#The reason Eve didn't know that is p simple

[theglizzardwizard]

Back when Eve was a habitual greener, she figured out pretty quickly that attempting to inflict physical damage on toons was a moot point. You have to Really upset them first, and when they're looking green, that's when you start hitting them. The pain won't stick if their spirits are too high.

[theloveoftoms]

This Christmas - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell x Penny Benjamin

Summary: This Christmas, Maverick intends to find Penny the perfect gift. Will he succeed? Or will he wait until the 24th and end up asking Rooster for help?

A/N: in honour of top gun being on the paramount channel literally ALL day yesterday (you know I watched it more than once ;)), I decided to write this cute little Christmas story about Penny and Mav. I had such a blast writing this and I hope you enjoy! <3 🎄🤍 HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! xoxo - mac

Wordcount: 3.4k

For the past forty years or so, whenever Christmastime rolled around, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell would make it his goal to wait until the eve of the 24th to do all of his Christmas shopping. Gifts for his family and friends would frequently be purchased at whichever 24 hour pharmacy was in closest proximity of whichever naval base he had been living on. Maverick would browse the isles for discounted chocolates, keychains, coffee mugs, and other little nicknacks that could be found. By the till, he would grab whichever roll of wrapping paper was left, and wrap the presents in his car on the way to wherever he was going. It was simple, and it was maverick.

But this Christmas was going to be different. It was the first Christmas that he was spending with Penny and her daughter Amelia. Maverick didn't want to be seen as the boyfriend who waited until the very last minute to get his gorgeous lady - and her daughter - a gift that still had the price tag on it. He wanted to set a good example. He wanted to show both Penny and Amelia that he was really committed this time, and that he was finally ready to keep his feet on the ground - or at least in the San Diego area when he was up in the air.

Maverick's Christmas preparations begun in the first week of November. One night while Penny was running Amelia to the mall for an eyeshadow palette that she needed to have, Maverick found himself alone at home. And for some reason, the thought of Christmas popped into his mind. Maybe it was that he had been standing right beside the fire place, or maybe it was the universe's way of telling him to be a proper gentleman. Anyways, however the cause, it made Maverick realize that he wanted to give his girls a Christmas to remember.

November involved Maverick looking over Penny's shoulder any time she was looking at something online, which she rarely did. And for all of November, all she had browsed online was a pair of Uggs that she bought for Amelia's birthday, kitchen-aid mixer attachments, and various skin care products that maverick had a hard time telling apart from one another. To him, nothing could compare to a three-in-one wash that was good for hair, face, and body.

However, as the month of December rose into effect, and the generally warm San Diego air began to feel brisk and unfamiliar on Maverick's face, he realized that time was running out. So, on a Friday night while Penny was busy working at The Hard Deck, and Amelia was off at a friends for a sleepover, Maverick did the one thing that no middle-aged man should do on his own; go to the mall.

So, he hopped on his motorcycle and ventured down the interstate until he reached the district of Mission Valley, where the biggest outlet mall of the area was located. For a Friday night, the shopping mall was busier than Maverick had expected.

As the laughter of a group of lanky teenagers sitting at a nearby bus stop filled the air, a pit of worry began to spiral in Maverick's stomach as he begun his walk inside. His breath, what was usually composed of long, slow intervals of inhalations and exhalations turned into shallow dives as he walked up the pathway to the mall. Yes, you heard me, Pete Mitchell was nervous. He was nervous to go into the shopping mall.

When was the last time that Maverick had been to a shopping centre? The 90's? Early 2000's? Why on earth would he go to the mall? What would he even buy? But then, looking at his phone noticing his background, maverick remembered why he was here, he was going to get a gift for Penny and Amelia.

Amelia was easy to shop for, after all, she had emailed Maverick a very detailed list of items that she wanted for Christmas. The list was even complete with pictures, store locations, prices, and sizes. So as quickly as he could, Maverick walked into the Hollister that was located on the second floor of the mall, and browsed the shelves for the clothing that Amelia had wanted.

But within seconds of looking in the young women's department, and hopelessly getting lost in exactly which lilac coloured shirt it was that Amelia wanted, he decided to ask the employee, who was likely not much older than his Amelia herself, for help.

But just as Maverick was about to open his mouth to speak, the girl with auburn hair directed her gaze to him, "You look like you need some help sir."

Maverick chuckled, shaking his head, "Was it that obvious," and showed the girl the list on his phone.

