#but in 3 months she managed to be all over my top songs last year fhdjfsd

[dumbseee]

insecurity.

f1 au/fic: in which, lando and y/n have been dating for a few months, but fans are still talking about y/n’s past relationship. making lando feel insecure and questioning y/n’s feelings for him.

lando norris x singer!reader

(fc: jess alexander)

note: english isn’t my first language so excuse me for the mistakes this might have xx ALSO it’s the first time that i’m actually writing something so i hope it’s not too bad lmao. thank you for reading my aus btw <3

liked by landonorris, maxfewtrell, danielricciardo and 2 799 009 others.

y/n: happy birthday to my sun, you’re such a beautiful soul, i’m so proud to call you mine. i love you to the moon and back and promise to always love you.

_

landonorris: i love you more baby

danielricciardo: we’re at practice and he’s crying btw

fan1: they’re so absjdkdoldel

fan2: mama y papa

fan3: he always smile so brightly when he’s looking at her :(

fan4: i’m sorry but i can’t help but think about y/n’s ex… on the same day last year she was posting pictures of him

fan5: @.fan4 don’t do that… it’s about lando, not her ex

fan6: am i tripping or she also used to call her ex, her « sun »??

fan7: @.fan6 WHAT

fan8: @.fan6 no she didn’t?

_

lando sighed and threw his phone on his bed. of course he saw all the tweets about you and your stupid ex, how could he ignore them when it was all over the internet. people were speculating about if he was a rebound or a toy for you. lando was hurt, he always thought that you were way out of his league anyways so he should’ve seen it coming, right? you were an amazing and worldwide known singer, with your angelic voice and heartbreaking lyrics. you sang with your heart which made anyone who was listening to you, fall in love immediately.

that’s what happened with lando. he was always a big fan of yours, singing your songs on top of his lungs at parties, and following every single news about you, he even went to your concerts. one day, he went viral for singing your song on the radio with his engineer, he also happened to have made it to p3, which he said was because you were his lucky charm. the video was published online and went viral, you saw it and immediately found it adorable. the rest was history.

when you guys hard launched your relationship to the world, the big majority was happy for you two, happy to see you smile and happy to see that lando managed to get his crush. but a small minority saw that relationship as a rebound for you, saying horrible things about how you never loved lando and how you would dump him in a few months to go back to your one true love, your ex.

lando saw it all. and he hated it.

"lando? are you okay?" you asked, when you went to check in on him. he was supposed to bring a few blankets so you guys could watch a movie together. but he was taking way too much time so you went to see if he was okay.

"do you love me y/n?" he asked you, and the sadness in his eyes almost made you cry. lando’s eyes was what you loved the most about him, with his smile of course, but his gorgeous green eyes were full of emotions, you could drown in them and feel every little thing he was feeling just by looking at him.

"what are you talking about? of course i love you lando." you say, taking his hand in yours and softly kissing his knuckles. you saw him close his eyes and sigh deeply. you pushed him on the bed and sat next to him. "what happened?"

"it’s stupid, don’t worry about it." he finally looked up at you and faked a smile but it didn’t fool you.

"lando. tell me." you were still holding his hand and with your free hand you started to caress his cheek. he closed his eyes again and melted against your touch.

"your fans are still talking about your past relationship and how i’m nothing but a rebound to you." he said it in such a low tone you almost didn’t hear him. but sadly you heard his words and you could feel your heart shatter at how your fans words affected him. "i know that you guys stayed together for a while, and i know that you wrote good songs about him, i listened to them all, but… if you still love him you can-…"

"lando norris." you said in a serious tone, which startled him. "how am i supposed to love anyone else when you stole my heart and refuse to give it back?" his eyes lit up a little by your words. "and i literally wrote 56 songs about how much i love you so you better listen to them all once again and never doubt my feelings for you ever again, boy."

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55, charlottesiine and 6 808 009 others.

y/n: ‘you are in love’ is officially out ;) little gift from me to you sweet lan <3

_

maxfewtrell: lando listened to it and locked himself in the bathroom to cry

landonorris: @.maxfewtrell FAKE NEWS

danielricciardo: i wish someone would write 57 songs about me…

heidiberger_: @.danielricciardo excuse me? (great song btw y/n!)

liked by y/n.

fan1: ZKSKSLXPODOSOZ

fan2: y/n making haters eat their words with one song: queen behaviour

fan3: i hope haters will stop hating on lando now how can you say that y/n is using him as a rebound

fan4: CALL 911 IM ON THE VERGE OF DEATH

fan5: y/n writing a love song for lando on his birthday :(

fan6: i love them so much pls

fan7: that whole drama about her ex was so dumb, they broke up for a reason and y/n also wrote songs about how awful he was to her towards the end of their relationship, why do you guys want her to go back to that dog?

liked by y/n.

[heegyukeluv]

love-battery (lhs) - req

pairing: heeseung x afab!reader

synopsis: Heeseung always would make you feel recharged just by being around. And you did the same to him.

my's note: hi hello here's a very fluff cute little thing! it's a request (thank you for requesting <3), so i hope you like it!!!! (have to say that when i chose the name of this fic, the jinyoung's song with similar name started to play on my head non-stop help)

warnings: skinship, established relationship, fluff, pet names, explicit language (i can't help myself. i'll always use at least one 'fuck' lol).

request: clingy gf with heeseung and it’s super cute and they’re in love, she really just misses him (here!)

wc: 3k

NOT PROOFREAD.

Even with your boyfriend’s tight schedule and the fact you both lived quite far from each other, you and Heeseung always managed ways to meet up and hang out for at least an hour or so – enough to work as a full recharge for Heeseung.

However, for the last whole month you only saw Heeseung three times. You were used to seeing him almost every day, either by going to his and staying for a bit or he coming to yours for the same reason, and it was pissing you off how annoying adult life was being so far, unabling you to do your daily basis chores, let alone drive to Heeseung’s studio to be with him.

Heeseung normally had a tough routine as a producer by spending long hours in his studio, staying up all night working on his music and constantly dealing with tight deadlines. Your favorite hobby was to grab a coffee and some snacks to surprise him by showing up unexpectedly; and of course, to sit on his lap while he kept doing his things. 

But now you were the one fighting against time, as you had to deal with your last year in college, struggling with your final project and with your respective project partners – who would have thought that working with people would lead you to be that stressed, huh?

Your life was a total mess at this point, your sleep schedule chaotic, your body aching, begging for a pause to get some proper rest, but you really couldn’t give yourself that luxury; all the submission dates getting closer and closer making you go crazy in desperation.

And on top of that, you haven’t seen your boyfriend, the main source of your happiness, in almost two weeks.

“This is so frustrating, Hee,” you said with a realistic sad tone, when you decided to ignore the blank page on your laptop waiting for a new plot to pop up in your mind, and give your love life a little more attention, calling Heeseung. “It’s almost like the world doesn't want us to be together.”

“Don’t say such things, my love. Not even as kidding,” he interrupted you to say with a gentle voice. “We’re going to figure out something, yeah?”

“I’m sorry, Hee. But– I’m dealing with a bunch of stupid assignments with stupid deadlines in this stupid degree I chose, and you’ve told me early this week that you were pretty chill with your work. But I didn’t even have time to invite you over the days you said you’re free! Not to mention that if you were here I’d be paying more attention to you and getting fucked with my project.”

“Y/N–”

“And when I’m free you’re the one swamped with work! And, please, I’m not blaming you, babe, please don’t take it the wrong way. I love you and I love that you can work with the thing you’re passionate about. I’m just… Frustrated,” you unloaded with a long sigh, voice trembling a bit since your feelings were, also, a mess and your heart aching. “And I miss you so much. I wish we lived a bit closer, so we could meet more often in moments like this.”

You heard Heeseung soft breathing through the phone. He decided to let you vent instead of cutting you off, because he, more than anyone, knew how overwhelmed you felt whenever you had to deal with submission dates and projects. It was your third project in your whole degree, this one being the most important one, and Heeseung saw you in shambles during your working time in the smaller ones, fully understanding how hard it has been with this final one.

“I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of this, pretty girl,” you could feel the comfort in his tender, sweet tone. You wiped out a single tear that tried to escape your eyes, curving yourself into a little ball on your couch. “But you don’t have to do this alone, my love,” you heard a weird noise through his phone, very similar to a door unlocking. Your door unlocking. You frowned. “Don’t freak out, bae. I’m entering your apartment right now.”

Your heart dropped in your chest. “What?” You whispered in disbelief, your phone falling off from your hand, your eyes widening as you watched your boyfriend walk through the front door, smiling big and bright at you.

His dark red hair was attractively messy because of the motorcycle helmet. He also carried a big backpack on his back and a plastic bag with the logo of your favorite food place.

“You’re kidding me,” your voice was barely a whisper at this point, your lips curving into a smile that grew bigger and bigger, still finding it hard to believe that the man talking to you on your phone was now in front of you. Your beloved boyfriend was now in front of you. “Lee fucking Heeseung!” You almost squealed, walking in his direction right after he put his helmet and his backpack on the ground, to jump on his open arms which were waiting to embrace you in a tight hug.

Your legs instantly wrapped around his waist and your arms on his shoulders, his firm hands gripping on your thighs to hold you close and steady as you buried your face on his neck, inhaling his scent as if it was your favorite drug. You heard Heeseung chuckling at your reaction and you finally noticed how fast your heart was beating, everything feeling unreal. All the frustration you felt waving off your body quickly.

“Hi, baby,” Heeseung said in an affectionate way, with you still hidden on the curve of his neck, making him let out a small laugh at your adorableness. He missed you so much.

Your fingers tangled in his soft hair, pulling him into yourself as if you could become one before you started to kiss every piece of his exposed skin, from his jawline to close to his ear, to his cheek, the tip of his nose and finally his glistening, dreamy lips.

Heeseung let out a contented sigh when he felt your sweet taste, walking carefully through the living room so he could sit on the couch with you on his lap, the contact never breaking. He deepened the kiss by slightly brushing his tongue on your bottom lip, electricity running all over his body once you let him in to feel him closer, so intimately; his hands sneaked into your shirt, caressing the bare skin of your waist just because he needed to touch, to feel you more.

“I missed you so much, my love,” you whispered when you parted away to catch your breath, pecking his lip countless times as you said “Missed. You. So. Much. Oh. My. God,” and the last one lasted a bit longer, making Heeseung giggle and kiss you properly one more time. 

“I missed you too, pretty.”

Heeseung was looking at you with so much love, his eyes sparkling in joy for finally having you that close, touching, kissing you. He caressed your cheek while his gaze wandered all your face features, as if he was trying to memorize every one of them, completely endeared by your beauty.

Heeseung looked at you as if he just discovered what love is. 

You weren’t different, though. Your soft touch on his strands of hair, scratching slightly as your contemplated every piece of your very good-looking boyfriend, not holding yourself when your fingers started gently to trace his face; his big deer eyes now turned into little crescents, his pretty nose that you loved to kiss, the little charming mole on his forehead, and his so, so attractive lips adorning the most beautiful smile you ever had the chance to see. You were so in love.

Heeseung felt like he could stare at you all day and he would never feel tired, actually to have you close always worked as a battery recharge. And for you, Heeseung did the same, making all your bad feelings wash away easily because you had him, and you knew you could rely on him.

Ironically, the sound of your laptop on the coffee table indicating that its battery was running out, pulled you both out of your little love bubble, startling you slightly. The reality check hit you with full force, and the bottom of your stomach sank immediately.

You gulped, looking at Heeseung with a hint of sadness before you sighed and said, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy you’re here, but I–”

“You have things to do, I know,” Heeseung cut you off mid-sentence. His kind voice, the small peck on your cheek, and his cute smile making you shiver and melt. “But don’t worry about me, okay? You do your things, I’ll be around for whenever you finish, and then we can cuddle,” he said simply, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“You’re staying?” You questioned with eyes sparkling in confusion. “I don’t want you to mess up your sche–”

Heeseung now stopped your talking with a sweet kiss, and then another, and another, and one more just in case. “I’m staying, baby,” he chuckled at your tilted head, expressing that you were very much confused. “As I said before, I’m pretty chill this week,” he explained with a warm smile, mirroring yours. “Anything I have to do, I can do from my computer or phone, so I’m all yours this weekend, my love.”

Heeseung fell even deeply for you when he saw your eyes shining like you received the best news of your life. And for you, you actually did. To have your boyfriend for a whole weekend after days without being able to see each other, you truly thought you were dreaming. 

So to have Heeseung feeding you while your hands worked on your writing was definitely something that you hadn’t planned for your friday. He was openly giving his opinion as well after you cutely asked him to, paying attention to every detail you shared with him about the plot you were working on. 

“So your idea is that after he leaves the house, you give an extra zoom on the door knob because someone is going to open, even though the house is supposed to be empty?”

“Yes! And then it’s revealed to be actually his ‘dead’ twin!” You explained excitedly, noticing Heeseung gazing very passionately at you. You blushed, feeling suddenly too aware, because your story now has been read by someone other than you. “I– I know it’s kinda simple and boring, but I mean– I got the approval to keep working on it, so…” You shrugged, trying to act cool, but your pout was showing how insecure you actually felt.

