#and maybe that means we'll get more solo work out of him. which would be nice to see. but also he can still be a good dancer

[creepswrites]

Billy loomis x reader where she’s a very introverted person and it kind of messes up his plans at the party that night everything went down

i tend to write billy a very specific way, which is why i haven't written very much for him, but i hope you enjoy this! he's very interesting to write for! mayb in the future i'll do a story and touch on his mind more, we'll see

BILLY LOOMIS with a F! S/O who is very introverted

“Dude, when’s she gettin’ outta here?” Stu whisper-yelled at Billy, jerking his thumb over in your direction. “We gotta get a move on and you said she’d be gone by now?”

“I know, I know,” Billy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew bringing you along to the party would make his plans with Stu far more complicated than necessary, but it would look bad showing up without you. He cared about you - shockingly, after all he wasn’t exactly fond of most people - and he didn’t want you getting roped into his shit.

He wanted you to go home with some group of girls who left earlier but you had been too terrified to ask them for a ride. So, there you sat in the kitchen, sipping on a vodka lemonade without a care in the world, blissfully oblivious to your boyfriend’s plot to murder.

Billy sighed, turning his head to look at Stu. The two were sat on a couch as Randy talked about some horror movie to the remain few guests. Of course, soon word would reach them about their dead principal and Billy had no doubt they’d take off to go see. This had all been planned meticulously for months in advance.

He knew it wasn’t your fault for screwing it up. You didn’t know, that was the whole point. Problem was how to get you out. “Is Tatum still… around?” Billy asked Stu with a hard look.

Stu blinked once. Twice. “Dude I told you, I didn’t want anything happenin’ to her.” His voice was low. “If you want her gone, dude, that’s on y-“

“No, no, I mean,” Billy huffed, “if she’s still here, maybe she can take my girl home. Two birds, one stone, ya feel?”

Realization dawned on Stu’s face. “Oh, yeah, I getcha! I’ll go find her.” He stood with a dramatic flair, attracting Randy’s attention. “I’ll be right back~” He said, walking backwards towards the stairs, earning laughs from the people around the couch.

Billy just smirked to himself and focused on his red solo cup. Coca Cola wasn’t his favorite but he needed to blend in. As he took a drink, you slipped into Stu’s place. Dark eyes followed your movement as you snuggled closer. “You okay?” He asked softly.

Now, very few people knew Billy beneath his surface level. His real thoughts and feelings. Stu knew more than most people but no one had ever seen him completely. It made him feel safer. Like his disguise was working. Dating Sydney had been a welcome distraction, another piece of his plan perfectly in place. So her dumping him hadn’t been expected.

Finding you wasn’t either. But he was attracted to something about you. Something in his gut that told him he might be able to trust you with his darkness. Let you in on his and Stu’s work one day, when you could all look back on tonight as just a faint memory.

Not now though. Right now, he needed to protect you.

While he’d planned on killing Tatum for a nice, clean finish, Stu had been resistant to the idea. Your very presence may have just spared her from any involvement. Stu liked her and didn’t want to hurt her but, unlike Billy, he was aware he might have to cut his losses.

Your introverted nature may have given Tatum a chance to walk away.

“You okay, doll?” Billy asked you softly, curling an arm around your shoulder.

You slid more into his side, scrunching your face up slightly. “I’m… not a big party person.”

He chuckled, a warm sound he had practiced. “I know. It’s why I’m glad you came with me. I- I know its really outta your comfort zone, but I appreciate you coming with me.” Billy kissed the top of your head, resting his chin there. “Next date, you can pick.”

A soft giggle from you made him smirk. “Is this a date?” You teased, tracing odd patterns on his jeans. “Odd date for an odd guy, hm?”

Oh, if only you knew.

Stu smacked his hands down on the back of the leather couch, making you jump and making Billy shoot him an annoyed look. “Hey, uh, Billy?” Stu bit at his lip nervously, Tatum looking clearly worried over his shoulder. "Sydney's upstairs getting sick in the bathroom."

Billy frowned, scanning Stu's face and noting the ghost of a smile there. While he'd broken up with Sydney weeks ago, they still needed her for the final act. So they'd slipped her something that'd make her throw up but not do any real damage to her. A last minute adjustment to the plan but, sometimes, Stu had good ideas.

Quickly, Billy put on a face of alarm. "Oh shit, did something happen?

Stu shrugged. "Hard to say. Think she might need some help."

Tatum gagged lightly. "I love Syd, but no way. That's gross. I just wanna go home."

"Aww, not stayin' the night?" Stu teased, wrapping an arm around her waist. He kissed her temple as she looked at you.

You and Tatum got along fairly well. Being girlfriends of two best friends meant you two would have an easier time getting along versus hating each other. Besides, Tatum knew it wasn't your fault Syd was paranoid and broke up with Billy.

"Would you mind driving her home for me, Tatum?" Billy asked softly, brushing hair back behind your ear. "I should make sure Syd gets home alright and I don't wanna leave you here alone." Billy kissed your forehead softly.

You frowned slightly. "Are you sure? I don't mind helping."

Billy smiled at you, his perfectly practiced smile reassuring you. "I'm sure. I was gonna leave anyways. How 'bout I head over to your place after I help out Syd?" He asked, a smirk growing on his face.

You blushed as Stu giggled obnoxiously, him and Tatum gagging over the two of you. As if they weren't the king and queen of disgusting couples things.

Tatum took your arm and dragged you off the couch and towards the door. "You better make sure Syd gets home safe." She pointed a delicately painted nail at Billy and Stu.

Billy held up his hands placatingly. "So long as you get my girl home safe. Deal?"

Stu laughed and Tatum rolled her eyes, hooking elbows with you as the two of you marched out of the house. You liked Tatum, since she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and always defended you. She, of course, made sure you got home safe and sound. When you'd finally gotten home, you took a quick shower, changed into pajamas, and fell into bed.

You didn't even notice you'd fallen asleep until you woke up to the sun's harsh rays beaming down on your eyes from your bedroom window. A pang of concern came over you when you realized Billy hadn't come over.

Quietly, you padded down the stairs and saw your mother and father's eyes glued to the television. It looked like whatever had their attention had interrupted your dad heading to work and your mom from cooking breakfast. As you stepped closer to ask what was wrong, you heard the newscaster's voice.

"...police confirmed the killer to be Neil Prescott who broke into the house and killed five people - including his daughter Sydney - and then himself. The only two survivors were Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, whom authorities say are currently hospitalized due to injuries."

You stopped listening, adrenaline coursing through you and your heart pounded as you stared at the screen. Oh god, Sydney's dad killed all those people? His own daughter? You bolted for the door, not even bothering to change out of your pajamas as you made your way to your car. The hospital would no doubt be open, you thought as you backed out of the driveway.

All you could think of was that you needed to see if Billy was okay.

[solarwynd]

I'm curious where people get the idea that the members even want to prioritize their solo careers. Outside of the rappers and jimin, I kind of get the impression that most of them pushed out solo work because it was expected (and probably in their contract) during "ch. 2".

I don't dislike the other members music so I don't mean this in a shady way, but its not like they seemingly felt the urge to talk about deep things they couldn't talk about in group music or be more heavily involved than they could be in group releases. JK was mostly dicking around during ch. 2 until he had to make his comeback, which then he wasn't super artistically involved in and to me, just kind of felt like him going through the motions of "main popstar boy" that BH wanted from him. TH felt like he was mostly fulfilling his artsy/jazz/persona. And I think its pretty clear with how fast the turn around was for jin, that he was pushing to get this album out too. Not to say their music isn't "them", just that I don't think they were feeling some deep artistic need to say something in their work the way the rappers or jimin were. For example, I feel like I could've picked one song from each of their solo works and used it as a solo track on a group album and that would have sufficed rather than a full length album.

I also kind of think solo worked knocked some of them on their ass a little bit. Like I'm sure it was a wakeup call for any members who care about numbers or chart performance that none of them except jimin and JK performed up to the level of the group as a whole. I also think it was probably a lot lonelier and more work to do solo activities too for the members who had never had to do solo promotions before. In general, I just think most of the members work better in a group setting. Like I don't think jin is blowing smoke up army's ass when he says about his relationship to music always being in bts, I really do think he prefers to promote as a group and i think that's the case for all of them.

Even with jimin who genuinely seemed to want to do solo work for the artistry and growth part of it and having his own things to say and was incredibly successful at it, I don't know if I'd say he preferred or wants to do more extensive solo work, at least for a while. Like there's a reason he was one of the last to leave the dorms and went to see all the members during their promotions (even when they couldn't be bothered to go see him...), I think his personality enjoys being part of a group.

I think they'll probably focus on group stuff, but still have solo releases for the members who want them like before ch. 2, maybe with non-music solo activities thrown in there as well just so each of them can build up individual reputations. I guess we'll see how they are post-military, but that's just my impression as of now. I was a shawol and mostly just follow taemin now, but the comparison is interesting to me because shinee's relationship and dynamic has always come off different than bts' to me. The members of shinee were solo stuff for yearsss outside of group work and they also weren't shy about their dynamic mostly being coworkers. I just wouldn't really compare them personally or expect the same outcome.

Not that they want to prioritize their solo careers, just that there is a possibility that after this next comeback and tour, they’ll lean into them more. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be them pursuing music. Cause like you said for the rest of vocal line, making an album seems like it was a one off thing. (though JK could release one down the line.) They could all go into other ventures of their choosing.

With Jimin, He said at that fan meet last year that he was planning on writing even more songs and touring in the future. So saying that he might not want to do “more extensive solo work” isn’t true. Saying his personality enjoys being in a group doesn’t make sense to me either. Because yes he loves the other members and is supportive of them in and out of the workplace (which is what any good friend would do) but that doesn’t signal that he would be better off in the group because of that reason. He can still do exactly what he’s always done even while pursuing solo work, it’s not gonna infringe on that. And yes, while I agree that there are members who do work better in a group setting (some have even said this outright) Jimin just liking to be with BTS is very different than members saying that making music/singing is hard solo or some of the members just not being compelling as soloists in general.

BTS could come back and stick it out as a group for the next decade. Put out multiple albums and resume full fledged group activities. Then it would just be what it is. But me personally I’m standing behind whichever timeline allows Jimin to utilize his talents to the fullest extent without being reduced to a couple lines in a group song and where he has space to fully develop his creativity without compromise.

