#Walk With Dann Collection

[lighthousedann]

Canada Does Not Need American Automobiles

We have the technology,  the factories and the skilled workers to build our own cars.

[bunny-hwa]

Popular, Boy

☆02: The first claim

Pairing: Nerd!Hongjoong x Popular!Reader

Genre: +18, slow burn, angst, smut, drama, dark academic, love triangle.

wc: 9,4k

Summary: Lines are crossed, loyalties are teased, boundaries blur, and actions always have harsh consequences. But it seems that Hongjoong and Dann had no idea about that. In your world, every little action always has consequences and you will let them know it.

However... how far will they go even with those consequences knocking on their door.

Warnings: Cursing, verbal abuse, public humiliation, emotional manipulation, power dynamics, kissing... lot of kissing, dry humping. (MDN!!)

Series Masterlist

☆01 ☆03

It's the day of the party, and you're putting a lot of effort into your image. Something deep inside you says it's because Hongjoong will be there with you, but you try to ignore it.

Your outfit is a beautiful and expensive Chanel white dress, silver high heels and a matching bag that your dad brought you from Milan. You decided to accompany it with your hair styled in soft waves and neutral but beautiful makeup. Tonight would be your night... as it always is.

Taking a last look in the mirror you leave your room heading to the garage and be able to choose the car you will take.

On your way you meet Dann's mother. Mrs. Seo bows when she sees you.

“Good evening, miss YN. Are you going out?” You offer her a fake smile as you nod “Ah! Let me tell you that you look beautiful, miss!” She tells you with a radiant smile.

“Thank you. If you allow me, I must leave now.”

“Of course, miss. Have fun!”

Of course you will, and even more so if her daughter will be there. You thank her with another subtle smile and make your way to the garage, where your driver is waiting for you.

“Tonight I will drive.” You inform him contemplating each car, you don't know which one to choose.

“Of course, miss YN. What car would you like to drive?”

“I don't know….” You inspect every car in the great collection your father has, which one will be the best for tonight? “Mmm, maybe the Cadillac.” You raise your hand and he puts the car keys in the palm of your hand.

“Here you have, miss. Drive carefully.”

“Thank you…” You sing as you gently walk to the fabulous car.

It's time to go for the kid who dies to be popular, let's see if he can cope with the price of being so.

For his part, Hongjoong is anxiously waiting for you to pick him up. He's dressed in his best, but he still doesn't feel enough. The doorbell rings, and Hongjoong jumps up from the couch. He smooths his sweater one more time before opening the door. There you are, standing with a confident smirk, dressed in a stunning outfit.

You glance at him with a critical eye, taking him in from head to toe “Not bad. But we can do better than this.” He was wearing a trendy grey sweater, black skinny pants, and boots. He looks good but not to go to a party.

“I thought it looked okay.” Hongjoong laughs nervously looking at his outfit.

“Babe, we’re going to make you unforgettable tonight. I’ve got plans for you.” You shake your head while stepping inside his house. Looking around you can notice the warmth of the place, it was undoubtedly very different from your home and the economic level was remarkable if you compare your house with his. You sigh, turning to look at him again “Take me to your room.” You order. Hongjoong opens his eyes in surprise at your abrupt request “I want to see what other clothes you have in your closet, silly.”

You laugh tapping his arm lightly, and he smiles embarrassed but nods, guiding you to his room on the second floor. He is mentally grateful that his parents are working because otherwise they would think things that are not... as he did seconds ago.

Hongjoong stands frozen for a second, his heart skipping a beat as he watches you effortlessly move into his room and open the closet. He watches you rummage through his clothes for a while until you pull out a red leather jacket and a black silk shirt.

You turn around with a smile and make a gesture for him to take the chosen clothes and change. Hongjoong shyly approaches and turns his back to you so that he can change.

You bite your lip looking at its bare top. It never crossed your mind to see the boy that way, and now that you had the opportunity you are not going to deny that he has a beautiful silhouette. Wide back with a small waist, his arms are thin but you can tell that he exercises from time to time, the way his slight muscles flex everytime he moves his arms makes you want to run your hands over it.

Therefore; Hongjoong feels his face burn as he feels your gaze on his back, so he changes as quickly as he can to keep you from watching.

“Let me see,” You say as you sit down on his bed. He turns and lets you analyze the outfit, and you nod satisfied. Without a doubt, red is his color.

You offer him a smile and motion for him to sit down next to you. He does so without a second thought. Still smiling, you take a small comb out of your bag.

“You’ve got the face, the smarts, the charm. But there’s one thing you’re missing.” Your fingers start working through his hair “Confidence. And I know just how to make you feel like the king of this party.”

Your fingers are gentle, and Hongjoong can’t help but relax under your touch. He closes his eyes, trying to calm the nerves that always seem to rise when you're around.

“I don’t know if I can pull it off. You’ve got everyone at that party wrapped around your finger, and I’m just… me.”

“Hongjoong, you’re so much more than ‘just you.’ You have potential, you just have to believe it.” You finish adjusting his hair, standing in front of him and looking him over with a satisfied smile. You touch his cheek lightly, your gaze softening for a moment “Can you see without the glasses?” He nods slightly without taking his eyes off your eyes.

You carefully remove the glasses that hide part of his face and for a moment you are out of breath. His brown eyes are beautiful and his straight nose looks like it was carved by a surgeon. You're surprised,

Kim Hongjoong is really attractive.

“That’s better already.” You murmur, taking his hands so that he walks and looks in the nearest mirror.

He looks at himself in the mirror, still in disbelief “I look... different.”

You nod, smiling “And you will feel different too. Trust me, you’ve got this, babe.”

Hongjoong straightens up and adjusts the collar of his jacket, his confidence starting to grow as he notices the way you look at him.

Like you see something in him no one else has ever noticed before.

“You really think I can do this?”

“Of course, you’re not just going to the party as the guy who’s trying to be popular. You’re going as the guy who already is, because you are with me.”

You step back and take a final look at him, your eyes lingering for a moment longer than necessary, and Hongjoong feels his heart race again. It’s a strange, exciting feeling, knowing that you, this girl who seems so untouchable, see him differently now.

And he feels proud of it.

“Let's have fun tonight.” You grin while taking your stuff.

“Let 's do it.” He nods with his voice more confident.

“We’re going to be the stars of the night.” Touching his arm lightly you give him a playful wink as you head out the door together.

When Hongjoong comes out, he opens his mouth in surprise at seeing such a spectacular car.

“Is that car yours?”

“That's right.” You say with a giggle at his expression “Come on, we're running late.”

And with that you take his hand and take him to the car and the party. Hongjoong still doesn't get used to you holding his hand, but he smiles at the warm feeling.

The road was silent, only the background music resounded. You were aware of the boy's nervousness, you could see how he wiped the palms of his hands on the fabric of his pants, and how he checked the time on his cell phone every minute.

While waiting for the garage of Wooyoung's house to open, you could hear the commotion of music and screams inside the house. Hongjoong became even more nervous and began to panic.

What if everything you told him is a lie and you humiliate him in front of everyone?

What if you tell them all the truth?

How did he beg you that day?

His head was creating a thousand and one scenarios that could happen within that party until a light touch on his arm took him out of his mental torment.

“Hey, babe. You okay?” You ask softly, Hongjoong watches you for a long time with a frightened expression until he finally sighs and nods “Everything is going to be okay, you're going to be by my side all the time, I'm not going to leave you alone.” You stroke his arm to give him some encouragement.

“Okay.” He murmurs and you smile tenderly, when he wants he can be cute.

“Very well. Your welcome to the world of the populars begins.” You let out a little excited scream that makes him laugh. You drive to park the car in the safety of Wooyoung’s garage and get out of the car, waiting for Hongjoong to do the same. As soon as he comes out, you can still see his anxiety, so you decide to grab his hand and interlock your fingers to give him more confidence. “Let's go.”

Hongjoong, for the first time, feels like maybe, just maybe, he’s not just someone on the sidelines anymore. Tonight, he’ll be part of the spotlight. And with you by his side, it might be everything he’s dreamed of.

Jung’s mansion is buzzing with music, laughter, and colorful lights. The living room is packed with students dancing, chatting, and drinking. You and Hongjoong enters, you hand still holding his.

You try to search your friends among all the people there, but suddenly you can see a smiley Wooyoung approaching with two red cups in hand.

“Babydoll! You’re here!” A dizzy Wooyoung gives you one of his cups “We were waiting for you. You know where the others are!” You nod with a smile "Oh, but if it's little Hongjoong! Have fun at your first party of many!” He gives him the other cup and goes diving into the sea of people who invade his house.

Hongjoong is surprised by that interaction, it's the first time Jung Wooyoung treats him in a good way.

“Surprised?” You question with a bit of mockery.

“Yeah, it’s… great.”

“Get used to it, baby. This is what being popular feels like, everyone respects you.”

You grin smugly as you walk to where your friends always are, in the center of the room, where you effortlessly take over, laughing and chatting with everyone.

Hongjoong stands awkwardly beside you, unsure of what to do, but answering when someone talks to him and smiling at the silly jokes.

He can get used to this kind of environment.

✮ ⋆

At one point in the night you notice Dann standing near the snack table, trying to stay unnoticed.

“Oh, look who’s here.” You release the smoke from your typical strawberry-flavored cigarette with a mockingly sweet smile “Your little puppy decided to follow you here.”

Hongjoong follows your gaze and immediately feels guilty “She’s not my puppy. She’s—”

“Let’s go say hi.” You grin mischievously.

“Wait, maybe we should—”

“Relax, I’m just being friendly.” You cut him off, dragging him along.

You approach Dann, who’s sipping soda and fidgeting with the edge of her cup.

Her eyes light up briefly when she sees Hongjoong, it's the first time she has seen him without glasses and she feels that her heart will jump out of her chest to see him so handsome.

But her dreamy expression quickly dims when she notices you by her side and your hand clasped with his.

“Dann, you are here!” You say with fake enthusiasm.

“Yeah… Hongjoong invited me.” She forces a smile.

You pretend to be surprised “Oh, he did? How sweet of him.” You lean into Hongjoong’s arm, your smile dripping with smugness “He is so sweet, isn't he?”

Dann bites her tongue to stop her from saying something reckless to you, but she's really hating the fact that you're so close to him.

“Yeah, but maybe this was a bad idea.”

“Oh, don’t say that, sweetie! You can be with us. Right, Hongjoong?” You smoke from your cigarette waiting for his answer.

Hongjoong looks at Dann, guilt written all over his face “Of course.”

Suddenly you take a step closer to Dann “But actually, I thought you would be more comfortable at home, you know…. doing homework or nerdy stuff.”

At your comment, Hongjoong shifts uncomfortably, he wants to say something but he doesn't want to be against you, not now that he is being treated nicely by everyone.

“Not everything is about school, YN.” She says with a low tone.

You shrung with a fake smile, putting what's left of the cigarette inside her drink, you can see the anger on her face.

“If you say so, Dann.” Turning to Hongjoong, your voice drips with sweetness “Lets go, babe. We’re missing all the fun.”

You pull Hongjoong away, leaving Dann standing there, her heart sinking as she watches him glance back at her apologetically before disappearing into the crowd.

The energy of Wooyoung’s party was in full swing as you walked through the crowd with Hongjoong at your side. You relished the stares and murmurs following you; having the school’s most notorious nerd on your arm was undoubtedly turning heads.

After the brief but awkward encounter with Dann, you turned your attention back to your goal for the night: enjoying yourself and showing off.

As you made your way toward the dance floor, Seonghwa suddenly appeared in front of you, his lopsided grin and slightly red eyes betraying just how much fun he'd already had.

His presence exuded a lazy confidence, one that always seemed to draw people toward him.

"Hey, pretty." He greeted, his voice slightly slurred but playful, his gaze flicking briefly to Hongjoong. "You’re babysitting tonight?"

You raised an eyebrow, your lips curling into a smirk “Hwa, Hongjoong’s here as my guest. I thought it’d be fun to switch things up a little.”

The tallest chuckled, leaning casually against the wall “Switch things up, huh? With him?” He gestured toward Hongjoong, who shifted uncomfortably under Seonghwa’s scrutiny. “Interesting choice. What’s the context?”

You shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I thought it’d be a fun little project.”

Hongjoong glances at you, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. The hint of annoyance is there, but he doesn't say anything. You’d made it clear. This is your game, and he had agreed to play it.

Seonghwa smirks, his gaze lingering on you before raising his hand to you “You’ve always got your plans, don’t you?” He raises a little tube with what appears to be weed, offering it to you with a mischievous glint in his eye “Take a hit, Queen Bee. Loosen up a bit.”

Hongjoong watches in surprise when you take it without hesitation, placing it between your lips and inhaling deeply, he had no idea you consumed that kind of things.

The warmth spread through your chest as you exhaled smoothly, handing it back to Hwa with a grin “Thanks.”

He leaned in slightly, his voice low and teasing “Just don’t forget who’s got your back when your ‘project’ gets messy.” His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.

You didn’t waver, meeting his gaze with a sly smile “Don’t worry about me, Hwa. I’ve got everything under control.”

Seonghwa straightened up, his grin widening as he claps Hongjoong on the shoulder. “Good luck, buddy. You’re gonna need it.”

With that, he walks away, leaving behind the faint smell of weed and a lingering tension.

Hongjoong looks at you, his expression unreadable “What was that about?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” You tilt your head toward the dance floor, the smirk returning to your lips “Let’s go. We’ve got a party to enjoy.”

And just like that, Hwa’s presence was a fleeting moment in the chaos of the night, though his words lingered in your mind like an itch you couldn’t quite scratch.

You pull Hongjoong into the center of the makeshift dance floor, and for once, he’s not overthinking, maybe it's because of the number of drinks he has had during the night or because he is with you.

He isn't sure, but he isn't complaining.

You dance leaning closer to him “Relax, just move with me.”

Hongjoong chuckles nervously, trying to keep up with your movements “I’m trying!”

You laugh, the drinks and the small smoke of weed that Seonghwa offered you, taking effect on your system. You toss your hair as you pull him closer, your hands brushing against Hongjoong’s shoulders.

He can’t believe this is happening.

You, the girl of his dreams, are smiling at him like he’s the only one who matters.

In your case, you don't know if it's because of how high you are but suddenly Hongjoong looks very attractive. His bright eyes when he looks at you, his beautiful nose, and his smile... His smile could become one of your favorite things.

In a movement of your head to the rhythm of the music, you can see Dann in the distance with her eyes fixed on both of you.

An idea passes over your cloudy thoughts.

“You are so handsome, you know that?” You say, stopping suddenly, your eyes locked on his.

Hongjoong immediately blushes “I… I am?”

“Yeah.”

Before he can respond, you lean in and kiss him. Hongjoong opens his eyes in surpris. Hee can't believe that the big YN is kissing hi. This is everything he could ever want.

Closing his eyes, he carefully places his trembling hands on your waist and tries to follow the rhythm of your lips.

Without a doubt, this is what he always wanted.

Therefore; you kissed him just to annoy and show Dann that Hongjoong is not interested in her, but you didn't imagine that you would actually enjoy the kiss.

The sweet, electric collision that feels both thrilling and impossibly soft, a moment so charged it’s hard to tell if the heat comes from the kiss or the warmth of the crowded room.

Across the room, Dann stands near the wall, frozen as she watches you kissing Hongjoong. Her grip on her cup tightened, jealousy and anger bubbling in her chest.

She thought Hongjoong felt something for her, but seeing him so happy with you feels like a slap in the face. Her emotions get the better of her, eyes landing on a weird red alcohol bottle sitting on the snack table. Without fully thinking it through, she grabs a cup, fills it, and marches toward you.

You and Hongjoong broke the kiss breathlessly, both with small smiles on your lips.

“Why… Why did you do that?” Hongjoong asks with a shaking breath, still holding your waist afraid of you running away from him.

You smile at him, sincerely for the first time “Just wanted to do it, you didn't like it?” You ask with a fake sad expression.

He immediately shakes his head and takes a little courage, cuts the distance, and gives you a small peck on the lips. This time, you look at him with surprise.

“I like it… a lot.” He mutters without ceasing to look you fixed in the eyes.

Now you are the one that shyly looks away, you cannot handle his intense glare. But you immediately regret looking away when you meet Seonghwa's annoying gaze watching you from a corner of the big place.

“Fuck…” Your smile disappears, and Hongjoong looks at you confused.

“What 's wrong?”

You shake your head, giving zero importance to what happens with Seonghwa. At the end of the day, you are not together.

“Nothing, let's go for another drink, I'm thirsty.” You take his hand, and he nods happily.

He can get used to this, and he keeps repeating in his mind.

You were walking in your own little world that none of you saw Dann approaching. She stops in front of you, her face flushed with anger.

“Having fun?”

You pull a bit away from Hongjoong, turning to face Dann with an amused smile.

“Enjoying the party, Dann?”

She scoffs “Yeah, until I saw you.”

“Aw, is the little puppy jealous?” You say with mock.

People around you stop their movements to pay attention to what's going on between you, even the music gets quieter, and before you can say more, Dann lifts her cup and throws the red liquid onto your dress.

Gasps ripple through the crowd as the bright red liquid stains the expensive white fabric.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” You scream in shock, stepping back in awe.

Hongjoong lets out a surprise sound “Dann, what are you doing?!”

“Joong! She’s just playing with you, and you’re too blind to see it.” Her voice is full of hurt and tears filling her eyes.