“It’s not simple or anything bad, my love,” Heeseung couldn’t resist the urge of kissing your small pout as he reassured you. “It’s impressive how your creative mind works, I’m really proud,” he said with his voice filled with sincerity.

You gave him a shy smile before going back to writing, heart beating fast with his genuine words.

Heeseung never left your side. You needed him around you every single second, not only to compensate for the days you were apart, but because Heeseung was really your source of energy. So to write on your computer while having his fingers intertwined with yours became a natural activity during the moments you were working on your project. You could feel Heeseung’s love stare at your face during those moments, completely in love by your focused expression. 

Sometimes he would leave your touch to reply to some of his co-workers on his phone, giving them the attention they needed, but in the meantime his head would be resting on your shoulder, completely addicted to your touch and to having you close – his hair tickling your neck making you lose focus for a few minutes.  

You both wanted and needed each other with the same intensity. Heeseung always loved your clinginess, emphasizing how lovable you looked with your pouty face whenever he had to leave the bed to go to the bathroom or grab some food in the kitchen and “leave you to die alone”, like you normally would say in a very dramatic way. Especially because he himself was pretty clingy too, holding you in a tight back hug whenever you had to go back home after visiting him at his studio, refusing to let you leave his side.

To move in together was a big dream. However Heeseung always talked with you about finishing your studies first before committing your relationship on that instance, so you could have your freedom without him disrupting your focus; he also knew that he wasn’t ready to have you so close for that long, afraid of scaring you off by how much he would be around you, maybe losing his own concentration on his work. 

And this behavior was being shown at that moment, by you doing the lunch and him hugging you from behind.

“I have to be honest, I don’t really see this as ‘helping’, Hee,” you said with a playful chuckle, not really bothered by his big hands resting on your hips as well as his chin on your shoulder while you did all the work. He was clinging like a koala, making it challenging to move around the kitchen.

“What do you mean? I’m clearly helping you,” he said with a babyish voice, making you giggle. You could tell he was pouting too. “What if you get hurt? I have to be close, y’know? To save you from danger.”

You laughed hard, throwing your head behind and profusely resting it on his chest. “The danger?”

“Yeah, the knife and fire and stuff…” He explained like it was obvious.

You turned down the heat on the stove, moving away from it so you could face your boyfriend, just to meet his big, adorable eyes looking at you with a dramatically pleading expression. “You’re right,” you said softly, cupping his cheeks and planting a kiss on his lips. “Thank you for protecting me from the dangers of my kitchen,” you added a hint of sarcasm to your very affectionate tone, without holding your smile when he nodded proudly, before pulling you closer to kiss you properly as now your self-proclaimed hero. 

After you finished cooking – with Heeseung’s help, of course –, you both shared the meal, doing constant “love shots” but with your food, just so you could feel each other’s touch.

Heeseung didn’t let you go back to work on your project when you finished eating, saying you needed a bit of resting time with him. And how could you oppose such truthful words? 

So you spend quite a long time of your Saturday afternoon embraced in Heeseung’s arms and scent all over you, making it difficult to choose anything different from being on the bed cuddling him. 

After changing positions many times, you now were on top of Heeseung, face buried on his neck while he hummed some random song, hands gently caressing your back and scalp, making you wonder if taking a quick nap at that moment would mess up too much with your project work.

As if a sense of responsibility hit you, remembering all your deadlines and especially that you had to finish at least the plot writing by Monday – in two days –, you forced yourself to try to move away. Your body refused, though.

“I should go,” you said, muffed into his skin.

“Yeah, you should…” Heeseung added, not moving an inch to help you with that. In fact, he held you closer. Your warm body against his own helping him to relax. 

“Like, reeeally gotta go…” You didn’t move as well, trailing kisses all over his neck as you refused to get up.

“Definitely you do…” His voice was a bit raspy in a sweet, tender way that made it even harder for you to leave. He was about to fall asleep.

You sighed, “I missed being like this with you.” You lifted your head just enough to see his serene expression; eyes closed, lips slightly parted and a calm breathing. You almost cried with the fact that you truly needed to go back to your life instead of staying there with Heeseung. 

Your hands caressed his face with all the care in the world, making him open his eyes, “I missed it too, pretty. I miss you every moment I’m without you, actually.”

You noticed a soft flush  on Heeseung cheeks and giggled at the sight of your ‘so cool’ boyfriend blushing in front of you. 

You always appreciated how Heeseung was not only a good listener to your worries and maybe overwhelming thoughts, but also unafraid to show you his most sensitive and vulnerable side in order to make you comfortable on doing the same. You cherished his presence in your life with all you had, not being scared of loving him so openly, because he did the same for you. 

“I love you,” you whispered, leaning in to tease a kiss. He smiled against your lips, closing his eyes again.

“I love you too, my love,” he murmured, mirroring your tone and capturing your bottom lip with his own, to pull you near and finally kiss you. 

You decided to stay for a bit longer, because Heeseung’s hands roaming your body with such care and tenderness, his sweet mouth working on yours, and his loving whispers against your skin were too irresistible.

The best excuse you found for yourself was that you were revitalizing so you could work better, your creativity would flow easily and you would finish it in no time.

And, well, he would be around you anyway, because he just couldn’t never get enough of your pretty face, or your joyful presence, or your addicting warm touches.

After all, Heeseung always worked as a recharger to your love battery, and for him, you were no different.

[bingbongsupremacy]

This might be bad but could you write a Steve Harrington story where he left the reader for nancy after they were secretly dating bc she’s plus sized. Then once he cleans up his act he writes her a letter. I was thinking it could be based on closure by Taylor Swift! Thank you !

Closure

This isn't bad ! I can totally do that. I listened to the song for the first time today so I hope you like this! Also, This is going to be a two part piece. I wanted to give some background context so that's what this first part is about. I'll be working on part 2 soon. I hope you don't mind.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x plus size!reader

Warnings: I'm not a basketball player nor have I ever been a manager. Honestly I've never really been to a basketball game so I'm not sure if this is all super accurate. Pls let me know. Cursing, Use of Y/N, use of the word girl, some self doubt.

Series Summary: You never knew Steve could be so shallow. When he leaves you to date Nancy Wheeler, you're left with a pain you thought he'd never leave cause you. Maybe you should've stayed friends.

*Not Proof Read* Stranger Things Masterlist

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3

*****

Teenage love. Powerful. Fast. Fun. Potent.

The first boy I fell in love with was Steve Harrington. How couldn't I have? His perfect hair. Beautiful eyes. His flirty smile.

Every girl liked Steve at one point or another.

Steve and I grew up together in Hawkins. We never had the same classes together, but boy, I knew of Steve. We finally officially met in high school when I became the manager for the Hawkins High Basketball team.

Freshman Year - 1981

" Alright guys, huddle up. " Coach Ryan shouts to the sweaty boys drilling around the gym. " This is our manager. You will treat them with respect, you hear? I want none of that bullshit that went on last year. You got that Seniors? " Coach Ryan sends a pointed look at the upperclassmen. " If I hear of anyone disrespecting our manager, you'll be running on bleachers for the next month. I'm serious. "

What an introduction.

I shift slightly, a little uncomfortable with the gazes of the boys. I send a small smile to the team, trying to calm myself. " Hey, guys. Let me know if you need anything. " I scan the group in front of me. My eyes land on a familiar face on the back row. His friendly smile sends a wave of butterflies fluttering throughout my body. My eyes linger on him for a few seconds before I force myself to look away.

The last thing I need is for him to realize I like him. How awkward.

The coach makes a few more announcements before he dismisses the boys to the locker rooms.

" I needs you to gather up the balls and take them back to the equipment room. " Coach Ryan nods in the direction of the small closet on the other side of the room.

" Sure thing! Anything else? " I ask, reaching down to pick up one of the stray balls.

" Not that I can think of. I'll be in my office if you need me. " Coach Ryan nods a goodbye before heading towards the boys locker room where his office is located.

I look around the gym. Abandoned basketballs lay scattered around the gym. This is going to take a minute.

I pull the metal ball holder behind me as I begin picking everything up.

" Here ya go. " A voice startles me from behind.

I turn to see Steve holding two basketballs under his arms. He sends me a small smile.

" Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. " He sets the basketballs on the top rack.

I smile back at him. " It's all good. I scare easily. "

Steve jogs over to one of the balls a few feet away from us, swiftly picking it up.

" Oh, you don't need to do that. I've got it. It's my job anyway. "

Steve shakes his head, a looks piece of hair falling in front of his face. " I don't mind. It's kinda fucked up you have to clean up our mess. "

I shrug. " I mean, I signed up to do it. "

Steve nods. " Why did you sign up to be a manager? "

" Honestly, to get out of class. " I feel heat begin to spread over my face at the sound of Steve's laugh. " I hate biology. "

" Whaddya mean? Mr. Jackson's a world-class comedian. You're telling me you don't like his cell jokes? " Steve grins.

I cringe, memories of Mr. Jackson's awkward dad jokes and the silence following filling my mind. " I could do without. "

" You know, I don't think we've actually ever talked before. " Steve points out while heading towards another ball. Instead of returning it to the cart, he dribbles it towards the hoop closest to us. He shoots it into the hoop, the ball making a loud sound as it returns to the ground.

" Well, we've never had a class together. " I shrug, taking the ball from him as he hands it over to me.

" What a shame. "

Does Steve like talking to me?

" I mean, that doesn't mean we can't start now. We're gonna be stuck together for the next few months. "

Steve picks up the last basketball. " True. I gotta go get changed before my mom gets here. It's been nice. See ya tomorrow? " His eyes steadily hold my gaze.

I nod. " For sure. "

Steve's smile widens slightly. " Later, Y/N. "

" Bye Steve. " My throat feels tight from excitement. I can't believe that just happened. Steve knows I exist. He knows I exist! And he actually likes talking to me! This...this is fucking great.

Sophomore Year - 1982

" Hurry the fuck up, Y/N. " Steve groans, his sweaty forehead pressed against his forearm. He lazily leans against the now empty bleachers, his eyes following me as I finish writing down the total of money the team made off of concessions.

" I told you that you didn't have to wait for me. I have shit to finish up here. " I nod towards the clip board in front of me.

" I'd be a shitty friend if I left you here. What if you get...kidnapped or some shit. I'd be first on the suspect list. "

Friend. I'm only his friend. Gosh, I need to get over this stupid crush. I mean, it's been over a year since we met and he hasn't said anything about liking me. Why would he like me now? He's into girls like Chrissy. Why else would he flirt with girls like her and not with me? If he liked me he'd tell me. Right?

I roll my eyes, trying to shake off my thoughts and focus of the impatient boy in front of me. " Great to see you care about me so much. Definitely isn't because of your reputation. "

Steve lets out a small laugh. " You know I'm fucking with you, right? "

" I know. Look, I'm almost done. Grab your duffle from the locker, will you? By the time you get back I'll have everything finished. Plus it'll give me a break from your whiny ass. " I joke.

" Ouch. And here I thought you loved me. " Steve holds a hand up to his heart, humor clearly in his tone.

For a moment my heart begins to race. Love. He knows? He doesn't know. Shut the fuck up and be normal. He's a friend. Just a friend.

" What made you believe that? Tommy's obviously my number 1. "

I'm not the biggest fan of Tommy. He's hot a cold. Somedays he's decent, other days he's a complete shit head. He's changed a lot since middle school.

For a moment something flashes over Steve's expression. Surprise maybe? Annoyance? As quickly as it comes it's gone. His playful expression returns. " I'll be sure to let him know that. "

" Don't you fucking dare! " My head snaps towards him. " I'll kill you, Harrington. I'm not even joking. He'll never let me live that shit down, even if it's a lie. And Carol will beat the shit out of me. "

Steve raises an eyebrow in amusement. He leans back against the bleachers, crossing his arms. " Don't worry, I'll sell tickets for the show. I'll even cheer you on. "

I roll my eyes. " Of course you would. "

" I'm gonna go grab my stuff before the janitors lock the locker rooms up for the night. " Steve laughs, pushing himself up. " Hurry the fuck up before I leave you here. "

" You wouldn't dare. "

" Watch me. " With that, he strolls towards the direction of the locker rooms. His strides ooze with confidence, a kind only Steve can emit.

Steve truly is one of a kind.

Junior Year - 1983

" Are you going to prom? " Steve asks out of the blue. He doesn't bother looking up from his text book.

I swallow harshly, heat climbing up my cheeks. I hate when people ask me this. " Nah. Prom's overrated. "

Steve's eyebrow quirks up. " So you're a dance hater? "

I shrug. " I just don't see what the big deal is. Blowing a ton of cash for one night? I'd rather buy new records. " I debate whether or not to tell him the next part. " Plus no one's asked me. " They never do. Why would they when they could ask someone like Carol or Chrissy?

Steve finally looks up at me, his gaze finally meeting mine. Shock is evident in his expression. " Really? You haven't been asked? "

I shake my head, heat crawling up my face again. " Why would I? In case you haven't noticed, I don't really have a ton of guy friends. And my friend pool isn't the largest. "

Steve sends me a sympathetic smile.