[policemanofprincesspark]

Lyrics of Harry's that Indicate A Long-Term Relationship or Marriage

I wanted to compile every lyric from Harry's solo career that I think only makes sense in the context of a long-term relationship or marriage. I don't know if anyone has done this before, but I thought it would be fun!

Let's quickly get into it. Starting with his debut album...

Harry Styles

-

Meet Me in the Hallway

-

Meet me in the hallway

I just left your bedroom

Just let me know I'll be at the door, at the door

Hoping you'll come around

Just let me know I'll be on the floor, on the floor

Maybe we'll work it out

-

So this sounds like the two partners share a home together. At the time of this song's release, Harry had not "dated" anyone publicly for more than a year. Why would he be sharing a home with someone he knew for less than a year? I mean, it's possible. But this sounds like someone who has had a lot of relationship issues with their partner and isn't willing to break it off that easy. Plus, there are so many other songs where he insinuates living in a home with someone. Do you think he lives with every one of his partners, or at least some of them, despite being linked to each of them for about a year each? He talks about "home" a lot. How can he have a new "home" every year?

-

Two Ghosts

-

The fridge light washes this room white

Moon dances over your good side

And this was all we used to need

Telling those stories we already told

'Cause we don't say what we really mean

-

Another allusion to living together in a home. "This was all we used to need" implies it has been a very long time. So does "telling those stories we already told." Exactly how long is the question, but it sounds like far, far longer than just a year.

-

Sweet Creature

-

Had another talk about where it's going wrong

But we're still young

We don't know where we're going

But we know where we belong

And oh we started

Two hearts in one home

It's hard when we argue

We're both stubborn

I know, but oh

Sweet creature, sweet creature

Wherever I go, you bring me home

-

So, I have no idea if this song really is about his sister or not, but if it isn't, then, again, the song implies that the two partners lived together in one home for a long time ("we started [two hearts] in one home"), and talks about how they argue a lot and that they are both stubborn, and how the other person brings him home. How can someone you have been with for only a year or less be your "home" and someone that you started in one home with a long time ago?

Next up, we have his second album...

Fine Line

-

Adore You

-

I get so lost inside your eyes

Would you believe it?

You don't have to say you love me

You don't have to say nothing

You don't have to say you're mine

Honey (ah-ah-ah)

I'd walk through fire for you

Just let me adore you

-

This to me sounds like someone who is very devoted to their partner and would do anything for them. He also calls them "honey", which is something that is usually reserved for a partner that you live with ("honey, I'm home" and all that). Of course, it doesn't necessarily have to be someone you have been with for a long time, but it sure sounds like it to me.

-

Fine Line

-

You've got my devotion

But man, I can hate you sometimes

-

I have never heard a more Married line than "You've got my devotion, but, man, I can hate you sometimes." How devoted can you be to someone you've only been with for a year or less? How do you "hate them sometimes" unless you sometimes get sick of them from having lived with them for so long? That's something I would say about my sibling that I lived with for 18 years of my life.

-

Falling

-

And I'm well aware

I write too many songs about you

And I get the feelin' that you'll never need me again

-

Who is he writing too many songs about? The only possibilities I can think of are: A. A lover he is trying to win back (since his public relationships have only lasted a year or less) or B. Someone he is still with.

But then he talks about how he is scared that the person will never need him again. If you're trying to win the person back, then hasn't the person already made it clear that they don't need you anymore?

-

Sunflower Vol. 6

-

My sunflower,

I couldn't want you any more

Kiss in the kitchen like it's a dance floor

Mouth full of toothpaste

Before I got to know you

Kids in the kitchen listen to dancehall

-

More allusions to living with the person that he is with. "Mouth full of toothpaste before I got to know you" might imply that they started living together before they knew each other all that well, or "got to know you" could imply sex. "Kids in the kitchen listen to dancehall" likely implies that they have lived together since they were just kids.

-

Canyon Moon

-

I'll be gone too long from you

Two weeks and I'll be home

Carry the feeling

Through Paris, all through Rome

I'm going, oh I'm going home

-

Where is this "home"? "I'll be gone too long from you"? "Two weeks and I'll be home, carry the feeling"? How long have you lived together that you need to reassure the person that it won't be much longer? Why is there always a "home"? He said in an earlier song that somebody "brings him home", and he implied in another song that they might have lived there since they were kids. I'm beginning to think there's only ever been one "home", Harry.

-

To Be So Lonely

-

Don't blame me for fallin'

I was just a little boy

It's hard for me to go home

Be so lonely

-

So they fell in love when he was just a little boy. So, again, when he was a kid. "Kids in the kitchen listen to dancehall." They have been together since he was a kid. That or this song is about a relationship from a long time ago.

"It's hard for me to go home, be so lonely". Where is home? It's hard to go home because you feel lonely even when the other person is there? Or maybe they aren't there anymore? All speculative, of course, but you know.

Now onto...

Harry's House

-

Daydreaming

-

You know, I'll be gone for so long

So give me all of your love, give me something to dream about

-

So he's probably referring to touring. If he's touring while single, why does he need to have sex with his partner to give him something to dream about when he could just have sex with other people while on tour? Unless, of course, he has a partner that he is very loyal to. It probably isn't Olivia Wilde since she followed him on tour, so who is it?

-

Keep Driving

-

Maple syrup, coffee

Pancakes for two

Hash brown, egg yolk

I will always love you

-

If that doesn't scream Married, I don't know what does. So they're clearly eating breakfast together, and he says he will always love the person. Always. At the time of releasing this song, he had been linked to Olivia Wilde for about a year. Would you really say you will "always" love someone you haven't been with for that long, that you're eating breakfast with in the same home?

-

Daylight

-

If I was a bluebird, I would fly to you

You'd be the spoon

Dip you in honey so I could be sticking to you

-

So this is probably talking about him missing his partner while he is on tour. Except Olivia was following him on tour, so who exactly is he missing?

-

Music for a Sushi Restaurant

-

Late night, game time, coffee on the stove, yeah (oh)

It's 'cause I love you, babe

In every kind of way

Just a little taste

You know I love you, babe

-

More allusions to living with someone, even having game nights with them.

"You know I love you, babe" sounds very much like something you would say to/about someone you have been in a long-term relationship with. Calling them "babe" and saying that the person already knows that you love them. Does Harry really "love" a person he's been with for only a year, to the point that that person already knows without Harry having to necessarily tell them?

-

Love of My Life

-

I take you with me every time I go away

In a hotel using someone else's name

I remember back at Jonny's place

Not the same anymore

-

"Every time" he goes away he takes the same person with him. The same person. For how long has this relationship been going on?

-

So those are the most prominent ones I could find. I hope you found this interesting, and if you have any more you'd like to add that I missed, feel free to reblog with your take!

[prowerprojects]

I'm sure Rouge could, as with other characters. But it comes back to which ones and why? It is her style or required for her line of work? Does she draw the line with specific ones or isn't as skilled with one gadget compared to another?

It's a matter of what the gameplay calls for. (If Tails Adventure and Sky Patrol are anything to go by, a Tails focus game is likely not going to play the same as those who follow Sonic's main gamestyle. If flight the main aspect, the game will focus on that. If gadgets are, it will be on that. Both? A compromise would have to made, but I'm sure they could get it to work.) If you ever heard of "Rachet and Clank", it probably gives a better visual of what I mean for this hypothetical. Spyro too, though more flying than gadgets.

I would say Rouge mainly has experience and stamina over the youngsters; but coming down to what they use their flight capabilities for; Tails being air support and Charmy stated to be a tracker. Plus Charmy does use his stinger and Cream uses Cheese as a projectile. (The fox likely can't beat Rouge toe-to-toe, but I'm sure he'd cause enough trouble for her to not consider him easy pickings next time.) In fairness, we don't really get much time with Prime Tails. {Not the first time a Tails has used a RC device either} It mainly Nine and the other counterparts instead; who live in rather hostile places.

I checked to be sure, and yeah, there is one flight level: The first Speedy boss. There are places to land [in case you get hit], but the stamina bar is completely removed here, as the goal is to get to the top while avoiding Speedy.

Honestly, it's a concept that's not used enough. I can totally buy him coming from the grocery or tool shop, using his tails to carry as much bags and supplies as possible. (Although not techinally the fur, when Nine takes off with the shard; the one Sonic just got absorbed into, you can see it wrapped in his organic tails. So yeah, I say it stands a good chance of coming back.)

You are correct. (Hmm, well, Amy was already shown to throw hammers in Origins.{Which funnily enough again, was shown in X before. The episode Sonic finally comes back from Chris' world.} I say it has a fair shot of sticking. A little less certain with Tails, but I think it could work in Frontiers. Part of me feels that a tweaked version of the Avatar's Wispon gameplay from Forces would fit him well. We'll see what the DLC does for both.)

Hmm, I can buy Tails being interested in history. Especially if it helps him better understand of what's going on at the moment or could be applied later. (Also, I think he just likes learning new things. That being said, it doesn't mean he'll be an expert of something overnight. Hence why he consulted Professor Pickles during Unleashed.)

I feel like the Rouge conversation got a bit away from the point I was originally trying to make, haha =_=' (it's ok but I'm just gonna drop it here)

I heard of Ratchet and Clank but have never played it myself. I looked up some gameplay footage and it looks pretty cool! (Longing for a Tails solo game intensifies)

I know, I know, drones are just so... lame :( I'm still holding out hope that we'll get to see more flashbacks with Prime Tails, I really like him from what little we've seen of him even though he's written so differently from probably any version of Tails I've seen before (except for maybe in some fics haha)

Yep! I've noticed that thing with Nine! (Part of my headcanon is that Tails's ability to control his Tails like that helps him fly (a little bit); I don't have a clear idea of the details, but the basic one is that he's able to position the fur of his tails in such a way that it makes slightly easier for them to function as helicopter blades. At this point it's instinctual for him, but if you're not Tails you might have a bit of trouble figuring out how to do it)

Yeah, I guess we'll see.

Man you mentioned the wispons and it made me think – we haven't seen Tails actually inventing anything for a while, huh? Unless something completely slipped my mind, the last time he had a new invention was Unleashed (the Miles Electric), and it's also the last time we've seen him with a new vehicle (Tornado-1. Geez. The Sonic Boom tv show made fun of his inability to come up with names and I kinda see where they were coming from here lmao). Mannnn. We can talk forever about the loss of his fighting abilities, but he hasn't exactly been shining in other areas either.