You laugh unfunny, this bitch really wants to provoke you “Big words coming from the girl whose mom cleans my fucking mansion.”

The crowd falls silent, the weight of your comment hanging in the air. Dann’s face pales, her confidence crumbling as whispers begin spreading through the room.

“Does her mom work for YN’s family? Ha! What humiliation.”

“Poor girl... literally.”

A bunch of laughs fill the place, and you smile gracefully at her. While Hongjoong can only look at her with pity, the hurtful comments also cause discomfort in him.

He also comes from a humble family and knows how hard it is to hear this kind of mockery, but... Why doesn't he defend her as she did for him several times?

“How dare she do this to YN, when thanks to her she eats?”

All those comments finally brought tears to Dann's cheeks and Hongjoong panics.

“YN…” Hongjoong is completely speechless. He doesn't know what to say.

“You're the most horrible and disgusting person I’ve ever met.” Her low tone is full of anger.

You scoff while casually fixing your hair. “You're not the first to say that, honey.” Suddenly, your bitter smile disappears. “Let's see what you do when I get home.”

For a moment you could see the terror in her eyes, she knows that she fucked up big and only now she realized it. Dann pushes past you and runs out of the room, leaving a stunned Hongjoong.

“Fucking meager.” You mutter, looking at your ruined dress, It was a special collector's dress, you'll never be able to get it again.

Hongjoong, coming out of his amazement, takes off his jacket and puts it on your shoulders. You smile at him in gratitude, leaning softly against him.

“Thank you, Joongie.” He blushes hard at the new nickname.

“No problem.” Hongjoong hesitates before speaking “I… I didn’t expect her to act like that.”

“She’s probably just jealous. You’re here with me, not with her. And she hates that.” You shrug with a grin.

Hongjoong feels a pang of guilt but pushes it aside. Your attention feels too good to let slip through his fingers. You brush your fingers lightly against his arm, drawing his gaze back to you

“Forget about her, and don’t let something as silly as her show ruin our night.”

Your words are smooth and intoxicating, and Hongjoong can feel the pull of your confidence. He nods, his posture straightening as he tries to focus on the moment.

“You’re right. She shouldn’t have done that.” He nods, trying to convince himself.

“Okay, I think it's time to go home, I need to change.” You grab his hand, and without waiting for his response, you lead him outside to the garage.

The noise of the party fades into a softer hum when you enter your car and start driving to Hoongjoon’s house.

Again, there was silence, but this time, it wasn't because Hongjoong was nervous. It was because you had other things on your mind, jaw tightened as you thought about what to do with Dann when you got home.

That little brat had ruined your expensive dress, and there was no way you're going to let it slide.

“Are you okay?” Hongjoong’s voice broke through your thoughts, soft and tentative.

You glance at him, his wide eyes fill with concern, and despite yourself, you smile.

“Of course,” Your voice is lighter “I’m okay because I’m with you.”

Hongjoong’s heart races at your words, his chest tightening with a mix of disbelief and joy. This was everything he’d ever wanted; to have you look at him like he mattered, to feel like he was finally part of your world.

When you pull up in front of his house, you shut off the engine and turn to him, your eyes softer now. You reach up and adjust the collar of his shirt, your fingers lingering just a moment too long, your touch warm against his skin.

“I really meant it,” You say with a quieter voice now, almost shy “I liked your company today.”

His breath caught at your words. ‘She’d liked being with me?’ Not just tolerating him, not just using him like a project….. She'd liked him?

“Really?” His voice barely above a whisper “I’m just… trying to keep up with you.”

You smirk, your confidence returning as you lean back slightly “You don’t have to,” Your tone playful but laced with sincerity “You’re already here with me. That’s all that matters.”

For a moment, the world seemed to pause. The tension in the car was electric, and Hongjoong’s pulse thunder in his ears as you lean closer, your gaze flicking to his lips.

He didn’t have time to overthink it before your lips were on his again, soft and slow at first, testing, but then with more confidence as if staking your claim.

He froze for a split second, his inexperience betraying him, but the warmth of the kiss pulls him in, coaxing him to respond. His right hand moves hesitantly to your waist, mirroring what he did earlier, his touch awkward but sincere.

You smile against his lips, your confidence growing as you deepen the kiss, your hand sliding up to tangle in his hair. You shift slightly in the seat so you can sit on his lap, each of your legs pressing against the sides of his hip, your dress lifting up a little, and your body pressing closer to his.

Hongjoong gasps softly at the contact, your movements are deliberate yet playful, your clothed sex brushing against him as if testing his reaction.

Hongjoong’s head spins, his senses overwhelmed by the feel of you. He can't help the small, awkward motion of his hips in response, a reflex he barely registers but that you immediately notice.

You chuckle softly against his lips, pulling back just enough to catch his flush expression.

“Relax, Joongie. You’re doing fine.”

As you lean in again, your body presses more firmly against his, your hips shifting just slightly, enough to send sparks through him.

Hongjoong’s inexperience is written all over his stiff, tentative movements, but you find it endearing in a way you hadn’t expected. You guide him with a slow, deliberate rhythm, your hands steadying his in your waist as you let him follow your lead.

Hongjoong’s breath hitch as the friction built between you, his body reacting instinctively even as his mind raced to keep up.

You let out a soft moan when you finally feel his erection. At that sound, his nerves melt into a heady mix of excitement and desire.

With more confidence, he lowers his hands to your ass, squeezing and making your movements more precise, every soft sound you made fueling his confidence just a little more.

“You’re doing fine…” You whisper against his lips.

At your compliment, Hongjoong dares to lower his head and kiss your neck, you gasp, resting your palms against his chest, feeling the subtle rise and fall of his breaths beneath your touch.

Hongjoong’s movements are more tentative but earnest, his fingers curling lightly at your asscheeks before sliding upward, unsure yet longing to explore. His lips brushes softly against the curve of your neck, testing, hesitant but impossibly sweet.

Your eyes flutter shut at the warmth of his mouth, your pulse quickening as he grows bolder with each kiss he places along your skin. He was so inexperienced, so utterly unpracticed, and yet that is what makes this moment almost intoxicating.

Every awkward touch, every slight tremble in his hands, was a reminder that you are his first.

A soft whine escaped your lips, unbidden, and you caught the way Hongjoong stills at the sound, his breath hitching as if he couldn’t believe he’d elicited it.

Encouraged, he presses his lips to your neck again, this time lingering, his confidence growing as your body leaned into him.

You smirk faintly, a breathy laugh escaping you while you stop the movement of your hips

“Getting too horny, huh?” You tease him.

Hongjoong lifts his head, his face red, and his wide eyes searching for an answer in your eyes as to why you have stopped your movements.

You tilt your head slightly, locking your gaze with his, and the sight nearly undid him. Your expression, half-lidded eyes, cheeks faintly pink, lips parted in something between a smirk and a sigh, was burned into his mind forever.

“I… I just want to make you feel good.”

He stammers, his voice cracking slightly as his fingers brush the fabric of your dress where it bunches at your waist.

Your smirk softens, and your fingers lift to cup his jaw “You did fine,” Your eyes glint with that teasing spark that always kept him guessing.

Your hands slid down to rest on his shoulders. For a moment, the world outside the car doesn't exist, there is only Hongjoong’s trembling hands, your steady smirk, and the way your body fits against his as if daring him to take another step closer to the edge.

You pull back slightly, your lips curve in a satisfied smile as you study hongjoong’s flushed face, his lips parted in wonder.

“Better than I expected, actually.”

Hongjoong let out a shaky laugh, his hands still resting on your waist as if afraid to let go.

“Thanks,” He whispers.

“Goodnight, Hongjoong.” You say finally leaning in one last time, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek before pulling back to your seat with a smirk. “We'll continue this some other day.”

You didn't intend to let it go that far. You hadn't planned for your heartbeat to speed up every time Hongjoong's hands brushed against your body or your lips met his again and again.

But it happened, and you don't regret doing it.

Hongjoong, still with heavy breath and a big bulge in his pants, gets out of the car, and with that, you start the car again with a grin, leaving Hongjoong staring after you, breathless and wondering if he’d just imagined the whole thing.

✮ ⋆

After dropping Hongjoong off at his house, you feel on top of the world as you drive back home, a smug smile playing on your lips.

The lingering heat of his touch on your skin and the way he’d clumsily but earnestly responded to you every move left you with an unshakable sense of power. For the first time in a while, you felt something real… like you weren't just toying with someone for the fun of it but unlocking a new kind of control you hadn’t realized you wanted.

But as you shift gears and the streetlights blur past, your mood suddenly darkens, the memory of the incident with Dann slamming into you like a freight train. Your jaw tightens, and your grip on the steering wheel hardens as you fume over the ruined dress and the sheer audacity of Dann throwing a drink on you.

The satisfaction from moments ago is replaced by simmering anger, your thoughts now consumed by how you will deal with Dann once you get home.

You walk through the big door, stepping into the foyer, your heels clicking against the marble floor as you notice your parents sitting in the big living room. Your mother is sitting there reading a magazine, while your father sits at her side with a glass of whiskey in hand.

The sound of your heels clicking sharply on the floor makes your parents look up, your mother frowns at the sight of your ruined dress.

“What happened to you, sweetie?” She raises an eyebrow confused, scanning you up and down, looking at the men’s jacket over your shoulders.

You immediately start your show “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, mommy.” You pout while passing your hands over the dry stain.

“Seems like Wooyoung’s party got out of control.” Your father says with a funny smile, knowing what the boy's personality is like.

You roll your eyes “Daddy, this time it wasn't because of Woo. Was someone you may know pretty well.” They both look at you curiously “Was the maid's daughter.”

“Sweetie, we have many maids. Who—”

“Excuse me, ma'am. Here I bring what you asked for.” Dann’s mother interrupts your mother, entering the room with a tray in hands.

“Oh, thank you.” She smiles at the woman, and you roll your eyes at her kindness.

“What were you saying, darling?” Your father asks you before taking a sip of his drink.

Taking advantage of Dann’s mother being here, you make a gesture with your hand.

“Her daughter.”

Your father frowns, your mom looks at you in surprise, and Mrs. Seo stands motionless when she sees you in detail, noticing the red stain all over your white dress. The same pretty dress she saw you in hours ago.

She curses mentally. She knows her daughter's temperament and believes her to be very capable of doing something like that, but she also knows rich people, and she knows how they can manipulate situations just because they have power over their workers. It's not the first time she's experienced something like this.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Still stunned, your mother asks carefully.

“You heard what I said.” You are already frustrated. “Her daughter had the audacity to throw her drink all over my dress at Wooyoung’s party.”

Your father’s face hardens, finding your accusation a little suspicious “Why would her daughter be at a party held at the Jung’s house? I don't think her daughter is Wooyoung's friend... or is it?”

The woman moves uncomfortably in her place, that last comment leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

You smile as you cross your arms "Of course she isn't, but someone invited her."

Your mother frowns "Dear, Mrs. Seo's daughter is two years younger than you, and if I remember correctly, Wooyoung only invites his social circle to his parties." She murmurs the latter with sorrow, without wanting to make the woman more uncomfortable.

"Which is extensive… Whatever it is, someone invited her. I saw her and greeted her, then when I was enjoying the party with my friends out of nowhere she approached me and did this, she must apologize!” You exclaim, pointing to your damaged dress.

Your father, even suspicious, sighs "Can you call your daughter, please."

"Honey…" Your mother tries to stop him.

"Only then we can solve this." He murmurs to his wife and she sighs in agreement.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Mrs. Seo."

She denies with a slight smile "Don't worry ma'am, I'll call her right away."

And without further ado she leaves to look for Dann.

"YN, if this is one of your plans to harm these women, please don't." Your father looks at you harshly, already knowing your tricks.

"Honey, don't assume that about our daughter." You see how your mother gives him a light tap on the arm and he shakes his head.

"She's done it before, so I can't trust her word without hearing the other version of the problem."

You scoff rolling your eyes while your mother gives you a compassionate look, knowing that her husband can be very harsh with his words.

Meanwhile, Dann was lying on her small bed, reading the first book she saw. She wanted to distract her mind from what had happened tonight, she knew that she shouldn't get carried away by her feelings for Hongjoong and go to that silly party, she must have expected the worst and not have gone.

"Dann, are you awake?" Her mother's voice makes her let out a tired sigh, the truth is that she didn't feel like talking to anyone.

“What's up, Mom?”

The woman opens the door and pokes her head out "Mr. and Mrs. Clarke and his daughter want to talk to you." At the mention of that, she opens her eyes worried, shit... it was obvious that you were going to do a scene "Dann..."

"I know, I'll explain it to you later."

Guiltily runs through her body when she sees how her mother closes her eyes disappointed, but she doesn't say anything. Putting her book aside, she stands up and with a loud sigh walks beside her mother. When she gets to the living room she almost wants to run when she sees your parents staring at her, but when she sees you standing in the middle of the place with your arms crossed, she feels rage again at the sight of Hongjoong's jacket on your shoulders, however she decides to bite her tongue.

“Hello…” Your mother starts.

“Dann.” She says bowing her head.

Both adults don't know how to start the conversation without it being uncomfortable.

“I'm sorry to bother you, but have you attended Jung Wooyoung's party tonight?” Your mother asks carefully.

Dann swallows nervously and nods, "That's right, ma'am."

"My daughter here mentioned that during Wooyoung's party you threw your drink on her dress... Is that true?" This time your father asks, crossing his arms.

Dann looks at her mother frightened before answering “I... I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to." She lowers her head in shame and you scoff.

“You should apologize to me, not—”

“Miss YN, she is apologizing… don't be mad at her, please.” Dann’s mother interrupts you, and you look at her furiously.

Your mother closes her eyes with pity. She knows how much you hate it when people interrupt you when you speak. Your father simply lets you be, surrenders and takes his drink again while watching your movements.

“Your daughter humiliated me tonight. She thought it was funny to throw a drink all over my dress, and you know what? This dress costs more than your fucking year’s salary!” Dann’s mother looks startled, and the tension in the room is suffocating as your voice drips with disdain “She owes me an apology.”

The woman takes a step forward, her hands trembling slightly as she clasps them together.

“Miss YN, I understand you’re upset, but please—”

“No.” You interrupt sharply, pointing a manicured finger at Dann “She needs to learn that her actions have consequences. Apologize, Dann. Now.”

Dann’s face is pale, her eyes darting to her mother for support, but she knows there’s no escape. Swallowing her pride, she mumbles.

“I’m sorry…”

You arch an eyebrow with a little grin forming in your lips “I didn’t hear you.”

Dann looks up, her voice trembling but louder “I’m sorry, miss YN. I shouldn’t have done that.”

You smirk triumphantly, satisfied with her humiliation, but your mother clears her throat, cutting through the tense silence.

“That’s enough, sweetie. The apology has been made.”

You pout, clearly annoyed. “Mommy, she ruined my night. A simple ‘sorry’ isn’t enough. I think she should pay for the dress.”

“Honey, that’s inappropriate.” Your mother scolds, her tone firm but still sweet.

You scoff, now looking at your dad “It’s only fair, isn’t it? You taught me that actions have consequences, right?”

“YN, stop!” Your mother begins to lose her patience.

Your father raises his hand to silence your mother’s objections, his tone calm but firm “Actually, darling, Our daughter has a point.” He swirls his glass of whiskey in his hand, leaning back in his seat “Actions have consequences. If we let this slide, it sends the wrong message.”

Your mother looks at him surprised, “You can’t be serious.”

You grin, triumphant, as you glance at Dann and her mother “See, Daddy understands. It’s only fair that she takes responsibility. She can pay for the dress.”

Dann’s mother steps forward, her face pale and her hands trembling “Sir, please… I.. I can’t afford to pay for that dress. It’s impossible—”

“Well, Mrs. Seo, if money’s an issue, I have another idea.” You cut her off with a fake sympathetic smile. You turn your gaze to Dann, your eyes gleaming with amusement “She can work for me.”

“What?” Dann’s voice is soft, incredulous, but the anger in her eyes is unmistakable.

The room falls silent, all eyes on you. Even your father looks intrigued. “What do you mean, work for you, darling?”

You clap your hands, turning to look at your father with a sweet smile. “Well, since I’m the one who has to deal with this mess, it’s only fair she makes it up to me directly.” Now you turn to see Dann keeping a smile, but this time it's a mischievous smile that makes Dann swallow the lump forming in her throat. “I could use an assistant to carry my things, run errands, clean my room, do my homework… whatever I need until the dress is paid off.”

“YN, this is ridiculous!” Your mother exclaims, appalled. “She’s already dealing with enough as it is.”

You shrug nonchalantly “Then maybe she should’ve thought of that before throwing a drink on me. I’m being generous here, offering her a way to make amends.”

Your father nods slowly, taking another sip of his drink “It’s a reasonable solution. It teaches her responsibility and lets her make things right. I’ll allow it.”

Your mother looks at him in disbelief “This isn’t teaching responsibility; it’s exploitation! She’s just nineteen, for goodness’ sake.”

“Then she should start acting like an adult.” You say coolly, crossing your arms “It’s either this or she pays the full cost of the dress. And we all know she can’t afford that.” The mockery tone in your voice doesn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Dann’s mother looks horrified. “Miss YN, please, there’s no way we could afford—”

“I will do it.”

Dann says determinedly, maintaining eye contact with you. She is not going to let you humiliate her anymore in front of her mother and your parents.