Instead of comforting me, it annoys me. He doesn't understand. He's had girls asking him out and asking him to dances from the moment he was allowed to go to dances.

" Anyone would be lucky to take you. You're a great person, Y/N. "

I roll my eyes, laughing slightly. " Yeah. Lucky. "

Steve's eyebrows furrow. " Why are you laughing? I'm serious. You're like the coolest person I know. "

" Then you have a very unique perspective of the word cool. " I glance up at the clock on the wall behind him. " Shit, I told my mom I'd run to the store and pick up some potatoes for dinner. I'm gonna be late. I gotta go. " I rush to gather my notebooks off of the library table.

" Do you want me to take you? " Steve asks, getting up after me.

I shake my head. " It's fine. It's just down the street. You keep studying. Lord knows you need to. Gotta pass that calc test in Jones' class tomorrow. " Truthfully, I just want to get out of this conversation and I'm worried that if Steve gives me a ride it'll just reignite the topic.

" Are you sure? I really don't mind taking you. I can always study at home. "

" I'm fine Steve. Plus, if you try to 'Study' at home, you're not going to get anything done. I know you. "

Steve rolls his eyes. " I love your confidence in me. With your reassuring words I can do anything. "

I let out a small laugh. " Shut up. "

Steve grins.

Fuck he's perfect.

I need to get out of here.

" I'll see ya later Steve. " I wave at him, pulling my bookbag over my shoulder.

" Later, Y/N. Walk safe. Call me in an hour or two so I know you weren't kidnapped or forced to join a circus. " Steve's joking but a part of his expression seems serious. Like he's actually worried about me.

I let out a sigh. " I'll be fine but I'll call you. "

I wish I was the type of person boys would ask out. The type that don't have to do anything for people to crush on them.

But I'm not.

++++++

" Y/N, Steve's here! " My mothers voice calls up to me.

What? Why's Steve here?

Confused, I head downstairs. As soon as I reach the bottom my eyes widen. Steve's still in the doorway, a small box in his hands. His hair is styled perfectly, like always. He's dressed in a fancy suit, something I've only seen him do for fall sport award nights or very special occasions.

" What the...? " I finally get to the bottom of the stairs. " Steve? What's going on? "

" You're going to Prom with me. " Steve holds out the box, his comment more of a statement then a question.

" I don't have an outfit! " I protest, confusion still fogging my mind.

" Just put on whatever you have. Come on, Y/N. It's prom. You need to experience it at least once. Why not with me? "

I feel my stomach begin to churn. Steve's taking me to prom? What fucking dream have I been blessed with?

I chew on my bottom lip. " I'll be back. " I turn to run back up the stairs.

I can't believe I'm going to prom with Steve.

I do my best to get dressed quickly. I manage to find a semi appropriate outfit for the dance and we head out.

" Dinner first. The dance is at 9. " Steve pulls into a familiar diner. It's the diner the whole team eats at after winning a game.

" Oh, you forgot to put on your corsage. " Steve opens the small box, gently taking out a beautiful corsage.

" Oh Steve, you really didn't have to do that. " I stare down at the beautiful flowers. " This is too much. "

Steve shakes his head. " I want you to have a prom to remember. You deserve it. "

I send him a smile. " Thank you. You...you're really the best. "

His smile widens, sending butterflies through my body. He gently puts the corsage onto my wrist. His fingers are cool. They leave tingly sensations on the skin he touches.

For a moment it's silent. I try to find a way to calm my nerves.

He's your friend. Just a friend.

" Actually, Y/N. I also wanted to talk to you about something. " Steve breaks the comfortable silence.

" Yeah? Go for it. " I take a sip of my water, my eyes staying on him.

For the first time he looks nervous. Like he has so much to say but he doesn't know how to.

" Are you okay? " I ask, slightly concerned. He's always so confident. He knows who he is and he's proud of it. It's something I've always admired.

Steve nods, pulling his eyes away from his water cup. " I'm just going to say it. Fuck. " He runs a hand through his hair.

My heart begins to pound faster. What's going on?

" Fuck, I hope this doesn't make things weird. That's the last thing I want. Look, I really like having you as a friend... " He starts.

What the fuck is he going to say? Now I'm nervous. Does he have another girlfriend? Someone who doesn't like him being friends with me?

"-But...fuck, look I like you. " He blurts out, a small blush crawling up his cheeks. " I've liked you for years and I really want to be more than friends. And...I don't know if this makes it weird. If you don't like me, I completely understand. We can just pretend this shit didn't happen and go to prom and never talk about it again. I really don't want to make you uncomfortable-" Steve rambles.

" Steve. " I try to interrupt.

" It's just been something I've struggled with for years and fuck, I don't want to keep it from you. Not when we could potentially be something more. I mean - "

" Steve. " I try a little more forcefully.

Steve's clearly stuck in his head because he doesn't seem to hear me.

"-I just don't want to have any regrets. Especially about you-"

" Fucking hell. Steve Harrington, I need you to shut the fuck up for a second. " I say louder, attracting the attention from an older couple nearby. " Sorry. "

Steve looks at me with wide eyes, clearly not expecting my reaction.

" Let me talk. Please. " I look into his eyes, excitement bubbling in my chest. " I like you to. Fuck, I never thought this would happen. "

Steve breaks into a wide grin. His shoulders relax and he seems less tense. " You do? "

I laugh slightly. " I mean, yeah. You're funny, you're talented, you're nice. You're the whole package. Steve, you're one of the kindest people I know. It's hard not to like you. "

" Oh my...thank god. I was so nervous you weren't going to feel the same. " Steve leans back into the booth seat he's in across from me.

" Me too. "

Today really has to be a dream.

" So...do you want to be my partner? " Steve asks, his gaze holding mine.

I smile. " I'd love to. "

Senior Year - 1984

" I'll see you after class? " Steve grins at me. He pushes away from the lockers he was leaning on.

" Of course. I'll meet you at your car. "

I watch as Steve walks away. He's immediately swallowed up by the crowd.

Thing's have been pretty good. Ever since we started going steady, things have been really nice. Of course, some people in the school don't really approve. It's hard to ignore sometimes but we try. Not everyone agrees that Steve should date someone like me.

It hurts.

But what's important is that we're still together. Despite the shit people say, we're trying.

Sometimes I can see it gets to Steve. He's lost a bit of respect. It's so fucking stupid. I don't understand why people think it's so important for him to date a certain type of person.

Sometimes I feel guilty for us dating. Sometimes his teammates can be dicks. They don't see what he sees in me.

It doesn't matter. As long as we're both happy, that's what's important.

++++++

" Look, we need to talk. "

Those are the first words I hear when I get into Steve's car. His jaw is tight. He avoids looking at me.

" Oh, yeah. What's up? " I ask, confused about what's going on. " Are you alright? You look tense. Did something happen in fifth period? "

" We need to break up. " Steve blurts out. He still avoids my gaze.

My eyes widen. " What? What's going on? Steve, look at me? "

" I'm done, Y/N. I need out of this relationship. "

What the fuck happened? We were fine literally an hour ago. What the fuck is going on?

" Why? Steve, what the fuck are you talking about? "

I feel my heart begin to break at his words.

Steve shakes his head. " I just-look, you're a nice girl, Y/N. But...I can't date you anymore. " His voice waivers slightly.

" Steve, what did I do? " My voice crackles. I feel tears prick at the back of my eyes. " What the fuck happened? "

" We don't look good together, Y/N. "

His excuse is fucking stupid.

" Since when have you cared about what other people think? Why now? "

Steve swallows harshly. " It's different now...I...you...we can't do this. You hear what they say about us, Y/N, don't you? What they say about you? "

Anger begins to bubble inside of me. This is what it's about. " It's me. You're embarrassed of me. " I'm silent for a second, trying not to let the tears come out. " Fuck you, Steve. "

Finally Steve looks up at me, hurt flashing over his face.

" You're an asshole, you know that? Since when have you given a fuck about someone elses' opinion? You're really doing this because of what other people have said? You're just like fucking Tommy, you know that? Like all of the other shallow assholes going to our school. " I open my door. " I hope you're happy. You'll finally get your spot as King of Hawkins back. I wish I'd never met you, Steve. "

" Y/N-" Steve begins, his arm reaching towards me. " I'm sorry- "

" Fuck you. " I slam his door, rushing away from his car. I hear a snicker as I walk past a few of the cars. Tommy and Carol whisper to each other, their harsh gazes glaring holes into my frame.

Steve's always had a bit of a reputation for being a dick to certain people. He's had a bit of a bullying streak. I thought that shit was over. I thought he'd grown out of it, I mean he was never mean to me.

I was wrong.

+++++++

Two days later he started dating Nancy Wheeler and I quit being a manager for the basketball team.

Fuck you Steve Harrington.

[getfuckedblr]

this is the one. the most popular fic in the harry potter fandom. the fic that got me into fanfiction. the fic that i sobbed to for months after reading it.

i tried to bind this three separate times over the last two years and bro the first two sucked ASS. it was legit the very first fic i tried to typeset which is like, not the greatest thing to start off with LMAO. it looked funky, i hadn’t fixed any of the spacing, my footers didn’t match the text font or size. it was very much a baby binding.

the second one was my first time using a cricut and there is a very steep learning curve w the cricut, especially in creating designs that aren’t too complex or too plain. i tried to copy one of the popular printable book jackets and omg i spent weeks modifying my designs and printing and reprinting on my cricut and it looked like trash when i was done.

so finally, we have come to this.

i got really into quartos during the winter and was like omg the editing process for this would be so much more manageable if i broke it down into years! so then i did lol. it allowed me to customize each chapter into sections so i could add the chapter title to the footers, and break down graphics into separate years so i didn’t have 100 pages in one canva file. it was just a lot easier to feel accomplished having broken it down bc this fic is a MONSTER.

every chapter heading is the same - just the swirl. i gilded all the chapter titles using toner reactive foil and my laminator (she broke in the middle of this project. i ended up having to buy another laminator, and about 3 packs of foil from icraft. this is my most expensive fic binding to date🫠). i included the songs ms.kingbean put at the top of every chapter, and the bootleg tapes and christmas special.

i am seriously so proud of how this turned out, and can’t believe it’s actually done. sorry this is super long, but this really was a labor of love. they’re not perfect, i’m still really bad at measuring and cutting straight lines, but i’m satisfied. really satisfied.

[chertila3000]

I haven’t forgotten about our boys, but I’m slowly finishing them up at night. And next in line for us is, of course, Felix!!! In fact, I had to work hard to create it, since I had absolutely no idea what it should look like, my head was completely blank. In the end I got this Frankenstein Monster Well, now about his background:

Felix became one of the first ghosts when the witch assumed the status of guardian of this forest and already had little Bendy. It all started with the fact that Felix, being a traveler, was engaged in research and collection of fairy tales, myths and legends from all over the world. And like him, he simply could not pass by the dark forest, which, according to rumors, was teeming with ghosts and spirits, who were also commanded by a real witch, and also the wife of the Devil himself.

He went into the forest in the company of his cousin Alex and their mutual friend (whose name is unknown) Entering a foggy grove, dead, as if in a cemetery, they decided to examine it.

Suddenly, Felix heard a dull sound from the side, after which a buzzing pain pierced his head, and something dark was sprinkled on the top of his head, but the cat did not have time to check what exactly it was, his legs instantly became weak and his body collapsed on the leafy carpet. With the last of his strength, he turned over onto his back, but someone immediately jumped on him and pinned him to the ground. It was Alex.

Felix had a lot of questions and pleas on his tongue addressed to his twin, but he never managed to utter them, he only watched in fear as the blond relative furiously raised the dagger over his head. He says something smugly, but Felix doesn’t hear him, the roar from the blow blocked his hearing, and multi-colored spots floated before his eyes, among which he could recognize only the twin’s brilliant yellow eyes, which were boring into him with anger and disgust.

A crunch was heard - the dagger pierced one of the ribs and plunged into the very heart. The chest of the table filled with warmth and an unpleasant pinching feeling, and then a burning pain appeared. Pain that made you want to scream at the top of your lungs. But he couldn't. Something seemed to be squeezing his throat and all he could do was make a hoarse wheeze. His eyes began to treacherously stick together and the last thing Felix could see was how Alexei was searching his almost corpse.

Soon the eyes closed completely. He woke up near an old oak tree. To his surprise, he felt nothing, no pain in his head from the blow, no burning sensation in his chest from the dagger, which, by the way, was lying next to the cat, and flowers were growing at the site of the wound. But then his attention was immediately attracted by two people: a young girl and a little boy who... BURIED HIS BODY!!!? True, it was difficult to call it burying; rather, they wrapped him in a kind of blanket of earth and moss, and the girl held a steaming bunch of some kind of grass over him and whispered something to the tune of a song.

Felix would have continued to look at this funeral procession if it had not been for the child who returned to him. It was a boy of about 3-4 years old, small and dark-haired, somewhat like a gypsy. He bored into him with his large, creepy scarlet eyes with a vertical pupil, and then smiled good-naturedly. "Mom, he's awake!" - he called out to the woman, and she, having completed the ritual, turned to Felix. Introducing herself and her son named Bendy, she invited the cat into her dugout and gave him some tea and told him what was what. The cat left her in complete devastation. He didn’t know how he should have reacted to his own death, to dreams and ambitions that would never come true, to the betrayal of the person closest to him, and he was now worried about the most important question - WHY DID HE DO THIS!!!?