And for the next twenty minutes or so, the employee, who's name-tag read "Amy," led him around the store and picked up one of every piece of clothing that was on Amelia's "Clothing" section of the list. And as Maverick followed her around the store, he hung the shirts and skirts, and pairs of jeans over his shoulder like one might with a towel before they shower.

"Would you like gift-wrap with that sir?" Amy asked him as she scanned through the pile of clothing that was set down in a heap on the counter. And Maverick, who didn't really have faith in his gift wrapping abilities agreed.

So, after Amy would scan an item, she would fold it neatly and then place it in the box, one atop of another, until she needed to begin another box. "Is this for your daughter?" Amy asked, folding the very last item, a cropped knit sweater that made Maverick nervous. But the comment, the very thing that Amy asked him, made his heart swell. Amelia was the daughter he never had. And Maverick, as trying as ever, was the father that left her and her mom. A comment like this would make Maverick smile just a little but more, enhancing the smile-lines forming in his seemingly ageless face.

The first time Amelia called him dad was when Maverick answered the door to one of her friends, and Amelia, who's hair was half-curled for the school dance, greeted her friend "Hey Chels, ugh dont mind my dad, come on, lets go get ready!" As brief as the conversation was, Maverick heard it, and although she called him Mav more than she called him Dad, he knew that what they had was special.

"Yes," Maverick replied confidently, smiling softly to himself as the employee tied a bright red ribbon around the box.

Amy offered him the machine, and a number popped up that made Maverick wonder why a cropped shirt must cost more than that of a full one. Seeing the numbers, three digits in, maverick looked up, raising an eyebrow at the cashier, "is this the total?" he asked with shock.

Amy nodded, "yes sir." And a defeated Maverick who cared for Amelia dearly, inserted his card and said goodbye to that new pair of sunglasses he had wanted to buy himself.

With two medium sized Hollister boxes tucked beneath either arm, Maverick walked out of the store and through the busy mall foyer. Each time he passed a window, he would peer in, looking if there was a gift suitable enough for Penny. But the clothes in the window weren't Penny's style. And a previous gift, a black leather jacket, that Maverick had gotten Penny for her birthday that was still unused said otherwise that perhaps Maverick shouldn't get his girlfriend clothing.

So as his feet grew tired, and the night carried on, Maverick continued to wander through the mall. He wandered into stores whenever he thought he saw something, and out of the stores whenever he realized that in fact he didn't. He had been there for nearly three hours, and the only other things he had purchased were a new pair of headphones, a baby blue water bottle, and a pack of fun coloured things called 'squishmallows' that Maverick had never heard of until that night. And each one of those things were for Amelia.

The only thing he had found for Penny was a box of peppermint bark chocolates and a pair of fuzzy socks that had winter-time drawings of polar bears on them. Yes he had green her something, but Maverick wanted to get her something special.

It was hopeless, Penny Benjamin was impossible to shop for.

So as Maverick walked slowly back to his motorcycle in the dark of the night, wandering how on earth he was going to drive home with two boxes of clothing and a another bag of Amelia's presents, he felt a sense of defeat that he had not managed to find one real present for Penny.

Each morning on his way to the base, Maverick would park his bike and walk down a different street of Coronado in hopes of finding something for Penny. He wandered into a book store, and then out when he wasn't sure if Penny even liked to read at all. He did this every day for a week, and by the time Christmas Eve rolled around, he was starting to get nervous. So much so, that he began to debate asking her what it is that she wanted, but mid-way through typing the text, Maverick decided against it as it was Christmas Eve and he didn't want Penny to think that he had done what he had done and not gotten her anything at all. So, he did the next best thing. He asked Rooster.

For all of the morning, Maverick had spent his time tracking down Rooster on the base, which was not an easy thing to do. Especially when he was in a meeting with a couple of the on-base commanders and Admirals. Maverick, the man with with quite the back bone, knocked on the door to the board room where the meeting was being held, and interjected whatever naval business was going on there. He cleared his throat, "Pardon my interruption, but I am going to need to borrow Lieutenant Bradshaw for a moment."

Cyclone, who gave Maverick a disapproving look, rolled his eyes and waved for Rooster to go. Rooster, who hated meetings, wasted no time in the act. "Thanks for the save Mav," he said, patting him on the shoulder once he got out into the hallway.

"If you think I called you out here just to talk, you're wrong Bradshaw," Maverick spoke, leading Rooster down the hallway.

"Well what is it then?" he asked.

Maverick thought about how he should word this next phrase. Would he rush into to, would he stagger it? But eventually, he settled on putting it all out in the open, "I didn't get a Christmas gift for Penny."

