#and c*rina just had no follow through

[wwaheoh]

“Oops! You killed someone!” Victoria Housekeeping x gnReader, Angst + Comfort (Platonic)

Corin Wickes, Von Lycaon (+ Ellen Joe, + Alexandrina Sebastiane)

c/w: contains written depictions of graphic injury, blood, death, and shock (mental).

a/n: with a game with people using chainsaws, guns, guns that shoot black holes, and swords, i dont think hollow raiders are 100% safe. put ellen and alexandrina seperate since they’re not really major players in this

As part of Victoria Housekeeping, your duty was to fulfill the orders of the Master, usually cleaning, guest service, and attending to the needs of the house. However Victoria Housekeeping also had a sort of open secret, with each member having high Ether Aptitude as well as being trained in combat, they also acted as guards to the Master and their estate. Usually it was general defense, to make sure no one breaks in or any guests get any unruly ideas and stash valuables into their coat or bag. Other times it was against Ethereals, enemies born from the Hollows whenever they were stationed within.

However this was the first time Hollow Raiders had been an issue, usually keeping away- either with much bigger scores that an abandoned building in the Hollow, but this specific building was home to a millionaire, having been evacuated due to the spontaneous expansion of a new Hollow Zone. Leading to an eager group of Raiders to break in.

It had been something you were prepared for, weapon in hand and your team close by. Miss Rina had notified everyone about the incoming Raiders, with the others rounding close to your location- being the main entry point that the Hollow Raiders were predicted to enter through.

Clashing against the large group, steel hit steel, yelling and screams as bodies were thrown several feet away and knocked out. It was feeling like a cakewalk, having been taught by some of the best in the business, it was all just following through what you had been trained for.

At least it was until one of the remaining Hollow Raiders attacked you from behind as you were catching your breath- a mistake, Mister Lycaon always tried to drill into everyone’s heads that the danger should not be deemed as passed until there were no enemies around and the rest of the team had arrived to back you up.

You fell to the ground, hitting the marble underneath with a thump- dazed as you attempted to gain your bearings. Strong hands wrapped themselves around your throat, the pressure putting your brain back into alert mode. Your vision refocused onto a cracked helmet, the image of a Hollow Raider logo shining down on you- unable to move with their weight holding you down. Attempting to pry their hands off- several desperate attempts before realizing it was in vain. Darkness crawled from the edge of your vision as you breathing quickened but became more shallow with the pressure on your airway.

As you desperately looked for the others or something to give you even a few more seconds, you felt an object at the edge of your fingertips. Tapping it closer, you grabbed onto it- something sturdy, the weapon they dropped on the ground before going in to choke you. Harsh grip, you turned as much as you can, swinging your arm and hitting them with the object you grabbed as hard as you could.

Crushing through the glass of the helmet, Hollow Raiders often worse, the weapon hit your target. It was a lot softer than you imagined, as if it was dug deep into something.

Liquid spurted out, splashing blots onto the ground. Their grip on your neck loosened nearly immediately.

Warmth trickled onto your face. The weight of the Hollow Raider that had previously been crushing you fell to the side, limp- and now unmoving.

The world was quiet. Only faintly could you hear a familiar voice yelling before quickly taking out and chasing away the remaining Raiders.

The weapon handle was still in your grip, a worn plastic grip attached to a long steel blade. It was covered in red. Underneath you and the Hollow Raider was a puddle of the same red. The pristine whites of your uniform dyed red, black a shade darker.

Then the world became loud.

Corin had been the first to find you, being stationed closest, she charged in after quickly locking in on the enemies. Chainsaw revving to life, she spun forward, slashing at the Hollow Raiders with the battle cry of, “Ahh! Ge~et awa~ay!!” Blood spewed out- injuries that would definitely hurt but nothing fatal- or atleast with medical attention. It was one of the only good things she could recognize, having been taught how to expertly take out enemies without outright killing them, despite the very real threat her- and every one of their weapons brought.

Finally chasing out the rest of the enemies, she turned to look back at you, “Are you-” she stopped, seeing you with a lost look in your eyes. A look she recognized- having seen it on herself and Ellen before. “O-oh no, uhm,” She quickly stopped her weapon and approached, trying not to just wait for someone else to arrive out of fear of messing up helping you- but still apprehensive due to those very same thoughts.

Gently she came closer, remembering what Lycaon and Rina had done for her when she had undergone the same situation. Remembering what she had nearly done wrong with Ellen before Lycaon stepped in.

“Are you hurt?” “...” She looked you over, not seeing any blood coming out of you. “Can you hear me?” You nod. “It’s not your fault- you did what you had to do.” You stare at her, flashes of the corpse beside you flashing before you. “O-okay, uhm, Mister Lycaon and everyone should be here soon.” You perked up at the mention of the others- with everyone else here and no alive active enemies, you’ll be safe. “What happened was something bad. It makes sense for you to be scared.”

You sat there, heartbeat ringing in your ears as you struggled not to think about the corpse beside you. The corpse beside you. There was a corpse next to you. Their blood was on you. The scent of iron-

“You sit here and we’ll wait for the others. What do you want to do?” “I… want to wait for Mister Lycaon…” “He'll be here soon, it'll all be okay."

And true to her word, the others rounded the corner, prepared to fight. However, quickly Mister Lycaon and Miss Alexandrina assessed what was going on and rushed forward. Nodding to Corin, Mister Lycaon took charge, kneeling in front of you. Corin went to Ellen to inform her of your situation. Alexandrina watched over you, sending Anastella and Drusilla to do a perimeter check. At the sight of them all, you finally broke. It felt as if your whole body crashed and you fully awoke again, tears welling up as you jumped to embrace Mister Lycaon. You were safe. He softly embraced you back, warm muscular body like a shield against anyone outside of Victoria Housekeeping to approach.

“You’re okay, we’re here now.”

[askbeastdemonslayerkazato]

I am Kazato Aldun Kazaki, the Beast Demon slayer. my title is a bit more accurate than many believe. the Lord who runs the Corps gave me his direct approval when showing my power yet knew of my condition. it turns out humans can breed with demon kind and as a result very rarely does the offspring live. However the living ones are pure humans whom have a demon's magic mine was a wolf-like demon. Whom had very odd style of magic. It mostly involved his own powers being trapped into a fang he lost during his initial rampage which was turned into the very blade which slew him after he killed my mother years later. I have learned three techniques of my donor's killer, the Blades of Blood, Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, and Windscar attacks. Mother told me these attacks were called Beast Demon Arts. I became like the swordsmith/slayer's champion as he was growing older and protected our village. He taught me that with this unique style and the enchantments of the blade adaptation is key. My blade was dubbed Tessaiga (alternatively tetusaiga) in honor of the swordsman's house. It wields a power even I'm not sure of yet but I heard rumors that if a slayer were to truly train with this blade long enough they could slay 100 lesser demons all at once in a single stroke of the blade or equivalently around upper 5 for just one demon. I have met many a slayer during my trials and even final selection and hope to become a Tsuguko to any who'll take me in even multiple hashira to learn some new power. The other enchantments are that demons can't take up his blade without suffering a special blue flaming burn inflicted and the blades true strength is sealed. The sheathe can retrieve the sword from a distance of 25m (upwards of actually probably 250m but initial weakness grows to better control situation).

Secrets

The first time kazato used the windscar his emotions of a blind fury towards demon kind unleashed it's true power and destroyed his home village killing all there by creating a short canyon albeit still definitely counted as a canyon and the demon was completely ashed by the energy produced.

Ch1 pt1:

Ch1 pt2:

Ch1 pt3:

Ch1 pt4

Ch2 pt1 (takes place Jan-mar off screen)

Ch2 pt2 (apr-jun off screen)

Ch2 pt3a (the shinobu introduction/interaction) (still wip I think) (jul-sept off screen)

Ch2 pt3b (tengen interaction/introduction...not available yet) (oct a)

Ch2 pt3c (minor mission) (oct b)

Ch2 pt3d (wind down from mission/mitsuri and Kazato relationship announcement) (oct c)

Ch2 pt4(rest of the hashira at once. Not available yet) (rest of nov off screen)

Ch2 pt5 (fight with Mazoku the puppeteer demon followed by wedding of kaz and mitsuri. Dec. Wip)

Mod: here's the rp info

Straight

Directly XXX moments are permitted in DMs whereas non detailed teasing/fanservice bits for posts.

Polyamorous (definitely dating Mitsuri now in his cannon, possible second girlfriend character on the way.)

Male

19-24+ (character agr I'm 24)

Only info of the sword is needed but have some Inuyasha knowledge please.

If oc X cc is a thing mitsuri is the goal for that but would prefer oc X oc

All alt demon slayer blogs

@the-puppeteer-demon

@ask-the-spirit-siblings

@shina-kumatsi-dskyn

My awesome friends

@askmitsuri-kanroji

@paintoreos

@mamaandherfamily

@katanafoxdrawsthings

@ask-the-insect-hashira

@the-godof-festivals

@ask-spider-mother-kny

And more I'm not currently remembering the tags for or met and will add as I remember them

[abbyandhanako]

“I ended up getting a gash on my shoulder by Sage, one of Cipher’s newer commanders and Veda’s pupil when I went to save Hugh from her.

She ended up retreating along with Gordor, Team Dim Sun and the Pokémon Pinchers, The gash was pretty painful but thankfully wasn’t deep, I did yell ‘Damn it’ however.

They had the medicine recipes aswell as the ingredients necessary to make medicine for their bosses, and that the illegal info is out in public, Eun-min strangely didn’t seem bothered and said that her workers tend to destroy evidence.

Eva glared at both of Lamont and Aries, when Aries told Eva to say exactly what she wanted to say to them since Eva was angry with the both of them, I often heard her curse under her breath prior that Rina’s plan could have gotten Ghetsis killed.

When Lamont rushed over and was very apologetic over what happened, when Aries noticed Eva’s expression, she told her if she’s got something on her mind, then say it.

Eva then pulled me away from Lamont and shouted at him to get back, She blames both Aries and Lamont for what happened, but Lamont pleaded with her to let her comfort Hana and Aries went to defend Lamont and told her not to play dumb and to ‘keep her head on ice because you will do something you’ll regret’ by not letting Lamont help me.

Eva then snapped and angrily told Aries that she should stop thinking when others are getting clobbered and fight, aswell as pointing out that Veda almost drained Ghetsis’ soul.

Eun-min, Mark’s mom told Eva to just let Lamont do this, Aries began to argue that she and Eva are not like eachother and that she was even afraid to use her abilities because she fears having blood on her hands and to get this through that she and Lamont are not like her.

This ended up in a shouting match between them about ‘being human’ and on Eva’s end, to stop thinking and battle, Hugh got between them.

Lamont tried to stop the argument but he ended up losing it with Eva because of her methods aswell as her disregard for other people.

Abby, N and Ghetsis arrived and I told them if this continued to the infirmary, I will be forced to use Wesker and Frieden to break it up, but

Lamont ended up losing it with her and told her that he didn’t choose to kill and that she blows off every kill she has done as a joke, then telling her that he envied her and wanted him gone, say it to his face…

Mark started crying as a result of the whole thing, he was never good with this sort of thing, Ghetsis soon got between her, Aries and Lamont, Eva retorted with ‘Don’t you think I ******* know that’ and yelled that Veda deserved what he got.

Lamont couldn’t take it anymore and told Eva if she continued seeing me and Aries as a weapon, and himself included playing off his brother’s death as a joke without thinking of the effects, then they are done.

Aries tried to protest but Lamont left, His Tyrantrum Fang got concerned and followed him.

Lunick reassured that he and Solana will keep an eye on him.

Ghetsis was quite annoyed with both women and told them not to speak to eachother while they were heading back

When they got back to the infirmary, Eva sat in the Cathode section away from Aries, I visibly heard her hiss under her breath that my abilities were a weapon, not me, Mark was still crying from it and Ghetsis was comforting him.

He soon decided to speak to both Aries and Eva in his office, I am impressed a man with a temperament like that kept his calm when dealing with a Wiccan and a notorious serial killer.

The later part is what I’ve been told by Ghetsis and Abby.

Once they were in his office, Ghetsis asked them: “So, Let me get this straight, There was an argument after Cipher retreating with Dim Sun, Gordor who is the former leader of Go-Rock Squad and the Pokémon Pinchers, Am I correct?”

Aries replied with ‘yes sir…’

He decided to get Eva’s side first and asked her:

“Eva, so according to T.K and Mark, Hana got a gash on her shoulder by Sage, one of Cipher’s members and when Lamont tried to comfort her, You angrily told him in your native language to stay back and accused Lamont and Witch of ‘thinking instead of fighting’? Is that true?”

Once he got Eva’s response: “Jawohl”, He moved on to Aries, He told her he wasn’t taking anyone’s side

Aries’ response was:

“After that, I came to defend Lamont. The man was kind but his patience was quickly running out, Thus I decided to be fully focused on while Lamont tried to heal Hana… Stupid I know…But the man already suffered enough.”

Ghetsis nodded and asked Eva if she blamed Aries and Lamont for what happened to me, she said yes, I don’t think we were aware of the ambush and how Sage wasn’t felt by any of the Pokémon.

Eva soon began to speak of the previous battle with Cipher when we had to retrieve Baron, Aries’ dad, She angrily reminisced that it got Ghetsis and Goliath nearly killed and that it was a reckless plan that went badly, then said that Sage could have done far worse to me.

Aries retorted and told Eva to leave her mom out of this and even said she tried to get her to change her mind and proceeded with it and that she was mad at her for it and that she will admit it and that’s why she’s here to make up for it.

Ghetsis then told them that both of their reasonings were understandable and even stated Rina’s plan backfired badly but he did not condone what happened to Lamont and that disciplinary measures will be taken, then told them both that no one is getting kicked out of the Plasma Frigate today and even said he will get the Triad to keep an eye on them.

He then talked about the serum F2440/ANT, then told Eva that she is not using it to poison enemies, He doesn’t mind her using the serum intended for him and me since Lady Choi Eun-min makes enough for the both of us to last weeks, even months.

He also said there was now an antidote for accidental contamination because Abby and Lady Eun-min determined the effects are hazardous enough to be considered a bioweapon

Aries said she would then take responsibility and because of what happened to the Dim Sun grunt, She assumed her powers were extreme enough.

Ghetsis explained his cases aswell as mine, I’m still very young so that’s why I had to have the serum while Ghetsis’ mental state affects his abilities.

Eva when she got up fell and nearly hit her head on the desk, Aries asked if it was because she had to take responsibility for angering Lamont, Ghetsis put a hand on her forehead and she felt very warm and even wondered if she was ill for a while.

Aries noted that Eva looked okay, even I thought she was alright and that she’ll take her to the infirmary even though ‘they’re on separate time out corners’, Eva’s last words before slipping out of consciousness was:

“Nein, geh weg…(No, go away…)”

Aries told her she’s going to the infirmary and when I saw her brought in, her hair was disheveled and she was unconscious, Rina went over and stated that Eva had a fever and a very bad one, Rina was told what happened and that Lamont will come back but he needed time to calm down.

Eva was shaking in her sleep and Abby soon came over, I tried to call out her full name and when Abby used a thermometer, Eva had a fever of 104.5 degrees, Abby later ordered some X-Rays and MRI scans of be taken.

Aries soon went outside to cool off, not before stating that Eva had overdid it honestly.

The infirmary was quiet aside from Eva’s German murmurs due to being delirious from her fever…

I think it may be ability-related or something, I have never seen Eva that sick before…

I’ll make an update once I know what’s wrong with her……”

[lovecolibri]

Yeah right after last season there were some smug Echo shippers who wanted to be superior about their ship and how Malex is ruined now. Then I thought about it and realized I'd still take Malex over Echo easily any day. Echo may have gotten the pretty scenery and romantic scenes but there really is no foundation there at the moment other than Max knows Liz is flawed but thinks she's the greatest thing in the universe anyway. I don't even know what they have to offer each other. And like you said, Max comes with so many red flags that Carina never saw an issue with, most of which might very well just be missing from his personality going forward without it ever being addressed. I hope they will at least try to unpack Max's white privilege with the new sheriff because that conversation Carina was so proud of last season was not it. There's no changing the setup for their relationship, so the least they can do is stop writing Liz as someone who has to prioritize Max over her family because he can't be bothered to really own his actions.

Guess who started writing this a week ago and save it into my drafts because I had to leave the house and then promptly forgot all about it? Couldn’t be me! Anyway...

They wanted Liz to be a Strong Woman and have Max be the Soft Supportive Man who writes poetry, but he also needed to be a Deputy, and also a Strong Manly Man who would fight for her and so we ended up with this really inconsistent character who is soft and supportive to Liz's face, but doesn't agree with her and goes behind her back about it, and who explodes with rage when he doesn’t get what he wants which seemed like they might address as part of his alien powers because he wasn’t supposed to heal with them, but then they kind of shrugged it off? (Don’t get me started on aaaalll that worry about Max coming back evil, and him badgering Rosa into a relapse (partially because her brilliant scientist sister and doctor half-brother didn’t think about getting her in treatment when she talked about why she was self-medicating before??), only for Isobel to handle it immediately 🙄) 

Look, I know Echo are endgame, so I want to like them I really do, and those first few episodes sure were something and really drew me in and made me want to root for them, but season 1 had it’s flaws and season 2 was....what it was. Here’s hoping with Jeanine saying this premier feels like a new pilot episode, that they are building a new, better foundation for Echo and that maybe they will use that to address some of the previous stuff and then let Echo move forward. 

It’s so frustrating in a weird way because on the one hand, Malex has this much deeper, richer, star-crossed lovers separated by family vendetta story you would normally see for the main couple but along with that, they kinda got shafted too by the writing because it was all torture and misery porn while Echo got to break up and make up right away and have cute dates and sweet moments that weren’t immediately interrupted by violence or the looming shadow of remembered trauma. And because they are a straight couple that the show had made a point to expressly state in interviews and such that these other side relationships were not a threat to the Echo ship, it was such an irritating double standard to everything with Malex, including dragging m*luca out for a whole season and how the characters were allowed to respond to all that mess.

But on the other hand, Malex still has the deeper, richer story and we get to see them working to build this foundation where as Echo always seemed to just gloss over the things once they realized they didn’t really agree until everything (literally) blew up in their faces. So as 🙃🙃🙃 as I am about the difference in how Echo is treated as this “obvious endgame nothing will come between them” ship compared to Malex and the constant fear that it’s going to be the series finale before they’re allowed to have even a moment of peace, it mostly feels unearned for Echo, and doubly irritating for Malex because not only were Echo never together in high school and haven’t seen each other or communicated at all since Liz left ten years ago, they also have some really fundamental differences in their moral stances and what they believe that should be causing rifts in their relationship that need to be addressed but have so far just...not been, while they take horseback rides into the sunset and have soft sexy uninterrupted by trauma mornings, and “I love yous”. Where as Malex were together in high school and it’s been mentioned in passing that they’ve kept some amount of contact over the intervening decade, and they have also really only been kept apart by trauma, the walking war crime Jesse Manes, and Alex’s military deployments and out of state postings. Right now what they have given us for Echo is so surface level and seems mostly...not one-sided really, but Max has made it clear that there has never been anyone else for him, where as we have seen Liz with Kyle (twice), she was engaged before she came back to Roswell, and now it looks like they might be setting up for yet another love triangle with this new guy. So how am I supposed to buy this “soulmates” story with Liz and Max if they keep showing us that Liz may care for Max but she doesn’t really have a hard time moving on, where as Max has never, ever been able to move on from girl he hadn’t even kissed when the show started. I just...*screams into pillow* both of these ships had a super interesting set up and were off to a strong start but their potential has been squandered for a while now, and I am really hopeful this season brings it all back around. Seeing the excitement from the cast has really helped build that hope and keep it alive.   

[where-fantasy-meets-reality]

“It’s You.” Chapter 17

Masterlist       Chapter 16 

Pairing: Obi-Wan x Fem Reader 

W/C: 8.5 K

Warnings: Pretty sure there is a language warning somewhere in the chapter. Threats and mentions of dark magic (depending on personal and/or religious views it can be upsetting to people.)