Felix returned to the very oak tree near which he woke up. He didn't know exactly how long he spent in his thoughts, a day or two? A week? Month? Or maybe he spent a whole season tossing around in his thoughts while his body rotted next door.

Alex and I had been inseparable since childhood, and he didn’t understand at all why he did this to him. The emu felt bad, hurt and offended; for the first time in several decades the cat burst into tears. The last time he experienced such hysteria was only at his grandfather's funeral. The rest of the spirits stared and stared at him. Someone tried to console him, someone demanded not to start nagging, but he didn’t listen to any of them, he just sat and continued until his strength ran out. Periodically, the Witch and Bendy visited him. It was then that Felix noticed that Bendy was not an ordinary human child. Perhaps the rumors about the “Devil's Concubine” were true, but the cat himself never deigned to ask about such a thing. Sometimes he joined their patrol, and soon he himself offered his help to the Witch, and she appointed him a full-fledged guardian, and then a mentor for Bendy.

Felix often began to help new ghosts get comfortable here and accept their fate, and also helped newcomers not to go crazy, and it was he who conducted therapy for Oswald. After the death of the Witch, mentor and friend, the cat began to keep an eye on baby Bendy, which became like his own nephew for him. Felix is ​​also one of the few people that Bendy does not dislike and vice versa.

Its flower is anthurium, it means "Courage"

I apologize for such a huge amount of such text, but I hope that the story of this character interested you and overall you liked it, and for last I have the porcelain brothers who will surprise you with something ;)

[marjayla284]

Wife ~ Miguel Mora

Miguel x Plus-size reader

Age up to 25

You were chilling in the living room, watching How To Train Your Dragon: Race To The Edge on Netflix, when Miguel came into the room and set up his phone on the coffee table, sitting on the floor. You look up from the screen upon hearing footsteps.

"Hey, mi amor." You said, him waving at you. "Whatcha doing?"

"Hey, I'm going live on Insta, what are you doing, darling?" Even after 3 1/2 years together, Miguel still manages to make you blush and have butterflies in your stomach.

"Watching Netflix."

"Alright."

Miguel starts the live and waits for people to join. Once he sees 19k people have joined, Miguel starts looking for questions.

"Does pineapple belong on pizza? Yes." Miguel smiles upon hearing you little giggle.

"Favorite candy? Snickers, right now it's Snickers. Last month I think was Twix." Miguel answers another question.

"What is your favorite show? Honestly, I'm going to have to say....Stranger Things. Stranger Things is such a good show."

"My Favorite Movie? Favorite movie, um.... That's a long list, I don't have a favorite. Probably top 10 favorite, but I don't have a favorite."

"Favorite song to play in the guitar? Oh, right now the one I've been learning the most.... I've been learning a lot like songs in Spanish lately and some rock songs as well.... Carlos Santana, I've been playing a lot of.." Miguel grabs his guitar, strumming a few beats. Another comment catches his attention.

'I love your lashes'

"Thank you, my wife likes to curl them. Even though it hurts, I suffer through it because it makes her happy. You know what they say; happy wife, happy life." Miguel explains, going to answer another question, but your voice from the doorway cuts him off.

"Baby, you hungry? Want anything to eat?"

"Sure, I could eat."

"Alright, Te amo, mi principe!" You shout to him as you walk away, blowing him a kiss. Miguel pretends to catch it with his hand, placing it over his heart. (I love you, my prince!)

"Te amo más, princesa!" Miguel shouts back, looking back at the comments. (I love you more, princess)

'You have a wife?'

'Who is that?'

Miguel laughs, smiling at the thought of his wife. "That was Y/N, my wife. We have been dating since I was 16 and she was 17. We got engaged at 19 and 20. And we got married a couple months later. We have been married for about 4-5 years."

'What is she like?'

'Tell us about your wife'

"Her name is Y/N. She is the most amazing, kind-hearted person I have ever met. I would do anything for her. She's thoughtful, beautiful, generous, and selfless. I absolutely adore her. All I want to do is spend my days being with her, laughing with her and adoring her. I love her with my whole heart and soul. I love her to the moon and back, for infinity." Miguel expresses his love, smiling at the comments.

'Aww, he loves her!'

'You can see stars in his eyes just at the thought of his wife.'

Miguel opens his mouth to speak, but he is interrupted by a sniffle on the other side of the room. He turns around to see his wife, crying.

"Aww, nena, what's wrong?"

"That was so beautiful."

Miguel smiles and motions for you to sit on his lap. You cross the room, adjusting yourself on your husband's lap, arms around his neck. He places his arms around your waist.

'Aww, she's beautiful.'

'Stunning couple.'

You and Miguel smile, leaning in to kiss. You feel him smile into the kiss, pulling away.

"I love you, mi amor." You whisper in his ear, slightly nibbling on his ear lobe. He feels chills go down his spine.

"I love you, princesa." He says, pecking her cheek.

'Aww."

'His cheeks went red.'

[axel-skz]

Surpriise 🥳

A/N: I’m starting maybe an hour after my last fic… I don’t know how long this will take me to write but I’m impressed with how fast I managed to think something up lol. You might not be because the quality is meh |||| I’m going to try to make this more lighthearted… idk if future me will carry that sentiment but lets hope she does… goodluck 💀 Song shuffle on this and we got my universe :)))

Summary: Changbin had been busy with his tour and away from you for too long so you plan to surprise him.

Changbin x gender neutral reader

Changbin had been on tour for 2 months now. It was so difficult for both of you to deal with. What he didn’t know though, was that you had a surprise visit planned. All the guys were in on it.

They had been texting you non stop about how changbin had been pouting constantly, scrolling through pictures of you and complaining about how lonely he was. It felt like there was a thunder cloud hovering over him and anytime he smiled it was for a show or because you called.

You were packing your stuff as you got a call from him. You panicked for unknown reasons because unless you pointed your camera, specificaly at your suitcase, your room looked exactly the same.

You picked up the video call, ‘HEYYYY! YOU TOOK A WHOLE 5 RINGS TO PICK UP!! WHY?! HAVE I BEEN GONE TOO LONG? DO YOU NOT LOVE ME ANYMORE!?’ He threw out his wild theories and you couldn’t help but laugh.

‘It’s only been 2 months. Don’t worry, I still have faint memories of us together. Although… I think they’re fading…who are you?’ You said seriously and he gasped.

‘I KNEW IT! I’m gonna die alone oh my god…’

‘I’m the one losing memories, god, way to make your tour all about you.” You laughed.

He squinted at you, ‘you’re mean.’

‘I’m also one of your favourite people in the world. Did you call just to list off traits of mine?’

‘No. I miss you and your ungrateful ass,’ he pouted as he flopped back on his bed.

‘Don’t talk bad about my ass. It’s right there,’ you were walking out of your room when you tripped over your bag.

Good one, smart stuff.

It peaked his interest, ‘you good? What did you trip over?’

‘Oh no, I’m ok, I’m just unable to walk,’ you said in a hurry.

He got worried, ‘did you hurt yourself?’

‘NO! I just mean… I haven’t been doing much so I… forgot…’

Yeah, you’re so good at this. He’ll totally believe that. 🙄

‘You… forgot…how to walk..??’

‘Yeah, your face is so distracting and everything over the top of everything… My brain just couldn’t fathom anything else.’

This seemed to distract him and you guys talked about what had been going on recently. You managed to not fall face first somewhere after that and everything went well.

Your flight was 3 days later and you were so excited. You had told the guys to make sure changbin was distracted so he didn’t text or call you. The poor baby would think you were ignoring him.

When you landed, you rested up at the hotel you would be at temporary before their next concert. Your plan was to appear in the audience and he would look so surprised to see you. Then you would duck and make him think he imagined it.

It was mean but you would appear backstage so… no harm no foul.

Everything was going to plan and now you had seungmin walking you to a safe place to get some food before you went to the floor.

You met them all except changbin and it was so refreshing. You were just aching to hug changbin again. Although your wish came true when he walked past the room. He looked in, saw you and carried on walking because obviously he wasn’t expecting you to be there.

Jisung pushed you behind the sofa and sat in your place.

Changbin came charging back in, ‘Y/N???’

‘All these years together and I thought you knew my name,’ jisung fake cried. ‘After everything we’ve been through.’

Jeongin laughed, ‘he’s hallucinating again. God, you really can’t be away from them, can you?’

‘Codependency be like,’ hyunjin tacked on with a giggle.

Changbin sighed and side eyed the members as he left the room. ‘I’m not codependent… I just love them a lot. All your single, lonely asses can’t talk,’ he mumbled with a pout.

When he was definitely gone, Chan let you know the coast was clear. You stepped out with laughs, ‘shots fired! Damn.’

Hyunjin scowled at you, ‘Y/N shut up or so help me, I’ll call him back.’

You immediately stopped smiling and sobered up. You were about to say something but then you pretended to zip your mouth shut and gave him an overly big smile.

You spent a little more time eating then moved to go to the floor. With their help obviously, you didn’t want to accidentally run into changbin.

You were having fun, all the songs on this album were SO good. You made eye contact with changbin then he looked away but he looked back, frantically scanning the audience. You had ducked and he couldn’t find you again, he blinked a bunch, took a breath and moved away from that area.

You did this 2 more times and every time, he looked more and more confused. When the concert ended, you made your way to the security guard who would help you get backstage. It took you a little while to sift through the crowd but eventually, you made it.

As you got closer to their changing rooms, you could hear changbin talking.

‘I have no idea what’s wrong with me. I thought it was a wierd moment before but now… I actually keep seeing them everywhere. Like I could’ve sworn they were in the audience,’ you could hear him sniffling, ‘I wish I could go home… atleast for a bit.’

You knocked on the door and he opened the door. His jaw dropped as he stood there, staring at you.

‘Mail for a… ‘Changbin’? We have a package for a ‘Seo Changbin’,’ you said casually.

He turned and looked at everyone else, ‘you’re seeing this too right? They’re here? I’m not about to hug a mail man to death?’

Everyone laughed and yelled surprise. He turned around so fast and within a second, you were in a soul crushing hug.

‘I missed you too baby but I do need my ribs after this so…’ you wheezed as you lightly hugged him back. He loosened the hug with a quiet sorry.

After you had all calmed down, everyone laughed at how absolutely confused changbin looked on stage. He also apologised for calling them all lonely asses when jeongin reminded him.

It was a good day. You spent the next 2 weeks with them and loved every moment of it.

A/N: I hope this makes up for me making some of you cry in the first fic LMAO I wanted to add so much angst to this but I’ll let this be. You can all be distraught on the next one 😈 I’m really showcasing my dry sense of humour in this one 💀

[I’ve tried to look over it but if there’s anything that isn’t gender neutral about the reader, lemme know and I’ll fix it]

[seerofmike]

Mike's Media Medley--November 2024

here's the second to last one of these this year before i do what i watched/played in dec post and then a post of my top 7 games and movies for the whole year :p got a little more proactive this month since i had some free time due to thanksgiving break so let's get started!

things i watched or played for the very first time this november--

Movies/Shows(2024 releases)--Wicked, Arcane season 2

Movies (non-2024 releases)--Run Lola Run (1998), Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Games-- Long Live the Queen (2013), Darkwood (2014), Hexcraft: Harlequin Fair (2021), Papa's Pizzeria Deluxe and Crime Scene Cleaner (2024),

Movies / Shows:

Arcane season 2

okay so i actually have a fair bit to say about arcane season 2 so i think i will save that for its own post but i didn't like it as much as season 1. im gonna give it like a 77.5/100. season 1 would've been a 90/100.

Run Lola Run (1998)

this is another movie i meant to see for its anniversary re-release and took a while to get around to but GOD this movie was weird and i really liked it i LOVE absurdism. the soundtrack was banging and there were just really interesting directorial choices here. it reminded me a lot of Good Time and i feel like i can almost trace a line between the two in terms of influence.

i think she should've broken up with her stupid boyfriend who looks a shocking amount like theo james tho

greatly enjoyed it. might rewatch it.

85/100

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

i meant to watch this on halloween but then I Forgor so it got rolled over into november. i thought it was pretty funny but i struggle to remember too much of it. it was written and directed by edgar wright so you know there was a lot of clever shit going on but also there were just some moments i remember making me go :/ but i dont entirely remember what. i think the movie really started losing me by the third act but i had a fun time watching it

70/100

Wicked

ok yeah it was pretty good

i wasn't really expecting to like this cuz i am just. NOT a musical person. like i liked hamilton but only because it wasn't like most other musicals and also ive literally never listened to all of hamilton LMFAO so i'm just not a musical person. that being said this WHOLE movie was really fun and i've seen it like 3 times

the set pieces (lots of real sets, and not cgi!) were beautiful and the character performances were all fun. ariana was like. surprisingly hilarious??? like i DID watch victorious growing up but i don't remember much so maybe i shouldn't be surprised. and cynthia put her whole fucking pussy into singing this thing

my only gripes are, based on what i've heard about the second half of the musical i wonder how they're gonna handle elphaba's sister + munchkin guy because i feel like they didn't do much here but that's a future problem for a future movie. and secondly i thought the. actual like. shooting of the movie was very bland considering its subject matter. like the camera is energetic ENOUGH for the musical scenes but i feel like it could be going crazier and don't even get me started on the LIGHTING of this thing but other than that. this was fun and i have a lot of the songs stuck in my head!