Yeah, it definitely doesn't seem... ooc for him to be into history, it just doesn't seem as connected to his usual interests. (But I guess history is inescapable in any field of work) Though Tails also has his own interest in chaos emeralds. (And you know if Eggman keeps summoning ancient evils (and Shadow) it's nice to at least have a general idea of what's going on. Or at least who to ask haha)

[sluxe]

Smash Bros Future Cast Part 2

Brawl Base Meta Knight **** / ** Pit **** / ** Zero Suit Samus *** / ** Wario **** / *** Ike ** / ** Pokemon Trainer ** / ** Charizard **** / ** Diddy Kong **** / ** Lucas * / * King Dedede **** / ** Captain Olimar ****** / ***

Meta Knight and Dedede are both iconic Kirby villains, and not particularly likely to be cut, nor do they need reworks. Wario is the same for Mario, but a rework is a toss-up. Diddy is also huge, but has no guarantee.

Pit is in danger is Sakurai isn't back, with no new games in development. Still, he's got a decent chance of sticking around anyways, considering the series currently has three reps.

Ike and Pokemon Trainer both are from overcrowded series, and unlikely to stick around over new reps. Charizard could once again continue solo however, he's done it before and his popularity is still huge.

Lucas is pretty much dead, sadly. Mother is a dead IP, and Ness is rep enough for it, especially since Mother 3 is never leaving Japan.

Olimar is the base game's one guarantee, with Pikmin 4's success and his continued relevance to the franchise.

Brawl Unlockables Lucario *** / * R.O.B. ** / * Toon Link **** / * Wolf * / *

Star Fox's ill fortune makes Wolf being cut again quite likely. Lucario comes from the overcroweded Pokemon roster, but does at least have the sustained popularity to possibly make the cut. Toon Link is far more likely to stay than most semi-clones, but not a guarantee. And R.O.B. is really director's choice.

Brawl Third Parties Sonic ***** / ** Snake ** / *

Our first third parties! Sonic is the least likely of all third parties to be cut, but there's always a chance. Snake on the other hand seems quite unlikely if Sakurai isn't back to make the deal.

Smash 4 Base Villager ****** / ** Wii Fit Trainer *** / ***** (See notes) Rosalina & Luma *** / * Little Mac *** / * Greninja ** / * Mii Fighter ***** / *** Palutena ** / * Robin *** / * Shulk **** / *

We've got some interesting picks here. Villager is guaranteed to return, that one's easy. Mii Fighters allow for costume DLC so they're likely to stick around.

As for the rest… Rosalina & Luma are the most likely cuts from the crowded Mario franchise out of non-clones. But it is Mario, so maybe none? Greninja is in the same boat, and there's a ton of other Pokemon who could replace him.

Palutena is from a series that missed last gen, so she's in trouble. Little Mac missed two gens, but he's such a beginner friendly character he might be kept for that.

Robin has the saving grace of playing very uniquely among FE characters, and Awakening is still hugely influential. And XC DE + XC3 both made Shulk still quite relevant, so he's quite likely to stay no matter what the situation with XC reps.

And as for Wii Fit Trainer… I suspect either the character will be reimagined as Ring Fit Trainee or replaced with Dragaux… but most likely the former.

Smash 4 Unlockable / DLC Bowser Jr. *** / * Duck Hunt ** / * Corrin * / *

Corrin is from a much panned FE game, and there's way too many FE reps right now, and we'll likely get new ones. Bowser Jr. is in the same boat as Rosalina, while Duck Hunt is there with R.O.B.

Smash 4 Third Party / DLC Megaman ***** / * Pac-Man ***** / ** Ryu **** / * Cloud ** / * Bayonetta ****** / *

Pac-Man will only potentially get dropped if B-N isn't developing, which seems highly unlikely. Megaman and Ryu are also huge names, and Capcom's current attitude towards growing it's IPs means they'll definitely want to get them in. Ryu is more likely to be held back for DLC however. Bayonetta also is highly likely, as Nintendo is basically carrying that series. The only likely cut there I'd say would be Cloud, as Squeenix was notoriously hard to work with on adding him.

[sanstropfremir]

how do u feel about the comments towards sf9's taeyang as a dancer? he often gets a lot of hate for being a "kai copycat" (and thus, is unoriginal and not a "good" dancer). its no surprise that kai does influence taeyang because he frequently mentions kai as his role model. but like, the hate towards him seems odd and uncalled for?

its only natural to be inspired by others and study and take pieces from their art (whether its conscious or not). its the same when i saw hoshi's spider, and was able to see how taem, his role model, inspires him a lot. similarly with how there are obvious stages of taem's that is a homage to michael jackson. i think what becomes distinguishable and makes someone an "artist" is when they're able to build their own identity from their influences. (not sure if that makes sense). but like, it takes years to do this; using taem as an example, it wasnt until want (in my opinion) did i think he really established himself as Taemin - the soloist. i think when taeyang is able to branch out into his own solo works, go through different trials, will we see him in his own light. but even now, though he's influenced by kai, he's still a very good dancer? one of the best from 3rd gen imo.

when you get famous for dancing sexy, everybody after you who dances sexy gotta live with being compared to you, basically. your observations are entirely right anon, no art is created in a vacuum and we are all recycling and remaking the same ideas in perpetual motion, and what distinguishes a creative artist is how you synthesize and adapt those ideas. hoshi did this particularly well with spider, as you pointed out, where it's obvious that he's influenced by taemin, but there are also his own original ideas and synthesis in there. i think a part of what's happening with taeyang is that he's a broody, tall dancer that sometimes mixes non-hiphop elements and kai is also a broody, tall dancer that mixes non-hiphop elements. and as soon as people hear that his inspiration is kai, they're going to immediately associate the two, and because the human brain loves to find patterns, once they're looking, they're seeing. personally i don't actually see that much of kai in what taeyang does, because in my eyes kai has an extremely unique form of movement that would be extremely hard for anyone to replicate (thanks to the ballet training and the injuries). it might also be that i don't retain a lot of memory of kai's dancing, but i've noticed more times that taeyang has lifted a taemin move than i have noticed him dancing similar to kai.

obviously if taeyang is like, lifting move sequences from kai wholecloth then yea, give him flak for that, but in order to be measured up to kai in the first place you have to be a pretty good dancer anyways? i would also personally put him in the upper half of third gen dancers too.

also this is gonna be a bit of a tangent but i'm feeling a bit feisty so i wanna speak on the whole "unoriginal" and "copying means you're a bad artist" thing. is a classical violinist who has never composed a piece of music but plays first chair in a symphony orchestra a bad artist? is a shakespearean actor a bad artist? if you making your living saying words, playing notes that hundreds of thousands of people in hundreds of years have released out into the world before you, are you unoriginal and a copycat? are your years of tireless training invalidated because you weren't the first person to play a mozart symphony or speak a hamlet soliloquy out into the ether?

there's an ugly conflation that has happened in coincidence with the rise of the myth of the artist monolith and post modernist art theory, and that is that skill does not equal artistry. that on the scales of judgement, idea and concept trumps skill in what is more valuable. and while i do agree, one thing that makes you a consummate artist is how you synthesize influences to create a new work, this is often not a solitary task. and very few people are actually good at it. art, especially of the performative variety, is collective, and the idea of the 'auteur' and auteur theory has dramatically destroyed the general public's understanding of that. no matter how many scripts you write, they do. not. exist in their intended form unless you have a crew to realize them. there is no kpop artist writing and producing and choreographing and styling themselves. there are no western artists either. there are stylists and composers and choreographers working tirelessly behind idol faces; taemin didn't compose advice, nor did he style it, or make the choreography, or scout the locations, or operate the cameras: does that make him less of an artist? there is no shame in being 'only' skilled, the big brained 'idea' people will always need you.

[ahappydnp]

from you tag: “I something worry dnp don't fully understand why we love joint content so much and that's it's probably not for the reasons they assume”

If dnp were to ask you to explain to them what the difference is between what we actually want and what they think we want re joint content, how would you describe the difference? Like I think I agree but I also couldn’t articulate it well

Oof I will try but it's mostly just *wild hand gestures and grunts*

I think dnp sometimes still perceive us craving and wanting joint content as an excuse for 'fan service' (or phan service haha) with a focus on their relationship dynamic. Like our motives are based around wanting more ~heart eyes howell~ moments or #phanproof. Which I understand is a warranted assumption! They spent years seeing that kind of stuff and have been through a metric fuck ton of overstepped boundaries and feeling like their personal lives overshadowed the content they worked so hard on. So it's understandable that occasionally they're gonna have that mindset of "ugh they just want to watch us look at each other and see if we'll touch on camera now that we're out"

But like...that is so far removed from the case? Joint content brings out a completely different side in both of them. Phil unclenches from the AmazingPhil™️ persona a bit and it's like we get to see a more down to earth, human version of him. He just opens up so much more and shines when he's got someone pushing him. Solo Phil is fun and interesting, but you can tell when he's just going along with the AP approved list of reactions and script; it feels like real Phil isn't even in the room. But Dan (and maybe a handful of other people he's collabed with that he seems to feel comfortable with but this is about dnp right now) has the ability to nudge him out a bit. Because Phil is weird and funny and quick witted, but it's easy to play it safe when no one is pushing you to show it off. (Weird!Phil please return from the war)

And Dan!! First of all...joint content means he exists in the first place (god I miss him). Joint content Dan is so much softer and more approachable? Like twitter Dan and some of old solo Dan was what I can only describe as "I'm rolling my eyes that you're here invading my space even though I literally invited you". The walls are thick and high and you're wondering if you even know this person (*cough* ganp), but then you hear him on Stereo or he's chatting to us with Phil and you're like oh it's still Dan <3 I love Dan! And he likes us! He's such a kind and thoughtful and intelligent and fucking hilarious person, but some of that gets lost when all you have to go on is a generic Dinof tweet once a month. (And like Phil, there are people who've brought out those sides of him- like his interview with John which I could write an entire novel on dear god that was so fucking good).

They've acknowledged before that they know they have amazing on screen chemistry and an ~it factor~ as a duo, but I hope they know it's so much more than romantic (lol). They're just fun to watch and it’s so obviously THEY are having fun too? Like their happiness is palpable and it transfers to the audience instantly. And going to back to the conversation from yesterday, them together brings back a lot of really good memories and it's a safe place for a lot of people. Like yes the world is a on fire trash can, but Dan and Phil are still around being wonderful humans who can bring an unbridled amount of joy.

