#anxious february king? anxious february tonight?

[spinecurlingmice]

I act like a scared dog during fireworks

[dreamescapeswriting]

Royality ~ SCB

CONTINUATION OF THIS PIECE

WORD COUNT: 3.2K

GENRE: Mafia AU, SMUT MINORS DNI, mafia changbin being a huge simp for yn, pulling off a job together, first time, cute, fluffy, blow job, unprotetced sex,

PAIRING: Changbin x Fem!Reader

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - February 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of blood, killing, stealing, heists

"I'll come and get you every night from now on. I don't want anything to happen to you," When Changbin had first said it to you, you thought he meant that he was going to keep sending a driver out to you but you couldn't have been more wrong. For the last 12 months, whenever you were working, Changbin was waiting outside of your apartment with a warm drink ready to take you to work.

The arrangement had been simple and kind of him and you got to know him over the nights you'd spend together. You loved getting to spend this time with him and you'd grown so close he was beginning to include you on his plans and jobs.

Over the last few months, you'd sung in different clubs he was frequenting while his men and other ladies robbed and stole from people in the crowds. Tonight was a little different though which you could tell was making Changbin a little more nervous than usual. It was his last big heist for a long time, after tonight he was strictly going to be on his own business deals instead of getting involved with the dirty work but it was still strange to see him so anxious about something.

It wasn't like him to be nervous about any of his jobs but since bringing you into them he'd grown protective over you and worried that you'd get hurt because of him. If something ever happened to you he was sure he wouldn't be able to survive it and that scared him more than anything else in the world.

No one should have that much power over someone and yet when it came to you, Changbin would lay his life on the line or throw himself in front of a bus if you ever asked him to. 

"Binnie, you okay?" Your voice came out soft making him remember what he was doing and who he was in the car with. He slowly turned to glance at you, nodding before his eyes went straight back to the road. But you knew something was bothering him since his knuckles were starting to turn white with how hard he was gripping the steering wheel.

"Are you sure you're up for this tonight, princess?" He asked, using the affectionate nickname he'd given to you long ago and it made your whole body tingle. A flicker of concern crossed Changbin's voice and you smiled a little.

"Of course, Binnie." It was your reply every single time he asked you to join him on a job and it would continue to be your answer.

"I'm always ready to light up the stage," You smirked at him. It was your job to sing for the crowds and distract them enough so they wouldn't realise that they were being robbed. Changbin's job was to be overly friendly with the owners, and keep himself busy with them so they'd have no idea he was in connection with them and when the news would break out about the robbery. Changbin would be there to offer his protection - with significant pay that was.

"That's my girl," Changbin beamed in admiration of you. Tonight was going to be the last job and the biggest one either of you was going to pull off. Inside the club there were going to be billionaires, it was a special night for them with the club owner working closely with Changbin to pull something huge off.

You hadn't known all of the details, just that you'd be singing for the rich and famous who would be wowed by you and many of the female dancers that would be with them on the floor. 

"Tonight is the last one, after this, we'll be royalty," Changbin smirked and you rolled your eyes at him. Changbin was already Royalty, everyone knew who he was and he was rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

"You mean you'll be king," You teased him softly, Changbin reached his hand across and gently squeezed your thigh.

"You'll be on the throne right beside me if you wanted, princess, you know that." He winked as he rounded the corner to the club.

The neon sign flickered outside and he sighed a little, it was now or never for him and he slowly got out of the car, walking to your side and helping you out.

"Remember, Princess, stick close to me. We don't know who might be lurking in the shadows." You resisted the urge to tell him that he'd found you in the shadows as a man began making his way toward you. As he got closer you recognised him from a charity gala not long back, he was one of Changbin's closest friends.

"I've got your back, Binnie. Just like you've got mine." You promised, quickly kissing his cheek making his cheeks flame a little, he stared at you before someone gripped his shoulder.

"Changbin! Yn! So wonderful you could join us tonight." Lorenzo greeted, taking your hand in his and kissing the top of it gently causing Changbin's blood to boil.

He hated that people would touch you whenever they wanted to, if it was down to him it would only be his hands allowed to grace your body.

"I didn't think you'd be able to make it tonight," Lorenzo said, turning his attention to Changbin who gave him a simple and smug smile.

"And miss my girl sing? Never." You smiled, your body heating up as he called you his girl.

Your relationship with Changbin had been strictly professional when everything had started but as you grew closer the lines began to blur and you'd flirt back and forth with one another.

You didn't know what was a joke and when he was being serious with you and to be honest, you didn't care. The attention you got from him was something unlike you'd ever felt before and you never wanted that high to end.

"The stage is ready for her, but she won't be able to go on wearing that." Lorenzo dragged his eyes slowly up and down your body as you frowned. You were wearing a red floor-length gown, backless and sexy something you'd wear for almost every single one of your performances.

"It's not sexy enough." Lorzeno shrugged as you all walked through the back door of the club toward a dressing room door.

"And what do you suggest she wear?" Changbin grumbled folding his arms over his chest, the door to the dressing room opened and Lorenzo smirked,

"Something to match the dancers." He gestured to the girls that were all wearing black mini skirts or shorts, some even in underwear that you could have sworn were riding up their asses. But Changbin was seething, there was no way he was going to let you display your body for some sick fucks who were going to oogle all night long at you.

"Over my dead body."

"People will find it suspicious," Lorenzo grumbled at him,

"Like hell, she won't be wearing-" You knew the two men were only going to continue bickering so you sighed and shook your head.

"Just hand me something in my size, and I'll make it work." Lorenzo headed into the changing room to find you something and Changbin shook his head.

"You shouldn't have to." He pouted a little, he hated the thought of you having to flaunt your body like this,

"It's the last night, right? It'll be the last time and then it's back to dresses and only singing at your club." You reassured him but Changbin was shaking his head at you. 

After tonight he wanted you to be by his side, the queen next to him on the throne it was all he'd been wanting for months but he had no idea how to tell you,

"You don't have to sing at my place." He said simply making you giggle a little. If you didn't sing at his place you'd be down on money and you needed that to live,

"I'd be out of a job, Binnie. I need my job."

"Not if you came to stay with me." The air turned thick as you stared at him, wondering if you'd heard him correctly or if your mind was playing games on you.

"What?" You waited for him to tell you he was joking, or that he was just thinking out loud but he stared at you with a serious and unreadable expression.

"If you stay with me, be by my side in all of this..." You stayed silent, neither of you speaking as you tried to figure out what he meant. You needed him to come out and say it to you instead of playing games,

"Binnie...Are you asking what I think you're asking?" He gently ran his hand over your cheek and smirked at you

"We'll be royalty, King and Queen. No one would ever fuck with us again," He spoke so surely of himself you weren't going to argue back with him.

"I'd-" You were cut off by Lorenzo holding up a hanger with clothes on for you.

"People are arriving. Out in the bar Changbin, we need to make this good." Changbin didn't have time to protest as he was shoved out of the side door and you were left alone to smirk to yourself.

You'd rule by his side, that was what he was asking you and you couldn't stop the smile that was beginning to grow on your face.

If Changbin was pissed at Lorenzo before for taking him away from you he was more pissed at what he'd seen the man dress you up in right now. 

You were donned in a black leather mini skirt with a black bralette covering your breasts - barely anyway. They were a sheer material with roses covering your nipples, the sight of which had made Changbin hard the second you'd stepped onto the stage and he was sure his pants were going to explode any second now. 

"One final song for the night," You spoke into the mic, smirking in Changbin's direction as the band began to play an upbeat song for you. The girls out on the floor started to dance for the men who had their eyes on the women and you all night long. 

It had been a long night of Changbin trying not to kill anyone for complimenting your outfit. Every single person it seemed had something to say whenever you'd move on the stage and it grated on him more than he thought it would have and Lorenzo was loving every minute of it. Seeing his friend so riled up it was worth every single grumble he heard back from him.

"She's very good, I wonder if she charges by the hour." Someone chuckled from in front of Changbin making him squeeze his glass so hard it shattered all over his hand. But he hadn't noticed you coming over to him, gently sitting on his lap. A smirk grew on your lips when you felt how hard he was beneath you, your confidence growing more as you sang directly to him.

"I'd take over the country, everyone would bow to me." Your voice was angelic as you sang along to the band, running your hands gently over Changbin's tie and twisting it around your fist.

"Sit up in my palace and baby you'd be my King. We'd run this ship together, just you wait and see...We'll be royalty." You sang the final line before biting his ear softly, giving Changbint confirmation to his earlier question he'd been dying to know all night now.

"Girl it's ride or die." He smirked, running his hands down your hips as he dragged you closer to him, groaning as you ground your hips against him forgetting for a minute that you were in a crowded bar until someone cleared their throat behind you.

"When you're done with her can I use her, I don't mind sloppy seconds." You barely had time to react before the man was on the floor, a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. You didn't even flinch or scream, it was something you'd grown used to after spending so much time with Changbin.

"He was disrespecting you." He said plainly making you giggle as he stood up, taking your hand in his. People stared over at you in horror but your hands were caressing Changbins chest softly

"Does anyone else here have anything that they need to say about my girl?" He turned his attention to the group who all turned to look at their laps and Changbin smirked.

"I'll come and help you get dressed." He suggested as you slowly made your way through the crowd and back toward the stage door.

"Do you think I need help?" You asked in a teasing tone only for Changbin to grab your ass softly and squeeze.

"Maybe." He winks dragging you toward the backstage door.

"Out." He growled at the people who were back there who quickly scampered out of the room leaving you both alone.

"So you'll be King and I'm queen?" You questioned, running your hands over your bralette and smirking as Changbin's eyes never left you.

"Whatever you want princess, it's yours." He promised as he slowly stalked toward you, but you shoved him down onto the sofa that was inside the changing rooms and smirked at him.

"I want you, I always wanted you." You breathed out, slowly sinking to your knees in front of him. You palmed his coc through his pants, feeling him strain against the material as he let out a disgruntled groan from how slow you were going.

"Princess. I need you, you don't have to do this," He whined as you slowly began to pull him free from his pants until he was naked in front of you, your mouth watering at the sight of him. You'd wondered how big he was before and nothing you'd been imagining had been like this. You wrapped your palm around his cock and began to pump him slowly, rolling your wrist as you circled the tip at a slow and steady pace,

"F-Fuck, princess." He groaned out, rolling his hips up to get you to move a little face as he greedily searched for more from you.

"Patience, Binnie." You giggled before running your tongue along the tip of his cock before you moved to wrap your mouth around him. Your tongue swirled along the underside of his length, tracing the veins as you slowly lowered your head. Your eyes shut as you bobbed your head, trying to take as much of him as you could at a steady pace.

"Shit princess, you're so good at that," He moans out loudly, your hand moved to cup his balls squeezing them teasingly between your fingers up he grunts loudly.

"Shitting hell," His hands gripped the sofa cushions as he tried to list baseball players in his head preventing him from finishing too soon.

"S-Stop, I'm too close," He moans out, you slowly pull away from him and giggle a little.

"You don't want to cum?"

"Not in your mouth." He growled before dragging you onto his lap, kissing you hungrily while wrapping his arms around your waist and dragging you closer to him.

"You're going to be the death of me." He moans out against your lips, your hips grinding against him as he practically rips the leather skirt off you.

"I'm on the shot, please Binnie." You didn't care how desperate you sounded as you watched Changbin line himself up with you before pushing inside of you, filling you to the hilt.

"F-Fuck, Binnie you're so big." You cry out, your eyes screwed shut as you clutched onto him trying to adjust to him. It was only a few seconds before he gripped your hips and slammed into you again and again, his cock driving into you and hitting that one spot that made your toes curl.

"Just like that!" You cried out, your hands dragging down his bag as you searched for anything to cling onto. You held onto him as your head rolled back in ecstasy, the pressure inside of you building as it hit near breaking point.

"C-Changbin!" You cried out, grinding your clit against him on every stroke of his cock,

"Good girl," Changbin groans, biting down on your nipple as your skin is covered in goosebumps.

"Look at the mess you're making, princess," He grunts as he looks down between you, his thrusting getting rougher each time.

"Maybe I should make you lick it clean while I fuck you," He moans out, your hips circling as you cried out his name. Your orgasm slams into you making your back arch from the sofa. 

Within a couple of seconds, you were on the floor though, on your knees in front of the sofa with Changbin behind you, pushing into you as you cry out his name again clutching onto the sofa in front of you.

"Good girl," He groaned, running hands down your back as he gripped your hips tightly and began to pound into you. Your mind felt as though it was blank as he continued to fuck into you, completely knocking the air out of your lungs.

"Do you want everyone to hear how much you love being fucked?" He moans out reaching in front of you and pinching your clit sending you over the deep end again as you screamed his name out, cumming around him as you heard him grunt a little until his hips came to a slow stop.

"Fuck, you're so perfect," He moans out, kissing your shoulders softly as you both lay there sweaty and panting together enjoying being close.

"That sounds awful, I'm so glad you're okay." You said to Jisung's girlfriend, Who had been telling you all about how she'd been caught up in a bank job a few months back with a gun pressed against her head.

"We will date dangerous men," Hyunjin’s girl said said making you giggle, and turn your attention to the quietest one with you. It was Seungmin’s date and she’d been left with you while the guys had left to go and talk business leaving you all to gossip about them behind their backs. Seungmin’s girl had only been out with him once, meaning this was their first date and you worried it was scaring her but it seemed to fuel her more as she beamed with excitment.

"My ears are burning," Changbin chuckled as he snaked his arm around your waist and pulled you close to him, you quickly kissed his lips softly.

"All good things," You promised as he smirked down at you,

"I hope so, I hate to think of my baby girl bad-mouthing me," Chan said as he grabbed his wife from behind and kissed up and down her neck making everyone chuckle in the small circle that was forming.

"I hate you," Someone grumbled as Felix stood behind her, you'd not been introduced yet but she'd been fairly quiet since getting there.

"I hate you more, my little firecracker" Felix smirked down at her before she swatted his hands away from her.

"Muse, little muse is making a fuss, we have to go," Hyunjin said before he and his wife made an exit and you dragged Changbin onto the dance floor.

"I'm sorry about them all," He mumbled before you loved it, spending time at events with them was fun.

"I like it, it's like a mini family." You giggled, swaying with your fiancé on the dance floor.

@chiisaiblog @sw33tnight @kaitieskidmore97 @laylasbunbunny @stayconnecteed @saymyspringrain @toplinehyunjin @katnisspeetaprim @acciocriativity @just-aelia @choisoorin @straykids5star @midnightfrog625 @beccaskz @scarletemeterio @halesandy @junhannies @gothic4under4lord @lixie-phoria @soulphoenix1618 @aerastus @jin-from-the-block @lensfilm @elizaschuyler18 @piratequeen-impact @kpopsstuffs @chaeyoungs @delulu18 @xyahrinx @katsukis1wife @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan @blairscott @4-chan-inpadella @niktwazny303 @moonlight-the-writer @armystay89 @hadassahchan @yxngbxkkie @myyouthdonut @extrhotjne @ca11me3mily @elissasimp

[sanguineterrain]

dc masterlist

All of my fics are reblogged to @sanguinelibrary

ONE-SHOTS.

✩ window pains. ─ jason todd x gn!reader

he's got a habit of coming in through the window. you want him to start staying... and using the door. (angst, fluff, pining, injured jason, tending to wounds, feelings).

✩ sunset anew. ─ dick grayson x fem!reader

you're a little nervous to become the mrs. grayson. luckily, your husband-to-be knows just what to say to soothe your worries. (wedding, fluff, anxious reader, insecure dick, so much soft intimacy)

✩ the teeth you know. ─ vampire king!dick grayson x fem!reader

the war between the humans and the vampires has lasted for a year now. when you fled gotham, you thought that would be the last time you'd see the vampire king and the love of your life, dick grayson. you were wrong. (SMUT 18+ only, manipulative dick, dreams, oral f receiving)

✩ savior. ─ jason todd x gn!reader

red hood is the stuff of nightmares. red hood is no hero. red hood is your best friend. (angst, reader is afraid of red hood and they discover that he's jason, injured and kidnapped reader, emotional hurt no comfort.)

✩ in your hands. ─ jason todd x gn!reader

jason thinks he's too big to be loved. you show him that that's impossible. (bathing together, sad jason, brief dissociation, i hc jason to have body dysmorphia and i wanted to explore that, non sexual nudity, washing your partner, bruce angst, hopeful ending.)

✩ restroom attendant. ─ jason todd x fem!reader

tonight is the worst night ever—you just got dumped on your birthday, and all you want to do is cry in the restaurant bathroom in peace. that is, until, the red hood bursts in. this city just won't cut you a break. (humor, flirting, meet ugly, awkward cute jason, canon typical violence)

☆ angel of small death. — jason todd x gn!shadow monster!reader

you can't remember what it was like to be human. until jason returns. now, he's the only thing tethering you to this world. and you won't let anything happen to him. (monster!reader, canon-typical violence, codependency, stalking, suicidal thoughts, somewhat happy ending.)

☆ crushin'. — jason todd x gn!reader

barbara invites you to dinner with the bats. she's done so before, and you've always declined, but this time, you agree because the bat you've had a crush on for ages will be there. little do you know, the only reason he's staying for dinner is because of you. (mutual pining, crushes, jason is a sweetie, matchmaking, dick is a meddling brother with good intentions)

☆ most normal thing in the world. — jason todd x gn!reader

you get hit with a love spell. naturally, the first person you seek out is jason todd. (love spell, mutual pining, love confessions, jason todd's endless self deprecation)

☆ in the buff. — jason todd x gn!reader

the one where you learn firsthand that jason todd sleeps in the nude. (fluff, humor, love confessions, friends to lovers, nudity)

☆ knight in shining helmet. — jason todd x fem!princess!reader

you're a princess who's visiting gotham. you weren't loving it to begin with—then you of course had to get kidnapped. you're hoping that you'll be rescued by the famous batman. instead, it's the infamous red hood that finds you. (kidnapping, meet ugly, strangers to something more, soft jason, roman holiday vibes).

☆ holiday spirit. — jason todd x fem!reader

stuck at a shitty office party for your shitty job on christmas eve eve, you’re at your wit’s end. the last thing you expect is to play vigilante for a night with the red hood. (office shenanigans, holiday special, undercover, fake relationship, silliness, anxious reader, sweetheart awkward jason).

☆ the worst day of february. — jason todd x gn!reader

cold and defeated on the worst day of february, you stand on your apartment rooftop, contemplating giving up. then the red hood drops in and makes you tea in your apartment. (suicidal ideation, disordered eating and sleeping habits, a sort of hopeful ending. jason being a really really good guy.)