A/N: It took me longer to get this chapter out than I wanted to, but it's an important one, and I wanted to make sure it was good, but I still apologize for taking a bit longer than planned. This is story is coming to a close as we’re almost done. With that being said, I may not be able to update it till the end of the month. I am going on vacation in a few weeks and I have a lot going on. I am going to try to update before I leave but that may not be possible. Just know that no matter what, the story will not be abandoned. As always, thank you so much for all the support and enthusiasm that this story has received. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - 

“Aw….” she clicked her tongue twice. “How rude and silly of me. Allow me to introduce myself dear”  The witch-like woman took a deep and elegant bow, “…I’m Mother Talzin…”

As the creepy women spoke the wind rustled, sending a shiver up your spine and causing the wind to blow your hair in your face.

Her yellow eyes settled on you and it made your breaths grow shallow. You had never seen his women before in your life if you had you have most certainly remembered her, but the causal way she regarded you and had introduced herself….gave you the impression that she knew you; or at least something about you.

“....I….am sorry, I do not believe we have met…”

“No…We haven’t, but that’s okay my dear Y/N…..I know all about you….Your stepmother, Rena, has shared so many wonderful stories about you over the years.”

Ice ran through your veins as your eyes grew twice their size. “R….R-Rina? You…You know Rina?”

Your voice had been louder than you had intended it to be. Looking around quickly, you noticed that despite the rise in your voice, no one had noticed.

Angelo still snored peacefully. The horses were quietly munching, not disturbed or frightened at all, and horses were usually skittish creatures. Up in the trees, the birds were still resting on the branches. And Obi-Wan, dear Obi-Wan, was still curled up under the blanket that he had been, his breaths even and undisturbed.

No one had moved an inch, not even stirred at all the noise you had made.

“Oh don’t worry dear, they can’t hear us.” The witch taunted you.

Your heartbeat was pounding in your ears. This was bad, something was wrong.

The witch smiled widely, an exaggerated, falsely happy smile as she started sauntering towards you. “Now….where was I?” Extender her pointer finger in the air, as if she was pointing to a magical light above her head, she continued to toy with you. “Oh yes, I remember! Rina!.....Yes…. Rina is an old apprentice of mine…been a pupil for decades.”

Flinching back, your mouth hung open like a dead fish. “DECADES?!”

“I knew it! I knew there was always something that was not normal about that wretch of a woman!”

Standing very still, only your eyes followed Mother Talzin as she began to circle you.

“...But…I’m not here to talk about Rina, I’m here to talk to you, my child…”

Glancing sideways to your left, as the witch had fully curled you, your eyes narrowed. “What do you want with me? I don’t even know you.”

A snake-like smile appeared on her face and her eyes seemed to glow. Putting her arm around you, she forced you to walk with her.

“Oh…” Her voice was oily and fake, making the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. “...but you see, Rina misses you so much and is so worried about you…You shouldn’t have stormed out the way you did.”

Stopping abruptly, you jumped out of her hold and took a step back from her. “That’s a lie! Rina has never cared about me! She’s done nothing but tortured me and belittled me….”

“Oh, no child you just don’t understand her….”

“I understand her plenty!” You squared your shoulders and leaned in closer to her. “I left for a reason and I am not going back.”

Tilting her head to the side, she sighed. “Now child, there is no need to be stubborn…I can imagine that my apprentice was a bit….”

“You’re not getting it old witch!” You snapped. “I am not going back! I have the chance at a better life….I am in love and I have a chance at true happiness…A man who treats me like the sun and moon revolve around…He is kind, caring and so smart…and he loves me…for me, something Rina never did…I will never give that up, especially not to go back to being some servant girl in my family’s home!”

Any amusement in her face faded. The witch pursed her lips. “Alright, you little wench…I now see why Rina kept you so close to her.”

As she floated toward you menacingly, green smoke surrounded her.

“Listen to me, you ungrateful little runt…You’re going back to that manner whether you want to or not.”

“You can’t make me.”

Her eyebrow arched. “Oh…” Her eyes darted to Obi-Wan’s blissfully unaware, still sleeping form. “...But I can…”

“NO!” You shrieked.

A flash of green smoke surrounded the prince and instantly, Obi-Wan and the blankets that he was wrapped up as he slept hung in mid-air off the ground.

“You don’t go…he dies…”

“I would never let you harm him.” You growled.

“Oh…child….You can’t possibly truly believe that you have what it takes to stop me…so let’s talk negotiations.”

With a gentle wave of her hand, the sleeping Prince floated toward you.

Stopping him about halfway between the two of you, Mother Talzin kept the dreaming prince hovering off of the ground.

“You will return home to the manner and never see him again. When he awakens, you’ll tell him that you changed your mind and you don’t wa…”

“He won’t believe me…” You hissed, interrupting her.

Shrugging apathetically, she didn’t even bother to consider your statement. “Darling, you’re clever, make something up…” A sinister glow formed in her eyes. “His life depends on it.”

Biting your bottom lip you looked at your sleeping Prince as he was being dangled in front of you.

Noticing that the flame was burning bright within you was dying, the witch smirked. “That’s better…you’re smart…I like that…After you leave him, you will return to Rina and do exactly what she says and you will never leave the manner again.”

Your eyes snapped to meet the witches. “I go into town, I run all the errands…If I don’t the manner will…”

Her eyes flashed a bright jade. “Never again! You will do everything your stepmother orders you to, no matter how much you resent it…and if you ever tell the Prince what truly happened….He’ll die…”

“WHAT?!”  

The air left your lungs. That had been your contingency plan. You knew Obi-Wan wouldn’t take your answers lying down…so you hoped he would come for you or that you could get word to him about what had happened here tonight….but now…well, the witch had just sealed your fate.

If telling Obi the truth meant that he died….well….then you’d endure whatever your stepmother threw at you.

“The prince can never know the truth, Your stepmother, with my help, as put a curse on him….if he ever learns the truth, he will die instantly….but in time….the curse will cause him to forget you…after you break his heart, he’ll go off and do what is expected of him, marry a real princess and become king….and forget you ever existed.”

“How long will that take?” You whimpered.

“Hhhhmmm…time is a fickle thing….depends on the strength of his heart. It could be months, years….or days…. it is up to the magic and the strength of his heart…”

Obi-Wan had a big heart….a strong one, it was one of the many things you loved about him. There was a small part of you that silently hoped that it takes longer for him to fully forget you so that you could find a way back to him…there had to be some kind of loophole that you would figure out in time.

Looking at him again, sleeping peacefully…you silently vowed to not let this go, no matter what it looked like. You had forever to find your way back to him.

“Fine….I’ll do it.” You sighed.

“A quick thinker child….a pathetic one, but a quick one nonetheless….” Mother Talzin looked at Obi-Wan. “...Love…a fools sentiment….it was the same sentiment that sealed your father’s fate as well…”

The world slowed as Mother Talzin turned to look at you. Her words seem to blur together. “Oh….did I mention to tell you that you were right? There was something conspicuous about your father’s death….it was your stepmother, Rina killed him…..he gave his life to save you….”

Chuckling, Mother Talzin placed Obi-Wan back to where she had picked him up from. “A fool’s love is always the strongest weapon and the strongest magic…”

Bile and rage flowed through as your nostrils flared. Years of spiraling thoughts, conspiracy-type thoughts that kept you up at night flashed before your eyes. “I’ll kill her.” You uttered through gritted teeth.

“Do it and I’ll kill him.” The witch snapped. “ You don’t get it dear….you’ve been bested…Rina owns you and she will own you for the rest of your life…..a spirit as…spunky and youthful as yours is far too valuable to lose out on….and if you want your princey-poo to have a good life then you will do exactly as she says no matter what and never, ever leave the manner or interfere with his life ever again….Should he marry the Queen of Jakku, Kill the King, or marry the shoe-makers daughter, it matters not to you…For you will never see him again…”

Your lip quivered. She’d won. Rina finally won. All along she had been an even more vile, wretched creature than you could have possibly imagined.

“Tell me one thing?” Your words were no louder than a whisper.

“Depends.” The witch shrugged, her voice flat. She knew she was the one with the power in the room and, that to her, you were a nuisance at best.

With tears streaming down your face, you looked up at the sky. Clouds had covered the sky, and you couldn’t see Luna anymore….it made you sadder, you could have used a friend. “What is Rina…What are you?”

Considering your question, she shrugged. “We’re a coven of immortal witches and warlocks…sorcerers really…We call ourselves the Night Sisters and Brothers…there are more of us though, so many more….I am the leader of the coven, the strongest one….’

You squeezed your eyes shut, the tears burning in your eyes. Great, an army of immortal magic users, that is what you were up against now. “....S….So, what now?”

It was a stupid question to ask and you knew that but you felt you had to, the finality of it needed to be spelled out.

“Well, when I vanish, the spell I have over this area will lift and everyone will wake up. You will tell the Prince that you are no longer inserted in him, say whatever you must. Then…..go back to the manner, Rina will meet you there.”

She walked past you, she was sauntering to the place where she first appeared. Stopping abruptly, she turned to you. “Oh and by the way, did I mention you have 1 hour to get back to the estate….You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your Prince or his kingdom because you were too talkative.”

“WHAT?! FROM HERE IT’S AT LEAST A 45-MINUTE RIDE! I CAN’T EVEN TAKE MY TIME AND PROPERLY SAY GOODBYE!?!”

Looking straight ahead at the Palace and not at you, she projected her voice to make sure it carried. “Time’s a wasting…..tick tock tick tock Princess.”

The mocking and loathsome tone that her voice sounded when she called you “princess” made your stomach churn.

Yet, before you could retaliate, she was gone with a “pop” sound and breeze that took her away.

As if he had been sucked back into his body, Obi-Wan gasped for air as he sat up straight.

Along with him, it was as if everything around him came back to life as well. The horses neighed and paced frantically. Angelo sprang to his feet barking defensively.

“Quiet Angelo!….Ssssshhhh boy.” You ran over to him and settled him and the horses nearby.

“What happened?” You heard Obi-Wan call out from behind you but you didn’t answer him.

Hearing his footsteps approaching, you tensed.

This was going to be impossible to do….but if you didn’t, you knew the consequences and nothing was worth them.

Angelo nudged you softly, licking your cheek to help dry your tears.

“I thought I heard something, some sort of “pop” sound…”

Obi-Wan stopped when saw you. He bent down and lifted your chin so he could see your face better. His sky-blue eyes filled with concern instantly.

“My darling, what’s the matter?”

Your bottom lip wobbled at the expression on his face, the warmth of his voice.

“You can tell darling, you can always tell me, darling. I’m here for you.” He whispered in your ear as he drew you close to him, wrapping his arms around you.

Burying your face into the crook of his neck, you allowed yourself one final indulgence. He smelt of musk and spices….with a hint of mint….The prickliness of his beard scratched your face softly as he nuzzled you and hugged you tighter.

You wished, prayed really that his hug would crush you so that you didn’t have to do this.

Placing your hands on his chest, you gently pushed him away, causing there to be space between you both.

He looked up at you in confusion and tilted his head.

“No…” You whispered.

“What did you say?”

Steeling yourself and gritting your teeth, you squeezed your eyes shut. “No….Obi-Wan….I…I don’t want you to be here for me….”

The sight before your eyes would be seared into your memory forever…you will never forget nor forgive yourself for the look of pain and confusion that appeared on the prince’s face.

“....W….Wh….” coughing slightly to clear his throat. “....What do you mean?”

You couldn’t look at him, not in the eyes at least. Instead, you focused on his chest. “I don’t want to be involved with you anymore Obi-Wan…..I am leaving. Don’t follow me, don’t come after me, and don’t go looking for me, just forget about me,”

Rising and walking away from him, you patted your thigh for Angelo and the mice to follow you.

Not looking back, you approached Summer and reached out for her, but before you could hoist yourself up onto her, something grabbed you and turned you around.

Obi-Wan looked scared….and concerned, gone was the usual calm and confident smile that he usually wore.

“I…Don’t understand….I thought…I…I love you, you can’t just leave me….We had just agreed to back to the palace in the morning…I want to marry you, I love you…”

“You said that already.” You gasped. His rambling confessions were tearing your heart inhalf.

“What more can I say then? Please I’ll say anything, anything! I will promise anything to make your stay just please….”

The bong of the church bells from the village sounded in the village. The sight of an imaginary clock flashed in your mind’s eye….and a faint voice that said: “...tick tock tick tock princess….or it won’t matter how he feels about you.”

You shivered. Was the witch inside your mind?! You didn’t question it. The witch had eluded to the fact that she could do terrible things and you didn’t want to push and call her bluff.

But the sight of Obi-Wan standing in front of you, eyes wide and glossy, looking sad and lost like a little puppy destroyed you.

“This is for your own good Obi.”  

“....No Obi-Wan…No means no….I don’t want anything to do with you.” You squared your jaw and coiled your body in response to the stress that you were feeling. You knew the one thing you had to say….what would stop him.

“But I…I thought you loved me as well…” He whispered.

Your lips pursed as if you had just bitten into a lemon. “I could never be in love with a stuck-up prince like you….Someone whose guards wait on him all the time, following him around like some pompous prince….just thinking that he can do as he pleases….. “

You gasped in between your words, choking on them. Despite the readily following tears, your throat was dry, as the weight of your words was crushing your heart.

“How could I ever find that appealing….I don’t love you, I never did, I just wanted to be like all the other girls and get close to the Prince for a chance at a crown and Palace…but you aren’t worth it….I am done here and I am leaving…”

Tears started streaming down your face uncontrollably as you hoisted yourself on Summer’s back. You didn’t even give Obi-Wan a chance to respond, anything he could say to you at this point would only just you both further and you needed to get out of there as quickly as you could.

“Come on Angelo!” You gasped, half yelling at him.

The dog ducked his head, sensing your anger and pain. You didn’t usually address him like that and he didn’t know how to handle it. Unsure of himself, he silently followed you with his tail between his legs. Normally he would have been the loveable, rebellious goofball that he was, barking and protesting the whole way; but even he knew you weren’t messing around.

You nudged Summer forward,

The large dapple-colored horse gathered speed as you kept pushing her forward, increasing the distance between you and Obi-Wan.

You knew the mice were on Angelos’s back, most likely holding to his collar for their lives… the bluebirds would find their way back to the manner when it suited them.

Getting away from this situation before you completely broke down was your priority…that and the witches’ warning that you only had one hour to return, and you hadn’t been keeping track.

Time….there was always a time constraint….before the stroke of midnight at the ball…before your stepmother realized you were gone in the village too long…the amount of time it took to do the chores and get ready for a secret date…..making sure you planned ahead to give yourself enough time to sneak back to the manner unnoticed….

Well, it didn’t matter now. Time would never be a burden again, your whole life had just been decided for you at the sound of the witches’ words. You were to never leave the manner again…so time was no longer even a part of your reality, whether it took you two minutes or two days to do a chore, it would never matter again.

The pools of tears that were welling in your eyes burned and blurred your vision as the horse galloped. The sting of the wind and the sound of her hooves on the hard ground all blurred together.

But you just kept your eyes forward as you sobbed.

Had you looked back, you would have seen Obi-Wan staring at you dumbfoundedly, mouth hung open in confusion, heart shattered, eyes full of sorrow as they were watching you as you rode off from him.

Knowing he would never see you again.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Obi-Wan had watched her ride off into the blackness of the night.

He still stood where she had left him, completely dumbfounded and in disbelief at what just happened.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he finally relaxed and let all of the stress that he was holding together inside his body go.

His shoulders relaxed. “Wh….what happened?”

Looking around, he tried to piece together what had happened.

Before he had fallen asleep, the last thing he remembered was that after you two had kissed, you went back to looking up at the stars. Eventually, she had fallen asleep in his arms and he decided to just sleep as well; after all, it was more time with her.

Yet, when that “pop” sound happened….he woke up and everything had changed. The horses were agitated and Angleo was barking defensively.

And her….she was…well she seemed agitated….and not herself. The light from her eyes that shined through was gone…and she was crying.

He started pacing and stroking his beard. If he had awoken to her crying then something had to have happened, even if she didn’t want to tell him….after everything, they had been through and shared together….

Looking up at the sky, he saw that the moon wasn’t out.

“Thats odd,” he whispered. “...I was sure the moon was out earlier this evening when we were looking at the stars….but now it is gone…and the clouds, it wasn’t cloudy at all.”

The wind blew, causing the trees to rustle.

“Something is off….I know that whatever happened, it wasn’t her fault and I will get to the bottom of this one day…”

The tiniest embers of the rising sun were seeping up into the sky. He sighed, feeling defeated, empty…..and alone.

He didn’t want to go back to the Palace. He wanted to jump on Boga’s back and charge after her and get the truth from her.

But he knew now was not the time. He needed to regroup and get himself together, mentally and physically.

Resigning himself to his reality he glumly started packing up the telescope and blankets.

- - - - - - - - -

(while the reader is talking to Obi-Wan after the witch leaves)

Rina sat pacing in the garden, nerves causing her to fidget as she paced.

The pop sound that signaled Mother Talzin’s return made Rina jump out of her skin.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” She hissed.

Amused, the witch tilted her head. “Sorry.”

Rina rolled her eyes knowing that the old woman was anything but sorry, she enjoyed torturing anyone, including her own apprentices.

“So, did you find her?”

A wicked, evil smile appeared on Mother Talzin’s face as her eyes glowed green. “Of course I did….Once I have someone’s trail they can never hide.”

That was something that Rina knew all too well. In the beginning, she had tried to run from the witch, but it was no use, she had souled her soul.

Mother Talzin didn’t bother to wait for Rina’s pathetic answer, he had wasted enough time with her stupidity and incompetence this evening.

“The girl is on her way back. Once she arrives she should be quite more manageable than she was before, I doubt you’ll get any rebellious attitude from her.”

“How did you manage that?” Rina narrowed her eyes at the witch, fully not trusting her to do something underhanded to the both of them

“The same way I negotiate all my bargains!” The witch snapped. Sauntering forward, her eyes gleamed the color of jade. “I simply go after the one thing that the person loves or wants more than anything…for most of my apprentices, like you and the one in the palace, its power…but for others….its a thing or a person…for her….it was the boy.”

With wide, understanding eyes Rina whispered, “the prince….”

“Yes,” the witches oliy voice took on a fake, high-pitched tone. “...and when I simply explained to her what would happen to the prince if she disobeyed us or broke the bargain…well it was all too easy really….people underestimate just what others will do for love….” a flash of wickedness seeped into her smile. “....and it works every time…”

Considering her words, Rina looked up at the night sky…the sun was starting to rise now….

“What about the boy….a crown prince is a lot to deal with….power and problems…we can’t just dispose of him like we could someone else, he’s too public….plus whose to say he won’t come looking for the little brat?”

Mother Talizin was continuously amazed by Rina’s ignorance. “Darling…it really is an amazement to me sometimes why I keep you on….your not very bright and while your powerful you lack the brains and originality that some of my other apprentices have…” sighing dramatically, she continued. “Of course, I’ve already put a plan in place to keep the prince out of the picture…And it plays right into our hands.”

For fear of sounding stupid, Rina just stared at the witch without saying anything.

“Oh for crying out loud!” the witch huffed. “My apprentice, the one at the palace….he will see to it that the Prince is preoccupied with enough things that he won’t come looking for her….and more.”

“More?”

“See, unlike you Rina, I have apprentices who have bigger ambitions than to just be beautiful and rich….this one…he craves power…its the very thing that drives him and gives him purpose….he’s climbed his way up the ladder all these years, weaseling his way through society, and its landed him in a very prominent position. He believes that he can infiltrate the government and the royal family from within…..possibly dismantling everything…”

Rina’s head flinched back as she rounded on Mother Talzin. “You have an apprentice with that kind of power?! You are talking about taking down an entire kingdom and system of government…”

“Peanuts for this apprentice….he’s been biding his time, solidifying his reputation…once the royal family is dealt with, it will not only leave us in power, but we will have more souls for the taking…”

Crossing her arms, Rina pivoted her footing so that she was leaning on her hips. “...and where does that leave us…”

Mother Talzin’s eyes flashed green. Growing in height, she appeared instantly in front of Rina out of thin air, towering over the woman with a menacing expression, “with more power and prominence than you deserve….if my other apprentice succeeds, you and your meaningless family will get more than you deserve…” shrinking in size, she seemed to quell her rage…” but no matter….I own you, there for whatever success you and my other apprentice achieve, it all works out in my favor…”

“Oh really, so you own his soul too?” Rina crowed with a cockiness that would have done credit to a teenage delinquent.