Bradley's eyes went wide, and then he began to laugh, "Mav," he chuckled, "You can't be serious!"

"I wish I was joking," Maverick spoke defeatedly, "but she is impossible to shop for."

"What?" rooster laughed, "You didn't want to get her some mouthwash and a box of chocolates from the pharmacy?" he chuckled, gesturing at the gift that mav had gotten him last year.

"Well, I can see who's getting the hemorrhoid cream this year Bradley," Maverick said as he slapped an arm around the boy.

"Ha ha, very funny," Rooster teased, "but why are you asking me?" he asked.

Maverick threw his hands up in the air in that usual dramatic way of his, "I'm asking myself the same thing," he groaned, "But I dunno, you seem to have it all figured out with Phoenix, and as much as I hate to admit it, I could probably learn a thing or two from you."

Rooster smiled, "Well, if you're going to flatter me like that, I suppose I could help you."

So, the pair, who were still clad in their flight suits, wandered out to the parking lot and hopped into Rooster's Ford Bronco, because two grown men sitting together on a motorcycle was something that neither one of them had wanted to experience.

As Rooster started the car up, the piano chorus of "Great Balls of Fire" sang through the stereo. It made maverick smile. "You really are just like him Bradley."

Bradley looked to Maverick, and then looked away, turning the radio down, trying to hide the smile that was spread across his face. There was a time where Rooster would have hated being told that, especially by Maverick. But over the past year, the two had grown close like they once had been. Maverick was practically his father. And although he would never admit it, Rooster thought of him like a father. Maverick could never replace his dad, but he could tell Rooster stories that made him embrace the past instead of run away from it.

"Where are we off to Bradley?" Maverick asked him as the vehicle pulled out the gates of Top Gun.

"Theres this little jewelry store on Orange avenue that 'Tash can't get enough of," Bradley spoke, "I hope you brought your Mastercard."

Maverick rolled his eyes, knowing he would probably spend a bit more money than he had planed to.

The quaint jewelry store called Diamonds of the Sea was nestled in-between a coffee shop and a restaurant that was located a mile or two off base. And Maverick and Rooster, who were both dressed in their government-issued uniforms and uniquely similar pair of aviators, pushed open the door delicately enough to make the chiming of the bell startle them. Jewelry stores scared Maverick. He always felt out of place in them. They didn't quite scare him as much as shopping malls did, but then again, he didn't particularly feel at his best in either of them. But at-least Rooster was here to offer his opinion and keep him some company.

The cases of glass filled the store, each one with a different variation of the same diamond ring, necklace, or bracelet. The details were microscopic; you had to know what to look for. And when Maverick saw just how many different pieces of jewellery were there, be began to feel just a bit in over his head.

"Bradley!" the store clerk greeted him with a smile, "Back again I see?" she asked in a cheerful tone.

Bradley shook his head, "Not me this time, Jessica. My friend Maverick here needs a present for someone special."

And for some reason, when Rooster described Penny as being someone special to Maverick, a blush crept up the back of his neck, making a warm pool of adoration rise in his chest.

"Well Maverick," Jessica smiled, extending her hand eloquently, "it's lovely to meet you. Do you have any ideas in mind of what you're looking to acquire?"

"A necklace," Maverick spoke, still a little bit unsure of himself, "But I don't really know what exactly it is I am looking for."

Jessica chuckled softly to herself, "If only you knew how many men in your position have said that to me this past week."

"Could you tell me something about this special someone Maverick?" Jessica said, "It might be a bit easier to help you decide if I know a bit about them."

But just as Maverick was about to speak, Rooster took the liberty of speaking on his behalf. "Its for his girlfriend," Rooster replied, "They've been on and off again since the 80's but now Mav here has finally decided to settle down."

Maverick ran a hand through his hair to hide the embarrassment that crept upon his face, "thanks for telling Jess here my whole life story."

Jessica laughed, "well how about we get the two of you situated in the consult room and we'll bring you a couple of selections and some champagne."

Maverick agreed.

Jessica, who's wage was paid mainly by commission, pulled out all the stops. In the consult room, she brought the two men a stack of necklaces with a range of prices. Some were silver and some were gold, and one had a light pink hue to it. But Maverick didn't like any of them. So, Jessica brought back another stack, and another, and decided to leave the guys alone with their thoughts for a while.

"What about this one?" Rooster offered, holding up a silver locket with a delicate heart-shape that you could insert a photo into. To which Maverick almost immediately shook his head, "its not Penny."