And to close I will admit that yes, it's also still a little bit of the "dear god what happened to the closed ice cream shop jesus please stop telling us things there was SO MUCH room on that couch why are y'all like this". Like no one..and I mean no one wants y'all to make out on camera or anything, but I don't think anyone can look at them and not feel something. Because I am, at my core, a gay who's spent over a decade now looking to them for hope that we sometimes do get happy endings and love and best friends soulmates arch enemies whatever the fuck else Howell has said

[ingravinoveritas]

Well hello ✨

I saw your response to Michael's Christmas post and I wanted to add something to that conversation that I've been thinking about since I saw it. I know he's been MIA lately because of the play in Australia but the post, and I think you mentioned this maybe, sort of gives feral sheen vibes... I think he is a little quirky, especially when it comes to twitter and sort of playing to the fans. This certainly was nowhere near as bad as what I've seen from past years but it was a little weird. I'm sure he's probably just tired from working and christ only knows what's going on with APAT and company, especially because they brought the kids. The baby is like practically brand new still... Don't know who thought it was a good idea for APAT and Co. to tag along but I digress, that's another story for another day. Anyway, I thought it was strange, as did a lot of other people it seems, that he tacked 'Merry Christmas from Us' on the end of the post Us? ??? Who is Us? APAT and your children? You and David and Georgia? Like, what in the hell? I get not having the kids in the picture, that's cool, but if you're gonna go out of your way to say "From us" why not include a least some of "us" in said picture? Of course, there's 101 ways to explain it away like APAT was sleeping, or she was busy (doing what, we'll never know), or he was alone, or whatever you wanna think. But the question is, why not wait so you can get a picture together to make a post like that? Because I bet all the money I have he doesn't even think to take pictures with her. Not now. Not before. and probably not in the future. Seriously, what pictures of the two of them have you ever seen that hasn't been taken by APAT herself, paps or red carpet photographers, or an outside friend; someone like Georgia? I can't think of one. Maybe someone else has seen it? Am I asking for a Unicorn here? Probably... So, with that being said, the main point I wanted to make was, I think he was purposely vague with the "us" description and posting the solo picture. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want her face attached to his social media with personal messages like "Merry Christmas from Us"--which begs the point, why say it in the first place? because he thinks he has to? because it would look suspicious otherwise? wonder why that would be??-- Anyway, he's vague because maybe one day, their won't be an "us" at least not with him and APAT. This is another one of those moments that I can't remember if he's ever posted a picture of him and her anywhere or even just her on his twitter? Retweeted anything she's done? I mean, Dude? It's not looking good. So, anyway, it makes sense (at least in my head) that he would leave it vague and generic so that in the future, it works with anybody he's with. I don't see him staying with her forever, which is sad. I mainly feel sorry for the kids tbh, but I just can't see it. I know that doesn't mean anything and at this point, as much as I don't really vibe with her, I'd rather them stay together in the long run (so long as they're not being toxic to each other and in the house) so the kids can have some sort of a semblance of having a home life with both parents. I I think down the line, all of the generic posts, the vague messages and things like that will come back around again and make more sense if they ever do breakup. Maybe I just over analysis everything but with past track records, it was practically calling my name lol

(This is in response to this post, for those who might’ve missed it.)

Hello, Anons! I appreciate you writing in to share your thoughts on that post. I’ve had multiple people reach out to me privately before and since then with similar thoughts, so you are very much not alone in noticing Michael’s holiday post/AL’s lack of one. I’ve also just gotten an Anon from Australia offering some very interesting tidbits about Michael and his behavior leading up to the opening of Amadeus, so I am going to answer that separately (and try not to have too much overlap between these two responses).

Anon #1: I completely agree with you, re: Michael’s quirky/”feral” presence on Twitter in the past. The picture he posted this year was very much a callback to 2019 when he did the 12 Days of Sheenmas thing, and was much more heavily involved with the fandom/being who he really is on Twitter than right now.

I also think it’s worth noting that for the last two Christmases, he’s been with David, at least in the time leading up to it. In 2020, he and David appeared on Graham Norton together to promote the second series of Staged (after having been apart and not seeing each other for months due to lockdown). Then last year, Michael and David were filming the second season of Good Omens in Scotland both before and after the holidays.

Michael was also doing interviews to promote Last Train to Christmas; despite that, he spent a bunch of them talking about and/or to David. (And that’s not even getting into the “Other Wife” incident with Georgia on her birthday, the day after Christmas.) We could also see the effect that spending so much time with David in the months prior had on Michael--how glowy he was, how happy and centered and just in a very positive head space overall.

So if we posit that everything about David and Wales represents “home” and “comfort” to Michael, then everything about Christmas this year was the opposite of that. Michael is in a foreign country that he’s never been to before, where the seasons are all topsy-turvy (for someone accustomed to cold/snow on Christmas, that is), and I would think that alone would lead to one feeling pretty disoriented. But he’s also playing a leading role in this huge production, and has AL and two small children (one of which is a seven month-old baby) along with him on top of all that, and that unquestionably makes everything much more stressful.

Going back to his Twitter post, I keep thinking about what you mentioned, the use of the word “Us.” We’ve seen that phrase crop up in the context of Michael and David on two recent occasions: 1) Michael talking about David’s only “bad habit” at MCM Comic Con; and 2) in Staged 3 episode 3, when David and Georgia are in the shower while Michael is in the car and David says “I was me before we were us!” My thought is that “us” isn’t something that exists just because you say “us”...it’s something that develops over time. It’s something that happens naturally because two people have become so inextricably intertwined with each other that it’s hard not to think of them as a single unit. I hadn’t even thought of what you said, which is that the “Us” in Michael’s tweet could refer to anyone, even him/David/Georgia. But the one thing I do know is that I don’t think of Michael and AL as “us.” I could see his “us” referring to the kids, but I don’t get that same sense with AL. There is him, and there is her, separately, rather than as one. It’s not hatred or dislike, but rather indifference, as you said, Anon #2. Contrast that with Michael and David, who have repeatedly talked about the connection they’ve formed and how there is no Aziraphale without Crowley and so forth. Michael and David saying “we” and “us” about each other is so unbelievable precisely because it’s not unbelievable. The emotions between them are so strong and powerful, and are reflected in the way they see themselves.

Ultimately, I think what it comes down to is that there are any number of reasons why Michael didn’t include AL in the picture he posted (such as the reasons you gave, which do seem entirely plausible to me, as I think he has purposely has kept his Twitter free from any pictures or references to her), but there is also a lot more happening than we even know. What’s been shared publicly is already weird/strange enough for folks to notice (going by the Anons I’ve gotten, at the very least), so whatever is really happening is undoubtedly far, far more complicated.

But I am with you in thinking that Michael and AL will not stay together forever. As I said before, that “us” that is so important in a relationship seems entirely absent with them, and I unfortunately don’t see that changing anytime soon. The only thing I will disagree with you on is them staying together “for the kids.” I think it is far better for parents to be not together as a couple but still effectively and cooperatively co-parenting than to be together and miserable, even if they try to hide it around the kids. What matters most is doing what is best for those kids, and even if Michael’s relationship with AL does not last, I think he will always be there for the girls.

Anon #1, there is no need to apologize for over-analyzing. I appreciate that you and Anon #2 felt comfortable enough to share your thoughts with me, and I hope my response was helpful. Thanks for writing in! x

[inspiteallthedanger]

Wow that Fred Seaman quote about John is such a labyrinth. Paul ruined their friendship by being angry at John for cutting off their friendship?!?

Yeah, I can see why it's a bit of a mind bend at first. But I think this quote is brilliant actually, because it totally lays out what John's issues with Paul are and why, despite continued effort, it was so hard for them to reconcile. So, I'm just going to go through it and explain what I think he means below, if you'll indulge me.

Firstly, a disclaimer that there's definitely some concerns about Seaman as a source. That said, this does ring fairly true to me for something John might have said at points. Partly because of this:

“I don’t have any friends!” John reminded me. “Friendship is a romantic illusion!”

This is one of the core parts of Janov's teaching. There's no such thing as friendship, essentially, because it's actually all entirely transactional. People only form these 'bonds' to escape the trauma of their childhoods but they don't really care about you. Which, like, I can see there's something in there but to then go, 'We all cling together because life is hard... therefore friendship isn't real' makes zero sense to me. Anyway, it's something John's still apparently trying reconcile after his 'therapy' basically confirmed all his worst fears. You can see this thinking when he talks about why he's suspicious and angry (reportedly) with Paul later. In his mind, Paul only gets in contact because he wants something from him e.g. to feel better about himself because John's not creating while Paul is. It's fucked up, but as I said, it plays into John's base fears so would be hard to shake.

“The basis of our friendship was an intuitive understanding we had as musicians,” he said. John explained that when he and Paul first started working together, he needed Paul more than Paul needed him, because in addition to being a well-rounded musician who could help John translate rough ideas into songs, Paul had a secure family background, “Being around Paul gave me a sense of stability,” John said.

So far so good, John. You built a relationship on the basis of a shared passion and because you both gave each other something you needed. Also, note the mention of childhood trauma which while John does have, Janov makes into the primary reason for everything. There's no room for they just liked each other, they had to be getting something from one another. But anyway, it still makes sense.

“When I met Yoko, I knew it was time to cut myself loose."

Hmmm. This is the crux of it. Why'd you need to do that, John? I guess he's removing one load-bearing pillar to put another in. Despite the idea that maybe having two... would be better? But let's not get into that now or we'll be here all day.

"Paul hated me for turning my back on him and did everything he could to turn the others against me. He saw that he couldn’t compete with Yoko, so he tried to stab us in the back. He was absolutely vicious, and it shattered whatever illusions I had about our so-called friendship.”

Okay. So, here's the main issue. I think he's talking about two things here: before and after the split.

Before the split is the 'turn against me' bit. And, I'm sure Paul did lobby the others not to go with John and Klein, would be sorta weird if he didn't, to be honest. But it sounds like John's projecting more ill intent onto it than there probably was. But, I don't know all the ins-and-outs of exactly how they fought for control of the management situation.

After is where he 'couldn’t compete with Yoko' and thus announced the split and his solo record and 'tried to stab us in the back'. This undermining of the announcement of the split seems to have been the sticking point for John. We know that they asked him not to do this, because that's where the story about Paul chucking Ringo out his house comes from. That's the sort of thing he's probably referring to with, 'He was absolutely vicious'.