◇ knight!jason universe - in which you're given to knight!jason as a present (light dubcon elements)

intro post | you make dinner for jason

-> temptation (smut 18+, dubcon voyeurism, religious guilt read the tags!!)

-> a bloody vow (violence, eroticism, part 2 of temptation)

BLURBS.

ALL READERS ARE GN UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE

-> DICK GRAYSON.

"this is real. i'm real. look at me."

"can you walk? i need you to walk."

dick catches you when you trip and fall

"you matter so much to me."

you meet the yj team for the first time and have a panic attack

dick cuddles you after he returns late from patrol

you try to break up with dick when your insecurities overwhelm you

dick and assistant!reader who has a secret nightlife

-> JASON TODD.

"i thought you were scared of heights."

reader calls jason in panic when they are chased by a goon

"you're just going to leave me here?!"

awkward jason with a big crush on baker!reader

you break up with jason after he almost dies | part 2 (completed)

playfighting with jason turns into something else (NSFW, fem!reader)

jason rescues you after you have a fight (fem!reader)

jason asks his family to help after you, his fiance, are kidnapped

you forget to text jason you're home safe and he panics

you comfort werewolf!jason during a shift

you are jason's ex and have to work with him on a mission

headless horseman!jason gives you a ride home

"why not them, why me?"

you find a werewolf in your shed who has a dead boy's face

you and jason fight and he thinks you broke up

devoted jason who just wants to be yours

jason tells you that he's asexual

you give bodyguard!jason a gift | you defend him at a gala

you're a vigilante who's after the red hood | pt 2 | pt 3

fussing over jason after he's shot in his bulletproof vest

boxer!jason protects you from a creep

you're a reporter who's under red hood's protection | part 2 | part 3

a stranger thinks you're in danger with your boyfriend, jason

introducing naps to jason (hc)

you bring home a baby and insist on keeping her

jason loves his childhood crush's new curves, make no mistake

jason takes care of you when you're high on pain meds

you meet jason as a civilian when you're both held hostage

virgin!jason comes fast (hc)

jason will keep you safe by any means necessary (dark content)

mauling jason (in a sexy way)

your bff is back and insists she's not the girl you knew (female!jason)

jason gets glasses and you go feral

you and jason go through your wedding gifts

ak!female!jason keeps leaving you presents

jason visits an imprisoned you after you go rogue

-> TIM DRAKE.

you have insomnia and run into tim in the yj tower

-> CLARK KENT.

holding hands while walking with clark

giving clark a massage when he's stressed

clark is scared when he finds out he's going to be a dad

you politely reject superman (you're dating clark kent!)

-> BRUCE WAYNE.

the JL discovers that batman is married... to you

[rebelbullet]

Timeline: 14th February 2024, Wednesday, 12:01 A.M. Location: Just outside an Arikun's residence in Bangkok. Mood: Uncomfortable, anxious, stressed, determined... Attire: See above. Music: 6 UNDERGROUND; Sneaker Pimps.

Bullet was held in Duang Jan for about a month before King Arikun handed him over to the elders... He was going to die, that's what the thought that lived in his head throughout his ordeal and he fought everyday whenever one of them got close to him. After some time, he realized he was being held captive and he was in fact not going to be ended. At least not anytime soon. He had a bad feeling about it... He knew something was going to happen he just didn't know what. But he was aware it wasn't going to be good for him... He was taken cared of while being kept at one of the many Arikun properties in the city. He planned his escape and actually attempted several times but with no success. Until tonight that is... Somehow walking pass doors became suddenly effortless. It was suspicious but he was desperate to get away that logic escaped him. Finally, he made it outside of the estate only to be hit by something heavy and paralyzing. Was it a car? He was in the middle of the streets when it happened... Something burned his chest, sparks that resembled a firework's sprout where he was hit in his torso. He panicked - is he dying? Coz this can't be real. His vision was blurry but it was there, he felt it, warm, intense... Sparks, yellow, almost white, like lava from an erupting volcano. He couldn't move and only heard his name being called by a familiar voice. NO, he screamed in his head as he realized who found him. It's the vampire. He's going to be dead this time, for real.

[adultswim2021]

Saul of the Mole Men #1: “A New Friend” | February 12, 2007 - 12:00AM | S01E01 Revised version first aired April 17, 2007 @ 12:15

Imagine you’re watching a movie. A character in the movie turns on the TV, and there’s a show that’s too stupid to REALLY exist in the real world. TV shows are already a heightened form of reality, and so are movies, so when the character watches this show, chances are it’s going to be pretty dumb by our standards. But because the movie person lives in a heightened version of reality, it only makes sense that the TV show will be a heightened version of that heightened reality. That movie character is used to this version of television. But, we as the audience watching the movie are not. 

Very simply, you have what you’d refer to as a “fake show”. These usually exist so you can watch a movie character watch the show, giggle at how stupid it is, and maybe also giggle at how stupid the character is for liking it, or how notice how cool and relatable they are for not liking it. Sometimes, not often, but SOMETIMES, the show is actually fully produced to some extent and included as an extra feature on the special edition DVD. Isn’t that neat? 

Fake shows exist on TV, as well, usually serving some allegorical function. “Invitation to Love” on Twin Peaks. “Terrance and Phillip” on South Park. “Pscyho Dad” on Married… With Children. That sort of thing. This blurs the concept of “Fake shows” altogether.

You’d think this was a simple concept, but it’s not. In fact, there is yet another step towards the uncanny: the “fake shows” that exist in real life. Some of them are a little less vague because they are broad genre parodies (Fernwood Tonight*, Night Stand with Dick Deitrich). But for some of them, the joke is that they exist at all. Those are the truly uncanny ones: That’s My Bush!. Let’s Bowl. And this: Saul of the Mole Men. 

Saul of the Mole Men was created by a big foam mouth whose top part of its head was the word FUNNY and jaw was the word GARBAGE. I don’t really care to actually untangle the ownership here; for some reason I assumed Jimmy Kimmel was the owner of this company because I remembered he had an affinity for Josh Gardner (the titular Saul), and he supported the career of Adam De La Pena (whose Minoriteam sported this production logo). There’s some vaguely recognizable names in here, like Tom Stern and Tim Burns, who worked with Alex Winter on Idiot Box (underrated) and Freaked (one of the best comedies ever made). Oh, hey, Alex Winter is credited as a voice in this! I think that’s him as the king Mole Man?

The premise was that Saul Malone, a nerdy and anxious geologist, is one of the sole survivors of a disastrous mission involving a drill-mounted underground vehicle (is there a word for this?? I wonder!). Among the living is a rude robot who says stuff like “(slur)”, and a vapid 60s style pop star, who is in stasis on board during the first scene for some reason that isn’t explained. When their vehicle crashes and everyone on the ship winds up dead, Saul ventures into the subterranean world of the Mole Men, to go and have… serialized adventures… uh, down there. 

The first episode’s plot: the craft crashes, Saul, Johnny Tambourine, and Robot need to find their locator antenna, which has landed in the Mole King’s throne room. The Mole King dutifully brings the antenna to Saul, and kindly introduces himself. Saul is freaked out by the Mole Men to such a degree that it causes him to ignore this friendly gesture and stab the king in the head with the antenna. And that all takes 11 minutes for some reason. 

Okay, so the show is cheesy and crappy-looking on purpose. It’s meant to look like a Sid and Marty Krofft production from the 70s. Other references get thrown around like Doctor Who. The opening reminds me of Ark II, or any number of Saturday morning semi-serious action shows shot in the desert aimed at really stupid children. It shares something in common with Sid and Marty Krofft productions: damn, it looks really fun! But also: damn, the people shooting this really didn’t give a shit. Like at, at all. 

That’s the prevailing feeling with Saul of the Molemen. The aesthetics are really pleasing, honestly. The Mole Men are really fun to look at. The opening theme sequence and credits and stuff are beautiful. It does look really fun to make. But the script and the shooting of the show? I will give props to Josh Gardner, who had a small cult following from Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust on Comedy Central, a short-lived show that never grabbed me, but I remember a small number of people in my orbit insisted that it was “actually pretty good”. His performance is occasionally very fun, and he embodies the character well. Certain action shots are on-purposes lackluster. That’s the main joke of the show: unconvincing action and dumb jokes. 

Speaking of jokes: actual written jokes are few and far between. There are maybe two lines in this that qualify as a joke: Saul’s dying crew mate thinks Saul is another guy on the team: “why do you have his cold sore?” “It’s a mustache!” “The coldest sore of them all”. It’s an okay joke, but you can’t imagine anybody in the room saying “let’s try and come up with something better”. I would bet that this show was entirely produced from first draft scripts. 

That’s not entirely accurate; this episode is in fact a revision of a revision; First there was the pilot version of this, which I recall adultswim.com had clips of online (I found information that suggests the whole pilot was up, but I only remember a clip package that shared the scenes that were cut from the final version). The shot with Saul being barfed on by subterranean birds seen in the opening is derived from the original pilot. There are also many shots that seem like they were shot at different times; The costumes, Saul’s mustache, or the video quality all seem slightly different from shot-to-shot. 

The version available online for viewing was actually revised a second time; later they added a gag where the show kept playing different opening sequences for different shows before settling on Saul. This version aired midway through the series and became the “final” version of the episode. I VASTLY prefer the first aired version and don’t think the additional intros opening adds much. In fact they come off too jokey and at worst tacked-on (they are in fact both of these things). What IS legitimately great though is the actual Saul of the Mole Men theme song, sung by television’s Trey Parker. It’s very catchy, and the single best thing about the show. 

There is one other notable dialogue-driven joke: Robot can’t tell if the Mole Men are mongoloids or what. Johnny Tambourine says his sister was (paraphrasing) born retarded. Or was it Chinese? Actually, she was stillborn. (end joke, which ends on a lingering shot of Saul furrowing his brow as if the home audience needs to recover from laughing so hard) I’m not trying to win woke points, I swear to god, but: this joke always rubbed me the wrong way. Like there’s something really unsatisfying about it. Maybe it’s a hat on a hat kinda thing? I remember friends quoting it and I sorta was like, “yeah, I guess that’s funny.” I don’t know man. I feel like they were going for stupid-on-purpose, but the stupidity on this show has a way of leaving me cold. The writing just seems brushed-off. I often wonder if this show was a little more PG or a little more straight-faced, as though it really were children’s television, if it would be better. 

It reminds me of certain producer-types I’ve talked to, whose whole attitude is that comedy is easy: you just try a bunch of dumb but novel ideas and wait for one to catch on. This one apparently caught on: I mean, it sold, didn’t it? For some reason Adult Swim greenlit 20 episodes of this thing, and it’s baffling why? Did they commission and then not even watch the pilot? I’m hazy on the details, but I remember them taking shots at this show later on in bumpers: citing it as an example of greenlighting gone-wrong. 

I… (gulp) remember this being the best episode of the show, from what I saw. It’s only downhill from here. Oh no!

PS: I am going to save the Jonah Ray bashing for another write-up. This is already too many words. 

*FERNWOOD TONIGHT ADDENDUM: Fernwood Tonight is typically described as a spin-off of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, but I’m one of the few people on Earth who has actually watched every episode of Mary Hartman so I am going to use this blog to clear up the distinction: YES: there were moments in the show where characters watched a show called “Fernwood Tonight” but it did not resemble the real-life Fernwood Tonight at all and was more of a local news magazine program. In that incarnation it was just an expression of the idea of “going on TV” whenever the plot called for it. Like, if a character on the show is doing something that gets media coverage, it’s gonna happen on “Fernwood Tonight”. The Mayor needs to announce something to the whole town, it happens on “Fernwood Tonight”, etc. The concept of the show being revamped and hosted by Martin Mull as Barth Gimble (twin brother to Garth Gimble, who died on Mary Hartman) was introduced late in the series as a tease for the upcoming “spin-off”. So I don’t really count it as a show-within-a-show really at all. It’s more of a calculated extension of the Fernwood universe. Thank you. Thank you for letting me say this stuff.

MAIL BAG

Tim and Eric Awesome Show premiering on Adult Swim, THE CARTOON NETWORK, was like Bob Dylan going electric. Same feigned outrage followed by significant amounts of influence for the world of comedy. May Tim and Eric STAND the TEST of TIME!

I agree with you, even though I don’t know who Bob Dylan is. Seems like a weird guy to know about honestly. Bye.

Hacky Sack Extreme. Million Dollar Extreme. See the connection? As the late Bill Murray would say: Friend of yours?

Bill Murray recently found himself in hot water for massaging his niece Geena Davis. So back the fuck off pal

I have a friend named Connor but we call him C-Boy from time to time so its pretty cool there was a C-Boy on Tim and Eric. Shout out to him! Keep New Jersey weird dude, Jersey style!

This is a banner day for mentioning weird guys. But... I have a feeling... this C-Boy of yours is a good guy and a good friend. May the friendship STAND the TEST of TIME!

I dont like how they say "fuckin podcast" in the podcast episode. So rude! If that was the first thing I ever saw them do I may have never give them a chance. Instead I love the guys. Can life be really that precarious?

I agree, and yes. It’s like my friend who turned off the Comedy Central TV Funhouse show because an animal swore. He hated that. Even when I pointed out “that was in all the promos. You were ready for it”. He stuck to his guns. That guy died, probably.

[smoochkooks]

—hymne a l’amour (m.)

⟶ pairing: park jimin/reader

⟶ genre: smut, fluff, tiny bits of angst

⟶ word count: 5.5k

⟶ summary: it’s valentine’s day and your boyfriend decides to surprise you in more ways than one. and when you’re dating park jimin, cocky, smart and obnoxiously good-looking archeologist, you can be sure of absolutely nothing.

⟶ warnings: dom!jimin, sub!reader, big dick!jimin, sir kink, oral (m receiving), thigh riding, multiple orgasms, orgasm denial, ass slapping, dirty talk, use of degrading names, unprotected sex, mentions of jimin having a daddy kink, jimin being disgustingly sweet boyfriend, oc having at least 2 (two) mental breakdowns, cringy valentine’s day presents

this is eldorado valentine’s day special but it can be read as a standalone. enjoy! xx

Spending Valentine's Day in the city of Paris is like walking through the streets of Beijing and smelling the strong essence of soy sauce and chicken every time you take a breath.

Overwhelming.

(Or at least that's what you think is a good comparison, since you've never stood your foot in Beijing before.)

Paris seems to be on another level when it comes to celebrating Valentine's Day. It's because that's the city of love, someone may say, but no, my friend, it's not just that. French grammar isn't the only stupid thing about said country. Citizens are even weirder, in more ways than one. It's the Eiffel Tower and the smell of garlic that disguises it all when you first visit France.  

A week before February 14th, restaurants, cafees and grocery shops are all covered from head to toe in red hearts, chubby cupids, big teddy bears, various kinds of roses and, at the top of that – everywhere you focus your eyes on, you spot those huge inscriptions where words ‘love’ and ‘I love you’ are spelled in hundred different types of swirly fonts.

It's all too kitschy for your liking but tourists and locals don’t actually mind it even a bit. Once a year Paris turns into a set of the most cliché rom-com and no matter how irksome it might feel, you just have to survive this festival of boofonery.

You've always despised Valentine's Day with every fiber of your being (mostly because you hadn’t had anyone you could actually spend this day with) but your judgement took a sharp three-sixty turn when certain blond, charismatic man entered your life. Now, while you’re happily taken, a romantic dinner and a bouquet of red roses don’t sound that bad.  

But when you're dating someone like Park Jimin, a smart-ass, cocky and obnoxiously good-looking archeologist, you can be sure of abosultely nothing.  

It's a little past ten, you’re laying in your king-size bed, a day before the actual Valentine's Day. Jimin informed you he was going to be late for dinner because of some extra paperwork he had to do in the office, so you patiently wait for him. Wrapped like a fancy Christmas gift in a new pair of flimsy, lacy lingerie you recently bought in Victoria’s Secret, all hidden underneath Jimin's baggy t-shirt (the combination of casual and slutty never fails to drive him crazy). The set is cute, in a baby pink colour. The last time you pulled a move like this, Jimin went hard, literally and lyrically.

Let's just say that Park Jimin (and his dick) likes high-quality underwear.

Dating Jimin has taught you a few things, one of them being that his sex drive is insatiable, so you always need to be prepared. That’s why you're now laying here, on your bed, freshly shaved and smelling of coconut, your precious pussy ready to be worshipped by Jimin's mouth.  

When you hear the familiar jingle of keys and the door to your apartment swings open, you squeal in excitement, grabbing your phone from the nightstand to scroll through it mindlessly so you don’t come across a girl whose only purpose in life is to get dicked down by her boyfriend.

(Which, right now, is your only purpose.)

“Babe, I’m home!”

You hear Jimin pulling off his shoes and coat, so you shout back, “I’m in the bedroom!”

He seemed to be in a good mood in the morning and if nothing's changed, you're positive about getting some action tonight. A well-deserved orgasm after work it's all you crave. You squeeze your thighs, and wait.

“God, I’m so fucking exhausted.” Jimin announces upon entering the room and as soon as those words leave his mouth, he collapses face down onto the bed. His lifeless corpse smells like sweat mixed with his usual cologne and you wrinkle your nose in disgust.

And that’s on getting railed by your boyfriend tonight.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he murmurs after a moment, voice laced with tiredness. He grunts and lifts himself up to place a chaste kiss on your lips. He tastes like bitter coffee and it makes you cringe, but you kiss him back nonetheless. He pulls off too fast for your liking and nuzzles his head in the crook of your neck instead. He cuddles into your side, mumbling something about you feeling warm.

In your head, you count. When was the last time you two had sex? Right, last Tuesday. Oh boy, what a night it was. Your ass still hurts a little while sitting on a chair, a byproduct of your boyfriend's palm landing smack after smack on your cheeks. Lesson learned: never smile too broadly to the waiter who blatantly flirsts with you. You're sure the whole appartment complex heard that night who makes you feel that good  

(As if they don’t already know.)

See? Park Jimin is unpredictable.

“How was work?’’ you decide to ask instead, clearing your thoughts from the inappropriate images of Jimin’s bare body pressed to yours as he fucked you that night. You thread your fingers through his blond locks just the way he likes, massaging his scalp.

He sighs, his words muffled when he speaks. “This new employee can’t do shit. I had to prepare everything before tomorrow's expedition by myself,” he says. “I have to tell Namjoon to fire his ass.”  

You falter your movements for a second. Right, the expedition. You completely forgot about it. Jimin's going to be out of town for the whole day, digging in the soil in some French village the name of you cannot pronounce.

It looks like your fancy lingerie has to wait for her big premiere a little longer.  

