#and the way he plays with his soundboard & music packs

[feralglitch]

MARTYN YOU SICK SON OF A GUN /pos, admiring, maybe a little hot under the collar

[starstruckzine]

Another sneak peek into some pre-tour antics!

りんご飴 (Ringo Ame)

"Dad!"

"What?"

Shota and Hizashi poked their heads out from rooms on opposite ends of the upstairs hallway as they answered her call.

"Have either of you seen my lucky charm?"

Eri stood in the doorway of her bedroom. The bed behind her was strewn with clothes and shoes and makeup. She'd been told no less than a dozen times to only pack the necessities, which suited her perfectly - all the more reason to shop - but there was no way she was setting out on a trip around the world without her lucky charm.

The small candy apple keychain was a gift from Shinso when Ringo Ame auditioned for their first gig. He was her big brother; maybe not by blood, but he'd been around to offer his support since the day her dads adopted her.

Shinso also introduced Eri to Ochako and the other girls that made up the rock idol group Ringo Ame. She was just a child back then, but they took her under their wing. They spent countless hours learning the choreographed dances Mina developed and making up songs. It was just for fun at first. Jiro, the girls' friend and a member of a new local band Shake Down, taught them a lot about music, and their desire to perform grew.

Since both of her dads were members of the lengendary rock group The Vigilantes, they - along with the other members of the group - offered guidance as the girls worked hard to bring their vision into reality.

Now, they were living the dream!

"In the studio by the soundboard, I saw it there this morning. Forgot to bring it up." Hizashi said before ducking back into the storage room where they stashed the luggage.

"While you're down there,* Shota added, "grab the red notebook off the stand by the door. It has the set lists we were working on last night."

"Got it!" Eri hurried across the hall, bounding down the staircase, mind buzzing with excitement. Ringo Ame had completed two small tours since their popularity skyrocketed about a year and a half ago, and growing up, she'd frequently gone on tour with her dads. This time, though, she was nearly eighteen, and they were traveling all around the world. The list of cities on the schedule left her breathless.

The doorbell stopped her in her tracks. She glanced at her phone to check the time and then made a beeline for the front hall. When she threw open the door, she braced a hand on her hip and shook her head.

"Uncle Oboro, you were supposed to be here an hour ago! You know you're gonna get an earful."

Oboro put his hands up in surrender, flashing a grin. "You've got my back, though. Right, Eri?"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, laughing. "Don't I always? But when you get your sentence, you're serving it alone. I have to finish packing, or I'm going to be in trouble."

"I only asked you to c9ver for me that once - twice... Okay, a handful of times, but tonight wasn't my fault. There were villains -"

Eri arched a brow. Since Shinso had gone on to become a pro hero, her dads often kept the news playing, and they hadn't heard a thing all day. "Sure you want to go that route?"

"Okay, okay." Oboro laughed, completely unfazed by his niece calling him out. "It's practically the truth, though. I stopped to get a coffee and ran into a crowd of fans -"

"Attractive fans?"

"Hey, is that really relevant?"

She gave him a look. Her uncle wasn't a player, but he did tend to get distracted by pretty faces. It'd been the cause of the band getting delayed on more than one occasion.

"Maybe one or two," he admitted with a sheepish grin, "but that really wasn't the problem. I swear. The group in general was pretty... How should I put it? Fanatical.  Our popularity has really skyrocketed again since Miss Yaoyorozu announced this tour. "

He was trying to sound put off by the The Vigilantes' resurgence in popularity, but Eri saw his grin and the way his eyes gleamed as he went on about all the interviews they had lined up and all the new fans that were going crazy on the band's Discord. After twenty years, they were considered rock legends, but the hype had waned since the earlier days of their career.

They were halfway down to the basement when Shota's voice came from the top of the stairs. "Oboro, is that you?"

"No?"

Eri rolled her eyes. "That's such a lame joke."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"We're already behind because you're late. Pack the extra mics while you're down there, and then you can start loading the van. We have to meet up with Nemuri and the crew at the hotel then try to get some sleep. Our flight leaves early tomorrow."

"Uncle Oboro didn't mean to be late. He had something of a, ah, a villain run-in -"

"Oboro," Shota interjected, "quit making my daughter cover for your irresponsibility," he crossed his arms over his chest, smirking, "and our fans aren't villains."

"That's what you think. I'm pretty sure one of them clipped a lock off the back of my hair."

A faint smile ghosted over Shota's lips. "Don't worry. We'll have Hizashi trim it in the van on the way to the hotel."

Eri glanced up to see the look of horror on her uncle's face, most likely recalling a story she heard about Oboro asking for a quick trim before a show, and her dad butchering the job so badly that her uncle had to wear wigs for the rest of the tour.

"Don't worry," Eri whispered, "I'll hide the scissors."

Art by: UNIfied Creations Art

[lostandfoundbook]

Chapter 14

Read it on AO3

Read it on Wattpad

Time had passed since Alexandria's day out on the town. She'd enjoyed being able to spend time with Oliver, just ice skating and talking. People were taking their photos, and something about the moment felt truly ethereal to Alex. 

Right now, she was planning a trip back home to go and see Benji. She had started to remember so much, yet so little at the same time. She figured that headed back home for a day or two might do her some good. She hadn't told Oliver yet, but she packed anyway.

Simple things. Like a different change of clothes, and an outfit for working out in, just in case. She brought lots of hair ties and different kinds of notebooks. She didn't know what inspiration might strike her. She was currently aiming to write an album. Something about how she was feeling, and her experiences with navigating the world with amnesia.

She had gotten her hands on her demo track and it sounded perfect. She posted a tiny snippet of it on her Twitter and it went absolutely wildly popular. She wasn't expecting it. She never had people there waiting for her music to be released. She was used to having to heavily promote it for it to do anything. 

When she was a teenager, she used to make music on her own. Stuff she'd produced when she visited Benji and played around with the soundboard. Making music based off of vibes and vibes alone. Her stems would come first, and then the lyrics. It was easier to work that way. But she didn't do that anymore.

She looked at the duffel bag sitting on her bed stuffed full of items to help her spawn memories. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and looked down at the t-shirt and jeans she was wearing. It would have to do. She picked up her phone and shot Oliver a text stating that she'd be visiting friends back home. 

She walked out into the hallway and came face to face with Oliver. "You're leaving now?" He asked out. A piece of him seemed protective over the girl. "Yeah. I'm just headed up to see Benji so it shouldn't take too long. Why? You want to tag along?"

The man rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "I don't know. I don't think Benji would want to see me."

This made curiosity spike up in the blonde girls chest with child-like wonder. "What happened, anyway?"

"It's a really really long story."

She rolled her eyes and readjusted the strap on her shoulder, silently heaving the bag as she did so. "Everything's a long story with you. If I asked Benji, he'd welcome you with open arms. Why don't you come? You wouldn't even need a change of clothes."

Oliver leaned against the cool wood of the door frames. "I really don't know. I think you should probably ask him first. It's just kind of embarrassing talking about what happened."

Alex matched his gaze for a moment before her mouth formed a line and her eyebrows squeezed tightly together. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, searching for an answer in his eyes.

He lowered his head down and a small smile started to spread across his face. "What if I tell you along the way."

Her head lifted with shock as she heard this. "You're coming!" she pulled her hands together in glee. "Yes, I'll come. But if he wants me to leave, I'm staying in the car." He pushed himself off of the door frame and stood straight up.

"Alright, that makes sense."

He looked back towards his own room for a moment. "Let me go change?" He asked. "Yeah, of course." she replied. She sat against the door to her suite and waited for him to get back. She wondered what could've possibly happened between the two. Benji never talked about it, whatever it was. 

He had only supported Alex in her hate for Oliver. She had seen it in their text messages talking about the event, and all the times she'd ranted and raved about Oliver to him during her time away from him. 

Speaking of messages, she was still receiving messages from Everette, despite blocking MULTIPLE of his numbers by this point. He continued to create fake numbers to reach out to her. She tried her hardest to ignore it through the sea of messages on her phone. Just another notification in the mass of notifications.

Alex was excited to see Benji again. She knows from her research on herself that she hasn't seen him in a long time. He was one of the few men that Alex truly trusted with her life. Men hadn't treated her right throughout her life, and it's lead her to her distaste in men. She tried not to dwell on that thought too hard, or else it might threaten to expose a whole new trove of memories she dared not dive into. 

She watched as Oliver slinked back out of his room wearing a cream colored long sleeve shirt with black slacks and a pair of designer tennis shoes made for actually playing the sport. She wondered how often he did, you know, play tennis for real. Maybe he sat out there in his tank top and shorts just hitting a ball around. She couldn't imagine it, though.

He gave off more golfer vibes, right now. He had his own satchel wrapped around his shoulder. Add a visor to his head and he'd be perfect. "You really don't know how to dress down, do you?"

He looked up from the door he was busy locking and a smile spread across his face. "Of course not. I wouldn't be caught dead outside without my usual get up. You should know this by now." He headed towards her with a smirk. "C'mon. I'm driving."

She tilted her head. "You know the way?"

He shut his eyes for a moment and stopped walking. "I might need some help. You don't care if I drive, do you?"

She fixed her gaze on the man. "I don't care. I just want to know what happened between you two." Alex watched at Oliver physically grimaced at that. The pair began walking again, headed for the golden elevators around the corner.

"We might have... I don't know.. Almost been a thing at one point? It was really confusing."

Alex was now the one to stop dead in her tracks, gawking at the man. "And he never told me?! What the hell."

She reached to pull out her phone and scroll through their messages. Not once had this been a thing they talked about. "It was a really long time ago. It was when we were in college. It's been years. Maybe he doesn't even remember." He shrugged his shoulders, as if this were inconsequential to him. 

"Oh no. He wouldn't forget." 

She stared at her phone as she typed out a message towards him. 'Be on our way soon! Bringing a friend. Need to talk.'

She looked back up and shuffled it in her pocket. "Listen. I only didn't tell you sooner because it's embarrassing. It was before I even met my wife, and I had no clue what I was doing with my life. It was all complicated and he was also there."

The two had begun to walk again. "We had a couple classes together and got stuck together on a project. We got real close after a couple of weeks. We might've kissed. It was stupid."

She tried not to make eye contact with him, and he did the same. It would've only worsened the feelings he was having. He sort of thanked her for that, mentally. "I don't think it was stupid. You were young."

He pursed his lips to the side. In the end he decided to reply. "Yeah, I guess so. I figured it's the reason he's never reached out for any brand deals." 

Alex nodded, and they turned the corner to reach the elevator. "I just figured it was because he associated with me. I never thought any deeper into it, but, it makes sense."

The walked up and pressed the button to head down. Why hadn't Benji told her about this? What was his perspective? How did he feel about Oliver? 

As they reached the car, Oliver walked over towards the passenger side and opened the door for Alex. This made her blush a bit. Maybe, after all, chivalry isn't dead. She stepped in and sat in the seat. She noticed the way the car shone as if it had just been buffed out for them. Oliver popped open his car door and slid in. "You ready for a road trip?"

Alexandria let out a little giggle. "It's not that far. 40 minutes, at most. I wouldn't exactly call that a road trip!"

He smiled as he plugged the eyes into the engine block. "I don't drive very often. I love it, but I usually have people driving me around. It's safer that way. So even a 20 minute drive is exciting to me."

The girl raised an eyebrow towards the man. "And how do you expect you'll do in the traffic?"

He brushed his hands over the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking space they were in. They were off on the city together. "I'll do perfectly fine, I think. We've got music, and I've got you to talk to. Tell me, what have you been planning with your career?" 

A sigh left her lips. What was she doing with her career? That was a very good question. "I don't even know where to begin."

She had always considered all of the things she wanted to do when she was famous, and yet, they still seemed so out of reach. She wanted to perform at the hotel at one point, but that would involve a lot of planning. She wanted to keep doing theatre, if possible with all the time crunches she's expecting to have.

"I think I want to do music videos, eventually. Something simple to start out with. I think I want to direct my first music video back, which would make it seem like an easy transition for my fanbase. I've always made my own stuff with me and my friends."

She looked out at the window and saw skyscraper next to skyscraper, each building getting taller as they passed through. Something about this felt familiar to Alex. "Hey, did you ever figure out what Everette was breaking in for?"

Oliver shook his head. "We don't have as many camera's as you'd imagine. Most of the backstage is a dead zone in regards to the footage we get. We don't want any leaks happening, so we don't allow any cameras whatsoever."

Alex stopped to think for a moment. So say, theoretically, if something were to happen in there. Nobody would see? 

"Isn't that dangerous?" Alex replied, pulling her feet up onto the dashboard. "Not really. We've got lots of security. They found you, after all."

"Yeah..."

She continued watching the buildings outside the window. She could see all the people going about their daily life, unaware of the two people inside the armored car. In fact, it looked pretty normal from the outside. A black BMW with thick borders along the windows. You'd never expect anything different from the outside looking in. It made her feel safe, like she could go anywhere in the world, and not a person could touch her.

Oliver suddenly broke the silence between the two. "So, how often did you used to visit Benji, anyway?" He fiddled with the steering wheel as he spoke. "Pretty often. I used to live with him at one point. He gave me a place to stay when I had no where else to go."

"But you moved in with Everette?" He asked. He seemed to regret it the moment it left his mouth. The two didn't talk about her past with Everette very often, only their present and lack-of-future together. "Yeah, I guess I did. I wish I could remember why. I'm hoping this trip will bring me some sort of clarity."

A low gruff sound left Oliver's mouth, a sound of approval. "It's a good idea, you know. At the very least, you get to see friends you haven't seen in months."

The car ride was long and filled with chatter of the two. They switched between talking about friends, to talking about clothes. They talked about the latest fashion trends, which Alex was shocked Oliver would keep up with. They talked about the latest news and everything that was happening in the media.

They did their best to avoid continuing talking about Everette. It was a sore subject, and Alex was trying to put it behind her. Not very well, but she was trying. The ride was nice. She watched as the skyscraper landscapes transformed into greenery for days as they slowly worked their way out of the heart of the city and into one of the suburbs. 

Trees lines the rows of housing, acting as shading to block out the heat. The front laws were littered with green lawns and white picket fences and the girl noted how idealistic this part of the city must be. Close enough towards the action, but far enough away to get peace.

They continued to make their way out of the neighborhood and into the next section of the city where Benji's theatre was located. Alex had to help Oliver with navigation, but besides that, they were well on their way to reacquainting themselves with old friends. 

As they pulled up to the hotel, Oliver turned the car off and pulled the eyes out of the ignition. "Welp. We're here. Are you ready?" 

Alex reached over for her duffel bag and lugged it back around her shoulder. "Yeah, I really am." She popped her car door open and looked both ways before exiting and looping around the other side. She stood next to Oliver and her head came to his shoulder-neck area. She felt tiny next to him. "Well? Let's go inside."

* * *

Meeting up face to face with Benji was a different experience. She could smell the cologne he wore and it drowned her scenes in familiarity, comfort, and warmth. She could spend hours in his scent. It smelled like family, a real family, not like the ones she had grown up with originally. A found family that she had made herself, and she had finally returned.

"Andie! How are you?" he spoke out before taking a step back and eyeing up Oliver. He leaned in for another hug before whispering in her ear. "You brought him" She pulled out of the hug and put her hands on her hips. "Trust me. A lot has changed over the past couple of months."

The two boys exchanged awkward eye contact with each other before Oliver offered him a small wave. Benji looked back towards Alex. "If you say so."

She did. She trusted Oliver, and she hoped that Benji could learn to trust him one day, too. This were very different. Alex wasn't stuck with her shitty boyfriend anymore, and she could do so much more with her life now that she was free. 

Well. Semi-free. "So." Benji started to say, side eyeing Oliver as the two walked further into the theatre. "What have you been up to?"

"Making music. Doing theatre." Alex replied. Benji whipped around to face her. "You're doing theatre again?!" The girl replied by nodding fervently. "It's really exciting! I love doing theatre!"

"I know, but you kept telling me you couldn't do music and theatre at the same time?!" Benji replied, now walking backwards to keep the pace. "Yes, I'll admit, I haven't been thinking about theatre in a bit since I did my last production, but I want to find a way to balance the two."

Benji turned around as they reached the stairs of the stage, walking up them. "I'm glad you're finding yourself again."

They walked up the stage and Alex stopped to stare at the ever-so-familiar beams and metal poles across the ceiling and the rusty old catwalk that nobody dared to walk across. It was magnificent. She missed every second of being here. "Is the apartment still in good shapes?"

"Yeah! I live there, still. Do you want a cup of coffee or something?" Benji's eyes scanned over Oliver and Alex both. "I could go for a cup." She replied.

And that's how she found herself sitting in Benji's apartment, going through all of the old photos with Oliver. It felt like the kind of thing your parents would do when you invite a boyfriend over, but instead it was just Alex and the guy who gave her a house.

She didn't know where they laid together. What position they were in. Was he her manager? Her friend? Something more? The way he constantly put his hands around her, and the way he popped her car door for her his morning told her otherwise. It wasn't what she should've been thinking about when sat in Benji's place. 

She should be thinking about him, or her life there, or at least, trying to regain her memories. Yet she found herself reminiscing with Oliver over things she already remembered. "This is the first time I was cast in a named role" she said, handing a picture over to him. They were sitting on the couch as Benji fixed up everyone's brew.

 "That's really cool" he said with a smile, as if he truly meant it. He was getting to know little pieces of her life, and it was interesting to see what pieces she decided to keep and which she didn't. There was a clear gap in her photo's from the years she was dating Mason. From when she was pregnant. She had a few photos, but those were stashed away somewhere. 

Benji approached the two on the couch. "Here's your coffee" he spoke out. "Thank you" Oliver replied, taking the cup from his hands. The two exchanged another moment of eye contact before breaking it. Alex noticed now hurt they looked, like they wanted to talk to each other, but there was this barrier being put up. 

"Thank you, Benji" She finally replied. She wanted to give them a moment. The vibe that was just happening between the pictures was finally broken, and Alex quelled the worry in her stomach with a hardy sip of coffee. The caffeine would make her feel better.

"So, why did you come all this way? Not just for a visit, I suspect?" 

Alex took another sip. She wasn't ready to ask any favors. "Right now, let's just talk. How have you been? It's been months." 

Benji sat down next to her. She had both men sat by her side, with her sandwiched in the middle between them. A physical example of their metaphorical relationship. "I've been busy. We're putting on a production of Bye Bye Birdie next week." 

Alex gasped and set her mug down. "You're putting on a production and you didn't invite me?!" She chirped out. "You seemed so busy! I didn't want to burden you with anything" Benji replied, defending himself. 

"You'd never be a burden on me. I'd love to come."

Benji eyed over towards Oliver. "And you?"

Oliver seemingly choked on his drink then and there by pure shock of being called on by the man. He wasn't expecting to be addressed. He was thankful enough to be allowed to third wheel in his house to begin with.

"I'd come, if you wanted me to."

Benji's eyes searched through Oliver's for something, but Alex wasn't sure what that something was. "I would. Would you review it, or just come for fun?"

"For fun, of course. Not everything has to involve work."

Alexandria picked her cup back up. "So." she broke the tension between the two. "I wanted to talk about Everette."

Benji scowled. "What about him? The way he's using you?"

Alex faked a smile, as if to mock him. "Yeah, I got that part. That would've been useful information to know."

"You never believed me, anyway. You always said he provided so much that it was impossible he was using you."