Mrs. Seo looks at her daughter, her expression a mix of worry and defeat. “Dann…”

“It’s fine, Mom,” Dann says quickly, her voice small. “I’ll do it.”

“Perfect! You start Monday at school, see you there.”

Dann looks down at the floor, her shoulders slumping in resignation. Her mother’s lips press into a thin line, but she says nothing. Your father takes another sip of his whiskey, clearly satisfied with the outcome, while your mother looks away, her face clouded with disapproval.

“Thank you for understanding.” You say sweetly, looking directly at Mrs. Seo. “This will be good for Dann, she will learn a lot with me.”

“It’s already decided.” Your father sets his glass down firmly on the table “She works for YN until the debt is paid off.”

Dann swallows hard, glaring at you as you smirk “Fine.” She says through gritted teeth.

As you turn to leave the room, a victorious smile playing on your lips, you can’t help but feel a thrill of satisfaction. Dann may have tried to ruin your night, but now she’s under your control, and you fully intend to make her regret ever crossing you.

“Ah, I almost forgot.” You turn your head towards Dann’s mother “You should remind your daughter who helped her get into that fancy school. It’s the least she can do for the hand my parents have extended.”

The tension in the room thickens as you throw that last barb at Mrs. Seo. Her face flushes with humiliation, but she doesn’t say anything, only nodding stiffly. Dann’s fists clench at her sides, but she remains silent, her jaw tight.

Your mother finally rises from her seat, her face etched with disapproval “That’s enough, YN. You’ve made your point.”

You flash her an innocent smile, but the mischievous glint in your eyes doesn’t fade.

“Of course, Mommy. I was only reminding them how generous we’ve been. It’s important to show gratitude.”

Dann can't keep his mouth shut anymore, she won't let you humiliate her mother like that.

“Gratitude?” Dann’s voice cuts through the tension, low but steady. Her eyes meet yours, blazing with defiance “I don’t owe you anything, YN. Whatever your parents did for me was their decision, not mine.”

Your smirk falters, just for a moment, but you quickly recover, tilting your head condescendingly.

“Oh, Dann… You really don’t get it, do you? Everything you have now, the school you go to, the opportunities you’re given. It’s all because of us. Without my parents, you wouldn’t even be in the same room as me.”

“YN, that’s enough!” Your mother snaps, her tone sharp. She turns to Dann and her mother, her expression softening “Mrs. Seo, Dann, I’m so sorry for all of this. You can leave now.”

Mrs. Seo nods again, her lips pressed into a thin line “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. We appreciate everything.” Her voice wavers, but she keeps her composure “Come, Dann. Let’s go.”

As they turn to leave, Dann pauses, her gaze lingering on you. There’s anger in her eyes, but also something else, determination. She doesn’t say a word, but you can tell she’s not going to make this easy for you.

Once they’re gone, your mother rounds on your father, her voice tight with frustration.

“How can you condone this? It’s cruel.”

“It’s a lesson.” He replies evenly, taking another sip of his drink “And maybe it will teach YN some responsibility too. How to manage someone under her command when she takes her position in the company.”

You roll your eyes, already bored of the conversation “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

Your mother shakes her head, exasperated, and sits back down, rubbing her temples. Your father gives you a small nod of approval, and you take it as your cue to leave.

As you ascend the stairs, you can’t help but feel a surge of excitement. The night might have started with Dann embarrassing you, but now the tables have turned. She’s in your hands now, and you plan to use every second of it to your advantage.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Dann walks into the bustling school courtyard, keeping her head low, trying to avoid attention. She spots you sitting on a bench with your group of friends and Hongjoong, all laughing and chatting. The sight of Hongjoong sitting next to you and his hand on yours, sends a pang through her, a reminder of the kiss she witnessed at the party.

Just as Dann thinks she might escape unnoticed, your lips curl into a slow smile and your sharp voice cuts through the noise.

Time to remind her who is in charge.

“Dann! Over here!” You call her out with a sweetness that hides your malice. Dann hesitates for a moment before walking over, her expression tight.

You watch her approach with amusement. You got her on a leash now, and everyone will know it “Good morning, Dann. I hope you’re ready for your first day as my assistant.”

Dann doesn’t answer right away, but everyone can see the anger simmering beneath her surface.

Good. That makes it more fun.

“What do you need, YN?” She snorts, already with a headache.

Feigning innocence you tilt your head “What do I need? Where is my matcha latte… did you bring it for me?”

Dann looks at you, confused “You never said you wanted one.”

“Oh, I must have assumed you’d know. After all, a good pet knows what it has to do without even asking.” You shrug, leaning your head on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

He stiffs, not because of your closeness, he loves that you are this close to him, but that dirty nickname by which you just called his friend makes him feel a pressure in his chest.

Pet... the nickname that tormented him for more than two years.

The tension in the air thickens as your friends start to giggle. They know the game you’re playing.

“What’s this about, babygirl? Since when does she run errands for you? You didn't inform us about adding little Dann to the nerdy slaves.” Mindy says with a big smile as she sees Dann up and down, making her feel smaller than she already feels.

Dann swallows hard, her face heats up with embarrassment and guilt. She feels small standing there, like she’s the one on trial.

Hongjoong looks at you with concern, and then looks at Dann looking for answers in his downcast gaze. He doesn't want Dann to be a part of this, he doesn't want her to go through everything he went through at some point.

“Wait, what 's going on here?” He asks you softly.

You smirk, enjoying his confusion “She’s just here to make up for the mess she made at Wooyoung’s party. Right, Dann?”

Dann’s eyes flash with anger, but she says nothing, knowing that if she reacts, it will only make things worse. Dann’s voice trembles, trying to stay calm she answers.

“I didn’t mean to—”

You interrupt her by raising your hand “It 's fine. But you still owe me, and I’m not going to let it slide. So, are you going to get my latte or not?” Dann stands there, still in shock.

“Hurry up.” You toss your designer backpack at Dann “And take this to class for me. It’s heavy, so don’t break anything. I know you don't want to have a bigger debt.”

Dann stares at the bag in her hands, feeling humiliated but doing her best to stay composed. Your friends are watching her like a hawk, clearly enjoying the show.

“What happened at Wooyo’s party anyway? We didn’t get the full story.” Mindy asks slyly and you sigh with false sadness.

“We saw you two talking, but me and the guys were too busy partying to notice.” Other of your friends say with a grin, clearly enjoying Dann’s humiliation.

“Our dear Dann here had a little… accident. Spilled her drink all over my dress.”

Mindy giggles narrowing her eyes at Dann “No way! The new one? The… what was it? Chanel?”

“The very one.” You nod solemnly “So, as compensation, she’s working for me until the dress is paid off. Isn’t that fair?”

“Totally fair. I mean, who does that? So trashy.”

“I said I was sorry.” Dann mutters giving them a hard look.

“And now you’re showing it by helping me. Speaking of which…” You turn to Dann, voice dripping with sweet venom “Grab me a matcha latte before my first class starts.”

Hongjoong glances over, discomfort on his face. He doesn’t like the way you’re speaking to Dann, but he’s too caught up in your popularity to argue.

He’s come this far. He promised you he’d do anything, and that’s exactly what he’ll do, that’s why he hesitates before speaking to you, not fully meeting your eyes

“YN… why are you making her do all this? I mean, she apologized, didn’t she?”

You turn to him, your eyes narrowing slightly and pressing your grip on his hand more as a warning to shut up. At this point you’re used to his questions and comments, but you’re also aware that he’s still adjusting to his new position in the social hierarchy you control.

“Babe, she’s lucky I’m letting her work off the damage instead of asking for the money to pay for the dress. Besides, it’s not like she’s doing anything special. She’s just running errands for me. It’s not that hard.”

One of your friends nods “Exactly. Besides, What were you even doing there, Dann? You’re not exactly on the guest list for those kinds of events.”

“Probably hoping to get a glance at Hongjoong. You know, since she’s so obsessed with him.” Mindy laughs as she folds her arms.

Dann stiffens, her face flushing as she looks at him, who avoids her gaze.

You scoff as you place your and Hongjoong’s clasped hands over your bare thigh, so Dann can see them better “Aw, is that true, Dann? Were you there to see Joongie? That’s cute.”

“I was invited.” She gritted her teeth, seeing somewhere other than you or Hongjoong.

She clearly knows that you're trying to show off that you've got him by your side.

“By who?” Your friend mock surprise.

Dann stays silent, refusing to give them the satisfaction of an answer. You wave your hand dismissively.

“It doesn’t matter. She was out of place, and now she’s making up for it. Right, Dann?”

Hongjoong swallows, his mind conflicted. He knows this is wrong, but the thought of losing your favor, of being cast aside as easily as he had been before, makes him hesitate.

“YN…. This seems a little harsh.” His voice is almost a whisper but you heard it.

Your eyes flash with something dangerous. You move closer to him, placing your free hand on his arm, the perfect picture of sweetness masking your control.

“Are you defending your little puppy?” You ask in a sweet tone, but your subtle anger is noticeable “Hongjoong, I’m doing this for her own good. She needs to learn a lesson. Besides, she’s lucky I’m not asking for the full price of the dress. What would she do then, huh? She should be thanking me, not questioning me.”

He stays quiet in the face of your harsh tone, so to calm him down you decide to move your hand from his chest to his low abdomen, only his belt avoiding you go lower. Hongjoong stiffs, his eyes widening both in surprise and embarrassment.

“Babe, I know you’re just concerned for your friend, but I’ve got everything under control. Right, Dann?” You turn to look at her, the malicious glint in your eyes resurfacing.

Dann doesn’t answer. She’s too humiliated to say anything. You already reached her breaking point touching Hongjoong in that intimate way.

“Good. Now, don’t forget to get that latte for me. Oh! Also get one for Joongie and my girls.”

Dann nods stiffly and turns, the weight of your expensive bag dragging her down as she walks away.

As she leaves, Hongjoong watches her go, a knot in his stomach. The doubt is there, a gnawing discomfort settling in his chest.

He looks at you, your back to your radiant, confident self, and then glances toward Dann’s retreating figure.

For a brief moment, he wonders if this is what he really wanted. But then you lean closer, your perfume intoxicating, and your pretty smile pushes the thought away, falling back into the role he begged you for.

He tells himself that everything will be fine, that he’s doing the right thing by standing next to you. But deep down, something tells him this might not be the kind of life he truly wanted.

You watch him from the corner of your eye, knowing that you have him right where you want him.

You got him, and you're not going to let him slip away.

Not now, not ever.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

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All rights reserved ♡bunny-hwa. Do not copy or translate my work.

☆○☆○☆

[black-cat-aoife]

@cricrithingstagged me

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

Will you stay with me forever? Alex greift nach Nikos Schulter.

Save The Last Dance For Me „Au!“ Niko ist ihm gerade zum x-ten Mal auf den Fuß getreten.

For Me And You „Komm nochmal mit rein“, Alex grinst als sie vor seiner Tür stehen.

You Smile Upon Your Friend To-Day Anders als bei den bisherigen Fahrten schweigt Niko auf der Fahrt zum Hotel.

Look Not in My Eyes for Fear They Mirror True the Sight I See Alex schaut sehr ernst und hat gerade zum fünften Mal seine Kaffeetasse gehoben, um davon höchstens einen Milliliter zu trinken und sie dann wieder abzusetzen.

Und Es Brennt Die Ganze Nacht Ein Licht Kennengelernt haben sie sich auf einem Kongress.

Lord It's Bad To Be Alone It was already growing dark, but he still recognised the figure that was was walking towards him from afar.

2 Stunden Bis Wien Neben ihm stöhnte Niko erschöpft. (Technically a ficlet collection, die ich jetzt einfach mal als eine Fic zähle)

Never To Be Told Saying Morse was hard to read, was an understatement.

Es Wird Wieder Ein Sommer Davor ist sie nur zwei Mal im Krankenhaus gewesen.

Äh ja. Also abgesehen davon, dass Fandom-mäßig ein gewisses Muster vorhanden ist ... kurze Sätze? Damit sich alle in Sicherheit wiegen, bevor ich mit den Cicero-Memorial-Monstern anfange?

[kpopandmusicpassion]

Halazia

Kingdom of Halazia take over the nearby human run Kingdoms who abuse hybrids

Human girl named Cora inherited a huge home with a fortune and basically runs a hybrid rescue center in her home helping hybrids get away from aholes

When the Kings of Halazia invade their small town the hybrids that live with Cora protect her from being subjected to the same harsh treatment as their abusive ex-owners

Cora's Rescues

Mark Lee

Jay B

BamBam

Shotaro

Yuta

Lucas

YangYang

Ten

Jeongin

Hyunjin

Lee Know

Vernon

S.Coups

Woozi

Hoshi

Jaehyun

Taeyong

Sehun

Baekhyun

Chanyeol

Riki/Ni-ki

Jeno

Renjun

Jaemin

Taemin

Kai

Lay

Tao

Jungwoo

Namjoon

Jungkook

Leedo

Jisoo

Jennie

Rose

Lisa

Jessi

Jackson Wang

B.M

Changkyun

Hyunwoo

Wonho

Eric Nam

Jimin

Yoshi

Haruto

Sungchan

Jay

Jake

Soobin

Taehyun

Hybrids of Halazia

Amber Lui

Asahi

AleXa

Arthur

Bang Chan/Chris

Beomgyu

Bang Yedam

B.I

Bobby

Baekgyeul

Changbin

Chen

Choi In

Cha Eunwoo

Choi Hyunsuk

Chan

Chenle

D.O

Doyoung

Daniel Kang

Dino

DK

Donghun

Dann

Doyoung

Eden

(the)8

Felix

Giselle

G-Dragon

Han

Hyungwon

Hoseok

Hendry

Haechan

Hongjoong

Hwangwoong

Huta

Hwon

Heeseung

HyunA

Irine

Ivan

Intak

Junkyu

Jihoon

Jun

Jeonghan

Jiwoo

Jahan

Jun

Joshua

Jinyoung

Jungwon

J.Seph

Jin

Joy

Jongho

Johnny

Jisung

Jooheon

Kun

Kai Kamal Huening

Kim Byeongkwan

Keoho

Kris

Kihyun

Key

Karina

Louis

Lu Han

Mingu

MJ

Mujin

Mashiho

Mingi

Moonbin

Minhyuk

Mark Tuan

Minho

NingNing

Onew

Park Jeongwoo

Peinal

Ravn

Romin

Rano

Suga

Seungyeop

Sunghoon

So Junghwan

Seungkwan

Soul

Sunoo

Seoho

Somin

Suho

Seungmin

San

Seunghwa

Seulgi

Taeil

T.O.P

Taeyang

V

Winter

Woojin

Wendy

Wooyoung

Wow

Wonjun

Won Hyuk

Wonwoo

Xiaojun

Xuimin

Yugyeom

Youngjae

Yunho

Yeosang

Yeonjun

Yejun

Soobin, Jessi, Mark, B.M, Sehun, Kai, Tao, Lisa, Jennie, Jeongin, Leedo, BamBam, Jay B, Vernon, Lee Know, Jungkook, Namjoon, and Yuta burst through the door startling Cora. They looked shaken.

    "What is it?" Cora asked worriedly. They ushered her upstairs in a rush.

   "Halazia attacked and are basically making humans their pets. Halazia is giving those assholes a taste of their own medicine. You don't need to be caught up in that when you've helped so many of us and tried helping many more." Namjoon said.

    Suddenly the door slammed open. "Smells like human and hybrid. This human must have quite the collection of pets."

     "Wonder how the bastard is going to like being one of our pets." Another laughed maniacally.

"Shit!" Yuta cursed.

"Those are the Kings of Halazia themselves!" Soobin told the human.

~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~

The Kings better known as ATEEZ scoured the floor level.

  Yunho surprisingly found the adoption papers with a permission slip for everyone of the hybrids there to be able to work as well as their own bank accounts and everything. "Hey guys! Come here!"

   As soon as they walked into the little office they saw several pictures of multiple hybrids smiling happily with a gorgeous human girl. Wooyoung and Seongwha weren't about to fall for this human's trick. In fact Wooyoung and Seongwha went upstairs to find her.

   "We will protect you, Cora." A voice said.

   "You saved us when you didn't have to. Most of us would be dead if not for you." A second voice said.

  "You are our saving grace. Our family. You protect us provide us with a home and freedom and we will always protect you." Said a third.

   "I love you guys so much! You're the best family a girl could have!" A female voice replied.

The two hybrids smirked before storming into the room. Luckily for them the girl was just in front of them so Wooyoung grabbed her wrist harshly taking her down with them.

"Get back here assholes!" All the hybrids screamed after them before following.

  "Here she is, Captain." Wooyoung said pushing her into the dragon hybrid.

    "What's a human doing all the way out here anyway? Shouldn't you be in the town with the other humans?" The dragon asked as he held her in front of him.

    "Why would she? She's the only good human in this rotten town.She saw how our previous owners treated us and she had a fortune as well as this house from her deceased father." Jay B said as they all made their way towards them.

"She was a sympathizer. Here in this little fucked up place that's as good as being a hybrid.The only reason they don't bother us is not only because we live out here but her family is very well respected." Lisa said as Vernon snatched her back. Cora was slightly shaken and nuzzled into the Rottweiler's chest. That caused the Kings to let out dangerous growls.