Smearing at Rina, she turned and walked away. “...No…unlike you, some of my other apprentices are able to hold their own and not fall into my debt….their loyalty only makes their prowess more useful to me”

Walking back to the spot where she appeared from she called over her shoulder.

“The girl is on her way back to you. Keep her close and feel to make her as miserable as you’d like…remember pain is power….I will be gone for a while, but don’t get too comfortable…things are in motion and moving quickly, I will be back when are ready to proceed with the plan…when my other apprentice proves his usefulness.”

“Is there any way that this can go wrong?” Rina cautioned.

Stopping, Mother Talzin turned and looked over her shoulder. “...Well yes…there is one contingency in place…a loop whole of sorts…true loves kiss….”

Rina let out a “pft” sound. “Nonsense.”

The witch spun fully around. “Only a fool would dismiss the magic of true love…while it is a useful barging chip, it is not to be underestimated….should the two brats be able to kiss…then the spell will be broken and neither of the souls will be useful, fortunately, neither of those two know that, so things should be easy enough for us to control…so see to it that she does not leave the manner if you want to be alive to reap the benefits of a competent apprentice, for I will not be lenient with you again if you fail me this time.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The royal palace gleamed in the golden sunlight of the early morning. Despite the somber and depressing circumstances, it couldn’t help but take away Obi-Wan’s breath as he drove the wagon up the main driveway.

Sometimes he got lost in the beauty and the majesty of the whole thing.

Normally he would have never approached the main entrance after having been out all night, but if he was going to be seen and labeled as a spoiled prince then he might as well start acting liking one.

The closer he got, he saw someone pacing in front of the palace steps. The large fountain was in his way, but as he got closer, he was able to look beyond the fountain and make out the frantically pacing figure.

“Anakin?” he chuckled to himself as he steered the wagon through the circle.

“OBI-WAN! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Anakin doubled on him, turning around so fast he practically fell over. Regaining his balance, he ran toward Obi-Wans moving wagon, arms failing like a windmill.

“You seem agitated?” Obi-Wan questioned him as he pulled Boga gently to a stop.

Anakin jumped up on the wagon and leaned in closer to the prince so that only he could hear him. Obi-Wan was confused and alarmed at his friend’s behavior but he was given no time to express himself as Anakin started talking quickly again in a hushed voice.  

“I am! Cody and I have been waiting for you all morning! He’s guarding the back entrance by the stables waiting for you in case you came in that way…There’s been an issue…”

“Is my father alright?” Obi-Wan pressed.

Anakin shook his. “King Qui-Gon is fine…but….who knows for how long?”

“What is going on Anakin?” Obi-Wan pressed. “No more riddles.”

“Well, last night everything went off smoothly, without a hitch, no one second guessed our explanations as to where you were….but this morning….Palpatine didn’t show up to breakfast. Whispers are going around that there has been an emergency senate meeting that’s been called this morning…..”

The Prince looked at his friend, confused. “Well, if there was a meeting why are you asking me, wouldn’t Padme know?”

“Thats just the thing Obi-Wan….Padme wasn’t present at the meeting, she was never notified…”

Obi-Wan sat back, his darting back and forth furiously. Looking around him he noticed that the palace did seem quieter.

“...But that is not all Obi-Wan…Seitor Chichi, King Bail….Senator Orn Free Taa….Senator Dormus Renking….None of them were called….According to the secretary of the senate, Palpatine only called a few selected senators…..”

“How many were called?” Obi-Wan hissed.

Anakin didn’t know how to tell him this. “Half of them, 40 to be exact.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes….his day was already going badly and never in his wildest dreams did he think it could be worse….but it did, it just did.

“.....Anakin….40 senators is half…….that means if he had to pass any kind of bill or vote….and he had the half the senate present…with only half present, a majority vote would be easy to obtain…and as long as the majority present votes then the whatever is trying to be passed, if they vote yes it gets passed.”

“Yeah but something is even fishier Obi-Wan…” Anakin said as he nudged him.

“What could possibly be fishier at this point?” The Prince groaned.

“What do the senators who weren’t present…what do they have in common….”

Obi-Wan smoothed his fingers over his beard. “Well….of the ones you mentioned…. they are all loyal to the crown….”

“Exactly…..why would Palpatine hand pick senators, to be present at an emergency meeting, an leave certain ones out that known loyalties to the state or the royal family, or even both… if…”

“If he wasn’t trying to do something underhanded?!?” Obi-Wan exclaimed.

“Bingo buddy boy!” Anakin snapped his fingers. “Now your catching on…I didn’t want to believe it either, I like Palpatine, unlike you guys.” He chuckled. “But Padme and I talked it over…. It is just not right, something up, and…I have been known to overlook his crappy behavior and maybe it's time I own up to that and accept that he isn’t perfect…I almost went looking for you myself this morning but I wanted to be here for your father in case something happened.”

“What do you mean? Has anything happened since the senate was called into a session?” 

“No….but the meetings are not over yet….and honestly, im just waiting for Palpatine’s personal guard to show up and cause trouble or something….In case they did…well…” Anakin chuckled sheepishly, “I know I’m a good fighter, and I train my men well, the palace guards will need all the help they could get….minus Commander Fox and Cody…they’re more than fine,” He laughed.

Obi-Wan shot him a look, an unamused one at that. “Listen Anakin, I’ve had a long night and a lot of weird stuff is going on right now in general….and the fact that you are ready to condemn Palpatine, someone who you’ve never seen fault with is just mind-blowing,...” Letting out a breath, he looked up at the beautiful, clear morning sky. “honestly, if some sort of coupe is being staged against the crown….then that’s all I need right now…I won’t lie, I’m going to need all the help I can get…Im not in a good place this morning…and im not in the mood for your dark humor.”

Anakin shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry pal, just being myself…” but sensing his friends’ frustration, he sobered. “What happened last night? Did the evening not go as planned?”

“No to say the least it did not…..Well….” Obi-Wan sighed. “That’s not entirely true….the evening, for the most part, went wonderfully, but something…happened…and I don’t know what exactly, but it’s changed everything….”

Anakin was about to say some kind of condolence but Obi-Wan waved him off. “Honestly Anakin now is not the time to deal with it. If what you think is happening is actually happening, then we have to move quickly and get to the bottom of it before something happens….I can’t believe im about to say this but this could all be some very odd coincidental misunderstanding.”

Arching an eyebrow, Anakin leaned back and crossed his arms. “You don’t really believe that do you?”

Obi-Wan lowered his head in defeat. “I don’t know what to believe, to be honest….but I’ve never cared for or trusted Palpatine…and things are not making sense….my parents always taught me to trust my instincts, and right they’re telling me that you are right….But my royal training has taught me to look into every possible option before making a choice…as a king, my choice is more permanent and it affects more people than just myself….now I have to balance the two….”

Clapping his hand on Obi-Wans shoulder, Anakin smiled confidently. “I get it…I’ll be right by your side Obi-Wan…I want what’s best for the kingdom and the future king is my best friend…my brother…so I’m all in…you have my sword and my heart.”

The prince smiled a half smile, the first genuine one all morning, he would expect nothing less of his brother. “Thanks…Come on then ….I’ve got to get to my father….”

The two boys jumped off the wagon and headed up the palace steps.

- - - - - - - - - -

Gathering Commander Cody and Captain Rex, Obi-Wan and Anakin swiftly moved through the palace.

King Qui-Gon was in the throne room and the prince, the Duke and the Dutchess of Tatooine had been ordered to be present in the throne room.

Two of the king’s guards stood like statues in front of the large, golden doors that were the entrance to the throne room.

As he approached he waved his hand at the guards. “Don’t bother announcing me, just open the door.”

Both of the guards gave a head nod and opened the doors.

Inside Commander Fox stood at attention beside the side of the empty throne. King Qui-Gon was packing back and forth, his long blue cape flowing around him as he walked.

The Dutchess of Tatooine was nervously swaying from side to side while she was talking to one of her handmaidens and her heard guard, Captain Panaka. Senator Chuchi of Pantora was also in their conversation circle.

The conversations and pacing hushed as Obi-Wan and his entourage walked into the throne room.

Noticing her husband, Padme ran into Anakin’s arms, not caring if the display of affection and emotion was appropriate for a Duke and Dutchess or not; this was an uncertain time, and knowing that he was okay more than relieved her.

Anakin met Padme with open arms, scooping her off the floor and holder tightly in his arms.

“Thank goodness you are alright,” Padme whispered.

Kissing her forehead, Anakin set her on her feet. “I’m fine my love….how are you, how are you feeling? You know you shouldn’t stress, not in your condition…You should be relaxing right now…”

“I’m fine!” She protested. “Besides, we are on the verge of a crisis and I am a member of the royal senate as a Rep. of Naboo and I am the Dutchess of Tatooine…now is not the time for me to be lounging with my feet up…”

“...Yeah…but…you know…” Anakin whispered, his eyes glancing down trying to communicate unspoken words.  

Obi-Wan, who had kept walking to allow his friends to have a privet moment,  skidded to a halt and turned abruptly. Trotting back to them, he started firing off questions in a concerned tone. “Are you okay?! What’s the matter?”

Anakin and Padme shared a sheepish smile and chuckle.

Obi-Wan looked at Cody and Rex for answers but both of the guards just shrugged their shoulders, clearly, they were in the dark as much as the prince was.

“This is not the morning you two, are you okay or not?” Obi-Wan pressed, his annoyance growing.

Blushing, Padme ducked her head. “I’m sorry Obi-Wan…We wanted to wait till the perfect moment but….”

Anakin took her hand for support and comfort, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe this is the perfect moment, in case everything gets worse from here.”

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze back, she smiled.

“We wanted to make a big announcement when the time is right but….Anakin and I…” Padme paused for effect despite Obi-Wan’s concerned and annoyed expression. “...Are having a baby! Im pregnant!” She squealed.

Obi-Wan relaxed, allowing his shoulders to drop. He hung his head, somewhat ashamed of himself. After everything that had happened this morning, he was acting brash and rude when there was no need to be.

Was everything going to hell around him, yes…or at least it seemed that way….but, he knew that his friends deserved this happiness and more, and he was acting selfishly and rudely.

Smiling widely, a true look of happiness in his eyes, he embraced Padme. “Oh, darling I am so happy for you both! Congratulations!” He gave her a kiss on each cheek and one on the forehead for good luck. Turning to Anakin, he arched an eyebrow.

“You old dog.”

The two men shared a deep hug.

“What’s this I hear, joy and laughter in the middle of a crisis, it must be a royal affair after all.” Qui-Gon chuckled.

“Father, Padme is pregnant!” Obi-Wan exclaimed

Joy lit up the king’s face. “Oh…My darling girl how wonderful! Oh! This is magnificent, it’s about time we had some babies running around this palace, causing mischief…” He shot a sarcastic look at Obi-Wan, “seeing how someone is taking too long…”

“Not today father…” Obi-Wan huffed.

“We will have to celebrate as soon as possible.” Qui-Gon smiled as he hugged the Dutchess.

“Which will not be anytime soon!”

The group of royals and guards whipped around to see Prime Minister Palpatine entering the hall escorted by four armed Senate Guards and two of his personal goons.

Obi-Wan and Anakin defensively stood in front of Padme and Senator Chuchi, their hands resting on their swords.

“Prime Minister Palpatine!” The King bellowed, all of the joy from his demeanor gone. “What is the meaning of this?! You called an emergency senate meeting and only called half the senate….what could be so urgent that you couldn’t wait for all the senators or inform the Royal Family?”

The Prime Minister gave a smile that Obi-Wan’s skin crawl. “Well, you see your Majesty, the senate has been very on edge lately and things have become quite volatile…”

Padme squinted her eyes at the Prime Minister. Obi-Wan caught her expression and appreciated that she was here, for taking one look at Padme’s expression told him that Anakin was right and Palpatine was up to something.

“...And because of that confidence in the Royal Family has been dwindling…”

“Well, why would it dwindle?!” Qui-Gon demanded. “What has changed? If anything the Kingdom has prospered in the recent months, how can discontent be on the rise.”

Palpatine pursed his lips, pretending to feel guilty…”Well, unfortunately, your majesty, I believe there is discontentment with the number of balls and gala the royal family has been throwing…the senators feel that the citizens of the kingdom are being ignored while the palace squanders the people’s tax money away…and, additionally….we were promised a princess that was never delivered.”

“That is none of the senate’s business.” Obi-Wan snapped. “I have announced that I have found someone and I am working on it, what I am supposed to do, force her by the arm into a church and marry her? These things take time, YOU should be the one up there championing the crown and communicating to the public that a wedding is not far off”

Obi-Wan was so thankful no one but Anakin knew what happened this morning. While his words weren’t completely true, they were close enough. She may have told him that she was done with him, but he refused to believe it…with the morning he was having he knew something was up and he would get to the bottom of it.

“And, we’ve always been honest about the fact that we use our own money to pay for the balls! We would never take it from the taxpayers!”

Qui-Gon did not get angry often, but when he did, he commanded the room.

“Well…some of the senators wonder if the royal family is worth keeping around….If the crown prince can’t even complete his simple take of finding a bride…”

“SIMPLE!?!” Obi-Wan bellowed.

Palpatine sneered. “Yes simple, it's just marriage Obi-Wan, you make it sound like its life-altering….plenty of royals have married before you, and…well now, none may marry after you…”

“I think you’re full of crap Palpatine!” Padme bellowed.

The Prime Minister smeared at the Dutchess.

“Well considering you weren’t there this morning Padme, you wouldn’t know now, would you? Additionally, you are too close to the Royals, the other senators do not see you as capable of being objective.”

Padme’s eyes bulged out of her head as her cheeks hollowed out from the giant puff of air that she took. Before she could fire off at the Prime Minister, the senator beside her spoke up.

“I agree with the Padme!” Senator Chuchi called out from behind the boys. “If anything Palpatine, it is you who has been quietly bad-mouthing the royal family, you’re the one spreading the uncertainty and descent through the senate….Picking the senators who have never been thrilled with the constitutional monarchy that we have….You just didn’t think anyone was watching…”

Palpatine’s eyes narrowed evilly on the senator from the kingdom of Pantora.

“IS THIS TRUE PALPATINE?!” Qui-Gon shouted, placing his hands on his hips.  

“THAT’S TREASON PRIME MINISTER!” Anakin bellowed drawing his sword.

Palpatine however remained calm and continued to smile that greasy, smilo smile of his. “...well…it would be treason if I was the one actually spreading those rumors as Senator Chuchi and Padme so mistakenly accused me off…”

“Are you calling my wife a liar?” Anakin growled, crouching as if he was ready to pounce on the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister smirked at Anakin. “Why no my dear boy, I would never think of doing such a thing…I’m merely pointing out that either of the senators has the ability to be objective, considering one of them is dating the Prince’s royal guard and the other is married to the prince’s best friend and spend the majority of her time with the royal family.”

Everyone whirled around and looked between Senator Chuchi and Cody, who were standing shoulder to shoulder.  But before the conversation could get sidetracked, the Prime Minister continued.

Obi-Wan looked at Cody in shock…with a hint of a smirk. He knew that Cody had feelings for the senator ever since the night before the ball…however, he was unaware of any further developments between the two.

He was happy for them. Cody rarely let his guard down and indulged in the smaller things in life.

But as usual, when Palpatine was around, the moment was short-lived and ruined by him.

“...And considering their lack of objectivity, some senators thought it was time that we put some of the more pressing issues to a vote.”

“What issues?” Obi-Wan demanded.

Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment paper and hand it to the king.

Qui-Gon grabbed the parchment out of Palpatine’s hands and quickly unrolled it.

His eyes darted widely back and forth as he read the words.

Looking at the Prime Minister, the king’s eyes narrowed as the Prime Minister shrugged nonchalantly.

“What does it say, Father?” Obi-Wan croaked, his voice hoarse with anticipation.

Pursing his lips together into a flat line, the king looked up at the Prime Minister with disgust. Turning to face his son and his friends, he cleared his throat.

“By order of the Prime Minister on behalf of a vote passed by the sente….Prince Obi-Wan has three days to find a bride and marry her. Should the Prince fail to comply with the motion…then by a majority vote of the senate, the Royal Family will be disbanded and removed from their position and the Palace, effectively removing the monarchy from power. In which case…” Qui–Gon looked up at the group and looked them in the eyes, “The Prime Minister will take control of the government, including the sente, and serve a position of four years as an elected leader, in charge of the Kingdom of Coursuant and all its domains…”

The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Palpatine stood there triumphantly, staring at the royal family.

Obi-Wan stared at the Prime Minister with his mouth open, Anakin just kept blinking rapidly at the man whom he thought was on their side, but it was Padme who broke the silence first.

“You sneaky, slimy son of a..”

“Now, really Dutchess…is that any way to speak to the Prime Minister.” Palpatine taunted her.

“You have gone too far Palpatine!” Qui-Gon turned to Commander Fox, “Guards, have this man arrested immediately!”

As the king’s guards flooded the throne room, Palpatine laughed. “Go ahead and arrest me, your Highness, it will only work and look worse for you regardless of what happens. You hold in your hands a motion passed by the majority of the senate…”

“HALF THE SENATE!” Obi-Wan interrupted.

“REGARDLESS!” Palpatine raised his voice at the Prince momentarily, but he took a deep breath and re-centered himself. “...it has been passed by the senate….the people and the senators will see this as an aggressive act of defiance…”

“So what am I supposed to do?! The person I have chosen is not ready yet! You would have me marry some random royal on a whim to serve a motion falsely passed by the senate!”

Obi-Wan’s face matched the auburn color of his hair, his crystal blue eyes sharp and full of turmoil.

“Oh your highness, we would never expect that of you…” Palpatine mocked sympathy and it made Obi-Wan want to punch him. “No, instead we have put a stop to all of this madness and have chosen one for you…”

A collective response happened across the room at once. A combination of shouts consisting of “WHAT?!” “ARE YOU SERIOUS?” and “HOW DARE THEY!”

“The Senate has never involved itself with the marrying and the choosing of royals for marriage before, they have no right, it is out of their realm of legality…” Qui-Gon reminded the Prime Minister.

“Well things have never been this bad before, as the Prime Minister I have the ability to grant the senate emergency powers to overstep the monarchy…and I have done so.” Palpatine smiled.

“ENOUGH!” Obi-Wan bellowed. “Who have they chosen for me to marry in the event that the woman I want to marry doesn’t show herself in three days?” He said to Palpatine, trying to get to the issue at hand.

“Oh, well in the spirit of putting the people first, the senate has chosen the daughter of a wealthy land-owning Baroness…The Baroness Rina Rokes daughter….The Lady Raffa…”

Obi-Wan stumbled back in shock….wasn’t that her stepmother?! How could this have happened? Out of every girl and Nobel in all the kingdoms, she was the one they picked?! Before he had met the mysterious princess he had never even heard of this family other than in passing, a comment long ago from his parents about how wonderful her parents had been.

After all this, Obi-Wan was all the more convinced that these two events were connected and that something underhanded was definitely going on.

“Ugh,” Padme scoffed. “That woman is wretched! She has no class and her daughters are, somehow, worse than her…” She narrowed her eyes at Palpatine, “Are you sure they named her to be the Prince’s bride?”

The Prime Minister shrugged causally. “If you do not believe, look at the motion for yourself.”

Everyone looked at Qui-Gon expectantly.

Deafetedly, the king sighed. “Yes…it does specifically say Lady Raffa Roke.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. He needed to get down to the Hall of Records and find out more about this Lady Rina, including where to find her…If he could find the location of the estate, he could find her, and then hopefully he could get to the bottom of this nonsense once and for all.

“Whatever….fine….I need to get to the Hall of Records.”

“Oh, I’m afraid that is not possible sire.” Palpatine sighed. “Did I fail to mention that until the three days are up, the Royals…” Palpatine arched an eyebrow at Padme and Anakin, “and their entourage are confined to the Palace and its grounds.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Qui-Gon bellowed.