Alex let out a scoff. "Okay, fine! I was an idiot back then! I've seen the light. Give me a little credit here, I'm trying my best." She set her cup back down and pulled her duffel bag onto her lap. She unzip it and grabbed out her journal. "I want to expose him, Benji. I need to know why I left to move in with him. He was chatting so much shit about you, and I need to know the truth."

Benji seemed to stop and process for a moment. "He's talking shit about me? Of course he is. He's a piece of shit. You left to live with him because you couldn't focus on your music career while being around musical theatre all the time. At least, that's what you said."

Alex sighed. "I don't think that's true. I think there's more to the story somewhere. I feel like I'm still missing something."

Oliver put a hand on her shoulder. "Alex..."

She sighed and put her head in her hands before reaching for her cup of coffee again. It was nearly half way empty at this point and Alex wasn't feeling energized at all. "I know. I just wish I knew. It sucks."

Benji put his hand on her leg. "I'm sorry, Andie."

What a position she had gotten herself into?

[harrieatthemet]

Park

I’m baaaaaaack!

In which you take a phone call and Harry can’t do this anymore.

This is uncomfortable.

Not that he’s the bragging type, but he’s been to his fair share of new places. And with new places come a fresh panel of strangers, different energies in a room, new scenery even. He’s seen a lot, been around and experienced enough, so he likes to think that there’s no social scenario that can off put him.

But he was very, very, wrong. And he can’t believe that he had even suggested the idea.

“Could be good fo’ her,” he insisted, “y’know?”

And yes, you did know. In fact you had been keen on the idea for a while and it was him, up until now, who had been adamantly pushing back against the suggestion of inviting in a new chapter. The ‘co-parenting chapter’ not so fondly known by him.

“I love that idea!” and just getting you to agree with him on something made his stomach flutter, which is likely what prompted him to suggest it in the first place.

It’s exactly what landed him here, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. One hand is stuffed awkwardly in his pocket, fingers mindlessly pushing around a piece of lint from the wash. The other has his camera, thumb locked and loaded, so any time Angel Baby decides to look cute (which is always, that’s why he’s got an entire cupboard full of processed digital photos) he’s prepared to eternally document it.

You had set it up nice. Very artistic in a vintage kind of way, that’s what he told you when he met you at the park. And he liked that you packed that Barbie doll angel baby loves, the one that’s been ridden hard and long and was missing a foot.

“She’s gotten bigger,” he mused, a shameless attempt to break the silence.

“Bigger than when she was with you last Thursday?”

He had almost forgotten she’d slept over at Anne’s with him the weekend before. Days in between his time with Angel Baby felt like painfully long, drawn out weeks. A fear of his, regardless of whether or not it was realistic, was that for every minute he spent in separation from her she’d have gotten a little taller or a little older. She’d lose a tooth and he couldn’t play tooth fairy, or she’d have a nightmare and he couldn’t be the one to hold her tight to his chest so she felt safe enough to fall back asleep.

“Everything going good?” Your uppity tone makes his neck twirl to look at you, “like, you know, with the music and the new album?”

He can appreciate you taking interest in his work, and he doesn’t care if you’re just trying to make small talk as the two of you look on at Angel Baby collecting random blades of grass. He’d like to think you’re feeling just as awkward as he is. Are your palms clammy too? He’s wondering if you have that weird, knotted pit in your stomach like he does.

“Yeah,” he nods, “mhm, all good, goin’ real well. S’a process ‘nd all.”

He feels stupid. What a stupid answer, especially because you say nothing back to him and the conversation went right to the graveyard and buried itself 6 feet under.

There was a time where conversations never were like this between the two of you. In fact, they were some of the very best times of his life to date. Not one moment would pass by where the two of you weren’t chatting about something, usually nothing at all really. The banter would ramble on and on. And talking to you felt easy, comforting even, like he had a soundboard to voice off of and a partner who never tired in stimulating his thought process. It never felt like this, like it does right now; forced, uncomfortable, dreary and even a little sad.

“Daddy,” Angel Baby’s voice comes to him in a wave of sing-song, paired with a big grin, “play princesses with me!”

There’s next to nothing in this world that she could ask of him where he wouldn’t immediately agree to her. He’s fully at her Beck and call. No was a word she seldom heard come from Harry, so naturally he agrees.

“I’m gonna answer this call,” and he fights off the frown creeping up on him as he sees your face light up at the caller ID, “do you mind?”

Reluctantly, he shakes his head in a way affirmative enough for you to practically skip off. And when you’re far enough away, out of earshot beneath the shards refuge of an old tree, he lets out the disappointed sigh he’d been swallowing.

“Daddy,” angel baby’s tone is melancholy, frowning as she places her face directly in front of Harry’s, “you’re sad.”

“Sad?” He inquires playfully, though forced, “m’not sad, poppet. Couldn’t be sad when y’with me.”

She doesn’t want to giggle when Harry’s like this, all down in the mouth and out of his element. The two of them are almost alarmingly in sync with one another. When he feels a certain way she never fails to tap into it, like a weird sort of telepathic type of connection. But she can’t ward off the shrill of a belly laugh that bubbles out of her, serene music to Harry’s ears, when he grazes his fingers atop her belly to start tickling her.

“Who was that?”

He doesn’t know why he asked, because that’s rude. And if you don’t tell him, he has to understand that it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to share. He’s not in the position to be invasive anymore, it was a privilege he surrendered when he put his signature on the divorce papers. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to know, just for the sake of curiosity.

“What?”

“On the phone,” he repeats, tone a little more shy, “sorry, was rude of me t’ask.”

“Oh,” your nervous laugh was enough of an answer in itself, “just my sister.”

For all the years you’ve known him, shared a bed with him, woke up in the morning and fell asleep at night with him, if not for the fact that the product of your love for one another was sat beside him eating a cookie and brushing the hair of an American Girl Doll, he’d have liked to think you’d know he’d realize you were lying.

There’s no sense in pressing you though, so he doesn’t. Anymore detail you provided would just be twisting the knife.

He’s bitten off more than he could chew. There was no sufficient amount of mirror pep talks or hours worth of phone calls to his mother that could have prepared him for this. The only time the two of you had really spent together post divorce, before his lackluster suggestion of a family picnic, was at Angel Baby’s birthday party three months ago. Even than, it was chalk full of other people to mingle with and not just the intangible concept of the family unit he had just a year ago.

This is too fucking hard.

“I can’t do this.” He breaths it out almost all in one word, “I really just.. can’t”

He doesn’t want to disappoint Angel Baby, but if he doesn’t leave now he very well may cause a scene in front of the few stray bystanders loitering in the park. So he sturdiest himself up until he can crouch down, stroking the top of Angel Baby’s head before finishing with a long kiss to the part of her hair.

“Can you stay,” she whines, jutting her lip to really put an emphasis on her begging?, “just 3 more!”

He has to refuse, though he wishes he could just tough it out for her. He can’t though, and while you’re bewildered for a minute, a good look at the expression on his face tells you exactly why he’s in such a rush to book it to his car.

“You can stay,” you insist, to which Angel Baby violently nods in agreement, “and we can walk to the edge of the pond to-“

“I can’t” and now his voice is completely defeated, “(Y/N), I really can’t,”

You let out a defeated, solemn sigh, “Harry we talked about this. It’s not gonna be easy but with time-“

“S’never gonna ease with time,” and now he’s getting up to leave, “m’trying but I just can’t, this is too hard,”

And as excruciatingly hard as it was to play his role in the united family forefront bit, something he used to never have to force, walking away with his back to you was even harder.

This, all of it, is just too fucking hard.

[creativeashproductions]

Magician Behind the Music // Owen Joyner

sagSummary: Being in a studio recording songs is an intimidating experience for anyone regardless of age. Wanting the best in the business for his soundtrack Kenny Ortega brings his cast to the best in the business. Heading the production is no ever than Y/N with a certain sparkle when it comes to the tall blonde.

Warning: Swearing, insecurity, oblivious!reader and fluff

Words: 2.1k

A/N: I know nothing about producing songs so I ended up winging it. About time I make a fic for Owen

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX PLEASE!

Masterlist

The studio had the sound of music as a group of people walk down the hall of the building that housed world-renowned recording studio. The office chair was leaning back as a figure sat listening to the nearly finished album. Forest green Sanuk slip-on shoes on the feet of the individual the door opening wasn’t heard.

“Girls you wanna hear the finished product?” You questioned from your seat behind the large control panel. The four girls on the video chat excited responded enthusiastic band members.

Not needing anymore push the song replaced the one that had been playing as background noise. Sliding the volume up the music, you had both produced and featured played through the speakers. As the pre-chorus and the chorus came, you couldn’t help but start singing.

 I find peace in every story you told

 I think of you, I’ll never be alone

 It’s true, true, true

 You know I do, do, do

 Oh, I need you more than words can say

 Oh, you save me in ways that I can’t explain

 Always been there for me, now I’ll do the same

 Oh, I need you more than words can say

All five that poured themselves on the song couldn’t help but bop along with the catchy words and beat. By far, one of your most favourite songs you ever co-wrote, feature and produce. You and little Mix had been desiring to co-work on something for years now.

“That pre-chorus and chorus are the favourites of my career!” You excitedly announced glancing up the glass separating the booth from the control room. Your face found a handful of young adults and Kenny in the reflection.

“It’s gonna be a bop to sing!” Perrie agreed with her hair in messy space buns sitting at her computer desk in comfy clothes.

Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade wore similar loungewear in the safety of their homes after travelling out of LA back to England. An entire week spent solely on writing music and recording with a few sleepover nostalgic of the teen years.

“I gotta go. My next clients are here.” You told the excited British girl group before your cursor ended the video chat.

Pushing off with your toe on the floor, you faced the group seated taking in the awed expressions from the song. Part of you is annoyed at the blatant disregard of professionalism and the potential of the song being leaked.

“Charlie, Owen, Jeremy, and Madison this is my friend Y/N. She’s a musician, songwriter and a producer.” Kenny spoke, waving towards your seat position at the forefront of the control panel.

Your eyes gleamed brighter with the teal blue cable knit sweater paired with a pair of fitted blue jeans. The pros of being a producer in a recording studio meant the work attire was relaxed compared to desk jobs. It appeared this group was similar.

“Hello.” You spoke standing up to be closer to the group, “I believe you have a soundtrack needed? I’m Y/N Y/L/N. I’d like to ask that the song you overheard not be spoken about again.”

“I’m Charlie.” The brunette with a white hat put on backwards immediately shook your hand. Even with the hat, you could tell his hair was a gorgeous brown that contrasted his pretty eyes hazel green eyes.

“Hi Charlie.” You smiled at the male before stepping around him to the other three people in the room. The only other girl in the room was most definitely the lead of whatever show Kenny was currently doing.

“You’re Madison.” You spoke, taking in her youthful appearance and the quiet wisdom flowing within her eyes, the colour of dark coffee grounds. Her hair was down in her natural texture, resting on the shoulders of her muted olive green shirt.

“Jeremy.” Came from the shorter boy with startling rich dark brown almost black hair and eyes you couldn’t discern between blue or green. His cheeks a permanent pink flush but an infectious grin, “How are you?”

“My collaborators for a song liked it, and I’m not going to explain what you’ll be doing in the booth.” You replied gesturing to the enclosed space with the microphone and a stand of instruments.

Brushing off any other details you finally came to the only nameless individual in the room with the only blonde head of hair.

“Owen.” The blonde spoke softly with his eyes nearly begging to leave your expression with the anxiety building. This was so new for Owen, and unlike anything, he had ever experienced before in his life.

“Take a seat.” You motioned towards the long couch against the wall opposite the recording booth. It was a plus that extended couch perfect for a short nap after a near all-nighter. Your studio was the only one with such a good sofa.

“I’ve worked with Kenny on his Descendants series with the cast along with strictly only musicians. I say this with respect with Kenny, but if you don’t respect me or my process, I won’t hesitate to end this. It’s in the contract.” You sternly told the young individuals, “That being said. Your voice is an instrument that needs to be cared for. You need to be careful with it.”

The vocal coach dove into a more detailed list of the items not to be ingested by actors. The same thing happened with every new client you met after the horror film of a massacre a few years previous. As they went over, you looked over the schedule.

The binder was thick with the different songs in the series with jot notes in the margins. Kenny sat in the other chair, looking at them.

“So, Jeremy is the only one with experience?” You questioned glancing up at your elder with a look of curiosity. Kenny nodded with a fond smile, “Okay so let’s get his vocals for the first song recorded. That way, the others have a first-hand look at how it happens.”

Jeremy was quick to rid himself of his jacket to slide into the booth with the headphones resting on only one ear. In two hours, you had guided Madison and Charlie through their parts of this session. Your mouth opened to invite Owen into the booth but his demeanour concerned you.

“Kenny, how about we take a break for lunch?” You subtly guided Kenny to look at Owen before he quickly agreed.

Charlie was practically skipping out of the recording studio with his hands nudging Jeremy on his way out. Madison, led by her father, left right after leaving Owen to just about exit the room.

“Hey Owen?” You spoke, bringing the tensed young man’s attention, “Can you give me a moment?”

His head of thick blonde hair hesitantly nodded as Kenny followed the other cast members out of the room. Gently nudging the door closed you guided him to sit on the couch with you stationed in the office chair.

“First time recording is a bitch of pressure. I completely understand because I’ve guided people and been guided in the booth.” You began leaning forward to meet his eyes, “I know as someone with anxiety it’s intimidating. Let me know. Whatever you tell me will stay between us.”

Owen was quiet, “I’ve done other projects. I’ve never had the opportunity to have a role as a drummer. I guess this is overwhelming.”

“How about you hop into the room, and we mess around with a song?” You questioned, “I can show you how I produce if you’d like.”

“I’d like that.” Owen’s lips curved just a fraction into a ghost of a smile with the tension in his shoulders melting.

For the next two hours, you spent time in the booth explaining the equipment’s role in the recording. After he gave a short lyric, you invited him to sit by the soundboard with you to walk him through it. All the while, you shared the pizza you had ordered for both of you.

 “I started in the business as background vocals for a few bands before I delved into my own career as a musician. I believe I was about seventeen when I got to be part of people getting the songs ready for fans. I fell in love and find it more fun behind the soundboard.” You informed the blonde listening to a recent song you had finished.

“This is insanely cool. I think I’m ready to record my parts.” Owen admitted playing with his fingers. In response, you typed out a quick message to Kenny, bringing the other people back after a long break.

As much as you would have loved creating the soundtrack, it wasn’t possible with your other commitments. Leaving the work in Alana’s capable hands, you had been packing for your visit to the UK for performing the song with Little Mix. Owen, having the day off, had found himself in your apartment as he had for the last few weeks.

“Do you really have to go?” Owen whined, staring at with his head tilted back on the couch. Lips pursed in a pout and blue eyes shining sadly.

“As much as I would adore falling for that look, we both know I have to.” You admitted dropping packing to snuggle into his side, “What’s up with you lately?”

“What do you mean?” He questioned, rolling his head on the back of the couch you look at you. From the position, he couldn’t see your face, but that didn’t stop him from staring.

“It’s hard to describe, but you get flustered when certain songs come on. You’ve been ditching the cast to spend time with me.” You listed off, staring off into the distance, “You got Charlie to drive in the opposite direction of your work to pick me up.”

“What kind of songs?” Owen inquired with one arched eyebrow high. You shifted to stare up at the soft look in his pretty blue eyes.

“It was some duet from that tv series about the High School Musical films…” Your sentence trailed off as everything clicked, “You have feelings for me.”

“Thought it was blatantly obvious. I danced with you in the rain at midnight while I sang to you. I think that’s the most obvious action.” Owen chuckled brushing a strand of hair behind your ear as he took in the startled expression

Owen had walked you home after a late recording session with the cast talking each other’s ear off with different subjects. His hand had slid into yours as he tugged you into the ice cream shop on the way; a scoop each. His eyes glued to every move you made with passion behind every single word.

“-they came to me about a song. It’s a surprise for Kenny, I suppose.” Your one holding the ice cream cone nearly went flying with the motion you made. Your other clasped in Owen’s without even realizing it.

“So, it’s the last song you’ll be helping us on, right?” Owen asked halting to toss the napkin from his cone in the closest bin. You followed suit while intertwining your fingers back together.

“The girls want to do a short little radio tour to promote the single. It would be a month most likely to brainstorm new ideas for songs. We’ve all agreed to collaborate in the future.” You informed the nineteen-year-old. He was a year and a half younger than you.

“When-”

Your sudden squeal cut him off as the sky opened up to a sudden pouring of rain on the two of you. Had you not been so focused on the conversation you would have seen the cloudy sky and the light drizzle of rain.

“Whoa!” Owen laughed, tugging you into his arms in a complete act of spontaneity. His voice softly singing one of your favourite songs.

As he twirled you around in the rain, he serenaded you with Edwin McCain’s song ‘I’ll Be’ unapologetically sharing a piece of himself. It seemed the universe took pity on the male by allowing him to dance smoothly with his friend.

“This is my favourite song.” You giggled as he dipped you with one of your legs in the air. The joy in your features melting the actor’s heart.

“You’ve been playing it every day for the last week.” Owen beamed, leaning his forehead on yours as he trailed off the end of the song, “I’ve memorized every lyric in it.”

With rainwater dripping down your nose the words settled in your mind cementing something you had been only slightly aware of. Playing that song often meant one thing: you had deep feelings for someone.

The someone being Owen Joyner.

“I’m kind of stupid.” You snorted turning to wrap your arms around his neck, “I’ve got no doubts I fell in love with you in that dance.”

Owen’s grin preceded a toe-curling kiss that was the first of many that would happen.

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[maplecornia]

Namjoon

𝔞/𝔫: this will be in Namjoon's POV

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 2.85K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne | @rae-bear | @mangminnie | @pixiekooo | @cana

My hands flying across the keyboard, I have no room to think about anyone or anything else other than my work. I have no intention to think about anything else.

I've heard it said that there are those with a wasteland in their minds. They are constantly searching for something to give their life meaning, but everything they find isn't good enough. They are constantly trying to break the last record, find a new tune, discover another song to play in their hearts. They can never rest, they never want to rest for if they did they would lose their minds.

Pulling away from the board, I find that I'm shaking. My eyesight is wavering, I can't even think straight.

Am I the same as those lost?

Sighing, I hold my head in my hands.

What am I doing? I have no time to be worrying over things that don't matter. My gaze drifting, I notice a coffee cup on the table beside me, along with a small bag of snacks resting against it. Mildly amused, I stand to investigate, and find a note tied around the bag. Pulling on it, I blink in surprise at the neat but shaky Hangul written there.

Namjoon, I'm not too good at writing in Korean just yet so I hope that this is understandable.

This is a coffee cup, but if you need some water or an energy drink, I placed some beside your bag. This is a little bag of leftover snacks I found at the vending machine.

I'm sorry I couldn't find something better than this, but I hope it's enough for a small pick me up.

Please remember to get some rest tonight, I don't want you working too hard.

-Yen

I don't realize I'm crying until a tear runs from my cheek and lands on the small slip of paper. Surprised, I frantically dry the tear from the paper before holding it close to my chest as though it were my only comfort. The tears continue to run down my face, and I fall to the floor almost sobbing as unexplainable emotions surge through my body. Too fast and too many at once for me to be able to understand.

"Why...why are you so kind?"

Does she even realize the effect she has on my heart? The way she tears and turns it as though it were nothing? She doesn't even have to think twice about her actions. She doesn't do these things to gain something from me, in fact, she expects nothing, and yet...