  They growled back fiercely ready to protect their girl at any cost. San pushed a hidden button on his ear ring which led to a large group coming in and surrounding them as Mingi stalked up to Vernon and yanking Cora into his chest.

    "What's going to happen to them? They won't be punished for trying to protect me will they?" She looked up at Mingi with scared eyes terrified for her family.

"They'll be fine but you're coming with us." Mingi led her outside and to the car pulling her into his lap. She stiffened not daring to move. He rubbed circles into her hips as she slowly relaxed in his hold. She soon fell asleep.

~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~

   "She is very concerned about those hybrids. She didn't ask what was going to happen to her but wanted to make sure they weren't in trouble for protecting her." Mingi reported after leaving her in her new room with the door locked.

  San decided he liked the girl and she smelled amazing so he went into her room relocking the door before cuddling with her. About an hour later Seongwha and Wooyoung stormed angrily into her room waking both San and Cora as Seongwha yanked her to him roughly as Wooyoung gently but forcefully grabbed San. Cora tried pulling away from the harsh grip causing Seongwha to tighten his grip more. She whimpered from the harshness of his hold on her wrist.

  "Stop hurting her! She was literally just sleeping! If we hurt her for no reason how are we better than the humans we overtake?" San demands.

    "What's going on here?" Yeosang and Yunho walked in the room. Yunho saw the grip Seongwha had on the girl and her pained face. "What happened?"

  "I came to her room to cuddle and took a nap with her. We were asleep until these two barged in yanking us out of bed. Seongwha is hurting her she tried getting her hand out of his painful grip but of course he seems to think that means he needs to tighten his grip instead of loosen it." San said glaring at Seongwha as he spoke.

  "Let her go." Yunho orders.

   "Come over here, sweetness. Yeosang ordered when Seongwha finally released her. She timidly walked up to him as soon as she was within reach he pulled her to his chest running his fingers through her hair and pushing her face into the crook of his neck. She calmed instantly. After seeing her with the Rottweiler he realized she had hybrid behavior so she wasn't like those other humans. He also did his research about what that Persian cat hybrid had said about her family. He had gone to give Hongjoong and Mingi the news when he ran into Yunho and they heard the commotion.

   He wrapped his arms around her and went to the Captain's office with her to hand them the files.

   "Oh she's up." Hongjoong said surprised.

   "Yeah awoken harshly and with a bruised wrist curtesy of Seongwha. San was in there napping and cuddling with her when him and Wooyoung barged in. Yunho and I caught them. I was on my way here to give you guys this. The Persian wasn't lying." Yeosang replied.

  "JaeBeom isn't one to lie. I was a sympathizer which was the worst offense in the town. I had to buy them so those horrible people couldn't hurt them anymore. You saw the paper work for the guys I'm guessing. That was the only way they could be free. I'm not their owner I'm their sister." She said glancing at the hybrids.

  Hongjoong gave her a small smile which she shyly returned.

  "Cute." Mingi and Yeosang whispered. Yeosang pushed her towards Hongjoong watching her with a reassuring look. When she stood next to his desk he pulled her into his lap much to her surprise.

    "Lucas and the others mentioned you guys were going to make humans your pets and give them a taste of their own medicine. Does that mean they will get their old owners as their pets?" She asked. The boys laughed at how excited she sounded at the thought.

"Would you like to see what that would do to them, Cora?" Mingi asked.

  "I would love to see what they'd do. I'm sure whatever they would do is long overdue for those horrible people." She had a look of disgust on her face.

They laughed.

"Why don't we go get your little family so you can see them get their pets, hm?" Mingi asked.

  "Can we?" She asked excitedly.

   "Of course. It'll just be us and San going though. Mingi, go get him and meet us in the car would you?" Hongjoong asked leading Cora and Yeosang out. He took them to the car and gave her to Yeosang who happily pulled her onto his lap. She blushed causing the hybrids to chuckle fondly as the last two hybrids entered the car.

***Later***

They pulled up and as soon as they got out she was tackled by many hybrids.

“Can’t breathe! You guys weigh as much as an elephant! Get off fatasses!”She chokes in an exaggerated fashion. “Puh-lease. Knock it off bitch.” Jessi laughed. They got up helping a pouty Cora up.

“What are you guys doing here?” Yuta asked.

“Our cute little human wanted to see you guys get your pets. She’s very excited about it honestly. “ San said grinning at her.

“Don’t treat her like the others. She has enough shit she’s had to go through because of her family and other people. If there was ever a human alive who knew just how cruel humans can be it’s her. Just because we were the only ones she had doesn’t mean she didn’t try to save the others too.” Lucas told them.

“Wooyoung and Seongwha are the only ones going out of their way to hurt her. They most likely think she’s putting on some sort of an act and they refuse to fall for it.” Mingi sighed.

They watched as Cora joked around with her family and even managed to make Hongjoong smile and Yeosang laugh. Soon enough they picked their old owners as their pets. Cora looked on with an evil glint in her eyes.

“Let’s hope they show you more mercy than you have them. Honestly, I’m praying that you face the same shit they did. I’d do worst if I was them.” She spat bitterly.

They whisked her back to the limo where she was cuddling in Hongjoong’s lap.

Meanwhile….

Wooyoung went through her stuff at the house. He found a picture of them when they were younger. This was his noona. His Dove. He had to apologize. He grabbed the photos and stuffed them in his backpack. When he got home and saw they were there he ran to the living room.

“Dove-noona.” He whispered. “Youngie?” She turned around only to be engulfed in a hug by a sobbing Wooyoung.

“I’m so sorry, noona. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. I missed you so much. After seeing him beat you I thought he’d killed you. I’ve held such a hatred for humanity ever since.” He said. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I never forgot you. After you disappeared I knew I had to do something for the hybrids in town and they became my family.”She just snuggled into Wooyoung’s arms so happy to have home back.

“She’s the girl you always talked about? How do you know?” Seongwha asked. He pulled out the pictures.

“You were trying to find something criminal about me weren’t you, Youngie? You and Seongwha have been thinking I was acting this whole time right? That’s why you’ve been so hostile. You wanted me to be a villain.”

“I’m sorry, Dove. But I’m so glad I did. Otherwise I never would’ve known it was you.”

“I’m also sorry for hurting you. I know now that you really are as sincere as you seem. It’s a pleasure to meet Woo’s Dove.” He smiled.

“And we didn’t take you to be our pet either. We took you cause you are ours.” Mingi said. “Color me confused. What do you mean?” She asked.

“You’re our mate.” San responds taking her from Wooyoung and pulling her into his chest nuzzling into her neck. “But, you’re all mates and Wooyoung and Seongwha hated me? That makes no sense.”

“They wanted you too. They just didn’t want to want you which was why they wanted you to be acting like you were a good person. When your Rottweiler friend took you back we all growled. We didn’t want anyone else touching you.” Yunho said. “Well that was not a response I was expecting. But, they are my family. We made our own pack. My dad died when I was 16 and I’ve been with them since. So I already act more like a hybrid half the time.” She explained. Jongho and Yeosang took her to their room and cuddled getting to know each other.

“So you guys like to sing too.”

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

To hell with the New York Times's top 25 commercial/luxurious travel experiences. You can have your own. Here's some of mine, and reflecting on them makes me feel quite replete and not in need of any gourmet well-beaten trails. I hope you have yours.

--travel the pilgrimage trail of St. Jacques de Compostelle from Paris to the Spanish border as a teenage art historian, with the great Mme Francoise Weinman interpreting, 1978. 

 --bathe in a bathtub on a hillside on Western Shoshone land above matriarchs and federal challengers Mary and Carry Dann's ranch in eastern Nevada while listening to Lucinda Williams for the first time (music courtesy of Lauri Di, who then gave me the homemade cassette), 1991. 

--raft trip on assignment for Sierra Magazine, 1995, in a roadless wilderness the size of Portugal in NE British Columbia, where the whole community of wildlife was living its many lives largely undisturbed.

--Dance all night in the streets of Paris, Fete de la Musique, circa 1998, be serenaded by Timothy O'Toole's brother with Marianne Faithful's "Ballad of Lucy Jordan" in parting. (Research for Wanderlust was the official reason to be there.)

--Seattle Nov. 30-Dec. 1, when the protest in the streets galvanized the poor countries to resist the World Trade Organization's bullying on behalf of the rich corporations and countries and the fate of the world took a left turn. "When hope and history rhyme." Thank you David Solnit, who had a lot to do with it. 

--Hike with Lucy Lippard to the remote valley whose entrance is framed by two great natural stone slabs on each of which a life-sized cornstalk petroglyph appears; take Barry Lopez to see the life-size bear petroglyph nearby and the giant zig-zag snake petroglyphs, get drenched in a monsoon rain together, New Mexico circa 1999-2001 or so

--Multiple times participating in the Good Friday pilgrimage to Chimayo, NM, circa 1998-2010, witnessing the landscape, the devotion and dedication, the generosity, and the low-rider Cadillac of the stations of the cross. 

--find the exact places Eadweard Muybridge, Carleton Watkins, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston stood to make their iconic pictures of Yosemite with Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe (in what became our book Yosemite in Time), and camp out in the supremely serene jeffrey pine forest south of Mono Lake while working on the project, 2001-4

--repeat visits to New Orleans to first understand the terrible things of Hurricane Katrina and then fall in love with the wonderful culture and dance in various second lines, etc., 2006 onward....

--Zapatista Women's Encuentro, late Dec.-January 1, Chiapas, Mexico, with Marina Sitrin and Sam Sitrin

--Iceland, summer of 2008 (partly melancholy, but studded with epiphanies): "I traveled a little, and on the south coast of Iceland had one magnificent midsummer day that began with a long walk on a path edged with tiny flowers past the largest glacier in Europe, went on to a bay in which the glacier was calving icebergs that were vivid blue in a blue inlet of the sea, and then traversed a long strand of wet sand that reflected the white clouds and blue sky so that heaven and earth were indistinguishable, and the clouds overhead seemed to be almost close enough to touch and those near the horizon seemed to be very near infinity. It was as close to a vision of paradise as I’ve been granted with my eyes open. After that I saw another bay full of hundreds of swans and a steep valley through which dozens of thin waterfalls trickled and poured from the heights. That day ended at a robin’s nest Klara showed me in the low willows in the quiet light at midnight, five small mottled eggs like turquoise stones." 

--first visit to David Rumsey's map collection, San Francisco, with David's visionary insight into cartography....-

-two weeks aboard a Swedish vessel circumambulating Svalbard in the high Arctic, 2011

--Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, raft trip, summer solstice, 2014 (also working as a journalist), but also thank you Michael Brune and Dan Ritzman https://www.theguardian.com/.../alaska-wildlife-sanctuary...

--Mt Burdell in green winter splendor, over so many years...

--wake up at Standing Rock to see thousand of joyful people celebrating their determination and solidarity on the great green prairie, 2016 (I went there to report for the Guardian, all too briefly)

--Traveling with Dolpo Tulku rimpoche through Dolpo, the Tibetan plateau/Buddhist land in which he is the spiritual leader, fall 2017, with Roshi Joan Halifax and various others, and doing another version of that route in 2015 that repeats Peter Matthiesson's in The Snow Leopard, including being welcomed into Shey Gompo, and seeing people engaged in daily life on almost medieval terms: plowing with yaks, threshing and reaping and winnowing by hand, traveling on foot or by beast, weaving on wooden looms, tending livestock, crossing high passes up to 17,600' high, spending a month on foot (and occasionally horse)....

--the enchanting walk from the Baldock train station to the cottage Orwell lived in 1936-1940s, through wheat fields full of flints formed undersea and rural rights of way, crossing the ancient Icknield Way (returning to where I first met those roses he planted, if they're his, on Nov. 2, 2017), 2019, walking it again this summer with Rob Macfarlane, 2022

--So many mornings of glorious light at Ocean Beach, because like all of you I also live in the destination.

--camping with my great-nieces who make everything new and exciting again. p.s. Just a reminder: I have had adventures, but my everyday life is staying home quietly turning words around and trying to make meaning with them.

[Rebecca Solnit ]

[ithinkilikeit-reactions]

Kingdom “You kiss them when you want something”

Kingdom Masterlist                                    Group Masterlist 

Ask:  Kingdom’s reaction to you kissing them when You want something

Dann/Seungbo:

It wasn’t often that you and Seungbo went out. You tended to be homebodies, staying at home for dates rather than going out. Today however, you were wandering around the bookstore and flipping through anything that peaked your interest. It wasn’t until you accumulated a small stack of books that you walked back to Seungbo, who was browsing through the language section. 

“Hey.” He said, wrapping an arm around you while still looking at the books. You tucked yourself under his chin, holding your books tightly. “Hey.” You said softly, moving to kiss his neck sweetly. Seungbo instantly stiffened up, his hold on you tightening up a little bit. “What are you doing?” He asked, stifling a laugh at how awkward he felt. Your kisses moved to his jaw before pecking his lips quickly. “What do you mean?” You asked, pulling your best doe eyes as you looked at and it almost worked...

“Yah! You’re being sweet so I’ll buy your books! ...Give them here, I guess I’ll be a good boyfriend and contribute to your collection.” 

Arthur/Yunho: 

Yunho had exactly 2 weaknesses: video games and you. It wasn’t rare that you and him would be playing video games until the early morning and it definitely wasn’t rare that if you asked for one more round, he was more than likey to comply. You knew if you asked, he would have a hard time saying no. But that was too easy, there was no fun in that. 

“We should really get to bed.” Yunho said softly, placing the controller down and looking at you. You nodded slightly, moving over the floor to place yourself in his lap. This was enough to get him to freeze, now when you kissed his lips softly and smiled at him, that was enough to get him to melt into your touch. He leaned back, placing his hands on the floor and laughing a little bit. You didn’t even have to ask, he just knew and it worked which was even more frustrating.  

“So one more round?” 

Mujin/Sungho: 

Sungho had fallen victim to your sweet kisses before. Having been lost in the moment many times and before he knew it he was buying your coffee. He had sworn to himself that your pretty eyes and pretty lips wouldn’t have that effect on him again and he truly meant it. 

That was until you were standing in front of him, batting your pretty eyelashes and holding his waist gently while in line for coffee. “No.” He said sternly and you backed away with a raised brow. “I didn’t even ask anything.” You laughed, holding his waist again and he shook his head. “I know but I feel it coming. Everytime you give me that look.” He said and you hugged him a little tighter. You pecked his lips repeatedly while he tried to stifle a laugh, only to let out a small cry of frustration. 

“Ahh you’re just so stinkin’ cute. Fine, your coffee’s on me.” 

Louis/Dongsik: 

The little keychain had been staring at you since the second you entered the store. It was small and cute and only 3 dollars, it wasn’t pushing it to ask Dongsik to get it for you. So you simply made your way over to him in a seperate aisle and pressed yourself into his back.

“Hi sweetheart.” He said, patting your hands on his tummy. You took this as open invitation to move around to his front, smiling at him sweetly before kissing his lips. Humming in approval, he pulled you in for another kiss and paused to look at you. Tucking your hair behind your ears, he was being so sweet you didn’t even have the chance to ask him for the keychain ‘till he dropped his smile.

“I appreciate the sweet kisses but no. Whatever you’re being sweet for, no.” 

Ivan/Yoosung: 

Yoosung was the sweetest boy you had ever met, truly. So in reality, you probably could have just asked him to hand you the teddy bear. You really didn’t need to butter him up at all. Watching him blush was just fun and watching him get nervous was even better. 

You curled into his side, looking at his cute face for a moment before kissing the side of his jaw gently. Yoosung instantly tensed up, ears turning pink at your sudden affection especially since you were just watching a movie. He turned to look at you, making your lips brush his in the process and causing you both to giggle. “Can I help you?” He asked and you started laughing, pointing to the teddy bear on his side of the bed. “Can you hand me that?” You smiled, watching his eyes widen in disbelief.

“I would’ve just given it to you!” 

Jahan/Jihun: 

Affection wasn’t something Jihun was entirely fond of. It wasn’t that it made him uncomfortable but it made feel awkward, he wasn’t used to it at all. He really tried though, when you were out and about on dates and today was one of those days. It was good weather, the sun was out and you were craving ice cream. 

Your fingers linked with his as you walked past the ice cream shop and that was enough to make him swallow thickly. Escalating the situation, you stopped and hugged him, making him freeze completely. “What are you doing?” Jihun asked, reluctantly holding your waist. You kissed his lips quickly and gestured to the ice cream shop. “I would love some ice cream.” You told him and watched as his expression turned into a smile. You had managed to fluster him and he was speechless. 

“What flavor do you want?” 

Chiwoo/Seungjun: 

You were aware of how clever he was. He was quick witted and so incredibly smart, you knew there was no deceiving him. So you had to resort to other means to get the bite of food you wanted. Granted, he would probably figure it out either way. But that didn’t matter. 

He had ordered something for dinner different to what you did and admittedly, his looked better. You had become progressively more clingy through out the evening, your arms wrapping around him and lips by his ear. You were about to kiss his cheek as he took another bite of his food only for him to shake you off. “No.” he said and you slumped back into your seat. “I didn’t ask anything, or do anything.”  You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. He putting his food back down and turned to you. 

“You were going to though, Using affection to get my food, shame on you.” 

[ivarsshieldmaiden]

Hi everybody!

This is going to be my first fic. I just started because I felt so bored at work. I don't know where its going. But maybe you like it and I start writing..

Just ignore my English, it got so bad over the last years :( just message me any mistakes!