Obi-Wan’s head was spinning, he felt unsteady on his feet. He was trapped, he, his friends, and his family were trapped in a gilded cage….How was he going to solve this problem and get to the truth if he was confined to Palace…he was powerless here, unable to access any records or talk to any of the senators.

“Well, the Senate was afraid that you possibly try to raise an army against the people or flee in the night.”

“Utterly preposterous.” Obi-Wan sneered.

“Ridiculous.” Cody spat.

“This is all a pile of crap and you know it Prime Minister.” Anakin jeered.

“My dear boy, I am just the messenger of the people….And unless the Prince either marries the girl the senate has chosen or…this…elusive women finally appears…then the people will be fully represented when I become in charge.”

“We’ll see about that,” Obi-Wan whispered with contempt.

“Three Days, You have until the stroke of midnight your Prince Obi-Wan to make your choice…choose wisely.”

Palpatine turned, and surrounded by his guards, walked towards the doors of the chamber.

“Oh…and should any of you try to leave the Palace or communicate with anyone outside the Palace….” he smiled darkly, “...the consequences will be swift and severe.”

“Are you threatening the crown?!” Commander Fox roared.

“Why no Commander…just… stating some facts…” Palpatine smirked.

The Prime Minister gave an overly dramatic bow toward the royals and rose up with a smug, satisfied with himself, and headed towards the throne room doors.

@transcending-time  @nanagoswife @sillynilly27 @kirstenvldfan21 @janebby @thewhitedannimal @fandomtrashwhore​ @the-clones-and-me​ @friskynotebook​ @Megan-mars 

[bts-reveries]

the most beautiful moment in life | epilogue

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life.

We all knew that to get to the pretty parts of life, you’d have to get ugly first. 

Hey, no pain no gain right? 

Well I hope you liked our most beautiful moment in life. Thank you for going through the good, the bad, and the ugly. For running after Hana with Yoongi when she saw the grand opening of 24/7 Heaven. For walking with Huimang to Hobi’s door. For riding the train to Ilsan with Byul to meet Namjoon. For being with Jimin when he was scared and alone with Mingyu. For being with Taehyung when he finally met the one. For being with Jungkook and Rina when they got engaged. And for being with Jin and Mae when their perfect life wasn’t so perfect after all. 

It was happy, it was sad, sometimes it made us mad… but I mean, that’s what we have to go through sometimes right? Not only does it make the story more interesting, haha, but it happens in real life. As cheesy as it sounds, rainbows come after the rain.  

We started off happy, then went to parts that made us sad or angry.

That’s just what you go through to be happy sometimes.

The boys, the girls, the kids, they all fell apart at one point, only to reach their happy ending.

So hey

If you ever feel like you’re falling apart, maybe you’re just falling into place.

Maybe

Just maybe

You’re about to reach the most beautiful moment of your life.

Because right now, in real life, away from this one, we are all going through the same thing.

Yeah, the pandemic.

I know we don’t all live the same exact lives, but we all had it rough this past (almost) two years.

We might’ve lost a job, a loved one, connection with friends, got sick, got depressed, felt scared, and so much more. Because I have. Not every single one of those in that list, but most of them. 

If you were here since daddy duties, that was the start of the pandemic. I believe the lockdown in my country happened when I was posting the intro for that. How crazy?!

For most of us, this AU has been a little escape. A world without covid as someone once said. Actually, a lot of you have told me that reading this AU and receiving notifications for updates etc. are what makes your day. Which means so much to me of course!

“Hey Miya.”

I look up from my laptop to see Jin standing there in front of my desk here at work. 

“Hey Jin, do you need anything?” I ask, closing my laptop. I always brought my personal laptop to work for whenever it gets quiet. Being a receptionist here at Moon Studios is pretty fun, but of course, it does get boring sometimes. 

“No, no, I’m good. I actually am about to head home, but Yeonjun is still here,” Jin tells me. He has a smile on his face. “You two should go out, isn’t your shift over in a few?”

“Uh.. yeah it is,” I say, letting out a shy laugh. “Sure, um. I’ll just finish this up and I can go and meet him.” Jin nods.

“Okay, I’ll text him to come down soon. See you again tomorrow,” he says, walking away.

“See ya!”

Okay, anywho.

This was fun. A lot of us have a special connection with these characters and don’t want to see them go. Some want to see Rina and JK get married, I mean, we have all been anticipating it since the beginning right? Some want Sarang and Hobi to finally have a baby. And some just want to see the kids grow up. 

Because, well… 

Life Goes On

!note to readers!

This is in the span of a few years, not everyone’s first pic, second pic, etc. is on the same timeline (does that make sense?)

The instagram post shows a preview of their lives after the most beautiful moment in life. No, they did not all get engaged around the same exact time, nor did they all get married the same time/year, and had kids at the same time lol. It just shows that after the most beautiful moment in life they went on with their lives and got engaged, got married, had kids etc.

It could be the same year or different years. (ex. Rina and JK could of gotten married the same year Sohyun and Yoongi got engaged and around that time, Sarang and Hobi got pregnant.)

No years or dates were specified in this epilogue.

Also, the OCs instagram profiles are in the order of the AU’s release, not the dates of when the events of their lives happened!

☻☻☻☻☻☻☻

the most beautiful moment in life 

☻ epilogue ☻

pairings: BTS x OCs (yoongi x sohyun, hoseok x sarang, namjoon x byul, jimin x yuna, taehyung x bora, jungkook x rina, seokjin x mae)

a/n: now this wraps it up! i felt like i said everything i needed to say already up there. but here’s a bit more. this au is so so so dear to my heart. never have i ever thought it would make it this far. nor did i ever think that i would have this many people reading it! i have made so many friends from this series. you all have a special place in my heart! thank you to everyone who followed along since the very beginning, and even the ones whom just found out about us in the last member’s au. i didn’t think i’d be so attached to these characters, so just like a lot of you.. i want a part two. so with that being said, the most beautiful moment in life goes on. let this be a “part two” to the series, although it will be completely different in terms of format (???) i’ll have an official post on it later this week! until then, this isn’t good bye :)

taglist: @ramyagovindraj​ @sope-and-shine​ @jayhope88​ @casspirit0705​ @mygooie0 @fan-ati--c​ @spacxmann​ @princessjazzyjazz​ @sugaaddiction​ @ephyra1230​ @starlitemotions​ @alittlestudycorner​ @justinetingball​ @somewhereofftheglobe​ @ygbubs​ @salty-for-suga​ @momma-said-that-it-was-oke​ @mikrokosmicjoon​ @taekookcaneatme​ @betysotelo18​ [photos found via instagram and pinterest (mostly pinterest, so most of the pictures are unknown) here are the baby’s instagram:

jin: wooju_mom

namjoon: 2ah.in

yoongi: kimibbong1317

hoseok: nayun_mom

jimin: p_aiou

taehyung: no instagram, found on pinterest (jhanuul)

jungkook: tokki.daram]

[writingwithcolor]

The White-Presenting Mixed Japanese Experience

@horse-faced-activist-gay​ said:

Hello! I have what I fear is probably a stupid question. I have a character whose great grandmother was Japanese. Everyone else in his family is white. Is he a poc? Not in a breaking him down to a percentage type of way, and there are other characters in the story who certainly are poc, and his mother was close to her grandmother's culture, he isn't so much. It just feels like I should know to capture him properly. Thank you!

Neither Japanese identity nor POC status can be assigned purely by blood quantums. There are a fair number of individuals in the US who identify as mixed/ Japanese/ Japanese-American who fit the above description. What is more relevant for the purposes of your story is how this character views their Japanese identity, how they interact with white culture in the US, and how both of these concepts affect their interactions with family and friends. Please research the concept of “white presenting” for further insight. 

- Marika.

While in some ways, sometimes, I am white presenting, I’ve been pretty connected to my culture since childhood, so I’m pretty solid on my own POC label. I’ve reached out to other white-presenting Japanese peers for their experiences! 

It’s a complicated relationship. My respondents were split on whether or not the POC label was right for them individually, although everyone identified as Japanese/Okinawan. The POC label is very much a matter of personal choice and how you want to be perceived. As Marika said, sometimes it’s less productive to talk about “who is POC” and more productive to consider how someone’s racial or ethnic identity changes how they interact with the world. 

One common thread was how quickly they were racialized or invalidated the moment they opened up about their heritage. 

A: [Regarding physical comments like “oh, I see it a bit now in your eyes”] I've always seen it as ego soothing, like “damn sorry I misread your ethnicity here's something.” In the Western mind Asian people have particular eyes. Either that or the way people look at me shifts when I mention my ethnicity.

B: I recently had an experience where a professor said I couldn't be a person of color because I was lighter than a paper bag and it caused a whole discussion that was frankly humiliating. I feel weird claiming the identity of POC because I can evade a lot of racism just based on looking white. I've noticed a lot of my experiences with racism are based on disclosure. I generally get treated as white until I mention being multiracial or Asian specifically, then people get weird.

Another common thread was feeling as though monoracial white people didn’t see the utility in identifying with the non-white culture at all, and pressured them to “embrace whiteness”: 

A: I never got put into the Other category by white people. To white people it's always been, “why are you so weird, just accept you're white and move on.” I'm stubborn so people pushing against me meant I pushed back harder. My identity as an Okinawan-American is much greater than my identity as a European-American these days.

C: [It] made me feel so off-put. “Embracing” my whiteness was all me, on my own terms, using my own realizations. I'm fairly fine to say that I feel like I was bullied out of saying I'm Japanese openly. 

They also noted that monoracial Asians also gate-kept them out of the community (an experience I share with A as well!). 

A: When I mention something about my ancestry [to someone in the Asian-American community] to connect as a fellow Asian-American, I always get like, "wow really? I couldn't tell, you must've taken more after your [white] Mom" or some shit. So it can be a sensitive topic for me. It does feel like the second I drop the fact that I'm Asian on another Asian person it's like a test, like they gotta measure my Asianess." 

On a more hopeful note, they mentioned that they’ve worked to find ways to connect with their heritage or find a supportive community, and that it’s been rewarding. 

A mentioned that the local Vietnamese-American community was welcoming, and also found that learning Japanese in university meant a lot for cultural connection. 

B found that taking Japanese classes, going to Japanese cultural events, and sharing Japanese food with friends helped them connect. 

C mentioned having a great time exploring traditional dress and kimono workshops, as well as buying old/vintage Japanese items to learn about them. 

All of them mentioned that online nikkei communities have also been a great space to connect with each other, although they said there was a certain je ne sais quoi about in-person interaction that they greatly missed. 

So, OP, I hope you can see from this that cultural connection and community are going to mean a lot to someone like your character, and you should represent that by giving him an interest in keeping up with his Japanese culture, even if it’s through the little things. 

Also from my wonderful respondents is this message to any white-presenting Japanese person struggling with their identity (and this can apply to other white-presenting mixed folks too!): 

C: I think you'll build some confidence as you get older and that confidence includes not just your personality, appearance, but who you are. I fought to get into those Asian student clubs (failed), went on dates with some Asian people (failed), tried to make friends with certain Asians on the basis we were both Asian (failed), went to Japan and tried to connect with people (failed). You shouldn't have to do all this to prove to others or yourself that you are who you are. All my Asian friends have entertained the "come over I want to make this recipe" or "let's go see this Japanese pottery shop." Find people who want to support you.

~Mod Rina White-presenting & mixed Japanese followers, please feel free to use this as a space to share your thoughts. Your experiences are very welcome here. 

[simpingforsoftboys]

Y/N and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

ft. OikAka (Oikawa x Akaashi)

!GN Reader!

Thanks so much for the request anon! Ngl I've never considered this ship but it kinda makes a lot of sense? Like damn they'd be so cute together- and with the reader? Woo! Love it! Going to go for hurt/comfort in this one!

Also yes, the title is based on that one kids book.

Today had been a pretty terrible day for you. Your boss was in a bad mood- meaning she had been increasingly rude to you throughout the day, the office's wifi cut out while you were finishing up the report you had worked tirelessly on for the past week, and you had accidentally dropped your phone in a puddle- screen down- effectively cracking the screen and rendering it unusable (since the insides got wet too). Needless to say, it was quite possibly the worst day you've ever experienced. It took absolutely every ounce of strength to prevent yourself from bursting into tears in the street. There was nothing you wanted to do besides break down and eat a tub of ice cream- actually, being comforted by your lovers would be a good alternative. The only good thing that had happened so far was getting to go home early- since your boss was not in a working mindset and instead decided to go get drunk, a little after noon. It's not really a good thing actually, just means you'll have more work to do the day after tomorrow.

Crying sounded really good right now.

Fifteen minutes later you got off the bus and walked into your apartment complex. The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor was devoid of any other residents. Alone in your misery, you allowed your bottom lip to wobble.

The elevator dings- signaling that you've arrived on your floor.

You step out of the lift and into the hall. The walk to your front door is just as long as usual but somehow feels as though it took an eternity. Seems like your bad fortune followed you home- since the house key breaks, leaving the bottom half in the lock itself.

You're locked outside.

Again, it's a struggle to hold back the tears.

Keiji and Toru wouldn't be home at the moment, since the both of them were out on a date. (There's nothing wrong with that- it's just as important to have one on one dates as it is to have dates with the three of you. You also have plenty of dates with just Toru or Keiji by themselves.) Looks like you'll have to call your landlord... oh wait your phone is broken... and you forgot that he's on his yearly vacation in Seoul at the moment.

Maybe one of your neighbors will let you use their phone to call one of your partners! Nodding to yourself, you get up and knock on Rina-san's door. She's not home. Swallowing your mild frustration, you move along the hall to the next door. Kento-san's not home either. This pattern continues for the next few doors- eventually you just give up. The other apartments are vacant after all, still under renovation.

You return back to your apartment's door and slide down to the ground- back to the wood. Lips quivering, frustration evident, you bow your head and let the tears fall. There's no other noise in the hallway aside from your quiet sobs.

Today was just the worst.

Did you accidentally upset the universe somehow? Or maybe you said something disrespectful and some culture's god was angry at you.

Tears still streaming from your tear ducts, you let your head softly slam back against the door. There's so many things you're feeling right now. Sadness- because you really wanted to have a good day and now that you can't have that you want to be comforted, resentment- at the world, at yourself, at everyone. It wasn't fair- and by that you mean everything- every single, little thing was unfair. Anger- because damnit what else could you be feeling right now? The situation was beyond your control- anyone would feel angry in your shoes. It's hard to fathom that somewhere in the world, someone was suffering worse than you were at the moment.

You didn't care about them.

All you were focused on was how you were feeling.

Thinking that way suddenly made you feel very self conscious.

Maybe there was a reason for the day going like this.

A humbling experience perhaps?

That thought had you seriously wondering if you had actually done something unfathomably terrible... but your memory came up blank. 

The lift dinged.

You had to force yourself to look in the direction of the noise.

The overhead lighting seemed almost heavenly- surrounding your saviors in an unearthly way and appearing to give them halos. 

Why did they look so shocked to see you?

Isn’t that what they’re here to do?

Save you from your plight?

“Y/n darling, what are you doing here on the ground?” Keiji asks, beating Toru by a millisecond and running over to your side- pulling you into his comforting embrace. His hold makes you feel safe, likening him to the firm, concrete walls of strongholds. Yes, Keiji feels secure, strong, and upright. You just know that you can collapse against him and he won’t waver.

Looks like your tears aren’t dried out yet, because you let out a choked sob, dripping snot and all- burying your face into his neck. 

“Shh, it’s alright baby- me and Keiji have you.” Toru says softly, finally coming to your side and wrapping his long arms around the two of you. His hug feels different. It’s like lava- but not quite so. He could burn you- but he chooses to use his heat to bring you comfort instead- only burning those he deems a threat to what he calls his. He’s flexible but will give it all up at a moments notice- trading that mobility for statuesque stillness- letting himself cool, despite his better judgement, in order to become a tall, rock wall capable of protecting you and Keiji. 

You’re warm and you’re safe.

They construct walls around you.

So you let your own walls fall, trusting them to protect you when you’re at your most vulnerable.

“I-I had a really bad d-day.” You whimper into the ravenette’s milky skin. He can feel the hot tears against the column of his neck but chooses not to say anything- instead he holds you tighter. “My boss w-was in a s-shitty mood, I couldn’t f-finish my report in time c-cause the wifi cut out. My p-phone broke- and my k-key did too-” Overwhelmed once again, you cut yourself off and fall back into silence, sniffling quietly. 

“I’m sorry Y/n, you shouldn’t have had to go through all of that.” Keiji says- and you can hear the sincerity in his tone. You bask in his company for a long while, trying to pretend that time stopped- just for the three of you. 

“I need to get the key out okay? Then we can go take a nice bath inside, how’s that sound?” Keiji whispers softly, not wanting to upset you but also wanting you to understand the benefit of letting him go. You’re tempted to say no- wanting to just enjoy his touch, but your rational side tells you that you’ll get all the cuddles you want once you’re in the apartment. 

“O-okay... sounds good.” You move to cling to Toru, while Akaashi begins removing some bobby pins he has hidden in his hair and gets to work. 

“Hey babe.” Your brunette lover murmurs, turning your chin up to gaze into his eyes. “You’re wheezing so much, am I really that breathtaking?” The two of you stare at each other- personally you don’t know if you want to laugh at his horrible attempt at humor or if you want to cry. So you settle on slapping the back of his head. 

“Not the time ‘ru.” You scold, but there’s an undeniable smile on your face.

“Ouch... okay okay I’m sorry!” He apologizes, rubbing the back of his head. “I just hate seeing you so sad.”

“I know ‘ru... thank you.” Toru lets out an acknowledging hum and you can feel the way his heart beat increases ever so slightly. He’s so warm- his fiery love practically oozing out of his being. You love him so much.

A few minutes later, Keiji manages to get the broken part of the key out of the lock and the three of you can finally go home. He’s always been so clever- and you’re reminded again, why you love him.

The three of you head inside...

You take a relaxing shower (since all three of you can’t fit in the small bathtub), then cuddle up together on your king sized bed, tubs of ice cream in hand and candles lit to set the mood. Your favorite comfort show is streaming from the television, both the loves of your life sandwiching you between them, and you realize just how fortunate you are. 

You’ll take as many bad days as necessary- so long as you get to come home to this. 

Maybe, the universe was fair to some after all.

Just maybe- you could consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

I hope this was what you were looking for and more! It’s a little on the shorter side but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out!

[h2bakugou]

Dragon King Bakugou x Reader but its kinda like a beauty and the beast thing, Bakugou raids s/o's village, S/o is scares of him first, but when he orders her to come with him she has no choice, he didn't kill anyone but he raided the village. And at first s/o and Bakugou didn't get along but slowly she taught him how to become a good person and just..fluff?🤔💞😁

a/n: okay but dragon king bakugou gonna make me act up. and beauty and the beast, despite being slightly controversial, it’s got some bangers in it. be our guest goes hard.

fantasy au // aged up 18+ au (no smut, they’re just 18+)

summary: being a dragon king comes with its fair share of responsibilities. but those same responsibilities that lead him to your village fly out of the door when he spots you.

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk / Springhelm - Bakugou’s hometown

warnings: swearing, fluff, slight violence

wordcount: 2k

»»————-　★　————-««

»»————-　★　————-««

It wasn’t like he knew he was doing something wrong. Bakugou was a Dragon King. He had to take care of his duties, and if raiding a nearby village for supplies was on the list, he wasn’t going to just ignore it.

He’d picked a village roughly a few days travel away from his homeland, so he was expecting all good things. A place he’d never even heard of had to have something of value that he hadn’t seen before right?

He certainly didn’t expect to be leaving with you. 

- - -

“What’s happening?” You shouted at the shop owner, Rina. The shop you helped at sold trinkets and manmade items that you’d worked on. Rina paid you a cut of what you sold. If you could sell it, you got paid for it.

“Someone’s raiding the village.” Rina looked at you, her eyes darting around.

“Get in the closet, and don’t come out unless I tell you too!” Rina quickly shut the wooden window blinds, eliminating the sunlight that had previously flooded the cottage.