She makes me want to give her the world.

.

.

.

"What are you talking about?"

Jaejin smiles at the question, almost as though he were dealing with a child who didn't want to let go of their parents on his first day of school. Scoffing almost, I fold my arms in indignation. Since when was I the child in this relationship?

"It's quite simple hyung, I'm going to be away for a couple of months. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal?!" Reaching forward, I stop him from packing. He looks up at me, a bit surprised. "Jaejin, need I remind you of your position? You can't just leave whenever you see fit. There are policies, systems set in place, responsibilities you have to uphold."

Jaejin rolls his eyes before politely removing my hand from his stuff.

"Namjoon, you didn't think I knew? I've already taken care of everything."

As he pulls away, rummaging in his desk for a pen and sticky note, I stare at him dumbfounded. He's leaving, isn't he? Just when I've come back, now one of my closest and most trusted friends is leaving me behind. Scolding myself, I try to push the feeling of being betrayed to the back of my mind.

Jaejin has a right to pursue his dreams, I shouldn't hold him back. This isn't something to be upset over, I should be happy for him, I should support his decision.

But I don't want to say goodbye.

He must've noticed my expression, for when he next speaks, I can tell his words were meant to comfort me.

"You know, you're going to love Yen."

"Yen?"

"That's the person coming in to replace me."

I stare at him, not wanting to believe his words. He's having someone come in to replace him as my manager? How can he expect someone I don't even know to replace him at my side? Just how long is he planning to stay away?

Almost sensing my discomfort, Jaejin turns to me and places his hand on my shoulder. "There's no reason to worry. Yen will do an amazing job, okay?"

"How can you be so sure?"

At my question, he gets this faraway look in his eye and beckons for me to join him as he settles down in one of the chairs set up at his desk.

"Yen is someone special, you'll probably notice that as you get to know her." I open my mouth to ask him how, but he holds his hand up, already foreseeing my immediate response. I roll my eyes at the gesture, understanding his point and shutting up.

"I'm not just saying this as her friend, she's someone who I think will help you a lot. Though she might not think she's qualified for the job, and she may doubt herself every second of the way, she will try her hardest to be the best she can be." Watching him talk about her, almost as though she were the thing he treasured the most on earth, both confuses and intrigues me. What is she, perfect? No person is, so what's the difference with her?

"Yen is the kind of person who speaks to others through their emotions. She knows when you're sad, angry, tired, she can see it all through a few gestures. With a simple look your way it's as though she can see all the hidden secrets of your soul." In his wistful eyes, I wonder about the history between the two of them. Missed chances, unspoken words, regrets, do they have any of those? The way he talks about her, I don't think they are merely just friends.

"My point is, she'll take care of you. You don't ever have to be afraid of losing yourself when she's around, because she'll always bring you back."

.

.

.

Holding the note in my hands now, the way it feels almost as though she were there right beside me, holding me as I shake from all the built-up pain and frustration, I realize that Jae is right.

She's always there, helping me, supporting me. She gave me a reason to continue, she showed me that I didn't have to take care of everyone all the time. She reassured me that I wasn't alone, that she would stay beside me no matter what happened.

.

.

.

"Your music changes with you, don't you know?"

As she sits across from me, her wide eyes piercing mine with their deep stare, I try to make some sense of her words. Yes, I understand that music changes, but what does that have to do with me and my struggles? I'm afraid I don't love making music anymore, and this is what she responds with?

She smiles almost understandingly at my perplexed expression, and I quickly hide it, unaware I was being so obvious.

"Namjoon, maybe the reason why you feel so trapped is not that you don't love music anymore, but rather because you're trying to recreate something from the past." My eyes widening at the thought, I pull away from the soundboard. Was that what I was doing? Trying to recreate a past sound when the sound inside has already changed?

"Music grows as you grow, it flourishes the same way. Maybe in order to find yourself again, you have to let go of what your music used to be." Turning to her, somehow I know she sees the pain and the fear reflected in my eyes.

What if who I am now isn't good enough? What if this person isn't worthy of his title? What if I've become what I've always been afraid of?

Nothing.

Reaching forward, she takes my hand into her small ones and smiles warmly my way. A smile meant to calm me down, a gesture meant to calm the storm that threatens to rise in my chest.

"That doesn't mean you have to forget, it doesn't mean you have to say goodbye. It just means you have to move on, and grow as you've done before. If there's one thing I know, it's that you are good enough. You are worthy of their love, you are worthy of everything you have ever accomplished."

She smiles somewhat cockily as her eyes locked with mine, almost making me forget my doubt.

"Now, you just have to prove it to them once more."

.

.

.

She taught me what I was doing this for, reminded me why I love music, why I chose this path. It was her light, her passion that showed me the way.

Raising myself off of the ground, and pocketing the note, I turn back to the computer. Back to my work. Wiping my tears, I sit down taking a deep breath before resuming.

I won't let her down.

note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAMJOON! I hope you have a great birthday, and continue to be the amazing leader you have been for the longest time! I'm looking forward to the day where we can see you again.

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Habanero

You're a good girl, well behaved.

Absolutely not the type to rail random guys in nightclubs.

Until you are.

Fandom: BNHA

Pairing: Aizawa x Reader, eventual polyamorous Erasermic x Reader

Rating: This chapter is Gen, no smut at all. 

Trigger Warnings: None in this chapter.

AO3: Here | Want to support me? I have a Kofi

Chapter: 3/16 (all chapters)

“Good evening, Listeners! It’s 7PM on this fine Wednesday night and I hope you all are doing a-o-kay!”

Hizashi leaned back from his mic and pressed the cheer button on his soundboard.

“Tonight it is my absolute pleasure to announce a brand new segment to our show! I have a guest in my studio tonight. Please raise your hands, paws, flippers and/or wings for (Name), my lovely colleague from UA!”

He waved to you and you leaned forwards towards your own microphone.

“Pleased to meet you everyone,” you said, Hizashi clapping boisterously in the background. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“Cute, so cute!”

His excitement was contagious and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“(Name) is a very special guest,” he said, pushing the ‘ooooo’ button on his soundboard. “She’s the guidance counsellor at UA. (Name), why don’t you tell the listeners a little about what you do?”

“Well, the welfare and wellbeing of our students is of course our top priority at UA,” you said, “and so my role is to ensure these needs are being met. If they’re feeling pressured or struggling to find agency opportunities or simply unsure of their futures…”

“Of course,” said Hizashi. “Now, Listeners, (Name) has kindly offered up her time for this new weekly segment, which I’m going to call ‘Support Mic’. If you, my wonderful listeners, or anyone you know have a problem and require a sympathetic ear, please send them anonymously through my website or texting service and (Name) and I will advise to the best of our ability. Sound good, (Name)?”

“Yes!”

“Alright then, we’re going to take a short break and after that we’ll go through your submissions,” said Hizashi, bringing up the next song on his playlist. “If you can’t join us, please enjoy your evening, PLUS ULTRA!”

“PLUS ULTRA!” you echoed and Hizashi laughed out loud.

“So CUTE,” he cried out, before muting your microphones and playing music. He pulled off his earphones and you did the same, reaching for a glass of water.

You were now two months into your job at UA and the time had flown by. You had transformed your office into a space that felt more like your own and familiarised yourself with the names and faces of just about every student at the school. The previous guidance counsellor had been a woman in her eighties, retiring as opposed to taking on a new role and as a consequence your resources and day to day activities needed updating to reflect the modern climate.

None of it would have been possible without the help of your colleagues. Even Shouta, who had said at most half a dozen words to you since leaving your house, had sent the rather more vulnerable students in your direction.

The agony aunt segment was your idea and Hizashi only too happy to include it in his regular radio show, with the caveat that you bought him a beer the next time you went to the izakaya.

Truthfully, you didn’t expect very many requests to come in, so it came as a complete shock when you refreshed the website and found thirty had already arrived in the first two minutes.

“P...Plus Ultra,” you murmured.

━

Support Mic was only a half hour segment, but you could easily have gone on for so much longer. Hizashi had done nothing but coo over you since you left the studio.

“Waaah, (Name), you were a natural!”

You had been so very nervous before the broadcast. You’d expected to stumble over your words or get no questions at all. In the end you answered so many questions and talked so much that it felt like you had swallowed a bucketful of gravel.

“Thank you,” you said, packing up your purse, “for having me, I mean. That was a lot of fun.”

“Did you want me to drive you home? It’s getting late.”

“No, it’s fine, I don’t live far.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” said Hizashi, “see you to-morr-ow, sweet listener!”

You waved goodbye and continued up the street, reaching into your purse for your train pass, only for your blood to run cold when you realised it wasn’t there.

Shit

You rummaged through packs of tissues, chewing gum, pepper spray and more to no avail.

“Where is it,” you mumbled, grabbing your miniature torch and shining it on the contents.

You thought back to the last time you had seen it, when you arrived at work that morning. You had dropped your purse down on your desk when you saw Hizashi arriving and hurried after him to verify your studio appointment. It must have fallen out then and you sighed, turning the other way to go back to UA.

━

As a kid you had always been afraid of the dark. You were the one who squealed at ghost stories during sleepovers and had to hide your face during scary movies.

You liked to think that you had gotten braver as you got older, but that was far from true. You still didn’t like taking late night trains or watching horror movies with your friends. You definitely didn’t enjoy walking the empty corridors of UA.

Pull yourself together, (Name)...

It’s just the school. No one’s here. No one can-

Somewhere in the distance, you heard a door slam.

“Ofuckofuckofuckofuck,” you stammered, picking up your pace and rushing off in the direction of your office. Your shoes clattered against the hard floor and you were sure you heard a second set in pursuit.

You threw yourself into your office and closed the door behind you, immediately rushing to crouch under your desk. Someone, or something, hovered outside. You could practically see the newspaper headlines: Guidance Counsellor Found Dead in Violent Attack .

Every cloud had a silver lining, you supposed. You could see your train pass on the cabinet.

Whoever was outside your office rattled the handle and then stepped inside and you clapped your hands over your mouth to stifle any sound.

What could you do? None of the teachers were around and your quirk wasn’t suitable for fighting. Suddenly, you wished you had agreed to Hizashi walking you home. You took a deep breath, willing yourself to do something. You weren’t a teacher or even a pro hero, but you couldn’t sit by and do nothing.

But what could you do?

The intruder’s footsteps grew closer and you reached for your purse, frantically digging through it for pepper spray. Even if you couldn’t fight off this assailant, you could disable them just enough to get away and raise the alarm.

You tightened your grip on the can and released the cap with your thumbnail.

It was now or never.

You bolted out from underneath the desk with a screech and sprayed the intruder with a faceful of pepper spray, causing them to cry out in pain. You covered your face and ran for the door, only to fall flat on your face, arms and legs bound. You struggled against the bindings, rolling over onto your back to get a good look at your attacker.

H..hUH?

You didn’t know what you had expected, but you definitely couldn’t have predicted the sight before you. It wasn’t an intruder...it was Shouta and he was desperately rubbing his eyes and cursing. The material binding you was his scarf.

“Sh...Shouta?”

He paused, lifting an arm from his face and squinting down at you. He took in the sight of you, frozen on the floor with your arms and legs bound in place and sighed, returning it to its regular state.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, getting back to your feet, “I thought-”

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he snarled.

“I thought you were a villain!”

“That’s really not the problem here,” he said. “What are you even doing here?”

“I...I forgot my train pass,” you said, wringing your hands. “I’m sorry. I should have just bought a new one.”

Shouta continued to rub his eyes with a groan and you reached out for his arm.

“Come with me,” you said, “that’ll just make it worse.”

You weren’t a hero, but there was something you could do.

━

You guided him to the empty staff room and murmured yet more apologies as you turned on the lights. Shouta curled up on the couch, rubbing his eyes and cursing under his breath.

You stole glances as you ran a cloth under the tap, chewing your bottom lip and feeling more than a little bit guilty.

“Here,” you said, squeezing excess water from the cloth and walking back to the couch. “This should help.”

You knelt down beside him and dabbed the cloth over his eyes as gently as humanly possible, wincing at the sight of how red and puffy they had become. You’d never used pepper spray before and almost certainly used far too much.

Shouta groaned in discomfort the moment the cloth touched him, but remained perfectly still.

This was the first time you had been alone since the reset and you found yourself tongue-tied.

You had slept together twice now, yet you still found it difficult to read him. He was the human embodiment of still waters and you had no doubts that his innermost thoughts were as much of a tangled mess as your own. He was just better at hiding them.

The morning of the reset, you had given up on sleeping. You were unable to stop thinking about the man in your bed; the man you thought you would never see again but would have to see almost every day.

You hadn’t been able to sleep after that, instead putting in a load of laundry and getting an incredibly early start on breakfast. When Shouta rolled out of bed at 6am, you had washed and dried his discarded clothes and folded them on your bedside table, as well as putting together an enormous breakfast and fresh pot of coffee.

“So,” you had said as he rubbed his eyes. “The reset.”

“Yes,” he said, dragging on his shirt and giving it a confused sniff. “Tomorrow is day one.”

That was the last he said on the matter and the longest conversation you had had in months.

Until now, of course.

“Does it still hurt?”

You sat back on your heels and lowered the cloth onto your lap, watching as Shouta squeezed his eyes shut and then, very slowly, attempted to open them. He immediately seemed to regret it, for he flinched and began to squint.

“I’ll get more water, just a-”

You moved to stand up, only for him to take hold of your arm.

“Why would you try and confront a villain without help? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“I wasn’t going to fight,” you said. “I was going to raise the alarm.”

“Oh, and then what? You’ve exposed yourself to the villain without knowing what their quirk is. They could have set you on fire or gassed you or something.”

“I…”

You weren’t a student, he wasn’t your teacher, yet somehow it felt like being in detention.

“I don’t know,” you said.

“You need to be more rational in these things,” said Shouta, closing his eyes again. “Running head on into danger gets people killed.”

You were quite glad he’d closed his eyes. You couldn’t stifle the smile breaking out across your face.

He wasn’t angry at you at all. Stern, yes, though only out of concern for your safety.

“Good job I had a big, strong Eraserhead around to protect me,” you said, booping his nose with the cloth before getting to your feet. You expected him to protest, but he stayed silent, barely moving even as you ran the cloth under the cold tap.

“You’re not a pro hero,” he said.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then why are you here...in a school for pro heroes?”

You switched off the tap and squeezed excess water from the cloth.

“Are you questioning my credentials, Professor Aizawa?”

“Not particularly,” he said. “It’s important to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team.”

“You could have looked at my file, you know.”

“Too much hassle. I wanted to ask you in person.”

You returned to the couch, cloth in hand. You got the impression that this was a test. Perhaps he already had looked at your file and was suspicious of you as a result. You wouldn’t blame him in his position, given the nature of your quirk and role in the school. He cared about the students far more than he would ever let on.

“Well,” you said, dabbing his eyes. “It’s true I’m not a pro, but I do have a quirk. It’s not… a particularly conventional one, though.”

Shouta stayed silent, waiting for you to continue.

“My quirk is a lie detector,” you said. “I can force people to tell the truth.”

“How do you activate it?”

“I say a little phrase.”

“Show me.”

He squinted at you, watching your body language. You were familiar with this dance; people learning what your quirk was and immediately wondering if you had used it on them without them realising. You got the feeling it ran deeper with Shouta. He wasn’t as interested in seeing your quirk as how comfortable you were using it on other people. Were you the type to proudly abuse your power? Did you take it lightly?

In truth, you weren’t comfortable using your quirk. Not at all.

“Tell me,” you said, goosebumps breaking out across your skin at the activation. “What’s your happiest memory?”

“There was a roof,” he said, without a moment’s hesitation. “My friends were there-”

You chose that question as you had believed it would be harmless. The horror in his eyes as he realised what he was saying, though, made you wonder if you had made a terrible mistake.

He clamped his mouth shut, eyes shining red.

You realised your skin no longer tingled. He’d erased your quirk.

“I…I’m so sorry,” you said, immediately overwhelmed by guilt. “I didn’t-”

“It’s fine,” he said, closing his eyes. “I’ve given it back now.”

It wasn’t fine, though. You had seen enough to know that. You clenched your hands in your lap, all too aware of the water soaking your skirt.

“I’m sorry,” you said again, unable to think of anything more coherent.

“Answer my question,” he said, far more gently than the first time. “Why did you come to a school for pro heroes?”

You thought about the scars on his body; the flash of horror at what should have been his happiest memory.

“Because,” you said, “heroes are more likely to get lost.”

Shouta glanced at you out of the corner of his eye and you blushed, worried you had said something embarrassing. He reached down into your lap for the cloth and placed it on his face.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “You should go home.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, “I still have some stuff to do.”

“Can I at least make you some coffee?”

“Nah.”

You reached for your purse, albeit reluctantly, making sure to check and double check that you had your train pass. You couldn’t believe how much chaos it had caused.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything? I can get you some candy from the vending machine.”

Shouta had rolled over onto his side with his back to you and waved you away.

“Don’t think too much about it, just go.”

The school corridors didn’t seem so scary on your way out. The shadows didn’t seem quite so dark, nor your footsteps so loud. You were too distracted to truly pay attention, racking your brains for some way to make it up to Shouta. Perhaps you’d bring him lunch one day or make him his favourite snacks. Hizashi would know the kinds of things he liked to eat. You decided to ask him in the morning.

The lights were still on in the 1-A homeroom and you peered inside as you passed. From the looks of things, Shouta had been in the middle of marking. That wasn’t what drew your attention, though.

In his haste to leave the room and investigate the commotion, he hadn’t bothered to switch off the radio on his desk, instead leaving it to play to itself. Hizashi’s voice was more than a little distinctive and you knew within seconds that it was his show.

“ Now then, listeners, it’s time for our nightly poll! Tonight is a really difficult one, submitted by user rokstar88. When reborn into your next life, would you rather have no hair on your body at all or be completely hairy, like a yeti? Results are in after this short break.”

[skzsauce01]

In Fair Verona︱Chapter 10

Synopsis: Jisung knows he is the Romeo to your Juliet. He could wax poetry about you all throughout rehearsal and even a little after. Except Hwang Hyunjin is the one playing Romeo in the school play, not him. Jisung is just another tech crew member that you don’t know, but he’s determined to win your heart... by any means necessary.

Warning: violent thoughts

Word Count: 3.2k

Pairing: fem!reader x Jisung; fem!reader x Hyunjin

updates every Wednesday and Sunday @ 11 PM PST︱chapter list

Two household, both alike in dignity

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Opening night has arrived. Tech crew’s call time is 5:30 PM, and Jisung pulls into the parking lot just a few minutes later. The late afternoon sun is low in the sky, and he has to squint through the light when he runs up the steps to the auditorium. The entrance leading to the lobby is predictably locked, but he doesn’t have time to take the long way. He peers through the tiny window and sees nobody in the immediate vicinity. He pounds against the heavy metal door, hoping someone hears him. When no one shows up, he growls to himself and texts the tech group chat. No answers. Seconds later, you appear, walking by with a box of programs. He doesn’t want your help, but he doesn’t want to get a verbal lashing for being late either. Jisung hits the door again, and you almost drop the box.

“Y/N!” he shouts. “Open!”

With wide eyes, you quickly push open the door for him with the side of your body and go back to place down the programs. You’re dressed in the same shirt he is. While he normally would be delighted at this coincidence, he’s repulsed now, knowing that you stabbed him in the back a mere twenty-four hours ago. You don’t say hello to him, and he doesn’t either.