_

Modern! Ivar x reader

Am I ready for real love?

_

You are in your mid-twenties, everyone around you has a girlfriend or a boyfriend.. expect you. This thing called love just sucks. You don't know why relationships existed. You had fun living on your own and doing what you want with whom you want.

Until now.. it just hit you. You where about to go to a festival in danmark with all of your coupled up friends. It felt strange somehow..having no-one on your side. Sitting alone on the bus, booking a single room..

Where did this feeling come from ?

"Is everything okay, y/n?" asked your friend Nina. " yeah sure. I just..I don't know, Nina. Its just you all got boyfriends and talk about your future lifes, about marrying and having children. Its just I think I don't fit in anymore."

"No,no,no - just because you've got no boyfriend doesn't mean you don't fit in anymore. Your one of my best friends. You know you can talk to me anytime. Maybe we should get you a hot dane at the festival. They're always good looking"

"Yeah maybe" you were so sad, it wasn't how you used to be. You just couldn't figure out why. Maybe you should try and look out for some real relationship.

"Come on y/n. Just unpack your things. We will meet at 3pm to get in the bus to the festival."

You were unpacking your things. Alone. Alone in your room. So much time for overthinking.

You got into the bus and everyone was cheering and already singing. With the alcohol your good mood came back and you joined them along.

The set up of the festival was incredible it looked so much better than you imagined. Colourful and a lot of little details that matched so good. The weather has already changed from rainy and foggy to sunny and so did your mood. You didn't want to destroy your festival-holiday by thinking about a potential boyfriend.

"Take that shot, drink it" said one of your friends. You all were pretty drunk already. You kept having fun and dancing.

"I need to pee, guys." you said. "Wait here for me,please." You don't know if this was a good idea. Would you ever find your friends again. But you were to drunk to care.

After returning from the toilet your friends were gone. "Fuck" you thought "what am I about to do know?"

Apparently you looked pretty confused because a stranger came up to you.

"Hej, whats up? Can I help you, you look pretty lost."

"Oh I, i dont know. I think I've lost my friends and I was thinking about what to do." You mumbled, a little shy because you already got lost in his ocean, oh so clearly, blue eyes.

"Um, maybe I could help you..if you want. I'm Ivar by the way." he said.

What?? What is going on? Think straight y/n. You're not going anywhere with a guy who just came up to you. But his eyes oh gosh and his shoulders and hands.

"Yeah that would be nice, I'm y/n" you said, a little bit comfier then before.

What did Nina say. Danes are always good looking. Oh she was so dann right with that.

You started walking around the whole festival-field. You tried to call your friends. But no sign. Nothing.

"Where are you from? You are not from danmark are you?" Ivar suddenly asked.

From all your daydreaming and searching you were a little bit shocked. "No, I'm not from danmark. But we are neighbours actually. I'm from Germany." you said.

You were so shy. It was his aura you thought. He made you shy. He was so handsome and his eyes. His eyes you were already drowning in them.

You were talking a bit about yourself and Ivar about himself. You were really getting along and felt some comfort.

Suddenly your phone was ringing. It was Nina.

"Hi y/n we are so sorry but Dua Lipa was playing and we had to go. But I see. You found some company. Is it a new fuckboy for your collection?"

"Wow Nina just shut up. He just helped me searching and he isn't a fuckboy. Go and leave me be." you jelled. Maybe a little too loud, because Ivar was raising a eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, but she gets on my nerves with this. I just want a fucking relationship." You already regretted what you said.. ivar was still a complete stranger, but it felt good to let it out.

"No its alright. I understand. Its hard when you've always been the one who got no real relationship and now has to hang around with these married couples and their kids. I know what you mean." Ivar said and pointed at a quieter and more private place under a tree.

You followed him. Maybe this was a start of something. Did you feel a connection ? Even if you two haven't talked that much? Maybe it was. Don't overthink it, you thought. Don't.

[lighthousedann]

"A Danny, Darkly - Ramblings of a Damaged Mind"

My latest book: “A Danny, Darkly – Ramblings Of A Damaged Mind”A collection of short stories, opinions, ramblings and poetry from the mind of a wanderer who has seen and experienced many different “Walks” in his lifetime.Available worldwide on Amazon and Kindle via:https://a.co/d/6unM1GV

[sergeant-donny-donowitz]

Take Your Breath Away (WickixFem!Reader)

Requested by @mbluxaeterna​

@war-obsessed​ @owba-chan​ @inglourious-imagines​

Let me know if you wanna be tagged in these! :)

****Some of the dialogue is in German, the translations are in italics <3

It was Hugo's first mission (adventure, misadventure...everyone had a different take on it) with the basterds.

Those basterds... They had a bit of an inglourious run in with another OSS sanctioned squadron behind enemy lines, without even realizing it. The basterds, and the vandals.... The vandals were a motley crew of ex-cons, thieves, and hitmen, slapped together with a bow and a second chance by the OSS, and put behind enemy lines. None of the Vandals were expected to survive, but their skills were highly prized. You... Well. you were a young Vandal. A thief, through and through. Your lieutenant, a charming hit-man (nice man, really) talked his way into a nazi gala. It wasn't the first, or the last time.  You posed as a singer. One of the other vandals was a pianist.  The rest of your team weasled in, as always. At the intermission of your ‘performance,’ the pianist took over and you slipped away. You were tasked with finding a vault containing documents that exposed a few of the nazis' upcoming operatives. It wasn't an easy job. In fact...you probably wouldn't make it out alive. Especially since the Basterds weren't the most tact group of soldiers... They didn't even have orders to interfere with the gala. They just heard about it on the streets of Paris and decided to crash the party...

So, there you were, alone in a hidden room, nestled between two ancient mahogany walls, carved out of a former Spanish galleon,  behind the party.

You hummed and sang intermittent words between low swings of your voice. It was a song you once used to justify your unlawfulness. With four younger siblings to feed, the Great Depression, and being born a woman in  a world with closed doors, you didn't have many options.

So you sang softly as you cracked the millionth code. "They used to tell me, I was building a dream. And so I followed the mob... When there was earth to plow, Or guns to bear, I was always there. Right on the job."

You mumbled a few words of the lyrics that stuck with you since you were a kid without a penny or care in the world, in line for bread for your sick brother.

There you stood, thousands of miles across the seas, in France, in a dress that poor kid never could have even dreamed of.

A safe with untold secrets, more valuable than gold...

You heard the last click from the lock, and you grinned as you started pulling out the yellow folders stamped with red ink: eingestuft

Classified

You heard one more click.

It was unnacounted for.

It was neither from the abandoned lock or your heels.

It was from a loaded gun. A bullet intended for your skull. 

You sighed, not even looking up. A nazi's red face wasn’t what you wanted to see at the end of your admittedly short life.

You continued to pull out the files, intending on dying doing something that actually brought your family some honor, and cleared the name a little.

You felt the cold barel of a gun against the back of your head.

You muttered with a resignant sigh, "Ich werde nicht aufgeben, also töte mich."

‘I won't surrender, so kill me.’

You expected the near-empty vault to be the last thing you saw. You thought it would all go dark in a moment, which you didn't mind so much. Dying for the OSS was redemption. A part of you hoped for a bright white light to come after it all.. Instead...You kept looking at the dark vault. You raised your eyebrow, and looked over in confusion, annoyance, and impatience. Wicki noted your German. True you had an accent he couldn't quite pin, but it was German. And you were in the nazi's gala... The math wasn't so hard. He pushed his gun coarsely against your head, as he muttered "Mach einen Schritt. Ein verdammter Schritt, und ich nehme dir das Leben." ‘Take one step. One fucking step, and I'll take your life.’

You smiled a little and nodded to yourself. You looked back at him. Something told you he wasn't a nazi. Despite his German, his uniform, and his gun... Perhaps it was the soul in his eyes. The way he tried to read you. Maybe it was just...sheer hope. Hope that maybe the most beautiful man you'd seen in your life, the most velvety voice you'd ever heard, didn't belong to a nazi. Still... You had some methods. Some rather unethical methods, but methods nonetheless. A seasoned criminal like you had her ways. You pulled him down to you, and murmured, "Dann werde ich dir den Atem rauben." ‘Then I'll take your breath away.’ You distracted him with a kiss, in which he was so confused, so lost, so...in love... The moment he saw you, he hoped you weren't a nazi. The odds were unlikely, To him, it looked like a rather eager cadet trying to save state secrets. All of it was wrong, but easily confused with the truth. And while he pondered, wondered, and hoped amid the brief, but effectively distracting kiss, you stole not only his breath, but his gun. You sat back, and held his gun. His eyes went wide... You couldn't help but smirk a  little seeing a light smear of your red lipstick over the side of his mouth. You also couldn't help but smirk a little at his indignant reaction when you tugged at the collar of your dress... The only part of yourself you were exposing was your loyalty to the allies. You showed a patch embroidered into the inside of your dress. It was a golden spearhead, withing a gold oval, over a black background.

The OSS' insignia. As he was still breathelss from you, your 'method', and your truth, you collected the documents, turned back to him, folded his gun into his limp hand, and playfully patted the side of his cheek as you joked, "Better luck next time, corporal." You walked out of the room, back to the ballroom, and acknowldged a third presence in the room. "Guten Abend, Oberfeldwebel."

’Good evening, sergeant.’ Wicki quickly turned around and found Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz standing there.

You had spotted Hugo standing there the instant you turned around. And being so dedicated to the OSS, you'd memorized the face of every single agent stationed in France, including the basterds, just to avoid any friendly fire. Wicki watched you walk out with the files, then looked back at Hugo, the newest basterd. "Wie lange stehst du schon da?"

‘How long have you been standing there?’ Hugo just smirked in response. Wicki furrowed his brows, "Die ganze Zeit?!?" ‘The whole time?!?’ Hugo nodded slightly, still smirking, "Ja." "Warum hast du mir nicht geholfen?!" ‘Why didn't you help me?!’ "Du sahst aus, als hättest du eine gute Zeit." Hugo shrugged a little, as he turned back to the main room, hearing Aldo's muffled voice through the walls, "You looked like you were having a good time." Wicki grunted and rolled his eyes as he walked with Hugo back to the party. You were standing in the middle of the room. Vandals and Basterds had guns on each other, and on the nazis. You had the files up in the air. Aldo called out to the hit-man, the vandal's leader. "That girl one o' yours, or theirs?" Your leader, a former bootlegger and hit-man for the Chicago mob nodded. Being a former mobster, he had a thing for loyalty, and protecting everyone under his wing. "Kid's ours." Two guns that had been aimed at you by young privates you’d come to know as Smitty and Hirschberg were swung around and aimed at nazis instead. You stepped forward and gave your lieutenant the files to be sent back to OSS headquarters. "TEN-HUT." The hit-man called his eight men and women to stand at attention. You all immediately lined up. Your mission was complete. The Basterds' was only beginning. "Move out." As your team left the basterds to do whatever they wished to the nazis, you looked back at one basterd one last time.

You winked, and turned as you marched out with your fellow ex-cons, current legends, and future unsung heroes. Wicki's heart skipped a beat... He heard Hugo snickering...somehow he'd seen that too. He turned to look at him, but something to Wicki that Hugo's lips were sealed. Not necesarily because he cared much about his corporal's friendhsip or his secrets, but because he was simply Hugo Stiglitz. Months passed, and the basterds had a rare night off. They left a tavern at about one in the morning. The cobblestone streets were desolate, save for the soft ellow glow of distant street lamps. They were about to step beyond the town’s limit, into the forest, when they heard something. The only sound was soft footsteps coming toward them. Aldo narrowed his eyes, "Stand down, boys..." He called out into the mist, "Halt. Uhh...fermare....Arrêt!" The footsteps ceased. But the shadow of a figure stood still in the mist, illuminated only by a distant lamp in the streets. "Don't shoot. I have a message from the general."  Aldo narrowed his eyes, trying to make out a face, but he couldn't. "No sudden moves. Step closer. You reach for anything, or even think about it, and we'll blow your brains out, got it?" "Got it." An agonizingly slow minute passed and then a face emerged from the fog. "You..." Your eyes found Wicki among the basterds, as you smirked, "Me." Aldo couldn't quite see you clearly. In fact, he only saw you for a brief moment, a few months before, in which you were in make-up, an everning gown, and curled hair. Now, you were like them, a soldier hiding in plain sight. "And who are you?" You stood tall and strong, "A mongrel street rat. I get away with a lot..Have gotten away with a lot in the past. I was once a good thief. Used to be...Have been, lately. My name is Private Y/N L/N, I was part of the Vandals." Donny raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "Last we heard, your team got shipped out the Sicily. What're you doin' all the way out here." You held out an envelope, "Everything you need to know is here." Aldo took the letter. It was a mission from the OSS, and a note from the General. "Private L/N will be joining us as a basterd until further notice...general here says your skills are integral in our next mission."

You smirked a little, "Did he now?" The general had been opposed to giving  matters of international security to a rag tag team of delinquents. But when your team proved to be key, he realized perhaps sending one of you to the basterds was necessary for their continued surivival. Aldo sighed, not having anticipated the idea of having another young basterd in his command. "Alright." He looked to Donny who nodded, "Ten-hut." You all stood in a line, and Aldo said, "When I call your name, you step, or stagger forward." He called each basterds' name except for yours, and called out their ranks, and where in the army they were before they came to the basterds. He looked at his men, "This kid might be an ex-con singin’ jailbird, but she's a goddamn basterd. You treat her as one, or I'll be seein' you, ya hear?" The boys grumbled. Some having heard rumors about the vandals, and you. Aldo sighed, "I was a bootlegger, Hugo was a murderer technically. Give this kid a chance." Aldo looked down at the letter again, then back at you, "Says here you speak German pretty good for a yank..." You nodded, "My parents left Munich just before I was born, sir. Twenty-four years later, I'm back, lookin' right at what they ran from... " Wicki was looking at you, awe behind his eyes, barely breathing, his heart nearly beating through his chest. Hugo leaned in and muttered, "Get it together, Austria."

You smiled a little, and followed the basterds to their hideout. You had a long day ahead of you. Your mission the next day was to break into a facility run by the nazis. There, you would retrieve a list of names and identities of nazis that were infiltrating the allies. You were tying up your boots , just before dawn, when you heard Aldo outside saying, "I need one of you to stand by Y/N. The nazis' gon' know what we're after, and I don't want that kid to be in the line of fire without any cover." Wicki didn't even hesitate, surprising himself, "I'll do it."

Aldo nodded, without a second thought about it. He had so much else running through his mind. The rest of the boys had caught on to Hugo's teasing smirks, and your comments to Wicki. Donny slung his back against his shoulder, reached over, and patted Wicki on the back, "Hey, the old man's still got it." Wicki smiled a little, then realized it wouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be easy to love someone during war. Knowing you were always in danger, always eyed through a nazi's scope, it wouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be easy to get his breath back... You pulled your pack over your shoulders, and stepped out, running into Wicki. You smiled a little and remarked, "Come here to get your heart back, huh?" He stepped back, and cleared his throat. It definitely wouldn't be easy. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Aldo...Aldo says I gotta keep an eye on you out there, kid."

You smiled a little, looking down at your sleeves as you rolled them up, "Oh...Aldo says, huh?" Wicki nodded, affirming his white lie, "Yeah. Orders are orders...So, don't get us killed." You playfully punched his arm and promised with a soft intonation, "Ich werde nicht." 

‘I won't.’

Wicki, for the first time in years, fell for a girl...

There had been a few through the years...but not like you. Not in a decade or so...

Since he left Austria, no girl had ever managed to make him fall as hard as you had.

It wasn't an easy fall...

And that night, he guarded you with his life.

Maybe too much.

You weren't exactly the helpless type. You weren't sure what the boys had heard about you, but either way, you weren't  quite in the damsel in distress category. And you didn't really appreciate being treated as such.

Especially when it put other basterds in danger.

You turned around, clinging onto the files. You could hear an endless storm of gunfire outside, the basterds clearing a path for your escape.

Meanwhile, Wicki was in danger.

"WIL!!!"  You knocked WIcki down onto the ground, as you held the files in your left arm, and a gun out with your right, shooting down a line of nazis.

He looked up at you, his eyes soft as his voice "What did you call me?"

You cleared your throat as you climbed off him, and pulled him to his feet, "N-nothing, corporal....Nothing."

He looked at you, the files, and the nazis you had just gunned down for him.

He kissed you...

You could keep his heart,  because this time, he stole yours, and your breath. You were even, now...

You looked up at Wick. This time, you breathless, speechless, but full of love, courage, and life.

For once in your life, you weren't sure if you could steal something back.

But, this time...just this once, looking up at Wicki’s smug grin, and loving eyes, you were ok with that.

[iwbfinterviews]

Jake Brown Interview

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Is there a particular reason you chose to write about music, singers, etc?