90/100

bideo games

Crime Scene Cleaner (2024)

haven't played a whole lot of this but it does scratch the same itch for me as like house flipper. i do have to be in the mood for those types of games though. this one has the addition of an incredibly awkward english translation so that's nice. i like the music stuff that's neat

Darkwood (2014)

ok so i played this for like 2 hours at a friend's and i was really trying to enjoy the Vibes but the inventory management stuff just like. kind of made it a slog. so i quit sawi

Hexcraft: Harlequin Fair (2021)

im gonna be honest i have no idea whats going on here i think its kind of just like. a Vibes and Atmosphere game. and i get what its going for as like this old school mmo type of things i think. i am enjoying it im just also stupid and dont get it yet. shout out to the estrogen pills filling up my inventory tho

Long Live the Queen (2013)

dog they got me doing spreadsheets. they got me writing stuff down with a pen and paper doing math. it's like disco elysium but instead of solving a murder you're trying to survive until your coronation and every roll of the die CAN kill you for ridiculous reasons what do you mean i need to invest in my decoration skills to beat the evil wizard fuck you im obsessed

Papa's Pizzeria Deluxe (2024)

ive never actually played pizzeria before! i appreciate that it's way more difficult than papa's freezeria but im gonna be honest some of these people need to be in jail for their pizza orders

[lucigoo]

Weekly round up: 1st April - 7th April

NGL, i was at a 6th bday party yesterday and just forgot it was Sunday, whoops lol. So, i wrote 17,728 words last week, with 3 uploaded stories. As always, recs first, then mine. Im also adding summarys and going to sort out my rec list so bare with: Home - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Gen fic, Written by the wonderful @sunnyrosewritesstuff an adorable look at Uncle Thorin. )

Summary: Being an uncle doesn't come instinctual to Thorin. He loves his nephews with all his heart, but he doesn't quite understand them. However, when Dís needs a break with the death of her husband so fresh, she leaves to travel as a blacksmith and Thorin is left to mind the colony, Fíli, and Kíli. If they all manage to survive to the end of the five months, Thorin will consider it a success. The Fluttering of All Your Wings - whisperedstory - Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Geart/Jaskier, i had a bit of a fae Jaskier binge and this one is top tier) Summary: Jaskier has never really fit in anywhere, not with the fae and not with the humans. His mother always warned him to hide his heritage, especially from witchers. But then he meets Geralt and starts following him around the Continent. He finally learns what it's like to feel like he belongs somewhere, which makes keeping his secret even more necessary—and difficult. Of Bookshelves and Baby Carriers - poppunkpadfoot (StormVandal) - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, one of my fav muggle Au fics) Summary:

The customer standing in front of him is quite possibly the most beautiful man Remus has ever seen. Like, he looks like a model or something. He has long, black hair, flattened by water, and just the slightest amount of scruff on his face, and…

And a baby strapped to his chest. The Gift of Hobbits - MoroseBarnacle - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, and its just SO good!) Summary: The gift of hobbits is a secret not known to dwarves. Bilbo’s gift saves the Company—repeatedly—and they don’t even know it until after Smaug is dead. But by then, just about everybody knows there’s a hobbit in Erebor, and the invading orcs decide to keep Bilbo and his otherworldly gift for themselves. Let's Play Pretend - MsAlexWP - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, muggle Au and fake dating, whats not to love?) Summary: After James and Lily died, Sirius Black's therapist told him not to date for a year. And that's just as well. He's got a 13-month-old baby now and quite enough to deal with, thanks. But the nosy neighbors in his building keep trying to set him up and won't take no for an answer. Enter Remus Lupin, another single dad who pretends to be Sirius's boyfriend, just to get the old lady brigade off his back and nothing more. Nothing more at all. Guardian of Kings - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another excelent work by @sunnyrosewritesstuff, and im sure most bagginshielders love a bit of BAMF Bilbo and cultural misunderstanding, I know i do!) Summary: The Company has been having a good laugh as the story of their quest spreads through the mountain and more and more retellings makes Thorin out to be Bilbo’s damsel in distress. It stops becoming funny when Thorin’s honor is challenged, and it’s up to Bilbo to defend it. Thorin may be ready to smuggle his hobbit out of the mountain, but Bilbo will do it. For Thorin, he would do anything. Hope theres something to others to enjoy, if not see you next week for more.

Now, for my uploaded fics:

Far over the Misty Mountains:A hobbit with a heart (Past Bilbo/Thorin, for the KCAWS 30-days-of-feelings prompts) Summary: Bilbo's home is suddenly invaded by a troop of dwarves. He would be bad, should be mad, but that song .... It's a good job I love you! ( Bilbo/Thorin,written for #247 - Blindspot for @flashfictionfridayofficial) Summary: Bilbo sees that Thorin has once again forgotten to take the rubbish out, bloody husbands, he thinks exasperated. And finally This is real, but it isnt ME! (Jegulus and background Wolfstar, based off a prompt from a friend about Regulus being in a crop top and not happy about it) Summary: Regulus loves his brother, something he has to remind himself, because right now he wants to murder him. This is all Sirius fault!

[bazzybelle]

Where Does The Good Go? - 2.7K - Teen - Jessamy/Rose Walker

For Sandman FemSlash Weekend - Day 3: Night Out

Here is my final fic for FemSlash Weekend. Thank you to the betas @sandmanfemslashfans for putting this together. It was so much fun stretching my brain, and honestly this was my absolute favourite pairing to write.

Has anyone else written a side fic to an unpublished WIP? Because that's exactly what I'm doing. I've been working on a Grey's Anatomy AU fic for the last couple of months and both Jessamy and Rose appear as side characters. While writing that fic, I had a LOT of fun writing Rose and Jessamy. They both managed to take on stronger roles within the fic.

When I decided I wanted to take part in this FemSlash Weekend, I thought it would be fun to include a side fic to that WIP. And since it's a Grey's Anatomy fic, I had to write a different version of Meredith and Derek. You know... One Night Stand ends up being your boss, but you can't keep away from each other?

This is intended to just be their first meeting, but I REALLY liked this pairing, so I dunno, maybe I'll write more. They'll definitely show up in my Grey's AU, so I'm excited about that.

This fic is unbeta-ed. Them's the breaks I suppose.

Also, this is apparently the first fic with this pairing so high-five to me! Let's see if this train gets rolling!

The title of the fic is from the Tegan and Sara song "Where Does The Good Go?" If you know, you know.

You can read the story by clicking the link, or by clicking the Keep Reading bar below.

Click here for the Story on AO3

She has no idea what she’s doing here. 

Barbie had suggested that coming out tonight would be good for her. After the year she’d had, she needed a night to let loose and forget about everything. And normally, Rose would agree. Thing is, she’s supposed to start her surgical internship tomorrow. And yes, she was top of her class and got outstanding recommendations from her professors and whatnot, but no one really cares about that if you end up showing up late and hungover on your first day. 

No amount of recommendations will help if she ends up killing a patient due to her carelessness. Not to mention the utter shame she’d bring to the medical community. Imagine, the granddaughter of the Unity Kincaid —first woman of colour to head her own surgical department, that Unity Kincaid— kicked out of the surgical program that Dr. Kincaid helped to start. 

And it’s not like she grew up with this hanging over her head. Rose’s mother was put up for adoption and everything was kept extremely confidential. Rose’s choice to go into medicine was complete happenstance. No, she had found out about her prestigious heritage while looking for her estranged brother, Jed. 

In fact, finding Jed was what led her to move to Seattle, back to where her grandmother set up roots and burst through any and all glass ceilings that threatened to keep her down. Rose had spent most of her young adult life searching for her brother, with each lead coming up empty. It was only when she was approached by a lawyer for the Estate of the Late Doctor Unity Kincaid where she was able to find her brother, and learn about her grandmother. 

Go figure, the woman she had learned about as a young medical student and looked up to, would be her grandmother. 

After a long plane ride from Boston, a tearful reunion with her brother, and endless months of litigation, Rose was left with a sizable inheritance —which she put right into paying her student loans— as well as her grandmother’s cozy house. Jed was given an impressive inheritance as well, left in trust until he turned 25. The siblings moved into the house together, along with Barbie, Rose’s childhood friend who had come with her. 

Before everything, Rose had been planning on doing her internship at The Brigham. She was one of the first to be accepted, and she had to leave at the last moment. Luckily for her, Saint Anthony’s was beyond ecstatic to have Unity Kincaid’s granddaughter enter their surgical program, even if it was a last minute acceptance. 

She did deserve this night, who was she kidding? She was about to start a brand new chapter of her life, with a brand new sense of who she is and where she came from. After tonight, she would have to work hard in order to live up to her grandmother’s name. 

“Tequila shots!” 

Rose is pulled out of her inner thoughts by Barbie slamming two shots in front of her. She grimaces. Tequila does not agree with her at all. In fact, she had made a few mistakes due to over indulging on tequila back in school. 

“You can’t be serious, Bar.” 

“Oh, you know I am. This is how we’re gonna get you to loosen up a little.” 

“Not happening. I am not responsible for my actions after tequila. Remember New Year’s Eve, 2016?”

Barbie laughs, “New Year’s Eve, 2016 was amazing. I wonder if MIT Princess still has nightmares of that party.”

“Her name was Candice, and I doubt it.” 

Barbie shrugs, pushing one of the shot glasses closer to her. Rose sighs, defeated, and picks up the glass, pretending to inspect it. 

“Rose, it’s not poison.”

Rose rolls her eyes. May as well get this over with. The faster she humors Barbie, the faster she can call it a night and head back to the house. She takes a deep breath and knocks back the drink, coughing as it burns her throat. 

She hates tequila. 

“Happy now?” she chokes out, to Barbie’s amusement. Barbie, to Rose’s frustration, is able to knock back her shot without any difficulty, and Rose very much hates her for it. Barbie is one of those people who can drink alcohol like it’s water. 

“You know I am. As much as I wish we could be doing back to back shooters at the bar, I do know that you have to be a badass surgeon tomorrow, so I won’t be pushing things, I promise.”

“Ok, first of all, I am far from being a badass anything. I’m just an intern. They’ll probably have me doing non-stop sutures and running labs. I’ll be lucky if I see the inside of an operating room in my first year.”

Barbie sighs, giving Rose a light punch in her shoulder. “You do not give yourself nearly enough credit. You are so smart and capable. Once they see how incredible you are, these hot-shot surgeons will be fighting to get you working with them.”

Rose scoffs, sipping on her water. Her eyes wander to the other patrons of the bar, wondering if any of them will be working with her tomorrow. Her eyes happen to catch a young woman talking and laughing in a small group of young adults. She’s got a wide smile and a loud laugh, big eyes shining bright underneath the bar lights. 

She’s really pretty, Rose thinks. She’s short and curvy, with dark olive skin and thick, dark hair. She’s wearing a bright red button-up top, silky, from the way it catches the light. It’s tucked into a pair of dark leather pants. 

“Rose? Did you hear what I said?”

Rose snaps her head away from the smiling woman, and back to Barbie. “Huh? Uh— something about me being talented?”

She’s not impressed. “Not even close.”  Barbie nudges closer to Rose, and looks out into the crowded bar. “Spill. Who caught your eye?”

“We are not doing this—”

“Why not? What’s the problem with an innocent little flirt?”

“I am not flirting with some random person in a bar. Especially not right before my new job. It’s a recipe for disaster?”

Barbie stretches over, in order to get a better look at the small group. Rose looks away, sipping her water faster, and hoping to hide her face away from her overly-involved friend. 

“Well, they are a rather attractive group, aren’t they? Maybe I’ll go over and say hello.”

Panic grips Rose. Once Barbie gets an idea in her head, it’s impossible to convince her to let something go. And the last thing she wants is her friend doing her best to play wing-man. She means well, and Rose knows this, but it’s so embarrassing. And they aren’t in high school anymore. The days of giggling over crushes are long gone. Rose reaches over to stop her, but Barbie is already out of her seat and sauntering towards them. 

She groans and watches Barbie chatting with the group. It amazes Rose how easily Barbie is able to talk to people and fit into a group conversation. Rose finds herself to be shy and awkward, and has what her friends call “med school sociability”. The level of social intelligence one has after having spent most of their life studying and working, without having much time for an active social life. 

Rose can’t watch this anymore. She gets up from her seat and heads over to the bar. Hopefully the bartender will have some mercy on her. She orders a gin and ginger ale and sits in silence, thinking about the thousand things she needs to do at home. Making lists in her mind helps calm her down when she feels overwhelmed. 

“May I sit here?”