“Thanks,” he roughly says, avoiding eye contact with you.

You don’t say a single word back.

He swings open the door to the auditorium with more force than necessary, and it knocks against the metal trash can. He’s greeted by a song with a thumping bass and Chan’s rapping.

“What’s happening?” Jisung asks no one in particular. He’s glad that he hasn’t missed anything though. He settles down in a seat in front of the soundboard and watches different colored lights flash across the cyclorama. A couple of silhouetted bodies dance on stage.

“Felix found out two of the actors are dancers,” Changbin replies. “Chan wanted to play his new song, and Jeongin just went along with it.”

Jisung nods, but he doubts Changbin notices in the darkness anyway. Jisung himself can’t make out who’s who. Another figure later appears on stage and shouts in Mr. Gi’s voice, “What are you guys doing?”

The lightshow stops, and the music volume drops to a whisper. Felix, Hyunjin, and the guy playing Mercutio pause in the middle of their dance off. Hyunjin’s smirk is starting to slide off his face, and Jisung feels the sudden urge to drag the corners of his mouth down with barbed hooks. He would look a lot better if he had a perpetual frown.

Felix hesitantly offers, “Sound and light check?”

Mr. Gi lets out a short laugh before turning serious. “We’re going to run through tech now.”

Everyone springs into their usual positions, while the two actors return to wherever they were before. Jisung gives Hyunjin a sufficiently long glare as he walks out the side door. The real sound and light check then begins. Occasionally, the floor crew is needed to set up the stage and to practice for blackouts. Jisung envies Seungmin, who is assistant tech director. He gets to relax for the night.

Before the main doors open, pictures are taken, one of cast, one of crew, and one of everyone involved. Jisung doesn’t miss the fact that Hyunjin has an arm slung around you and that you’re twisting the silver ring on his finger. He looks around and, to his disbelief, discovers that no one cares. The very people surrounding the two of you are busy adjusting their hair and clothes while waiting for the parent volunteer to take the photo.

“3, 2, 1!”

Jisung snaps back to the camera with thinly veiled irritation. Another picture is taken, and the brittle smile he has on is threatening to break. There are calls for a funny picture, and while he normally would be excited, he wants to get away from you and Hyunjin’s public displays of affection. In the next picture, he and Changbin give each other bizarre looks and shoot finger guns at each other, while you and Hyunjin reenact one of your fake endings to Romeo and Juliet.

Disgusting.

During the play, Jisung does his best to stay attentive to Felix and Changbin’s calls. He’s more talkative in the comms now that he realizes what a waste of time the last two weeks were pining after you. He jokes with his friends, and he’s happier than he's been in days. He learns that the stage kisses are now real kisses, and Hyunjin doesn’t bother obscuring the action. Both the crew and the audience cheer loudly when they see it.

During your costume change, he boldly watches you shimmy out of your dress and observes your protruding spine when you bend down to pick up the fallen garment. If he throws one of the metal counterweights from the fly rail system at you, he thinks, you would drop dead.

So would any other person, but he gets a certain thrill when he pictures Hyunjin finding your crumpled up body on the floor. It’s all Hyunjin’s fault anyway. He would get what he deserved.

Strangely — well, maybe not — Jisung actually enjoys the play now. The death scene, which hurt him to watch before, is his favorite part. It’s a fitting ending, you and Hyunjin dying together after all the casualties you caused. He feels vindicated. When the main curtain comes down, he’s almost disappointed.

There’s a crowd of lingering people in the audience after the show ends and when the post-show music starts playing. While you and Hyunjin take (more) pictures with each other, your friends, and families after the show, Jisung once again sits in the row in front of the soundboard, taking in everything happening. Your friends have signs and flower bouquets, and you happily receive them all. Hyunjin momentarily disappears before coming back with a dozen roses for you.

“Romeo’s got game,” Seungmin, who has taken over photography duty, lowly whistles. He picks up his camera and snaps a photo.

Jisung grits his teeth and doesn’t say a single word. You place a shocked hand over your mouth before shyly kissing him on the cheek. There’s another click of the camera.

“They’re dating,” Ryujin announces.

“How do you know?” Seungmin asks. “And why didn’t we know about this news?”

“Yeji told me today when we were getting lunch, and it’s none of your business anyway,” she shrugs. “But it’s been pretty obvious they’ve been crushing on each other since rehearsal started.”

“Who’s Yeji?” Jeongin interrupts.

“Lady Montague, looks like Hyunjin?”

“Who’s Hyunjin?”

“Romeo?” she answers incredulously. “It’s been two weeks!”

“I sit back here and turn the lights on and off!”

While they bicker, the audience members still around slowly start leaving. You wave goodbye to your friends and promise to meet your parents in the lobby after you’re done. The ushers begin walking through the aisles to check for trash, and the actors go to the dressing room to change out of costume. Then Mr. Gi gives out the tech notes for the night.

There’s only a few critiques, and Jisung is satisfied that Felix can’t rib him for any mistakes. While notes are ongoing, you hand back two mic packs to Chan, explaining that one of them is Hyunjin’s. Jisung notices that you’re wearing the jacket you supposedly returned to Hyunjin. It’s unzipped and hangs loosely on your frame. It could have been his jacket there. Another shred of anger rips through him, and he looks away, no longer gritting his teeth but grinding. You prance to the classroom, and he hopes one of the lights falls from its fixture and lands you in the hospital.

After notes are finished, the tech director congratulates them all on a job well done, and they’re all free to leave. It’s late, and Jisung’s excited to go home. He spots your parents milling around the lobby, making awkward small talk with the drama students selling grams. You’re almost a carbon copy of your mother, down to the way her eyes widen when a new person enters the room. He politely smiles, and she returns the gesture like you would have last week. It’s another reminder of what he could have had.

He’s on autopilot the drive home. He rolls at least two stop signs, but there’s luckily no one around in those four way streets. He has an unfinished plan in his mind, and he desperately needs it to be complete. It was previously tailored for Hyunjin, so he makes a few adjustments to include you.

The rest of the night he spends researching online. The glow of his screen illuminates his face in the darkness and reflects off of his bluelight glasses. His back hurts from being hunched over for three hours, but his scheme is ready. As he shuts down his laptop, he stretches, enjoying the tension released from his shoulders and mind. He’ll sleep well tonight, very well.

—

The second show is the day after opening night on Saturday. This time Jisung arrives a solid twenty minutes before his call time. He’s been in a good mood all day; he woke up refreshed and energized, and he even made a quick trip to the local flower shop to buy a beautiful blue monkshood plant for his mother. He takes the long way to the auditorium, knowing that he’s likely the first tech crew member to arrive.

He passes by the green room and spots you eating dinner alone. There are other actors and extras nearby, but you’re sitting at a center table, scooping fried rice into your mouth. How pathetic. He can hear a sword fighting scene being rehearsed on stage, and he’s certain Hyunjin’s part of it. He wonders why you aren’t cheering on your Prince Charming. Surely, you like him more than your terrible, burnt rice. The old Jisung would have jumped at the opportunity to be around you, but the enlightened Jisung strides to the stage, unaffected by your charms.

He’s proud of himself. He feels no rush of rage when he sees you anymore, and when he sees Hyunjin stab Tybalt with a wooden sword, he’s calm. He walks to the back of the auditorium, where Chan has his own headphones on and Felix is furiously tapping his phone screen.

“You guys are here early,” Jisung remarks, taking Jeongin’s chair.

“Nothing better... to do,” Felix mumbles, clearly concentrated on whatever game he’s playing.

Chan is engrossed in his own world, bobbing his head to the music and drumming his fingers across the board. Jisung leans back in his seat and checks Hyunjin’s Instagram. As he expects, his latest post is a photo of you and him from last night. You hold the roses he gave you, and he has an arm around your waist. The caption simply reads, “Opening night.” Satisfied with his findings, Jisung turns back to the stage, where the actors are starting their fight from the beginning again.

As time goes on, he loses interest, and more of the crew starts arriving. Jisung later waits in the lobby, opening doors for anyone too lazy to take the long way around. He’s reading gardening forum posts about monkshood when you and one of the house managers come by with more programs, predicting how packed it will be tonight. He glances up momentarily before deciding to ignore you. He can’t help but feel a tiny bit of resentment when you try to meet his eye. Where was all that a few days ago?

“Hi, Jisung,” you cautiously greet, seemingly trying to dissolve the tension between the two of you. You still have that scared deer look though.

While the house manager gives him a curt nod and then disappears into the auditorium, you linger around.

“Hey,” he replies and leaves it at that. He’s over you, and he doesn’t want any reason to come crawling back.

“Opening night went well.”

“Yeah.”

“How many people do you think will come tonight? I think at least a hundred.”

“I don’t know.”

You try to continue the conversation — though it barely qualifies as one — and Jisung shuts down every attempt you make. He doesn’t want you anymore, not after you strung him along with your jokes and smiles and then ran off into the sunset with Hyunjin.

There’s a knock on the door, and he absentmindedly opens it for Yugyeom, who’s out of breath from running up the stairs.

“Thanks,” he manages to get out. “Have we started yet?”

“I think we’re about to,” Jisung answers. “Bye, Y/N.”

He opens the auditorium doors for Yugyeom and lets it swing shut after him before you have the opportunity to slip inside.

Fine. Maybe he’s still a little angry at you, but it would be insane to think that he would be completely over you after all the interactions he’s had with you.

He follows Yugyeom to stage right. While sound and lights are being tested, the floor crew waits patiently in the wings. Ryujin slides the hangers across the rack, counting the number of costumes, and Yugyeom makes sure all the props are in order. With nothing better to do, Jisung stands by him and watches as he rearranges the items on the table. He sees two chemistry tube looking containers, and he can’t help but reach for them.

“Do they actually drink this?” Jisung asks as he picks up a clear vial filled with green liquid. “And what is this?”

“Just colored water,” he shrugs. “And yeah, they drink it. Hyunjin asked if I could change it every day since he and Y/N use it as a water break on stage. He said Ms. Park was okay with it.”

Jisung remembers the vial Hyunjin drinks from in the death scene. He grimaces as he sets down the container, suddenly feeling contaminated.

“Water, but not coffee or something?”

Yugyeom shrugs again. “He said water. And also, water is free.”

“But not food coloring.”

“Ms. Park asked the culinary class for some. Wanna help me change out the water?”

Jisung looks around and sees that Changbin is scrolling through his phone, eyes glazed over, tuned out of what’s happening despite wearing a headset. “Sure. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

Jisung and Yugyeom take the vial of poison and Juliet’s sleeping draught. Apparently, you used that as a water break as well. Though Yugyeom asked him to help, Jisung does nothing but observe. It’s not like he needs the aid either; all he has to do is dump the water in the bushes, refill from a water fountain, and stir in a few drops of food coloring. The sleeping potion is a midnight blue, while the poison is a murky green. Neither look particularly appetizing, and he wonders how anyone would be able to drink either without feeling sickened.

When they return to the stage, Jisung goes back to his usual spot and continues waiting. In the meantime, he resumes reading about monkshood. Apparently, their roots are especially toxic.

The show that night goes well. He doesn’t know the exact number of audience members, but when he peeked past the curtain before the show began, he saw that at least half the seats were filled. During the death scene, Jisung pays close attention. Hyunjin’s back faces him, so he doesn’t know if he actually did drink it. He does get a good look at you, and he sees you kiss Hyunjin squarely on the lips with no hesitation.

At the end of the night, he waits by the soundboard for all the audience members to leave before tech notes can begin. The main cast stays around, talking to people they know and taking pictures with them. You don’t get any flowers this time, but a random girl with adoring eyes gives Hyunjin yellow and pink roses. There’s not a hint of jealousy on your face, and Jisung feels strangely irked by that. Hyunjin accepts the flowers sheepishly and shyly introduces her to you, his co-star and girlfriend. The girl’s expression falls, and Jisung empathizes with her. He’s been there before.

Seungmin’s snapping pictures, and he takes one of Hyunjin holding the flowers. “A potential love triangle?”

“No way,” Ryujin replies. “Hyunjin’s head over heels for Y/N.”

“Y/N’s Juliet, right?” Jeongin asks. Ryujin opens her mouth, but he cuts her off. “Right. She is.”

Felix chimes in, “Minho said that Hyunjin’s totally in love with her. They are cute together.”

The old Jisung would be outraged by those statements from his friends, but the new Jisung agrees with those remarks. Even he has to admit that the two of you make a pretty picture together. You and Hyunjin perfectly deserve to be with each other for the rest of your lives.

“Who’s Minho?” Jeongin expectedly asks.

“Mercutio,” Felix answers. “The other guy in the dance off yesterday.”

The gossip dies down when they notice you and Hyunjin heading over with your mics. Chan strikes up a discussion about the cast and crew dinner after the last show next week, and everyone immediately gets excited. Chan takes the mic packs from you two, and Hyunjin sticks around for a bit. He murmurs something to you, and you nod before leaving. Jisung doesn’t miss the nervous look in his direction, like you’re trying to work up the nerve to approach him. Jisung snaps his stare away.

“It’s at District 9 this time,” Jisung says, taking care to not include him. Hyunjin could have you, but he’s not going to let you take away his friends, too.

Chan groans. “Again? Their food sucks.”

“What’s at District 9?” Hyunjin says.

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting you’re new since you’re the lead. The cast and crew dinner. We all go to a restaurant and eat together after the final show,” Felix explains. “We usually go to District 9. Their food’s okay.”

“Their food sucks,” Chan echos.

“It’s not that bad,” Jisung counters. “You ate everything on your plate last time.”

“Because I was hungry! And because Jeongin ate my snack!”

“You let me have it!”

A side conversation starts up, and Hyunjin stands awkwardly at the side, not understanding the references and inside jokes. It’s petty, but Jisung wants Hyunjin to hurt as much as possible before next week when he won’t ever have the opportunity again. Mr. Gi finally finishes chatting with a colleague of his and starts tech notes. Hyunjin looks relieved to have an excuse to leave.

Notes are short, given that it’s a Sunday night and that they did well overall. They’re reminded that they have two more shows next weekend before they’re dismissed for the night. Jisung, feeling drained by all that’s happened, silently cheers before walking out to his car through the main doors.

Under the yellow streetlights, he sees you hold hands with Hyunjin as you make your way to his car. Hyunjin laughs at something you say and tucks one of the pink flowers from his fangirl into your hair so tenderly, Jisung has to look away.

Hyunjin is so in love with you, and you with him. It sickens Jisung to his core, but he has a remedy for this illness.

~ ad.gray

[excelsi-or]

25/10/18 - second date (woozi)

to a boy i love right now

w.c. 2k

October 24, 2018

October 25, 2018

“I’m gonna be home late,” she tells Seungkwan as she packs her bag.

“I heard,” he answers slyly.

When she looks up to figure out why he’s talking like that, she catches his cheeky look. “You heard me on the phone with Jihoon, didn’t you?” Her roommate is great besides the fact that he’s nosy as hell. She points an accusatory finger at him as she shoulders her bag. “Don’t tell me that I was talking loud.”

“I might have caught part of it when I got up to go get a glass of water.” He hands her an apple to make sure she’s not hungry through her first lab. “But I didn’t get the water and just left my door open a little.”

She rolls her eyes. “When are you going to get out of my business, Boo Seungkwan? Next thing you’re gonna say is you asked Hansol to talk to Jihoon for me.”

“Now why would I say that?” he demands, nudging her out the door.

Exhausted after her inorganic chemistry lab, she takes a deep breath and enjoys the scent of air instead of ammonia. She heads down the hall and glances at her watch. She’s tempted to cancel on Jihoon and head home to eat pizza on the couch with Seungkwan, but something tells her her roommate will yell at her if she bails. So she drags her feet across campus to the music building.

She texts Jihoon, but gets no reply. As she steps into the building, unzipping her coat, she stares hard at the map in an attempt to figure out where he could be.

At least until someone calls her name.

She looks over and sees Wonwoo with a winter coat and his backpack on. He looks as if he’s heading home.

“What are you doing here?” he asks. There’s a glint in his eye that she figures means that he knows already. “Looking for Jihoon?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“He’s in the studio, 207.”

“Thanks.” She takes the stairs up to the second floor and follows the signs. The studio door is open, a soft orange glow coming out of it. When she peers inside, she finds Jihoon sitting in a leather chair almost larger than him with headphones on. He’s sitting close to the monitor. There’s movement on the screen, which must mean he’s listening to something. When the movement stops, she knocks on the door.

Jihoon spins in his chair and then jumps to his feet. He quickly drops the headphones to his neck. “It’s 5:30 already?”

She nods slowly. “Am I interrupting you?”

“No, no.” Jihoon waves her inside. “Come in. Just lost track of time.”

“Wonwoo told me you were in here,” she says, taking a step inside. She looks around the studio. It’s bigger than she expected, a circular wood table sits in front of a small L-shaped couch. There are papers scattered all over it, three pop cans too.

“You, uh…” She lifts her eyes to meet his. “Coat.” Jihoon clears his throat. “It gets warm in here,” he finally says.

She has chills despite the fact that she’s sweating. A tell-tale sign that she’s beyond nervous. She probably could have guessed it at her fast heartbeat and clammy hands. But she does as he suggests, slipping out of her coat and tossing it on the couch. She makes a point of resting her backpack against the wall. Slowly, she unwraps the scarf around her neck and then finds she has nothing else to do but acknowledge Jihoon’s presence.

He studies her for a moment before pulling a spare chair next to his. “Sit. You came for music, I shall play you music.”

Tentatively, she sits. She takes in the keyboard (computer and piano), mouse, small soundboard, and another stack of papers in front of him. She scoots her chair closer so that she’s right next to him. Leaning forward on the desk, she catches the sound of him inhaling shakily.

Knowing that he’s nervous too steadies her nerves. She props her cheek in her hand. “You know you don’t have to show me anything if you don’t want to. We can just talk.”

Jihoon shakes his head, not meeting her eyes. He clicks around on his computer. “I told you I’d show you something.” A beat of silence passes. “And talking isn’t one of my… strong suits.”

“Hmm, that’s not what Jeonghan oppa said,” she says casually as she turns to face the screen. The cursor flies around the screen as he clicks rapidly through files before landing on something that he deems good enough.

“Before I show you this,” he finally turns to her, “what did Jeonghan hyung say about me?”

The orange glow from the lamp at the edge of the desk backlights him, blooming shadows on his face. Her eyes dart around in an attempt to soak in all his features. This is the closest she’s seen Jihoon. There’s a slight bump on his nose that gives it a tiny hook shape. Something, she realizes, is unnoticeable from the front.

Jihoon waits her out, allowing her to inspect his face. He hopes his ears were red before she came in from the heat in the room, because they’re definitely burning now.

Eventually she answers his question. “Just said that you like to be sneaky sometimes, which suggests you aren’t bad at talking.”

Jihoon snorts, the sound reminding her he’s human and not just an adorably talented human. “Was he talking about himself? Hyung’s the sneak.”

Chuckling, she concedes. “True, but I don’t know him to be much of a liar either.”

Jihoon tips his head. His eyes widen suddenly, which just endears her more. He tends to have a bit of an angry look on his face, but in the dim light of the studio, she’s noticed how animated he can be. “It’s probably from this one time we played Monopoly. I managed to convince him and Soonyoung to give me extra cash as a bit of pity money.” He smirks. “I won.”

She laughs. “That’s more cunning than being a good talker.”

“I’m still proud of that Monopoly play,” he says as he turns to the monitor again. “Headphones or no headphones?”