This routine went on for a while. Rooster would make a suggestion, and then Maverick would shoot it down. Poor Rooster, who was still very much wanted in the meeting with Cyclone was now occupied at a jeweller, helping his instructor and friend pick out a gift for his girlfriend.

An hour passed, and the two began sipping at the champagne that Jessica had brought, and the suddenly, Maverick saw it, the perfect necklace for Penny. He stood up slowly, holding the necklace carefully in his hands. It was like a scene from a movie. A moment of realization. This was it. This was Penny.

The necklace was composed of a faded gold chain that was almost brass in colour. And on the chain, a single charm. An anchor. It was simple, it was delicate, and most importantly, it was Penny.

Penny loved to sail, and although Maverick didn't admit it when Rooster had asked him about it, the anchor did depict something more that Penny's love for sailing.

To Maverick, it described his commitment to her. The anchor was a symbol that represented his willingness to stay and build a life with her. He may have missed out on it before, but now he was here, settled down as best as he could be, his feet on the ground; most of the time, whenever he wasn't flying. Penny was his anchor and he never wanted to let her go.

The necklace had costed more than Maverick would have hoped, but nothing was enough for his Penny. So, he had Jessica wrap it up in a signature sand-toned box, complete with a little white bow, and he placed it securely into the chest pocket of his flight suit.

So that night, while Amelia and Maverick were curled up on the couch, listening to whichever home alone movie happened to be on tv that night, Penny was busy in the laundry room, doing her weekly wash of Maverick's uniforms. She checked the pockets, as she usually did, but just as she was about to throw the deep green suit into the washing machine, she noticed something unusual in the chest pocket, a box, one that made Penny gasp. One that made Penny gasp loud enough to have both Amelia and Maverick come running into the laundry room to see what was the matter.

And when the two of them arrived, the box was held open and tears were pooling in Penny's eyes. "What is it mom?" Amelia asked, enticed to see what exactly was making her mother smile brightly amid her misty eyes.

"Maverick," she smiled with eyes of salt, "Its beautiful."

Amelia, who sensed that this was a special moment between her mother and Maverick to share, smiled at the both of them on the way out, "the commercials just ended, I'm going to go finish watching the movie."

Penny nodded and Maverick patted Amelia on the back on her way out, mouthing her a silent 'thank you.'

"You know Penny," Maverick said, looking up to meet her oceanic eyes, "you weren't supposed to see that until tomorrow."

Penny smiled, "well, maybe you should start doing your laundry" she laughed.

"Do you like it?" Maverick asked shyly, a blush of anticipation creeping up on the back of his neck.

"Maverick," Penny gushed, opening her arms and extending them around him, "this is the most perfect gift that anyone has ever gotten me. I love it, and I love you."

Maverick enclosed her in an embrace, pulling her close to his chest, placing a kiss at the top of her head. "Merry Christmas Penny," he said, smiling into her hair.

"Merry Christmas Pete."

[emoticonheart]

hello everyone!! chapter two of my burp soulmate story inspired by @mylilhell is finally finished and published!! if you’re interested, you can either check it out on ao3 or simply read below!!

"So, Sierra, how was school today?"

Sierra continued to play with the asparagus on her plate. She had eaten everything else, but she just couldn't bring herself to eat the asparagus. She knew her stepdad was borderline obsessed with them, but to her, it just tasted like wet leaves.

Kinda like her stepdad's personality. Maybe that was why he liked them so much.

"It was fine," she shrugged.

There was a pause, before her stepdad said, doing little to hide his irritation, "Is that all?"

"Yup," Sierra said, being sure to pop the 'p.'

Her stepdad huffed, but otherwise didn't say anything else. Her mom tried giving Sierra a look, but she pretended not to see it.

At the end of the day, Sierra didn't like her stepfather. Plain and simple. The list of reasons why was endless, but to sum it all up, seeing him and his mom together made her skin crawl and her stomach churn. How her mom could leave her dad for a man like Chris was something she would never understand.

"Sorry about that, dear," Her mom said, which made Sierra scoff, "How was work?"

"Busy as always," Chris said as he helped himself to another plateful of asparagus. "I have that meeting next week that I still have to prepare for, and if all goes well, I should be traveling to Boston next month to meet with our partners there."

"That's exciting! Right, Sierra?"

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "just riveting."

Chris kept his eyes on his plate as he said, "I don't like that tone of yours, young lady."

Sierra didn't respond, opting instead to chug the rest of the water in her cup.

"How about you, Charlotte? How was your day?"