“What time are you planning to be back home?” you ask.

“Dunno. Probably late.” Jimin exhales loudly, his breath tickling your neck. His hand travels to your nude thigh, giving it a firm squeeze. You fight back a moan that threatens to spill from you mouth. You really need to get laid soon. “We set off at 6am.” he adds, tracing circles on your bare skin. Your smile drops.

So the plans for morning sex on Valentine's Day stay where they belong. In your dreams.  

“You're so soft. And you smell like coconuts. I could stay like this forever.” Jimin mumbles, circling your waist with his arms and pulling you even closer to him.  

You sigh, basking in this situation just for a while, stroking Jimin's hair and listening to his steady breathing until he eventually falls asleep. Still fully clothed, still with his hand on your thigh. Carefully, so you don’t wake him up, you get up from the bed to take off your underwear. You do feel a little disappointed, but it's okay.  

When you settle yourself on the bed next to Jimin again, your back facing him, a strong arm pulls you flush to his body. You hear him sighing with relief, and it makes you smile to yourself.  

Lights off, everything can wait for tomorrow.

In the morning, just like expected, you wake up alone. There's no sight of Jimin, his side of the bed empty and cold. For your dismay, there’s no bouquet of red roses waiting for you in the kitchen, no box of chocolates or a small, cheesy note with your name written on it. Not even a short “Happy Valentine's Day, baby!” text on your phone. Absolutely nothing.  

You tells yourself it’s fine. Maybe Jimin didn’t have enough time, maybe he was too occupied with expedition to prepare something special, maybe the big surprise is yet to come. However, you can’t quite shake off the feeling that something do seem odd and it makes you anxious. Leaving without a single text is not Jimin's style. Not when it's your first Valentine's Day spend together.

You probably shouldn’t worry that much. It's not a big deal, after all you hate those types of annual holidays and Jimin knows it. Yet something about the whole situation makes you uncontrollably uneasy. You have never been like this, vulnerable and sheepish. You hate Park Jimin for turning you into such a softie.

Walking through the streets of Paris makes you feel nauseous. You look at all the happy couples sucking each others’ faces for everyone to see and fight an urge to gag. Someone shouts “Love is in the air!” and you almost throw up. Everytime you see someone holding heart-shaped balloons or flowers, you whip your head in other direction. It's nothing, you keep reminding yourself. A stupid holiday that doesn’t mean anything at all.

But the actual nail to the coffin happens to be the atmosphere in Eldorado headquarters. It drives you absolutely crazy.

It's 12am and still no word from Jimin. You checked: this bastard was online one hour ago, so he just doesn’t want to talk to you. Fine, mister. If this is how you wanna play, try sucking your dick by yourself, beacuse I’m not getting near it anytime soon, you think to yourself, filled with rage.

Yeri wiggles her pretty eyebrows at you and asks about your plans for tonight. You fake a giggle, saying that Jimin will probably surprise you with something when he gets back from his expedition. The words taste bitter on your tongue, especially when the high hopes you had simply melted away this morning. Your friend then starts babbling about the restaurant she's going to with Jungkook after work and you listen to her rant with forced smile on your face the whole time.

Meanwhile, a few meters away from you Hoseok is giggling like a teenager, typing something on his phone, without a doubt (sex)texting his girlfriend. She's out of town and you’re more than sure Hoseok hasn't gone to bathroom ten minutes ago just to take a piss. Even Namjoon is in a pleasant mood today, humming some old ABBA hits under his breath. Yesterday he couldn’t shut up about his date with a girl who’s also his new neighbour. He met her when she came by to give him homemade croissants. Ironically, that sounds a lot like some kdrama lovestory to you, and Namjoon hates kdramas.

During lunch time, you scroll through your Instagram and almost slam your phone on the wall. There's a new photo uploaded on Kim Seokjin's account.  

kimseokjin92: Celebrating Valentine's Day on Maldives w @minsuga #couplegoals #boyfriends #valentinesday #loveislove

They are on fucking Maldives. Fucking Maldives! You grit your teeth. It's fine. Completely fine.

But the absolute peek, the moment when you almost break down into tears and curl yourself into a ball of misery, comes in the person of Jeon Jungkook. He enters the office with a bouquet of the most beautiful red roses you have ever seen, a huge grin plastered on his stupid face.

Your heart clenches in your chest. Park Jimin could never.  

Jungkook hands Yeri the flowers and she laughs, slapping his chest when he starts declaiming Romeo's monologue from the Shakespeare’s tragedy. He then kisses his girlfriend deeply and lovingly, making her cheeks flush in crimson. Hoseok coos at them, Namjoon following him. You swear you saw Jungkook's tongue in the process of said heavy make out session.  

(Jealously is an awful emotion, you've decided a long time ago.)

An hour later, the bouquet stands proudly on Yeri’s desk and you stare at it with melancholy. You briefly avert your gaze to Jimin's desk and the memories flash before your eyes. The same desk he had you bent over, skirt bunched around your waist and cock drilling into your pussy, when you both stayed together at work after hours not so long ago.  

You mentally slap yourself. Get your shit together, woman. It's not like he broke up with you. It's just some stupid holiday. It's nothing.

“Something's wrong?’’ Yeri asks you with genuine concern written on her face.  

You swallow, forcing yourself to smile. “No, everything's fine. Just a headache.”  

She eyes you suspiciously. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” you say. Even though your friend doesn’t look convinced, she eventually stops bothering you.

It's all good. My boyfriend forgot about our first Valentine's Day together but everything's alright. No worries, you want to say instead.  

Later that day, when you exit the elevator and walk straight to your apartment, a strange smell of something burning fills your nostrils. Is that food? A real fire? No, that's definitely some meat that stayed too long in the oven.

The closer you are, the smell becomes stronger, like it’s actually coming from your apartment. You furrow your eyebrows.

“What the fuck.” you mutter to yourself.  

When you open the door, your jaw falls slack, eyes wide like saucers.

Never, in your entire life, had you thought  you would see Park Jimin, your own dearest boyfriend, popping out from the kitchen with his hair disheveled, sweat coating his forehead, wearing a black suit underneath the most ridiculous apron you have ever seen: pink with a big-ass ‘mr good lookin is cookin' written in the middle.  

(Can someone remind you why are you dating him? Oh, thank God he isn’t naked underneath.)

He looks completely lost when he spots you, waving awkwardly in your direction. It's probably the first time he touched something in the kitchen that isn’t coffee machine. He’s so flustered that you almost forget he nearly turned your apartment into ashes.

“Hi, babe.” he says sheepishly.

It takes all the willpower you hold not to spit a lung watching your boyfriend who absolutely hates cooking, trying to look unimpressed by the smell of burnt food. He does a pretty poor job though, an apron not helping in the situation.

“Happy Valentine's Day!’’ he exclaims perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, approaching you and planting a kiss on your cheek. And after that, you burst into hysterical laughter.  

(Seriously, you almost lose your own breath three times.)

Jimin looks terrified but most importantly – put out. You’re probably hurting his enormous, almost the size of Russia pride right now. (Not your fault Jimin has the biggest praise kink on the planet.)  

“Why are you laughing? Is it because of the chicken? Fine, I can’t cook for shit but I tried, okay? I didn’t have enough time and it was the middle of the night in Korea so I couldn’t just facetime my mum for advice and-”

You interrupt his rambling with a searing kiss, effectively shutting him up. He falters for a moment but quickly catches up, pulling you closer to him, placing his hands on your waist and deepening the kiss.  

But then, when his about to trail kisses down your throat, you hit his arm.

“What was that for?!” Jimin yelps, looking at you with astonishment.

“I thought you fucking forgot about the Valentine’s Day!” you yell, slapping his chest. “Why didn't you tell me about this?!”

“Because the definition of surprise says you can’t reveal it sooner?” he reponds in a mocking tone.

“Oh, shut up.” you grumble and pull him in for another kiss. You could feel him smiling into it, cheekily biting onto your lower lip. He places a loving peck on your forehead and brushes the strands of your hair behind your ears. There's so much affection in his eyes you could melt into a puddle right here and there.

“I’m sorry. Jungkook told me you looked upset the whole day.” he whispers.

“I wasn't!” you protest.

“He told me you almost cried when he gave Yeri a bouquet of red roses.”  

This stupid brat.

You look up at Jimin. “Fine. I was mad. And sad. Everyone was having the time of their lives and here I was, on a verge of mental breakdown because my idiot of a boyfriend supposedly forgot about the Valentine's Day.” you say, crossing your arms over chest with a pout.  

Jimin rolls his eyes and takes your hand, leading you to the living room, where a bottle of (your absolute favourite) wine is standing on the table, along with candles and, yes, red roses. It's too cheesy and straight from the cringy rom-coms but you don't mind, because it's Jimin and he poured his heart into this and it's all that matters.

When he approaches you again, he isn’t wearing that stupid apron and you blush at how perfect he looks, almost painfully handsome. His hair needs a cut so it’s pushed back from his forehead. God reincarnated in the form of a smart, cocky archeologist who happens to be your boyfriend.

You're, well, in your black jeans and baby blue sweater and you probably stink, but Jimin assures you with his loving touches he doesn’t mind, never will. He always does that, looking at you with those sparkling eyes which say you're the most beautiful thing in the world for him.

And it doesn't matter how many times you scold him throughout the day, how many banters you have over silly things, because at the end of the day, in each others’ embraces, it feels like home for the both of you.

“Since the chicken chickened out,” Jimin says nonchalantly, filling your glasses with red wine. “We can always get drunk and watch some old romantic movies.”

You smirk. “You cried the last time when we watched ‘When Harry met Sally’.”  

Jimin clicks his tongue. “Don't test my patience, sweetheart or you won't get the presents.” he warns.

You raise your eyebrows. You hope one of them comes in the form of his dick. Suddenly, you’re reminded of your lingerie set, so you make a mental note to wear it after the shower. “Can I see those presents now?” you ask, looking at Jimin with pleading eyes. It's exactly three seconds till he softens.  

“Fine.” he mutters and heads to the bedroom.

When he comes back, he’s not alone. Literally not alone, because he's caring the most hilarious Valentine’s present you could ever think of. A giant, white teddy bear, almost in the size of him, heart-shaped balloons attached to his right paw.

“This is,” Jimin whips his head to read the name on the bear's chest. “Ted.”  

You blink. “You bought me a teddy bear named Ted?”  

Jimin opens his mouth to say some witty comment but he stops when he hears you sob. “Baby, sweetheart, what's wrong?” He kneels in front of you, the bear long forgotten on the floor. You burst into tears and Jimin tries to calm you down, rubbing soothing circles on your thighs.

Once you eventually stop crying and regain your normal breathing, you wipe your tear-strained cheeks and look down at your very much worried boyfriend. “You are an idiot, Park Jimin. A fucking idiot. That teddy bear is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen and I should humiliate you for giving me that but...” You take a deep breath. “But I can’t. Because I fucking love you, dumbass.”

The corners of Jimin lips lift in amusement but you’re clearly not done with your little speech, so he waits until you finish. “You organized the most cliché date ever. You read all the Grey's books. You can’t cook for shit and this stupid apron you wore? God have mercy,” You visibly cringe. “You declaim Greek philosophers when you shower. Fuck, you persuaded me to do teacher-student roleplay and I kept calling you daddy during the whole thing because you asked me to. You are everything I despise but at the same time I love you so much,” you say, tears once again welling in your eyes. “I’m sorry I’m telling you this now, even though I've realised this a long time ago.”

Jimin’s silent, so unlike him, declaring his emotions with a huge grin this time. He stands up and picks your body into his arms. You wrap your legs around his waist as he walks you both to your bedroom. He places you gingerly onto the mattress, hovering over your figure.

(Your fancy lingerie can wait for another occasion.)

“I love you too, ___.” he says, staring into your eyes. “You’re making me the happiest man in this world.”  

You roll your eyes, however there’s no use for that because your cheeks are already tainted red. “Oh, stop being such a sap.”  

He smirks. “You love when I’m like this.”  

“That is, in fact, not true.”  

You’re lying and he knows it, but he always lets you banter with him like this anyway.  

“Then what do you want me to be today?” he asks, his hands travel down to your zipper, then pull down your jeans. “Sweet? Loving?” He helps you take off your sweater and you’re left with nothing on beside your underwear. “Or do you want me to be rough? Push you around and fuck you stupid?” You gulp, your attitude successfully shut down. “Come on, use your words.”  

Somehow, you manage to gain your composure. “Want you to take off your clothes first.”  

Jimin chuckles, lowly and with a promise of more to come if you’re patient and behaving well, according to his commands. “You’re not the one to give orders here, baby.” he retorts. Then, he’s gripping your knees, pulling your legs apart and putting your pussy on full display for him.  

There’s already a dark, wet patch forming on your grey panties and he tsks disapprovingly. “You’re wet and I haven’t even touched you yet. You want it that much, huh?”  

You nod. “Please, touch me.”  

“Try again.”  

So he’s in that mood today. You’ve explored a fair share of kinks with Jimin so far and what you know for sure is that he always takes the leading role in bed. He likes to dominate, be the one in charge, railing you into the mattress until you’re crying out so loud your neighbours are banging on your walls.  

You slip into your role naturally, your usual confident behaviour gone and replaced with timidity. He relishes in seeing you like this, helpless and vulnerable, a stark contrast to how you act on daily basis.  

Jimin pins you with his dark stare and you give in. ‘”Yes, sir.”  

“Good girl.”  

He rewards you with a feather-like touch of his fingers on your pussy. He finds your clit with ease, rubbing it with practiced strokes until more juices drip down from your hole, wetting your panties embarrassingly fast. Your legs shake with want for more, to feel him sink his digits knuckle-deep into your cunt and finger you like he did that one time in a bathroom on your flight to Japan.  

He doesn’t seem the slightest bothered with your state, ignoring your pleading eyes and wanton moans. He hasn’t even taken off your underwear yet and you’re already on the verge of an orgasm.  

Jimin knows your body inside and out, probably better than you do, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to you that he can sense when you’re about to climax. He withdraws his hand from your center seconds before your release. You can’t help but huff with annoyance.

“Something's wrong, babygirl?” he asks, saccharine-sweet and annoyingly innocent.  

Your retort dies on your tongue the moment he decides to unbutton his white dress shirt. You’re too distracted with delicious lines of his sculpted chest to complain about your denied pleasure anymore. Your hands itch to touch him but you stay immobile, devouring him with your eyes instead.  

Jimin notices you're staring and smirks. “Like what you see?”  

You nod. “Yes, sir.”  

He then stands up from the bed and motions for you to come closer. You oblige without an ounce of confusion, crawling until you’re sitting on your heels in front of him. It’s a rather humiliating position but you can’t help but feel the rush of adrenaline in your veins when he cups your chin and tilts your head up.  

“Take off my pants.”  

You rush to obey, unbuckling his belt with shaky hands because you know what’s coming next once his pants are pulled down. He’s already hard, the prominent bulge of his cock straining in his briefs.  

“Now my underwear.”  

You nearly moan out loud when his cock slaps his abdomen, mouth salivating to take him in deep but you don’t dare touch him without a directed instruction. He makes sure your eyes are on him and starts stroking himself, spreading the precum all over his length, hissing when his thumb rubs the sensitive head of his cock.  

Jimin groans, low and throaty, and you whimper quietly in response. “What, baby? You want my cock that much?” he asks, his left palm cupping your cheek. You whisper a meek “Please” and he chuckles. “Come on then. Show me what that slutty mouth of yours can do. Open up.”  

Your lips part on command and you nearly moan when he guides his cock into your mouth. You’ve sucked Jimin's dick enough times to know what he likes, what brings him to the edge quicker than hitting the back of your throat. You lick the tip of his cock, eyes darting to check his reaction and, just as you expected, his features twist in pleasure.  

You relish in a minute or two of the control you have over him before he grows bored with your teasing and decides to fuck your mouth instead. But for now, you make sure to have him suffer a little for that stunt he pulled earlier when he didn’t make you come.  

You take him deeper, hollowing your cheeks for extra stimulation. Your hands reach to fondle his balls and you smirk around his cock when you hear a groan leave Jimin's mouth. “Good girl,” he murmurs, stroking your cheek. You lean into his touch, moaning at the praise. “My pretty slut.”  

The first hit on the back of your throat makes you gag because fuck, is he big. The only thing bigger than Jimin's ego seems to be his dick, apparently. When he threads fis fingers through your hair you know what’s about to come; jaw relaxed, saliva dripping down from the corners of your mouth, you’re ready to be ruined.  

He withdraws, giving you exactly five seconds to breathe and then pushes forcefully inside. Your mind is filled with mental images of him giving your pussy the same treatment later. You would whimper at the thought, if your mouth wasn’t stuffed full of dick. Instead, you give your best, swallowing every inch of him obediently.  

“That’s it,” he rasps, clamping one hand on the back of your neck for better leverage. “You’re doing so good, baby.” When he nudges the back of your throat again, you feel him throb. He pulls away from the warmth of your mouth seconds later, panting heavily. He falls back onto the bed and pats his thighs. “Come here.”  

You scoot closer to him and crawl onto his lap. He smiles at you from below, pulling you in for a kiss. The hands he previously gripped your waist with now travel upwards, unhooking your bra. Your hips unconsciously move, pussy gliding along the flexed muscles of his thigh.  

Jimin notices your desperate attempt at getting some friction on your most sensitive parts and helps you rock your hips. He moves your panties to the side and you moan, felling the delicious pressure on your bare center. He’s watching with amusement as you’re falling apart on his thigh, thumb reaching to rub your clit. You cry out, climaxing so hard you’re almost seeing stars behind your closed eyelids.

He keeps helping you ride out your high until you’re whimpering from the overstimulation. “Did you like it?” he then asks, urging you to look at him. “You were so desperate to come, sweetheart. Fucking yourself on my thigh like a bitch in heat,” You whine instead of responding, earning a harsh smack on your ass. “Use your words.”  

Another slap lands on your cheek and you mewl. “Yes, I loved it, sir.”  

He chuckles, maneuvering your body so you’re now positioned over his cock. He gives your ass a firm squeeze and you whimper, arousal dripping down the inside of your thighs despite orgasming just minutes ago. “Ride me, baby.” he says.  

You hurry to obey, guiding his cock inside you. It's a tight fit but your wetness makes it smoother to push him deeper. “So big,” you mumble, bottoming out. You know damn well Jimin likes to be praised and if the smirk that stretches on his lips is anything to go by, he enjoys what you just said. “That feels so good, sir.” You start moving your hips languidly.  

“Yeah?” Jimin quips, hands gripping your waist so tightly it almost makes the skin bruise. “Then show me what a good girl you are for me. Fuck, look at you. You’re so hot.” His palms cup your breasts, thumbs stroking your nipples.  