“But I can help! What if someone-”

“In now! And don’t open this door to anyone but me!” Rina pushed you into the small closet in the corner of the shop, locking you inside.

“Hey wait!” You banged on the wooden door, refusing defeat this early.

Rina went to lock the main door, but it was too late. As a strong fist punched the door open, Rina stumbled back. She stared at the buff man before her before cowering behind the counter.

“Hand over anything of value.” The blonde man ordered. 

You held your hand over your mouth to prevent anything from coming out. You scooched impossibly closer to the wall as you squeezed your eyes shut. This was actually happening.

“Just take whatever you want!” Rina shouted, trying to get the man to leave as quickly as possible.

Bakugou’s eyes scoured the shop, picking up little metal objects, shoving what piqued his interest in his satchel. His vermilion eyes landed on a wooden door that was latched closed. Suddenly, whatever was behind this door seemed to be calling to him.

You hadn’t said a word, but the loud footsteps that approached the door made you tremble.

“There’s nothing but some broomsticks in there.” Rina tried to cause the man to turn around, but he didn’t.

The door was unlatched and light trickled in as the gap in the doorframe widened.

Your eyes opened slowly. You took in a blonde man standing before you. He took a step in and you quickly grabbed something and threw it at him, in an attempt to escape, you crawled past him but he grabbed one of your legs, pulling you back.

“Let her go!” Rina screamed, coming to your side. Bakugou growled, stepping in front of the shopkeeper.

“I’ll be leaving now. And you’re coming with me.” Bakugou glared at you.

“W-What!? No!” You struggled against him as he bound your wrists and ankles with rope. Like it was nothing, he tossed you over his shoulder and marched out of the store.

You watched your village grow smaller and smaller as it disappeared in the distance. The man continued to carry you on his shoulder, but you were impatient, and you wouldn’t stand for this.

“Put me down you brute!” You shouted, struggling against him. In a swift movement, your body hit the ground with a thud.

You groaned in pain and looked back up at the man.

“Let me go.”

“Sorry. I can’t do that.” 

“Th-Then at least tell me your name.” You sat up, trying to ignore the dull pain in your body from the fall.

“Bakugou. Dragon King of Springhelm.” Bakugou, the blonde man, squatted down before you.

“Now are you done throwing your temper tantrum?”

“Temper tantrum? You just kidnapped me!”

“I can release you and you can try and find your way back home, but I doubt you’ll make it there before the creatures of the forest kill you.” Bakugou’s lips curled upward in a smirk.

“Or I can untie you and you can act somewhat decent as we head back toward my home where I’ll be able to protect you.” 

“I don’t need your help. I can protect myself.” You groaned, ushering for him to undo your restraints. Taking out a hunting knife, he cut through the rope that bound your wrists together. 

You rose to your feet and looked back in the direction you had come from. Surely you could make it back. But the sun began to set below the horizon, and the eerie sounds of forest creatures sent shivers down your spine.

“You comin’ princess or do I have to carry you again?”

“Don’t call me princess.” You huffed as you walked beside him, angrily going with him.

- - -

The castle that stood before you was grand and gorgeous. It was old and proved to have years of age on it, moss and vines creeping up the sides from the ground. The inside of the castle was even more beautiful.

The grand staircase that lead to who knows where. The gold and black chrome detailing made everything look so sophisticated.

“Bakugou’s returned!” A spikey redhead came into view, giving Bakugou a hug. Bakugou shoved him away before sulking up the stairs.

“Oh, and who are you?” The redhead smiled at you with sharp teeth.

“Some girl-” You looked around, still unsure of why he’d taken you.

“Oh this is great! Bakugou’s finally found someone-”

“Bakugou found someone?” A yellow-haired boy came into view wearing what looked like a musketeer’s outfit and a sword.

“Kaminari! Yes look!” 

“Woah, Kirishima she’s pretty!”

“Get her to a room.” Bakugou’s voice boomed from up the stairs as he glared at you.

You followed the redhead, Kirishima, to a room. It was lavish and had a large bed, much larger than the bed you had been sleeping in.

“Get dressed for dinner! And don’t be late. Bakugou doesn’t like waiting.” Kirishima smiled before shutting the door, locking you in the room much like how Rina had done.

“Great. I’m in a castle full of-”

Your eyes caught something sparkly and shiny in the closet. Pulling back the doors, your eyes landed on a beautiful gown, something you couldn’t clearly afford. Not with the pocket money you had on you. You’d have to work for at least a year to get enough for something this beautiful.

No. You weren’t his. And he didn’t own you. You weren’t staying here.

Planning your escape was much simpler than you thought. Tying all sorts of garments together, you created a rope and tossed it out of your window before crawling down it. 

You were home free. Of course, you’d have to make it home.

Everything was going great, or until a hoard of wolves came running at you. It was terrifying.

You were outsmarting them, to the best of your ability. But there was one wolf who proved much smarter than the rest. Jumping on you, it took you down, it’s muzzle angrily howling and trying to bite you, its claws sinking into your skin.

A cry of pain surfaced on your lips. The beast was yanked away and Bakugou stood before you, his eyes full of regret and pain. He took care of the wolves, but it didn’t end happily.

He’d gotten hurt. A large gash on his forearm made you wince. He’d hurt himself trying to save you. All because you left.

He didn’t have to come after you, but he did. 

No words were said as you stood, meekly looking back at the exit, the way back home. But your heart pulled you back toward the castle. To tend to Bakugou’s wound.

“Sit still.” You ushered, trying to help him. He was squirming as you tried to clean his wound.

“I’m trying to help you!” You glared at him. He was silent, but you could read his expression. He wasn’t entirely happy, but he was thankful for whatever exchange this was.

Over the course of a few days, you’d grown somewhat closer to Bakugou. You eventually thanked him for saving your life. And he invited you to dinner once again.

And this time, you went.

All washed up, you slipped into the gown and looked at yourself in the mirror. Mina, a kind girl helped you out, making sure you looked perfect.

“He’s got a tough exterior, but he’s sweet on the inside. He’s been through a lot.”

“Thank you.” You thanked Mina for her help and her words.

Bakugou was impressed when he saw you walk down the steps. You looked gorgeous. Bakugou felt his feelings of hatred and pride wash away at the sight of you. He didn’t want to be some tough asshole that mocked and made fun of everyone.

He wanted to be there for you.

“You look uh good.” Bakugou struggled to compliment you. It wasn’t that he didn’t think you looked good, he just wasn’t great at expressing feelings of romanticism.

“Thank you. You look great as well.” You complimented his attire. He cleaned up pretty well.

Dinner was great. And you’d gotten to know a little more about him. He’d been a Dragon King since he was five. His kingdom had been wiped out, and he was trying to rebuild, but he needed help.

He needed a queen.

“So this whole time you’ve just been trying to find someone to help you rebuild?” You questioned as his hand rested on your waist. 

“More or less. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.” Bakugou’s large hand encased yours as the two of you danced slowly, swaying around the large ballroom.

“There are other ways of asking ladies to take your hand in marriage than kidnapping them.”

“I know that.”

“Really?” You smiled.  Bakugou rolled his eyes and looked away, his throat dry.

“If I hadn’t taken you, you wouldn’t have come with me anyways. I raided your village.”

“You don’t know what I would’ve done.” You replied, capturing his gaze once more.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve always wanted to leave that village. If you would’ve asked me to come with you, I wouldn’t have given staying much of a second thought. But just taking me kind of made me bitter.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“You’re not so bad once you get past the big muscles and tough scowl you always wear.”

“And you’re not so bad yourself.”

You rested your head against his chest, swaying to the sound of music being played by a few of the members of the castle, including Kirishima and Kaminari.

- - -

After two months of living at the castle, you’d known that you’d fallen in love with Bakugou. He’d apologized for a lot of his actions, and for how you’d met. You had a hard time forgiving him, but he promised to keep you safe.

And he vowed to never force you to do anything you didn’t want to ever again. 

Being with you made him a better person, and he was happy to see the change in himself.

And he was happy to call you his queen.

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” You giggled, looking at his as snow fell around the two of you.

Bakugou didn’t hesitate to bring his lips to yours. It was soft, tender, and loving. As snow coated the courtyard in a white fluffy blanket, Bakugou placed his hands on your waist, deepening the kiss.

You placed a hand on his cheek, leaning further into it. When Bakugou pulled away, both of you were breathless.

“Holy shit.”

“Stop talking and kiss me again.” You pulled him back to your lips, not wanting to hear him talk. You just wanted him. 

Kirishima and Kaminari fist-bumped as they watched the scene unfold.

“He’s the happiest he’s ever been.”

“It’s nice to see the King happy.”

“Are you guys spying on them?!” Mina yelled, yanking them away from the window.

“We’re just checking on him!”

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[waywardnerd67]

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Summary: Arriving onto the set of a Christmas photoshoot, Jensen is faced with someone from his past. Characters: Jensen Ackles, Reader Pairing: Jensen x Reader Warnings: Slight Angst/Fluff Word Count: 1527 Square Filled: Christmas Photoshoot Bingo Card: @spnchristmasbingo​

Check out: SPN Christmas Bingo Masterlist

Jensen groaned as the alarm on his phone chimed. Since the ending of Supernatural the last few months had been blissfully alarm free for him until his manager begged him to be part of a Entertainment Weekly Christmas special issue. He loved everyone at Entertainment Weekly and knew it would be great PR for his upcoming role in The Boys. Now, as he stared at his phone flashing the time, he was regretting ever agreeing to the photoshoot.

He pulled himself out of his comfy bed and made himself presentable to the outside world. His brown hair was longer falling into his eyes and the sides were highlighted with strands of silver and copper. Running his hands through it once, leaving it for hair and make-up would deal with it. He ran his hands down his scruffy beard that was more ginger than anything with specks of salt and pepper. He slipped on some joggers and a hoodie to make his way down to the lobby of his hotel.

As usually, the EW studios were chaotic with celebrities and journalists all around. He was ushered into a dressing room where his manager was waiting for him. They went over some talking points for his interview with Sam Highfill before the stylists came in to make him all pretty. They had him a rich forest green suit with cream color pinstripes and matching Oxford button down. Thankfully, they left the shirt unbuttoned at the top which meant no tie. He slipped on the glossy black dress boots and followed the assistant to the studio.

There were a few other former CW stars mingling about including Stephen Amell and David Ramsey. Jensen took a deep breath before putting on his professional mask socializing with everyone. It had been awhile since he spoke with Amell and genuinely enjoyed catching up with him. His new wrestling show, Heels, sounded intense, terrifying and a lot of fun. The studio door closed shut signaling the arrival of the photographer.

“Sorry everyone, we had a camera malfunction. I appreciate your patience.”

The moment her voice echoed throughout the room the hairs on his arms stood up and goosebumps spread down his skin. Memories of long drives to the beach and kissing under the stars flashing in his mind. He looked over to where she was setting up her tripod and though it had been over fifteen years since he last saw her she still made his heart race.

Her long legs were covered by tight denim with her traditional Chuck Taylors on her feet. A red and green flannel was tied loosely around her slender waist being held mostly by the curve of her hips. Her favorite band memorialized on her shirt. The memory of being front row with her and reaping the reward for enduring the god awful pop music later that night. The corner of his lips curling upward as his eyes traveled further up her body.

Her beautiful (Y/C/H) hair swept away from her face as she focused on the task at hand. Nimble, delicate fingers working over each knob of her camera. Glancing up is when her vibrant (Y/C/E) eyes met his and her full bottom lip disappeared beneath her teeth. She looked away quickly refocusing on her camera and assistant speaking to her. She must have known he would be here, that they would see one another. The memory of the last time they spoke dragging itself to the forefront of his mind. His shoulders slumped forward from the invisible guilt resting heavily on them.

“I’m going to take the group shots first then individual photos. Sam will come out to get you when she is ready for your interview. This is Rina, my assistant, and she will be helping me keep you all in line.”

There was a wave of laughter before Rina clapped her hands getting everyone on their marks. Jensen tried to shake off the memories of them and took his spot beside everyone else. His head snapping to her as she turned on her bluetooth speaker. Her favorite band piercing his ears, she giggled as he rolled her eyes.

As the photoshoot went on and he completed his interview with Sam. He walked back into the studio where it was empty except for her and him. She was looking down at her phone when he walked over to her.

“Hello (Y/N).”

Her eyes met his. An electrical current building around them. Standing, she extended her hand to him formally, professional.

“Hello Jensen, nice to see you again.”

A spark ignited as their hands clasped together. Each of them flinching from the suddenly tingling shooting up their arms. (Y/N) withdrew her hand and began to fiddle with her camera.

“I’m going to take a few headshots then finish up with some candids with the music playing. Sound good?”

He nodded, shoving the overwhelming urge to pull her to him to the deepest part of his core. (Y/N) moved around snapping pictures with the grace of a dancer mesmerizing him. With each touch posing him for various shots sent his body buzzing. She motioned for him to stand then the familiar tunes of Led Zeppelin filled the room.

“I figured I’ll get better photos with music you actually like.” (Y/N) stepped in front of him, slipping her hands beneath his jacket pushing it down his arms.

He held his breath, choking on the satisfying sigh that wanted to escape his lips. A breathy gasp escaping her own as her hands drifted over his toned arms. Chuckling, flashing her a smile that made her suck in a quick breath before her face shifted lowering the professional mask once again.

“You have free reign to move as you please and I will take the photos I need.”

A distant memory flew into mind of them camping one summer. He had driven her mad by simple, mindless movements that were natural to any one. Wanting to get her riled up, he started off easy by tapping his foot and hand to the beat. Bobbing his head from side to side and closing his eyes. He did not need to see her to know her eyes were on him. Beside the clicking of her camera, he could feel her intense stare making him bolder.

Walking around the small area, he played a little air drums parting his lips to mouth the words of the song. A small growl coming from (Y/N)’s direction adding fuel to his fire. The song was almost over so it was time for him to go big. One foot up on the small stool he had been sitting on, invisible mic in his hand, Jensen belted out the last chorus. As the song faded out, he looked over to see (Y/N)’s narrowed eyes on him. Her lips curled into a devious smirk with her arms crossed over her chest.

Then came the slowly building applause from behind her as the CW stars stood watching in awe of his performance. His cheeks burning brought a wider smile on her face. To see that smile was worth the embarrassment.

“Encore! Encore!” Stephen Amell called out as they all walked back into the hallway leading to the dressing rooms.

“Well played Ackles, well played.” She picked up his jacket handing it to him, “I have all the photos I need.”

There was a brief moment where they stood silently both waiting for the other to say something. (Y/N) grasped his hand for a moment, “Honestly, it was good to see you again.” She pressed her soft lips to his cheek before leaving the room quickly.

Two weeks had gone by, Jensen found himself thinking about (Y/N) every moment he could. Desperate to reach out to her but not know the best way to go about it. Sitting in his office, daydreaming about her for the millionth time the front doorbell rang. Opening the door, immediately froze in place. There she stood as if he had materialized her from his thoughts.

“Are you going to invite me in or just stare at me?”

He stammered, “Y-Yeah, of course, come in. I’m just surprised to see you.”

“Yeah, two weeks of you plaguing my mind was enough for me…”

He did not let her finish before his hand slipped behind her head bringing her lips to his. Her body tensing before molding into his returning his advance passionately. Pulling away from her, Jensen rested his forehead against hers.

“I should have never let you go in the first place. I should have stood my ground with my managers then and rejected their ridiculous assumptions. I’m so sorry.”

The soft pads of her thumbs brushed away the wayward tears sliding down his cheeks, “I forgave you a long time ago Jensen. All that matters now is what we do moving forward.”

He brought his hand up to her cheek, (Y/N) leaning into his touch, “Right now, I’m going to kiss you again.”

Her brilliant smile took his breath away, “I think that is a good step to take.”

If you enjoyed this story then check out my Masterlist!

For updates please follow #waywardnerd67fics

[anti-social--princess]

2021.01.02 - a reflection of the best selling Japanese album nearly 22 years later

So this is my latest iteration of attempting to blog about music. Thanks for looking. Let’s get down to business. I kept languishing over what the hell to post about for my first entry in this blog, and it came to me this morning as I was info-dumping to a friend about Hikaru Utada and her debut album First Love (because we were watching Gravitation -- a first for her -- and I had flippantly remarked that Ryuichi Sakuma’s successful USA career was unrealistic and my explanation used Hikki’s disastrous attempt at a USA career for a prime example). Why not reflect on this album, even though clearly so many others have waxed endless about it?

I was 15 years old when I discovered this album -- the same age as Hikki when she released it in 1999. I was 15 in 2005, and to put it simply, exploring the world of Japanese music back then was really something. Newbies have it too damn easy these days. But I digress. And I think it’s important to highlight that bit about being 15. I simply saw her as a musical genius -- more so because I learned that is the all-time bestselling Japanese album and she was my age when she made it. And that simply threw young me for a whirl. Ayumi Hamasaki was my favorite person back then (and she still is, 15 years later), but I couldn’t deny Hikki’s “inherent” artistry.

Now, as I tumbled through my 20s, I had a problematic tendency to regress into a more immature state of mind and follow what some of my friends in the jpop fandom were saying about this album. Which is to say, they derided this album and considered it beyond overrated. At age 30, I have seen the error of my ways, and while I don’t venerate it as I did when I was a bright-eyed teen, I still regard it as a pretty damn great album. And it’s one of few jpop albums that my mom can listen to all the way through without complaints, which is great for me since it’s often a struggle to reach a middle ground with my mom about my niche interests, haha.

To someone growing up and forming their musical taste during the Y2K era (late 90s/early 2000s), the sound of First Love is really nothing special at the end of the day. Hikki was simply chasing a rising R&B trend in Japan and copying the current American R&B trends to put her own twist on the Japanese trend. She ended up setting the standard for that era’s Japanese R&B scene. Mai Kuraki a year later would try and capitalize on it with her own debut album delicious way, and it kind of worked--that album is in the Top 10 bestselling Japanese albums. MISIA was better equipped to become successful and to this day remains one of Japan’s R&B icons. I could go on with the impact, but anyway!

Being from the perspective of a 15 year old girl, I feel, is what makes this debut album so remarkable, all things considered. The debut single, and respectively the opening track of the album, Automatic is an extremely catchy, timeless bop about, well, catching feelings for someone. It’s also one of the rare occasions where I actually enjoy the first single of an album cycle being the first song on an album (a pop music practice that aggravates me and in my opinion, it has hurt the long-term success of many pop albums because of the general public’s short-term memory and tendency to buy a CD for “that one song”). In My Room is a comfy little mid-tempo further exploring the experience of catching feelings. It’s more or less a universal experience for a teenager. However, this becomes more apparent when you take in everything about the title track, First Love. It’s a beautiful, relatively simple yet impeccably produced ballad about her first major heartbreak. A lot of comments over the years have mentioned her shaky voice is a turn-off for them but I think it works and it’s why I kind of sit there stoic when I hear a more competent singer cover it (and I have heard MANY covers of this song, it’s ridiculous how often it gets covered to this day) -- the competence just doesn’t fit for a song like this. Heartbreak when you’re 15 is like the freaking end of the world and you don’t know how to unpack it, and you have to figure out how to keep it together. Keep it cool, ya know. The inexperience is what makes it. Which is why it’s frustrating to hear songs like Amai Wana ~Paint it, Black and B&C at my age because she just sounds so obviously trying to act like a grown-up when she’s very much still a child.

Sometimes the attempts at sophistication worked in the album, though. Never Let Go is another simple mid-tempo that samples Sting’s work, and as someone who grew up with a mother whose favorite band is The Police and also loved Sting’s solo work (I’m more partial to his solo work, myself), I can’t help but enjoy it. Her voice here is just so cute. And it’s an earnest cute, not cutesy for the sake of it. Another Chance is an example of how you can take a song about heartbreak and polish it with a dance-style backing track and it just works. For a more contemporary example, I’d recommend Kesha’s Dancing with Tears in My Eyes and Rina Sawayama’s Tokyo Love Hotel (the bonus to listening to this one is that Rina is a huge fan of Hikki so you can easily hear her influence on it).