Rose whips her head and nearly falls out of her seat. Jesus, she’s more beautiful in person. Her dark hair falls in thick curls down her back. A stark, white streak cuts through the front, as well as over her left eyebrow. 

Speaking of her eyebrows, they are thick and perfectly shaped, arching nearly severely over deep, hooded eyes. Eyes the color of coal and yet bright and warm at the same time. 

“Um. Y-yes—Yes.,” she stammers, quickly turning away and taking a generous gulp of her drink.

The beautiful woman flashes a wide smile, and Rose is instantly caught. “Thank you.,” she says in a soft accent that Rose cannot really place. “I was losing my mind over there. I love my friends, but once they start with their life problems, I have to leave them to their devices.”

Rose nods along, enjoying listening to the woman talk. She’s got a rather loud voice, one that Rose imagines would have no difficulty commending a room. Rose wonders what line of work she does, and if she had to learn to be loud. Or maybe she was always this way. Maybe she’s loud, and happy, and incredibly beautiful all on her own. 

Rose thinks of herself, and how she’s quiet and unsure. Nothing at all like the Barbies or the beautiful women in this world. 

God, did Barbie annoy this poor woman? Rose hopes not. The last thing anyone needs on their night out is some random person trying to play matchmaker for their lame friend. 

“I apologize for my friend,” she says. 

The woman, having ordered her own drink (a dry Martini— of course she’s classy as well), turns back to where Barbie is still chatting up her group of friends.  “Oh? The pretty blonde?” She asks, pointing her thumb towards them. “She was rather entertaining. You should have seen the way one of my friends stiffened up when she approached us. I swear, the man means well, but he’s impossible in social situations.”

Rose smiles into her drink, taking another sip. “I can relate. I’m—I’m awful with new people.”

The woman studies her, her large, dark eyes taking Rose in, considering her for a moment. She eats one of the Martini olives, still smiling at her. “I find that hard to believe.”

“What gives you that idea?”

The woman leans closer to her, placing an elbow on the bar top and resting her head on her hand. Rose watches as she slowly plays with the olive pit in her mouth, wondering what it would be like to taste her. Would she taste bitter like the olive? Dry like her Martini? Or maybe she would just taste sweet? Like cherry slush, or bubblegum. “Because we’ve been chatting for a bit, and you have yet to tell me to fuck off.”

Rose laughs. “Maybe I’m just polite,” she says. 

It’s not because she’s just polite. 

The beautiful woman knows that too. “Maybe. Maybe you find me easy to talk to,” she says, playing with Rose’s coaster. Her nails are cut short, and painted in a blood red nail polish. 

“Pretty presumptuous of you,” says Rose, placing her hand beside the woman’s. The woman gazes down at Rose’s own indigo nail polish, and Rose is thankful that she took the time earlier today to paint her nails. 

“I have been told that I tend to assume I know everyone’s story.” The woman runs the tip of her pinky over Rose’s nails. Her lips match the blood red of her nails. Her lashes, long and thick, practically brush the tops of her cheeks. Cheeks that are round and rosy.  

Rose smiles, leaning in even closer to the woman. “I don’t really have a story. I’m just a girl in a bar,” she says, taking another sip of her drink. 

“Hmm. So am I. I’m Jessamy,” she says, placing her hand over Rose’s.

“Rose,” she says, not moving her hand away. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but Jessamy’s hand feels so nice right now. It’s warm, yet a little rough. Kind of like Jessamy uses her hands for a living. For a moment, Rose imagines that Jessamy is a surgeon like herself. Maybe she is also looking for a night where she doesn’t have to think or worry.

Maybe they can just be two girls in a bar. Nothing else. 

“So what brings you here, Rose?” Jessamy asks, thumb brushing over Rose’s knuckles. 

Rose turns her hand over, feeling the weight of Jessamy’s palm against her own. She wonders, if she meets her again in a year, will her own hands feel as rough? Will hours spent in labs and practice change her?  “Recently moved to Seattle. Starting a new job. Friend thought I needed a night to just let go of all my stress.” 

Jessamy’s eyes remain hooked on Rose, absorbing every word she has to say. It’s been par for the course for the interaction they’ve been having so far. And… It's nice. It’s so nice to have someone completely interested in everything you have to say. 

“And?”

“And, what?”

“Is it working?” Jessamy asks, giving Rose’s hand a squeeze, still looking deep into her eyes. 

And God help her, they are so beautiful. 

“I— I mean—”

Jessamy leans a little closer, and Rose herself is drawn into her pull. Almost as if she has her in a thrall. One that she’d gladly accept (she’s read vampire novels) (Team Rosalie).  

Jessamy casually slips out of her stool and moves closer to Rose, entering her space, but still leaving a small opening for her to leave should she wish to. 

Rose does not wish to leave. 

“Because I find that talking to a really pretty girl is the best way to destress. In fact,” Jessamy places a hand on Rose’s waist. She leans in close, her mouth inches from Rose’s ear. Jessamy’s hair tickles Rose’s neck. She smells so good. Like peaches and vanilla. “I can think of a few other ways to help you destress,” she whispers, her breath tickling a soft spot beneath Rose’s ear. 

Rose shifts in her seat, ready to give in. She turns her head, but Jessamy is already leaning away, a playful smile on her face. 

“If that’s what you’d like, of course.” Jessamy glances quickly at Rose’s lips, her own tongue slowly dragging across her bottom lip. 

Fuck it.

Rose reaches out and cups Jessamy’s face in her hands. She pulls her into a deep kiss. Jessamy moans into the kiss, immediately opening her mouth, granting Rose to finally taste her. It is exactly as Rose had imagined. The bitter taste of the olives lingers on her tongue, as well as a slight sweet taste. Like strawberries. 

Rose feels Jessamy’s hands at the back of her neck, desperate to bring her even closer. She moves her hands towards Jessamy’s hair. Rose moans as she threads her fingers through soft, thick locks of beautiful dark curls. 

Christ, she’s definitely going to have to thank Barbie for dragging her out tonight. Best wing woman ever. 

Rose moves to Jessamy’s jaw, gently nibbling at her soft skin. Jessamy gasps, and shivers under Rose’s touch. She laughs, her hand tightening around a nice chunk of Jessamy’s curls. 

“Shall we continue this at my place? It’s very close,” Rose whispers into Jessamy’s neck, before placing a soft kiss. 

Jessmay sighs deep, leaning her head closer to Rose’s shoulder. “Sounds like a plan.” She lifts her head, gazing into Rose’s eyes. “ Will your friend be alright?” she asks. 

Rose chuckles. “If I know her, she’s probably long gone, after having verified that you’re not some sort of serial killer.”

Just to be safe, Rose glances over her shoulder to make sure that, yes, Barbie is long gone. Most likely she is back home, having ensured that Rose could have as much privacy as she can, considering living with two room mates. 

She’s the best.

But right now, Rose has a gorgeous woman hanging off of her, ready to continue their interesting conversation somewhere more comfortable. 

“Great friend you got there,” Jessamy says, nibbling Rose’s shoulder. 

Fuck, but she will be the end of her, won’t she. Thank God, this will be a one time thing, because Rose already knows that she will not be able to handle spending more time with this woman. She can already see herself falling head over heels. 

One time. One wonderful night before the next chapter of Rose’s life begins. Before she says goodbye to careless one-night stands and beautiful women who smell like peaches. 

“The very best,” Rose says, grabbing hold of Jessamy’s hand, and leading her out into the cool night.

[somekndofnature]

Summary:

Back in the present day, Inuyasha tries his best to convince Kagome to manage The Strays again. She's understandably reticent and this irritates him. When he loses his temper, Kagome let's him know, in no uncertain terms that she is done dealing with his bullshit.

Notes:

Hello everyone, I'm back with another chapter. You'll get a little more information about the band and how exactly Inuyasha hurt Kagome. I really appreciate all the support so far, it has really helped me feel a bit more confident about posting this story.

So.... as for the music in this chapter. Who doesn't love a bit of Gotye's, Somebody That I Used to Know? I'll be honest, I hated this song for years because in college I worked for GAP and they played it endlessly. Thankfully, after the trauma of working retail faded, I was able to appreciate it again. lol.

AO3

Chapter 3: You Gave Me Lows I Won't Forget

Chapter Text

Present day…

Inuyasha tried to shove the memory of that first meeting to the back of his mind. He’d been such a fool back then, unable to see the amazing blessing just dropped into his lap by the hands of fate. He’d spent months trying to keep Kagome at arm’s length, growling and snapping at her to nurse a healthy animosity between them. It had been an effort in futility.

She was so sweet and forgiving to a fault, beating her way past his defenses with ease. Kagome wore her emotions on her sleeve. Even now, he could see the panic swimming in those crystalline blue eyes as she weaved her way around tables towards them. Her cheeks grew darker with embarrassment or anger, he wasn’t sure which…until her scent at last curled around him; it was definitely both.

Inuyasha’s eyes slipped closed, nostrils flaring as he pulled the pleasing aroma deep into his lungs…lavender and chamomile. A deep-seated sense of peace slipped through him that had been absent for the last six years. He almost fell to his knees, biting back a pathetic whine of desperate longing. Gods , he wanted to hug her, to imprint the feeling of her small body into his memory so that he could never forget again.

Mine , his demon growled from the back of his mind.

Inuyasha no longer denied this claim, but he had fucked up so bad, he knew that he had no right to voice it. Soon , he soothed that primal part of him. It was the reason he was here. He had a plan. It was growing difficult to remember, however, the longer he stared at her.

She was gorgeous. If he placed his lips to her body, Inuyasha was sure she would taste of summer. Kagome’s alabaster skin was sun-kissed like she’d been drenched in honey, and she was showing so much of it. The green tank top and tan shorts clung to her curves, leaving her slender arms and long legs on display. Those legs …Inuyasha almost groaned, remembering the many times they had wrapped around his naked hips as he buried his length inside of her trembling body. 

Mine , his demon insisted again, to his irritation. Ours, learn to fucking share.  

“You’re drooling again,” Sango hissed from Inuyasha’s side. 

His jaw snapped shut as the reality of the situation once again settled on his shoulders, weighing them down. “You didn’t tell her?” he repeated with a growl.

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “I didn’t want her to outright refuse.”

He snarled. “Oh yeah, it’s much better that we spring it on her!”

“Kagome!” Miroku called over their bickering. 

He stood and circled the table as she approached them, rolling a small suitcase behind her. Kagome released a strained laugh as he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Miroku! How are you?” she asked, pulling back to offer him a smile, even as her eyes darted in Inuyasha’s direction.

“I’m fantastic.”

“Looks like it,” Kagome replied, patting him on the back. “Engaged life seems to agree with you. You haven’t tried to grab my butt yet.”

Miroku shrugged. “What can I say? It feels pretty good being domesticated. There’s only one butt for me.”

“Good to know. I better be invited to the wedding,” she warned with a mock glare.

  Sango finally unfolded her body and approached the other woman, grabbing her hands. “I kind of hoped you would be standing up there with me.” Inuyasha saw her shoulders bunch. “That is, if we’re still friends?”

Kagome pursed her lips before pulling her into a hug. “Of course we’re still friends, silly.”

“I promise, we aren’t trying to ambush you.” Sango stepped back with her arms still in a loose circle around her shoulders.

Kagome’s eyes narrowed as her plush lips twisted into a smirk. “Really? Because this feels a bit like an ambush.”

Inuyasha cursed under his breath and dragged a clawed hand down his face. He had thought this was a step forward, that she had agreed to meet him here. It had felt like a second chance and it hurt to have that sliver of hope completely ripped away from him.

He cleared his throat before lumbering to his feet and approaching them. Every eye turned to him and Inuyasha felt a blush creep up his neck. “I swear, I didn’t agree to this. I thought you knew I would be here.”

Kagome frowned. “If you wanted to talk, you could have just picked up the phone.”

“I kind of assumed that you had blocked me,” he replied, scratching at the back of his neck.

She gave a small shake of her head. “I didn’t; you could have called any time.”

The accusation was there in her tone, but Inuyasha couldn’t help but feel heartened. All this time, she had wanted to hear from him; that had to be a good thing. He felt that small ember of hope burst into full flame.

He stepped closer and snatched up her hand, rubbing his thumb along her soft skin. Kagome tensed but didn’t pull away. Inuyasha drew her out of Sango’s loose hold until she was standing toe to toe with him. 

“I wanted to, every day I wanted to call you. I just didn’t know what to say,” he said, trying to infuse his voice with every ounce of debilitating regret he had struggled with for the last six years. “I still don’t know how to apologize for… everything.”

Kagome’s face softened, a small smile curling her lips. “You could always start with, ‘I’m sorry’.”

“Keh,” he scoffed. “That doesn’t really seem like enough but… I am sorry.” Inuyasha squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry, Kagome.”

She took a deep breath and released it through her nose, her keen eyes darting between his. Inuyasha let her read it all, his remorse, his longing, his excitement at finally seeing her again. It was written all over his face and in his eyes. Inuyasha was done hiding things from his mate—except for the fact that she was his mate.

Too soon . She would run screaming. Inuyasha had to prove that he was worthy, that he could be everything she needed. He had to find a way to earn her love again. 