You keen at the praise and quicken your pace. Your thighs start to burn but you ignore that, bouncing on your boyfriend’s dick like there’s no tomorrow. The room is filled with lewd noises, skin slapping on skin. Jimin looks down, staring at his cock coated in your juices as it disappears inside your hole. He curses at the sight.  

Your legs start to shake, huffs leaving your lips. “Sir–please,” you whine, feeling yourself getting closer to the edge.  

“What do you need, babygirl?” he asks, pinching your nipples. You squeal, your pace losing its previous rhythm.  

“I’m so close.” you stammer. “Please–touch me.”  

“Where you do you want me to touch you, baby?” He ignores your whimpers, the way your pussy keeps squeezing his cock in a vice grip. “Here?” He touches your tits again and you shake your head violently. “Or here–” His fingers find your clit and you cry out loudly. You feel so full, his cock hits your cervix every time you drop down onto him.

“Yes, yes,” you chant, mouth wide open and eyes squeezed shut. You probably look right now like a professional porn star but you couldn’t care less, not when you’re so close to the climax. “Sir–fuckfuckfuck, please!”

“There you go,” Jimin coos, circling your sensitive bud with his thumb. “Come for me, baby.”  

You’re gushing around his dick, arousal leaking out of your hole and coating his thighs with your release. Your upper body gives out and you collapse onto Jimin, your cunt pulsing from the intense pleasure you’ve just experienced.  

“Oh god,” you mumble. “I just saw the answer to the whole universe.”  

You feel Jimin's chest shaking with laughter and when you look up, you find him grinning at you. “That good?”  

“That good.” you confirm, sighing tiredly.  

“Are you okay?” You hear him asking. No matter how much he likes to push you around and fuck until you’re seeing stars, he always makes sure if you’re feeling comfortable to continue.  

You spare him a nod. “You know I can handle it,” you say, lifting yourself up. “I’m a tough girl, right?” Despite the oversensitivity, you start rocking your hips again. “M-made for you.”

Jimin smirks. “Yeah, made for me,” he confirms and slaps your ass. Your pussy flatters around his cock. “Not like this,” he mutters and turns you onto your back with one, swift motion. “Much better.”  

You pout. “You didn’t like it when I was riding your cock, sir?” You’re bluffing, but a girl can her fun too.  

He clicks his tongue, guiding his cock through your folds again. “Oh, baby, I was enjoying it very much,” he says, picking up his speed. Your legs wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer. “But now I want it harder.”  

He fucks you just like he likes the most; fast and rough, unforgiving. He leans down for a messy kiss that’s all teeth tongue and his eyes nearly bulge out of his head when he sees his saliva dripping down your chin.  

(He decides right here and there that he might wanna explore his newfound fantasy soon.)

Soon you’re feeling the coil in your stomach tightening for the second time, embarrassingly quickly so. You moan, cunt squeezing around his dick. “Again?” Jimin asks, voice laced with both mirth and disbelief. Tears well in your eyes and you give him a nod. “Such a fucking slut.” he spits, slithering himself into you even faster than before.

Your third and final orgasm is so powerful and sudden, it nearly makes you black out. Jimin curses, fucking you through it. “Kiss me,” you whimper deliriously and he obliges, slipping his tongue inside your mouth. “I love you.” you whisper into his lips and that’s what sends him over the edge.

“I love you, I love you–fuck.” he groans and spills himself inside, coating your pussy with his seed.

He collapses next you, chest heaving with every exhale. Your legs feel like jelly and you know you’ll have trouble walking tomorrow. Just when you’re about to tell Jimin to call in sick and spend the whole day in bed instead, he suddenly sits up.

“Wait, I forgot I have another present for us.” he says, rushing to pick something up from underneath the bed.

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Jimin, I swear to God, if you bought us matching t-shirts–”

He grins like a child, showing you two white pillows, the most basic ones you could ever think of, with ‘his side’ and ‘her side' written on them. It's cringy and ridiculous and you fight an urge to punch him, but you don't.  

Because it's Jimin and you will never complain about it.

Because you love him. And that's all that matters.

[thewritewolf]

In Due Time Chapter 28: Lights Out

Adrien and Marinette go on a stay-at-home date.

@marichatmay

Enjoy!

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Read on Ao3

Weeks passed. Akumas were fought - none of them came closer to beating the two of them, but Marinette could tell that this only made Chat more anxious. That feeling in his gut that something bad was about to happen hadn’t gone away, not fully.

Marinette didn’t pay much attention to it, though. After all, Chat Noir was the expert on all things Hawkmoth between them and there were other things for her to focus on. Things like pushing herself harder - doubling down on expanding her online store and all the while applying for a number of fashion shows and internships.

Her personal life was hardly suffering either. How could it when her friends were doing great and when she had gotten to go on more dates with Adrien?

Adrien…

He had really started to open up to her and the more he did the more she found to like about him. His wit always kept things interesting and had her laughing all the time, but what really got her was his gentle kindness. It was a quality that she had admired in Chat Noir for all these years, a quality that she had gotten to know personally over the last few months.

Her heart did a little flip at the thought of him. She couldn’t deny that she’d started to feel something for the feline hero, but she couldn’t regret her decision to pursue Adrien. After all, how would that have even worked if she couldn’t know his identity? And besides, Adrien was hardly a second place prize himself.

She drew her coat closer to herself as she opened the car door and stepped out into the cold. It wasn’t much of a walk from Adrien’s driveway to his front door, but she’d never liked the chill.

“Sorry if it isn’t much,” Adrien said with an apologetic smile, his hand on the doorknob, “I’m not much of an interior decorator, despite how much time I spend in here.”

“I live in a shoebox, hot stuff, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“And I’m sure it's a beautiful shoebox,” he said with a smirk. He opened the door, and she got her first good look at his living space.

All in all? It was basically what she expected of a rich, bored bachelor - extra space, fancy appliances, a bunch of forms of entertainment from game consoles to books. It was tidier than what she had expected, with one exception.

“What’s with that pillow pit thing?” She asked as she hung up her coat at the entry.

His face was adorably confused and he followed her eyes until he saw the pit in question. He swallowed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh, don’t worry about that, I’ve been meaning to tear it down and run the stuff through the washing machine for a few days anyway.” He laughed nervously.

“O...kay then?” She smiled in confusion. Why was he embarrassed about it? “Can we make one for the two of us to watch movies from?”

He looked at her with wide eyes. “Sure! I have some in my hallway closet.”

True to his word, Adrien took the pile of soft things away - which looked almost like a cat’s nest, but she didn’t think he had any pets - and brought out fresh pillows and blankets. A few minutes later and they were cuddled close together as they began to watch some movies they’d been meaning to get to. Which proved to be a good idea as the night stretched on and the cold February night began to sink into even the house itself.

She knew it was time to call it quits when Adrien could barely keep his eyes open to make sly remarks anymore.

“I think it’s time for bed, mister model,” she said, stretching out her arms. She glanced out the window to confirm her suspicions. “And it looks like we’re snowed in for now. Mind if I stay the night?”

“No problem,” he said with a yawn. “My bedroom’s at the end of the hall. Feel free to take my bed for the night.” He stood and stretched, very clearly barely on his feet.

“What? I can’t do that.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I washed the sheets and everything this morning.”

“No, I mean I’m not about to kick you out of your own bed,” she said, crossing her arms as she pulled herself onto the couch. “Where would you sleep? A guest bed?”

Adrien smirked, but there was a touch of sadness behind his eyes. “You’re the first guest I’ve had in ages, why would I need a guest bedroom? Anyway, you’re sitting on my bed for tonight.”

She glanced down at the couch with a frown and a shiver. “It’s way too cold in here for you.”

“Same for you.”

There was a long moment of silence between them. An idea occurred to her, and a warm blush spread across her cheeks.

“There… might be a solution here,” she began hesitantly.

“Oh?”

“We could, you know, share the bed?” She bit her lip. “I’m assuming it’s pretty big, right?”

“I-” He cleared his throat. “Yes, the bed. Very large. King sized.”

“Well, there we go.” She stood and suddenly realized she didn’t have anything to change into. “Um…”

“I have a shirt and some shorts you can borrow, if you want.” His face was beet red as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’ll do.”

Half an hour later and Marinette laid in complete darkness, wearing borrowed clothes and listening to Adrien’s breathing become deeper and more rhythmic as he drifted off. She had expected to feel awkward with his set up, but if anything she just felt… comfortable. Secure.

She fell asleep easily that night, feeling warm despite the biting cold and driving snow just outside.

[katniss-shmeverdeen]

A Trip Like No Other

I wrote a short story and want y’all to enjoy it; This is a long one so grab some popcorn and settle in.

“I can’t believe you’re making me wear this,” Lucas said in disbelief. He looked in the bedroom mirror and analyzed the red and black get up Brantley put him in.

“Oh come on, you’re about to begin the last year of your twenties, you gotta start it off with a bang”

“Yeah and this ain’t it, Brant. If I wanted to be ring leader to a bunch of clowns, I would go back to my last job at Bridgeport. They never could make a decent cappuccino.” He eyed Brantley in the mirror,

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“Uh, Tyler Chatwood” He waited for Lucas to react, but it didn’t click. “The Cubs” Lucas turned to Brantley and shook his head. “Really dude? It’s our home team, how can you not know these guys?

Lucas turned back to the mirror to adjust his top, “Believe it or not, some of us couldn’t care less about sports, especially their names.”

Brantley adjusted himself in the mirror as well, “Alright we’ll work on your sports knowledge later, right now we have to get out there and make sure our friends have the best Halloween yet.”

Lucas turned and grabbed his top hat off the bed post, “Fine, but if any one calls me Hugh Jackman, I’m leaving”

“And go where?” Brantley had to raise his voice because Lucas was already out the door, “You live here!”

“Maybe I’ll find a nice hovel!” He heard him shout from the hallway, making his way toward the party in the living room.

Lucas entered his living room to see about twenty people in all kinds of different costumes and outfits. Some went above and beyond to make sure their costumes were as accurate as possible. Lucas could’ve sworn he saw Heath Ledger because that Joker costume was anything but a joke. Others put in so little effort that he wasn’t sure they even knew what kind of party this was. He saw a man with disheveled hair and paint-splattered jeans wearing a shirt that said ‘This is my party shirt.’

Black and orange string lights were hung around the room, along with fake spider webs, bat and ghost decals on the walls, and spooky music playing in the background.

Brantley did a bang up job getting this all together. He’d always had a knack for this kind of stuff, and went all out to make sure parties were enjoyable for everyone.

Lucas made his way to the punch bowl in the kitchen and poured orange Fanta into a black plastic cup.

Before he could even get a sip of it, a burly man dawning a toga with some stains had an arm around him and was shaking him vigorously, making half of the pop in his cup jump onto the counter.

“Hey hey! There’s the birthday boy!” He shouted unnecessarily, his mouth was a centimeter from Lucas’ ear and the music wasn’t even that loud.

Lucas did his best to smile, but it was hard to do that while holding his breath to avoid breathing in armpit-stench. “Curtis, oh boy, it’s uh, always good to smell- see ya, buddy.”

Curtis let go of him, but stood just as close. Lucas took a step back while rubbing his shoulder and turning his head to get a good breath in.

Curtis was one of those clowns at Bridgeport, always over-friendly and not concerned about doing his job well, just talking with customers and co-workers and not understanding their social queues.

He continued using his loud voice, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my favorite boss, we sure miss you at the ol’ bean shop!”

Lucas tried smiling again, but it was more of a grimace. He had been in this situation too many times and he was trying to think his way out of it. Before, he could use the customers or co-workers as an excuse to leave the conversation, but now there was no backup to fall on.

“I’m sure you do; Listen, with all this party stuff going on and this being the big 2-9, I’ve sort of made myself anxious about all of it and that’s resulted in an upset stomach, so I hope you’ll understand my need to get to the bathroom as soon as I can.” He didn’t give Curtis a chance to respond before he made a mad dash out of the kitchen.

“Well make it quick, we got a lot of catching up to do!” Curtis yelled even louder as he poured himself more drink.

Lucas arrived back in the living room and looked for Brantley. He spotted him in the corner trying to make a home run with Alice from Wonderland. Lucas made his way through the crowd, giving quick smiles to those he made eye-contact with. Brantley was just about to get Alice’s number when Lucas grabbed his arm, “Excuse me, I need to borrow Romeo for a second.” He dragged Brantley down the hallway and stood close enough to him so others wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Please tell me you have a good reason for inviting Curtis.”

Brantley shot back at him, “Don’t blame this on me; I was at Bridgeport inviting people you actually like, and he overheard us talking, therefore inviting himself. I talked to the current manager and she said he wasn’t scheduled to work that day, but I guess he wanted to clock in out of the goodness of his heart.” While Brantley was explaining, Lucas was dragging his hand down his face so hard his skin almost came off. “After you made me wear this costume I didn’t think this night could get much worse, but Curtis and a few others being here proved me wrong.”

“Well if that’s how you feel, I’ll just tear down the decorations and tell everyone to get out since tonight’s so horrible.”

Brantley started to walk away, feeling under appreciated for all his work to get this party together.

Lucas walked after him, “Brant, come one, that’s not what I meant. It’s just…” He took off his top hat and focused on that instead, ”I’m at another dead-end job, bills are piling up, I’ve been single for three years… I don’t know, I guess I’m not as happy with my life as I would’ve hoped so I don’t really see much reason for celebration… and I think the whole Curtis thing was the straw on the camel’s back, ya know?.

And to add salt to the wound, this February was ten years since I lost my dad.”

Brantley never could stay mad very long and was usually the one to ease tension,

“Well I know one of those things you can try to change tonight. A certain red-head in a maid costume’s been eyeing you all night”

That made Lucas perk up very quickly, “Really? Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started.” He slapped on his top hat and confidently strode back to the party.

After about an hour of mingling, flirting, and avoiding certain people, Brantley decided it was time for Lucas to wish himself into the next chapter of his life. The partygoers still at the house at this point sang while Brantley brought the cake to the kitchen counter where Lucas was sitting on a barstool. Lucas had seen some extravagant cakes before, but this one was in the top five of most gaudy. He tried to be appreciative, but it was hard when his own face was staring back at him. There were also black and orange balloons, black cats, and some kind of goblin creature taking up a third of the cake. He made a mental note to avoid eating from that section. The candles were arranged in a way to avoid the icing creatures, so Lucas would do his best to get them all out in one go. He sat with his eyes closed for a second, trying to think of a good wish. He knew it wasn’t real, but you never know what might happen, especially if you’re Lucas Whittaker. He decided on something that could cover all the bases, and leaned forward as he thought to himself, “I wish for this year to be different.”

Before Lucas opened his eyes again, he heard a stranger’s voice. “Oh it’ll be different alright.”

Lucas’ eyes shot open and saw a man standing where Brantley had been. This guy looked like he lost a fight with Hot Topic’s discount rack, complete with chains and an outdated graphic tee.

Lucas stood up and looked around the room. The music was dead, everyone else was gone, and the house became twenty degrees warmer.

He looked at Mystery Man like he’d just been shot, which he might as well have been. “Where are Brant and the others? What did you do with them? Who are you? Why are you here? How are you here?”

Mystery Man put his hand up to stop Lucas from winning the prize for the most asked questions in a minute. “Hey kid, I only answer so many questions for new clients, you’re pushing the limit.”

“Client? I didn’t sign up for any of this, what do you want?” Lucas asked, his patience running out quickly and his sweat increasing.

“Yes, client. I have someone you want, you have someone I want- well, technically I have both of them, but I can’t retrieve one. Anyway, for us to get those people back, we have to work together, which I guess would make us more like business partners.”

Lucas marched over and grabbed him by the shirt collar, getting close enough to smell last night’s dinner still on his breath. “Listen here, you sorry excuse for an angsty teenager, bring Brantley back or I will personally air-mail you to the foot of Satan’s throne.”

Mystery Man looked at him with so little interest, that if he were any more bored, he’d be dead. “Interesting, considering the man whose throne you plan to send me to is standing right in front of you.”

Lucas released him in a huff, reconsidering everything, while the King of Hades smoothed his newly wrinkled shirt.

Lucas paced by the fridge, trying to digest his current situation. “This is not happening, this isn’t real, I’m dreaming. That’s it, I’m still at the party, passed out on the couch having a drink-induced nightmare. I knew I shouldn’t have had that shot of tequila and hot sauce.” He stopped contemplating long enough to realize he was alone. He cried out to the empty area, “Are you kidding? What do you want from me?!” He looked around, but there was no answer, just Lucas, the kitchen, and more questions than he had at the start of the day.

He exited the kitchen and went to the front door to get his keys from the hook. “Alright, I’ll just have to find Brant myself.” He reached for the knob and started to open the door when he heard the man again,

“I wouldn’t advise that.”

The Lord of the dead appeared on the same couch Lucas had been in earlier that evening, making Lucas jump so far out of his skin, he had to hold himself back from decking Hades all the way to Tartarus.

Hades continued, “Going in blind will get you killed, and you won’t be able to return my son to me.” Lucas looked at him with confusion and disbelief, “I’m sorry, I must’ve blacked out for a second. Going in where? And did you say your son?”

Hades pointed at the stereo, and they were suddenly listening to some old-school ACDC. “Yep, my time on the throne is almost up and since it can only be ruled by my descendants, I figured it’s high time I bring him home to learn the ropes and eventually take his rightful place.”

After a few seconds, Lucas asked, “What does that have to do with me?” Hades stood and got in Lucas’ personal space, “You and my son are a lot closer than you might think, here let me show you.”

Before Lucas could ask what he meant, Hades snapped them to Lucas’ childhood home. They stood in the living room, looking at a family of two snuggled on the couch, with candles lit, orange and black decorations, and only the glow of a scary movie to illuminate their faces.

“Can they see us?” Lucas asked, careful not to make any sudden movements in case they were about to ruin the time-travel continuum. Hades gestured to the living room and said with a sly grin, “Don’t worry, this is only a projection of your past, we’re not here.”

“How? I don’t remember this night at all.” Lucas walked around, inspecting the decorations, furniture, and the father and son. He leaned over and gave them a closer look. “I sure miss you dad, I wish you were still here.” He stood up slowly and walked back to Hades, crossing his arms, “So why are we here? What does this forgotten memory have to do with your son?” Hades glanced at him and looked ahead again, “Three, two, one,” and on the next beat the doorbell rang. Lucas’ dad, Anthony, answered the door, but was quickly drained of any happiness when he saw who it was. Mystery Man himself was standing on the doorstep of Lucas’ home, looking not too different than now. Anthony spoke in a hardened tone, “What are you doing here? I told you never to come back.”