I didn’t actually, lol.  I’m a songwriter/producer first, I grew up playing and writing music but always wrote as a way to kind of get through school because I was terrible at math, sciences, tests, etc.  I think there’s alot of people in the music business who started out like that.  It kind of happened accidentally, I was working for a record label right out of college and started writing copy for their catalog titles, press releases, etc and it just expanded from there.   I met a literary agent through that who suggested I try to write a book, and we sold the Suge Knight memoir to Amber Books, who gave me my start.  Another big early foot in the door moment was when I had the opportunity to write books with Ann and Nancy Wilson & Heart in 2007 and in 2009 with Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead.  Then the book nearly 10 years into my career that really kind of made me appreciate this career was the opportunity to work with legendary guitar player Joe Satriani on Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir.  I’d also started specializing in anthology-style books that feature LOTS of exclusive interviews in one book in chapter profiles so you could tell a bunch of people’s live stories at once, including the BEHIND THE BOARDS series, which began 10 years ago as a Rock & Roll producers’ series, the aforementioned In the Studio series with Heart, Motorhead, and others, and then finally about 10 years into living in Nashville I began working on the NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series and most recently the BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE book.  SO: the long answer to that question is, because I love telling the behind-the-scenes stories of both the hits and those who make them, be it songwriters or producers or drummers in the case of the BEYOND THE BEATS rock drummers series, or Hip Hop producers with the DOCTORS OF RHYTHM audiobook and upcoming physical version in 2021.  I’ve also been fortunate to write memoirs with some interesting characters like Kenny Aronoff, country rapper Big Smo and upcoming Freddy Powers The Spree of ’83 book which features Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.  So it's been an interesting run.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I work on several at once usually, that’s kind of my process, half day on one, a day on another, but for BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, I spent 4 straight months day in and out writing this book exclusively as it was over 600 pages.  I was reading the audiobook for Blackstone as I was writing it too, which was the first time I’ve ever done that.  Usually the audiobook is read after the book is completed.  Then it’s about a month of editing before its handed into the publisher.  So this was a real push, but it was worth it because of the feedback I’m getting first from the producers I worked quite extensively in many cases with on their individual chapters, and collectively in the book being a first of its kind for country music fans where they can read about how their favorite hits by country’s biggest stars were made while listening along on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, etc.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Oh, I don’t know... I write every book thinking from the outset before I’ve even started putting words down to paper thinking about how that book will be marketed and promoted upon release.  There’s no point in writing something no one is going to read because when you get to the finish line you don’t have a gameplan on how to make readers aware of it.  Publishers, to be honest, can only do so much in that arena, every publisher’s publicist is usually like a social worker with 30 cases on their desk, so yours can only get so much attention.  So for instance, I always recommend to a writer to hire a great publicist and know that while that’s a considerable expense, it may be the best money you spend in getting the word out about your book because that publicist is working for YOU, not for 30 authors at once.  It's just a fact of the business that I think should get more light shed on it because you’re competing with that number I  mentioned above of 60,000+ books a YEAR coming out.  I also negotiate the right to press my own promo runs of 100 if needed because if not, you’ll wind up with a paltry 10 copies from the publisher, who for their own budgetary reasons, might not for instance be able to service all the physical review copies you’ll have to give away during the book’s promotion, whether to a disc jockey interviewing you on the air or the listener he or she is giving away a free copy to during that broadcast, as just one example.  If you don’t plan ahead for that, you’ll wind up paying that publisher $6 or $7 per promotional copy, which is something I’m SURE some of my own publishers would hate for me to pull the curtain back on, but its true.  Writers are paid LAST usually in the royalty chain, especially early on, but you move up in that order as you build a value into your name as a writer, which only comes with people hearing about you and your book.  So again, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST!  Your agent can be helpful too, but its typically up to you as an author to maintain your own social media presence and look for every available avenue to spread the word about your book so it has a chance to be read.  This is equally important for newer or more established writers, because there’s always a new generation of equally-as-talented new wordsmiths knocking on those publishers’ same doors... 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

In a studio making music or writing books for the various publishers I work for, or recording audiobooks for Blackstone Audio, so it’s pretty time-consuming.  I did just sign a worldwide music publishing deal for my songwriting catalog with Streets Music and David Gresham Company.  So I’m lucky to stay busy, to be honest, you have to too make a living in the entertainment business.  I have a wife and a dog too, so I spend what time I have left with them. ☺ 

Your 50th book is coming out June 23rd, “Behind The Boards: Nashville”. Can you give us insight on what it will be about? 

First, I exhale deeply every time I get asked that because it's finally DONE!  I spent 2 years collecting extensive, first-hand – many for the first time in a book – interviews with 30 of country music’s biggest producers, and in some cases, that meant waiting for a break in their busy studio schedules to talk, in others it meant multiple conversations over a couple years as we wanted to make sure we had all their current hits as they kept banging them out, and in other cases, because of the sheer volume of their catalog – some of these guys have been in the business since the early 70s – it took that long to chronicle it all.  That’s just the interview process too, then I had to write it and I write everything in one shot vs. a chapter here and there.  Its to me like staying in character as an actor throughout an entire performance, and when you’re writing a book like this, you’re in a headspace that never lets you sleep because creative narrative is CONSTANTLY hitting you about specific hits, and there’s over 300 # 1s in this book.  Additionally, there’s an EXHAUSTIVE amount of research I do to source out certain critical quotes of praise, for instance, from way back in the 80s, 90s, early 00s, etc from magazines that aren’t even in print anymore, as well as supporting quotes from the actual superstars these producers work with in the studio, which also takes a great deal of time.  So after all of that prep, once you begin writing, there’s another 3-4 months before the manuscript comes to life as a finished product.

As a result of that, country music fans here are given arguably the MOST definitive to date book chronicling the stories behind the making of their favorite hits in the studio, again how those artists specifically and uniquely work at their craft – i.e. does George Strait sing each hit over 3 or 4 vocals or 25 or 30 takes, etc – as well as how specific # 1s within those individual catalogs of Greatest Hits were created in the studio.  Then from the other side of the boards, so to speak, you get the producer’s first-hand recollections of their own personal journeys from the time they could first crawl and walk and started discovering music to their teenage bands and first tape-recorder or 2-inch reel to reel or 4-track or laptop home recording sessions all the way up through their rise to become the biggest names in the business working in country music today.  

Collectively, BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE features Dann Huff, James Stroud, Jim Ed Norman, Dave Cobb, Justin Neibank, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Chris Destefano, Jesse Frasure, Norbert Putnam, Josh Osborne, Luke Laird, Clint Black, Frank Liddell, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins, Josh Leo, Nathan Chapman, Paul Worley, Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens, Bobby Braddock, Michael Knox, Don Cook, Frank Rogers, Joey Moi, Ray Baker, and Buddy Cannon, who did the Foreword, which was a TRUE honor.  Frankly, it was an honor to have every one of these legends speak to fans so candidly and openly about both their personal and professional lives in the music business.  Their stories are inspiring, ear-and-eye-opening, exciting, insightful, and hopefully educational for those kids growing up on their records now hoping to break into the same business.  So hopefully, there’s something for everyone who opens the book.

What were the methods you used to get ‘the’ interview with all the big names you’ve written about?

When you’ve been around this long, fortunately you can get in touch with just about anybody, whether they say yes or not to the interview is another story! (laughs)  But I’ve been pretty lucky, especially for instance with my NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series, which has TWO volumes and 50 of the biggest songwriters in country music in the first two volumes, and a THIRD volume with another 30 legendary songwriters coming out at the end of 2021, and especially with BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, which has 30 of the most legendary record producers in country over the past 50 years, guys like Norbert Putnam, who ran Quad and produced Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” Jim Ed Norman, who produced Hank Williams Jr’s Born to Boogie album, Ray Baker, who produced that whole 70s Honkytonk soundtrack including Moe Bandy, Whitey Shafer, and Merle Haggard and Freddy Powers among others.  Then you have the Millennial generation’s biggest names like Joey Moi, Dave Cobb, Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, Ray Riddle, and on and on.  

What do you think makes a good story?

Well, for this book, the most common thread woven throughout many of the chapters/live stories of these producers were the long-term working relationships they’ve  maintained with many of country music’s biggest stars throughout their entire careers or the majority, for instance, Jeff Stevens and Luke Bryan, Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw, Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney, Michael Knox and Tony Brown, Frank Rogers and Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and Frank Liddell, the list goes on and on as long as the Greatest Hits track listings do.  Equally as importantly for a book like this, is the fact it takes the reader quite literally inside the studio and pulls back the curtain on how their favorite country music stars record their biggest hits, and almost literally re-creates their recording from behind the boards by the producers interviewed.  Then on a totally separate front, from the academic side, its a 600-page book full of tips about how the recording process works from all sides, points of views, approaches, ages, and technologies, old and new, from analog to digital and the hybrid of both in the “in the box” generation of record making.  Hopefully, we’ve covered all sides of the process, that was the aim anyway so readers get a 3-D look, so to speak, at how the recording business really works.  

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I sold my first book to my first publisher, Amber Books, in 2001 and Tony Rose gave me my start in the business and I wrote for them almost exclusively for the first 5 years and 10 books of my career from 2002 to 2007.  So having a stable and still exciting publisher willing to take chances on you and equally-as-importantly, the kinds of books you might approach them with, is KEY for any new writer because writers must remember EVERY time a publisher takes a chance on their book, they’re putting real money behind it before they ever see a dime back.  It's a big leap of faith, and carries with it alot of obligations for the author, where it doesn’t just end with handing the book in, but also helping promote it and building a brand for your name so it can become more and more reliable for both readers and new publishers, as any writer’s goal should be to eventually build a catalog where they write for as many publishers as possible throughout their career.  But be prepared to start out writing for one, or anyone for that matter, who you can verify has a good track record as a publisher, or if they’re new to the game, doesn’t just want to put out an e-book, which anyone can do without a publisher, and is willing to commit to a physical pressing, and promotion of that pressing.  I wouldn’t go looking for advances on your first or even necessarily second book out, but start asking for them as soon as possible as its an important piece of the income stream for any working author, as much as royalties are later on down the road.  An advance lets an author know a publisher first can afford to put money into their book, and values them, vs. Alot of these starter deals that promise big back-end but nothing up front.  You have to be able to afford to take that hit once or twice out of the gate, but its not a career model any writer should plan on if they want to make a living as a working author.  The other reason I mention all this is because being a working writer is not just about the creative side of the process, but the entrepreneurial one too, because you have to be a self-promoter, and not be shy to doing interviews or promotion on social media, etc, as you’re competing with a THOUSAND new titles a week minimum these days between all the digital e-books and print books out there. I think the statistic was to be something like 60,000 books published in 2018 alone, so that tells you the competition you’re up against to even get a book sold to a publisher, let alone compete on bookstore shelves for the reader dollar.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Of my own books, I wouldn’t say any are underappreciated, I’m grateful for the fact that people still read my books after 20 years and 2 or 3 generations of teenagers (which are a primary part of my reading audience) still buy my stuff.  I try to give them consistently interesting reading subjects, either in the personalities I co-write with – like country rapper SMO, whose memoir My Life in a Jar: The Book of Smo, was released in 2019, or the Freddy Powers Spree of ’83 memoir, which is presently in film development and that I co-wrote a screenplay for with Catherine Powers last year, that was also something different, and say something like legendary R&B producer/artist Teddy Riley’s forthcoming memoir Remember the Times, which we’ve been working on for the past 6 years off and on and is looking like it might be heading to Teddy’s fans’ hands in the next year.  One key thing I tell new writers when asked for input into starting a career in the current climate for our business is be prepared to commit as much time to a book as the artist needs, its similar to an album – if the publisher wants it on a deadline, be prepare to deliver, but getting an artist to open up in depth about their life takes time, both to build trust and to physically take the time to do the interviews not only with them in principle but also with the huge list of supporting cast members between peers in the band and business and family members and friends, record executives, peers, etc that usually wind up on those lists.  It's a process you should NEVER RUSH yourself, only move at the rhythm of the people you work with and for, and you’ll wind up working alot longer in the business than those who are in a hurry.  

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Haha, I actually have a folder called “Projects That Probably Won’t Happen” and its filled with all kinds of “famous” bands/musicians books that just never got off the ground for one reason or another, but they’re all under contractual deals where I can’t talk about them in case they want to put a book out in the future, and I hope they all do.  Sometimes you encounter someone who is thinking about writing a book but is really 10 years before they’re ready to, or they aren’t really committed yet past the concept, so you do some sample chapter interviews but it never gets past that starting line.  I’ve thankfully left on good terms with the majority of those names, but with 50 published books in my catalog, most of what I have committed my time to has thankfully made it to store shelves.  That’s important for any new writer to remember, because with every new book project you take on, you’re committing a year to two years of their life to that process from the start of interviews through the completion, handing it into the publisher, editing, etc.  Anyone in a rush usually isn’t going to get anywhere is what I’ve found, it takes time, even if your mind is moving a million miles a minute, and your ambition even faster, pace yourself and you’ll last a lot longer in the race I’ve found anyway (cheesy sports metaphor aside ☺).  

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Haha, I’ve had some good and bad experiences there over the years.  I have NO problem with a consumer buying my book and then reviewing it one way or the other on say Amazon or Audible, etc, because that’s part of the business, but as far as book reviews from other writers, I just have to hope they like it and write fairly about it as it does matter impressionistically what readers then think of it as a potential product to buy and read themselves.  Sometimes, in walking the fine line I have to be between the technical and the creative in a series like this or Nashville Songwriter or say my In the Studio series, which has over 10 books in it alone, so you never know.  Its something I don’t pay alot of attention to as well because by the time a review comes out, the book has been out a couple months usually and we’re on the back-end of a promotional push, so if its a good review, it's a nice 4th quarter boost of coverage, and if it's not, then it's pretty buried vs. hurting the book’s launch on the front end.  I’m just being honest, sorry, but book reviews play a very MINIMAL role in most books’ launches if they’re properly promoted via author interviews, premier placements as we’ve done with American Songwriter, CMT, SoundsLikeNashville.com and others coming up, and for any newer writer, accept ahead of time that you’re GOING to get a bad review here or there, it's just part of the subjective review process, and doesn’t speak for your larger reading audience.  

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Not when you write for a living.  It's not a luxury I think any of the writers I know who work professionally writing books can afford, that’s why you have to follow the simple rule of A.B.W. (Always Be Writing) ☺.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Probably doing the same thing, writing is how I make a living, so it's will be with me until arthiritis set’s in, but I’ve got 2 screenplays in development and hope to have at had at least one of them produced into a film.  I’m not unrealistic to think that it will go to theatres, but I’d be happy to see a streaming service selection with my name on it as a screenwriter, there’s 3 or 4 of my books fortunately in that cycle right now so we’ll hope one or two of them make it that far.  Beyond that, I’m in the studio every week as I have been the past 20 years making music and will continue doing that, hopefully to a greater degree with these new publishing deals I’ve signed as I have over 200 released songs in my own catalog, none in Country lol, but I just try to keep putting out new creative product across multiple mediums at as prolific a pace as the muse allows without the quality of the end-product being compromised.  That’s the point at which I’d stop I guess, if the quality of the writing lessens to where people don’t want to read my stuff anymore.  Thankfully, I have built up a pretty loyal reading and retail-buying audience over the past 2 decades, and hope to keep putting out books that help music listeners understand how hard and still rewarding a business the record business is.  It's an amazing world to wake up working in every day, and I love helping musicians tell their stories on paper, so we’ll just have to see.  I hope to have hit 60 books by then, although my ultimate goal is another 50 over the next 10 years! (laughs)  Thanks again for your time and support of this latest project!    