“You decide.”

Jihoon fiddles with the cord. “I like to hear what people are hearing so I get the reaction.” He takes the headphones off his neck and passes it to her. “But I don’t think I can handle a live reaction from you.”

She chuckles as she puts the headphones on. “I thought we agreed we’d tell each other what we like and don’t like.”

“This is too personal.”

She understands this and says nothing. She gets comfy, resting her arms on the desk and her head on top. She’s still tired from the day and the warmth of the room with Jihoon’s voice is making her dozy. Her eyes settle closed and Jihoon presses play.

The first piano trill sends a shiver down her spine, but then Jihoon’s voice eases her into the song. It’s higher than she would expect him to sing, but he has amazing control. His diction is clear, which she appreciates. By the second chorus, she finds herself humming along to the melody. It’s a ballad that could be a pop song if he added more drums.

The song slowly picks up with snares and a few bass drums, but nothing overpowering. His voice and the piano would be enough to make any girl swoon. Once the song ends, she sits up slowly. She’s in a weird place between sleep and wake and Jihoon can’t help but chuckle at her half asleep expression.

Gently, he removes the headphones from her ears. He’d heard her humming, had been surprised about how on key she was. “Asleep yet?”

She stretches her arms over her head and feels her spine crack. Slouching forward again, she smiles sleepily at him. “You have a sweet voice.”

There’s no way for him to hide the blush on his face now.

“Who’s it about?”

A slight downturn appears at the corner of his lips.

“Should I not have asked?”

Jihoon shakes his head. “It’s okay. I just… it’s about no one.”

“No one?”

The lyrics, from what she’d caught, were comparing a girl he loved to a winter night. But it was a different sort of winter night; it was the cozy feeling from so many people you love in your house during the holidays, the feeling of being pleasantly full after a good dinner, the soft glow of Christmas lights. She feels her stomach warm at the thought.

“Really?” she presses.

Jihoon rubs the back of his neck. “Believe it or not, I’ve never been in a real relationship before.”

“Oh.” She turns back to the screen where he’s begun clicking around again. “I didn’t know.”

Suddenly, he double clicks a file and it opens. She notes the 10 different parts on the screen. From what she can gather, there are no vocals. Jihoon leans forward to unplug the headphones and plays it. A more hip-hop beat fills the room, more bass, harder synth sounds, and something that sounds like a wooden block sticks out to her.

“Not the one I wanted,” he mutters. He closes the file and apparently finds the one he wants. Another file opens that looks very similar to the previous one except with one extra line. This one is less repetitive and takes up more space.

The one with the vocals makes the groove easier to fall into. She perks up when she hears a familiar voice. “Is that Hansol?”

Jihoon nods his head. “Part of our final project.”

She listens carefully. “Did he write the lyrics?”

“I wrote the chorus, but yeah. I tend to let them write the raps.”

Jihoon spends most of the night explaining to her how a song comes together. They listen to a few of his old songs, but eventually, he gets too embarrassed and refuses to play anymore. So she takes control of the keyboard and begins playing music that she likes. This shifts their focus to music recommendations.

While she enjoys tying her music to memories, she realizes that Jihoon really does struggle to convey his own emotions and stories the same way. Quickly, she learns to gently prod him with questions if she wants anecdotes.

By 10, it starts to hit them that they’re both hungry.

“How about we go eat somewhere and I walk you home?” Jihoon suggests.

“You don’t—”

“It’s late and it’s cold,” he insists as they get up. “The least I can do is make sure you make it home safe.”

Not for the first time, she feels as if her heart is going to burst. He’s sweet, sweeter than he’d let on at first. It had taken a lot of prodding to get him to talk about himself, but she’d managed to get a few stories out of him without prompt. He’s got a mix of humour that reminds her a bit of Hansol and Wonwoo mashed together.

He holds the door open for her and locks the room after she steps out. Once outside, he locks the building and she immediately feels the chill in her fingers. Before she can shove her hands in her pockets, Jihoon hesitates before catching her fingers to tug her after him. His grip loosens as they make it to the main path, palm to palm instead, his skin warm and soft against her calloused hand. “There’s this good bulgogi place off campus.”

“Okay.” She hurries a bit to keep up with him.

Jihoon seems to notice as his pace noticeably slows. “I room with Mingyu and am friends with a bunch of people taller than me. I had to learn how to walk fast,” he explains.

She chuckles, hyperaware of the fact that while he’s buried one hand in his pocket, the other seems content on holding hers. “No, this is good.”

Jihoon smiles, dimples denting his skin. “Good.”

Next: October 28, 2018

[danetobelieve]

It’s Party Time || Megan, Todd and Winston

When: before Megan Ariana got her name back. Who: @letsbenditlikebennett, @itsyaboytodd​ & @danetobelieve​ Where: an undisclosed college frat party Summary: Winston takes Megan (aka Ariana) to a frat party that Todd is playing at, everyone has a good wholesome time. Warnings: N/A

Nodding along to the beat, Todd pressed his fingers to the headphones around his ears, his other hand working the turntable. He could feel the beat pulsing through his shoes, the thrum of the party people getting more and more pumped with every song he dropped. It was fucking awesome. This was the shit he lived for. Sure, it was just a party for one of his old frat brothers, a party thrown because the local college students were bored and restless. But, it was still fun, just like all his other sets were fun. As the song began to end, he worked the soundboard, letting the mix come to an end to some cheers from the people who had gathered in the backyard where a dancefloor had been set up. “Alright, DJ DAYZE is stepping off for the night-- up next, RedStormz.” He said into the mic before setting about disconnecting his things and getting it all stowed away.

 Once he was all packed up, Todd pulled his sweat soaked shirt over his head and grabbed a couple of beers from the cooler outside before he wandered off to find Winston and the friend they’d brought with them. Catching sight of Winston, he grinned and hurried over. “Winston! Bud, I feel like it’s been fucking years since I’ve seen you!” Todd grinned cracking open a beer and taking a drink before looking at the small girl next to them. “You’re Winston’s friend…. Uhhhh, sorry, I’m totally blanking on your name. I’m Todd, aka,” He pointed at the bucket hat on his head and the logo emblazoned on it, “DJ DAYZE!”

If there was something Megan could always count on, it was Winston doing the most to try and cheer her up. With the amount of stress she was currently under, they had the right idea when they invited her to join them at a party. After all, they could both use a little bit of fun in their lives. As per usual, she had texted Blanche a picture of her outfit to make sure it matched. Apparently, she looked cute and so did Winston. While Winston’s friend had been DJing, the pair had grabbed some drinks and Ariana all but insisted they made their way to the dancefloor. As always, she was filled with energy and the booming of the bass compelled her feet to move. She’d been thoroughly enjoying the experience and was only slightly bummed a new DJ was taking over. Still, it meant she could meet another one of Winston’s friends. She waved as Todd approached and laughed. He was blanking on her name which was fitting because so was she right now. “You’re all good, dude. I’m Megan. I don’t have an AKA, but if you call me any variation of short, I will have to kick your ass.” 

It had been quite the month already. Winston hadn’t loved watching Blanche and Rio get love potioned, but that was done and now it was time for Winston to blow off a little steam. Ariana clearly needed it too, although they hadn’t been able to work out why she couldn’t remember her name. They were convinced it was fae related but these things took time to work out and for now she seemed like she needed the time off of the real world to just focus on how everything was working in her head. “Todd! Buddy it’s been literally forever.” They pulled their sweaty DJ friend into a tight hug and swallowed some of their own drink. They weren’t too drunk … yet. There was still time. But they were trying to keep on their best behaviour just in case they needed to step up to the proverbial plate. “Please no ass kickings tonight, let’s just all get a drink and have a good time.” Todd was a good DJ, apparently so was RedStormz. The bass thrummed and the room heaved to the beat of the music. Winston couldn’t help grinning. “Do we need more drinks? I can do drinks for everyone?” 

Face all smiles, Todd gave Winston a few good natured slaps on the back as he hugged them. It was so good to be hanging with one of their best buds! He hadn’t seen Ricky around town at all and with most of his old brothers having moved out of White Crest. They were all headed down their new career paths at “investment firms” and “law offices” and “medical school.” Meanwhile, Todd was still here, still DJing, still hoping for his big break. But, it’d come! Lots of people thought his music was great! Like the girl he’d met at that party, she thought his music was amazing! Oh-- he’d have to tell Winston all about this chick he’d been talking to. She was so cool.  “Nice to meetya, Megan. And hey, no ass-kickings needed. I’m a lover not a fighter. Gotta keep all this,” He gestured to his face, “Fresh for the ladies.” With a laugh, he held up his own beer. “I’m all good, thanks though.” Looking at Megan, he cast an easy going grin, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. You going to UMaine in the fall?” He asked. 

Already, this was turning out to be exactly what she needed. Between the upbeat music filling the space around them and being around good people, Megan was already letting go of some of the worries that had been plaguing her. “No worries, I was only joking about the ass-kicking,” she responded with a laugh. At the mention of more drinks, she perked up. The drinks they had started with had already left her face feeling a little flushed, but she was feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. “That sounds like a great idea, Win. I’m good with anything citrus-y.” Even though they were standing and chatting, she was swaying a bit to the music. It was a little bit loud given her sensitive hearing, but her hearing had the added bonus of still being able to hear what else was going on around her. If she paid attention, that was. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, wouldn’t want to ruin all of that, Ladies Man” She gestured to his face with a smirk present on her own. She nodded along with the mention of school, “Oh! So like, kind of? The trade school is attached to campus, but I’ll be doing a carpentry program there. What about you?” 

Winston grabbed everyone more drinks as Ariana AKA Megan discussed their various studying prospects. They weren’t really sure that they had the heart to tell Megan that Todd wasn’t technically a student anymore, he would be able to explain that on his own. It wasn’t that Winston was worried about Todd, it was more that Winston was worried for Todd. They knew that everyone had to work out their own way and how things worked for them individually, but Winston wasn’t sure what Todd was going to do if the DJ thing didn’t work out. “She’s really good too,” Winston replied, “like a DJ equivalent of a carpenter, whilst you’re realising bop after bop, Ari- I mean Megan is releasing various intricately carved pieces of furniture.” 

With an enthusiastic nod of his head, Todd smiled as he listened to Winston and Megan explain what she was going to be doing. Carpentry, making furniture and stuff like that. “That’s pretty dope, dude! You gonna be out here making like… the Mona Lisa of dressers or something? That’s lit!” At her question, he took a long drink from his can of Coors and shrugged. “I graduated two years ago, did a degree in music production.” He said and gestured to his packed up gear that was chilling off to the side while Redstormz did their thing. “I’m just kicking it here in White Crest til I get my big break-- if you liked my set, you should def check out my SoundCloud.” Todd said eagerly, pointing again to his bucket hat. “It’s just my name, there are a bunch of tracks I didn’t play tonight on there.” Todd gave a thumbs up. Never hurt to plug his music, but it did feel a little weird trying to market his stuff. He wasn’t good at the whole “selling yourself” side of music. He just wanted to make some jams that people liked, and fuel parties around the world. Or at least, around the state.

“Thanks,” Megan said cheerfully as Winston handed her a drink. She had to respect Todd really going after his music dreams. It wasn’t the easiest field to make it in, but she knew it was important to pursue something fulfilling. As much was why she opted for trade school over university. “I appreciate nature motifs a lot, so more like the Bob Ross of carpentry. Keep the whole happy little trees vibe,” she responded with a smile as she took a sip of her drink. “That’s totally cool that you’re in the music game for the long haul. Hope that big break comes soon. I’ll definitely be listening to your SoundCloud. I’m always looking for good stuff to add to my running playlists.” 

Grinning, Winston nodded, “No problem.” Everything that had gone on recently was getting to Winston, so they needed to blow off some steam and to Todd’s credit they always went to the best parties with him. He seemed to have a knack for it. So Winston was hoping that this would be a night to remember and in a good way. “It’s actually really good, I listen to a lot of Todd’s stuff at work, really good for like getting in the right headspace I guess.” Winston wasn’t lying either. Todd wasn’t bad at this by any stretch of the imagination. “I don’t run, because, asthma, but I imagine they’d be pretty good for that.” They turned and looked at Todd, pushing their glasses up their nose from where they’d slipped down. “You playing any more venues soon?”   

“Happy little trees, I dig it, I dig it.” Todd laughed and nodded at Megan. That was pretty dope though. The most he’d ever done was make the stickers and logos for his merch, and that was pretty basic stuff. A small rush of pride washed over him at Winston’s words. He had no idea that Winston listened to his stuff that consistently, but it felt good to hear that other people appreciated his stuff. Especially someone like Winston, who always seemed super on top of their stuff. “Yeah! My stuff is all about pumping people up. High energy, high intensity. A couple of my bros who work at the gym love listening to it, I’m really hoping they can convince their boss to let them play a song or two.” He said. Nodding sympathetically at Winston’s condition, Todd made a slight grimacing face. “That sucks, dude. But hey, like, as long as you’ve got your inhaler, you’re in the clear most days, right?” At the question, Todd balked and rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, not yet. Just playing at Friction, usual gig. But! The Todd Man’s had some luck in other departments.” He said, practically bouncing up and down on his heels. “I met this awesome chick. She’s so cool, dude, she totally supports my music career!”

Megan nodded along as Winston spoke and noted she’d definitely need to download his songs off soundcloud. Supporting a friend was always nice, but a good playlist could really help her zone out during a run. Lately, zoning out seemed to be more and more necessary. She threw back another swig of her drink before responding, “Between Winston’s rec and how much I enjoyed that set, I’m pretty sure my running playlist is about to get even more dope.” She shrugged slightly and added, “Running isn’t for everyone. I’ve just got too much energy for my own good like 90% of the time.” Todd had a good energy about him. He was very upbeat and seemed to be a genuinely good dude. She considered any friend of Winston’s a friend to her, even Rio, though right now she’d very much like to smack Rio. Nope, tonight was supposed to be a good night. No thinking about Rio. “Pumping people up, that’s pretty awesome of you. I like that. Right up my alley.” Megan noticed the slight change in demeanor, but for once, decided not to point it out. The alcohol was definitely starting to have its effect as she nodded along. With a wide grin, she assured, “Well, I’ll definitely be hitting up any future sets you do. I’ll be the one rallying everyone to the dancefloor.” At the mention of meeting an awesome woman, she smiled. While her own love life was an actual disaster, it was refreshing to hear someone was having luck out there. “A dope chick? Good for you, man. My luck in that department is not a lot so do dish.” 

Ariana had a way of making everything sound better, happy little trees being just a single example of it. “Oh dude, that would be some dope exposure.” Winston was thrilled that things were apparently going so well for Todd. They felt kind of guilty that they had neglected their ‘normal’ friend. But when you’re constantly trying not to die because of supernatural bullshit, when you’re constantly trying to work to stop White Crest from imploding and everything else that had happened in the past few months. From witches to vampires to zombies to werewolves. Well remembering to pay your friends who have no idea about any of it attention is always difficult. It’s difficult to prioritise them in the same way and Winston felt like Todd was owed better then that. But they could always make up for that, right? “Oh yeah, I’ve always got my inhaler with me,” Winston replied patting their jacket pocket where it was indeed kept. “Oh hell yeah dude, I’m so pleased that you’ve got a girl who’s interested in the T-man. She obviously got good taste, especially if she supports the music!!”  Winston’s mind flashed to Rio and to their brief engagement to Blanche. Not their favourite memory ever but they pushed it away. “You comfortable telling us more about this woman of mystery or are you keeping it on the D.L for now?” 

This Megan chick was cool. Like, super cool! How’d Winston meet someone this dope? Not that Todd didn’t think Winston was cool in their own way-- they were so fricking baller with their coding stuff and explaining math to him back in their tutoring days. But, Megan seemed athletic, more of a people person, which was a different kinda cool from Winston. “Yeah! You’ll definitely have to let me know how you like it.” He said with an enthusiastic grin and a wave of the hang loose gesture at her. At Winston’s wholehearted support, Todd’s face almost hurt he was smiling so much. But, he waved their words away. “We’re trying to like keep it chill right now, just because like, she’s kind of a cougar? So like… we’re just on the DL. But, damn, she’s so cool. Like, seriously, she’s amazing.” At Megan’s words, he offered a sympathetic nod before tilting his head back to chug his beer. “That sucks, dude. I get what that’s like though. Dating is hard. Like, sometimes people are just too busy for it, ya know?” He chattered as he took another sip of beer. “One time, there was this super hot chick I chatted up at a bar. And like, we went back to my place and I totally thought we were gonna hook up. But, when we got inside, she was like “oh no, I’ve gotta go!” and had to leave to take care of some stuff.” Todd shrugged. “So, like, I feel you bro. Seriously.” 

It was comforting for Megan to know that Winston always had their inhaler on hand. Given they were pretty damn responsible so it made sense. She and Winston both eagerly listened along as Todd told them about the dope new chick he started seeing. While the cougar thing was a little odd to Ariana, especially given how young and full of energy Todd seemed to be, it was awesome he had someone who was supporting his passion for music. Dating wasn’t necessarily her arena just yet, but she knew it was important to have someone who supported who you were and your dreams. There was something almost familiar in the way Todd spoke, but as she took another sip of her drink, she gave up on trying to place it. “That’s awesome, dude. She sounds hella cool and supportive. I hope you two continue being happy together,” she responded with a wide grin. She shrugged at the brief focus on her own love life. “Yeah, I’m not too worried about it. I’ll eventually find someone that’s right for me.” It was hard to shake the feeling that she already had but he was in grave danger. The thought was enough to make her finish off her drink. “Damn, that’s a buzzkill, but sounds like you found someone better anyway,” she added with a loopy grin. 

Winston wasn’t sure that any women older then the age of 25 years old would particularly like being called a cougar, they also seriously questioned whether Todd being with a cougar was a smart idea. But in this they had to trust their friend. Even if his judgement hadn’t been entirely perfect in the past. “Oh that is  ….” Winston tried to think of the right word, failing that they went with the easiest, “really cool. I’m super happy for you. Dating is always kinda shitty if you’re not with the right person, I’m glad it’s going so well.” Winston wondered if this super cool chick would’ve bounced so quickly if they’d gone back to her place, Todd’s place was incredibly … frat. “It’s a harsh world out there, you’ve got to protect your heart.” Literally apparently. Metaphorically too. It was, well White Crest seemed to be getting more and more complicated by the day. Winston was starting to really struggle to keep up with it all. “And, you know that there’s no rush right, sometimes spending time on your own helps you realise what you really want from something or someone or whatever,” Winston was sure that being single for 24 years must have done some good for them. Though they weren’t entirely certain what that was.

Grin still plastered on his face, Todd could barely contain how pleased he was. Winston was in their corner on this, which was like, one of the big seals of approval in Todd’s book. He really wanted to introduce her to his friends one day, but she’d been really like, insistent that they keep things chill and under the radar. And he could totally do that! But, still, he wanted to make sure his buds knew. And that included Megan now! She was a super dope chick, with her cool furniture Bob Ross gig lined up. “Thanks, forreal!” He beamed, though the expression faltered slightly at Winston’s words. Spending time on his own? Nah… No, he didn’t dig that. Like, outside of when he was working on his new tracks, being on his own-- that wasn’t something he wanted. He wanted to be where the people were, putting his fingers on the pulse of what was going on around him. Draining the last of his beer, Todd flattened the empty can against his head before chucking it into the overflowing trash can nearby with a cry of, “Kobe!” Looking at Megan, he offered two thumbs up, “You’ve got time, dude. Like Winston said, nothing wrong with being on your own for a little, ya know?” He said before tilting his head at Winson, “What about you, how’s things been going for you?”