Hades put his hands up in a surrender pose, “I’m just here to see the boy, it’s been another six months already since we got together.”

“Yeah, and I was hoping the last time I saw you would be the last time I saw you. I especially never want you around Lucas ever again, you’ve brought nothing but trouble to him.” Anthony grew angrier and more impatient, but doing his best to speak in hushed tones, “Do you know how much ridicule and humiliation he’s been through with friends and in classes because he tells people you’re his friend? Do you know how many times we’ve had to change schools because the teachers and parents overhear him saying he knows Hades? I need you out of our lives forever. He just turned thirteen and he deserves to live his teenage years, as well as the rest of his life, without you, and he can’t get that with you showing up whenever you feel like it, or at all!”

Hades peaked into the living room and saw Lucas sitting on the couch, elbows deep in popcorn. Looking back to Anthony, he let out a defeated sigh, “Fine, if that’s how you feel, I’ll leave for good.”

“I hope so, that’s what you said last time.” Hades snapped his fingers, but nothing changed. “There, now he won’t remember me at all, if anything, I’m just another one of his scary nightmares.” He started to walk away, but turned back, “Just don’t come crying to me when he wants to know what happ-“ Anthony slammed the door in his face before he could finish his statement. He walked back to the couch and re-joined his son as if nothing happened.

Current Lucas turned to Hades, more confused than before, “That answered nothing, like, this makes less sense than before you showed up today. What does any of this have to do with me, your son, saving Brant-” Hades turned to Lucas, hands behind his back, “Lucas, what has your dad told you about your grandparents?”

“What? How is that relevant?”

Hades walked over to the fireplace and wiped the dust off a picture frame of Lucas and Anthony at his sixth birthday, “Do you have any fond memories, stories, hand-me-downs from either of them?”

Lucas tried to answer best he could, sorting through his memories, but struggling to find any of those things in his mind, “Uh, grandma had my dad when she was twenty five, but grandpa wasn’t really in the picture. Dad said… he said grandpa would drop in every now and then, but really that’s the only memory he has of his dad. Ironically, he said our names are related. I only remember his name also started with an L and I know it wasn’t Lucas, but what is similar to that?” Hades sat next to Anthony and relaxed as he watched Lucas talk this out. “Anytime, champ, we got a schedule to keep.” Lucas glanced up at him with a sarcastic look, “I’m doing my best here, Captain Impatient. So… Lucas…Luscious?…” He chuckled a bit, saying sarcastically, “Lucifer?” He stopped laughing when he saw Hades not joining in the laughter, “No, no, no, no, no this can’t be true. You are not my grandfather, I am not the grandson of the Satan, I’m not related to you!” He stormed out of the house into the front yard. He was pacing again, hands on his head and tear on his cheek. Hades showed up in front of him again, “Welcome to the family, let’s get to work.”

He snapped his fingers again and returned them to empty party house. Lucas was in his usual clothes this time, a pair of regular fit jeans, hiking boots, and a plain t-shirt with a flannel unbuttoned.

Lucas didn’t give a rip about the location change, all he did was sit on a couch in silence and wipe away his tears, but finally said in a whisper, “How do I get Brantley back?” Hades was elated, and clapped his hand on Lucas’ back. “That’s the spirit! So, all you have to do is go into the Underworld, find your dad, and bring him to me in my throne room!”

He had an overly enthusiastic grin on his face, waiting for Lucas’ response. He just stared at Hades with hatred. The grin left Hades faster than he could snap-travel, “Look, I can’t get him out because only mortals and demi-gods, like your father, can be where he is. Plus, if I try to go in there, the souls will attack me like I’m the last zebra in a lion’s den.” Lucas kept his head forward, looking at the hanging bat decorations, “So why does it have to be me?”

“I’m glad you asked! You are my grands-“ Lucas cut him off, “Don’t. Say it.” Hades sighed, “Fine, you’re my relative, so you have immunity to the underworld’s effects. Anyone else would be dead in ten minutes, but you have the ability to walk in and out unnoticed like one of your AA meetings.” Lucas shot him a glare that would make Cerberus run for the hills. “How do you know about that? I’ve never told anyone, not even Brant.” Hades tried in his most innocent voice. “What? I can’t keep up with my favorite grandson just out of pure love?” Lucas kept his eyes on Hades waiting for the truth, “Alright so I might have been keeping tabs so I would know when the right time came to do all this,”

he said, as he gestured about the living room.

Lucas yelled in frustration, “The right time would’ve been never!” He stood up and turned back to address Hades on the couch, “You know what? You’re crazy and I’m getting out of here!” He did just that and slammed the front door, leaving Hades inside.

Lucas was walking away from the house, but he could only get so far without Hades on his heels, but in this case it was his toes. Hades appeared right in front of Lucas mid-stride. He quickly turned and started the down the sidewalk. Hades eyed him and shouted, “When will you learn you can’t escape me? I can go anywhere and anytime, and believe me, I do have time, unlike Brantley.” That was it, no one, not even the Devil himself, could put Lucas’ best friend in imminent danger and not expect repercussions. He turned to look back at Hades with a cautious, but curious look, “What does that mean? What’s happening to him down there?” Hades sauntered forward, eventually meeting Lucas under a street lamp, “Remember when I said other people will die quickly down there? Well, I felt gracious enough to spare his life a bit longer than normal, but he’s still dying nonetheless.” Lucas was very interested in the shoes while Hades explained all this. With a hand on his hip and the other on his forehead trying to keep it from exploding, he said, “Fine. Let’s go down there. Use your magic trick to flash us to… wherever in the hell we’re going.” Hades gave the biggest smirk he could muster, “I thought you’d never ask” and snapped with both hands.

Lucas woke up in a library, at a four-person table, surrounded by books so thick they could’ve been used for bricks. The library was small, max occupancy around 100 people. It was a place Lucas had frequented a lot his senior year, he needed silence to concentrate on polynomials, and his dorm was the last place that would be found. He looked at the seat across the table, watching Brantley feverishly take notes on paper, while studying two encyclopedias. “Pleasant dreams, champ?” Brantley said, while keeping his focus on his work. He was met with a hand on his face, “Brant? Is it really you?” Lucas said in disbelief. Brantley swatted at his hand in frustration, “Yes, it’s really me! What’s going on with you?” Lucas retracted his hand and examined it before looking back at Brantley, confused, “Are you sure we’re not in Hell?” Brantley let out a short breath, “Might as well be with all this work we’re doing.”

“No, this can’t be right, I was just talking with Lucifer, well, Hades an-“ Brantley cut him off in a hushed tone, leaning over the table, “Dude, keep your voice down! Most people aren’t used to hearing stuff like that,” They both gave a smirk to someone walking by, “and quite frankly neither am I, especially since you haven’t mentioned him in two years!” Lucas sat back in his chair, “Wait, you remember me talking about him? Why didn’t you ever mention that to me?” Brantley gave a concerned look, still keeping his voice down, “Because like I said, it’s not a subject matter I’m particularly fond of, let alone something I want to be talking about out loud.” He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms,

“I remember the days after you had one of those nightmares, you came to school so… sullen and beat down, you were a completely different person. I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want you becoming that person again, living in that pit. Now shut up and study, you know how hard Mr. Herrington’s tests are for you.” Lucas looked at Brantley as if he had three heads, “Mr Herring- I haven’t had to study in five and a half years, dude. We graduated already.” Brantley looked at him with the same confusion Lucas had, “Okay maybe you shouldn’t study, it’s obviously frying the little brains you do have.”

Lucas looked at him cautiously, slowly standing up, “Rrrright, uh, I’m gonna go, uh, over there.” He pointed and walked toward the non-fiction section hastily, leaving Brantley wondering what was happening to his best friend.

Lucas paced up and down the aisle, muttering to himself, trying to figure out how and why he was reliving this night. Hades had to be messing with him, right? Lucas knew for a fact that he wasn’t a student any more. One can never forget the sweet release into freedom after walking across that stage.

Before he realized it, a librarian walked over to see him not looking at books, “Excuse me, sir, is everything ok over here?” Lucas looked at her startled and tried to muster an answer, “Uh yes, yeah, everything’s fine, great, in fact. I was just, uh, rehearsing my, uh, monologue for an upcoming audition.” He stood as if someone had him at gunpoint, praying the woman would leave quickly. She nodded with concern and swiftly shuffled away. Lucas let out an exasperated sigh and muttered to himself, “And my audition for the insane asylum.” He meandered to a shelf and pulled out ‘What to Do When a Loved One is in Danger.’ He paused for a moment, “Okay that’s eerily specific.”

He opened to a random page; he didn’t expect much, but he didn’t expect to see only one word on the page: ‘HELP.’ His eyes got wide ‘HELP ME,’ his heart beating faster with every flip of a page, ’HELP ME PLEASE’ he had to grab hold of the shelf to keep from falling over, ‘HELP ME PLEASE, LUCAS.’ He threw the book on the ground, shattering this illusion and shifting him to another location.

This time Lucas woke up groggy and sweaty. He knew he wasn’t dreaming because he would never sleep in such a warm environment. All those “nightmares” about Hades had traumatized him from being in hot places, even trips to the beach were pushing it. He looked around, but couldn’t see much. Everything was dark and the room was small. There was a thin layer of gray smog, just enough to irritate his eyes. His wrists were throbbing. He looked up and saw he was chained in manacles hanging from the ceiling. He was in a T-position, just barely able to relieve his wrists of pain if he stood on his toes, but if not, he would slump down and cause them to catch the edge of the shackles.

He could hear labored breathing, which might’ve been his own, but he couldn’t be too sure. He couldn’t be sure of anything lately.

Lucas looked across the room and saw the faint figure of a man about his size. His heart racing, in hopes it was who he thought. “Brant?” He said, but his voice sounded like a lawn mower trying to start up after a long winter in a shed. No reply. Lucas said his name louder, and a little smoother this time. The man spoke, sounding similar to Lucas’ first attempt, “No, no. My, uh,” he cleared his throat, “my name is Anthony.” Lucas could not believe what he was hearing. His thoughts running a marathon now. Was it really his dad? Where’s Brantley? Was this actually another dream? Where’s Hades? How can he get out of here? How will he survive? Lucas paused and tried to collect himself,

“l’m sorry, can you run that by me again?”

“Uh, I said my name is Anthony” Lucas’ eyes got wide with hope “….Dad?” Anthony became more alert and hopeful, “Lucas? Is that really you?” Lucas let out a sigh of relief, “Yeah dad, it’s me, it’s really me and I’m really here…

I think.” Lucas wasn’t too sure, but it sounded like his dad was choking up, and it wasn’t due to the smog, “Oh my boy, you’ve grown up so much. I’m so sorry you had to go on all this time without me.” There was silence for a while before Anthony spoke again. “How long has it been?” Lucas took in a deep breath and let it out just as slowly, “Ten years” Silence again. “Dad?” “It’s been ten for you, but for me it feels like I’ve been down here for a hundred. And the worst part is that I believed Hades’ lies. The night I died, Hades spoke to me in the car. I don’t mean in a philosophical way or in my mind, he literally showed up in my passenger seat and paused time to have a discussion with me.

We both knew that driver wasn’t stopping and he said only one of us could live through that accident. I asked him why we both couldn’t live and that’s when he told me about one of us needing to take over his throne. I didn’t want to come, but he told me it was the only way to ensure your safety and his absence in your life. I had just enough time to look at you sleeping in the back seat before the car got T-boned.” He chuckled a bit, “oh you were exhausted.

It’s hard to be the star of the show, especially when it’s your last one and your crush is your co-star.” Lucas had a hard time not sniffling. That was his favorite show and his favorite high school memory, and he never would’ve guessed it’d also be the night he’d lose his dad forever.

“But, the next thing I knew, I was hanging here and yelling at him to release me. I don’t know why I actually believed him…. I guess I just wanted the best for you.” Lucas’ heart felt like lead. He never would’ve guessed that his dad had sacrificed himself to save him. Dream Brantley was right, the subject matter did make him sullen and dismal. After Lucas let the smog and thin air dry his tears, he said in a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me about him? Why let me forget?” Anthony used the same soft voice, “Because you’re curious, you’ve always been curious. Remember your fifth grade field trip? You came home and refused to go to sleep until you knew how that animatronic mouse was alive. It ruined you for about three months, we couldn’t even drive past that place without you bursting into tears. So I hope you can understand why I held it from you…. You being who you are, I assume your life has been good, you’ve got great friends, a good job, found a nice girl, a really cool house probably… and a life without him. I wanted to tell you, I really did, I just thought I had more time. Also, I didn’t think he would actually hunt you down.” Lucas did his best to make eye contact with Anthony, “It would’ve been better coming from you than finding out when he dragged my best friend to Hell.”

“Would you have believed me?” His dad said, using an accusatory tone. He waited for a beat, then said lightly, “What does it matter? You would’ve done your research and pieced it together yourself.”

“Dad, that’s not the point, what matters is that you didn’t tell me the truth” Anthony raised his voice, “The truth would’ve wrecked you and sent you into a lifelong tailspin like it did for me!

Before I kicked him out of our lives, he brought nothing but turmoil. He tried so many times to take us on field trips down to his world. He gave you poisonous spiders and snakes as pets before you were even three years old. He tried to set you on fire to build up immunity. I didn’t choose this life, but I refuse to follow in his footsteps as a ruler and father.”

Lucas shot back at him, “Well you might not have much choice!” He waited and let himself calm down “Unless we can figure out a loophole or some other way to get us out of sitting on that skele-throne, we’re stuck down here.”

“Well if you have any bright ideas, let me know, I’ve been trying to figure out how to take him down since the moment I arrived.”

Just then, there came a loud noise that sounded like twenty banshees were sending out a warning signal, which was very likely. Lucas almost near soiled his pants, but he kept it together long enough to ask what was happening. He looked around to see if there was any immediate danger “I’ve been down here a long while and only heard that sound a handful of times. He’s coming.” Lucas shot Anthony a concerned look, “What?” Anthony corrected himself, “Well actually, we’re going to him, which isn’t much better.”

Lucas barely had the chance to ask what he meant before the two of them were standing in the pit of a blacked out colosseum, or rather Lucas was, while his dad was at the right hand side of the Devil himself. He looked down and saw a sword in his hand and a shield in the other, both just as black as the dirt under his feet. He was decked out in full, matte black Roman armor instead of the outfit he came here in. He even had a helmet with a plume. It’s a good thing he also had a cape to complete the look or else he might look stupid.

Lucas looked around and saw he was alone in the pit. The only audience he noticed right away were the human-shaped shadow figures filling the seats in the arena. They weren’t cheering, but they weren’t booing either, actually, they weren’t doing anything at all. He could tell they didn’t have eyes, but that didn’t erase the feeling of being under a microscope. Lucas finally spotted Hades. He was sitting in the first tier of seats, the podium, reserved for senators and royalty. Lucas was being cynical before about the skele-throne, but that’s exactly what was under Hades’ rump, a collection of black and gray skulls, fingers, feet, and every bone in between, sloppily constructed to resemble a chair of sorts. Lucas thought he might be hallucinating, but he could swear the bones were reaching out and crying for help. Mist curled up around each movement of a hand or call of the mouth, but he assumed it was Hades’ sheer will-power that kept those bones in place.

Anthony was still in shackles, but this time they were rooted in the floor and the cuffs were held together by a short chain. He was standing next to Hades, just over his right shoulder. He was out of Hades’ line of sight, but still close enough that Hades could grab at him if the need arose.

Hades sat up properly and addressed Lucas, as if just noticing his presence in the underworld,

“Welcome, my grandson! I’m surprised it took you this long to wake up!” Lucas looked at him, then at the colosseum, “Where am I?” then noticed his dad, and pointed with his sword, “What’s he doing up there?” then it dawned on him Brantley wasn’t anywhere to be found and started looking frantically around him, then back at Hades, “and where’s Brant?”

Hades muttered so only he and Anthony could hear, “Jeez kid you really do ask too many questions,” he cleared his throat and spoke so Lucas could hear, “You mean you don’t see him standing right next to you?”

Lucas turned so quick he almost got whiplash, his best friend standing next to him in the same body of armor as he. Lucas dropped his weapons and gave him a bear hug, letting out a sigh of relief and disbelief, “Oh my gods, I thought I lost you, man! I got your message in the library, I’m so glad you reached out.” Brantley did his best to return the hug, but his confusion was holding him back. “What? What message? What library?” Lucas quickly released from the hug and returned the level of confusion, “You-you didn’t send me a message crying out for help?”

“No; the last thing I remember is you about to blow out your candles and the next thing I know I’m down here ready to perform a grade-school play of ‘300’,” Brantley said, as he examined his garb and location, “and where is ‘here’ exactly?” He gave Lucas a questioning look. Lucas turned back to Hades, who was wearing the same smirk as when he sent Lucas down here. Hades sat forward and leaned his elbow on his knees, “You see, champ, my little magic trick from earlier sent Brantley to this exact moment.” Lucas turned back to Brantley and whispered in disbelief to himself, “So you were never in danger, and if you didn’t send the message, who…” his eyes got wide and he turned to look at Anthony, “Dad?” With misty eyes, Anthony nodded, assuring Lucas of his hunch. Anthony knew it was a long-shot to reach out for any mortal soul, but he was desperate and knew that Lucas would always be there for him, even in the after-life.

Lucas turned his attention to Hades and shouted, “So you lied to me? Brant was never in danger?” Hades stood and shouted so the shadow figures could also hear, “Of course I lied! I’m the inventor of lies!. Lies that life will be full of rainbows and cotton candy. Lies that dads won’t keep secrets from their kids. Lies that life has a good ending.” his voice became calm again, “And by the way, I’ll always be king down here; I would never even dream of letting anyone else take over, especially my own kin.”

He sat back down, examining the dirt under his nails and propping his feet up on the edge of railing, “Though, I did tell the truth about one thing, you really are my grandson.” Lucas heard a human-sized thud next to him and turned to see Brantley had passed out, hopefully due to shock of that information and not a heat stroke. He bent down to wake him up, his patience paper thin by now, “Come on, Brant, wake up, we don’t have time for this.” He tried shaking him, but after that didn’t work he went with a hardy smack across the face, waking up Brantley and immediately sitting him up-right. He asked in a mumble, “What happened? Whose grandson?” Lucas gave him a quick response, “I’ll explain later, get up!”

