. They grabbed onto Hero’s sleeve and forced them to walk with them.

It was quiet for a moment. Awkward quiet.

As they walked, Hero only stared at Villain. They only watched the settings like a normal person. The birds kept singing, children kicked soccer balls around and rolled down hills with laughter. Parents sat in grass or wooden tables talking with others.

Maybe, just maybe, the Villain didn’t mean any harm. Very slowly, they put the gun back into their pocket. Their eyes fixed onto the ground in complete silence. Until at least, it was interrupted.

“So…” The Villain tugged at the bottom of their gloves. “How’s your day?”

“You suck at starting conversations.”

The Villain scanned Hero for a moment.

“I’m not trying to on purpose. It’s just a question.”

The Hero glanced around, before shaking their head side to side with a loud sigh.

“Fine. Fine until you showed up.”

“Oh Hero~ Don’t be so bummed about it.”

The Hero only ghosted that comment. “Do I even want to ask how your day went?”

“Mmm… same as always.” There was no feeling in the tone. “Busy and annoying.”

Of course it was.

They kept on walking, every step they took something felt off to the Hero.

Why was the Villain acting so casual? They never did. And why would they even care about the Hero’s day?

What were they planning?

Thoughts ran into the Hero’s mind like a marathon. Like a million bullets were firing into their brain.

They were so confused, they just couldn’t understand.

Finally, they snapped.

Their feet stopped immediately. Like a car hitting the brakes at a red light. They weren’t going to walk anymore with Villain. Not until they figured out why they were acting like this. The Villain stopped ahead, turning back to Hero.

“What?” The Villain questioned. “What is it?”

“It’s you.” Hero’s eyes slowly examined Villain. “Something’s off. You’re acting off.”

“Me?” The Villain let out a laugh. “What do you mean? I’m just being my-“

“No, you’re not.” Hero’s eyes finally locked with Villain’s. “You don’t randomly follow me and then go on walks with me. You don’t ask me how my day is or even try to act causal. What are you planning? What are you trying to do?”

Villain’s facial expression faded.

The laughter seemed to cut off, and they stayed in one place. Their body language switched within a split second.

They now seemed bothered. Something wasn’t right. Hero could sense that. Something was on the edge of Villain’s tongue, but they refused to let it out. All they could do was try and cover it up.

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“How so?”

There was more silence. Only the birds and the breeze going by cleared the absence between the two.

Finally, the Villain spoke.

“I… I dreamed about you. Last night.”

The Hero couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Sounds very kinky of you.”

“No.” The Villain shook their head, now staring at the ground. “It wasn’t good.”

The Hero paused. “So what? A bad dream?”

“A nightmare.” Their voice had suddenly gone cold and shallow. No emotions sparked into their eyes. It made chills go down the Hero’s spine.

“Okay…? And what was this nightmare about?”

The Villian remained still for a moment, almost as if they were turned into a statue. Hero could spot their breathing beginning to go heavy, and their eyes finally pondered at them.

“You… you were fighting Supervillain.” Villain’s voice became shaky, and they tried to remember the moment. “A-and I was too far away to even help you. When I finally finished fighting I turned and… and… you were on the ground. S-Supervillain was standing over you with a knife in his hands. I… I tried to run over to you b-but it was… it was too late.” The Villain didn’t want to say the rest, but a force pushed their throat to. “They killed you. They murdered you and I couldn’t save you.”

And then, the Villain broke down.

Like if want pt. 2! (If u want. :)

[mlmxreader]

Just Us | Matt Murdock x gn!reader

Anonymous asked: Hey. I wanted to request “I can’t hide my feelings, I won’t.” with Matt Murdock. Also, I love your writing. It's so hard to find gender neutral reader inserts. Hope you're doing fine.

summary: you and Matt like to hang around, but it’s more than just hanging out together. 

tws: swearing 

word count: 637

For Matt, house parties weren’t really his thing, but he was more than happy to spend the night at a friend’s house when it was just a small and intimate group or just you and him; it was only you and Matt, though, which he was thankful for, as he wasn’t sure if he could stomach being around other people that day. But he was enjoying himself, watching a film the night before only to cook breakfast with you and to sit outside when the afternoon grew warm and welcoming. The sun was reflecting off of his red glasses, causing a stream of red light to spatter his arm as he kept one hand on his drink and the other on his lap, a daft smile on his face whenever you spoke. Matt always had a soft spot for you, but on days like this, he knew that it was more than just that; he could hear the way that your heart sped up when a song you really liked started to play, he could feel the soft vibrations from you tapping the metal table along to the beat, and he could tell that you were smiling when you sang along just from the way that the words left your mouth. It was a kind day, though, with ‘Piano Man’ by Billy Joel playing and the sounds of birds accompanying, and Matt couldn’t hold it back anymore - he couldn’t stop himself as he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, clearing his throat and pulling on the collar of his black t-shirt.

“(y/n), I got something to tell you,” he admitted, running a hand across the back of his neck before taking a swig from his drink in hopes that it would help him to get the words out properly. “And it’s pretty serious.” 

You relaxed in your chair, pulling your legs up to rest your feet on the table as you hummed. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Matt licked his lips, swallowing thickly as he adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat again. “I can’t hide my feelings, I won’t. It’s hard to think when I’m around you, but at the same time it’s… it’s so much calmer when I’m near you.” 

You tilted your head to the side, and he could hear the way that your jeans scraped against the table when you crossed your legs at the ankle. “What do you mean?”

“I… I know we’re friends,” he explained, “but I want to be more. I want to be your boyfriend.” 

Silence fell, ‘Vienna’ by Billy Joel taking over, and Matt’s heart sped up to the point where he thought it was going to rip through his bones and his flesh and spill out onto the floor; he was worried he had fucked everything up, but when you laughed quietly, he dared to breathe out a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair as he smiled. 

“Fuck, why didn’t you say so?” You asked, running a hand down your face. “Matty, I love you. I’d be more than happy to be your partner, just… say it out loud next time, start with it.” 

Matt shook his head fondly. “I’m sorry, I will.” 

You leaned over, enough so that you could put your hand on his knee as you swallowed thickly. “Thank you… but yeah, no, I’d… I’d be so fucking happy to be your partner and for you to be my boyfriend.” 

He placed his hand on yours, his fingers tapping the back of your hand gently as he hummed. “Is now a good time to tell you that I always did like it when it’s just us?”

“It’s the best time,” you chuckled, moving your hand so that you could hold his tightly, your fingers laced together. “I’ve always liked it, too.”