Kagome’s flush deepened the longer he stared at her, until she finally cleared her throat and looked away. “So, why am I here?”

He was very aware that she hadn’t offered her forgiveness, but she was giving him an opening. He’d be a fool not to take it. Inuyasha grabbed her suitcase from the floor and led her toward the seat that Sango had vacated. 

Kagome perched on the edge of the wooden chair and readjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. He didn’t like how stiff she seemed, like she was ready to bolt at any minute. He placed her suitcase beside her as she whispered out a ‘thank you’.

Inuyasha reclaimed the seat across from her and scooted closer until their knees were almost touching. “Thank you … for staying. I know this must be a little jarring.”

“Well, I still consider you all friends, at least,” Kagome said, shifting into a more comfortable position as she dropped her bag to the floor. “Not like I’m just going to run out the door.”

“Still friends, huh?” he asked with a grin. “That’s good to know.”

Her face softened with an answering smile. “You’ll always be my friend, Inuyasha.”

He opened his mouth, but words refused to come. He gaped like a fish, unable to voice what that declaration did to his feeble heart.

Sango cleared her throat as she claimed the seat on the other side of Kagome, Miroku taking the one beside her.

“Get to the point, dummy,” she grumbled. “Stop staring at her like she hung the fucking moon.”

Inuyasha scowled, but Kagome released a short giggle that was like fucking candy to his sensitive ears. He felt them wiggle as a shiver tripped down his spine. Fuck , it had been too long since he heard that sound. She was laughing at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. If that’s what it took to bring her joy, he’d make a complete fool of himself just for her entertainment… anything to see the smile that so entranced him. She looked beautiful. 

The long black hair, that normally fell well past Kagome’s shoulders, was bundled into a messy knot on top of her head. Several dark strands had worked their way free and wisped around her face and neck, looking impossibly soft. He almost reached out his hand to wrap those delicate tendrils around his fingers.

Miroku coughed. “Inuyasha?”

He shook himself back to the matter at hand and rubbed his clammy palms on the front of his jeans.How did he ask this? Was there a way to do it gently? He couldn’t think of anything better than just blurting it out. “We want you to manage us again.”

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

  Kagome gawked, mouth working without any sound emerging. Inuyasha’s face looked so hopeful, so bright and lively. She was tempted to shout out ‘yes’ without even thinking, but she restrained herself. She had more to think about than just her own desires.

"Why? Are you working on something new?” she asked, instead of answering.

  “Inuyasha has been,” Miroku replied with an encouraging smile. 

  The half-demon in question flushed and cleared his throat before looking away.

Kagome raised a brow. Inuyasha had never been shy about sharing his work. He was proud of it, as he should be. He was a brilliant songwriter, composer, and could play almost any instrument that was placed in his hands. So, his reluctance to share intrigued her.

“Oh?” she prompted gently.

He shrugged. “Well, it’s a bit different from our normal stuff.”

“Has the label agreed to renew your contract?”

“Not exactly.” It was no secret that he was considered a liability. All the women, drugs, drinking, and run-ins with law enforcement had added up to a lot of bad press over the years. “That’s why I need you,” he finished, grabbing onto her hand again.

Kagome didn’t reveal what that small contact did to her. It had been so long since she had heard his voice or even seen him, but still his touch stripped her bare. Inuyasha needed her; he’d never admitted that before.

Dammit, get your head together, girl. You know this only one way.

Heartbreak…

She stifled a huff of irritation and endeavored to keep her face blanked of emotion.

“That’s why we need you,” Sango corrected from her other side.

Kagome turned to look at the other woman, noting the apology in her eyes, even as she willingly participated in this emotional manipulation. She knew how hard their falling out had been on Kagome. Apparently, her lingering trauma mattered little. 

She’d been their manager for three years and, in the beginning, it had been lovely. Well…not the beginning, exactly, somewhere more towards the middle. In the beginning, Inuyasha had behaved like a caged animal, hissing and spitting anytime she tried to draw near. Getting to know him was like peeling back the layers on an onion, as it also made her cry.

It had taken almost a year for him to warm up to her but it had been worth the wait. Despite his rather gruff and harsh exterior, Inuyasha could be sweet, considerate, and clever. Not to mention that he possessed a set of pipes that turned most girls’ knees to jelly, it certainly had hers. After some time, they had found that they really did get along…maybe too well. Kagome had broken her cardinal rule for him; never sleep with a client.

She wasn’t entirely sure how she could have resisted, though. Maybe it was the superhuman good looks. Maybe it was his natural talent and charisma. Maybe it was the way he made her cum so hard she saw stars. There was something about Inuyasha that drew her in and kept her ensnared, even when things had started to turn.

It happened so fast. Kagome had thought they were building something together, an actual relationship that, up to that point, had remained undefined. When one day, out of the blue, Inuyasha had changed from this rough around the edges guy with a heart of gold, to a freewheeling playboy who fucked anything in a tight skirt. He had shattered her heart into crystalline shards so tiny and delicate that it could never be made whole again.

And yet, she had stayed, hoping beyond hope that he would come to his senses. The life of a rockstar was bound to get to anyone from time to time… but then, there was the drinking and the drugs. Still, she stayed, cleaning up after every one of his messes, bailing him out of jail, burying bad press, dying inside as he dismissed her afterwards with little more than a wave of thanks.

Kagome hated to remember herself back then, this pathetic little girl so head over heels in love that she would let herself be treated like dirt. It made her furious and confused. She still didn’t know what had set him off.

Well… that was just an outright lie, wasn’t it? She knew, of course she knew.

She had told Inuyasha that she loved him.

Kagome just wasn’t sure why that had sparked a full-on downward spiral.. but she was sure that she couldn’t go through it again.

She frowned, slipping her hand from his. “I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“What?” Inuyasha whispered, ears drooping. “Why not?”

She nearly relented at the soulful puppy eyes he turned on her but steeled herself. “I’m not with the label anymore. I started my own company. We manage dozens of clients. I can’t pass off my other accounts just to focus on you.”

Kagome watched the muscles in his jaw bunch, preparing herself for one of his tirades, when he surprised her. Inuyasha took a deep breath through his nose and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze fixed on his intertwined fingers.

“If you’re worried about it, you should know, I’m clean.” He tsked and rolled his eyes. “Well, clean of anything that could get me arrested, anyway. Thank the gods weed is legal in Nevada now,” he said with a weak chuckle while rubbing at his brow. “I would’ve gone crazy a long time ago.”

He didn’t look at her the entire time he spoke, shame and regret hunching his broad shoulders. It had to be difficult to talk about, especially with the others sitting so close. To their credit, Miroku and Sango remained quiet, their sympathetic gazes offering silent support amid his vulnerability.

“But I can quit that, too,” Inuyasha rushed to say. “If that would help. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

Kagome’s heart lurched and without thinking, she reached out to grab his hand. “That’s not what I was talking about, but it’s good to know that you’re taking care of yourself.”

His molten golden eyes whipped up to hers filled with surprise and a glimmer of soft affection. Dammit! Stay strong, Higurashi, stay strong.

Inuyasha kept a firm grip on her fingers and sat forward, licking his lips. “Well, tell me what to do. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

“That’s not…” Kagome shook her head. “I’m not sure there’s anything to do . We just don’t work very well together.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he scoffed. “We make a great team.” He swallowed before gesturing across the table. “All of us.”

“We did, for a while, that’s true.” She averted her eyes, picking at the peeling varnish on the tabletop with a single nail. “And—"

“And then I screwed up, I know,” he interrupted matter-of-factly. “But I-I’m better now. I feel better. I feel like myself again, if a slightly banged up version.” Inuyasha winced and waved his free hand through the air while continuing to swipe his thumb back and forth over her knuckles in an almost obsessive gesture. “That’s…irrelevant, but my point is, I’m not that guy anymore.”

Kagome pursed her lips as her eyes began to warm. “And I’m glad, but I can’t put myself in that situation again.”

“Didn’t I just say that you wouldn’t have to?” he bit out, beginning to show some of the characteristic temper that he had so far controlled. 

“Yes,” she agreed in a breathy whisper. “But it doesn’t mean that you can erase what happened, Inuyasha.”

“I know what happened! I did it!” he snapped, voice rising as he started to fidget. “But I’m trying to fix it, dammit!”  

“Sometimes you can’t,” she replied in a firm tone. “Sometimes things are just broken. You can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again, or unring a bell, or…”

“Put the toothpaste back in the tube?” Miroku supplied, reminding her that there were still other people privy to what was becoming a very personal conversation.

Three sets of eyes narrowed on him, and Miroku shrank under their gazes.

Sango reached out, smacking the back of his head. “Idiot.”

“Ow.” The poor man hissed.

Kagome released an exasperated breath and brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes. “Inu—” She bit her lip, “The bottom line is that I can’t give you the type of attention that you would need.”

“Can’t or won’t?” he sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

She dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap, feeling isolated in a group of people that she had once considered family. “Both?”

“The fuck does that mean?” He was plucking at old wounds that had never been set properly, drawing up a past that she didn’t want to revisit.

“Inuyasha,” Sango warned.

“No, if she’s just gonna abandon me—” He cleared his throat. “I mean, us. I want to hear why!”

With those words, Inuyasha might as well have stepped forward and torn one of those sharp claws through the aging stitches that held her heart together. Kagome shuddered as hurt and anger bubbled up from the bloodied lump within her chest.

She slapped a hand down on the table. “Abandon you?” she hissed through clenched teeth as her vision swam with tears. “Abandon you?” She turned her furious gaze on the origin of her ire and took little pleasure when Inuyasha gulped, looking as if he would rather hug his brother than continue this conversation. “Do you have any idea how many times I had to watch you walk away from me? Like I was nothing?!”

“Kagome,” Sango whispered from her side, but she was beyond listening.

For too long, she had swallowed her feelings, more willing to hurt inside than inflict that hurt on its source, but she was done. Let Inuyasha see what he wrought and answer for the harm he caused.

“You selfish ass,” she hissed. “Don’t you think, even for a moment, that you’re the only one who is hurt here. Don’t you dare think that you’re the only one with wounds or regrets.” Kagome’s chin jutted up even as a tear breached her eyelid and tumbled down her cheek. “You want to know the real reason?”

Despite all his bluster a moment before, Inuyasha looked unsure, but she continued unperturbed.

“The real reason is you . No one, in my whole life, has ever made me feel so small. Like my concern, my efforts, my very existence were all worthless,” she seethed. “You broke me. Excuse me if I’m not insane enough to jump back into that situation.”

Tears were free flowing down her cheeks and a sob curled in her throat. Everything was just too raw, too exposed. She was beginning to feel like that same young woman who would do anything just for him to smile at her. She needed to get away, needed some space.

Kagome reached down and grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. She mumbled out a lame excuse that wasn’t fooling anyone and hightailed it to the bathroom, leaving a stricken Inuyasha staring after her.

[ineffable-snowman]

Fic Tag Game

Thanks for tagging me @gingiekittycat 💜

I already did this a few months ago (and somehow managed to find it on my blog, wow!), so I've copy pasted most of the answers and updated some of them.

How many works do you have on ao3?

fifteen

2. What's your Ao3 word count?

403,077

3. What fandoms do you write for?

right now I'm not writing much, just occasionally trying to work on my Good Omens wip.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Maybe Someday - 1,114 kudos

Trouble Man - 853 kudos

Pet Psychopath - 738 kudos

Match Made on Earth - 616 kudos

Partners, Accidentally - 571 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try, because I think interaction is important to keep a fandom "alive" (even if often I don't know what to say apart from "thanks for reading and commenting"). That reminds me that you, @gingiekittycat, sent me the nicest comment and I still haven't responded yet, will do now right away!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't write angsty endings. But some readers didn't agree with me that Match Made on Earth had a happy ending, so I will pick that one here.

7. What's the fic your write with the happiest ending?

They all have happy endings, but the ending of Four Chord Songs and Sentimental Lyrics is particularly sappy. I was wondering if that love song in the last chapter was *too much*, but then I thought: nope, it's Anakin, *too much* is his personality trait.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Some months ago I got two very rude anon comments on one of my Obikin fics accusing me of horrible things. The accusations felt pretty generic and did not fit that particular story at all, so probably from someone who had not even read the summary, but they still left me a little shaken. Fortunately, the people in the Obikin discord were really kind about it and helped to cheer me up.

Back on FFNET I received the occasional "ew, they're not gay, why would you write that?" Also there were some people who were angry at the way I wrote Obi-Wan, saying things like "how can you say he's your favourite character and then characterise him as weak/flawed/incompetent... and make so many bad things happen to him?"

BUT, all in all, fandom has been a positive experience and the many good interactions far outweigh the odd rude comment.

9. Do you write smut? What kind?

Does one awkward sex scene per multi chapter fic count? (No.)

10. Do you write cross-overs?

No.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so, not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a long time ago on FFNET when I still wrote Harry Potter fic.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes. Would love to do it again but I'm a very slow writer and would hate to leave someone waiting for too long.

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

I feel like Obikin is the "correct" answer because I always come back to them.