He turned to address the King of Lies, “So why do all this? Why drag us all down here?” Hades made eye contact with him, which was the first time Lucas was truly terrified of him. “Because you and this degenerate next to me are the saddest excuses for humans I have ever seen, and I can’t let that continue, especially if you’re related to someone like me.” He turned toward Brantley now, “as for you, I needed incentive for Lucas, and you simply chose the wrong person to hang around all those years ago, so really it’s your own fault you’re down here.” Brantley had to grab Lucas to hold him back. Hades was back on his throne with his feet propped up on the railing, “And that is why you, dear grandson, are going to fight him,” he said, “which shouldn’t be too hard, though, since his body isn’t equipped to survive down here.” Anthony tried to reach for Hades, but his chains just shook a bit.

“You’ll fight to first blood- no that’s too easy, to the death! The winner will be able to roam the underworld as much as you want, but the loser will be my lackey for the rest of time, that is, after you’ve had time to regenerate into your ghostly form. So let’s get this show on the road.”                                                   Lucas and Brantley looked at each other with facial expressions as if to say, ‘is this really happening?’ Brantley spoke up this time, “You just admitted to being the biggest liar in history, how are we supposed to trust your word on that?”

“I’m just here for a good show, I don’t care who lives or dies. Plus I have some lunch-deprived Hellhounds who can join if you don’t start soon.”

They turned to each other and started discussing how to get out of this, speaking in whispers. “Alright what do we do?” Lucas asked. “I don’t know! You’re the one with semi-godly powers!” “Yeah, not semi-godly knowledge!” “Well, can’t your dad do something? He’s got even more power than you, right?” “I sure hope so, otherwise we’re dead” “Don’t remind me” “Well we gotta do something, neither of us can stay here, and I’m sure not leaving my dad behind.”

Hades was on the verge of losing his patience, not that he had much to start with anyway. “Today, princess!” No response from either of them. “Alright, time for the Hellhounds then.”

That got their attention. Hades was about to send them in, but Lucas turned toward him, putting his hands up, “No, no! We’re uh, we’re…” Brantley interjected, “We’re trying to decide who would be a better servant for you, sir, ya know, we want to leave you with the best!” Which wasn’t entirely false, they really were trying to decide who should stay, both of them too loyal to let the other die.

Hades relaxed, happy that they were finally coming to terms with their situation, “Now that’s what I like to hear.”

Brantley spoke in a strangled whisper, “Okay now we really have to think of a plan” Brantley could see the wheels turning in Lucas’ head, “What are you thinking?” Lucas answered, a little too excited, “Do you remember our high school production of Les Misérables?” “Of course, I was forced to do that instead of be in detention all semester.” Brantley said, wondering how this pertains to anything. “Well don’t be too sore about it, that’s how we met,” Lucas mentioned. Brantley shook his head in agreement, “Anyway, do you remember the dance-y fight scene between those two guys?” Brantley was even more confused and concerned than before, “Dude, that was like, twelve years ago, of course not!” Lucas stared at him, waiting for a different answer, knowing Brantley was not good at bluffing. “….Yeah I remember.” “Let’s use that to at least buy us some time and hopefully my dad will think of something.” Brantley let out an exasperated sigh, “Let’s give it a shot.” With that, the two started to recall the fight sequence, a little rocky to start, but eventually it came back to them. They knew they would have to make it bigger and better for Hades, so they were overly dramatic and yelling insults that would’ve gotten them kicked out of Radio City. At some point, Brantley even managed to draw blood from Lucas. Lucas was more impressed about it than anything, considering this is only the second time Brantley has ever wielded a sword, let alone a sharp object.

Back at the podium, Anthony was trying to conjure up a plan and quietly get out of his restraints, but it was useless. In defeat, Anthony looked to the floor and he noticed there were metatarsal bones, phalanges, metacarpals, and a bunch of other bones that he assumed are in hands and feet, forming from mist on the floor and falling from the chair. They were probably here because Hades was putting more attention into the fight than keeping his seat in tact.

Whatever the reason, it gave Anthony an idea. It was a long shot, but he had to try.

Lucas had just executed some brilliant improv by drop kicking Brantley, too bad he moved out of the way, sending Lucas air born and landing on his back so hard his chiropractor could feel it. Sadly, it was all for nothing because at that very moment they heard a howl coming from the podium, not one like a dog or wolf, more like someone had shoved their hand in a running blender. Lucas was never more concerned for someone’s life than right now. The guys ran and jumped over the railing to find Anthony standing over Hades. The throne that had been there before was gone, well not exactly gone, just being used for a different purpose. All the bones that made up the throne were now evenly distributed on top of Hades body, holding him down and clamping his mouth shut. About five Hellhounds were charging toward all of them, but Anthony spoke right before they hit them head on, “διαμονή,” and they stopped in their tracks, giving head turns of confusion.

Anthony looked down at Hades with relieve, “Ya know dad, this is the first time I’m actually happy to have some of your power.” Lucas looked at his dad in awe, “Dad, how did you do that?” “For the Hellhounds, you tend to pick up a few things after being down here for so long, and that includes command words. As for the skeletons, I knew I had some of his power, and I assumed that included control over the dead. So I had the falling remnants of hands get me out of that bear trap, and while his Royal Highness was distracted by you two ballerinas, I decided to literally take a stab in the dark, and reached around and used the longest bone I could find to take him down.”

Brantley bent down to Hades side, “Huh, very intuitive.” He tried to grab the bone, but his hand went right through it. “I knew it wouldn’t kill him,” Anthony mentioned, “but I hoped it would at least buy us some time or distract him long enough to get us out of dodge.”

The three of them were looking down at Hades, he was glaring at them, writhing, and trying his best to wiggle out of his restraints. The bones were obeying well enough before with just Anthony in control, but now that Lucas was putting his power into it as well, there was very little chance Hades would get out of that on his own. Hades tried to speak through the hands covering his mouth, but it just came out as one long muffled sound.

Lucas bent down to hover above Hades. The bone Anthony had used to stab Hades was still in his chest, and Lucas pushed it in further, “I bet you’re wondering why we’re doing this. Well, as I seem to recall, you don’t care who lives or dies, it’s just a good show you want.” Hades looked at his hounds, trying to communicate what to do next, but they just stood there, one even came over and licked his face, but the bones stayed in where they were.

Lucas looked his grandfather dead in the eyes, while still hunched down, with Anthony and Brantley standing behind, “Thanks for the good show, champ.”

Anthony shouted while keeping eye contact with his dad, “επίθεση.”                All five hounds pounced on Hades, and it wasn’t to cuddle up with him, while Anthony and Lucas snapped with both hands, sending all three of them topside.

[purplesurveys]

813

When was the last time you baked something for someone? It was like 2011 or something. My parents had bought a new oven and my sister and I wanted to ~baptize it by baking cookies. Our cookies honestly didn’t taste like anything but our relatives were really nice to praise us about them anyway.

Do you ever spend the night at random people’s houses? I would never do that, that sounds so dangerous lol. I only ever spend the night at my best friends’.

What did you eat for dinner tonight? Was it any good at all? It was pork in some sort of coconut sauce. It was insanely good but when I asked my dad what it was, he just smiled at me which leads me to think he just experimented and invented the dish lol.

What is the most annoying thing that your parents do? I don’t like it when my mom barges into rooms without knocking and when she’s being fat-phobic and racist. My dad occasionally has brief spurts of being agitated with everyone and he’ll proceed to have comments about every single thing going on around him, and that can get pretty damn annoying.

Would you be mad if your mom showed your boyfriend your baby pictures? If my mom showed my *girlfriend my baby pictures, I wouldn’t be annoyed. I don’t see why I would be, they’re just photos.

Would you say you’re someone who has good manners? Yes. I honestly pride myself on that fact because I’ve seen so many people my age who lack basic manners. I may not be close with my mom but she raised me very well when it comes to this.

When was the last time you went to an amusement park? Which one? I went to a school fair last January if that counts. If we’re talking about legit amusement parks, it was in 2013 when we went to Universal Studios in Singapore and Legoland in Malaysia.

Would you rather be kissed on the neck or on the lips? I’d normally prefer neck, but I haven’t been kissed on the lips for so long that I’d pick that for now.

Do you completely trust the person you’re dating? Very much.

Has someone ever called you heartless before? Why is that? My mom. Idk, she was being her.

What color was the shirt you wore yesterday? Gray, but it had a rainbow heart on the top left side.

Have you ever completely given up on someone any time in life? Kind of, yeah. Very early on I had given up on the possibility of my mom changing her ways and tendencies. Ever since coming to terms with that fact, it’s been easier to tolerate the verbal abuse. I’ve also given up on the possibility of one of my uncles turning his life around for the better, permanently.

What is one thing you’re not looking forward to in the next week? More days of being stuck at home.

Would you consider Christmas your favorite holiday? It is not and it hasn’t been for a very long time.

Would you rather give someone presents or receive them? Receive. I’m perpetually anxious about whether someone likes my gifts or not so giving is always stressful for me; whereas when I receive presents I always, always love them whatever they may be.

How many chances do you normally give someone before giving up on them? One, usually. I’m not very patient with people who mess up lol.

Did you parents know what gender you were before you were born? Yes, but they didn’t decide on a name until the very moment that they had to write down a name while filing for my birth certificate. Ever since they revealed that to me, I’ve always been conditioned to think that my name was a super clutch decision lmao. It’s fine though because I’m happy with my name.

Are any of your really close friends pregnant right now? No, I’m very sure none of them are. Then again, the people I went to high school with who have kids now kept their pregnancies a secret, so I honestly never know who’s currently pregnant.

Are you for or against inter-racial relationships? Anyone who is against it is a traditional asshole.

Would you say you’re more of a pessimist or optimist? Depends on the situation. I can always be either.

Do you know what your true typing speed is? What is it? I mean I’ve taken some tests before and if I bring my A-game I can do 85-95 words per minute. I never have to type that fast in real life though so my average typing speed is probably slightly slower than that.

What would you say is the longest survey you’ve ever taken? I did so many attempts to do the 5000-question survey but I never finished it lol. My longest survey was probably 500 questions back when I had just discovered surveys and wanted to take the longest ones available.

Do you get bored by things really easily, or not so much? I’d say I get bored fast. I think it’s because I’ve never really had good things stick with me for a long time and they’re always taken away from me so soon, so now, whenever I enjoy stuff I think my brain just kinda self-sabotages the whole situation and makes me bored with them so that I can move past them with no problem.

Do you hate it when people pronounce ‘potatoes’ as ‘taters?’ No. I didn’t even know they mean the same thing until right now lol, I just thought taters was some sort of American term.

Have you ever been addicted to something unhealthy? I’ve never been legitimately addicted to anything, no.

Do you wear a lot of make-up on a daily basis? I wear no makeup on a daily basis. < Same.

Who makes the best desserts in your entire family? My uncle Afay. He posts his masterpieces on his Facebook and they allllllways look so good whether it’s cheesecake, dream cakes, cream puffs, crinkles, etc. Sometimes when I heart-react his food posts, he’ll even tell me to drop by his place after school so he can give me some :)

When was the last time your received a hug? Who was this hug from? March 7th. Gabie. This lack of hugs is so not good for me lmao.

Do you have good dreams or nightmares more? I have weird dreams most often. They’re neither good nor bad, it’s just random people showing up doing things I’ll never expect them to do in real life haha.

Would you rather color pictures with markers or crayons? Crayons. Markers use up a lot of ink and I’d feel weird using all that up just to color a picture; I’d rather use markers to simply write stuff.

Do people come to you for advice a lot of the time? Not all the time but I do get a fair amount of that kind of message.

When the holidays come around, do you watch holiday movies? Not always. I watch them year-round. Would you say you’re a friendly person or not so much? I’m friendly with everybody but I hold back to a certain extent. At the end of the day I still choose which people I wanna be my true self, or show my true personality, with.

Have you ever / do you ever recycle? Sometimes, though out of the 3R’s I do reduce the most.

When was the last time you ate something from Burger King? Sometime shortly before the quarantine. I think it was in February.

When someone mentions a song, does it make you wanna listen to it? Only if it’s a song I already know and like.

Do you usually talk more than you should about things? Yep, have a pretty big mouth. I’ve been scolded for it more than once.

Who is the nosiest person you know? Do you like them anyways? Mils can be such a social climber and always wants to be in the know about everything so that she can understand references and look cool. Idk, it’s hard to like her because she tries so hard. I’m always nice to her though because she hasn’t done anything bad to me.

When did you last talk to one of your teachers? Like...from high school? Man, I have no clue. The day of my graduation, probably. I noped the fuck out of that place and out of that culture the second I got my diploma.

How many class periods does your school have? What are the classes? We have hundreds of classes in my university so it’ll be impossible and incredibly time- and space-consuming to list them all down. During the time I was in high school we had English, Filipino, Math (a different specialization for every year), Social Studies/History (same as math), Science (same thing), Christian Living Education (because Catholic school lol), Philosophy in senior year, Health, Home Economics/Accounting, Homeroom, and some local class where we were basically taught how to be charitable to the less fortunate (because again, Catholic school). I don’t know if I was able to recall all the classes but that’s a good chunk of them. We typically had 7-8 classes in a day that would last 45 minutes each.

Would you say you’re a faster or slow learner? Depends on what I’m learning. For instance, I’m quick at learning stuff that can be memorized or read from a book like history, law, biology, etc. but you’ll have to be incredibly patient with me when it comes to teaching me something like sewing or origami.

Are you one of those people who like The Nightmare Before Christmas? I’ve never seen it.

Do you fully understand the concept of ‘love?’ Probably not yet. I have an idea of it now, but that can always change. After all, I’m still incredibly young and have lots of unknown lessons yet to pick up.

[freshbeetsmusic]

Week of January 8, 2017

1. Finesse [Remix] (feat. Cardi B) — Bruno Mars

I’m going to be honest — I’m not the biggest Bruno Mars fan. But, I’d die for Cardi B. Not only is she one of the hottest artists on the charts right now, but she’s a total icon. Confession: I’ve been watching old seasons of Love & Hip Hop lately just for her. That being said, my only complaint about this one is that it isn’t just all Cardi. But hey, I’ll take what I can get.

2. It Just Comes and Goes — Old Man Canyon

This one comes from the first full-length album from this Vancouver indie band, and consequentially, the first song I’ve heard from these guys. I love the Tame Impala-esque sound and the sunny feeling this song gives you, and will definitely be giving the full album a listen and keeping my eyes on them.

3. All The Stars — Kendrick Lamar & SZA

Kendrick and SZA are two of my favorite artists and created two of my favorite albums in 2017, and I can’t wait to see what they do this year. Just as with “Doves in the Wind” and “Babylon,” every time they collaborate, it’s magic. Plus, this song will be featured in the new Black Panther movie’s soundtrack.

4. Game to Lose — I’m With Her

I’m With Her is a collaboration between three of the greatest women in modern folk music — Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan. They’ve been teasing us with singles since 2015, but this February, they’ll finally bless us with a full length album. “Game to Lose” is the second single from the album.

5. All This Useless Energy — Jeff Rosenstock

All This Useless Energy is a buildup anthem for the anxious, from “POST—“ an album full of leftover political and social angst that Jeff Rosenstock is clearly, carrying into the new year. I’m with him on that.

6. I Can’t Quit — The Vaccines

In their first single since 2015, The Vaccines come back renergized. “I can’t quit, I’m over it,” is a perfect, more upbeat follow-up to Rosenstock’s track at No. 5.

7. Bowling — Brother Moses

Brother Moses is another band to watch this year. The Fayetteville, North Carolina-based band is made up of friends who met while in college. “Bowling” is fast-paced and fun — and I, too, now want to dance inside a bowling alley.

8. Out in the Open — Steep Canyon Rangers

My North Carolina roots are really showing today, but I love a good banjo tune. Roots folk group Steep Canyon Rangers’ latest is about coming to terms with yourself — and laying it all out in the open.

9. Number One (In the New York) — Titus Andronicus

At eight minutes, Titus Andronicus has created a full-on ballad to emptiness. Though they’ve sprinkled Christmas bells and carols beneath the vocals, this one is a dark reflection on the sadness that comes when the holidays pass, and the anticipation of what lies ahead return.

10. Hey Heartbreaker — Dream Wife

This is the epic ‘80s style all-girl rock band revival I’ve been waiting for since like, forever. Dream Wife is The GoGos for a new generation, and “Hey Heartbreaker” is an instant hit.

11. Repeater — King Buffalo

This psychedelic rock band sounds like they’re playing this song out of a basement in the town you went to college in, but I dig it. The song’s about being stuck in a loop of your daily routine, something we can all relate to. You might think this one is excessively long, but its power builds throughout and the riffs at the end are pretty spectacular.

12. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge — Conner Youngblood

The title says it all. Listening to this like floating through some kind of nature retreat dreamscape painting, and Conner Youngblood’s voice is fresh air.

13. Tell Me — Joan as Police Woman

This song has been stuck in my head since the minute I first hear it. A pop R&B goddess, Joan Wasser slays me with this catchy, demanding track — and the leather boots she’s sporting in the artwork.

14. Trip Tonight — Hate Drugs

In the midst of an absolutely bitter winter, “Trip Tonight” is a west coast runaway anthem that transports me — and makes me want to buy the first ticket to somewhere tropical.

15. Everybody Wants to Famous — Superorganism

Superorganism is an electo-pop powerhouse, made up of members from the UK and Japan. “Everybody Wants to be Famous” is, non-ironically, their first viral track that could lead to fame. Blast this one while you pretend not to care about how many likes your last Instagram post got. Happy 2018.

[themusesofmars]

Happy Birthday, Ignis!

Happy birthday, Ignis! <3 I had the best intentions, I promise. I really wanted to write a worthy birthday fic for Iggy, but between work and Elder Scrolls Online releasing player housing this week, I just let time get away from me. Still, I would really hate to miss Iggy’s big day. So here’s the rough draft of “Happy Birthday, Ignis,” posted exclusively to our blog and Tumblr accounts. Eventually this will be edited (read: FIXED) and posted to fanfiction.net and archive of our own, but it’s too late tonight and we’re out of time. I understand this is probably full of typing errors and completely out of character, but it was a rough draft written between 11:30 last night and 12:30 this morning. So...take it or leave it. lol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Noctis had a bad habit of chewing on pens.

He wasn’t even aware he was doing it most of the time, but as he sat at the study desk in the palace library in the Crown City of Insomnia, his teeth found familiar grooves on the end of his writing implement and he had to frown at himself. Ignis was always chiding him for doing it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

But Ignis wasn’t here now, so Noct had to mentally scold himself and get back to the task at hand. He had a planner open in front of him with the date of February 7th circled in red. Ignis made him carry a date book to keep track of his lessons and royal obligations, and though he usually only did so to appease the older man, this was one day he had been looking forward to and couldn’t forget. No, not looking forward to, but keeping an eye on. For weeks he had been trying to decide just how to handle today, and he still wasn’t sure. So here he sat in the palace library, the one quiet place where he could think in peace and not be bothered.