Tonight had turned out to be exactly what Megan had needed. Between the loud music, her friends, and the fuzzy feeling the alcohol left her with, all of her stress seemed far away from her now. It was nice to hear that Todd’s love life seemed to be treating him well. She hoped the same was true for Winston and Rio now that the love potion was no longer a thing. With Ace in the back of her mind, she refused to truly contemplate her own love life. “You got the harsh part right on that one,” she said with a laugh. “Everyone has their own timeline though,” she added with a shrug. Her own timeline was a little behind most, but she spent so much time moving around it had been hard to form close bonds. Things were different now. She still wanted someone who could accept her fully-- wolf and all. Anything else seemed not worth it. As Todd threw his beer into a trash can and yelled out Kobe. She followed up with her own drink, “This bitch empty. YEET!” Her empty cup was now on top of the trash can and she turned to Winston so she could listen as they answered Todd’s question. She was curious for the answer as well. She hadn’t been over the house as much since she’d been mad at Rio. 

Whatever happened in their life, Winston had to admit that they would be grateful to have Rio in it for just as long as he stayed in their life. The potential loss of Rio was not something that they wanted to discuss, but it wasn’t a thought that they relished. “Uh, yeah, i’ve got a boyfriend right now, my friend, well I guess boyfriend Rio, or Orion, I don’t know if he introduces himself to everyone as Rio but…” Winston couldn’t help but smile, Rio was the best, “he’s great, he really makes me feel … I don’t know, what I assume that you’re meant to feel when you’re in a relationship but yeah he’s special to me.” Winston grinned at Megan or Ariana or whatever they were calling her. “I guess I’m just really lucky.” 

[brianc521]

Mendes Recording Co. | Imagination

“You did not just do that!” Y/n shrieked as Shawn ran away laughing.

He did actually just swipe a generous amount of blue paint across her back, soaking her ratty white shirt and her skin.

“You’re gonna get it!” She calls, chasing after him with the paint bucket.

“No, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He yells back, running to the booth to get away from her.

“Get back here Shawn!” She yells, laughing as she tries not to trip over the plastic mats they put down to save the floor from the paint.

They’re both laughing, running around trying to get the other, not hearing the knock and entrance of a young man.

“Mr. Mendes?” He peeks his head into the booth, where the young team is laughing loudly.

Shawn looks up, shock covering his features at the new face in the building.

“Yes?” He clears his throat.

The both of them quickly standing straight and taking deep breaths.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” The young man waves between both Shawn and Y/n. “But I saw the sign,” He points back over his shoulder towards the front of the building. “You’re a recording studio?”

“Yeah,” Shawn nods quickly, “Well, we will be,” He smirks to Y/n.

“Are you interested?” She pipes up, setting her painting tools down.

“Yeah, I kind of sing a little,” He shrugs.

“What’s your name man?” Shawn asks, setting his paintbrush down as well, as Y/n rushes to the front where her new desk is.

“Niall,” He shakes Shawn’s hand. “Niall Horan.”

“Okay,” Y/n rushes back into the room with her calendar. “Are you free Monday?” She asks, looking between the two boys.

“For?” They both say at the same time.

“A session?” She says confused. “I’m sorry, did I read this wrong? Are you not interested in giving it a shot?”

Niall stutters, “No of course I am.”

“So Monday then?” She grins, Shawn’s eyes bugging out from behind Niall.

“Yeah, Monday,” Niall nods, stepping closer as she starts writing something down. “H-O-R-A-N.” He spells out his last name as she pauses, looking up at him.

“Okay, we’ll see you at 11 am then.” She smiles.

“Thank you, both so much.” Niall nods, politely waving to both Shawn and Y/n as he leaves.

Shawn stares at Y/n, listening for the door to close.

“Did that just happen?” He asks in shock.

“Yeah I think it did,” She laughs, stopping as she look up. “We have to get to work, seriously.”

Shawn blanches, “Oh fuck,” He looks around. “It’s,” He gasps, “It’s Friday,” He looks at her with wide eyes. “We have 3 days to get this place ready!”

“Then let's get started?” She cringes as she shrugs.

“Okay, um I’ll start on the new sound board, if you wanna keep painting?” He suggests.

“Sure,” She nods, quickly noticing that the fun playful Shawn was out the window now and that he was back to business.

He notices her mood change as well. Not liking the way her smile dropped from her pretty face. “Hey,” He whispers.

“We’ve got work to do!” She picks back up, scooping up her calendar and turning.

“Y/n,” He stops her.

She turns to look at him, watching a smile crawl across his face. “We have our first customer!” He grins.

“That we do.” She nods.

“Thank you,” He hums, digging his hands into his pockets. “For jumping in and setting up the session and for, you know, being here,”

“Shawn,” She shakes her head. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He grins, ducking his head and turning to go into his office to set up the soundboard.

**

Come Monday morning  the place looked brand new. When the team of Shawn and Y/n needed to get shit down, they got shit done.

The front room was completely painted, and decorated with vinyl records just like Shawn wanted. Those couches he spoke about sat like a waiting area across from Y/n’s brand new desk.

She organized her area, bringing in her own binders, files and office supplies from her home. She hung the big calendar on the wall beside her desk, and left the rest of the walls empty so they could add pictures the more they recorded.

Shawn had the new soundboard ready and tested with his own track. He was able to buy the old piano from the local church, promising himself and Y/n that the money they spent from the company budget for the piano would be put back the second they started making something. That was his first bill to pay.

They both were sleep deprived, and longed to go home to their beds, but it was 10:55 am and Y/n was just flipping the lights on and sighing as everything worked.

“Thank god,” She whispered, blessing her brother in law that came in the day before to fix some electrical issues they were running into.

“I think we did it,” Shawn cheers walking into the booth after watching her turn the lights on.

“Let’s hope, because” She turns to look at the door opening. “He’s here.”

Shawn smiles, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Let’s go.” She grabs his hand, shocking the both of them as she pulls him to the front.

“Niall!” She cheers, welcoming him in the studio.

“Wow,” He looks around at the newly decorated entrance.

“Looks good eh?” Shawn side steps, offering a hand for Niall to shake. “Y/n deserves all the recognition, she did it all.”

“Not true,” She slaps Shawn’s arm. “Are you ready?” She asks Niall.

“I think so?” He looks down to the guitar in his hands. “I invited a few of my mates, or well my band?” He asks nervously.

“Of course!” Shawn nods, looking over at Y/n with wide eyes.

They only had the two microphone’s. One for the singer and one for the instrument.

“I think today,” Y/n slides in to save the day easily. “Shawn’s just gonna listen, to hear your sound, and see what he might be able to do with it. And then the next session we might start recording?”

“Sounds perfect,” Niall nods quickly.

Shawn sighs, thanking the lords he found Y/n, and that she can jump in right when he was falling apart.

The sound of car doors closing causes everyone to look towards the window.

“Those are my mates,” Niall steps out to help bring in some guitars.

“Go get the room ready!” She mutters to Shawn, pushing him to the booth.

“Right,” He looks at the room and back to her. “Thank you,” He leans down and kisses her cheek before going to the booth.

She gasps and stands dumbfounded alone, cheeks blushing bright red as the group enters.

“Welcome you guys!” She smiles, ushering them all to the booth, allowing Shawn a moment to introduce himself and explain the process for the day. She ducks out, back to the front reception, taking a seat and checking her emails from the local radio stations.

One new email standing out like a prize at a carnival in her inbox.

Her whole demeanor drops, the excitement of the day squashed by the simple and rude response. She takes a deep breath, flinching as loud laughter booms from the booth. Looking up she notices that the door is still open.

Shawn’s laugh is softer than the bands’, but she can hear it loud as day, and it makes her smile and giggle a little.

She stands, straightening out the front of her shirt, making her way to the door, trying to, but failing, go unnoticed as she pulls the door closed.

Shawn looks up at her shadow, from his relaxed position on the piano bench. When he notices her trying to leave, his eyes widen.

“S’cuse me Miss,” He speaks up, making Niall and his band around him look over their shoulders at the young girl who’s been caught.

She looks up with wide eyes, blushed cheeks and a sheepish smile.

“Coffee?” She asks, assuming her assistant role is going to play out a little.

“Um no,” Shawn shakes his head.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, and she fiddles with her fingers nervously as she awaits his direction.

“Come take a seat,” He pats the empty spot of the bench next to him.

“What?” She sputters out.

“Come on, the boys are telling me about this song they’ve been working on,”

He tilts his heads in a beckoning and she slowly and cautiously makes her way towards him, taking the seat next to him and awkwardly looks at Niall and the band.

“Got a verse we can hear?” Shawn asks, making Niall’s eyes widen as he turns to the band to get ready.

“Shawn what are you doing? I should be out front, what if someone comes in,”

“Honey, be honest, it’s our first day, no one’s coming in.” Shawn shrugs. “I want your help, I told you that we’re in this together. What are you gonna do out there, when you could be producing in here?”

“I could be responding to that douche-pants’ email.”

“Who?” Shawn spits, protective over her.

“Oh I emailed a local radio station yesterday, hoping to maybe start some conversation with partnering? So like when we do produce we can get some play time, but he responded back and basically was like ‘since you just opened you’re not worthy of my time,’ blah blah.”

Shawn’s about the retaliate but Niall and the boys cut him off.

The guitar riff has Shawn’s attention, and the way Niall is singing the song has Y/n captivated. It’s obvious they’ve practiced this song a lot, they play together perfectly, and it’s so smooth.

“Woah,” Shawn says under his breath as Niall gets lost in the music.

“Holy fuck,” Y/n mutters.

Shawn looks over, seeing as she’s bobbing her head along to beat, smiling and tapping her feet too.

**

“That was so good guys,” Shawn stands up from his recording area, making his way into the booth.

“Can we record it?” Niall asks excitedly.

“Tomorrow, maybe Wednesday,” Shawn nods.

Niall narrows his eyes, eyebrows coming together.

“Give the voice a break, I want it perfect for when we lay it down.” Shawn nods, patting Niall’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah that makes sense.”

“Perfect, if you go talk to Y/n out front, tell her I want you booked Wednesday, all day.”

“Okay, thank you Shawn!” Niall smiles, shaking Shawn’s hand and then turning with the rest of his giddy team to pack up.

Shawn grins, heading back to his desk, jotting a few notes down, humming the beat of the song as the boys file out of the booth. “I think I just did it, I think I found my first hit!” He covers his face with his hands, smiling like crazy.

He looks up when the front door shuts, jolting him from his thoughts. He walks out to the front, listening as Y/n sings softly.

“Slow hands,” - “Hmm, fingertips putting on a show,”

“So,” Shawn leans against the door frame, “You’re an alto eh?”

Y/n jumps, turning quickly to look at Shawn. “You scared me,”

“Ever thought about recording something?”

“God no,” She laughs, shaking her head.

“You sounded good just then,”

“You’re ears are bleeding, you’ve been listening to that song all day with an amazing artist singing it, whenever you hear it you automatically hear him now,”

Shawn chuckles, shaking his head. “Okay, whatever you say Alto.”

** Tags: @minniemcgoo \\ @softboyshawn

[jae-bummer]

I Hope You Don’t Mind

Request: Okie doke sooooooo....... if requests for the prompt thing are still open....... could I please request #2 and #6 (strange probably, I knowww), and with exo chanyeol pretty please? Maybe angst with fluff? Pretty much anything except smut haha if that's okay? 💙😋

2) “Okay…so like…there’s only a 30% chance that we’ll die.” 6) “My nightmares usually involve losing you.”

Member: EXO Chanyeol x Y/N

Type: angst/fluff

You chewed on the inside of your lip as your shoulders settled deeper into the back of the couch. You checked the hour on your phone for what seemed to be the thirtieth time and heaved an even more dramatic sigh. Looking up from your screen, you surveyed the men around you, none the wiser of your growing annoyance. 

You bit your inner lip especially hard and winced, not intending to catch the sensitive skin. You unlocked your phone again to stare at your background image. It was a cheesy photo of yourself and your boyfriend, Chanyeol. Somewhere in the background loomed Baekhyun, the constant fixture in your lives, and Kyungsoo, staring icily at the camera. You enjoyed having a constant reminder of your boys every time you searched for an app. You couldn’t imagine life without them. 

But on days like today, you couldn’t help but begin to imagine. 

Dating an idol, and being close with members of an idol group, wasn’t all that fangirls dreamed for it to be. 

You started there as well. When you moved to Korea, you had idols in your eyes, and hopes in your heart. You had listened to Korean pop music since you had been in high school and as soon as you had the chance to study and teach in the country, you jumped at it. You were pleased when you were offered a position at a private institute in Seoul and promptly moved yourself and your belongings to a place you never thought you would be. 

It didn’t take long for you to establish a life in your new home. You found friends, hobbies, and even adopted a pet. You had begun playing instruments and often frequented the small music store just down the block from your apartment. And that was where you met Chanyeol. 

It was a rainy day and you didn’t have much planned. You figured you would stop by to pick up a fresh pack of guitar strings, when you found him holding the exact brand you normally purchased. 

And poetically, it was the last package. 

You knew who he was on sight. As mentioned previously, you were familiar with the world of Korean pop, and you had to be living under a rock to not know who EXO was. Against your best efforts, you attempted to play it cool, but made a complete fool of yourself. You tripped over your own shoe strings and careened toward a drum set when he tried to catch you, but only perpetuated your fall. In a mix of limbs, you fell together. 

In more ways than one. 

And now you were here. Sitting on the relatively smelly couch in EXO’s studio while Kyungsoo and Chanyeol poked and prodded at the soundboard. Baekhyun stood in the booth, stifling a yawn as he adjusted the large headphones resting on his ears. Chen rested on the couch beside you, his legs on your lap as he began to doze. You had arrived about two hours ago with the promise of dinner and a possible movie. Instead you were greeted with 25% of a disgruntled EXO who vowed they were immovable until they finished their task. 

Which you knew could take all night. 

Chanyeol had smiled apologetically at you and offered up his spot on the couch as he joing Kyungsoo’s side. He knew just as well as you that you might as well go home. 

But you were too stubborn for that. 

You were ripped from your thoughts by his deep voice as he swiveled his office chair to gaze at you. 

“You must be tired, jagi,” he hummed. “Why don’t you head home? Before it gets too late?” 

“And you must be hungry,” you grumbled. “I haven’t seen you eat and you’ve been in her since who knows when.”

“I know when,” Chen sighed. He didn’t even bother opening his eyes as he readjusted his legs. “Since like two this afternoon.” 

“It is now ten p.m.,” you nodded. “You need to stop and at the very least get take out.” 

“Why don’t you get us food?” Kyungsoo asked, his eyes wide with innocence as he swiveled around as well. “That would save us some time.”

“You want me to get you food?” you whispered. You were unsure if it was the pent up annoyance of the day or the fact that you were hungry yourself, but you could feel the anger begin to rise in your gut. 

“I mean if you don’t mind,” Chanyeol said quietly, sensing the change of tone in your voice. 

“Hey!” Bakehyun’s voice came from the booth. “You guys aren’t saying anything! Are we going again? This stool makes my butt numb!” 

You looked from Chanyeol’s face to Kyungsoo’s and back again. Sometimes it took only one, tiny straw to break the camel’s back. 

But damn, did that one straw feel heavy. 

“Actually, I do mind,” you said shortly. You stood up, nearly knocking Chen from the couch. “And before you all invite me over for dinner again, try to be considerate.” 

You picked up your bag and stormed from the room, making sure to slam the door behind you. Your face felt hot with the emotion of the situation. You closed your eyes, immediately feeling something similar to embaressment sweep over you. 

This wasn’t the first time you had been pushed to a second priority position, so why did you throw a temper tantrum? You hated appearing that way in front of Chanyeol’s members, and especially Chanyeol himself. You felt like a child when you acted like that, selfish, and begging for attention. Somethings were apparently more important than you and you thought you had come to understand that. 

You gasped as you felt something suddenly slam into your back. You flew forward and landed on your hands and knees only to have the same thing (which you had now identified as a person) to land on you again. 

You groaned as you pulled yourself out from under the heavy bodyweight. That groan immediately turned into a sigh as you recognized a red-faced Chanyeol. 

“Chanyeollie?” you asked. You rubbed at your elbow as you scooted to the side of the hallway and leaned against the wall. Everything already ached from his crash landing. 

“I was trying to hurry before you got on the elevator,” he huffed, pushing himself up. “But apparently I didn’t need to get that far.” 

“Apparently,” you nodded. 

“Are you okay?” he sighed, crawling across the carpet to sit on the floor beside you. 

“Define okay,” you whispered. You closed your eyes so you wouldn’t have to look at him. The issue with dating Chanyeol was, it was almost like dating a puppy, It was near impossible to stay angry when he was staring at you with his baby face. 

“All Kyungsoo did was ask if you could grab us food,” Chanyeol hummed. “You’ve done it a dozen times.” 

“As per usual, you are missing the point,” you grumbled. You began to pull yourself up from your sitting position, but Chanyeol instantly tugged you back down. 

“Then explain it to me,” he cooed. He turned to face you, his legs criss crossed, and eyes attentive. He looked like a kindergartner on the first day of school, ready to learn. 

“It’s much easier to just go home and pout,” you whined. 

“Come here,” he sighed, opening his arms wide. You rolled your eyes at the cuteness in his gesture. 

“I’m not sitting on your lap, Chanyeol,” you grumbled. 

“Oh, but I think you are,” he grinned, wrapping his long arms around you and pulling you in close. He nestled his cheek on your shoulder and took a deep breath in, careful to enjoy the way your laundry detergent and perfume mingled. “Now, tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking that sometimes life is hard,” you muttered. “And I need to just suck it up.” 

“Because?” He prompted. 

“Because I knew when we entered a relationship that music would always be your first love,” you nodded. “And it took me some time to come to peace with that, and sometimes it’s hard to remember. Ultimately, putting up with your career and your work ethic is something I’ll do. I guess while your career is climbing the charts...my biggest nightmare is that I’ll get lost along the way.” 

“Oh, jagi,” Chanyeol cooed, pushing his face further into your shoulder. “Not once had I thought that I loved music more than you. It’s a different kind of love. Music is in my soul and I compose because I am compelled to. It’s in my DNA to work in the studio and push myself to be better. For myself, and for my team, and for you. You’re my muse and you help me get even better at what I do. I find comfort in my music, but ultimately, I find comfort in you. You don’t have to worry about your nightmare, because my biggest nightmares usually involve losing you.” 

“Really?” you whispered. You reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck, hit with the emotions he was conveying. 

Normally Chanyeol had no issue with telling you how he was feeling. He could shower you in verbal affirmations for days and you wouldn’t blink an eye. He loved to love and be loved in return. This was a conversation you had never had before though, and it hit you deeper than your normal discussions of “i love you,” He had written every song and every letter you thought he possibly could, but nothing had touched you like this conversation had. 

“Really,” he confirmed. “And sometimes...in situations like the one we were just in, you have to knock some sense into us. We are so deep and concentrated on what we’re doing, it’s difficult for us to come up for air. You have to yank us away, for our health and your sanity.” 

“No offense,” you grinned. “But I’d rather not be murdered by Kyungsoo.”