However, there’s moments in the album that test my patience. Movin’ on without you is a little too polished and slick, and Hikki honestly just sounds like she’s dissociating throughout the song, which is a pity considering it’s sandwiched between two strong tracks and the lyrics give the impression of confidence. Ayumi Hamasaki’s cover of it in 2014 is vastly superior, personally. She had the aid of the renowned producer RedOne (you would know him best for working with Lady Gaga) and a more natural tendency to sound genuinely confident. Give Me A Reason is just simply too long even though the production and vocals are fine. There was no need for it to be nearly 6 minutes long.

The kicker about First Love and Hikki’s career overall is that she was more or less pressured into it. Her father Teruzane Utada was a big-shot producer and her mother Junko was a legend in her own right in the enka scene as Keiko Fuji. This also explains why the album sounds really good. She admitted in later interviews in her 20s that she was doing music because she felt there wasn’t any other choice for her in life. No wonder she took a 6-year hiatus to recoup. She just wanted to feel like a regular person.

And I think, again, Hikki being 15 is why people were so infatuated with the album. The general public saw her as a young musical prodigy. It also calls to attention the misguided impression most people have about the concept of talent and prodigies: the impression that talent is natural and practice/access aren’t necessary to make it in the industry. Hikki has skills as a musician, no doubt, but it’s not because she was born with it. She grew up surrounded by musicians. She had access to practice and the tools needed for success. This is not to dismiss her artistry in any way; I am merely pointing out her privilege. And what did this privilege gain her? She’s a legend.

Certainly, in 2021, no other album will ever top the smash success and sales of First Love. But they can damn well try. And really, who can blame anyone for chasing the halcyon days of an era long-gone from the music industry?

[cloveroctobers]

GARY RENNELL —

IG info/bio | @/rennellnotreynolds | 300k followers | currently havin a midlife crisis at thee moment so cheers! 🍻🏋🏼‍♂️🤨

23 (24) years old

Born & raised in Chatham, England there’s no other place like it to him. Sure when he went on holiday to the villa, it was quite nice but nothing ever beats home. He genuinely believes that he’s meant to be in this place since it’s all he’s ever known & doesn’t think he’ll live anywhere else

Raised by his nan & is an only child. Was at risk of being placed in foster care until his paternal nan came forth to raise him

His father and nan did not have the best relationship due to the way he chose to live his life and Gary was kept away from his nan until he was about 10 years of age

Does not like to talk about his birth parents due to the trauma, which is why he feels like his nan is his everything. His savior and why she means so much to him

His nan once told him that he favors his mother, Gail. He never had the chance to really know her, but was aware that she was very unhappy with herself &, “chose to be with the stars” just before his 5th birthday

That’s one of the reasons why he finds himself always looking up at the stars, usually when he’s drunk out at the docks by himself, he’ll try to talk to his mom, to know her better

I feel like he’s either a cancer or a Libra?

Update: Cancer sun + libra moon + Taurus rising

Went to uni for a semester and thought about architecture as a profession but ultimately felt like uni was NOT for him and eventually juggled around with jobs until he landed into the crane operator field which he found himself to be great at

For as long as he and his nan can remember, he always loved playing with cars, ships, building Legos, (I’m American idk if this is a thing there too or it’s something different/similar so my apologies lol) and putting things together. He never cared for reading instructions, Gary’s a hands on type of guy/learner and it’s how he best communicates

He likes heights, so this job wasn’t an issue it was just getting through the program for 2-3 years that was a pain in his ass but he was determined + knew this was what he was good at and stuck with it.

It was tiring working 40 sometimes over 40 hrs a week but he’s passionate about his work so he’d never dare change it

Due to this job being a lot physically, he would use muscle cream to help his pain or pay to see a masseuse whenever he could or wasn’t being cheap about it + often buys epsom salt to bathe in 3 or so times a week 

Total penny pincher! I can see him being so, his dad told him all about how to hold onto what he’s got and always look for a bargain but with a gambler for a father, you can only imagine how that worked in his favor

Lives with his nan and doesn’t see an issue with it. His mates definitely tease him about it but know how much the woman means to him but still think it’s a major c*ck block for him but it’s a two for one package deal and anyone who doesn’t understand that doesn’t deserve him

Will probably still live in her house once IF she p*sses

Nan is a big fan of wallpaper and has one room in the flat that has squeaky plastic covering most of her furniture ( she loves furniture shopping) & only takes it off once her lady friends come over with consists of a huge cleaning routine which Gary secretly hates but pushes through it while she plays some old tunes on her jukebox

He finds himself singing those exact songs when he’s getting ready for work and actually enjoys them...but don’t ever tell his mates that!

His nan taught him basic household care & he finds himself scolding his mates for not knowing how to wash their underwear & always taking it to their mum’s or having their girlfriends do it for them

Loves washing clothes on a Sunday in the backyard + hanging them on the clothes line. His nan doesn’t believe in washer machines & makes her own detergent

He’s always down for a rooftop hangout, whether drunk or not. To be up almost as high as the stars is such a feeling or hang out with his mates laughing it up

Occasionally smokes cigarettes when he’s really stressed, he’s not proud of the nasty habit and tries his hardest to hide it from his nan & Lottie but they both know

Is in a on and off again relationship with Lottie. She’s met his nan, they both like each other. And that makes Gary extremely happy

Gary is the laid back one out of the two and Lottie is firey and needs constant reminding from Gary that he wants to be with her whereas Gary feels like that’s something she should already know and he’s told her a couple of times before, he’s sure of it. He doesn’t get why she doesn’t get that

Which results in arguments. Lottie chose to live in England for half of the year and goes back to Australia for the other half. Nan encouraged Lottie to live with the two of them until she decided to get her own place in England, or rather the two of them together. Nan doesn’t believe Gary will leave in fear of her being lonely, which she’s not! By all means, nan keeps busy! But Lottie desperately wants to have her own space with Gary away from nan, even tho she adores the spunky lady.

When they don’t see eye to eye she does what she does best and leaves, which is exhausting to Gary

They’ll go days without speaking until the other cracks. At first it would be Gary but since it’s been a year into their relationship, he’s gotten used to it and let’s her come back to him when she’s ready

He cares for Lottie, he really does. And wants this to work but he just wishes they could be more secure in their relationship.

Was a f*ckboy way back when from 18-20 and rarely there’s his old flings who show up just to cause drama knowing that Gary’s got a new girl in his life that LIVES with him, which Gary dreads that this small town knows his business. He hates confrontation but there’s one thing about Lottie, she’s never going to bite her tongue. So whenever those girls do try it with not only her but Gary she goes off.

Gary is protective too so when those messy girls start shit at the pub, he’s instantly trying to get Lottie away from the issue. Then there’s drinks flying and slap fights happening + hair pulling & they’re getting kicked out of the club/pub or even cops called on them.

“This blows. I thought you said you were trying to be better than this, Lottie.” “Me? What about those slags?! They attack not only me but your character too!” Which adds to a list of the reasons they fight.

Nonetheless they do have their fun moments together, getting drunk by the docks, getting random tattoos, hanging with his friends & their significant others, + going to the theatre

Lottie still thinks this town is very slow-pace, sleepy, cloudy and hardly has sun— which is okay to her some days but other day’s it can be dreadful and much different from her fast-pace life but she finds the little things like spending time with Gary to encourage her to stay

Gary likes playing games when he has his free time, like fortnite, red dead redemption, Final fantasy, & SUPER SMASH BROS & almost always plays with Ibrahim who informs him about new games which makes Lottie want to slam her head against the wall since that can take hours

Keeps in touch with all of the boys in villa and makes sure they have zoom meetings as much as they can because he cares about those boys. Noah tries to schedule them but usually it’s happens at random which annoys him but he gets over it. Gary spent month(s) with them. They’re basically his extended family & that’s saying a lot since he views his home to a high standard and has friends here but they’re nothing like his villa brother’s

Also into woodwork. He didn’t think he’d enjoy it but he likes to do it more when the weather gets crisp and he battles with that over cigarettes to ease his worries in life, then goes and have his daily dose of tea

Finally stopped dying his hair that awful yellow and stuck with it. Marisol was the first to see it, after an accidental FaceTime call which was supposed to be just a regular phone call but whatever? They’d all eventually see it if he EVER decided to post to his IG stories!

She compliments him in Spanish yanking her glasses off leaving him highly confused, “is that good?” “If Lottie doesn’t sit on your— which leaves Gary very wide eyed opposed to his raised brows but Marisol is cut off by Graham clearing his throat

Lottie does indeed like it & shows him how much and later asks his option on what color she should dye her hair next. 3 out of the 13 look the exact same to Gary. But he helps her dye her hair which comes out patchy but there’s no way in hell she’s letting anyone else touch her hair. She’s been doing this all on her own for some time now. Gary’s lucky she even allowed him to help her! So she dyes it back to blonde, all of it, and waits a few weeks to dye it all blue

Gary’s definitely into old boy bands especially LFO & serenades, “girl on tv” to Lottie all the time, likes 98 degrees, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boys II men, & Dru Hill

As for modern day music, he LOVES to work out to tame impala which never makes sense to his mates but he usually works out the next day after getting shit-faced, he’s also in love with lizzo’s music, laundry day, brockhampton, & rina sawayama

Anthem = mac demarco, “Salad Days”

Celeb crush? Julia Roberts, Salma Hayek, Anne-Marie, Leona Lewis, & Noah Cyrus

[tartxglia]

Smitten // Bang Chan

Pairing: Athlete! Chan x Cheerleader! Reader Genre: Fluff Requested: Yes by anon Words: 7.3k+ Warning: Little bit of sexual tension but not smut level

A/N: Sorry this took so long! Sorry if I don’t mention much about cheerleading or get technical, I’m not very well versed in it :( I tried my best with it, I hope you like it anon~

It wasn’t every day that you fell for boys on your first night out in the new town. Or in this case, fall on them.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry!” With how packed the club was, you expected the pushing and shoving but you weren’t expecting to be thrown into some guy’s arms. As a natural instinct, your hands came up and held onto the closest stable source in order to avoid falling–the source being this random guy in the club.

“No no, no worries. I hope you’re okay.” He was nice enough to grab onto your forearms, helping to stabilize you until you were back on your own two feet. 

Now on both your feet, you finally look up to meet the eyes of the owner of the gentle voice. 

Wow, you feel your breath taken away. His wavy blonde hair was styled perfectly to fall across his forehead and away from his eyes which seemed to reflect tenfold every dim lighting in this club. There was a small gentle smile on his face as he greeted you and it made you putty in his arms (quite literally since the two of you had yet to separate). God, he was cute and you were smitten for him.

“U-uh yeah I’m good. Sorry for the sudden uh-” Realising that you were still in his hold, you finally let go and so does he. You smile in thanks but neither of you takes a step away from the other.

“No really, it’s okay. It’s pretty packed in here huh?” He smiled wider and gosh was that a dimple? Pretty sure you were swooning in plain sight at this point.

“Yeah, no kidding is it usually always like this?” You ask, taking the opportunity to start a conversation with the cute guy. 

“On Fridays? Always,” He chuckles and god dammit even his chuckle is cute. “The college kids love to come here after a tough week. You new around here?”

“Uh yeah,” All of a sudden you’re nervous and fiddling with the hair in front of your face, tucking it behind your ear, flashing a shy smile, “Starting college soon.”

“Hey,” you feel him nudge you lightly with his elbow, prompting you to look back up at him. “How about I buy you a drink then? A treat for the newbie?“ 

His head tilts sideways following his question and his smile is gentle as ever. His eyes are soft and clearly, he doesn’t mean it in any motive other than friendly. 

A cute guy was asking you out? Did this count as asking out? Oh god, your heartbeat picked up and you were nervous but you thanked whatever gracious deeds you had done in your past life to deserve this.

Your shy smile widens and just as you’re about to accept his offer and ask for his name, the phone in your back pocket blares with a call. 

"Sorry, I gotta take this,” you flash an apologetic smile and fish out your phone, finding the call to be from your best friend who you had previously lost in the crowd.

“Rina? Rina hey,” you’re shouting down at your phone, one hand plugging your ear as you try to make out what she was saying. 

“Y/N! Y/N Y/N Y/N my bestest world friend!” What-‘bestest world friend’? Was she drunk? Already?

“Rina are you drunk?”

“Drunk????? God forbid no!” The evident slur of her words was contradictory to her claims, this girl was drunk. 

Sighing, you can only close your eyes for a moment before replying back, “Hey, okay Rina I need you to move towards the toilet, okay? I’ll meet you there. Go there, now, got it?" 

You finally put your phone down and face the cute guy again, "Sorry, I really gotta go.”

“Yeah, no problem! Looks like your friend is having a bit of trouble, huh?” His gentle expression never once wavered, you kinda felt bad turning him down like this.

“She tends to go a little crazy when unsupervised, yeah,” you lightly chuckle at your own statement and he returns it. “I’ll hold you up to that offer next time?” Gosh, you hope your face doesn’t give away your hopeful expression, that’d be embarrassing. 

He lets out a light chuckle once again, glancing down and ugh he’s so cute, “Yeah, I hope so." 

With a final flash of his cute smile and adorable dimples and your shy smile in response, you back away, off to look for your cockblocking best friend.

It never occurred to you that you had never exchanged names with the cute guy until you were dragging your drunk friend towards a cab. Somewhere in the middle of her drunk ramblings, she asked what you were up to and that’s when it hit you. You had no idea how to refer to the cute guy except for ‘cute guy’. 

Ever since that day, Rina’s been teasing you for not even managing to exchange names with the cute guy, to which you retort by calling her out for her interruption. Still, you described his features to her, the way he talked and how kind he seemed and Rina was convinced you fell in love with him.

Unfortunately, you haven’t seen him ever since then, not even around your college. He seemed like a college student, just like you, albeit probably senior to you but still. Thoughts of him always lingered at the back of your mind from time to time but you had no time to be swooning over a guy you barely knew. As a med student, you already had a lot on your plate and now that you were in training for the cheerleading squad, your plate was overflowing. You didn’t complain about it though, you truly enjoyed studying medicine and you equally loved the art of cheerleading. 

Plus, there were many other cute guys right on campus–Kim Seungmin for example. He was also in medicine and you shared quite a number of classes with him, even working on a few group projects with him. He had a refreshing feel and exuded the kind of gentle and innocent vibes that a lot of girls on campus seemed to like. While you weren’t blind to his beauty and charms, you simply didn’t view him as a possible romantic partner and so your friendship with him very quickly thrived. In a matter of weeks alone, you found out just how maniacally evil he is underneath those innocent looks and he cracked your shy shell to find the confident sassy woman you are underneath. 

When Rina found out you were classmates with Seungmin, she just about stopped breathing. When she found out about your growing friendship with him, she just about fainted. It was on one rainy weekend, you and Rina huddled on the sofa discussing gossip as one does with their best friend, that you learnt out about Kim Seungmin and his eight friends. Apparently, there were nine guys spread across your college, Covern, and your rival college, Rashford. Kim Seungmin, Yang Jeongin, Kim Woojin, and Lee Felix attended Covern while Bang Chan, Seo Changbin, Han Jisung, Lee Minho, and Hwang Hyunjin attended Rashford. The nine friends were as thick as thieves, yet separated into the two biggest colleges of the area who also happened to be rivals. These nine were also known for their handsome looks and kind personalities that made them extremely attractive to the female college student population. 

Of course, being the kind of person you are, the next time you saw Seungmin you didn’t hesitate to bring this up. The sly smile on your face as you approached him didn’t go unnoticed and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit worried about what was going on in your head.

"Kim Seungmin,” you began barely being able to hold in your laughter, “you’re so good looking, you’re so popular! What did I do to deserve you as my friend?” At this point, you have the fakest awestruck look on your face, your hand dramatically on your forehead, your eyes glancing at Seungmin. The only response you get from him is an eye roll and a sigh, the typical Seungmin response.

“You found out about me and my friends huh?” He quickly goes back to the book on his desk, revising the content for today’s class. You finally drop the act and slide into the seat beside him, constantly nudging him as he stares down at the book below him.

“I knew you were popular with the ladies, Seungmin,” you hear him groan out loud at that statement, “but being in a whole boy band of good looks? That’s a whole another level.”

“We are not a boy band.” He’s quick to snap in reply and you can only snigger as you continue teasing him.

“Anyway, when were you gonna introduce me to your fellow boy band members?” He narrows his eyes at your choice of words but gives up fighting you. With another sigh, he finally turns his body in his seat to properly face you.

“You know the game happening this weekend?”

“The basketball game?” You had heard that basketball season was starting soon. Not because you were a huge basketball fan, but more because of the preparation the cheerleading team was going through for the upcoming tournaments. “What about it?”

“Well, my friends are playing–as the opposing team that is–and then we’re gonna have a party, at my house. I was gonna invite you to meet my friends there.”

“Woah woah, am I being personally invited by the Kim Seungmin?” His shoulders sag and his face is deadpan at the fact that you continued the joke. Before he could possibly retract his invitation, you quickly straighten yourself up. 

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you’re still giggling here and there, your hand on his arm asking him to calm down. “I’d love to meet your friends, send me your address?”

He nods and the conversation ends there just as the teacher walks in and starts class.

You can’t suppress the light shiver you feel as you enter the air-conditioned gymnasium with Rina. The bleachers are slowly filling up and the place is in a buzz as students of both Covern and Rashford gather to watch the big match. You register the squeaking of shoes as the players warm up as Rina and you do a quick sweep of the bleachers for an empty spot. With a quick wave towards Seungmin who you had spotted sitting with his Covern friends, you and Rina finally sit down and face the court.

Off to one corner, you see the cheerleading team prepping for their performance. You’d join but you weren’t declared ready yet, still in need of a little more practice getting used to group dynamics and performance skills. They figured you’d be ready by the next tournament and you couldn’t wait to finally show what you had been working hard on. On the court, you see your college’s team players in white and gold in one half and the other team in black and red on the other half. Rina is beside you squealing over the good-looking friends of Seungmin as well as some of the Rashford players and your attention is brought to them. Your jaw drops and you swear you’ve stopped breathing this time as you register the cute blonde hair guy from the club among the players. 

“That’s him,” your voice is quiet and you mumble more for yourself rather than Rina but she catches it anyway. 

“What?”

“That’s him, that’s the cute guy I met at the club. The blonde one there.” Her head snaps to look at you but you’re just gaping over at the Rashford team. Oh god, he was wearing a sleeveless jersey. Dammit, this was basketball of course he was wearing sleeveless. Your eyes soak up the beauty of him, his blonde hair that’s left unstyled but still falling perfectly on top of his black headband. His biceps that bulge and tense as he dribbles and maneuvers the ball with ease, and the veins on his forearms as he flicks his wrist for a hoop shot. Fuck he’s cute and really hot? Unfair.

You’re snapped out of your trance admiring him as Rina suddenly snaps upright, screeching, “You met Bang Chan?!" 

Your eyes widen and you’re aware of the slight hush that fell over the gym at Rina’s exclamation. He, who you now knew was named Chan one of the nine heartthrobs, probably heard it too but you didn’t dare look in that direction. You quickly grab onto her wrist and tug her down to sit back down. Unwillingly, your eyes flicker to the Rashford team to find Chan looking in your direction. You see recognition in his eyes and oh god you wanna curl up and hide in embarrassment. 

"Rina, will you shut up?” You practically hiss at her, “Nice going, now he knows.”

“Y/N you met Bang Christopher Chan! At the club!” She’s still holding a shocked expression.

“Yes, I know that thanks,” you take the moment to look back towards Chan. He has a slight smile on his face and you send him a small shy wave in greeting.

“He was gonna ask you out!” Rina squeals as she punches your arm in excitement. 

“He didn’t-That doesn’t count.” You pout as you rub the sore spot on your arm. 

“Oh Y/N, Y/N, Y/N,” she swings an arm around your shoulders and faces front towards the court again, “you’re cute, I’ll give you points for that.”

You’d reply but you’re too busy admiring Chan again who has gone back to warming up with the rest of his team. When you don’t respond, she continues, “You gotta put your game face on girlie, you got a man to seduce.”

This time you don’t have a response apart from the stuttered “No!” you managed to squeak out.