Sierra's mom shrugged, "Just tidied up a bit around here, that's all-"

She was interrupted as a large air pocket rose up Sierra's throat, and after placing a fist to her mouth, she let out a deep closed mouth burp, not even bothering to try to hide the way it loudly reverberated behind her cheeks. After about seven seconds, she blew the air not-so-subtly out the side of her mouth.

Chris' hands were turning white from how hard he was clenching them. "Sierra, you know how I feel about that."

Sierra shrugged.

Charlotte glared at her, "Aren't you going to at least excuse yourself?"

"Why? It's not like I did it out loud."

"Because it's unladylike," Chris said. "And I won't have my children behaving like pigs."

Sierra, for the first time that night, looked him right in the eye. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not your child."

Chris slammed his hands on the table, spilling his drink all over the tablecloth. "I'm getting tired of this behavior, Sierra. I understand that this transition is hard for you, but that does not give you the right to disrespect me. I am your father now, whether you like it or not."

Hot tears began to fill Sierra's eyes, and with a voice full of venom, she said, "You will never be my father."

Chris stood from his seat, but before things could escalate any further, Charlotte put her arms out. "Hey, Chris, it's okay!" Chris looked at her, and she smiled. "I'm sorry about her, she'll go to her room now, okay?"

Chris didn't seem happy about it, but he sat back down and nodded.

Charlotte turned and glared at Sierra. "Room. Now."

Sierra didn't need to be told twice. With tears streaming down her cheeks and clouding her vision, she stormed to her room, making sure to slam her door as hard as she could.

***

"Conner Eve?"

Conner's heas shot up at the sound of his name, and he was met with a woman with curly hair and a big smile.

"They're ready for you now."

Conner's hands were shaking so hard that the lady could see them from where she stood, and after giving him an encouraging nod, he took a deep breath and stood from his seat. He handed her the clipboard with his paperwork and headshot, and, with a heart pounding harder than ever before, he stepping through the doors and onto the stage.

Never had an empty auditorium seemed so daunting. Never had three men in suits and ties seemed so intimidating.

He stood in the center of the stage and watched as the lady from earlier handed the three men his clipboard, and they each took turns reading his application and examining his headshot. His hands continued to shake, so he shoved them into his pocket for the time being.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but couldn't have been more than five minutes, the three of them set the clipboard down and finally looked at Conner.

"Conner Eve, yes?" the one in the middle said.

Connor nodded, "That's me, sir."

"I have to admit, your credentials are impressive." the man on the right said. "First chair in regional and all state choir all four years of high school."

"Yes, sir."

"You must have a hell of a voice then," the man on the left said, which made Conner chuckle, helping him ease his nerves just a little.

After giving them the name of the song he would be singing, he straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

This was it. This was his one shot at getting into Julliard. No matter what happened, he had to make this count. No redos, no screwups. His futute was depending on it.

And so, after one final, grounding breath, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

Even Conner was surprised at how good he sounded. From his very first note, his voice was full and crystal clear, the emptiness of the auditorium enriching his smooth vocals. His vibrato was stronger than it had been before, and while German wasn't a language he knew outside of music, his pronunciation of the foreign words was better than ever.

To put it simply, he was killing it.

It seemed the three Julliard representatives were impressed as well, because they nodded at each other as they took down notes. One of them even smiled.

Conner's heart began to soar. He was doing it!

Except, he was getting to the most difficult part of the song. The high C sharp. Usually, he could hit this note with no problems, but there had been too many mistakes in the past for him to feel fully comfortable. But, if he could just keep the momentum he had so far, he was sure he could do it.

And so, he took a breath a measure before, dropped his jaw so he could hit the note, and-

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRP

Instead of the high C sharp, what came out of his mouth was the loudest, longest, raunchiest belch he had ever uttered in his entire life. He tried to stop it the instant it started, but it just barreled out of his without any way to control it. It was as if his body had a mind of its own. After seven seconds, the horrid thing finally ended, and Conner slapped both hands over his mouth.

To say he was burning with embarrassment would have been the understatement of the century. It felt like every inch of his body was on fire, and he wanted nothing more than for the flames to consume him and turn him into ashes so he could just float away from this disaster.

Instead, he made the mistake of looking right at the representatives, who were looking at him with different levels of disgust.

"I-" his words got stuck in his throat. What was he supposed to say? What words could he possibly come up with to make this better, to make the utter humiliation go away?

Conner didn't have to think about it for too long, because the man sitting in the middle, without looking up at him, said, "That will be all, Conner. Thank you."

Conner wished that he could've done something, anything to maintain his pride, to wipe away the shame. But he couldn't, so he went with the next best thing.