“Okay...so like...there’s only a 30% chance that we’ll die,” Chanyeol smiled in return. “We need someone to take care of us sometimes. I think he knows that too.” 

“When did I become the designated caregiver?” you sighed. 

“When you fell in love with me,” he whispered, placing a light kiss on your jaw. “I hope you don’t mind.” 

You shook your head and leaned back to get a better view of your boyfriend’s handsome face. “Well, I guess not.” 

[jafreitag]

Grateful Dead Monthly: West High School Auditorium – Anchorage, AK 6/19-21/80

Forty years ago, on Thursday, June 19, 1980, the Grateful Dead played a concert at West High School Auditorium in Anchorage, Alaska. It was the first of three nights – and the band’s only visit to the Yukon State. This post will cover the whole run.

Anchorage High School opened in 1953. It was built during a post-WWII boom period just outside the western edge of the city, and then annexed. The school was renamed West Anchorage High School when East Anchorage High School opened in 1961. Until 1984, the West High auditorium was the largest event space in Anchorage.

The Lichter Brothers (Skip, George, and Andy) ran Northern Stage Company, an Anchorage booker. ” Skip told the Anchorage Daily News in 2017 that he pitched a three-night run during the Summer Solstice to Dead management “to get those guys to experience Alaska. The band was amenable. The Summer 1980 tour started in Tempe, AZ then moved to Boulder, CO for the Dead’s 15th Anniversary shows on June 7-8. After that, they visited Portland, OR (and played Fire on the Mountain as Mt. St. Helens erupted) and Spokane, WA, before making the sojourn North to Alaska.

The Dead arrived in Anchorage a week before the shows. The ADN article has a great description. Here’s an excerpt:

“Looking and carrying on more like a keg-league softball team than members of a rock group, the musicians and their entourage strode unmolested through the airport,” wrote Anchorage Times reporter Bill Kossen.

The Times reported drummer Mickey Hart immediately flew out to go salmon fishing, while Weir and keyboardist Brent Mydland took a flightseeing tour that included Mount Susitna and Knik Glacier. The Times also featured a picture of drummer Bill Kreutzmann gnawing on a big chunk of Columbia Glacier ice.

Lichter said that was just a start.

“We had the band up for a couple weeks,” Lichter said. “We had a lot of activities planned. We had a special dinner where we brought everyone up to the top of Rabbit Creek at Hash Hill and had a special dinner of salmon, halibut and caribou stew.”

Lichter said Weir and bassist Phil Lesh even went up in a radio helicopter to do a wacky traffic report from above Anchorage.

“On Tudor Road headed eastbound, in the area of Muldoon, everything seems to be moving right along, but traffic appears to be going backwards,” Weir reported flatly, according to the Times, adding the recommendation that motorists should “turn on your lights and honk your horn.”

***

Lichter said the band’s prodigious amount of audio gear was hauled up the Alcan in two trucks.

The crush of gear was not lost on [Lewis] Leonard, [a local roadie and] a self-described audiophile who said the walls of the West High auditorium were packed from floor to ceiling with all order of speakers.

“Literally, the room was kind of a speaker in itself,” he said. “It was incredible sound. I was going to drop acid, so I was out on a nice acid trip while I was working and it was really great. It was so good that I dropped acid a second night.”

The three nights are all good. 6/19/80 features an energetic Alabama Getaway opener and solid versions of Cassidy and Althea in the first set. The second set includes oddly placed versions of C.C. Rider and Peggy-O (one of only five ever played after halftime).

6/20/80 features a nice Jack Straw > Franklin’s Tower opener, as well as a unique mid-first-set Let It Grow > Althea pairing. The second set highlight is a typically powerful Estimated Prophet > The Other One.

6/21/80 is the standout. ICEPETAL at the Deadlistening blog even claims that show contains some of the best GD music of the year. There’s more setlist weirdness – a Sugaree first set opener, a Feel Like a Stranger first set closer, a Big Railroad Blues second set opener (only one of two), and a post-drums Truckin’. ECM says that Sugaree, Big River, Loser, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication, and Feels Like a stranger are the highlights of the first frame, and Big Railroad Blues, Terrapin Station, Playing in the Band, Truckin’, and Stella Blue are the highlights of the second frame. Ed was kind enough to send pics of the relevant write-ups from the Taper’s Compendium.

ICEPETAL echoes those shouts, and gives an extended description of the second set segment that’s worth repeating:

“As things get started in Terrapin Station, the music sheds all connection to the year in which it is being played. Sounding far more like a slice of 1977, this Terrapin calls to mind that strong sense of being gathered around a campfire as the band tells a story – something generally associated with other songs than this one. Nonetheless, the band is casting its hypnotic spell over everything. Gentle hands with flamed fingers caress our face and beckon us in. The door is shut behind us. We are safe and alone, as a grand journey begins with the solo section marking a point of no return. The music rises and falls on the trails of some great juggler’s balls. They change size and color as they translucently pass each other in the air. It’s a ballet of butterfly music in a dream that defies our ability to concretely retell the story after waking. The song reaches its zenith and crashes thunderously as the melody chases its own tail over and over. It gives nary room for a breath before materializing into the next song, Playin’ In The Band.

The Playin’ jam wastes no time stroking the fibers of the Grateful Dead’s adoring musical muse. Its power is awakened like a room instantly filling with a heady incense that reminds our ancient soul receptors of the essence of the eternal. Broken up into a handful of section, the jam begins immediately to unbind the tightly wrapped petals of the musical flower that held the formal part of the song together. It’s like a flower slowly waking to starlight. While the tempo of the song churns along, there is a widening space between the beats, into which cosmic oceans gently lap to the shore. Garcia goes right for his auto-filter wha pedal and calls up a nearly invisible web of energy that drifts and turns in unseen air currents. Everything takes on a distinctly three dimensional aspect on the audience recording, all of the instrumentation finding its natural place in the landscape around us.

After a short while Garcia’s pace quickens, and he’s running staccato lines in a musically choreographed dance of twirls, swoops, and back bending joy. The energy of the band tightens around Jerry, and everything takes on the sense of wild horses galloping across moonlit countryside, not unlike the energy we hear in Playin’s from 1972. We flow endlessly over hills which quietly rise and fall at random intervals like the deepest ocean shedding a storm’s energy reserves. What seems like hours later, the band emerges into a more subtle pasture where sounds begin to crackle and shimmer like the air around us is condensing into sporadic forms just out of reach. Slowly these sounds, which could have previously tricked our mind as not possibly coming from the musicians, fill all of our aural space, and we’ve somehow been cast a million miles away from whatever concert we thought we were attending. Great suns are rising and setting. Clouds form into mountains, then into lightning, then into thousands of turning flowers. And on and on it goes.

A molten lava-like creature is stirring. It’s skin ripples with glass sharp scales as it transforms to fill our entire field of senses. Blaring a white hot cacophony of wicked colors which gush out like an uncapped torrent, the band drives deeply into a completely frenzied expression of Space, and leaves us powerless to defend anything as we slip into Drums.

The Space which then returns after Drums is breathtaking. It’s as if we have walked right back into the pre-Drum chaos. Nothing sounds done out of routine, whatsoever. By no means is the band just playing some weirdness because this is where it fits in the show. The music is doing things which defy all the laws of physics completely. Steal your face right off your head, indeed. There’s little sense in trying to describe things more accurately. This Space leaves you completely transformed. As it fades off, Phil can be heard hinting at Dark Star (no WAY!). Instead, the band turns on a dime into Truckin’ and the entire concert has returned around you. As if from a wormhole in another dimension, we are dropped back into something far more familiar to our human experience. There are people clapping along, hooting and hollering. The music dances. The band is playing back on a steady 4/4 beat. My God, where were we?

Truckin’ over delivers in most every way imaginable. When they hit the big power chord after the long triplet ramp up section, a shock wave erupts over the crowd. Just before this note there is a fraction of silence, which is common to all Truckin’s at this moment of the song. But it is somehow more this time. Perfectly executed, the entire band absolutely stops together, and hits that chord in perfect unison – a classic moment where we can hear more in the space between the music, than in the music itself.”

After the show, the crowd wandered out of the auditorium and into the daylight. Summer Solstice, indeed.

Alas, the Alaska shows are not official releases, so there’s no Spotify widget. Instead, you can check out all three shows on the Live Music Archive.

Transport to the Charlie Miller soundboard remaster of 6/19/80 HERE.

Transport to the Charlie Miller soundboard remaster of 6/20/80 HERE and the Hunter Seamonds matrix recording HERE.

Transport to the Charlie Miller soundboard remaster of 6/21/80 HERE and the Eddie Claridge matrix recording HERE.

More soon.

JF

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[themastermindagency]

A Quarantine Q&A with Jesse Parent

On April 14th, 2020, about a month into Ontario’s coronavirus lockdowns, Waterloo singer-songwriter Jesse Parent released his most recent project, Learning to Live Apart. Right now, this heartfelt and reflective single is something anybody can relate to on some level, and feeling isolated from loved ones is an experience much of the world is going through. The song was released with a moving music video to go alongside it, featuring a compilation of footage and Parent singing. 

When asked about the process and how this song came about, Jesse revealed how he wrote and recorded the song himself: “[It] came out of pure inspiration really. I was .. I think halfway through my second week of self quarantine after travelling ..This was right at the beginning of all this, and I was just feeling you know, isolated and sad, and lonely and I missed my family; My father was fighting cancer at the time. And so .. that song kept me up late one night and I wrote it .. I thought it might be important for me to get it out there and connect with people .. Within a week I had learned how to record in my basement, [I] recorded it .. did a video for it, all in my basement”. Turning an uncertain and lonely experience into something that can make people feel more connected is admirable, and Jesse has really captured what makes music, and storytelling through music such an incredible thing. Not only is the song and music video itself incredible, but they were made within a week! Parent recalled that he started writing it on a Tuesday, and by that Sunday it was complete, which is an impressive feat while trying to navigate self-recording at home for the first time: “That’s the first time I’d ever recorded myself and mixed, like I usually hire people for that. And I also played all the instruments except for the keyboards and the synth. For the first time in my life I played the drums [and] bass, [in addition to] guitar and vocals,” he said.

Learning to Live Apart was certainly different from previous recording experiences, and Parent described it as “Nerve wracking, I wasn’t sure if it sounded good.” Although we are learning to live apart, he did rely on friends and bandmates throughout the process, “I’m very lucky to have my buddy Steve Wood who plays in my band. He’s got a great ear and I used him as a, ‘Hey man this doesn’t suck does it?’ Sort of soundboard and he was great that way, and helped me with the keys part like I said .. but yeah it was really fun .. it probably took longer than it should have to record one song cause I was figuring it out as I went but it was a really rewarding process” he added. The song has certainly been well received, with the music video reaching 1,500 views on his YouTube channel, and the single itself accumulating over 13,000 streams on Spotify as of June 17, 2020.

    “Nerve wracking, I wasn’t sure if it sounded good”

             - Jesse Parent on performing and mixing instruments and music

Life before COVID-19 for Jesse Parent involved regular weekly performances. In April of 2018, he began a weekly songwriter series, “Storytellers”, every Thursday night at Lana’s Lounge in Waterloo, Ontario. Unfortunately all live events stopped in the middle of March, with the last Storytellers before COVID-19 occurring on March 11th. However, he is hoping to resume the event when restrictions on gatherings are lifted, “Back before COVID it was my favourite night of the week. Every Thursday I’d invite a different songwriter special guest, and I’d play some songs, they’d play some songs, we’d play some songs together. It’s a very intimate venue, if there was 20 people in there it feels packed .. so it’s also a really cool personal experience for both the audience and the performers. And I really hope that I can get back to it when this is all over,” Storytellers Thursdays sound like a night to remember, and we hope Jesse can get back to it sooner than later. 

Performers have had to find new ways to engage with audiences, since Ontario allows gatherings of no more than 5 people, and all venues are closed. Every Tuesday night you can catch Jesse Parent doing a weekly livestream on his Facebook page at 8pm, which he began doing on March 24th, shortly after venues shut down. He spoke to the differences of performing virtually versus live as well: “I wouldn’t say it’s bad or worse but I still get a good audience to play for every week, and people that are really interested so it’s good.” Parent has been looking to the brightside, finding the humour and speaking of the positives that this pause has brought on. However like most people are experiencing, it gets lonely. In regards to his plans after quarantine, he says that spending time with family is #1; “most of [quarantine] hasn’t been too tricky, other than that … Yeah I just miss my loved ones, my family and friends.” 

Plans for new music aren’t just stopping at Learning to Live Apart, and the global pandemic has actually changed Parent’s plans for the better. Back in March, his fourth album was in the early planning stages, and he says that Learning to Live Apart really gave a jump start to the process: “The fact that I figured out how to record a song has inspired me well, maybe I should do a whole album. So I’m just kinda playing around in my home studio and making noises and putting them together.” This experience has been different from creating his past albums, but he speaks of it positively, “When I go to use a studio I gotta pay by the hour, or the session, or whatever, and it’s really freeing to have access to a studio where I can just, tinker. So this’ll be my first self-recorded, self-produced album. If I can get my act together and not waste too much more time, I think I can actually have this out before the end of the year,” Parent is giving fans lots to look forward to in 2020. He also has a vinyl collection full of fan favourites in the works, titled “for a moment” that was available for pre-order in May, and is set to be released sometime this summer.

Jesse Parent is a name to keep an eye out for, with immense talent, and a great personality to boot. We can’t wait to see what’s next for him. Keep an eye out for his upcoming album and vinyl collection; in the meantime Learning to Live Apart is available now on all digital streaming platforms, as well as the music video on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIkO7jXgQQI

[101scenes]

Wanna-One Lee Daehwi - Backstage Pt. 1

✿ featuring: lee daehwi, ong seongwoo

✿ genre: fluff, drama

✿ word count: <2000

✿ summary: another performing arts showcase may have just turned into a love story to be remembered.

• you were the backstage helper of the school hall

• usually you would help out during performances

• moving props, pulling the curtains, and mainly controlling the sound system on the soundboard

• so it was no surprise that you came face-to-face with many of the performing arts teams in your school

• you had made friends with people from the string ensemble, choir, symphonic band and the drama club

• so everytime they were backstage, you would have plenty of time to make some small-talk with them, and give them pep talks as they were about to go on stage

• one week, you had to help out in another performing arts showcase in your school

• on the date of the first rehearsal, as you were setting up the sound system, you spotted the drama club entering from the side door

• “hey Y/N! there you are!”

• you spun around to see ong running towards you at unnatural speeds

 • with quick reflexes, you snatched your headphones off from your ears, placing it on the side-table, before giving him a tight hug

• he lets go, putting his arm around your shoulder 

• “how have you been? haven’t seen you since the last showcase”

• “oh i’ve been well,”

• as you directed your eyes from him, you spotted through the drama club a boy with shiny silver hair, as if he were a mermaid of some sorts

• he was smiling and laughing, slapping his friend on the back

• you couldn’t help but stare in awe at his beauty

• ong noticed and called him over

• “hey daehwi! i want to you to meet someone,”

• hearing that gave you the sudden jitters

• you became self-aware of your own outlook

• a regular maroon hoodie, matched with some blue jeans that you probably haven’t washed in 2 days and a pair of black and white sports shoes

• {oh gosh i’m a mess..}

• he came bouncing over

• “yes hyung?”

• “this is Y/N, she works backstage. we would have to work with her a lot, so be nice okay? Y/N, this is daehwi, our new member of the club.”

• daehwi nodded, and his eyes diverted to you

• “hello, im daehwi, nice to meet you!”

• you couldn’t snap yourself out of your daze staring at his amazing silver hair, and you blurted out:

• “your hair looks so cool..”

• ong heard, and immediately started giggling in a corner

• daehwi was caught off guard, and immediately looked away in shock

• it took you a few seconds to realise what you just said

• “oh mY GOD i mean- sorry ahafnrj nice to meet you too, please ignore my question”

• you said as you tugged the ends of your sleeves as hard as possible behind your back, trying to cover up your embarrassment with a slight smile

• “oh! haha its alright! i dyed it recently..”

• he trailed off as he continued to fiddle with his silver fringe

• fortunately, your little conversation was interrupted by the start of rehearsal

• “great,” you thought, “i got out of that awkward situation..”

• as rehearsal started, you quickly got to your sound and lights station and switched on the stage light, to reveal ong striding along the stage with the sassiest look you’ve ever seen

• you can’t help but laugh at the scene, switching on some dramatic music in the background

• as you look around, you see daehwi sitting behind the curtains, reading the script as he tapped his pencil on his temple with a pouty look on his face

• he must be deep in thought.. why isn’t he acting with the others?

• but you ignored that fact, and continued to queue the lights and sounds as when needed

• soon enough, you see daehwi getting up from his spot, getting ready to run onto stage

• as he ran on stage, he did an internal monologue for about 10 seconds, then ran off stage again

• and for the rest of the time, he sat in another corner, reading the script and watching all his friends act, with an occasional giggle out of his lips

• soon enough, he got up and left backstage

• you was puzzled about where he was going in the middle of rehearsal, especially when they weren’t even done with the play

• but you tried to ignore the fact again, switching on another soundtrack for the actors

• but you just could not get the fact that he was out of your sight

• you were generally quite concerned with him

• it was halfway through the rehearsal, and their stage director called for a break

• everyone stretched and pulled backstage, then ran out for a drink break

• you continued sitting at the soundboard station, whipping out your phone to check instagram

• it was filled with all your friends going to the shopping centre after school, going on dates with their significant others

• your heart sank as you felt left out and began to drift off into your dreamland

• {maybe i shouldn’t have joined the backstage crew-}

• but your thought was quickly cut off by the tap on your shoulder

• you woke up from your daydream, only to see daehwi offering you a cup of ice mocha frappe, with another in his other hand

• “hey y/n, i got you something to wake you up, must be quite lonely sitting up here by yourself,”

• still in shock from whats happening, you took the frappe from his hands

• “thank you, its nice of you to think about me,”

• you realised what you said and could have been taken in the wrong way

• you looked at him to spot his reaction, and it was him looking away while sipping on his frappe looking a bit flustered

• his cheeks turned bright red as the silence dragged on

• “y-yeah.. it’s okay, you don’t need to pay me back, my treat”

• he pulled up the other stool and sat down next to you

• you sipped on the frappe {its actually quite nice}

• “you sure?” you prompted

• “yes yes, don’t insist, my answer is always yes”

• you smiled and thanked him again

• he starts to look around on the soundboard with all the switches

• he looked like a curious puppy and he peered around each switch

• it was actually quite adorable

• “whats this?”

• he pointed at a joystick attached to the far right of the system board

• “oh its the spotlight, want to try? ong is right there”

• you pointed to ong, who stood behind the curtain with his camera mode on, checking himself out

• daehwi nodded and giggled, switching on the spotlight only to shine on ong

• ong quickly noticed

• “hey! Y/N, are you doing that??”

• ong looked surprised that the act of stroking his own ego has been spotted by others

• you two ducked under the system, only laughing at him below, frantically trying to find you

• “haha, i might have gotten you in trouble, Y/N,”

• “it’s fine, that guy probably deserved it,”

• you got back up on your stool, looking back down at ong who is still looking around 

• you cracked a smile

• however, this was noticed by daehwi

• “Y/N?”

• “yeah?”

• “um, funny question. do you.. happen to li-”

• “drama club! rehearsal is starting now!”

• daehwi seemed shocked by the announcement

• “continue,” you said

• “umm, i think ill go first haha, it’s not important anyway. see you later!”