So, John's saying, "I walked over the bridge away from Paul, and he took that rejection so hard he blew up the bridge and salted all the ground between us". Obviously from our perspective, even if John's right about that, we might be inclined to say, 'Doesn't that hugely strong reaction show he actually loved you loads and was just really hurt?' But I can see the opposite view of, 'If he really cared, he would have put that hurt aside and worked with us to get the best result for everyone, not just himself'. He's essentially saying that he thinks Paul thinks his solo career and getting the best deal out of the divorce is more important than preserving his relationship with John. Which, I can see what he means?

This isn't to say I agree with John's pov and clearly he's not thinking about why Paul did anything he did or how John's own actions might have caused it. I'm just laying out what I think John's saying. From John's pov, John did put his career to one side to wait until the deal for the band as a whole went through. He did make sacrifices so they could all leave on good terms and then Paul went and sued him for his efforts and dragged them through the mud, while using it to promote his solo album.

That's the problem with the divorce. No one thinks they're the baddie and everyone has fair enough reasons for their actions. Obviously in an ideal world they'd all be less reactionary and petty. But. They are who they are. So, yeah. I don't agree that John's understood the situation correctly, but I can see how he gets to this statement. Especially when he's surrounded by people who are all agreeing that he's right and Paul is a terrible person that never cared about him and is only out for himself.

[shesoveranalyzingagain]

if it's all going back to season 1, then that means obviously the groups will be what they were in s1 right?

we'll probably be getting mike + dustin + el + lucas in a group. minus max ofc bc she's in a coma and she also wasn't introduced in s1. we'll also be getting steve + nancy + jonathon which also makes sense considering their love triangle. (maybe robin and/or argyle will be with them??) joyce & hopper ofc probably with murray too. and erica would maybe go with the og group.

and then that leaves will, who was in the upside down. i believe he will get possessed next season but maybe instead he gets taken over, kinda like in s2 with him being the "spy" and stuff. he would either go solo and be a vessel for vecna or he would also go with the og group but again, he'd be a spy. he's been confirmed to be a huge part of the plot (fucking finally) again so it would make sense. i don't see him as just being there to tell the others when vecna is near like how he was in s3. it might start off with him getting multiple neck tingles sure but not for the whole season.

now for max. i do think that el every time she goes to see max tries to enter her mind to find her. it probably never works but maybe one time it does and max warns her or smth?? idrk.

now how this all relates to byler. i really really want the painting to be a part of it. so maybe when the group is all in mike's basement thinking of a plan el notices the painting. (see my other post for how i think it'll go) and then mike will realize that those were will's words and his feelings. and he's now super determined to get will back. like how we was in season 1.

i'll definitely keep making predictions as more interviews come out but this is what i have so far. :)

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Looking through your page I saw that you gave your opinions on V, Rm and Jimin and Jungkook are your favourites so I’m curious what you think about the other members.

With Jin there isn’t a lot going on artistically if we’re being honest, but I always got good vibes from him personality wise. He has a good sense of humor and knows when not to take himself too seriously.

Suga is my favourite bts rapper, but I don’t really like his attitude. I think he’s too arrogant. By the way. Am I the only one who thinks he looks different recently? He either learned to take better pictures (may Jimin be next🙏) or he got something done to his face or both. Good for him.

J-Hope, I can’t really take him seriously personality wise. His sunshine persona is too shallow and cringy for me. Otherwise he clearly is talented, but I think he doesn’t know how to put that talent to good use. Everytime he had the chance to shine in a solo performance he came flat.

I've talked about the other members on various occasions. Maybe not as much as others, but it usually happened when one of them sparked my interest or someone asked me a question. But I'll answer this one as well.

I think Jin is a cool guy and I like his life philosophy, although I can't suscribe to it as much as I would love to. I'm not as carefree and chill like him, lol. I don't want this to come across as some insult and I hope that those who read my blog understand my position, but I don't think any member in every group has to have a solo music career. And that's not a bad thing or a poor reflection on the person's capabilities. Some are good when they are part of an ensemble. That's how I see Jin. I think he manages to blend absolutely fine within BTS, music and performance wise, but as solo, he doesn't have his own identity and brand that could work for such a career. But, what he is really good at is the entertainment part and various BTS content and shows are a testament to that. He has enough charisma and humor to be the center of attention in that type of setting, which could lead to an interesting part in his future career. But, that doesn't mean I don't take into consideration the possibility of him actually doing great as a singer. I mean, who knows? I'm rather curious about what he worked on in LA and if soon we'll hear about a song release. But given that his enlistment is fastly approaching, I think it will be a while until we'll fully be able to see what Jin wants to do, apart from being in BTS.

Yoongi has always been a sort of bias for me, alongside Jungkook and Jimin. I see why some, including you, would think of him as arrogant. And he can be, but I guess this is a matter of believing someone is confident vs. arogant. Yoongi is perfectly aware of his talent and capabilities and he knows it. I think his versatility as a producer will work in his favor (it already does). He's also the rapper I like in BTS. And he looks so good. Not that he didn't in the past. Since their debut, Yoongi for me has been the guy who was hot since the beginning. I think it's the hair now. I don't know if it's also his mood or what's going in his life, but the hair has something to do with it as well. It's so long, it's full of secrets! 🤭

As to J-Hope, the persona he puts on as a BTS member can get tiring, sometimes I feel like he sucks the energy out of me when I watch him, but I'm aware the opposite happens for a lot of fans. But bubbly loud people are not my thing. I mean, I'm fine, but in real life I need two days to rest after going out with people like that, but that's an introvert thing. I'd love to see more of Hoseok though, that could be more interesting.

As a solo artist, as much as his recent album is not really in line with my music taste, I think it showed his range and ultimately, that's a good thing because it shows he can't be stuck just in one box. I liked his Lola show, I believe he's totally capable of doing a concert solo performance on his own. I'm not mesmerized by it, but I think Hobi will do just fine as an artist and entertainer.

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Forest National in Brussels, Belgium - August 24, 1984

Some parts of the Hammer To Fall promo video were filmed during this show - the camera was filming the audience reactions during TYMD, Radio Ga Ga and Hammer To Fall. On the next day 20 fans from the Dutch fan club were invited to come again to the filming of the promo video.

At the gig, the band asked the audience to return the following day for the shoot. However, most likely assuming it was all a joke, the vast majority stayed away; in fact only a dozen fans turned up. Undeterred, the shoot went ahead anyway, with the band's performance that day interspersed with footage shot the previous night.

(x)

This is the first show of The Works tour.

According to the July '89 issue of Record Collector, Queen ran through about 40 songs during rehearsals. This list of songs rehearsed that didn't end up in the setlist comes from someone who worked on the tour:

Great King Rat (longer version), Brighton Rock (full song), I'm In Love With My Car, Sweet Lady, White Man, We Will Rock You (fast), Play The Game, Need Your Loving Tonight, Put Out The Fire, Las Palabras de Amor, Life Is Real (both Freddie solo piano and Freddie/Brian acoustic duet versions)

The keyboardist for this tour (and also the '86 Magic tour) is session musician Spike Edney. He would also lend some vocals to many songs and play rhythm guitar in Hammer To Fall. He and Roger Taylor would form a band called "The Cross" in 1987 which spawned three albums, and he would return to Queen in the 21st century to play on the tours with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.

Spike was recruited in a very informal way by a Queen associate. He went to Munich for their first rehearsal in early August, wound up partying for most of the first night, and missed the first day's rehearsal. It later transpired that everyone else had. He recalls, "The next day, we all managed to get to it eventually, to the first rehearsal, and all the gear was set up. The stage was huge, and I thought "Oh well, here we go then" and we got to the first song , and what I'd forgotten was that they hadn't actually played together for two years. So they said, OK, let's try one of the new songs, I think it was Radio Ga Ga, and we started playing it, and course, I knew it, I'd been studying it for weeks. You know, 1,2,3,4 and we start and we get about a minute into the song and the whole thing collapses. And they all look at each other, you know, very sheepishly, and they say, "Anyone know how it goes?" and I say "well, actually, I know. I know how it goes" and they said "Ah". And so I started showing them the chords and everything and Fred looked at me and said "You don't know the words, do you?" and "Well, yeah I do actually" so then they all came round the piano and we spent the whole day just going through songs, and I thought, "I'm gonna be all right here, this'll be OK"!"

The show started very late, as the band were still doing soundcheck when they were supposed to go on. Apparently over the previous week there were few occasions when all four band members actually showed up for rehearsal. Many songs (likely those listed above) never made the setlist, and soundcheck was an extensive cramming session, particularly for the older material that they hadn't played in years.

Roger Taylor later reflected that this European tour was one of his favourites, and many fans cite the early Works setlist as their favourite ever played by the band. Three medleys are now played, two of which have revived many old songs: Killer Queen, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Stone Cold Crazy and Great King Rat. Staying Power from Hot Space returns to the set, as does Sheer Heart Attack from News Of The World. Only half of Staying Power is played, and it runs into Dragon Attack, followed by an improvisation running into a more compact version of Now I'm Here compared to previous tours.

Many people who attended shows on this tour recall Queen having a very heavy sound, especially on songs like Liar and Stone Cold Crazy. By 1984 they had gained a reputation as being one of the best live rock acts in the business.

Six songs from The Works are performed each night, and the introduction tape is from the album track "Machines". After the heavy G chords are heard on the tape twice, the band walk on stage in the darkness to play the chords the third time, which leads into the brand new "Tear It Up". This is yet another effective opening to a Queen show, something they would perfect time and time again.

I Want To Break Free is performed each night in 1984-85 as the first encore, with Freddie coming on stage sporting a pair of huge plastic breasts under a pink shirt. Part way through the song, he would remove the breasts and twirl them around for a while before finally throwing them into the audience. Some souvenir! As a result of this gag, Another One Bites The Dust has been moved from the encore to be earlier in the set.