“Here he is, Gladio! I found him!”

So much for that plan.

As his friend Prompto came galloping into the room at a charge, Noct quickly slammed the planning book shut and reached for the nearest book, stealing a tome from the stack someone else had left on the desk.

“Whatcha doin’, buddy?” Prompto asked curiously as he stole a chair from another table and placed it facing backward directly across from Noct, then straddled it as he sat down.

Gladio rounded the desk and came up behind Noct, snatching the book from his hands. “Hmph. When the chamberlain told us you were in here, I couldn’t believe it. Now,” he said, waving the closed book in the prince’s face, “I know you’re up to something. ‘Prevailing Theories of Lucian Crystal Matrices’? Yeah, right. You probably couldn’t read the title of this book, let alone explain what it’s about.”

“Back off,” Noct grumbled, waving the book out of his face.

“Whatcha got there, Noct?” Prompto reached out and took hold of the planner.

“Hey!” The prince grabbed for it, but Gladio got his larger hand on it first. “Give that back to me, Gladio,” he demanded, standing up quickly.

“What is it, your little black book?” Gladio taunted, opening the planner and flipping through its mostly blank pages.

“None of your business, damn it,” Noct growled. “Just give it back!”

“What’s this?” Gladio had found the page with today’s date and was eyeing it critically.

“What is it, big guy?” Prompto was kneeling on his chair, trying to lean over Gladio’s shoulder.

“I dunno. What is this, Noct?” Gladio turned the planner around to face the prince, and pointed toward the block where he had circled the seventh day of February and written… “Why is Ignis’s name written here?”

Prompto gasped. “Ooh, I know!” he said excitedly. “It’s Ignis’s birthday, isn’t it, Noct?”

“Yes,” Noctis admitted through gritted teeth. This time he succeeded in ripping the book free from Gladio’s clutches. “Not that he wanted the whole palace to know about it.”

Gladio snorted, sounding offended. “I hardly think telling two of his friends counts as the ‘whole palace’,” he grunted. For good measure, he tacked on, “Drama queen.”

Noct tucked the book under his arm and grabbed his pen from the desk. “Doesn’t matter. Ignis doesn’t like it when people make a big deal about it, so he likes keeping it to himself.”

“So why’d you circle the date on your calendar?” Gladio challenged, his arms folded over his chest.

Noct didn’t answer.

“Dude!” Prompto slapped Gladio’s chest with the back of his hand to get his attention. “We should totally throw Ignis a killer party!”

To Noct’s chagrin, Gladio’s eyes lit up. “Yeah…” the muscular man agreed. Noct could practically see the wheels turning behind his eyes. “We could have it right here in the library! Nobody else will be in here tonight, and there’s plenty of room. And Ignis loves this place, so it’s perfect!”

Noct’s pulse was racing. “He loves it here because it’s quiet,” he felt compelled to point out. “I don’t think this is a good idea, anyway.”

“Why not?” Now Noct had offended Prompto.

“Because I just got finished telling you Ignis doesn’t like it when people make a big deal out of his birthday!”

“Pfft,” Gladio scoffed. “Everyone likes getting presents and feeling like a king for a day.”

The prince gave him a wry look.

Gladio ignored it. “And nothing makes a man feel more like a god than strippers.”

Noct gasped with wide eyes. “What!”

“Dude!” Prompto cackled. “That’s hardcore!”

Gladio looked at him analytically before deciding, “I guess you’re old enough to be invited.”

“Aw, come on!” Prompto complained. “It was my idea, so I have to be invited! Besides, I’m the one that’s going to help you plan this thing.”

“All right, then it’s settled.” Gladio slammed a fist against his open palm. “You go to the kitchen and take care of the food; I’ll call the girls and buy the booze.”

“Woohoo!” Prompto sang, throwing his arms up in the air. “Partay!”

“I think I know a guy who can hook us up with some strobes…” Gladio said thoughtfully as he led the way toward the exit.

“I can DJ!” Prompto offered.

They were so excited about their party planning they forgot all about Noct, who had his face in his hands as he wondered how he had let this happen and how to break the bad news to Ignis. It was after five o’clock when Gladio found him again. This time Noct was sitting on the balcony outside of his room, his legs dangling over the edge. He was still toying with the idea of what he wanted to give Ignis as a birthday gift, but warring with himself over whether or not he should, when Gladio walked out onto the veranda.

“You’re hiding in weird places today,” Gladio complained as he joined the prince. “I saw you from the East wing and had to jog all the way over here.”

“You didn’t have to do anything,” Noct retorted, not turning to look at him. Gladio had interrupted him twice too many times today and he was getting annoyed.

“Okay, smartass, so you’re mad we came up with the idea to throw a party for Ignis first. So get over it and give us a hand. We could use a little help.”

“You think I’m jealous?” Noct snapped, now giving Gladio his full attention. “I told you Ignis hates parties! Especially the kind you’re planning, so I want nothing to do with it.”

“Nobody hates parties, punk,” Gladio bit back at him, grabbing his shoulder and yanking him down from the ledge. “Listen, all we need you to do is get Ignis to the library at nine o’clock.”

Noct’s temper flared when the larger man forced him from his perch and insisted he partake of their nonsense. “I said I don’t want to. Why are you involving me in this?”

“Because Ignis will do anything you tell him to. He’s crazy about you, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Noct inhaled sharply but said nothing.

“You’re his best friend. Just tell him about your crystal matrices textbook and get him in there, all right?”

There was just no poing in arguing. “Fine,” Noct grumbled. “But don’t blame me if he doesn’t show.”

Gladio just grinned at him. “Oh, he’ll show. If you’re the one doing the inviting, he’ll show.” Noctis had never felt so guilty as he did leading Ignis to the the gallows. Surprise party. Whatever. The palace hallways were deserted, all the councilors and dignitaries having concluded the day’s business, and the lights were dimmed. Their footsteps echoed too loudly in the silent corridoors. As they approached the palace library, the prince thought he could hear the pounding of his own anxious heartbeat reverberating off the walls.

Suddenly Ignis stopped walking, and turned to face him. “Noct,” he said, sounding hesitant.

Noct slowed and stopped, hardly able to meet Ignis’s eyes. He had to swallow before answering, “Yeah?”

Ignis gave him a small smile. “You’re not really leading me to the library to look at a book, are you?”

The prince sighed. He hated lying to Ignis. Even for a supposed good cause. “Well, not really for a book,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck as his gaze dropped to the floor.

“Ah. Didn’t think so.” Ignis sounded amused, however, and began walking again. “Well, let’s continue. Chop-chop! I’m eager for my birthday gift.”

Noct’s eyes widened as he hurried to catch up to Ignis’s now brisk and eager pace. “You—you are?” he asked with surprise.

“Of course,” Ignis replied, placing a hand on Noct’s shoulder as they reached the library door. “I have an idea of what it might be. And I might have something to give you in return.”

“But, Ignis—”

“Shh. Not until we’re inside and have a little privacy.” Ignis reached for the door handle.

“No, you don’t understand. Ignis, wait!”

It was too late. Ignis had pulled open the library door. He guided Noct into the darkened room and turned to face him as it closed behind them.

Suddenly the lights flipped on.

“Happy birthday!” sang a chorus of dozens of mostly female voices.

Ignis blinked in the sudden glare of flashing colored lights as the deafening bass of unpleasantly loud music began shaking the floor beneath his feet. He turned to look at Noct with surprise.

Noct couldn’t read Ignis’s expression behind the glare of strobing lights reflecting on the lenses of his glasses. But he could imagine the betrayal there.

He couldn’t have apologized if he’d wanted to, because Ignis was being dragged away by Gladio and Prompto, each tugging on one of his arms and leading him toward a circle of young girls in bikinis who were holding a large birthday cake, twenty-three candles ablaze.

The crowd was thick, the library filled with strangers, but Noct managed to push his way through and find the exit that led out into the garden. He didn’t like crowds any better than Ignis did, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the party entirely, since it was all his fault this had happened. Ignis was stunned. He had been hoping—what with the way Noct had been looking at him lately—he might get a pleasant surprise tonight from the prince, but he’d had no idea it would be anything like this. Had Noct really had a hand in it—the women, the alcohol, the raucous music? Didn’t he know him at all?

He hardly had a moment to be disappointed before he found himself engulfed in a wave of congratulations. Before his eyes could even adjust to the brilliant lights, he was told to make a wish and blow out the candles on the oversized cake. A few men shook his hand and several women kissed him, while he stood there bewildered.

“Gladio…who are all these people?” He had to shout to be heard over the music.

Gladio shrugged. “They brought presents, so who cares?”

“But—but where will I send my thank-you notes?”

Gladio laughed, then pushed Ignis into the arms of a half-naked dancer. The music was so loud Noct could hear it plainly even from outside. He was surprised none of the palace guards had been dispatched to break up the party, but then realized Gladio must have taken care of that. He was so distracted he didn’t noticed someone had joined him until another body sat down on the stone garden bench beside him. He was surprised when he looked up and saw Ignis next to him.

His ash blond hair was touseled, his tie was missing, and his shirt was halfway undone, revealing lipstick stains on his neck and collar. But he didn’t look angry.

Noct was surprised. Was Ignis really having a good time? Even with the girls? Had he misjudged him? Had he misunderstood…everything?

“I must say,” Ignis said, “I find it difficult to believe this was your doing.”

The corner of Noct’s mouth turned up in a half-hearted smile. His elbows resting on his knees, he shook his head. “It wasn’t.” Ignis cocked his head at him. “But I guess I’m responsible, anyway. Gladio found my planner, and I’d marked your birthday in it—just for my own purposes, not for…this.”

“Ah. I see.” Ignis sighed. “That’s certainly a relief.” He removed his glasses and wiped the lenses on the hem of his untucked dress shirt.

Noct looked up at him with surprise. “It is?”

“Indeed.” Ignis replaced his glasses on his face before drawing a handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbing at the pink and red makeup blotching his skin. “I had hoped we might be spending the evening alone together when you brought me here. I never anticipated what I walked into.”

“They made me do it,” Noct grumbled. “I tried to explain you don’t like parties and you wouldn’t want this, but they got so caught up in making plans they didn’t listen to a word I said.”

Ignis chuckled. “It’s all right. At least I can say I’ve had an adventure.” He tucked the hanky away and sat quietly for a while. When Noct said nothing more, Ignis gently cleared his throat. “I’m glad you know me so well, Noct.”

“Of course I do. We’ve been…we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Yes, we have.” Ignis paused before asking, “May I have my gift?”

“…Huh?”

Ignis leaned closer, nudging Noct’s shoulder with his own. “Prompto gave me an entire case of Ebony, so since we’re so close, your birthday gift to me had better be impressive.”

Noct almost cracked a smile, but he was too nervous. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. So instead he reached up, cupped Ignis’s face, and drew him in for a kiss.

The kiss didn’t last long, but it lingered for a few breathless moments. Ignis didn’t try to resist him, and his breath didn’t taste like alcohol, so the soft compliance of his lips was no mistake.

When Noct lowered his hands back to his own lap, he said, “There. That’s all I wanted to give you.”

Slowly Ignis smiled. He took hold of the boy’s hands tenderly. “And it’s the best gift I could have ever received.”

[jdaviswords]

Prominence

Though I write tonight for myself, I speak to you, fellow reader. Can you hear me? What does my voice sound like?...in your head I mean. Or am I you? Do I sound like you? Who am I? I find discomfort around those who are those who are not themselves. Know, that I'm not anxious now. Or is it we? You? Who the hell is this? Sorry for the confusion. A warm day in February tends to send me for a loop. Perhaps that's it. Or is that just an excuse? My... how binaries can strangle the mind. At least mine? Ours? Who cares? How easy is it to fall into patterns. How subtle a change can be. How reflective eyes are. A mirror is in front of me. Is that me? Or am I them? I wonder if they think the same...probably not. Like a merry-go-round...round and round. It's devastating. Life, that is. Especially because of all the sadness. How inherently depressing. I always wondered, perhaps you have to...why was I brought to this? Besides the fact that I'm a super sperm. How did my parents decide this was a good idea? Did they know? I cherish my life, fellow reader. Know that...I am not Sylvia Plath. Unlike the cat, I suspect I don't obtain nine lives. Nor do I wish to find out. In these hills, perhaps it's a plague. Where do you live? Am I you yet? Has my voice changed? I hope you don't feel sorry for me. Fear is the king dictator. Everything else is a reaction. Wouldn't you agree? Does it even matter?

[newyorktheater]

  Hamilton Off-Broadway in February, 2015 with original cast memberstop left to right: Phillipa Too as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr,Bottom left to right: Okieriete Onaodowan , Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos. See July 3

Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry. See July 2

Amadeus, see July 16

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, see July 17

Carousel. See July 10

Heroes of the Fourth Turning . See July 18

Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in July, 2020. The big news is the release of “Hamilton” online at Disney Plus — and (less hyped) the “Freestyle Love Supreme” documentary on Hulu — but in truth Lin-Manuel Miranda’s shows are not all that’s exciting this month in the world of online theater — a world in which “online” and “theater” have been synonymous since physical theaters were shut down in March (though there are small signs this may be changing; see July 13). And most of the other shows don’t require subscriptions.

Among the scheduled delights are acclaimed plays by Pulitzer finalist Will Arbery (July 18) and MacArthur “genius” grant winner Samuel D. Hunter (July 11), as well as a new Richard Nelson Apple Family play (July 1) and a new documentary play about frontline medical workers by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, creators of The Exonerated and Coal Country (July 8.) There a couple of inventive substitutions for the usual summer theater festivals.

Since so many shows are being put together at the last minute — sometimes not announced until the very day of their launch .. and there also have been fairly frequent last-minute postponements/cancellations/replacements — I will be updating/filling in this preview guide every day, and highlighting the offerings each new day with the link up top. This calendar as of this moment offers a glimpse of what’s in store. Come back day by day for a better look.

Here are some ongoing series that have proven to be reliable sources of art and entertainment.

Four offer live performances (often called readings) of original plays: The Homebound Project Livelabs: One Acts from MCC Play-PerView Viral Monologues from 24 Hour Plays

Play-PerView makes an exception this month to its original plays with what counts as a coup — the live reading of the Pulitzer finalist play “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” (which was supposed to debut last month but was postponed, as were a good number of productions due to the Black Lives Matter protests.)

A fifth offers live readings of classics and recent favorites: Plays in the House, Stars in the House’s twice weekly matinees  and now Plays in the House Teen Edition.

Three offer recordings of previous (glorious) stage productions.

Metropolitan Opera National Theatre at Home The Shows Must Go On from Andrew Lloyd Webber

For details about these and other ongoing series, check out my post Where To Get Your Theater Fix Online  (which lists, for example, the many long-running online sites such as BroadwayHD and Marquee TV that offer video-capture recordings of shows that were on stage)

All performances are free unless otherwise noted, although almost all hope for a donation (either to themselves or to a designated charity.)

*My definition of theater for the purposes of this calendar generally does not extend to variety shows, cast reunions, galas, panel discussions, documentaries, classes, interviews — all of which are in abundance this month, many worth checking out. My focus here is on creative storytelling in performance. (I make an occasional exception for a high-profile Netathon,involving many theater artists.)

A reminder that this calendar lists when the shows “open.” Some are live and available only for that one performance. Others are available for a week or weeks afterward or longer.

July 1

Die Mommie Die Plays in the House Launches at 2 p.m. Available for four days. In this latest of Stars in the House’s Wednesday matinees, Charles Busch is joined by BD Wong, Willie Garson, Brandon Contreras, Jennifer Cody and Ruth Williamson in this reading of his campy 1999 melodrama Die, Mommie, Die!, a mix of Aeschylus and Bette Davis.Directed and narrated by Carl Andress.

The Book of Job Project Theater of War Launches at 4 p.m. live only The latest from Bryan Doerries terrific community-oriented theater using classic texts (best-known for Antigone in Ferguson), is a dramatic reading of The Book of Job as a catalyst for discussion about injustice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring performances by Jeffrey Wright, Frankie Faison, Kimberly Hebert, David Strathairn, David Zayas, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

And So We Come Forth Apple Family Productions Launches at 7:30 pm. Available for 8 weeks The Apple Family, a dramatic series of plays which first appeared 10 years ago, returned last April with the premiere of a play written especially for Zoom, What Do We Need to Talk About? Now this second Zoom play, And So We Come Forth is set in early July 2020, amidst massive protests against injustice and racism in our country, as well as the anxious easing of a worldwide lockdown.

Richard II, part 1 Shakespeare@ Home

Shostakovich’s The Nose Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours It all begins with an absurd scenario: A hapless Russian bureaucrat wakes up one morning to discover that his nose has gone missing. He eventually locates his fugitive facial feature, which has been masquerading as a human being, but has no luck reattaching it. Based on a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol

Mary’s Mixology The Tank Launches at 8 p.m. Kev Berry’s monologue about his first year on the wagon. “What does it mean for a gay man to give up liquid courage?”

Borders Queerly Festival Launches at 8:30 p.m. live Boaz and George meet on Grindr. They are attracted to one another instantly and want to meet in person, but something prevents them from doing so. One lives in Israel, the other- in Lebanon. Also Friday at 3 p.m. The festival also offers three short plays tonight starting at 7 p.m.: Before We Can Make a Final Decision, Backup Plan, and an excerpt from “I Tried” by Veronica Garza, “my one woman show that I’ve been working on about the men I slept with in my struggles to be straight”

  July 2

Les Blancs National Theater Launches 2 p.m. Available until July 9 In this final play by Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun), in a production directed by Yael Farber in 2016, a society prepares to drive out its colonial present and claim an independent future. Tshembe, returned home from England for his father’s funeral, finds himself in the eye of the storm.

Hypochondriac! Theater in Quarantine Launches at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The first installment of a new adaptation of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid by David McGee and Joshua William Gelb.Featuring Gelb, Jessie Shelton, and Alex Hawthorne

Bizet’s Carmen Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours The tale of the irresistible and free-spirited Gypsy, whose fatal attraction with the jealous soldier Don José burns too hot for them to control.