• daehwi grabbed his frappe and quickly speed-walked out of the room, closing the door behind him

• you were curious of what he wanted to ask, but never got the chance to talk to him for the rest of the rehearsal 

• the next time you saw him was the following rehearsal

• while you were setting up, you saw familiar faces flow into the room, one by one

• unknowingly, you tried to look for the head of silver hair through the crowd of 20

• but you didn’t seem to spot him

• you spotted ong talking to a group of thespians

• you patted him on the shoulder

• he spun around and greeted you with the same joyful face he always had

• “how are you, kid?”

• you rolled your eyes

• “you are 4 months older than me, and my well-being is the least of my concerns at the moment. do you happen to know where daehwi is?”

• he looked away and did not seem too happy about your statement

• he replied with a mere “i’m not sure,”

• before he continued talking to his group 

• that was rude

• you just walked over to your station and sat down

• you felt a bit sad that he wasn’t there to talk to you

• {was it him or the frappe that actually lingers through my mind?}

• soon enough, rehearsal started

• and a few moments later, daehwi burst through the doors

• he was panting very heavily, with a concerned look on his face

• ong rolled his eyes at his entrance

• “i’m- sorry about- being late-!”

• the director just reminded him not to be late again, and asked him to place his things down backstage

• ong looked a bit smug, and muttered something under his breath

• you were a bit relieved he was here 

• {wait what? why am i caring about him so much?}

• as you switched to the next soundtrack, you heard a few knocks at the door, and daehwi enters

• “hey~ haha”

• shocked by his presence you asked him why he was here and not rehearsing

• he placed an oddly bright pink bag behind one of the tables

• “oh, i don’t have any parts in this segment, and i have nowhere else to go, sorry if im bothering you”

• “it’s okay! you are welcomed here anytime”

• you smiled, which made him rub the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed

• you patted the stool next to you, ushering him to sit down as well

• the next few hours were accompanied by daehwi and his occasional banter, talking about life and asking about yours

• there were laughs and gossiping, which made you lose your focus on the script and actually missed a queue and got reprimanded by the director

• he apologised profusely but you just laughed it off saying it happens a lot with you

• the rehearsal gone past in a flash and soon enough, you were switching off the system and packing up the area

• as you was cleaning up, daehwi stood there, looking a bit bothered by something

• once you were done, you pulled your haversack over your back, ready to leave

• however, he stopped you in my tracks

• “um, Y/N, this is for you”

• he handed you the pink bag that was hidden behind the table

• “i-i hope you like it”

• shocked, your face turns red

• “why did you buy this for me?” you asked, looking pleasantly surprised

• he fiddled with his fingers and bit his lower lip

• “well i actually went to the mall to get this for you but i lost track of time and may have been the reason why i was late..” he mumbled

• you hugged him from the front, which made him a bit shocked but he embraced it by hugging back

• “thank you for going through the trouble for me”

• he flushed red as you said that, and left soon after you said your farewells

• while walking out of the backstage room, you spotted ong not too far away in front walking away

• {but the other drama club members left 20 minutes ago, why would he be here?}

• you were aware of his bad mood today so you decided not to approach him when you normally would

• once you got home, you opened up the present

• it revealed a small fluffy puppy toy, with a note accompanying it

• it read “if you are ever feeling down you can come looking for me, or maybe this puppy :)”

• you hugged the puppy dearingly and fell back onto your bed

• the performance showcase is only a few days away.. 

✿ i hope you enjoyed this one, i’ll be writing pt. 2 soon~

✿ you may also notice some pronoun errors, i’ll keep correcting them! don’t worry hah

-crmbs

[ryliweb]

What’s the PS4 Microphone, and How to Use it?

As the world goes increasingly onto the PS4’s, so have microphones, which now come in an easy-to-install and easy-to-use form specifically for PS4 use. There are various PS4 USB microphones from which to choose, all with individual strengths and features. So before buying a PS4 USB microphone, consider its primary function. That way you ensure to get the sound quality that is best for your needs.

The PS4 microphone is a device that translates sound vibrations in the air into electronic signals. It also scribes these vibrations to a recording medium. PS4 mics enable many types of audio recording devices for purposes including communications of many kinds, as well as music and speech recording.

PS4 Mic Definition

So, what’s the PS4 Mic? Let’s get a brief definition of it before going deeper into the topic.

The PS4 Mic is a device that captures audio by converting sound waves into an electrical signal. This signal can be amplified as an analog signal or may be converted to a digital signal. That way it the PS4 CPU can process it or other digital audio device.

While all microphones (or “mics”) serve the same basic function, they can capture audio in several different ways. Therefore, multiple classes of microphones exist.

Types of PS4 Mics

There’s an overwhelming number of PS4 microphones out there. Even picking the best PS4 gaming microphones is a pretty daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be as dizzying as it seems. Even though the number of microphones for PS4 in production increases every year, there’s only so many ways to capture sound waves in the air.

So if you know what PS4 microphone type you need to use, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices and find the right tool for the job.

There are 4 types of PS4 microphone:

Dynamic Microphones

Large Diaphram Condensor Microphones

Small Diaphram Condensor Microphones

Ribbon Microphones

In recording, PS4 microphone choice is probably the most important factor after the quality of the instrument itself.

Learn how to get it right by selecting the right microphone types for your PS4 game console and get the best mic for your needs.

Now that you know when to choose dynamics, ribbons or condensers get back to your music and mic something up!

Which Microphones Should You Use For PS4?

Talking about a suitable microphone for PS4 means you need to bear in mind different considerations. Now that you know the different types of PS4 mics, which should you use, and for what purpose? Usually PS4 users want a mic to use for talking with their friends/opponents in online gaming.

Yes, the PS4 mic can be more than a device you connect to your game console. When recording vocals or talking to friends, you could use all three PS4 mic types – it entirely depends on the vocalist. Different types of PS4 microphones are popular for recording different genres and vocal tones.

Additionally, it’s not always the right thing to search for the best mic for PS4. For example, a warm gamer might want to use a dynamic PS4 mic to accent his natural timbre. You should bear in mind that not all microphones are alike, especially the ones you pick for Ps4. But he might also want to use a small diaphragm condenser to counteract it if its too much! A bright gamer might want to use a condenser PS4 mic to accentuate her nature timbre, but could also use a ribbon mic for PS4 if her tone needs to be tamed. You can also opt for a PS4 headset with mic, this can save you more space on the table.

There’s lots of options. That’s why it pays to have two or three microphone types that you can test on each gamer/player. You won’t know what will sound best until you try.

How PS4 Mic is used

If you need a rule of thumb, though, here it is:

Dynamic PS4 mics are better for more aggressive gamers or genres like rock and metal.

Condenser PS4 mics are better for more controlled genres, like alternative and pop.

Ribbon PS4 mics are better for very “vibey” genres, like folk, jazz, or blues.

Don’t forget, though: the techniques you use to record affect the sound just as much as the PS4 mic.

What to Look for in the Best Microphone for PS4

So, if you have eventually made up your mind to get a microphone for PS4, you have to deeply think of a few things. What kind of PS4 microphone you should buy depends on a few things. Moreover, don’t forget the quality of voice the PS4 mic generates. The most important being what you need it for, what kind of set up you already have, and how much you’re willing to spend. Why would a PS4 mic do the verbal tasks while there are other similar devices you can use for this purpose? For the sake of argument, let’s assume your budget is somewhere between a cheap USB microphone and a high-quality stand mic.

Here you should always be careful what type of mic you want for PS4. The first question to settle out of the gate is whether you plan to use a PS4 USB microphone or an XLR for high-definition sound. If you go with the latter, keep in mind you’ll at least need a compatible sound card for your PS4 (or an external audio unit for other consoles).

Don’t ever go for a mic just because it seems good and comes at a cheap price. A good PS4 mic will amaze you use it correctly. Neither of these are a problem, as both the Xbox One and the PS4 have optical audio outputs you can use with a compatible soundboard. Having a PS4 headset with mic will also do the job perfectly. If going professional is your thing, XLR is the way to go. That said, there are a lot of cool things happening with PS4 USB microphones these days.

The Standards to Look For

There are a few standards the mic has to conform to in order to draw your attention. Some other things to consider when choosing a new PS4 gaming mic are:

Wide Frequency Response Range. PS4 Microphones tend to brag about their tremendous range. The truth is, we only hear a range of 20Hz through 20kHz—that’s shallow bass through high treble.

Plug and Play Simplicity. The PS4 microphone must work seamlessly with your system.

Suitability for Your Environment.

Omnidirectional PS4 mics can pick up your voice if you are not directly in front of them.

Lavalier PS4 microphones can clip onto your clothing and reduce ambient noise.

Unidirectional PS4 microphones only capture sound coming from a specific side. If it’s aimed at you, it will not pick up other voices in the room.

Manufacturer’s Warranty. If you’re investing in a good gaming PS4 microphone, a one- or two-year warranty should be a priority.

Using PS4 Mic to Record Gaming Commentaries

So, how to record gaming commentaries using a PS4 mic? In recent years, gaming has become a social activity in pretty much every way conceivable. Gone are the days of adding a wired controller to your console so that your friend could join in with your game. We can now play on massive servers with friends and strangers alike!

Moreover, the PS4 mic can help you record good commentaries while gaming. On top of this, a whole social world surrounds the games we love, with forums, online communities, and, of course, YouTube. Many gamers have seen themselves turn to creating gaming videos such as commentaries to share among friends or even make money from!

Don’t look just for a cheap microphone for PS4, but rather seek the quality instead. In order to create gaming commentaries, both the audio and video must be good quality. Even if you don’t get a PS4 headset with mic, you can still buy each one separately. Knowing the basics of video editing and audio recording is enough to get started, and you can start creating game commentaries in no time. The PS4 mic can do more than what you think it can.

Most gamers have a way of recording video through capture cards (and even the gaming capture capacities built-in to your console) but recording audio is something people tend to struggle with. But— getting professional audio sound doesn’t have to be costly or difficult.

Types of PS4 Gaming Commentary

If you have ambitions to create PS4 gaming videos, they will probably fall into one of the categories below:

Lets Play’s – Screenshots and PS4 gaming footage, effectively a ‘playthrough’ accompanied by commentary.

Reviews – A PS4 gaming review in audio format, accompanied by footage or screenshots from the game.

Walkthroughs – Similar to Lets Play‘s but with more of a ‘tutorial’ focus. These are more informative and designed to help other PS4 gamers progress through the gameplay.

Reactions – These are great for things like unboxings and buying expansion packs and in-game items. Effectively you’re just recording yourself reacting in reel time!

Best of Lists – These require a bit more planning but can be very good for growing a following.

Finding the best gaming microphone for PS4

Money

One of the most important factor to consider when buying a PS4 mic is the price. Budget will always steer us in a particular direction, especially if you’re in need of a simple solution without a few bells and whistles. We found a range of microphones for PS4 in this article, going from $50 or less all the way to a few hundred bucks. For this reason, pick the PS4 microphone that fits nicely into your budget. The following factors may entail you start saving up if you don’t have the cash now, or if you’re in need of just something to portray your voice to other gamers, we recommend just grabbing something in your price-range.

Type of microphone

So, you have already learnt that there are different types of PS4 mics. Similar to a few of our other guides on task-specific needs, such as our vlogging microphones or even mics for YouTube articles (since those are recording uses but also streaming). You should always look for the type that suits your needs best. we’ll spell out a few options that you have when it comes to the types of microphone you can buy, in particular for PS4 console.

USB microphones

By far the most popular choice for gamers, USB mics are very convenient since you basically just plug them into your computer and you’re good to go (all USB mics are compatible with PS4, just as long as you have a USB port of course). They come in many different shapes, sizes, and price-points, so a majority of our picks down below will cover a range of different USB microphones for PS4.

Condenser microphones

Among the various sorts of mics on the market, there are some that fits the purpose of using a PS4 mic. Technically USB mics are ‘condenser mics’, but in this bullet-point we mean studio condensers that don’t connect with USB but instead use something called an XLR connection. These aren’t as popular for any PS4 use, since they have a little more that go into them, and are instead preferred by musicians who record and need tip-top quality.

We do know a few PS4 gamers, in particular those who stream, podcast, or anything that involves actually recording. You can prefer XLR connected studio condensers since they give us more power and better quality. Also, not all PS4 mics are alike. You’ll need phantom power (an external device to power up the PS4 mic, since USB mics get their power straight from your PS4), and a few other accessories, such as mic stands or pop filters (USB mics have these built-in or come with them in the box). Nevertheless, the PS4 mic that doesn’t meet your expectations, just don’t care about it. But if you’re one to want to stand out from the rest, we recommend going this route instead of a simple USB PS4 mic.

Gaming setting

You have to configure your gaming settings in order to use the utmost of the PS4 mic. Are you playing PS4 in your living room? On-the-go on your smart device? This will definitely dictate the type of PS4 mic you buy because those on a desk will need a solution that remains stationary near or on their desk. Now, a PS4 headset with mic is being used by many enthusiasts. On the other hand, while those in a living room will need to be creative depending on how you like to game (being able to keep the mic close to you). Don’t worry here if the PS4 mic doesn’t work in the very beginning. If you’re on-the-go and have some more versatility with a smart device such as a phone or tablet, there are some better options for you out there as well.

Additive features

More features of the PS4 mic means additional price. This is always last in our microphone guides because ‘additive’ doesn’t necessarily mean “I really need this”. For those who just want a mic to stand at their desk and capture your voice, you won’t need some of the following popular features. These we’ve seen in higher-priced PS4 mics: attenuation switches, bass roll offs, multiple polar pattern switches, gain and volume control on the PS4 mic itself, included carrying cases, or any microphone bundles and packages that come with accessories you may want (typically with studio condensers).

Using PS4 Microphone Correctly

Dynamic microphones aren’t particularly sensitive, which makes them perfect for loud sources. This is why you often see them on snare drums and guitar amps.

Because they’re insensitive, they’re very versatile. Dynamic mics are used on all kinds of sounds in the studio.

And because they’re usually the cheapest of the mic types, they’re also easiest to stock up on.

There’s one more factor you may want to consider before you review our top choices. And it is an important one: price. The market is filled with studio-quality microphones for several hundred dollars. Are you recording music or voice-overs for high-quality videos? Then the more expensive microphones are definitely for you.

Steps to follow

There are a few steps you have to follow in order to use the PS4 mic the right way. Dynamic microphones have a unidirectional pattern (otherwise known as a cardioid pattern – because it looks like a heart). This means that the mic picks up sound in the direction it is being pointed, and cancels out any sound coming from behind it.

Unpack the PS4 mic and get it ready to plug into the PS4 mic port. If you’re gaming and you don’t need that level of perfection, there’s no reason to spend that much.

Turn off your PS4 before connecting the mic into it. Just decide which features are most important to you, as this will narrow down your choices and determine the price range.

Once the PS4 mic is connected, turn on the PS4 and let it boot up. This type of polar pattern is great for home recording studios where the room is your worst enemy.

When the PS4 system is fully loaded, go to the audio settings and configure the PS4 mic from there. You can strategically place your recording microphones to point away from reverberant parts of your room.

Now, try your PS4 mic and check whether it works as you want or not. It’s a great way to compensate for being in a bedroom or living room.

If you’re a gamer, it doesn’t matter how much of a team player you are. The PS4 mic should work flawlessly once you follow the right steps. If your team can’t hear what you’re saying, you lose. Why let a poor quality, built-in microphone cost you one more game? If you’ve invested in a quality gaming setup, you’re going to want the best microphone for gaming. A great PS4 microphone will improve your gaming experience.

Is PS4 Mic Worth It?

One of the most important questions here is about whether the PS4 mic worth it or not. Audio-Technica has been in the sound business for over 50 years. Originally established to make phonograph cartridges for vinyl records, Audio-Technica has won countless industry awards for its vast line of audio accessories. This includes headphones, microphones, mixers, wireless systems, and more.

However, the PS4 mic can do really a nice job if you want to record your voice for your friends. When it comes to gear for gaming overall, we have a lot of aspects to consider. In terms of audio, a lot of people settle with just the headphones that come with their headsets. The specs of PS4 mic are what you should consider firstly and mostly. If you’ve been in gaming for a while like me, you’re most likely familiar with 90% of the headsets out there, but also know that the microphones aren’t necessarily the focal points of the device.

Dynamic mics are often used on instruments with a lot of low-mid energy. They have a presence boost in the high mids to compensate for that.

Fun fact? Audio-Technical has provided flawless audio coverage of every event ranging from World Cups to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Gauge your needs

Do you really need a PS4 mic? You have to think about an appropriate answer to this question. The ModMic is often called the best budget mic for gaming, considering it’s dirt-cheap, better than your usual headset mic and can be attached to your pre-existing headphones. It’s also the best clip on mic for gaming, for sure.

Also, unlike other options on this list, it has an included pop filter! This means that your setup and extra investment is minimal.

All you have to do is plug it in, clip it onto your headset and you’re in business.

There are ways to better your audio experience with gaming even more optimally. Also, specifically if you want to use headphones that are studio monitor quality or even better quality than headsets that do not come with a PS4 microphone. Don’t think that PS4 mics don’t perform so well as you may have heard from others. If you are however interested in what most people use for gaming, you can read our top 10 gaming headsets or even wireless gaming headsets articles to check out what’s out there as well.

PS4 Mic Specs

There are not many specifications of PS4 Mic to talk about. Most gamers, however, ignore this aspect and settle for the attached mic of a gaming headset. Although that can be a great choice if you’re just setting up your PS4 game console, a standalone microphone offers a really top-class sound quality. Additionally, tt really makes communications with your rivals and your team members a breeze.

The PS4 mic has various specifications that you have to look into. Up first as our recommendation as the best gaming microphone is a brand new USB mic made by Samson. So, if a PS4 headset with mic doesn’t suit your needs, go for a standalone mic. It’s a quite popular brand in the budget-friendly mic world. This one however has made a name for itself, and we personally were able to test it out at the NAMM show (our Samson G-Track PRO review can give you some more details).

What else that has to draw your attention in a PS4 mic? Coming with a large-diaphragm (25mm) dual 1″ capsule for a big pickup pattern to grab our voices well, this one is a condenser microphone. So, the PS4 mic specifications should always be in your checklist before buying one. That means it’s specialty is capturing what’s in front of it and rejecting the back and sides — perfect for those gaming and need a little desktop microphone to sit by your side while you game.

It should be something better than your headphone’s inbuilt mic. Also, factors like ease-of-use, budget, and setup options can be a bit tricky, so depending on what works for you, you can go for a gaming microphone accordingly. In this article, we’ve reviewed some of the best gaming mics on offer.

Conclusion

Buying a good PS4 mic is not a difficult thing really. You only need to know how to choose the one that suits you best. However, you can also use its ‘polar pattern switch’ in case you need to change how it picks up sound. That’s all depending on how you position or really use this thing — change to you want to pick up in all directions (perhaps recording more than one person in a room?) or even birectional to do front and back if needed.

Yes, there’re different mics that fit the PS4, but what really fits your needs is the most important part. So, if you’re a serious PS4 gamer, it is high time you go for a dedicated mic. Without an exaggeration, it’s because that can allow great communications which can boost your gaming performance by several notches. Also, not all PS4 microphones are alike. And when we talk about a standalone mic, we don’t necessarily mean a studio-level microphone because as gamers, we don’t need that.

The post What’s the PS4 Microphone, and How to Use it? appeared first on RyLi Gaming Solutions.