This tour showcases an incredible lighting rig and an overall setup mimics the movie Metropolis, from which scenes were used for the promo video of Radio Ga Ga last year. The huge wheels behind the stage (modelled after the ones on The Works album cover) rotate at mostly random times - usually because they are turned manually by various crew members such as Roger's tech Chris "Crystal" Taylor whenever they have a free moment (Freddie Mercury's assistant Peter Freestone told the tale in 2021):

“Yeah, I mean Rio was… amazing. The feeling from that crowd… you know, something like 350,000 people. Oh, you can’t beat that. And when you’re flying in a helicopter over that crowd, it was stunning. But the thing is, I know this sounds really, really stupid but [laughs]… one thing I will always, always remember from that tour was, remember, in the back of the stage you had these wheels that turned every now and then, not constantly but just every now and then. That was because there was… the guy looking after Roger’s drums and me who actually turned those wheels. And there was no set cue or anything that, “Oh, it has to start on this bar, on this song.” No, it was when he wasn’t doing anything and I wasn’t doing anything, we’d say “Ok, let’s go and do it.” And we turned the wheels for a couple of minutes and then left them alone. He had then to do something for Roger and I would just sit there like I always did. And then you’d go back and you’d turn the wheels, like a hamster. We were like hamsters…”

However, a crew member who worked on the tour recalls otherwise: "I do know local crew members were used on the UK shows and certainly (a number of) European gigs. The other thing is that Radio Ga Ga had a set piece with the cogs and lighting, using low ambient lighting and strobes to emphasise mechanical motion of the cogs during the instrumental break. Would Roger Taylor be happy with no one covering him/his kit during a show? Possibly Peter Freestone is remembering production rehearsals when any spare bodies might have been asked to operate the cogs?"

During vocal improvisations on this tour, Freddie would often include bits of "Foolin' Around" and "Living On My Own" from his pending first solo album, which he had been working on during this period.

Freddie now plays a Telecaster for Crazy Little Thing Called Love. It would remain like this through the Magic tour.

The band no longer bring a gong with them on the road. Roger now does a cymbal roll at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody.

A fan recalls hearing the band running through Tear It Up whilst queuing up to enter the venue.

Freddie's voice is in superb shape for this show, but it will quickly weaken as the tour progresses. As incredible as Freddie Mercury was, he certainly did not take care of his voice at times, especially in the mid-80s. After a couple years of heavy smoking, Freddie's voice now sounds a lot deeper and raspier overall.

Before It's A Hard Life, Freddie says, "I think tonight we're gonna do songs from just about every album that we've ever made. You heard some very early stuff from the first album. Right now I think we're gonna do something very new, and we'll see what you think of it."

Freddie does a vocal exchange with the audience before Staying Power, singing "Get Down Make Love" and "Gimme Some Lovin" a few times. The band would improvise bits of the latter a couple times in 1986.

This is the only show on the entire Works tour where Roger plays regular acoustic drums on Another One Bites The Dust (before which Freddie teases the audience with a bit of Mustapha). For the rest of the tour, he'd play electronic drums. He'd also integrate the electronic drum kit into a few other songs, like at the beginning of Hammer To Fall, where one might argue that his sounds don't appropriately complement the guitar to create the intense, heavy sound.

The band sound very tight on this opening night of the tour, with the only exception being the rough transition from Stone Cold Crazy to Great King Rat. The keyboard and guitar solos are integrated together for the first few shows of the tour, during which Brian plays a few bits from Machines. Spike Edney uses his vocoder (a Roland VP-330) for the "machines" and "back to humans" lines heard throughout the tour during this spot (he would use his vocoder for the "radio" lines in Radio Ga Ga as well). After this segment, Brian then gets a few minutes to play on his own as usual.

Parts of the promo video for Hammer To Fall were filmed during this show. Claims from some (even official) sources state that Freddie invited the audience back for (what would actually be "additional") filming the following day aren't true. Here is all that Freddie had to say before the song: "This next song we're gonna use in our next video. So everybody just go mad and maybe later you'll see one of you guys inside the video one day. Oh, just go crazy, take your clothes off. It's called Hammer To Fall." After the song, he simply says, "Good night, you guys!" as that was the last song of the set.

Here is a fan's recollection: "On the night of the gig, there was a camera mounted on an arm that would swing over the front rows of the audience during a few songs. These audience shots were taken during Tie Your Mother Down, Radio Ga Ga, and Hammer To Fall itself. I guess they also had a camera up in the box at the back of the hall [as there are a few shots of both the audience and the band]. I don't remember any cameras onstage during the gig - just the one mounted on the arm."

The Dutch fan club invited only about twenty of its members to attend the video shoot the next day. They were instructed by a roadie to sit quietly on a chair and not to move or approach the band members. After a few hours, Brian came over and had a chat with them, checking to see if they were enjoying themselves and if they were hungry. He then promptly ordered them some take-out!

A minute of Tie Your Mother Down from this show was later broadcast on the Belgian TV station "RTBF" (x) (x). An audience-shot video allegedly exists as well, containing five songs.

After years of speculation, the existence of more footage from this show was proven when bits of it were included in the promo video for Let Me In Your Heart Again in 2014. About 30 seconds of Somebody To Love (largely crowd shots) were seen. There is, however, no accompanying audio. (x)

The first photo is from the autumn 1984 Queen fan club magazine. Brian is seen with a watchful eye over the proceedings. Tour manager Gerry Stickells and his wife are also in the shot.

Pics 2 through 6 were submitted by Alessio Rizzitelli, and the seventh pic was taken by Dave Matkin.

(x)

[solarwynd]

The arguments on twitter are so crazy because end of day Jimin is achieving the same streams and records as your fave without paying for them AND he could have a concert tour and actually fill up stadiums. Like you know that's the end goal for artists right? Auto play is all well and good but that's why you'll see a song on the charts all the time and then find the artists not able to sell out tickets for their tours. Neither Lisa nor Jennie nor Rose nor most kpop groups honestly would be able to tour solo and sell as well as Jimin touring by himself. So doesn't that defeat the whole bot argument? Bots literally mean you don't have the people to stream so you need to buy it. For jimin it's more like your fans are dedicated streamers. That's a huge difference. Jjks and blinks are basically calling us bots which isn't how it works but who's going to explain it to them? Not me

I'd say Jimin has only two things to achieve if he really wants (apart from sustaining his current level of success). One is to be a household name. He's already very famous but he doesn't have the name id that BTS has. But if you're not going to pay for it, then it takes time - a couple of years at least and you can't be in the military for half of it. You also have to play the game. BTS as a group did tons of western promo and social media for a solid 4-5 years I think before it happened. I'm not entirely sure what Jimin's take on this is. He didn't do it for Face but he was on a time crunch in 2023 trying to release 1 ep and getting the other ready and doing a travel show and getting ready for enlistment so maybe we'll see him do it for his next release if that's something he's interested in. The second is being critically acclaimed. This will be tough since even BTS didn't achieve that distinction because of the baggage that kpop comes with plus the truth is you need to schmooze with critics and the rest to get that hype and it's hard with the language barrier.

.🎯

[mossybee-exe]

Competition|Deku x Vigilante! Reader

Sum:After recently graduating from UA, Deku started working as a sidekick alongside the pro hero Cherry Bomb. But with his most recent patrols, the villains he goes to defeat keep getting defeated by someone else every time:You. He does more digging and finds out your a vigilante, and gets more and more intrigued with every other encounter.

Your Quirk is Pixie. The user pretty much has the appearance of a Pixie. This includes pointy ears, bits of glitter constantly on their face, and even fairy wings. They can also choose to turn any non living thing into anything they want by touching it with their bare hands. Like if there is a small pebble, the user can touch it with their bare hands, and turn it into a sword or wrench instead. They can even make mythical things like Pixie Dust to make others fly or Sleeping Dust which can put someone to sleep, etc. The only weaknesses the user has is heavy rainfall and forest fires.

My OC:

Deku was relieved that it didn't take long for an agency to offer him to become a sidekick with them.

After graduating from UA two weeks ago, he's been saving people solo. Simple things like theft and thugs, but then he was spotted by a pro hero named Cherry Bomb when he fought a villain. Apparently he impressed her and she offered him to join. He accepted happily!

They were out on a patrol right now! Some of Cherry Bomb's other sidekicks had split up, while Deku walked beside Cherry Bomb. "So uh, do you think we'll run into any villains today?" Deku asks her. Of course it would be a good thing if there WEREN'T any, but whatever.

"Depends! I know for a fact there'll be a few thugs and thieves here and there, but I don't know about villains!" She replies. "But then that means we'll have an easy day!" Cherry Bomb replies. "Right, of course!" Deku agrees, taking out his newest hero notebook and wrote down some stuff.

"HELP! HELP! THERE'S A VILLAIN AT THE WOOKIE SHOPPING MALL!" A woman screams, getting Cherry Bomb and Deku's attention. "BANG! AND THERE WE GO!" Cherry Bomb says and runs that way, Deku shortly behind her.

They get to the mall and see a man with arms that turned to suction tubes was sucking up all of the money. "Take care of evacuations kid! I'll take care of this guy in a jiff!" Cherry Bomb tells Deku and he nods, starting to help others out of the area.

Cherry Bomb creates some gunpowder in her hand and lights it on fire with the tips of her gloves which had flint on the end. That caused the gun powder to light on fire and she throws it at the villain, causing the villain to yell and jump out of the way.

"You better watch out now! Cuz Cherry Bomb is here to blow you sky high!" She tells the villain. But before she could say anything, a bunch of dust was sprinkled on to the villain and he falls right asleep.

"Huh??" Cherry Bomb says surprised and confused. Deku stopped and looked over confused as well. "Hmph! Sorry hero! Too slow!" You tell her, before your fairy wings flutter and you flew up on the roof of the mall.

"Who are you??" Deku calls out, earning a glance from you. "I go by Y/V/N! And next time, maybe try and take care of it sooner, heroes!" You yell down before flying away. You wore a green shirt with a brown belt to hold some small viles of liquid, a tattered blue skirt with tattered black knee high stockings, and had a white mask covered your eyes.

The police arrive and took the villain away while another officer talked to Cherry Bomb and Deku. "Ah, so you saw her too?"

"Is she important?" Cherry Bomb asks.

"Nah, just some nobody. Just a vigilante is all. Other pro heroes have reported seeing her too! Unfortunately we don't know much about her other than her real name is Y/N L/N and is called The Pixie by others." He explains.

"But when I asked who she was she replied with Y/V/N." Deku points out. "The locals call her The Pixie, although she kind of just gets in the way. Just ignore her the best you can! We're trying to figure out who she is too." The cop tells them.

"I understand! We will officer!" Cherry Bomb replies with a slight bow. Once the police left, Deku and Cherry Bomb went on their way.