Parting with Rina post-game was both easy and hard. On the one hand, you couldn’t wait to get away from her and her teasing remarks cheering you on to seduce Chan and “get some.” On the other hand, you were now nervous as heck about going to Seungmin’s party. She left you with Seungmin, but not before giving you many winks and sly nudges. Seungmin noticed the weird behaviour and when he turned to question you about it, you simply raised a hand and stopped him right there. Surprisingly, he lets it drop and instead leads you to his car, making light chat about the game on the way to his home. 

“So you must already know Jeongin, Felix, and Woojin quite well,” he began and you lightly nod in response while admiring the sights outside. 

“I wouldn’t say 'well’, but I do know more about them than the rest.” You glance at him from the corner of your eye and the sight of him watching the sides of the road for oncoming cars as he turns into a curb almost makes your heart flutter. “Jeongin is working towards a teaching degree, Felix majors in dance and Woojin is a lit major, right?”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised you’d know more about them since they study here in Covern. My other friends are Rashford students; Chan, Hyunjin, Minho, Jisung, and Changbin.” The moment he mentioned Chan’s name, your heart fluttered and you push down the smile fighting to appear on your face.

“Chan is the uh-the basketball player right?” You try to coyly ask while also hiding your growing interest.

“Yeah, Chan or sometimes otherwise called Chris, he’s a music major in Rashford and he’s also caught your eye, what’s up with that?”

Your peaceful scenery gazing is interrupted by his unexpected comment and all of a sudden you’re choking on your own spit. 

“Cau-Caught my eye? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You try your best to put on a poker face, recovering from the choking fit you just had. All you can do is look outside, unable to meet eyes with Seungmin who is now chuckling at your flustered state.

“If you wanna play hard-to-get with that denial game, that’s your choice,” you finally see him pull up into the driveway of a home you assume is his, “But just saying, he has just as much interest towards you.”

By the time you’ve registered what he said and recovered from the shock of it, he’s already opening his side of the car door. You gape at him as he exits the car, and continue gaping as he slyly smirks at your flustered expression.

He’s leading you towards his house as you stutter questions regarding his previous comment but he keeps quiet with that damned smirk on his face. Instead, he opens his front door and immediately you’re welcomed with the ruckus going on inside his house. There’s a chill but upbeat melodic tune playing from what you presume to be his living room where you see most of the boys inside, another few in his main corridor heading to raid his kitchen. 

“Yah!” The loud exclamation from the otherwise demure boy beside you makes you jump and you turn to see him walking into his kitchen, chasing the boys who just went in. You’re left at his doorstep, feeling slightly awkward and lost, but not for long as you’re accompanied by an arm slung around your shoulder. 

“Hey! You must be Y/N, right?” You trace the cheery voice to be the owner of the arm slung across your shoulder and you can only shyly nod in response. The guy has dark blue hair and a bright expression on his face. His smile is really cute, especially considering the cute squirrel-like cheeks he had. His whole demeanor exuded soft vibes that easily relaxed you into a smile, making you feel comfortable in his arms as he leads you into the living room towards the rest of the boys.

“I’m Jisung,” he flashes a smile and you coo inside at how adorable he looks. He waves a hand forward and you pull your attention away from him to the five boys huddled in different areas of the couch. “Guys come meet Seungmin’s friend!”

Five heads turn to face you and you flash a small smile in greeting, your eyes sweeping the crowd of faces. Your eyes snap first to the familiar faces of Felix and Woojin, before realizing you didn’t know the other three in the room.

“Hi I’m Y/N, Seungmin and I are classmates.” Your eyes sweep the living room once more before confirming that Chan wasn’t in the room and you didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Still, introductions and names were exchanged all while Jisung’s arm remained around your shoulder. Surprisingly, you didn’t mind it despite the fact that you had just met the guy because he exuded such calm friendly vibes that you easily accepted that he was a touchy person. 

All of a sudden, the arm on your shoulder is slapped away and you turn to find yourself facing Chan. He has a bun in his mouth, and his eyebrows are furrowed at Jisung, glaring at him as he backs away from you with his hands raised. Your breath hitches at how cute Chan looks with the food still in his mouth, and your heart flutters at the thought that perhaps he was jealous of the skinship between you and Jisung. But you quickly dismiss that thought as your eyes finally meet his and you’re melting again at how gorgeous Chan looks with his showered wet hair that dangled down his forehead.

“H-hi,” you shyly greet him finally and he doesn’t snap out of his trance until Seungmin lands a blow on his back. His hand snaps up to pull the bun out of his mouth and he straightens himself up, clearing his throat.

“Hey, I’m Chan or Bang Chan, or Chris,” he begins to ramble a bit in his introduction and you nearly let out a giggle at how cute he is when flustered. “It’s nice to finally meet you again,” his smile stretches wide and his dimples are on full display, and you have the strongest urge to poke one.

“HA!” You’re interrupted as you gazed at Chan with the softest smile on your face. You jump in shock once again, your hand on your chest to soothe your heart and you wonder how many more times you’ll be shocked tonight. Chan and you face the living room to find most of the guys with knowing smirks and you can only wonder why.

“So you’re the girl who had Chan smitten at the club!” One of the guy remarks in complete glee, jumping at the chance to embarrass his friend.

“Wha-What yah! Seo Changbin!” Chan’s voice is squeaky in response and you let a small giggle slip, hiding your elated laugh behind your fist as you watch the horror and embarrassment dawn on his face. Bang Chan was smitten by you? Cute. The light red tint on his cheeks? Adorable. Just as Chan was about to lunge at Changbin, he’s stopped by Seungmin who has one arm around him and the other around you. 

“Now now, you’ve just finished a game,” Seungmin is surprisingly very good at mediating and you wonder how many times he’s had to do this. “Let’s just sit around and chill for the night, get to know Y/N!”

The night passes in the blink of an eye when you’re surrounded by nine dorks. Loud laughter and chatter filled the room as the ten of you got to know each and while you’d admit these guys were gorgeous, their personalities were amazing. Somehow these guys were both smart and dumb. You’ll probably never comprehend how such a contradiction was possible but that was the last of your worries as Jisung made you cry from laughing too hard at his jokes, as Felix taught you the weirdest meme dances, and as you fawned over how precious Jeongin is. If you were anywhere near as drunk as Minho and Hyunjin were, both of whom were singing ballad songs to each other by the way, you’d probably be coddling Jeongin and declaring him your son. 

But you make the responsible choice (since no one else in this house seemed to be up for that) to step out in the backyard for a quiet moment to yourself. The air is slightly chilly but the cold freshens you up and it feels good to be breathing in the fresh air. Somewhere behind you, you hear the backdoor opening and closing but don’t bother to face who entered. You’re gazing up at the night sky when said person stands next to you, also taking a moment to breathe in the fresh night air.

“Needed a moment to yourself? Completely understandable,” you hear him chuckle and you automatically register him as Chan, despite not knowing the guy for very long. 

“Yeah,” you hum in response. “Not in that way though, don’t get me wrong you guys make for an amazing company.” Chan doesn’t reply and the two of you are left standing beside one another, enjoying the silence and each others’ presence. Your eyes don’t stay on the night sky for long, as they trail down to gaze at Chan’s side profile. His jaw was chiseled and sharp, his eyes gleaming once again despite the dark environment he’s in. He’s breathtakingly beautiful and you worry he can hear your heart thundering in your chest at the effect of his beauty. But the moment quickly passes as Chan starts a chat that allows the two of you to get more acquainted with each other in a more private setting away from the loud boys. 

You don’t know how long you’ve spent chatting with Chan outside, but you enjoyed every second of it. He was kind even in the way he spoke and you learn more about both his mature and goofy sides. The two of you discussed deep morals, shared the latest trending memes, and conversed about everything in between. You learnt all about him; from his love of music and rap group named 3Racha compromised of Jisung and Changbin to his dog Berry and adorable siblings. You’d spend all night with him, in this moment, the hushed chatter between the two of you, the occasional comfortable silences, and laughs and giggles filling the air.

“So…” you start up the conversation this time as your previous one fades away. Your voice sounds light and you can’t help the small smirk that grows on your face as you think back to what Changbin had said, “You’re smitten for me, huh?”

Chan’s face snaps to yours, making immediate eye contact and your laughter fills the otherwise silent air at his gaping face. You don’t quite know where this confidence was coming from, but you definitely like the way he reacts to you. Just as you’re about to continue teasing him, his body snaps to face yours and he takes a bold step closer to you. Your breath hitches in your throat, no longer laughing at him and now he’s the one with the smirk on his face. He takes another step closer and you find yourself at the edge of the porch fence. It digs into your back and you’re trapped as Chan encases your frame with his large one, his two arms trapping you. 

“You say that as if you aren’t just as smitten for me, babygirl,” his voice is quiet, just barely above a whisper but it’s husky. That along with his term of endearment has you weak in the knees. You swallow in nervousness as your eyes trail up his face, admiring his features once again, pausing for the slightest moment at his lips before continuing up to meet his eyes. His gaze is intense and you’re lost in them, in him. Out of habit, you bite your lip in nervousness and his eyes snap down to watch the action, letting out the faintest groan that you barely catch. 

When his eyes meet yours once again, you see him move closer, or is it you who’s moving towards him? Your noses are brushing, the sensation sending light tickles down your spine and you breathe him in as your hands grasp the sides of his shirt, scrunching the material in your fist. Lightly tugging, you finally pull Chan down, closing the final distance between the two of you and your lips lightly brush his-

“Chan!” There’s a sudden whine coming from inside and the two of you spring apart. At the backdoor appears Jisung, his cheeks flushed as red as yours and Chan’s but not for the same reasons. 

“Changbin is bullying me,” he pouts and his already chubby cheeks puff out that much more. Suddenly, you don’t have it in you to be mad at the poor drunk guy. Chan, however, is clearly sick of his bandmate/friend’s drunk bullshit. He lets out a sigh before turning back to you, his cheeks still a bit red but his blush is quickly fading. 

“I’m really sorry,” the poor guy sounds sincere in his apology and you give him a soft smile.

“No no, it’s okay we should be heading in now anyway." 

Chan’s shoulders slightly sag in disappointment, but he nods in response and gestures for you to go first, "After you.”

It wasn’t long after that when Seungmin finally called it a night. Some of the guys chose to stay over, and the others headed out back home like you. It also didn’t take long for Rina to be on your ass about the post-game party and Chan. You told her about how the two of you enjoyed a light conversation before you dropped the bomb that you nearly kissed him that night. Rina ran circles around the room, squealing in excitement for you and you could only chuckle at her antics. 

When she had finally settled down, she asked if the two of you had settled a meeting and that’s when you were left dumbfounded. It never even occurred to you to ask Chan to meet you again. Once again, you were astounded by the level of dumbassery you were able to achieve. You groaned and grumbled about it to yourself for a couple of days, but the weekend quickly passed and Seungmin let it slip that Chan felt just as dumb for not asking you out. Your mouth easily twitched into a shy smile, but you quickly looked down to your fiddling hands to try to hide it.

Seungmin offered to help the two of you arrange something but the following week passed in a blur with your final cheerleading practices and Chan’s basketball practices for the second game next weekend. It was both mentally and physically tiring, practicing for cheerleading while juggling studies. Every night you’d return home, jump into the shower, then sit down to study until the late hours of the night and into the early morning. You imagined it to be the same for Chan who had mentioned the upcoming intense practices at Seungmin’s party. As a result, neither of you were even available to meet up for a date anyway. Ah, the life of a college student is tough.

When the weekend had finally rolled around once again, you were finally performance ready and itching to cheer on your team for the second game against Rashford. Your cheerleading uniform had arrived sometime midweek, giving you plenty of time to get used to the skintight material and short skirt. In the afternoon, you prepared your makeup and outfit with Rina and the rest of the cheerleading team, and in the evening you did a final marking run through with the team. By the time the game began, you were definitely ready but the nerves in your stomach said so otherwise. You didn’t know whether it was because this was your first time cheerleading in front of a crowd or because you knew Chan was going to be there. The thought of him sent butterflies in your stomach and you tug the ends of your uniform, feeling nervous about being in such a short skirt in front of him. 

The signal to go on the court was given and you put on your game face as you stepped out in front of the crowd. They cheered at the sight of your cheerleading team and you automatically smiled in response. The pre-game performance went smoothly and the fact helped soothe your nerves. Throughout the whole performance, you could feel Chan’s gaze on your but you didn’t have the courage to look back at him. You missed the mixed look of surprise and adoration on his face as he watched, entranced and impressed by your performance. His eyes took several laps gazing up and down your figure, soaking in how gorgeous you looked in the cheerleading outfit, how beautiful your confidence was in a performance. He was hooked on you, smitten for you, and he wondered whether he’d be able to pay attention to the game with you looking like that. 

Before he knew it, the referee was prepping both teams to start off the game, and he was whisked off to his position on the court. His performance started off flawlessly. His head was in the game, he was analyzing his opponents’ moves; predicting their moves and coming up with counters. With the help of a few of his teammates, he easily managed to score a couple of points within the first few minutes. A mass of sweaty bodies hugged and gave quick congratulations to him before dispersing and he takes the moment to wipe the sweat off his brow, push the hair off his face. His eyes unconsciously trail over to you, who seems to be setting up for another performance with the cheerleading team. 

Since the opposing team had managed to score points so early in the game, the team and you had decided that a quick cheer would help the team morale. As a result, you and three others were setting up in preparation, planning what would be done. Once decided, you took your stance and began your performance. The routine was quite simple but included a moderately risky stunt on your part. Upon your execution of it, the crowd let out a resounding gasp and for a moment you thought it was for you. That is until you were landed safely on the ground and allowed to look around you.

There was a huddle of players in one spot of the court and through the legs of the many players, you could spot a blonde head of hair on the floor. Immediately you let out a gasp and run towards them, worried about Chan who seemed to be groaning and on the floor. 

“Move, move! I’m a med student!” Your remark has the crowd of players parting way for you. You hurriedly kneel down next to Chan and survey his whole body for any evident signs of trauma, broken bones, etc. 

“Someone call the nurse! Quick, what happened?” Your voice is harsh and snappy but you don’t have time to be mushy.

“He zoned out mid-play and got hit in the head with a basketball,” one of the players standing behind you starts, “he fell down from the shock and I think he might have hit his head too.”

Fuck, if he was hit in the head with a basketball then hit again on the way down, your first concern was whether he had a concussion or not. Now that you knew what had happened, you immediately check his head for any bumps or bleeding. Chan’s eyes are squeezed shut and he seems dazed as he groans and moves his head side to side. Upon feeling your fingers press on a certain area, he lets out a loud grunt and you know it’s where he hit his head. Fortunately, you don’t feel any bumps or bleeding. 

“Someone pass me a phone. Now.” You’re quickly handed one and you quickly fidget with it to pull up a flashlight. Chan’s eyes are still squeezed shut so you go to open his eyes with one hand, the other flashing the flashlight as lightly as possible into his left eye first, then his right. You let out a sigh as both pupils dilate with reaction to the light and hand the phone back to one of the hands behind you. 

“Chan?” You start lightly, stroking his wet sweaty hair away from his forehead. “Hey Chan, I’m gonna need you to keep your eyes open, okay?”

You only hear him groan in response and you continue calmly stroking his hair with one hand, the other resting on his arm. When he finally opens his eyes, he grimaces at the bright lights before focusing on you. You send him a small smile and nod approvingly at him.

“That’s it, that’s it. Stay awake okay? You probably don’t have a concussion but I need you to stay awake anyway, keep looking at me, can you do that?” Your shoulders sag in relief at the fact that Chan seems completely responsive. Considering his responsive pupils, no bleeding or bumps on his head, he probably didn’t have a concussion but it was always good to be safe than sorry anyway.

“I could stare at you all day, babygirl.” In any other situation, you might have blushed and felt flustered at his comment, especially considering the crowd around the two of you. But not here, not now. Still, you let yourself chuckle at his comment and just as you open your mouth to reply, his eyes roll up and he falls unconscious. 

All of a sudden you’re back to panicking, both your hands now cradling his face and trying to get him to wake up. Your breath hitches but not in a good way. In the middle of your ramblings as you try to get him awake and the constant soothing stroking of his hair, the nurse finally arrives and tells you she’ll handle it from here. Chan is quickly transferred onto a gurney and carried off to the nurse’s office, you following closely behind in worry.

Chan opens his eyes to once again face the bright white ceiling lights of the nurse’s office. He’s lying on a bed and after getting his bearings, he straightens himself as he reaches for the glass of water on the bedside table. Just as he takes a sip, the door opens and in marches you who seem to be pissed off.

“Bang. Christopher. Chan.” Pissed off at him, apparently. Wasn’t he the injured one here?

“Hey Y/N-”

“You fell unconscious. You fell unconscious!” You’re quick to cut him off. You were so worried when he passed out, fearing the worst case scenario that he might slip into a coma especially considering he hit his head. 

“Woah, Y/N slow down-”

“You had a head injury then you fell unconscious when I told you to stay awake! 'I could stare at you all day’ didn’t last very long did it?” You knew you were being unfairly mad at him, but you couldn’t help it considering how anxiously you waited for the results of his imaging tests from the doctors, hoping and praying for it to not be a concussion. Thankfully it wasn’t.

“You could have had a concussion, Chan. And if you fall asleep when you have a concussion you risk falling into a coma. Do you realise how dangerous-”

You’re cut off by the tug on your wrist, and the fall you experience before landing with a thump on Chan’s upper body that remains upright. Just as you begin to scold him, he’s snaked a hand up your arm and to the back of your neck. He gently pushes your head forward, moving closer himself, before finally sealing his lips onto yours. The feel of his lips of yours is euphoric. The touch is as soft as his eyes that first fell on you at the club, as soft as his presence as he kept you company in the backyard of Seungmin’s house. You’re quickly swept into a fervor of kissing Chan, your lips pushing onto his and molding into one. 

You take a shaky breath in, still caught up in the kiss and Chan tugs you the final stretch to bring you on his lap. You straddle his thighs, your hands snaking up to his hair and giving light tugs to which Chan responds with small moans. At this point, the two of you are separating constantly for air, but your lips never stay apart for long. One of you is quick to pull the other back down, sensually moving your lips together as you drown in each other and forget the outside world. Kissing Chan is thrilling, addicting, another level of sensory pleasure and adventure. He’s soft and yet rough, slow and yet fast, savouring the moment but also hungry and passionate for more. Pushing you closer to him, pushing his lips harder on yours, sucking and biting your lips. 

Perhaps it’s the pent up sexual tension from last week at Seungmin’s party, you suppose. The two of you had nearly kissed only to be interrupted and it seems the near kiss had the two of you on edge for the whole week. You know Chan is a gentle person, but the kiss conveys the strength of his feelings towards you. You’d keep kissing him forever if you could, but you’d be damned if you let things go anywhere in a hospital of all places. 

 So with a final, long kiss just connected your lips with his, you finally part. Your eyes open to see his staring at yours, and both of you think even stars don’t shine as bright as the other’s eyes. You let a small, shy smile take over your face and you bite your lips out of nervousness. You don’t miss the flicker of Chan’s eyes to your lips before he speaks.

“Sorry, you looked really hot during your angry nerdy talk.” Chan sheepishly smiles at you and you melt on his lap, groaning and hiding the wide smile on your face with your hands. Chan brings his hands up to lightly grip your wrists before removing them from your face, wanting to see your breathtaking smile in full view. You comply and drop your hands to his shoulders instead, your face suddenly taking a serious expression.

“Bang Christopher Chan,” you begin to which he coyly raises an eyebrow, “when I tell you to stay awake you stay awake, you got that? You better listen to me from now on, mister." 

A wide smile takes over Chan’s face and he nearly coos at how cute you looked, trying to be serious on his lap. Regardless, he gives in with a chuckle, "Yes ma'am." 

You nod in approval then hook your fingers behind his neck, letting your expression drop as you pull him closer and kiss him on the forehead. His hands automatically find a place on your hips, keeping you seated on his lap, as he closes your eyes to embrace the feeling of your soft lips. 

He hums in contentment before opening his eyes to look up at you, "So what’s a med student doing being a cheerleader?”

“What’s a music major doing on a basketball court, one of the best players on the team?” Your retort to him is snappy and he swears he falls for you even more. 