[psqqa]

by the time i stopped to consider why the fuck i was putting this together in the first place, i’d already typed most of it up. idk i guess i just like throwing my joy into the void, where the void can either choose to ignore it or derive some joy from it itself. either is fine.

anyway, i’m never going to have enough of these in any one category to put together a proper FST or anything, nor am i capable of imprinting on a song for reasons that aren’t like “feathers.......hawks”, because really this is all driven by my terrible sense of humour, but what i have collected so far Sparks Joy, so into the void it goes. 

psqqa’s list of songs applicable to bnha in some way, shape, or form

No One Is Alone - Into the Woods - this is a vibe i’ve been getting from the manga for a while but then the my villain academia arc just totally cinched it (while we’re seeing our side/maybe we forgot/they are not alone/no one is alone)

Falling - Haim - this one is a bakugou song for me, which probably says something about me because i’m fairly sure it could almost equally be a midoriya song if you wanted it to be. yes, both could be good, but the brain doesn’t always work that way. (they keep saying/don’t stop/no it’s never enough/i’ll never look back/never give up/and if it gets rough/it’s time to get rough)

Ice and the Storm - My Brightest Diamond - inatodo. i did warn you. (darling we’ve accumulated/too much miscommunication/in the beginning everything is soft/not defensive/perhaps we begin again/shining)

Sacrilege - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - feathers.......hawks. probably dabi/hawks given the options so far, but that’s pretty immaterial tbh (fallen for a guy/fell down from the sky/halo/round his head/feathers in our bed)

Girl - Anouk - listen i’m not going to lie, i’ve never fully been able to figure out what the hell is going on in this song. like, i would say it’s just straight up anouk being in love with the titular “Girl”, but then there’s the “him” in the first verse so who even knows. i’ve settled on polyamory, which makes this my jirou highkey got the feels for yaomomo and lowkey got the feels for kaminari and she needs yaomomo to understand this so they can work on a frankly totally unnecessary because kaminari is already all in baby Wooing Plan (still got my hands/they’re clinging/so i just keep going/i don’t know where i belong/could i belong to you)

Electric Feel - MGMT - electric..........kaminari. i like to think of it in terms of kaminari/jirou/yaomomo. idk maybe he gets bored waiting for them to plan their Wooing Plan and just takes matters into his own terrible pickup line hands. or perhaps it’s just aimed at yaomomo and we can take these two songs jointly to be The Wooing of YaoMomo. which actually now that i’ve typed it out i am quite fond of as an idea. (i said ooh girl/shock me like an electric eel/baby girl/turn me on with your electric feel)

the three song stretch that runs Slow Show-Apartment Story-Start A War - The National - The Soul-Crushing Weight Of Being In Your Early-To-Mid-Twenties!kiribaku. this would be like triply the case if i were reading this manga in 2012 instead of 2019. (i wanna hurry home to you/put on a slow dumb show for you/and crack you up - be still for a second while i/try and try to pin your flowers on/can you carry my drink i have everything else/i can tie my tie all by myself - do you really think you can just/put it in a safe behind a/painting lock it up and leave/walk away now/and you’re gonna start a war)

Fireproof - The National - also kiribaku. look man idk what to tell you. it just be like that sometimes. (you’re fireproof/nothing breaks your heart/you’re fireproof/it’s just the way you are)

The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts - Sufjan Stevens - man of steel, man of heart...............tetsutetsu. pick your tetsutetsu ship of choice. it doesn’t matter. all parties equally applicable because only a steel man can be a lover/if he had hands to tremble all over/we celebrate our sense of each other/we have a lot to give one another

New Shoes - Paolo Nutini - kirishima song!! (hey i put some new shoes on/and suddenly everything’s right/i said hey i put some new shoes on/and everybody’s smiling/it’s so inviting)

Dance Apocalyptic - Janelle Monae - mina song!! what can i say, it’s got mina energy. also i feel like ‘dance apocalyptic’ would a great hero name for mina. (but i really, really want to thank you/for dancing ‘til the end/you found a way to break out/you’re not afraid to break out)

Whoo! Alright – Yeah...Uh Huh - The Rapture - kaminari song!!! do the lyrics even work for him? who knows, i’m just in it for the cowbell. and so is kaminari. (people don’t dance no more/they just stand there like this/they cross their arms and/stare you down and/drink and moan and diss)

Invincible - OK Go - now i could, and i guess sort of do, think of this as a bakugou ship song generally, but to be quite honest, i think it’s probably just the song his brain plays on a loop whenever he does anything (when they finally come to destroy the earth/they’ll have to deal with you first/and now my money says they won’t know about/the thousand fahren/heit hot metal/lights behind your eyes/invincible/oh oh oh/you’re invincible)

Daniel - Bat for Lashes - tododeku - don’t @ me (daniel/when i first saw you/i knew that you had/a flame in your heart/and under wild blue skies/marble movie skies/i found a home in your eyes/we’d never be apart)

Gekommen um zu bleiben - Wir sind Helden - BAKUSQUAD!!!! i mean, also like 1-a generally, but for me it’s really the bakusquad.....also i literally just realized that the band name itself works really well here (wir gehen nicht/aber wenn wir gehen/dann gehen wir in scheiben/entschuldigung ich sagte/wir sind gekommen um zu bleiben)

Don’t Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue - the kacchako song. why? because i was reliving the turn of the millennium. next question. (don’t think that i’m not strong/i’m the one to take you on/don’t underestimate me boy/i’ll make you sorry you were born/you don’t know me/the way you really should/you sure misunderstood/don’t call me baby)

You Will Not Take My Heart Alive - Joanna Newsom - All Might. although i think this entire album is one he would Have Feelings about. and tbh it’s impossible at this point for me to consider any one song off this album entirely on its own. it’s always within the greater context of the album as a whole. (and i won’t come round this way again/where the lonely wind abides/and you will not take my heart alive)

Don’t Wanna Fight - Alabama Shakes - bakudeku. i didn’t actually think any song would ping me as bakudeku at any point, but here we are. (what you like/what i like/why can’t we both be right?/attacking/defending/until there’s nothing left/worth winning)

Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel - hawks/dabi-hawks/endeavour melodramatic clusterfuck. no i’m not taking questions. (DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE/DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO/DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE)

Riot Rhythm - Sleigh Bells - riot........kirishima. but yeah kirishima and bakugou are bros and that’s Good. they might also be more than bros, but that’s up to you i guess. (because my best friend/she's okay/carve you out/all the way/straight A kids/like a treat/she stands up/takes the heat)

In The Shadows - The Rasmus - tokoyami. i feel like i’m virtually incapable of talking about tokoyami without also mentioning this song, but like, you’ve seen the video right? (i've been watching/i've been waiting/in the shadows/for my time)

The Hero - Queen - this one is probably cheating, given that it was written for the actual soundtrack of an actual superhero movie, but it’s not like there’s any rules to this and i’ve never seen the movie......or anything else with flash in it i guess, so whatever. anyway, not so much All Might as like every character in this manga when they were 4yo watching All Might. (he’s for every one of us/stands for every one of us/he’ll save with a mighty hand)

Impossible Soul - Sufjan Stevens - this wasn’t on this list until sometime around 2:30 AM last night when i was lying awake because i didn’t take my nightly melatonin and something something i can’t even vaguely remember the train of thought but it ended in me deciding this was a good bakudeku song. not so much the first part, but like ‘do you want to be afraid’ onward. maybe the eight minutes of “boy we can do much more together” will be enough for bakugou to get the message. (boy we can do much more together/better get it right/get it right/get it right/get it right/boy we can do much more together/it’s not so impossible)

to be updated if further song pinging happens, i guess?

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Cis Swap (3) Masterlist

Links Last Checked: September 1st, 2024

part one, part two, part four

A Little Spark In The Dark (ao3) - dizzy, waveydnp

Summary: dee and fi pull a marie kondo on their sex toy collection

Axiom of Infinity (ao3) - OliveTheHobbit, acciowho

Summary: “We love each other in every reality possible, don’t we?” In which Yazi Howell finally meets her girlfriend, and the love of her life, Fionna Lester.

Feelings (ao3) - Iittlesparkle

Summary: song fic inspired by feelings by hayley kiyoko

Gazing At You (ao3) - det395

Summary: “You’re gonna kill me,” P whispers, watching Dann look devilish and satisfied throwing the lacy black push up bra over her elbow. (A day at the mall.)

Growing Pains (ao3) - palomeheart

Summary: Sometimes Fi thinks about how her life would be different if she had been born a boy.

It Still Gives Me A Head Rush When I Hear Your Name - tobieallison 

Summary: After a night out Dan and Phil indulge in a little something new, as well as each other.

Let Us Conquer The Storms Within Us Love - gravityplant

Summary: Daniella and Fiona invests in a tv to be able to watch movies in HD.

Lost (ao3) - flymetomanchester

Summary: Daisy accidentally loses her son in a shopping center.

Miss Misanthrope (Oh, Russian Doll) (ao3) - EtceterasEverywhere

Summary: Fiona is a demotivated writer that creates too many fantasy worlds for herself; luckily for her, Danna is not imaginary at all.

Also called: "After another attempt of running away Fiona runs into Danna; time passes between brown eyes and little paper knights, and Fiona decides that maybe staying is better than escaping."

Rawr Means I Love You In Dinosaur (ao3) - CanDanAndPhilNot (EnbyBeeGee)

Summary: Dani and Fiona have been best friends since primary school. And everything was just the same in 2009 when they reach high school. Right? At least that's what they both keep trying to tell themselves. Aka 2009, Dan and Phil, gender switch, teenagers, friends to lovers...thing.

Scrubs (ao3) - watergator

Summary: surgical nurse phoebe lester is run off her feet and feeling out of her depth when she starts her new job. but it soon seems she may not be the only one feeling this way when she meets new surgeon, diana howell

So Tired Of Love Songs, Tired Of Love - tobieallison

Summary: Dan is heartbroken after a bad break and has no interest in meeting anyone new. until she meets Phil.

Stay Here Honey, I Don’t Wanna Share - tobieallison 

Summary: strangers to lovers based off of Taylor Swift's delicate

Storm Clouds (ao3) - alphalester

Summary: Pip Lester has feelings for her best friend, Dani.

To Walk A Mile In Her Shoes (ao3) - keeplovinanyway

Summary: Phil wakes up, and something's decidedly not the same. He's a woman, and so is Dan.

try a little tenderness (ao3) - quarterleigh

Summary: "Lillian blows into her life like a gust of forgiving wind on a humid summers day. The moment they meet, Dan feels as if she is exhaling for the first time in months."

Dan meets a beautiful woman at yoga.

Where The World Stops (ao3) - watergator

Summary: Di and Phoebe enjoy a night alone in Jamaica.

[twistednuns]

September 2018

I spent the first week of September in Bali. I got my advanced diver's license and did my navigation dive with David in PadangBai. For the night and wreck dive I went up to Tulamben (and had the driver teach me how to open my chakras and read someone's aura - he even made me connect with my mother who wrote me an e-mail a few hours later asking if something was wrong because she had felt me very strongly) where I ate the very best tempeh satay skewers and fried eggplant at Warung Rusti (with a 90s playlist in the background - "Shalalalala!").

That night dive deserves it's own bullet point: It was the first time for me, I had never been under water at night before. After saying that I met real-life Gary (Spongebob's pet snail) I'll just include the message I wrote to a friend that night: Das war gerade so bombastisch. Mein erster Nachttauchgang, ich wusste überhaupt nicht was mich erwartet, und dann war das gleichzeitig noch ein Wracktauchgang - ich hatte das Wrack vorher noch nicht gesehen. Wow. Du steigst einfach nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit direkt am Strand ins Wasser und tauchst ab. Nach ein paar Minuten taucht plötzlich ein riesiger Schatten vor dir auf - die USAT Liberty. Könnte auf den ersten Blick allerdings auch ein Blauwal sein... Ich kann's gar nicht beschreiben. Du hast nur eine Taschenlampe dabei, auf einer Seite siehst du vage Schemen vom Boot das von hinten manchmal von anderen Tauchern angeleuchtet wird, auf der anderen Seite nur Dunkelheit, schwarze Tiefe. Das Allerbeste ist allerdings, die Taschenlampe auszumachen. Wenn man im stockfinsteren Wasser mit den Armen wirbelt, erzeugt man hunderte kleine Luftbläschen, die wie leuchtende Funken aussehen. Magisch! Hat das was mit Biolumineszenz zu tun? Muss recherchieren. Das ist so ein geiles Gefühl. Mitten im Nichts, in der Dunkelheit, um dich rum nur Wasser. Ständig am Überlegen, ob man nicht doch noch spontan Panik kriegen soll. Beim Auftauchen siehst du die Sterne über dir, den Mars, die Milchstraße. Vom Ufer siehst du das Meer an manchen Stellen milchig türkis aufblitzen - wo die Taucher tief unter der Wasseroberfläche das Wrack anleuchten.

Climbing a fucking volcano in the middle of the night. Seriously, climbing Mount Batur must be one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I wasn't ready for this. Getting up at 1am, only a weak flashlight against the darkness, shorts and a thin jacket against the cold. I got scratches, killed my knees, my lungs were angry as well. I fell. And I still don't know how but somehow I made it to the top. So I sat there, shivering, wet, in the thin air surrounded by clouds. Listening to Krishna Das because that's what I kept doing in quiet moments during my trip. So I witnessed the moon and the stars vanishing, the night growing fainter, the sunrise behind Mount Agung. Walking downhill wasn't any easier (I'll never be able to get the black earth stains out of my jeans) but I managed. My reward: an organic tomato for breakfast, straight from the field. And soaking in hot spring water at Toya Devasya. They had an infinity pool right in front of Lake Batur, just what I needed - even though I only started to notice how many of my muscles were mad at me.

Later, I went to Ubud where I took part in a cleansing/blessing ceremony at the Holy Spring Water Temple, Pura Tirta Empul. We got green bathing sarongs and made an offering before we got cleansed and "talked" to the spirits in the pool. In the afternoon we met a Balinese healer who basically only confirmed what I already knew. I must be on the right track, I suppose. Later I talked to Alex from the UK on the backseat of our car while the others had coffee. We were born one day apart and felt that there were a lot of similarities in our biographies. He asked me for advice on his panic attacks and what he could do about the mask he keeps wearing so that nobody gets to know the real Alex. It felt like a therapy session but I loved how open you can be around a total stranger.

Ubud treats: daily massages, affordable lash extensions, health food everywhere (Smoothie bowls! Veggie wraps! Goddess bowls! Oh, and Gelato Secrets, not healthy at all but delicious), a successful ring quest (good luck trying to find gold jewellery in Bali... but in the end I managed to find a gorgeous ring with a bluish green stone) and a whole day in a batik workshop where I learned the traditional technique from locals. Worth mentioning: the little girls dancing for us at the healer's place - especially the goofy, chubby one with her puppy and the girl in pink who would exaggerate the traditional eye movements and made me laugh / Riding a scooter - this time as a passenger on the back. The gorgeous view of the countryside north of Ubud. / Talking to the Canadian newlyweds about the NHL while having lunch with a view over the rice terraces. /

Magic for Humans

The stories Richard and Star Wars in Benedict Wells' new short story collection Die Wahrheit über das Lügen.

Silence. Thank you, ear plugs. I don't leave the house without Ohropax and a good book.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. More or less the first science fiction book I've ever read but MAN that one is SMART. It's a take on human culture, mirrored by a tribe of very unexpected sentient animals. Worth mentioning: my new Kobo e-reader and OnLeihe (where you can get e-books from the library).

So I'm officially an adult now. Every single thing on this list is true for me. I don't really know why I'm putting this on my Things I Love list since it is pretty scary but at the same time I feel weirdly good about it.

Seeberger's trail mix salty/fruity with rhubarb, banana chips, almonds, peanuts, cranberries and physalis.

Celebrating autumn - even though I had a beautiful summer I'm kinda looking forward to sweater weather, crinkly leaves, gothic novels and pumpkin soup.

George Harrison with a beard and long hair was such a gorgeous human being. Listening to his songs on repeat at the moment.

Spending a day at the Isar with my students. We made a fire, they tought me how to skip stones (no talent) and after a while we couldn't bear the sun anymore so we just hopped into the river in our underwear. We walked along the gravel bank and allowed the water to carry us back to the others. I had such a good time.

What a musical conductor actually does on stage - such an interesting video, especially after many seasons of Mozart in the Jungle.

I know I've probably already said it but this recipe is absolutely delicious. Perfect for autumn. Not bad either: spelt crepes with a creamy chanterelle/champignon filling.

Finally finding a way to do a shoulder stand in yoga class even though my stomach muscles aren't strong enough.

Spending the evening with Manu. Who thinks I'm prettier without make-up. Who played with my hair. Who cooked for me. Who looked gorgeous that night. I mean, come on, open denim shirt over a hairy chest, wavy hair in a man bun with loose strands - that's just unfair. He played the guitar and we sang together. Trying to find a good duet to perform on Thursday (karaoke night!), ending up singing along to every weird song we could think of.

Nursing a yellow bell pepper plant back to health.

Sitting under a blanket outside, a captivating book on my lap, Dunkelgrün fast schwarz, watching the clouds being blown away by the warm autumn winds, flying leaves, deep in thoughts. The smell of family dinner in the air, the light fading away. A sense of longing in combination with melancholia and thoughts occuring on a meta-level, probably the result of too much writing, reading, dreaming, spending time alone.

A matte top coat turns Essie's Bahama Mama nail polish into pure velvet. I love the look and feel of it. So much more elegant and understated than shiny polish.

Give up comfort

My first karaoke night in Munich at Keg with Manu and Bibi. Performing together - my favourite was Because of You by Kelly Clarkson even though we were really bad. The atmosphere was pretty great. There were a lot of Brits around, probably because of the Oktoberfest. Folks were swinging a huge double-ended dildo around, we all danced with each other and I taught everyone German swear words. The good kind. After a few beers I just walked up to Manu (and Bibi!) and we started kissing. I kissed a GIRL and I liked it! Being thirty and somewhat confident is such a blessing. A lot of people kept saying that Manu and I should be a couple. Promising! Especially the girl who sang the Adele songs (and nailed it - voice twins!) was shipping us. Daw.

Dinner at Lena and Obi's wedding location. The waitress showed us around. I feld very grown-up asking questions and acting all responsible and busy.

Going shopping with Lena, trying to find a wedding dress for her. Falling in love with the coats at Zara. Unfortunately I still need to lose some weight in order to buy my clothes there.

Wondering how people actually perceive me. Sometimes I get the feeling that they see me as an angry feminist. But while being a feminist is totally fine with my - I guess I gotta work on my anger issues.

AnderART festival at Odeonsplatz - singing Wonderful Life with Ian, Jens and the GoSingChoir!

Meeting Manu L. at the Alcest concert. I liked talking to him that night. It was only the two of us and I liked how honest he was. And that he gave me a new, less emotional perspective on the whole deal with Frank.

Wearing black jeans, my new checked shirt, dark-rimmed glasses, a huge, soft grey scarf. Doc Martens. A headband.

Treating myself to a 100ml bottle of Byredo's Super Cedar perfume. I smell damn fine now.

On a Friday morning there was a cat downstairs in the subway station. She hung around at a corner and permitted me to pet her. She even jumped a little to meet my hand halfway. Very good start into the day.