He ran out of the auditorium as fast as he could.

[peachybun-bun]

I know you all love them but I am curious about exo for the game?

THIS IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE ANON

my bias + bias wrecker*

M: Chanyeol/Baekhyun MY BABIES OF ALL BABIES TO EVER BABY and wreckers fuck...like any of them on any given day but usually it's Xiumin.

S: Sehun. First and foremost, thank you. Suho and Xiumin sneak in a lot. Chen kills me with his little cat mouth. DO’S VOCALS. Kai, you bean. ...wait i’m getting carried away...

P: D.O is the reason I like EXO at all. Kai specifically in dark hair.

first time i heard of them

M: It was a few years ago and I was having a conversation with a couple of friends and they played Call Me Baby by Exo and I was like....fuck this is so good but I'm not into KPop. So I had that one song in my library for the longest time and it was the only KPop song I would listen to.

S: Red suit.

P: I watched the Monster video a while before I even liked Kpop and I thought it was so aggressive. Cut to Kokobop and I died.

when i became a fan

M: I wouldn't say I was a fan at the Call Me Baby moment because I didn't know them well enough. I wasn't really into KPop until the beginning of this year, I know I am a KPop infant. But at the beginning of this year S and I were in voice and happened to both be listening to KPop and decided to watch 100 songs you should know and we saw Kai from Love Shot in that red suit and went down a rabbit hole never looked back. I can down identify them from 40 yards by their eye lashes.

S: Kai. Red suit. And it’s been over ever since. Simple. As.

P: I think officially I have never been an EXO Stan. I enjoy their music, know all their names and personalities, but I’m not like die hard. (Kokobop DO)

favorite (and least favorite) title track

M: Monster because of the rap between Chanyeol and Sehun. It is what made me look at Chanyeol and say I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life. There are no misses with EXO don't even.

S: “Monster”, “Ko Ko Bop”... ugh. So many favorites. I’m not sure I have a least favorite though...

P: Tempo and Love Me Right. Are we not gonna talk about Mama?????

favorite (and least favorite) b-side

M: My FAVORITE song ever by EXO is Angel. It is my go to song when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am indifferent, when I am sleepy. I just...that song gives me life. BUT there are a million EXO b-sides I could list. They don't miss.

S: “Runaway”. I FUCKIN’ LOVE “RUNAWAY”. “Cosmic Railway” is like... least favorite. (I have many other favorite bsides, but can’t name them all).

P: Sweet Lies. THE EVE. I don’t know their bsides enough to have a least favorite. Maybe the Eommayaaa thing.

favorite (and least favorite) mv

M: Power brings me SO much joy. They are so cute in that video and we get to see their powers being used. I just love that MV so much.

S: “Power” is so good. And they all look so good in “Monster”. Least favorite is gonna be their earlier stuff. “History” and “Mama”.

P: Tempo is hot. Power has really pretty makeup. Mama??

favorite (and least favorite) album

M: The War is probably my favorite album but I honestly don't skip most EXO songs or albums ever so honestly any album could go here. Like fucking Don't Fight the Feeling is a NO SKIP album. I listened to that shit on repeat and will to the moment listen to it on repeat. Fuck now I need to do that. GOD I love them.

S: The War, Obsession, and Don’t Fight the Feeling are my favorite albums. They are all so good.

P: The War is their best album. There is not one skip. FIGHT MEEEE.

a concept i wished they’d try*

M: This is a group that can literally do nothing wrong. The only concept I want is them all back from the military and all 9 of them on the same stage or in the same fucking room. Give me OT9 just loving each other and let me cry myself into oblivion.

S: OT9, thank you, that is all. (also, let Sehun sing more thanks)

P: Shirtlessness? Everyone?

what i like most about them*

M: They make me so happy I can't even put it into words. I can't think of the right things to say. They love each other and EXO-L's so much that you can feel it even coming into the fold late in the game. Most of the EXO-L's also make loving them worth it. They are a loving fandom (there are the bad eggs) and will accept anyone. I love watching EXO succeed in all their endeavors and that is not something I thought I would be getting into when I got into KPop. I didn't think I would literally smile every time my phone went off when I got a bubble message or tweet notification that one of them sends something but I do. That has to mean something. Sorry I went off...but I love them so much.

S: They do more than sing and dance. They are so talented, and just love each other, and support each other, and still live their own lives. And everything that M said. They are just... ugh. Babes.

P: I don’t really have that much of a connection to EXO, but they are really talented and they look like they smell nice. 