“Touché,” he’s chuckling at your snarky response and he pulls you close to rest his forehead on yours. 

“So,” he continues once again, “What do I need to do to have my own cute cheerleader? Cheering for me and only me from the sidelines?" 

"Hmm, how about a dinner date and I’ll think about it?” You smile teasingly at him, withdrawing from him to put on a thinking face. 

“What?! Hey, I’m injured here, you still not gonna cheer me on?” Chan’s hands trail up from your hips to your sides, giving you light tickles. The feeling makes you squeal in laughter as your hands automatically go to grab his, trying to push them away from you. 

“I said I’ll think about it!” You manage to squeal out in the midst of your laughter. Chan’s face is overtaken by the wide smile and he’s thriving as he soaks up the beautiful sight of you, on his lap, with the widest smile and the sun shining down perfectly on your hair, sparkling off your eyes. He finally stops and you settle down, still in his lap. 

“We gotta go, you’re cleared for dismissal so you can take me on that date since you’re so smitten for me.” You peck his lips and quickly climb off his lap before he recovers from your teasing. By the time he snaps out, you’re already down and standing beside his bed, helping to gather his things and he can only pout in your direction.

“Hey, come back, that wasn’t a proper kiss!" 

Bonus:

Needless to say, in the next Rashford game that wasn’t against Covern, you stood in the bleachers wearing a large black and red jersey with "BANG” written on the back. His jersey reached just above your knees and you were practically drowning in it every time you wore it. The first few times, you grumbled complaining that it made you look like a midget but Chan was quick to soothe you with long comfy hugs and constant kisses all over your face. He’d never get over the sight of you in his jersey, it made his heart melt even as he was on the court and it took everything in him not to get distracted. But he had promised he wouldn’t and he made sure not to. Instead, taking every second of his breaks to stare adoringly at your figure enthusiastically cheering him on from the bleachers, loudly chanting his name regardless of how far he was from you. 

Bang Chan was smitten for you, he’d admit it in a heartbeat. And you were equally as smitten for him, one could say you fell for him at the club–both literally and figuratively.

[lovecolibri]

I was hoping Michael's recent growth would improve the next Malex interaction but we got two so far and both of them had him initially look all hopeful only to almost immediately try to bait Alex with some stupid line like 'I just want you to be a guy who gives damn' to push him to open up which of course won't work but will make Alex snap back at him defensively and this dynamic might as well have been copy-pasted from their very first scenes from the pilot. No wonder so many of us are frustrated. Kudos to Vlamis and his puppy dog heart eyes but I really need the show to let Michael use his words that he can apparently do now with everyone else except Alex. 'What are we doing, Alex?' is something that would have made sense for him to say in S1 but after 57 rejections in S2 it's honestly just weird. Alex telling him he would care a lot if Michael got hurt doesn't mean he's looking for something from him or doing the push/pull thing again. Malex has long been on Michael's terms now so suddenly reverting back to early S1 is confusing to me. I really thought the beginning of S3 would have Michael be able to talk about wanting Alex in his life even if he's with Forrest and the friendship/awkward tension of being possibly something more after Forrest's gone would follow but it's 3x07 now and there's no sign of that anywhere. It's getting to the point where them starting a relationship this season if the pacing remains wouldn't feel satisfying to me. But also I really don't think Vlamburn's excitement (especially from Tyler who's the only one who really understands how important good queer rep is no shade to Vlamis) means we're putting things off until S4. And they can't honestly expect to placate fans through another hiatus.

Yes to all of this! Reverting back to that season 1 dynamic where Michael looks hopeful, Alex says something mean, and Michael looks crushed is absolutely NOT IT after all this time, and especially after what went down in season 2. Malex is never going to feel satisfying if that isn't addressed between them, and trying to make the audience forget about Michael's behavior last year by making Alex be the mean one crushing Michael's hopes this season is a cycle I'm not interested in repeating. Mostly because Alex has every right to not think Michael wants anything more from him! Last season was all on Michael's terms like you said, so only giving us Michael's POV and making it look like Michael is hopeful and just waiting on Alex to make a move and putting it all on Alex to start things is ridiculous. But we also aren't getting Alex's POV, so there's not way to know what he's thinking or wants or where he stands with Michael. Is he still pissed about last season (but only at Michael, never at m*ria because we just can't have that. She's his "dream girl", haven't you heard? It's such a shame he's gay, because if he could, he'd pick her too. 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🙄🙄🙄🙄)

Overall the lack of Malex interacting or talking about each other has been MORE than disappointing. Last season was a lot of misery porn for them, but at least they were in the same frame and we were getting to see them having feelings! Michael's may have had to disappear every time he wasn't in the Malex "bubble" because c*rina was The Worst, but still we got something. And I'm a little confused about the direction they are taking in season 3 because one of the big issues mentioned in reviews about season 2 was the absolute waste of that Vlamburn chemistry! Does this show even know how lucky they are?! As far as he has stated publicly, Vlamis is a straight man so they very easily could have ended up with lackluster chemistry or awkward physical contact scenes. But instead we got this absolute magic with Malex and they can't even be bothered to let them be in scenes together? And we've gotten the Vlamis glassy eyes a few times about Alex, but none of Alex's sad face so we are left speculating about what's even going on in Alex's head.

It's just really frustrating after that looooong hiatus during which they had plenty of time to go over the reviews from season 2 and address what didn't work and while they are doing good in some areas, the fact that they decided to put Malex back at the starting line of season 1 so they didn't have to address the m*luca mess is ridiculous. And on that note, this is NOT the m*ria d*luca show. I am SO BEYOND uninterested in seeing her take on Jones. There's zero indication she could handle what Isobel, Max, and Michael couldn't, especially since her mind is supposed to be deteriorating when she uses her "powers". Oh right, I forgot. She's "not like other girls". 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[930club]

ALBUM REVIEW: Rina Sawayama — SAWAYAMA

Over the years, we’ve gotten to know about Rina Sawayama — the creative songbird who was born in Japan and raised in London, a being completely unchained by pop conventions. She has stretched genres and spoken truths about her ongoing search for authenticity within her own character, in each single meticulously written, from the earliest cuts to her 2017 electro-pop EP RINA to now. Her latest studio album SAWAYAMA achieves two things: it liberates and it revolutionizes.

Like RINA, her record SAWAYAMA intertwines the singer’s continuous visions about the world with an amalgamation of every music genre imaginable. An electric-punk jam like “Afterlife,” a glittery anthem like “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome,” and other RINA tracks gauge an autobiographical sense of nostalgia and reflection amid its bubbly, futuristic structure. That same vibe transcends in SAWAYAMA, where genre-fluid songs like “Dynasty” and “Akasaka Sad” reconnect her back to her family heritage, evolving identity, and inner roots.

Particularly, the opener “Dynasty” is an invitation to look into her world; she fuses traditional harmonies with electric guitar, sharing ad libs about ancestral pains and family struggles: “I’m a dynasty / The pain in my vein is hereditary / Dynasty / Running in my bloodstream, bloodstream / Dynasty / And if that’s all that I’m gonna be / Won’t you break the chain with me?”

On “XS,” the next song, Sawayama satirically describes capitalistic chaos within rising guitar and a “2000s R&B beat that reminds you of a time when everything was alright.” In the second pre-chorus, she sings “Make me less so I want more (More) / Bought a zip code at the mall / Call me crazy, call me selfish / Say I’m neither, would you believe her?” The “XS” music video parallels the same message, and in the video she mocks shopping networks by robotically upselling a stock of glistening orange juice bottles — completely overlooking how it’s affecting those outsourcing its raw materials. Through songs like “XS,” we quickly learn that the world isn’t so pleasant afterall; not everything is as smiley as daytime television.

Another part of her critique derives from minority oppression. In “Comme Des Garçons,” Sawayama dances in a disco, upbeatily confronting toxic masculinity, whereas her hardcore beat “STFU” responds to Japanese fetishization with complete rage. Likewise, the immersive beat “Tokyo Love Hotel” recalls how tourists indulge in love hotels, often overlooking Japan’s context and history. On the album’s Apple Music editor notes, she explains, “Japanese people are so polite and respectful, and I feel that culture in me. There are places in Japan called love hotels, where people just go to have sex. You can book the room to simply have sex. I felt like these tourists were treating Japan as a country or Tokyo as a city in that way.”

At her most vulnerable, Sawayama rises in strength, connecting with those who might just feel the same way. “Love Me 4 Me” is an open love letter to herself, addressing “If you can’t love yourself / How can you love someone else?” in the intro. Her karaoke pick, “Bad Friend,” reflects a young friendship left behind by pulsing romance. And in post-punk fashion, the free-wheeling ballad “Paradisin’” attributes “my wild teenage years, the time of my life that I had the most fun and also found my love of music as a form of escape.”

It’s as if there’s always a search for an escape, a deviance from reality. But as much as she wants to say “F--k This World,” best represented in the album's ninth tracklisting, it’s like the artist cannot fully just drop her things and go. Following the delicate interlude, audience cheers descend and “Who’s Gonna Save U Now?” plays, transitioning to reimagined metal rock. For Sawayama, the noise never stops.

“Chosen Family,” the next track, extends love to her LGBTQ peers, “...just appreciating the journeys they’ve been on.” As an openly pansexual artist, her security comes from her queer community, especially in times of grief, and this song is a reminder of that: “We don’t need to be related to relate / We don’t need to share genes or a surname / You are, you are / My chosen, chosen family.”

On the last song “Snakeskin,” she samples a classical Beethoven tune, “Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique,’” a piano piece she heard her mother play growing up. “It’s the only song I remember her playing, and it only made sense to end with that. I wanted it to end with her voice, and that’s her voice, that little more crackle of the end.” In the outro, Sawayama channels her mother’s soft, witty character: “I’ve realized that now I want to see who I want to see, do what I want to do, be who I want to be.”

Most of the record’s nonconformist, nu-metal sound is executively produced by Clarence Clarity, where he, Sawayama, and other producers took two years to juxtapose its metallic noise with lyrical narratives. What’s fascinating about her debut is the vast amount of ideas layered into each chord. There are continual motifs of feeling connected and then disconnected from her family, from herself, and from the world, all exercised with different tones and wavelengths. As glamorous and divine each track is to listen to, she enlightens us with existential questions on the environment, institutionalized critiques, and cultural dilemmas.

SAWAYAMA is a highly textured, integral balance of grit and grace. It’s an album that’s blended in the singer’s past and present, her evolutionary tale, only to be met with forward-thinking confidence and dignity on the other side.

— Jackie Reed

[bts-reveries]

expect the unexpected | 12

text in between images!

“I’m so excited to see the kidssss,” you squeal. You got out of the car and ran straight to the front door. 

It was locked, of course. 

“Jin!” you called behind you. “Keys please!” You turn around with your hands out, palms facing up. He looks at you with his brows furrowed, arms crossed over his chest.

“Help me with the luggages first,” he says, pointing to the trunk. “At least take the carry on full of oranges?” 

You roll your eyes, jokingly, skipping over to him and taking the bag of oranges. Specially for your daughter and Yoongi. You grab Jin’s carry on as well while he carries yours and his luggage. You close the trunk and start running to the door again.

“I still have the keys babe,” Jin says, pulling the luggages behind him as he walks towards you.

“Finally.”

The two of you turn to the door, which was now open thanks to--

“Taehyung,” you and Jin say at the same time, both confused.

“What are you doing--”

“Hey you’re home!” Hoseok interrupts Jin, throwing his arm over Taehyung’s shoulders.

“We’ve been waiting for you two, come on in,” Taehyung says, moving to the side to let you two inside. Your eyes widen as you hear the screams and giggles of not three but nine kids. Yeah... everyone was here. 

“Mommy! Daddy!” Soojin yells as soon as she sees you two come into the living room. You drop the bags you were holding to catch her as she was running into your arms. 

“Hey baby,” you say, peppering her cheeks with kisses. “I missed you! How was it with grandma and grandpa?”

“It was good,” she says in between giggles. Jin went straight to your shared room to put away the luggage. You two will be unloading it tonight once everyone’s gone of course. 

“I heard you had nightmares last night, is everything okay? You wanna sleep with us tonight?”

Soojin shakes her head, “I’m okay mommy. I can sleep in my room.” You smile and nod at her, she was such a brave little— big girl you mean.

“Did you get the oranges,” Soojin whispered as she had her little arms around your neck. You lean your forehead against hers.

“It’s in the bag behind me,” you say, making her eyes light up. Immediately, she runs to the carry on.

“Yo Yn, bring us back anything?” Jimin says, wiggling his eyebrows at you. Yuna comes up next to him, making the same expressions. You pointed to Soojin behind you, who was currently unzipping the bag.

“We have oranges,” you say, laughing as his expression drops. Yuna, on the other hand, got excited and rushed next to Soojin. 

“I love these oranges,” she says. “They’re so sweet, Mingyu loves them too.” Yuna turns around and yells out her son’s name. The next thing you know, a couple of pudgy feet start running towards you. Haneul and Moonji not far behind him.

“So how was the trip guys~ what did you two youngsters do,” Jungkook says, sitting on the arm of your couch, wrapping his arm around Rina’s head. 

“Jungkook,” she mumbles underneath his hand. He moved his hand a little lower, cupping her chin. He raises his eyebrows at you, twice.

“It was fun, the beach was great, the flower fields were beautiful~” You answered.

“And what else,” Jungkook asks, giving you a stupid smile. 

“And we slept a lot because we don’t get to do that often,” Jin says, diverting the attention elsewhere. “So anyways, tomorrow? 10 right?”

“In the morning, yes,” Taehyung says. Youngjae comes running to Taehyung, leaning over the arm of the couch where Taehyung was sitting next to.

“I’m so excited!!” He yells, “we’re going after school right?” He asks Taehyung. Taehyung laughs, ruffling Youngjae’s hair. 

“Yeah, mommy will take you.”

“The kids can start tomorrow right?” You ask, hugging Moonji as she came along with Mingyu and sat on your lap. 

“I wanna start tomorrow,” Moonji says, smiling up at Taehyung. Taehyung smiles down at her and reaches for Moonji.

“You can, but only if you come and give me a kiss,” Taehyung says, pointing to his cheek. Moonji giggles, standing up and running to Uncle Taetae. She jumps onto the couch to press a sweet, little kiss to Taehyung’s cheek.

“That should count as her payment for the classes,” Namjoon says, tipping his drink at Taehyung. He was standing by the hallway, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cup and taking a sip from whatever liquid was in it.

Taehyung rolls his eyes at his hyung. 

“Moonji go to daddy, I cannot say no to your cute face so it’s better if you leave,” Taehyung says, pushing Moonji away from him, making her slide off of the couch. Byul comes by and snatches the little cutie from the floor. 

“To answer your question Yn, yes,” Taehyung answers. 

“Is Haneul starting tomorrow right after the opening or is he starting with his siblings?” Jin asks, sitting down next to Taehyung. 

“I think he’ll start right after the opening with Mingyu and Moonji,” you say, turning to Yuna and Namjoon. They both nod, saying yeah. 

“Yeah, okay, then the maknaes will start in the morning, the rest of the kids will all start after school,” you say. 

“Sounds good, I’m so excited!” Taehyung says with his boxy smile. 

“Yoongi and I will bring the cake and cupcakes with us at 8:30, so we can help prepare everything,” Sohyun says, walking out of the hallway. “We’re talking about the grand opening for tomorrow right?” Bora follows from behind, and Sarang comes too.

“Where have you three been?” Jin asks. He looks around and notices a few people gone too. “Where’s Yoongi, Minseok…  Hana, Huimang... and Sian?” 

“The kids were filling us in with the school drama,” Bora says with all seriousness, sitting on the floor in front of Taehyung. He wraps his legs around her shoulders. Seemed like a normal thing, she was unfazed. 

“Oh, well tell them to come here, we have Yoongi’s oranges,” Jin says, pointing at the bag the little boys were digging through. By little boys, he meant Haneul, Mingyu, and Jungkook.

“Give me that,” Jungkook says, taking the one Haneul was holding. Your son glares at uncle Jungkook. Which Jungkook laughs at. “This is like.. the size of your head bro,” he says, walking away from the little ones.

“Hyung! Your oranges!” Jimin yells. Minseok and Sian come running to the living room. Your son immediately comes to greet you.

“I didn’t know you were back,” Minseok says, kissing your cheek. You laugh.

“We’ve been home for a little while now sweetie. I’m glad you’re having fun with your cousins though! So it’s okay,” you tell him, rubbing your thumb on his cheek, before giving it a little squeeze. 

“Go say hi to daddy too,” you whisper to him, lightly pushing him towards Jin. He had Soojin on his lap. 

“I don’t want to waste my time on boys,” Hana says, walking out of the hallway with Huimang, she nods her head. Meanwhile, Yoongi was walking behind them, smirking as the so called “school drama” was just getting good. Knowing he doesn’t have to worry about his daughters and boys for the meantime.

“Hyung, think fast!” Jungkook says, throwing an orange at Yoongi. He laughs when it hits the older one’s head. 

“Hey don’t hit my dad!” Hana yells angrily, walking over to Jungkook and hitting his lap. 

“Yeah don’t hit her dad,” Yoongi says, pointing at Jungkook. He still turned around to pick up the orange from the floor though.

“Thanks hyung, thanks Yn,” he says as he leans over one couch, peeling the orange he picked up. “So.. what’d I miss?”

“Wait a minute,” Jin says, a confused expression etched on his face. A sudden thought occurred to him. He looked around, like he was counting everyone that was there. Everyone was kind of everywhere now. Some were standing, some were sitting on the floor, others on the couch, and some kids were running around the living room. It was a full house for sure. But something was missing. 

“Wait, where’s mom and dad?” you ask, referring to your inlaws. Jin nods, pointing to you as if you just took his words right out of his mouth. 

“Who?” Taehyung asks, with a little head tilt. 

“The house was empty when we came here,” Hoseok says, trying to bite his cheek. 

“Yeah we were surprised when we found out you left the kids home alone,” Namjoon plays along. “No adults were home when we got here.”

You look at the girls and they all shake their heads, shrugging. Like a simultaneous agreement that they don’t know what the boys are trying to get at. 

“Did you guys kill my parents?” Jin asks. Looking around the room.

“Grandma and grandpa are taking a nap in the guest room,” Soojin says, ruining the uncle’s joke. 

“Soojiiiin,” Jungkook whines. “Little snitch.” He got an elbow nudge from Rina for that. 

“Yeah they said they were tired and wanted to take a quick nap before their long drive,” Yoongi says. “Rumor has it, the kids were a handfuuul~”

“Umm.. by kids, I think Uncle Yoongi meant Haneul,” Minseok says. “Me and Soojin were good. Well Soojin was good most of the time.”

“Woow, another snitch,” Junkook says again. 

“Shut up,” Rina says, stuffing a whole orange in his mouth. 

expect the unexpected

♡ part twelve: little snitch ♡ 

pairings: ceo, dad!jin x interior designer, mom!reader

a/n: finally the group hangout and the babies :) also this was so hard to include everyone bc there are so many characters andhka i tried!

taglist: @silentlyimpractical @jillianmarie @waddlebby @cecedrake2217 @ddofa @samros95 @sope-and-shine @joonjoonsmiles @codeinebelle @aianloveseven @Chamchamcham @princessjazzyjazz @notvantaes @casspirit0705 @ramyagovindraj @brinnalaine @ephyra1230 @betysotelo18 @thoughtfultaledreamer @salty-for-suga @cosmicdaylight @dreamcatcherjiah @kookoo-kachoo @justinetingball  @josierosie @jayhope88 @butterflylion @hobiismyhopeu @momma-said-that-it-was-oke @shinyplaidbagellamp @catspancake  @somewhereofftheglobe @strawberryforever25 @rjsmochii @prdshobi @beeeb05 @eatjeanjin @taekookcaneatme @Cheeely14 @kookietsukkie @anpanman-sonyeondan @glitteringcoffeefreak @chocobetterknot @alpaca1612 @ohmy-fandoms @liljooniecutie @Jikachoo @preciouschimine @fan-ati--c @Joondala @httpmuffin @dammit-jjk @jikooksgirl19

TAGLIST IS CLOSED!

to be notified when i post, please turn on my notifications! thank youu~