[bringinbackpod]

Interview with Charles Spearin

We had the pleasure of interviewing Charles Spearin over Zoom video!  Can you think of a more perfect lyric that captures the pandemic experience? Multi-instrumentalist and composer Charles Spearin, known for his work in Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think, and so much more music that has soundtracked the past two decades, insists he’s not much of a lyricist. In fact, his new solo album, My City of Starlings, is a largely instrumental collection of beautifully textured songs that glide between avant-garde, art rock and electronic soundscapes. But it’s no surprise that Spearin’s virtuosity extends to every detail of his songwriting, from the burnished brass of “Vireos in Bellwoods” to the celestial “Three Voices (Braided Carefully)” to the words and ambient melodies of the title track, which captures both the haziness but also the glimmers of hope of the time we’ve just lived through. My City of Starlings isn’t a “pandemic record,” exactly – while Spearin found himself with extra time once touring came to a standstill, some of the compositions that found their way onto the album had been taking shape since 2017, while others were born from a more recent song-a-day writing and recording club of fellow musicians from around the world. Like so many of us, Spearin came to see his city in a whole new light during the endless walks taken through its streets over the past year and a half, partly thanks to an increased interest in birding but also a whole new appreciation for the wonders of the natural world – an inspiration that comes through clearly in the album’s expansive sonic palette. Some of those strolls with fellow musicians, not to mention Spearin’s wide artistic social scene, led to the many collaborations on My City of Starlings, which features a long list of Toronto’s best jazz, pop, rock and experimental-music performers (including BSS bandmates Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew). Describing the recording process as akin to painting a picture with many layers, Spearin recalls how each guest brought their own unique brushstrokes to the compositions. From the first track to be released from the album, the percussion-driven “Portrait of The Artist As A Thursday” (accompanied by a video from animator Jared Sales that runs as a 12-hour loop) to the catchy shuffle riff of “Rutting Season” through to the spoken-sung Arabic poetry on “When Tigers Used to Smoke,” My City of Starlings is as eclectic and accomplished as Spearin himself. When he’s not busy with BSS or DMST, the multiple Juno Award winner has toured with Feist and the late Gord Downie and is also known for his production and soundtrack work. During the pandemic, he has been working on a musical about Canada’s private sponsorship program for refugees with co-writers Robin Dann from the band Bernice (who appears on Starlings’ track “Three Voices”), actor and playwright Mariel Marshall, and Esmaeel Abufaker, a Syrian musician who came to Canada as a refugee in 2016. In 2009, Spearin released The Happiness Project, a solo album which used snippets of his neighbours’ musings on contentment set to music, which won a Juno for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Unexpected and indelible – much like the way the birds his album is named for are known to mimic sounds from their surroundings in their own distinct calls, My City of Starlings reveals yet another facet of Charles Spearin’s uniquely observant artistry. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #CharlesSpearin #BrokenSocialScene #DoMakeSayThink #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter!  source https://www.spreaker.com/user/14706194/interview-with-charles-spearin

[greenbagjosh]

Feb 2006 Days 1 and 2 THY to Istanbul TR

EN Hi everyone, today we are going to Southeast Europe!  We will fly first from DFW to JFK by American Airlines, then fly to Istanbul Atatürk Airport, and take an airport transfer to the hotel in the Sultanahment district.  We will take the tram to Eminönü and Karaköy, funicular to Tünel Beyoglu and a nostalgic tram to Taksim square.  Then we take the metro one stop to Osmanbey to see a Mehter military band performance, return to Sultanahmet for a genuine Döner Kebab dinner and then plan for the next day(s).

TR Herkese merhaba, bugün Güneydoğu Avrupa'ya gidiyoruz! Önce American Airlines ile DFW'den JFK'ye, ardından İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı'na uçup Sultanahment semtindeki otele havalimanı transferi yapacağız. Tramvayı Eminönü ve Karaköy'e, füniküler Tünel Beyoğlu'na ve nostaljik tramvayı Taksim meydanına götüreceğiz. Daha sonra bir Mehter askeri bandosunun performansını görmek için metroyla Osmanbey'e bir durak gidiyoruz, hakiki bir Döner Kebap yemeği için Sultanahmet'e dönüyor ve ertesi gün (ler) i planlıyoruz.

BG Здравейте всички, днес отиваме в Югоизточна Европа! Първо ще летим от DFW до JFK от American Airlines, след това ще летим до летище Ататюрк в Истанбул и ще вземем летищен трансфер до хотела в квартал Султанахмент. Ще вземем трамвая до Eminönü и Karaköy, фуникулер до Tünel Beyoglu и носталгичен трамвай до площад Taksim. След това се отправяме на метрото до Османбей, за да видим представление на военната група на Mehter, връщаме се в Султанахмет за истинска вечеря на Döner Kebab и след това планираме следващия ден (дни).

RO Bună tuturor, astăzi mergem în sud-estul Europei! Vom zbura mai întâi de la DFW la JFK cu American Airlines, apoi vom zbura la Aeroportul Istanbul Atatürk și vom lua un transfer de la aeroport la hotelul din districtul Sultanahment. Vom lua tramvaiul către Eminönü și Karaköy, funicular către Tünel Beyoglu și un tramvai nostalgic către piața Taksim. Apoi, luăm o stație de metrou până la Osmanbey pentru a vedea o reprezentație a trupei militare Mehter, ne întoarcem la Sultanahmet pentru o cină autentică Döner Kebab și apoi planificăm ziua (zilele) următoare.

SR Поздрав свима, данас идемо у југоисточну Европу! Прво ћемо летјети из DFW-а до ЈFК-а Америцан Аирлинес-ом, затим летјети до истанбулског аеродрома Ататурк и превести се аеродромом до хотела у округу Султанахмент. Возимо се трамвајем до Еминону-а и Каракои-а, успињачом до Тунел-а Беиоглу-а и носталгичним трамвајем до трга Таксим. Затим се метроом заустављамо до Османбеиа да бисмо видели наступ војног оркестра Мехтер, враћамо се у Султанахмет на истинску вечеру од Донер Кебаба и планирамо за следећи дан (е).

HU Sziasztok mindenkinek, ma Délkelet-Európába megyünk! Először DFW-ből repülünk az American Airlines JFK-be, majd az isztambuli Atatürk repülőtérre repülünk, és reptéri transzfert viszünk a Sultanahment kerületben lévő szállodába. Villamossal megyünk Eminönü és Karaköy felé, siklóval a Tünel Beyoglu-ra, nosztalgikus villamossal a Taksim térre. Ezután metróval indulunk Osmanbey-be, hogy megnézzük egy Mehter katonai együttes fellépését, visszatérünk Sultanahmetbe egy igazi Döner Kebab vacsorára, majd megtervezzük a következő nap (oka) t.

CZ Ahoj všichni, dnes jedeme do jihovýchodní Evropy! Nejprve letíme z DFW do JFK společností American Airlines, poté letíme na istanbulské letiště Atatürk a letištním transferem do hotelu ve čtvrti Sultanahment. Půjdeme tramvají do Eminönü a Karaköy, lanovkou do Tünel Beyoglu a nostalgickou tramvají na náměstí Taksim. Pak jedeme metrem o jednu zastávku do Osmanbey, abychom viděli představení vojenské kapely Mehter, vrátili se do Sultanahmetu na skutečnou večeři Döner Kebab a poté plánovali další den (dny).

DE Hallo allerseits, heute fahren wir nach Südosteuropa! Wir fliegen zuerst mit American Airlines von DFW nach JFK, dann zum Flughafen Istanbul Atatürk und nehmen einen Flughafentransfer zum Hotel im Stadtteil Sultanahment. Wir fahren mit der Straßenbahn nach Eminönü und Karaköy, mit der Standseilbahn nach Tünel Beyoglu und mit einer nostalgischen Straßenbahn zum Taksim-Platz. Dann fahren wir mit der U-Bahn eine Station nach Osmanbey, um eine Mehter-Militärkapelle zu sehen, kehren nach Sultanahmet zurück, um ein echtes Döner Kebab-Abendessen zu genießen, und planen dann die nächsten Tage.

Thursday the 9th February 2006 would be the start of a unique journey, one that would take a part of the route of the Orient Express train, and that would also go off the beaten path part of the way.  Where does the Orient Express go?  Originally it went between Istanbul, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Zurich and Paris. Later it would change its course from Bucharest to Sofia and Belgrade.  My route was Istanbul, Bucharest, Sofia, Belgrade, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Berlin (via Dresden and the former Schönefeld Airport), Cologne and Frankfurt am Main.  

I had to get a shared ride to DFW airport because in 2006, there was no useable airport connection from Frisco, TX, where I was living at the time, other than DART's 500 bus line and Trinity Rail Express.  From there, I depart from either A or C, cannot remember just now, and arrived at JFK Airport in Terminal 8.  My flight to Istanbul would depart from Terminal 1.  The only way I could get there was by Airtrain JFK.  The outer train was in operation that day, so I took that to Federal Circle and back by a train going in the opposite direction.  

Terminal 1 had the Turkish Airways / Türk Hava Yollari checkin for Istanbul.  The flight would leave about 5:30 PM and arrive the next day in Istanbul about 9:30 AM, seven hours past Eastern time.  I was in the middle of coach class in a Boeing 777, with a window seat.  The flight took off on time.  About an hour or so after takeoff, the inflight crew served drinks and snacks.  One snack I remember was a bag of unsalted roasted hazelnuts.  I asked for raki, an anise-flavored liqueur, and I was given one glass of the raki and another of ice water.  The raki went from clear to milky after putting a bit of water in it.

An hour later, when the onboard entertainment was turned on, dinner was served.  I chose the cheese tortellini and Turkish red wine. It came with an appetizer of salmon and lemon.  On the food container, there was a 3 inch by 2 inch disclaimer that the food did not contain any pork or alcohol in English, Turkish, Arabic, German and French, and a pictogram of a pig crossed out to eliminate any doubts.

I think I may have slept a while on the plane, but I cannot remember what movies I watched.  I remember on one of the audio channels "First there is no mountain" by Donovan.  About 7:30 AM the sky started lightening, and breakfast was served.  I had the eggs and chicken sausage.  Along with the meal was another 3 inch by 2 inch disclaimer, again with a pig crossed out.  I would not have pork again until late evening on the 13th February when I would have arrived in Bucharest.

The plane landed about 9 AM at the Atatürk airport.  Since 2019 it is no longer the official airport, as the new airport is located closer to the Black Sea and also Anadolu Kavagi.  Atatürk Airport is located near the Ataköy district.  I had my passport and entry visa stamped and then I went to collect my suitcase with nothing to declare.  At the exit, was a man with a sign with my name on it, and he led me to his minivan to take me to my hotel in the Sultanahmet district.  It was an 8 mile / 12 km journey.  The passenger seat belt did not work, but the driver said to not worry about it (reminding me very much of the Kelal Yildirim Driving School sketches as played by Kaya Yanar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhxGyz8YldY).

About 11 AM I arrived at the hotel on 82 Akbiyik Cadessi.  It was close to the Blue Mosque.  I paid in advance for my room which I would have for three nights.  I think it was about $100.00 for all three nights including breakfast.  There was no elevator and my room was on the third floor.  The breakfast room was on the fourth floor.  Before going to the Military Museum near Osmanbey, I took a shower and changed clothes.  I left my belongings in my room.  

As Akbiyik Cadessi was downhill, I had an uphill walk to the Sultanahmet tram stop.  The fact that the temperature was around 35 degrees did not help.  I had to buy a token for one Turkish Lira (one million old Lira which had long since been converted) to get to Sirkeci rail station.  At the "Giris" gate, I had to drop in my token.  Why was I going to Sirkeci before the Military Museum? I wanted to be sure that on the 12th February about 8 PM I would have a place to sleep on the train to Bucharest.  When I arrived at Sirkeci station, I found the ticket office to buy a sleeper ticket supplement, with my Eastern Europe rail pass.  They had a lower level bunk.  I think the ticket may have cost $ 20.00.  

After leaving Sirkeci, I took the tram to Karaköy where there was an underground funicular train to Beyloglu.  The funicular train did not accept the regular tokens so I had to buy one for about one lira.  Once I arrived at Beyloglu, I had a snack of a ring bread.  The bread was similar to a sesame bagel but was a little larger.  I used to get those also in Greece when I was very young.  The tram from Beyloglu to Taksim Square had not yet arrived but when it did, I bought a separate ticket.  Not everything in 2006 was fully integrated.  When I took the M2 from Taksim to Osmanbey, I could easily use a token, or I could use an Akbil, which was a stored value device consisting of a thumb sized piece of plastic and a hearing aid battery sized stored value disk.  Earlier I send a picture of it.  Those went out of use in 2009.  Taksim Square station was very deep and trains must have been at least three stories underground.  The situation was the same at Osmanbey station where I had to alight in order to reach the military museum.

When I went to the military museum, there was a scheduled band performance about 2 PM.  I had arrived just in time before the performance started.  I had to pay about 12 Lira for entrance and the privilege of filming and photography. The band performance started with a slide show narrated in Turkish about the long history of the band, with its origins about the time of the pre-renaissance Crusades, circa 1290 AD.  A few minutes later the entire band appeared on stage, about 50 people or so, maybe 20 of them as vocalists singing the traditional marching songs.  And almost all had long moustaches, very fitting with their Ottoman-era costumes.  The band must have played eight songs.  

After the performance, there was some time to see the rest of the museum.  I looked at displays of the musical instruments, including the percussions and wind instruments (trumpet, zurna, clarinet).  I was thinking at the time, maybe go to the grand bazaar near Cemberlitas, and buy a similar outfit with instrument.

I took the M2 back to Taksim, and then walked along Istikal Caddesi.  It is on the same route as the nostalgic tram that goes to Beyoglu.  I found a record store where I could buy Turkish-language music.  I bought a couple of CDs from Mustufa Sandal, in particular "Yamali Tövbeler" that also included "Isyankar" and "Gel Askim".  I should have also looked for music by Mirkelam.  I only know of his "Her Gece".  

Soon it became dark, I took the funicular back to Karaköy, the tram to Sultanahmet and then I found a place to eat Döner Kebap with rice.  It was located at 12 Divan Yolu Cadessi.  I ordered a can of Uludag soda and a shot of raki with that.

I walked back to the hotel and went to sleep.  As it was a day that I had arrived from overseas, it was understandable wanting to go to bed around 9 PM EET (+2 GMT).  The next day I would go to Asia by boat.

 EN

Next adventure – Calls to prayer at 5 AM, breakfast on the "roof", boat ride to Haydarpasa in Asia, ride on the Moda tram, first Lahmacun in Asia, the Grand Bazaar Experience, metro ride to Otogar and back, Iskender Kebab on the Mimar Mehmet Aga Cadessi  

 TR

Sonraki macera - Sabah 5'de ezan sesleri, "çatıda" kahvaltı, Asya'da Haydarpaşa'ya tekne yolculuğu, Moda tramvayı, Asya'da ilk Lahmacun, Kapalıçarşı Deneyimi, Otogar'a metro yolculuğu ve dönüş, İşkender Kebab Mimar Mehmet Ağa Cadessi

 BG

Следващо приключение - призиви за молитва в 5 ч. Сутринта, закуска на "покрива", разходка с лодка до Хайдарпаша в Азия, каране на трамвай Мода, първият Лахмакун в Азия, опитът на Капалъ чарши, пътуване с метро до Отогар и обратно, Ишкендер Кебаб на Мимар Мехмет Ага Кадеси

 RO

Următoarea aventură - Apeluri la rugăciune la ora 5 dimineața, mic dejun pe "acoperiș", plimbare cu barca la Haydarpasa în Asia, plimbare cu tramvaiul Moda, primul Lahmacun din Asia, Grand Bazaar Experience, plimbare cu metroul până la Otogar și înapoi, Ișkender Kebab pe Mimar Mehmet Aga Cadessi

 SR

Следећа авантура - позиви на молитву у 5 сати, доручак на „крову“, вожња бродом до Хајдарпаше у Азији, вожња трамвајем Мода, први Лахмацун у Азији, Гранд Базаар Екпериенце, вожња метроом до Отогара и назад, Искендер Кебаб на Мимар Мехмет Ага Цадесси

 HU

Következő kaland - Hívás imára reggel 5 órakor, reggeli a "tetőn", hajóút az ázsiai Haydarpasába, a Moda villamos, az első ázsiai Lahmacun, a Grand Bazaar Experience, metrózás Otogarig és vissza, Işkender Kebab tovább a Mimar Mehmet Aga Cadessi

 CZ Další dobrodružství - výzvy k modlitbě v 5 hodin ráno, snídaně na „střeše“, jízda lodí do asijské Haydarpasy, jízda tramvají Moda, první asijský Lahmacun, zážitek Grand Bazaar, jízda metrem do Otogaru a zpět, Işkender Kebab dále Mimar Mehmet Aga Cadessi

 DE

Nächstes Abenteuer - Aufruf zum Gebet um 5 Uhr morgens, Frühstück auf dem "Dach", Bootsfahrt nach Haydarpasa in Asien, Fahrt mit der Moda-Straßenbahn, erste Lahmacun in Asien, Grand Bazaar Experience, U-Bahnfahrt nach Otogar und zurück, Işkender Kebab weiter der Mimar Mehmet Aga Cadessi

[lighthousedann]

An Inspiration

(Meme credit: ‘Layla Laurent’) It took me 60 or so years to meet “me“. A heavy burden of loneliness, sorrows, guilts and confusion was lifted from my soul that day. I am of the belief that for many a year I had apprehensions of discovering who really existed within this shell labeled “Dann”. Subliminally I avoided discovering who others knew me as. I finally had the revelation that necessity…