[valerianka-97]

Twisted, tangled, wicked, sick.

... That is how I felt when I actually finished that article. Heaven help me...

The 12th of July is the beginning of a new era for gothic rock trio from Massachusetts - PVRIS.

Last Friday the band introduced to the world their debut single "Death Of Me" from an upcoming third album. They also released a thrilling music video for the song.

New sound, same energy.

Death Of Me was supposed to be a new rock hit but surprisingly turned out to be the dance hit instead. Many fans were confused, some were in panic that the band switched to another genre, others were slightly shocked. But everyone agreed that the song with the video alongside are something out of this world.

Evolution of sound isn't surprising, the frontwoman Lynn Gunn is known to collaborate with pop and dance artists such as Seven Lions, TBMA and some others, so the electronics that fully replased live instruments is something we could see coming.

Anyways, the band is staying true to themselves, judging by the themes and overall vibe of their new song.

Death Of Me definitely has strong old-PVRIS vibes: the lyrics are still dark and sinister and the video is moody and ominous.

In the song Lynn tells us the story of obsessive love. Obsessive, passionate and dangerous love. Or dedication. It's still a mystery whether she's referring to her love relationship or to something else. Gunn likes to hide things in plane sight, so her love life would've been too easy to refer. The song kinda reminds me of Florence & The machine's Pure Feeling, in which Florence Welch speaks about her dedication to fans and vice versa. The metaphor fits just right to that theory.

Let's speak straightforward here, fans are the best promotion machine of any artist. We can suffocate or let them breath, we can literally be the death of them, because fans are the ones who put an artist on a pedestal and fans can kick them back down. It also reminds me of something else. Something more important and global. But I will leave that thoughts for later in the article.

The music video here is another story but also is an adding to that theory. I'll talk about it more below.

First, let's take a closer look at all the mysteries in the vid.

The biblical theme is the one we notice first of all, it's very simple, and there is a reason of that obviousness. While fans are building logical connections with the first visual metaphor of the seduction of Eve by the devil in a snake's appearance with the song lyrics and then enjoying passionate sequences and the cult initiation, the most interesting metaphors are carefully hidden. The devil is in the details, guys.

The storyline of the video is built on hidden metaphors. Some of them may or may not be intentional, maybe I just built logical connections where there is none but you surely will find my observations interesting.

The seduction and the forbidden fruit are not the only symbols from the Bible. We can see the new members of cult going through initiation. But have you noticed that all of them are of different races? There are black people, asians and white people. It got to me when I wondered about the symbolism of the pyramid formed by the cultists with our trio in the heart of it - which is also may be symbolic and may represent the three ascendants of Noah (or is it too complicated? It may be unintentional). Here we've got the Tower of Babel metaphor.

Next on - the red aquarium. I've already said in a comment section for the video on YouTube that aquarium represents the falling of Adam and Eve from heaven. It's a small piece but key one, keep that in mind.

Now, remember the line in the song "I'm falling, fading, and seeing angels". This line is not just the reference to Demon Limbs. Everyone has noticed that the band made a colorful music video. And the colors in it were not chosen randomly. The band and everyone in the sequence dressed in white instead of classical culty black wearing. Knowing of the falling from heaven metaphor in the video and connecting it to the line from the song we've got our "angels" Lynn talks about. And that's not all of it.

The Tower of Babel in the Bible is known to represent a kind of an act of rebellion against God. The whole cult sequense symbolizes that at some point. The initiation almost completely recreates the holy communion. This, overall, may represent the creation of the alternative religion as a counterweight to the original one and creating their own kind of heaven on Earth, which for some may look more like hell. But that's, my friends, is parallax. Another reference to song lyrics.

And my favorite metaphor, which is also pretty simple but hidden in plain sight. The whole song with its dark, seductive, even erotic, at some poin, vibes is a hint, not to count pretty obvious visualisations in the video.

Lust. The most pleasant one of all deadly sins. Tangled bodies moving rhythmically to the heartbeat and everyone's in rapture. Passionate, isn't it? I mentioned hell lately on purpose. "One man's hell is another's God, it's all about perspective, a parallax". Lynn Gunn surely knows how to play with words and the visuals.

The storyline starts at the actual end of the music video. Why not the snake sequence? You may ask. In fact, it all begun with a snake and an apple, right?

Like I've said, the colors chosen for the video are not accidental. Red color symbolizes not only passion but also hell. And it is known that Eve was in heaven at the moment of seduction. Which led me to conclusion where the story actually begins. And the pyramid sequence is an actual end (which is to be continued).