July 3

Hamilton Disney Plus Available from this date on. A live-capture of the stage production with the original Broadway cast, which was shot over three days in June 2016. A Disney Plus subscription is required. One way to look at this is that it costs $6.99 to see “Hamilton” and you get a month to watch everything else on the service (which includes titles familiar to theatergoers though not the same versions — Frozen, The Lion King, Aladdin.) Here is my video review of “Hamilton” in 2015:

Here is my review of Hamilton on Broadway in 2019

  Mozart’s Don Giovanni Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours Mozart’s 1747 melodic version of the Don Juan myth, with two baritones starring alongside one another as the title Lothario and his faithful yet conflicted servant, Leporello, as well as three memorable female roles—multifaceted women who both suffer the Don’s abuses and plot their revenge.

July 4

Donizetti’s Don Pasquale Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours Beverly Sills stars in her final performance as a clever young widow, who goes up against a crusty old bachelor, no match for her wiles.

A Capitol Fourth PBS 8 – 9:30 p.m. The annual July 4 celebration will feature new performances from locations across the country, as well as highlights from the concert’s 40-year history. Among the performers are theater artists Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Mandy Gonzalez and Renée Fleming

July 5

Rossini’s La Donna del Lago Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m. available for 23 hours The retelling of Sir Walter Scott’s shadowy epic of clan warfare in 16th-century Scotland, which is at heart a classic love triangle.

July 6

Summer Stock Streaming Festival Mint Theater Available through July 19 Archival recordings of three old and forgotten plays that the Mint resurrected (which is what they do; I saw two of these on stage and found them fascinating.) “The Fatal Weakness” written in 1946 by George Kelly: Society woman Ollie Espenshade, after 28 years of marriage is still an incurable romantic (her fatal weakness). Perhaps discovering that her husband is a lying cheat will cure her?

“The New Morality” written in 1911 by Harold Chapin who died at age 29 in World War I: A comedy set aboard a houseboat on a fashionable reach of the Thames in 1911, in which brazen Betty Jones restores dignity to her household and harmony to her marriage.

“Women Without Men,” written in 1938 by Hazel Ellis: An all-female cast tells this humor-laced tale set in the teacher’s lounge of a private girls boarding school in Ireland in the 1930’s, where young new teacher Jean Wade, popular with her students but at odds with her quarrelsome colleagues, is accused of sabotaging her main antagonist.

July 8

Unveiled Premiere Stages at Keane Separate live showings at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets $10 Rohina Malik plays five Muslim women navigating complex social issues in a post 9/11 world. Following the screening, Ms. Malik will host a live Q & A with all ticket holders.

The Line Public Theater Launches at 7:30 p.m. Available until August 4. This new documentary play by Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen (The Exonerated, Coal Country) presents the experiences of frontline medical workers in New York and their battle to save lives in a system built to serve the bottom line. The cast includes Santino Fontana, Arjun Gupta, John Ortiz, Alison Pill ,Nicholas Pinnock , Jamey Sheridan and Lorraine Toussaint

July 9

The Deep Blue Sea National Theatre Launches at 2 p.m. available until July 16 In this play by Terence Rattigan, Hester Collyer (Helen McCrory) is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, which leads to the story of her tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge.

July 10

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel Lincoln Center Launches at 8 p.m. The latest of Lincoln Center’s Broadway Fridays (rescheduled from June 5) features a free digital stream of its concert production of this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical featuring the New York Philharmonic and starring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley,Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton, Tony winner John Cullum, and New York City Ballet dancers Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck.

Freedom Riders An online reading of Richard Allen and Taran Gray’s award-winning Freedom Riders: The Civil Rights Musical

July 11

The Few Play-PerView Written and directed by Samuel D. Hunter, featuring Gideon Glick: Four years ago, Bryan abandoned his labor of love: a newspaper for truckers. Now he’s returned—with no word of where he’s been—and things have changed. His former lover is filled with rage, his new coworker is filled with incessant adoration, and his paper is filled with personal ads.

July 12

Hershey Felder: Beethoven Based on Memories of Beethoven: Out of the House of Black-Robed Spaniards, a first-hand account by Dr. Gerhard von Breuning.

July 13

Plays about memory loss Food for Thought Productions 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 Louise Lasser and Bob Dishey star in this in-person event of three short plays (Arthur Miller’s “I Can’t Remember Anything,” Robert Anderson’s “I’m Herbert” and Daniel Rose’s “Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem”) held at The Coffee House Club, 22 West 44th Street, available first come, first served by calling 646-366-9340 or emailing info@foodforthoughtproductions. However, “if you’d rather watch from home, you can request the Zoom link.” staged reading of short plays about memory loss starring Tony nominee Bob Dishy and Louise Lasse

Richard II, part 1 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown. André Holland (Moonlight) stars, and the supporting cast includes Oscar winner Estelle Parsons, Tony winner Phylicia Rashad and Tony nominee John Douglas Thompson. The production will be broadcast in four installments from Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET nightly on WNYC. Listeners in the New York tri-state area can tune in at 93.9 FM or AM 820. It will also stream nationwide at WNYC.org.

July 14

Richard II, part 2 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown

July 15

The Homebound Project Available through July 19 The fourth edition

The Droll Bard of the Gate Launches at 7 p.m Meg Miroshnik’s play is the second offering in Paula Vogel’s play series,

Richard II, part 3 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown. licia Rashad as the Duchess of Gloucester.

July 16

Amadeus National Theatre Launches 2 p.m. Available until July 23 Lucian Msamati portrays the envious court composer Antonio Salieri who is envious of the obnoxious genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In this popular play by Peter Shaffer that was turned into an Oscar-winning film.

Richard II, part 4 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown.

July 17

“We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” Hulu A documentary about the improv theater company co-founded by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Virtual Fire Island Dance Festival he first-ever stream in the event’s 26-year history will feature world premieres of three new pieces and three beloved festival favorites.

July 18

Heroes of the Fourth Turning Play PerView Will Arbery’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist will now take place July 18 at 8 PM ET on Play-PerView after postponing the June 13 reading in solidarity with Black Lives Matter

July 20

Project Sing Out! Playbill Launches at 7 p.m. A one-night-only livestreamed event featuring musical performances, spoken word and special appearances from a variety of Broadway and TV’s biggest names, including Audra McDonald, Chirta Rivera, Don Cheadle, Vanessa Willams.

July 21

Coriolanus Bedlam

July 25

Knife to the Heart Play-PerView In this play by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin, ulie Ann and Marshall are expecting their first baby—with Marshall’s mother Rhonda hovering over them and Julie Ann’s fellow teacher Deacon providing moral support. Everything’s going smoothly until Julie Ann accidentally learns just what exactly the bris Rhonda’s planning involves, and all good will and politeness dissolve.

July 2020 Online Theater Openings: Hamilton, PLUS. What’s streaming day by day Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in July, 2020. The big news is the release of "Hamilton" online at Disney Plus -- and (less hyped) the "Freestyle Love Supreme" documentary on Hulu -- but in truth Lin-Manuel Miranda's shows are not all that's exciting this month in the world of online theater -- a world in which "online" and "theater" have been synonymous since physical theaters were shut down in March (though there are small signs this may be changing; see July 13).

[mikeyd1986]

WINDWAKER w/ Tapestry & Heartline @ BANG! February 2020

I never thought I’d see myself back at BANG! again especially after all the bad experiences I’ve had there in the past. From being socially excluded to trying my hardest to be a Destroy All Lines promoter (and failing to connect with the other elitist hosts) to rude security guards on power trips, things didn’t really end on a positive note for me. I also was finding that the loud nightclub vibes inside the venue just weren’t aligning with my own! I just didn’t fit the mould of most people who attended BANG! (extroverts, party animals, millennials, smokers, obnoxious drunk people, superficial people with huge egos). Plus I am getting older!

Now at 33 (and turning 34 very soon), going out to night clubs isn’t high on my priority list these days! In fact, I’m usually ready for bed by 9.30pm. Plus I’ve also had significant health issues from depression and anxiety to fatigue and insomnia. All of the things pose a threat to me continuing to attend local gigs especially late at night! I’ve literally had to use stimulants such as caffeine and pre-workout supplements as a crutch just to stay alert and not doze off into the evening.

So when this show came along, I was initially hesitant especially when I saw that the doors would be opening at 10pm. How on Earth was I going to stay awake and focused until then let alone when I got inside the venue? This week I had the double whammy of deciding to stop taking my prescription sleep medication due to increased side effects and dependency.

Plus my roster at work has recently changed to early starts on Sunday and Monday as well as afternoon starts on Tuesday and Wednesday! I’ve also had a fairly hectic schedule with grocery shopping, cooking, housework, appointments with my OT, support worker and counselor and gym sessions to fit in too. That’s a lot of stuff to adjust to in one week but I was determined to persevere and push through the struggles and the sleep deprivation.

I chose to come out to BANG! again tonight partly because I wanted to support the bands playing (It’s a pretty stacked lineup). But also because my social life has significantly suffered lately. Namely, I miss hanging out with friends and band mates. I truly do! I’m learning to take more chances in life because holding back just leads to disappointment and regret. Maybe I will have a good time tonight. There’s only one sure way of finding out.

After my boxing class with CinFull Fitness, I made my way down to Jordanville station to catch the train into the city. Thankfully the class actually gave me a much needed boost of energy and stamina. Lining up outside the venue with the usual riff-raff, we didn’t get inside until quarter past 10. Then we were forced to wait inside the beer garden area until they were ready to open the main bar area. It honestly felt like being herded in a cattle pen and it was slightly uncomfortable until I met up with my friend Jordy Shore. It was nice to have someone to break the ice with.

One of the biggest things that continues to annoy me about BANG! is that they never run on time and tonight was no exception! Heartline were meant to start at 10:15pm but got pushed back to around 10:30pm. Of course some people would see that 15 minute delay and think “big deal” but it’s difficult when you have to rely on public transport to get yourself back home safely. Plus I’ve always been a very structured person and that includes keeping to a schedule and being conscious of what the time is.

Once we got inside the main bar area, my worries seemed to deflate and I actually felt pretty chilled out for once. My brain was still in sensory overload mode though, taking in the emerald green chandeliers with forest-like foliage hanging from the ceiling and the crowd of familiar face. I was positively buzzing when it came to meeting all my friends and band mates. I’ve really missed them all so much!

I’ve never found it easy to stand out in a crowd so I have to rely on making eye contact and finding the right moments to speak up. My anxious thoughts always tries to derail moments like these “Don’t interrupt anyone! You don’t want to piss anyone off!” Of course when it comes to local gigs, musicians are always busy and therefore the “perfect” opportunity to say hello to them simply doesn’t exist. I had to be brave enough to JUST DO IT, just put myself out there and I did it.

Honestly the vibes tonight were so friendly and positive that all my past perceptions and bad experiences about BANG! seemed to dissipate into the background. I was legitimately surprised that I was actually having a good time tonight but I was also very glad that I was. I really needed this. I guess I’m growing to like this venue again and that is saying something.

HEARTLINE...This was the band that I was most giddy to see perform live! I’ve been supporting this Melodic Metalcore band from Adelaide, South Australia since the middle of last year and tonight was their first ever show in Melbourne. Their stage presence was majestic, confident engaging and passionate. Frontman Luke Taylor did an awesome job getting the crowd pumped up and they were equally as excited to participate. They simply blew my socks off tonight and I was super proud of them all for finally breaking into the Melbourne scene! Set List: Twenty Two, Crystal Eyes, Weightless, Essence, Covert. https://music.apple.com/us/album/essence-ep/1478821238

TAPESTRY...Formerly from Darwin and now relocated to Melbourne, this five-piece Melodic Hardcore band just never seems to disappoint. They are lovely and humble musicians with supreme talent and high quality songwriting. The band played tracks from their 2018 EP “Ghost of Me” for the final time tonight plus a few other surprises for older fans. The audience was immediately captivated, singing along to many of their songs. Eventually frontman Tom Devine-Harrison launched himself into the crowd of people near the stage, making a physical and personal connection with them. They were amazing!         Set List: Ghost, Ember, Dark Shade, Retrospect. https://music.apple.com/us/album/ghost-of-me/1353365058

WINDWAKER...Even though their set was on really late (they didn’t start until 12:15am), I was determined to stick around for one of my favourite Melbourne-based Alternative Heavy Melodic Hardcore outfits. I was stoked that they managed to draw such a moderately large crowd for their headlining show tonight. They poured their hearts out in this 45 minute performance, covering both their “Fade” and “Empire” EP’s for the final time tonight. Frontman Will King was as passionate and inspiring as ever with a beautiful vocal delivery and a confident stage presence. He won the crowd over very easily and it was good to see the band send it tonight! Set List: My Empire, The Destroyer, Castaway, Arrested, Grey World, The Sitch, New Infinite, Bring Me The Horizon medley. https://music.apple.com/au/album/empire-ep/1448666181

[theprattleronline-blog]

Much Music: February

Pamela Wang

February was a busy month filled with projects and work, on top of four shows! Check out the list of upcoming concerts in March!

Hippo Campus Supporting Act: Sure Sure

Hippo Campus is an indie rock band from St. Paul Minnesota. The group consists of vocalist Jake Luppen, guitarist/vocalist Nathan Stocker, bassist Zach Sutton, and drummer Whistler Allen. The band made their way to Brooklyn Steel on February 10th, supported by California-based band Sure Sure.

Sure Sure is an indie pop band from Los Angeles, California. They have been making music since 2014, and just recently released their first full length, self-titled album on January 12th. Sure Sure’s music was upbeat and fun, and got the crowd ready for Hippo Campus’ set. The last song they played, titled “Hands Up Head Down,” had a dance that accompanied it. Prior to the song the band explained how to do the dance, and it was fun to see the crowd participate.

Hippo Campus played several songs from their more recent album “Landmark,” and EP “warm glow” which came out this past September. Three songs in, Nathan said, “This is already the best night of tour so far,” which was definitely a noteworthy statement since their New York show was sixth to last. The crowd was pumped and did not shy away from dancing and singing along, especially during songs “Little Grace” and “Traveler.” Hippo Campus ended with “Buttercup,” dedicated to Planned Parenthood, who they partnered with during this tour. Fans chanted for a solid two minutes for an encore before the band finally returned to the stage. A much deserving roar from the crowd made the guys smile as they finished up their set with “Violet” from their 2015 EP “South.” They played a fantastic encore performance, accompanied by some crazy strobes and lots of headbanging.

Homeshake Supporting Act: Greatest Champion Alive Check out the feature piece here!

Two Feet Supporting Act: Absofacto

Bill Dess, who goes by the stage name Two Feet, is a singer-songwriter from New York City. His sensual, mellow sound enforces electronic beats with a jazz/blues influence. On February 16th, Two Feet and opener Absofacto performed at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Absofacto is singer-songwriter and producer Jonathan Visger. His bedroom pop/indie sound has a nice balance of organic fluidity and electronic elements. I had never heard Absofacto’s music prior to the show, so hearing him perform live was a pleasant surprise. Listening to his music online afterward was a bit disappointing in comparison to his live show, so I’m glad that I was able to experience the performance before developing assumptions. Although Absofacto is a solo project, his live band was equally as talented and exciting to watch. The female bass player and back up vocalist had a great voice and captivating stage presence. The crowd definitely enjoyed the set, and were jamming along from the very beginning.

Two Feet came on shortly after Absofacto. For a solo artist singing with only a guitar in hand, his performance was rich and full of enjoyable moments, and very passionate. He would get into these amazing guitar solos, kneel on the ground, and strut around the stage with confidence and swagger. Besides playing his popular hits, Two Feet also covered Blackbear’s “idfc” and Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine.” In addition, he played a couple of unreleased singles. The show was not only packed with fans of various ages, but also with family and friends. “I can’t believe all you guys came out to see me; it means so much. I have family and friends here, so this is a really exciting night.”

Awolnation Supporting Act: Nothing But Thieves & IRONTOM

Awolnation is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. They began their rise to fame in 2011 with the release of their first album “Megalithic Symphony,” which features one of their most popular singles “Sail.” Currently, the band is on tour to promote their newest album “Here Come the Runts,” with supporting acts IRONTOM and Nothing But Thieves. The band made their way to Terminal 5 on February 22nd.

IRONTOM was an amazing first opener. Lead singer Harry Hayes was lively and exciting to watch. His dance moves and facial expressions were emotive and exuberant, to say the least. The California band formed back in 2012, and have since released two studio albums, “IRONTOM Compilation,” and their more recent album “Partners.” Nothing But Thieves followed IRONTOM’s performance and brought more upbeat alternative rock jams. “We’re not gonna waste any time or talk any bullshit and get through this set…please enjoy yourselves!” Though the band had a limited set time, they managed to get through their set. It was a shame that they had to rush through the songs and the small talk, which always adds to the concert experience. Lead singer Conor Mason did apologize to the crowd after a few songs. “Sorry I’m being so rude and rushing through the set, but thank you New York, we love you and will return to the greatest city in America in September!”

After Nothing But Thieves’ performance, fans in the crowd were chanting for Awolnation. Everyone seemed eager and anxious for their set to start. Once the band walked on stage and began performing, everyone in the venue was up on their feet and moving to the music. “New York, we’ll love you forever, more than you’ll ever know…thank you for being here with us tonight,” said lead singer Aaron Bruno. Awolnation was full of life, and their performance was uplifting. After I had photographed the first couple of songs and returned to the crowd, I was amazed at all the fans and their energy. There was a couple dancing and singing in front of my friend and I, and at one point during the show, they turned around, grabbed our hands and started singing to us. It was extremely fun and unexpected, and it was one of the moments that made the night memorable. Awolnation’s show displayed a raw sense of community. The band ended the set with their hit single “Sail,” and before the last verse of the song Bruno motioned his hands outward towards the crowd and said loudly into the mic, “We are all Awolnation!” As a fan of their music, the night did not disappoint, and hearing their new album live was a nice treat to end the busy week.

Here are some upcoming shows for March in New York:

3/8 - Ella Vos @ The Bowery Ballroom

3/9 - Ella Vos @ Rough Trade

3/15 - The Hunna @ Mercury Lounge

3/15 - Moose Blood @ Irving Plaza

3/16 - Demi Lovato @ Barclays Center

3/18 - Charli XCX @ Elsewhere Hall

3/20 - G-Eazy @ Radio City Music Hall

3/21 - Demi Lovato @ Prudential Center

3/22 - Coast Modern @ The Bowery Ballroom

3/23 - Billie Eilish @ The Bowery Ballroom

3/23 - Loose Buttons @ Alphaville

3/24 - MGMT @ Kings Theater

3/25 - MGMT @ Brooklyn Steel

3/26 - MGMT @ Brooklyn Steel

3/26 - Billie Eilish @ The Bowery Ballroom

3/27 - New Politics @ Irving Plaza

3/29 - Covey @ Pianos

3/29 - Vinyl Theater @ Baby’s All Right

3/30 - Goody Grace @ Baby’s All Right

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Photography by Pamela Wang