Who was that Y/V/N? Why would she not want to become a hero? Deku thinks to himself before writing down what he now knows about you.

After Deku was done for the night, he headed back to his apartment. "I'm home!" He calls out to his mother. He's still living with her for a bit, but he almost had enough money to get his own apartment.

"Welcome home dear!" Inko calls from the kitchen as Deku headed to his practically now empty room. All of his stuff was already packed up except for the essentials. He sits down at his desk and draws what you looked like on the side of one of his notebook pages.

He titled it, "Y/V/N" and then wrote down all he knew about you right now.

Name: Y/N L/N aka Y/V/N

Known by locals as "The Pixie"

Her quirk appears to be fairy like, giving the appearance of a fairy or pixie.

Is a vigilante.

Maybe there's some sort of pattern to her moments as well. He thinks to himself.

Meanwhile, you returned to a run down part of the city and fly in through a window in a building that no longer existed, landing and walking deeper in to reveal someone sitting on a chair toying with a knife, sitting cross legged. The shadows hid their face.

"I took down another one Boss. How many more must I take down before you'll let me free?" You ask with a huff, folding your arms. "Patience Y/N~! You still have a lot to do! I won't stop until the world stops trusting in heroes!" The distorted voice replies.

You roll your eyes with a sigh before looking back outside.

I don't want to be here anymore, but I also don't want to die.

[doritosandavocados]

Okay y'all the fabulous @discomagicwitch actually DMed me a bunch of DWD deets like an absolute saint, so it's time to keep my end of the bargain. Here is an updated 2022 version of "yo Hollywood please stop casting Harry Styles" (no that is not the real original title sadly)

A few things worth noting:

1- I went back and realized I wrote the headline and the blurb for the original article, but an ex co-worker actually wrote the article itself so this is actually my first stab at the topic.

2- I am not a Harry Styles stan - I don't hate the man - I find him rather intriguing and very hot, but I really haven't ever listened to his music much, nor was I a One Direction fangirl. So, overall I'm wildly ambivalent about him.

3- While I was, in fact, a professional entertainment news writer... I am not anymore. Which means I barely re-read this and I did minimal fact-checking or sourcing because that's the true spirit of Tumblr. Anyway, without further ado: Hollywood please stop casting Harry Styles, 2022 edition

Harry Styles is best known for being a boybander gone solo and (true to his last name) a fashion icon. However, over the past few years Styles has begun venturing into the world of acting.

Styles, however, did not start small and work his way up. He had the shocking luck to work with Christopher Nolan on his acting debut. Nolan, who (at least at the time) was an untouchable and unreproachable writer & director. (While Nolan has finally experienced what a flop is, his track record is still absolutely stunning - but I digress.) Styles was, somehow, plucked from the music industry and plopped into the highly acclaimed Dunkirk. Nolan is known for being highly choosy about who he casts and is most certainly in filmmaking for the art above all else. So, the choice had most everyone's curiosity piqued.

So, how did Harry Styles, pop star extraordinaire, get added to the cast of Dunkirk, alongside the likes of Kenneth Barnagh, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy? Honestly, I still haven't the faintest idea. Did somebody lose a bet? Was there blackmail? Was Styles so desperate for a chance at the big screen he bought out Nolan's artistic integrity? We'll never know.

What we do know is that his role was relatively small and had minimal speaking lines. He was there just enough to bring in an audience of young women (his core demographic) that otherwise might not have been interested in Yet Another WWII Movie.

Considering he'd peaked pretty early - starting at the top of the mountain, as far as most actors would be concerned - it was hard to imagine Styles continuing his unexpected career detour. Most actors would offer up a kidney in order to work on a Christopher Nolan movie, so maybe Styles just packs it up, calls it a day, and says "thanks for the fun, but I'm going to go back to my life of being screamed at by a couple thousand fans every night while I sing about fruit."

To most people's surprise that is very much not what he did. Sure, he made more music and went on more tours, but suddenly he was being cast in more movies.

Why? For what reason? For the butts in seats? We know Hollywood is rabid to cast well-known faces to draw in crowds - quality of story or other movie aspects be damned. They'd rather overpay a recognizable face than *gasp* cast a nobody and put the budget in say... literally anything else. Costumes? Practical effects? Soundtrack?

So, here we are in 2022. Harry Styles has not one, but TWO movies coming out in the near future where we're going to really find out what kind of acting skills he harbors within. First up is Don't Worry Darling, which is again a star-studded cast. This means that if he falls even a little bit flat in his performance it's going to stand out like a hog at a dog show.

Frankly, I'm not holding out a whole lot of hope considering he can't even hold an intelligent, nay, coherent conversation regarding the concept of film. We've all seen it, the video where Harry is asked why he likes Don't Worry Darling and replies, I like the movie because it's a movie. Well hot damn, I never would've guessed that! Guess I have to see this groundbreaking film now!

Oh Harry, it's a good thing you're pretty. Poor Chris Pine, who is forced to sit beside Styles, seems to be helplessly deciding between looking like he is completely unengaged or interrupting the inane ramblings of his younger co-star. Like a true gentleman, Pine sticks with the former option.

If an actor can't even talk about the filmmaking process or even just... film in general, that seems like a hell of a red flag. Even the interviewer has to try not to laugh in that video.

Could I be pleasantly surprised by Harry Styles' performance when I inevitably sit down to see DWD in theaters? Sure! I'd be happy to be wrong, but I'm really not expecting to be.

I know why producers will continue to give the green light to putting Styles in movies. It's always about the butts in seats with them. What I don't know is why Styles decided to take on this foray into acting in the first place. I don't know what he gets out of it. He has a stunning music career. He gets praise and adoration from his countless fans. He has a career some people would kill for.

There's probably an interview floating around where he says something about "ooh it sounded fun", but like... that's what sixth graders say about their school musical. Not what a professional should be saying about BEING IN A CHRISTOPHER NOLAN MOVIE.

Of course, we've moved on from there. We now await Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman where Styles has far more substantial roles with actual lines. One would think that surely he must have some potential to be put into these films by casting directors - especially since these are films that are vying for Oscar nominations. But let us all remember that Hollywood is about money first and art second... oh and a lot of lust. Let's not forget that Olivia Wilde is (or was? - okay that's just speculation) dating Harry Styles.

In the end Styles being in Don't Worry Darling has generated far more press than if someone else (even Shia LaBeouf) were in the same role. The social media chatter, the strange & unhinged theories, gossip, and speculation about drama have created more free press than a movie producer would dare to hope for.

I mean really, we all know Harry Styles didn't spit on Chris Pine in public. Though, I'm willing to entertain theories on what wildly rude or idiotic things he may have said to elicit that reaction out of Pine.

In the end, Hollywood will always be filled with things like nepotism, favoritism, et cetera, et cetera. And that means we can beg the powers that be to stop putting Harry Styles in movies, but at the end of the day they will just cackle and stick him into a Netflix Christmas rom-com next. (Fuck they're going to do that aren't they?)

[castiel-barnes]

Domesticity.

Pairing: Javier Peña x fem! Y/N Peña. (Reader is married to Javier).

Summary: After the events of Escobar and the Cali cartel, the one thing Javier expected least was to settle down.

Warnings: Fluff. Slight angst. Pregnancy. Medical inaccuracies. Mentions of throwing up. Swearing. Soft Javi. Like extra soft.

Word count: 2.7k

A/N: Yet another early morning thought that I got.

Tags: @phoenixhalliwell @scribbledghost

Picture from Pedro pascals Instagram at pascalispunk.Taken in 2013.

After years of running around Colombia and the amount of informants slept with. The last thing people expected who knew Javier Peña, was to settle down.

He had found you and fell hard in love. And the same thing happened to you. After being with you, Javier had no need to go have a one night stand with any of the girls from the brothels or any informants. Because he had you.

It was quite unheard of within the DEA, Javier Peña and the domesticity of having a family.

*********************

Javier had been out for most of the day, which you were kinda glad for. You had been feeling sick since you woke up and when Javi finally left the apartment, you finally rushed to the bathroom to throw up your breakfast.

Then it hit you. Your time of the month has been far more late than normal. After throwing up, you digged out the spare pregnancy test you had at the back of the cupboard for emergencies.

"Oh fuck." You said quietly to yourself. It was positive. Neither of you had discussed the topic of kids. It was something that you wanted, but not sure if Javi wanted it.

"Hi cariño, I'm home." Javier called out,

"H-hey, I'll be out in a moment." You replied from the bathroom, quickly wiping your tears away. Walking out the bathroom, you smiled like you usually did and kissed.

"What's up honey?" He asked frowning a little,

"Oh nothing much, why'd you ask?" You replied.

"Cause I can tell you've been crying." Javier said looking at you. Sighing you placed your head against his shoulder.

"I hate how easily you read me sometimes." You pouted, and pulled him to the couch and sat him down. Letting out a shaky breath you held his hands gently in yours.

"I really need to tell you something. B-but I don't know how to say it, and I- I know we haven't discussed anything about this." You continued starting to ramble from being anxious.

"Honey, honey calm down what do you need to tell me?" He said frowning even more, stroking your hair back.

"Javi... I'm pregnant." You stated. There was a stunned silence that blanketed the apartment.

"Really?" Javier asked. You nodded and looked away tears springing back to your eyes. Javi wiped your tears away and smiled pulling you into a hug.

"I'm so happy mi amor." Javier stated,

"You are?" You asked looking up at him.

"I am cariño, we can have a little Peña running around the place." Javier responded smiling. The two of you hugged for a while and had dinner, then decided to lay in bed and relax. At some point you must have fallen asleep on top of Javi, and stayed asleep until early morning.

Your not sure what woke you up, but you could feel Javier's hand on your stomach his hand stroking his hand back and forth.

"Cariño? You ok?" You asked quietly,

"What if the kid doesn't like me? What if I do something wrong?" Javier replied.

"What do you mean?" You said frowning,

"I mean, I'm not a good person cariño. I've done things and seen things that shouldn't be seen. I've never been the best with children, I don't know how to look after something so small and innocent." Javi stated.

"Javier Peña you listen to me. You are not a bad man, yes you've seen bad shit and maybe shot a couple of people but those people were the bad guys. Not you. You will be a good father Javi, I just know it. Plus you're not the only one who hasn't had much experience with children." You explained firmly. In truth you were the youngest sibling, and the only experience you had with children was when your cousin had her baby. But you lost contact with them a while ago.