The ones, who were fallen and forbidden to come back to heaven gardens for they've sinned, united and built their own garden on Earth and they rule it like God rules heavens.

They've sinned at God's perspective, yet they see it as holy communion from theirs.

Now let's come back to my theory of the song's meaning. Why I think it may be about the fans and something more global.

The first time I've watched and listened to the music video, it kinda reminded me of Britney Spears. Let me explain this absurd. Britney's fame became hell for her in mid-2000's. We all remember that.

That's one piece.

In 2011 Spears released a music video for the song Till The World Ends.

The sequences in that video at some point are repeated in Death Of Me: it caught my attention the second I've seen tangled bodies in a rhytmic movement. In Britney's video the storyline's mostly situated underground, where everyone is dying of the hell of a heat, and the colors in both videos are similar, also the dance-y vibe in the darkness of the underground kinda the same. That's the piece no2.

And the dance with a snake was Britney's most iconic performance back in 200(5?). That's the 3rd one.

Not only the music video led me here. Lynn's "You're a cold-blooded killer only after dark but I don't mind" also reminded me of Britney's song Criminal.

Yes, that all may be just coincidence, because "why the fck Britney Spears? Nothin' in common".

And that's when the song lyrics come up and make sense of all of it. Again, the line about hell in perspective, the line about a noose around Lynn's neck or a poison, the line about danger. I've thought about Britney Spears because she is the best example of what the pressure of huge responsibility for fanbase and fame in general can do to people. Break them, suffocate and be the death of them.

We know that coincidences are not accidental, not with PVRIS. Lynn's metaphors have always been much deeper than it has seemed, so I guess that's a good and well argumented theory.

And don't you think that it's finished. There's more.

Death Of Me also wasn't chosen to be the debut single by accident. From all written above, the song is a perfect metaphor itself for the band's prevous album. All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell. Which makes it a great bridge between what we already know and what is soon to be released. My guess is we're about to find out more about heaven and get something else from hell.

I've done pretty heavy work in analyzing everything, and trust me, it was hell. But I enjoyed every hour of it. Twisted, huh?

P. S. While writing a draft to the article I couldn't decide whose name to place in a metaphor with the snake, so at first I wrote "devil's seduction of Eve/Lynn" and accidentally found this strange reference. EVELYNN. Two names, Eve and Lynn, in one Evelynn. And Lynn as Eve in the video. And Evelynn short names are both Eve and Lynn.. Damn, I confused it even more.

Update:

My brain almost exploded yesterday while writing all this. The article is so loaded with information, so I desided not to mention some symbols. Today, as I had a good night of sleep (after very brutal insomnia issues) I realized that the analysis can't be completed without those little details.

The names puzzle above is one of them but I mannaged to put it somehow anyway.

There are several more things to say about symbolism though. One of the them is obvious and everyone noticed it from the start but not everyone is aware of the meaning of that metaphor.

Not all of us know how to read tarot cards, me included. The representation of a tarot card "Three of Swords" - the knives Lynn, Brian and Alex pierced an apple with.

The card's meaning is a heartbreak, sorrow, grief, pain caused by someone's words or actions. It also has a meaning of emotional release and a reminder that the dark clouds building above your head will disappear and take the pain away with it.

The scene of stabbing the apple by the trio most likely symbolizes their expression of that pain and releasing it the moment the apple is pierced.

There is also a colorful symbol which is not that easy to acknowledge but is also put right in front of our sight. I had this thought since the first time I watched the video but didn't bring much attention to it. I came back to it after looking in to flowers handbook.

The flowers on the table in the music video are white lenagolds. Why lenagolds? Why not roses or lilies?

The christian legends say that lenagolds turned up on Earth with the walking of messiah. The Mother's tears that fallen when Jesus carried his cross turned into lenagolds.

Basic meaning of lenagolds is love and devotion. The definition of white lenagolds is sincerity and purity of feelings, loyalty, gratitude and luck.

Note that the flowers laying on the cult's joint table, which also may symbolize the band's devotion and love for the fanbase.

There is another hidden symbol I noticed but didn't manage to solve. Maybe some of you have thoughts on that?

When the cultists stand in two rows facing one another, at first I thought they carried flowers, this scene was really glimpse, so I played it in slow motion. They carried busts.

Not sure what that means, because I can't see whose busts there are, what I'm sure of is that this scene is related to a short shot of a woman's head with bloody tear streaking. Maybe that also reffers to that legend with lenagolds?

Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope you made it down here and I didn't waste your time

If you liked it, please reblog. Would be much appreciated!