"Thank you. For putting up with me Y/N." Javier responded, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck. You stroked his hair back out of his face, but it was evident that he had been tossing around for a while.

You started drifting off again until you felt like throwing up again. Gently rolling Javi off of you, you rushed to the bathroom to throw your dinner up. You groaned as you hunched over the toilet, then felt a pair of large hands rubbing your back.

"You ok cariño?" Javier asked worriedly,

"Morning sickness." You responded throwing up again.

"You need me to get anything for you? Water?" He said still rubbing your back gently,

"Please." You said "thank you." You continued. Javier bought you a glass of water, and let you clean yourself up before carrying you back to bed.

"Try get some sleep mi amor, neither of us have work tomorrow dont worry." Javier stated,

"M'kay love you Javi." You said drifting off to sleep.

"Te amo mucho cariño, y nuestro pequeño bebé." Javier whispered kissing the top of your head.

********************

2 months pregnant:

You were at home today and Javier was at work. And today you noticed something slightly different about your appearance. Realising what it was, you smiled and you got excited about telling Javi.

Opening the door Javi was immediately greeted by your smile and hugging him.

"Well hi there cariño, what you so happy about?" Javier asked smiling and kissing you,

"Come look." You replied dragging him to the room. When you got to the bedroom you sat him down on the bed and took your top off. Turning to the side you smiled and run your hand over your small bump.

You looked at Javi and saw his jaw drop.

"That’s your little kid in there mi amor." You said looking at your bump. Javi smiled and pulled you gently in front of him.

"Oye chico, soy yo tu papá. Estoy muy emocionado de conocerte dentro de unos meses." Javier stated quietly then kissing your stomach. He looked up at you with slightly watering eyes and smiled,

"We're going to have a kid cariño." He continued.

"Yeah we are. I love you so much Javier Peña." You stated kissing the top of his head,

"I love you too baby. I'm so excited." Javier replied. Out of nowhere you just got really emotional and started crying, which confused the hell out of Javi.

"Woah, woah baby what's wrong?" He said quickly standing up hugging you,

"I-im just so fucking happy. I have you and now we have our little kid. Oh im a mess, fucking hormones." You replied crying into his arms. And that what made it clear for Javi, your hormones were heightend due to the pregnancy. Javi chuckled and kissed the top of your head.

"Don't laugh." You stated quietly sniffing,

"Ok, I'm sorry baby I won't laugh I promise. Im happy to cariño." Javi replied smiling.

"But I like when you laugh its cute." You said looking at him.

You were glad to have Javi, yes he could be a bit stubborn and hard headed sometimes. But around you, he was gentle, understanding and everything you could wish for in a man. Although he had doubts about being a good father, you knew that no matter if you had a little girl or a little boy they would have him wrapped around their little finger.

**********************

4 months pregnant:

"Baby? Wake up, we need to get ready to go to the doctors." Javi said gently, trying to wake you up,

"Mhm..." you groaned and closed your eyes again.

"Come on honey, don't wanna be late to the appointment. I promise when we get home I'll run out and grab anything you're craving and we can nap." Javier stated stroking your hair back out of your face.

"Promise?" You asked leaning into his touch,

"Yeah cariño I promise. We'll go to the appointment, come home and then anything you want I'll get ok?" He replied smiling as you leaned into him.

"Ok." You smiled getting up slowly. The two of you got changed and got in the car. Arriving at the doctors, Javier could feel some anxiety radiating off of you.

"You ready baby?" He asked holding your hand,

"Yeah, im ready." You smiled at him and gave the back of his hand a kiss.

"Come on then baby." Javi said getting out the car, walking round to your side to open the door for you. The two of you sat in the waiting room for a while before getting called in. Laying there on the bed, you gasped at how cold the gel was on your stomach. Looking at the screen the doctor told you that you were going to have a little girl.

"We're having a baby girl?" Javier asked is disbelief,

"Yeah cariño, we're gonna have a baby girl to look after and love." You smiled with tears rolling down your cheeks. Getting home you cried from happiness and this was one of the only times you saw Javier cry.

"Baby can you get me pickles and ice cream please? Maybe some chocolate too." You asked him,

"Of course I can cariño. Anything else you want?" Javier replied.

"Maybe get 2 of each just incase, you never know." You said,

"Okie dokie." He responded. Javier left the apartment and came back about 20 minutes later with pickles, ice cream and chocolate.

"Here you go mi amor, got what you wanted." Javier stated coming through the door with a shopping bag,

"Thank you love." You replied smiling and getting some ice cream and pickles. The two of you sat there, with you snacking on your pickles and ice cream and Javier with his arm around you.

"We need to think of some names for our little girl." Javier stated,

"We do." You responded eating another pickle.

"Maria?" Javier started out,

"Hmm that's a bit overused I think, Isabella?" You replied.

"True, true. Isabella is a nice name. Isabella Peña. That's nice. Rosa?" Javier responded. The two of you sat there writing down names and slowly but surely got it down to the name you both liked.

"I think Isabella." You stated,

"Yeah perfect. Isabella Peña, it's beautiful." Javier replied quietly smiling. Javi slid down the bed a little so his head was by your bump, and lifted up your shirt a little bit.

"Hola Isabella, soy papá de nuevo. Solo quiero que sepas que te amo mucho a ti y a tu mamá y que siempre los protegeré a los dos." Javier whispered to the bump and kissed it. About 4 months ago at the start of your pregnancy, Javier had his doubts about being a father and how what he did would affect your daughter. But now here you were 4 months pregnant eating ice cream and pickles, and he was being so gentle with you and looking after you and your baby girl so well.

"You're going to be such a great dad Javi." You smiled running your hand through his hair,

"You think so cariño?" He looked up at you with those doe eyes of his.

"Yeah... I do. You've been looking after me so well baby, and I just know that little Isabella will absolutely adore you." You responded,

"Thank you cariño." Javier said rubbing his hand over the bump.

*********************

9 months pregnant/ due date week:

It was the week that you were due to give birth to Isabella. Javier decided that he'd take the week off before his maternity leave was due to start.

It was about 2 in the morning, when you woke up. And that's when you felt it, your water had just broken.

"O-oh no oh shit why now? Javi wake up, baby please wake up." You said pushing his shoulder,

"Carino what's wrong?" He asked you groggily, his eyes barely open.

"The baby is coming." You stated. And that one statement there got him up and awake.

"You serious right now?" He asked looking at you finding your face quite serious,

"Ohhhhhh shit. Yes I'm fucking serious." You replied having your first contraction. You looked at Javier and one of the only things he saw in your eyes was fear.

"Ok, ok I've got your bag honey. It's going to be ok I promise." Javi stated chucking jeans and a shirt on with shoes, and then helping you with some shoes.

"Javi im scared." You stated,

"I know cariño, I know but im going be right next to you the entire time. I promise." Javi replied holding your hand. Squeezing his hand as you went through another contraction, he held you up as he walked you to the car.

In the car, javi was going as fast as he could to the hospital whilst letting you hold his hand.

"Just breathe baby, you've got it." Javier said reassuring you. Getting to the hospital you were immediately given a room and pain killers to help.

"We're gonna meet our baby girl soon javi." You stated looking at him,

"Yeah cariño, any minute now we'll be holding our girl." Javi responded. You two were somewhat relaxing when you weren't having any contractions. It had been about an hour and half since your water had broke. It all seemed to by in a blur, one minute you were sleeping, the next your water had broke and now you need to push.

"J-javi go get a nurse. I really need to push." You exclaimed squeezing your eyes shut and letting your head fall back,

"Ok cariño ok, I'll be right back." Javier replied kissing the top of your head. Javi rushes out the room and finds a nurse. He came back into the room with a nurse, who were both by your side. The nurse told you to start pushing and so you did.

"Ahh fuck! J-javi I don't know if I.... if I can do it." You stated squeezing his hand as hard as you could,

"Yes you can cariño, come on you can do it. Just breathe with me, you're so strong." Javier replied stroking your hair back.

A few minutes later, and hard pushing you heard the cries of your beautiful little girl. You let your head fall back on the pillow and caught your breath.

"I told you that you could do it cariño. She's so beautiful." Javier said smiling at you and kissing you gently. The nurse bought Isabella over to you, so that you could hold her. Pulling down your gown a little bit you laid Isabella on your chest so you could have some skin to skin contact.

"Hey baby girl, welcome to the world. Oh you're so beautiful, she has your eyes miel. Big brown eyes." You smiled gently stroking your hand over Isabella's back,

"Do you wanna hold her?" You continue looking at Javi.

"Really?" Javier looked at Isabella,

"Yeah baby, she is your daughter after all." You responded giggling a little. Javier looked between you and Isabella then back to you and saw you nod. Standing up from his chair he took the shirt off that he threw on before leaving, and gently took Isabella from you.

People had told you to look out for Javier Peña when you first joined the DEA. The stubborn, hard headed DEA agent who had one hell of a reputation. But now as you saw your husband hold your little girl barely an hour old. All of that stubbornness, hard headedness and reputation had dissipated.

"Hola, cariño, es un placer conocerte finalmente. Eres tan hermosa como tu mamá." Javier speaked to Isabella quietly as he say down in the chair. You smiled and laid your head back again, eyes drooping a little bit.

"You wanna sleep for a little while? You just pushed a fucking human out." Javier asked,

"Language we have tiny human now. Yes I wanna sleep." You replied somewhat out of it, already drifting off to sleep.

"Haha ok baby, you get some sleep now." Javier chuckled.

*********************

Home:

When you were finally discharged from the hospital, you and your husband with your baby finally went back home. You got home and Javi changed the sheets on your bed from where your water broke.

Picking Isabella up, you showed her round the apartment although you knew she was in a milk coma from her feeding.

"Do you wanna put her down for her nap cariño?" You asked Javi,

"Yeah ok." Javier replied with a wide grin as he took Isabella from you. Gently Javier bounced Isabella as he made his way to her cot. Standing next to him as the two of you looked over your daughter. You smiled and placed your head on his shoulder.

"Our baby is so beautiful cariño, we did good." Javier said quietly,

"That we did. See I told you, that you'd make a good father. I have a feeling we might have a hard time saying 'no' to that cutie." You replied kissing his cheek.

"Agreed." Javier said smiling giving you a proper kiss.

Safe to say that the only people who really get to see Agent Javier Peña soft side is you his wife Y/N Peña, and his daughter Isabella Peña.