15. What's your WIP you like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Step into Christmas with me. So far, I've managed to add two chapters every season. If I continue at that pace, I might finish it in two more years...

16. What are your writing strength?

Beginnings and endings.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The long middle parts that always become too long and repetitive.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't really like it because it takes me out of a story. I don't want to check footnotes or use google translate in the middle of reading. I prefer if it's done with descriptions or dialogue tags matching the perception of the pov character, for example, if the character doesn't understand Spanish but I do, it's better if it's written like "...she said something in Spanish that sounded like a question to him" instead of writing down the actual question in Spanish.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Just for myself: Harry Potter. Posting online: Star Wars.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Servants of the Force is definitely not my best writing but it's still my favourite fic anyway because I've never put so much effort into a fic before and I'm proud that I finished it.

tagging @chanihobbit, @saddybildaddy, @sky-kenobye, @ineffableobikin (no pressure tags!) and everyone who wants to do it (again).

[goldenavenger02]

What Taylor swift album do you think each of the ninja are? I feel like Jay could be Lover. Maybe 1989 for Skylor. What do you think?

As someone who has been casually listening to Taylor since before Ninjago came out thanks to my oldest sister and became an actual Swiftie in 2017 with the release of Reputation (not being able to use that verified ticketmaster fan slip that came with my cd because Christmas was a month after it expired and my mom had no idea it was in there is my ACTUAL roman empire), I have thought about this a lot.

A couple of these ARE interchangeable (Lloyd, you are an enigma to me) but this is USUALLY what I end up falling on.

The Tortured Poet's Department: I know it's not out yet, but based on the vibes, the few lyrics we've seen, the fact that it's probably going to be in the vein of folklore and evermore and the whole message of the album (finally being free after years and years trapped and unhappy), I really think it's going to fit Misako. POSSIBLY Garmadon, but that's my prediction and I'm fully prepared to eat my words.

Midnights: This is one of my top 3 albums (it and Speak Now are constantly fighting for that number 3 spot) and because of how it encapsulates all of the eras/it being about things that she wanted to elaborate on from her past, I feel like it fits all of the characters to an extent. That being said, it feels very Wu coded to me (even if YOYOK is THE Cole song at the end of the day)

evermore/folklore: because evermore are the songs that kept coming from Taylor after folklore, I consider them very similar in tone/vibe and therefore are grouping them as one. folklore is my favorite Taylor album to date and it means so much to me as both a person and as a writer (I can only hope to write something as meaningful as My Tears Ricochet) and these albums are the Nya albums. I know that's unpopular, people tend to see her as Reputation or Speak Now and I fully understand those comparisons but these albums not only have the infamous love triangle saga between Betty and August fighting over James, as well as Mad Woman, The Last Great American Dynasty and No Body, No Crime which are some of my favorite songs about female rage but those albums are so vulnerable in a way that the others aren't.

Lover; oh Lover, the album that people see as the silly, happy, fun album but if they scratch under the surface find the deeper meaning about being scared of losing the one person that is your true love in The Archer, Afterglow and Cornelia Street. This is the first album that I managed to decide what character from Ninjago it fit and that is Jay Walker, my beloved.

Reputation: This album has the baddest bitch anthem in I Did Something Bad but this album also has some of the sweetest love songs I've ever heard in my life. It's so Skylor, everybody. You cannot tell me "I want to wear his initial on a chain around my neck/not because he owns me but because he really knows me" is not Kailor coded.

1989: this album is the Cole album, I take no notes on that one.

Red: NO, I'M NOT MAKING THAT COMPARISON. Red is NOT the Kai album, this is arguably the SADDEST album in Taylor's discography and despite his color being Red, that doesn't mean Kai fits Red! Now that I have THAT out of the way (sorry, TikTok pisses me off with that comparison), Red is the Lloyd album. Yes, it has those few happy moments (Starlight, State of Grace, Treacherous) but most of the album is CLOUDED by this heartbreak from All Too Well, Forever Winter, The Moment I Knew. And The Lucky One is so, so, so Lloyd & Arin coded.

Speak Now: *throws Harumi at you and runs away to grab Garmadon as well before sprinting out of the room to avoid getting asked questions while yelling* I can't pick, sorry!

Fearless; this album is so Kai coded, you cannot tell me otherwise. I can't tell you WHY it is that way, but it is (despite my anger about the "Kai is Red coded" meme, I am willing to switch Lloyd and Kai if someone can prove it to me.)

And finally, Taylor Swift/Debut: I will admit, I HARDLY listen to this album. I'll probably grow a deeper love/understanding for it when the rerecording comes out but as of now, it's my LEAST listened to album of hers but from the songs I do listen to (Our Song, Tied Together With a Smile and A Place In This World) It really does give me Zane vibes (although I also think it gives PIXAL vibes because those two are really parallels of each other) but, I don't listen to the full album so I'm willing to change my mind.

Anyway, this got very long but I have a lot of opinions on both Ninjago and Taylor's music so you DID kinda ask for it, anon.

[manysmallhands]

My Favourite Songs of 2023 part 1: 40 - 31

The route to this post has not been the smoothest. I've been working on this list since the end of November but I got Covid a few weeks ago and so writing became impossible for a while. Given the amount of time that's passed between then and now, it's become clear to me that some of my choices would be different if i did them over again. However, I am sticking to my original version of the list, a few ups and downs notwithstanding. This is because of one reason and one reason only: I am lazy and I don't want to do it again. My apologies to Troye Sivan and Baby Queen, who i'd probably have found places for amongst others. I can only imagine the streams these artists will lose by not being covered in my blog posts and I hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive me.

However! Every song here is still a banger and, even if I think there might be one or two that are better, surely that only adds to the fun of speculation: Which could it be? Which ones would I have left out? Don't imagine it's definitely the songs with the lowest numbers: my method of ranking is fairly haphazard and I might go so far as to say that these numbers are a load of old bollocks. Still, I've enjoyed myself writing this and, given the infinitesimal number of people who will read it, that is surely the thing that counts. I'm posting the songs in rounds of ten cos that's all that Tumblr will let me embed at a time. Let's go!

40. Girl Ray - Everybody’s Saying That

Girl Ray’s disco turn has in all truth been a bit ropey but Everybody’s Saying That is the best exception, all Nile Rogers shimmer and effortless Studio 54 cool. Poppy Hankin chimes in with the self confidence of the misfit (“Everybody’s saying that you could’ve done better but I really wanna end up with you!”), striking out with winningly frank charm against a backdrop of glittery nightlife

39. En Attendant Ana - Fools And Kings

En Attendant Ana’s third LP was a surprise critical hit but it was the more delicate songs which really stood out for me. Fools And Kings in particular ditches the jangly mathrock approach for a gentler, almost old style RnB feel, as Margaux moves to a more human level lyrically. I don’t think there’s another moment across the album nearly as touching as when she sings “Are you OK y’know?”, a question that we'd all benefit by hearing from time to time.

38. Cassö, RAYE, D-Block Europe - Prada

This thumping remix of DBE and RAYE’s Ferrari Horses takes the original understated vocal performances and hammers at them with a full range of doofs, bleeps, icy synths and the general sense of being in the middle of a cocaine heart attack. The result was wedged in the top 3 for weeks this autumn and, while doomed never to top the charts, it still feels as bracing as the first time I heard it.

37. Maple Glider - Dinah

Maple Glider is one of the new breed of folky singer songwriters but Dinah in particular has the same light as air charm as the sweetest kind of indiepop. Lyrically though, the song tells a much darker story, a tale of sexual abuse in the church where the ingenuousness in her voice underlines the deeply uncomfortable places that it goes. There's an obvious sense of queasiness in that contrast but Dinah's tuneful charm manages to hold it all together.

36. Dimension - DJ Turn It Up

I’ve spent a lot of the last 6 months listening to Radio 1 and this sort of 90s style rave banger is the kind of thing they play a lot. DJ Turn It Up has stuck with me more than most though: maybe that's cos it was the one of the first that I heard, or possibly because of the way the vocal is used as a kind of rhythm track rather than the focal point, relying on the song's musical hooks and twitchy energy to wind up the listener. Whatever it is, DJ Turn It Up slaps: do as the lady says.

35. Talib Kweli/Madlib - Marathon Thru Babylon

Following on from last year’s excellent Black Star reunion (also produced by Madlib), Kweli’s solo project was just as good, with Marathon Thru Babylon providing one of the highlights. Madlib’s signature of grainy old soul samples and booming beats underpins Talib and Mechell Ndegeocello as they trade verses on the nature of time and its malcontents and throw in some conspiracy theory for good measure too. Mechell’s wake up sheeple ending may prompt me to crack a smile but in truth it all just adds to the song’s murky charm.

34. Charli XCX - Speed Drive

One could make the case that Speed Drive has been phoned in a bit - trashy lyrics, yet another interpolation - but every time Charli says “HOT!” it probably makes me happier than I’ve been during any other song this year. The general impression I get from Speed Drive is that, not only would Charli and Barbie be fantastic pals, but also that I will cheerfully listen to any old bollocks that she puts out these days.

33. Free Love - Open The Door

The Glasgow duo probably have fewer listeners than anyone in this list but they sounded like the band who were enjoying themselves the most in 2023. While their Insides album was a more eclectic mix overall, Open the Door sticks close to a Jean Michel Jarre-like template of the future, all laser shots and weird analogue FX, while Suzi Cook’s smartly accented vocals managed to keep an indie vibe within its razor sharp pop hooks.

32. Miley Cyrus - Used To Be Young

Miley doing this kind of “looking back at my misspent youth” song aged 30 feels enjoyably transgressive in its own right but Used To Be Young is so much more than just its brilliant concept. A melodramatic power ballad with some fine turns of phrase, Miley stick two fingers up at the finger waggers and nails some genuinely colossal moments (her yelling of the title at 2.37 must surely become a karaoke staple) as the idea of Miley as ageing rock legend comes off as a surprisingly viable concept. 

31. Lana Del Rey - The Grants

There’s a gospel feel to the opener on Lana’s excellent Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard album, switching between a gloomy tone and something more redemptive as she contemplates reaching across the great divide. The effect is as uplifting as anything she's ever done, capturing that classic Lana space between the heartfelt and theatrical to create a secret third emotion that intensifies the whole idea. It’s another variation on her standard trick but what can I say, I remain easily pleased.

More tomorrow, if i get my act together.

[eucalyprhodes]

I am THANKFUL for Spotify

I don’t think we realized how much of a treasure Spotify is. Maybe because opening Spotify is just second nature to us. When we drive, when we’re cleaning the house, when we study, you name it! That little app on your phone with millions (or probably billions?) of music from ANY time in the history. And for only $12.99 per month, you have access to literally every song ever made (I don’t know if this is 100% true, but to me, it feels that way!)

Sometime last year, my husband and I talked about how they don’t make music like they used to anymore. Sure, we don’t hate the music of today, but there’s just something about them that don’t make us feel things like music back then. I must’ve listened to Harry Styles “Grapejuice” and Niki’s “High School in Jakarta” probably close to a hundred times by now, but neither one of those make me feel anything, except for they’re catchy. My husband and I are 90′s babies and that conversation prompted me to look back at one of my old playlists. One that I haven’t listened to for a long time because for the 95% of the time, my playlist (just like most of us now) is filled with what’s popular right now on TikTok (not even radio ...), and social media. I mean, that’s how I figured out “First Class” by Jack Harlow (heard it on tiktok and wondered why on earth does Fergie sounds DIFFERENT). This particular playlist was filled with indie/rock/alternative from mid 2000 like Incubus, MGMT, The Strokes, and oh who can ever forget, Death Cab for Cutie, and I remember listening to this playlist very often during my junior and senior year of college. I began to listen to this playlist much more often since that conversation, being reminded of my life during junior/senior year and even though those years was quite hell-ish if I’m being completely honest, those songs still manage to get me in my feelings much more than when I listen to my current playlist from 2020-present day. I decided since then that I’m not gonna bother listening to any new music anymore. A friend of mine said something that really resonates with me. She doesn’t listen to new music because she already knows what she loves, why bother with the new one? 

So, earlier this year, I started re-organizing my spotify playlist. I created a 2000 indie/alternative, a 2000 pop and any new music is now in my 2015 and up playlist (haven’t listened to that playlist since the year started TBH). 

In making the first two playlists, I searched for top hits from each year. I started from the year that I actually remember listening to songs, which I believe was 1999 and as of today, I just finished adding top songs from 2005. Let me just say how genuinely amazing this process has been for my heart and my soul. I always heard people talk about something that can bring them back to a core memory. It can be food, music, a place, etc. I was never a sentimental person so quite honestly, i never understood that, until these past few days when I revisited some of my favorite songs from 1999-2005. I listened to How Soon is Now by t.A.T.u. and I am reminded of my first day of junior high orientation where I instantly had a crush on this guy who was in charge of my group. I remember him because all the other girls ALSO had a crush on him! He was in student government, super tall, handsome and so nice to us the underclassmen. I was confident that was the best day of my life and when I came home, I turned on the TV and behold! the music video for How Soon is Now was playing on MTV. I remember jamming to that song even though I have no idea what they’re singing and just feeling gleeful because orientation lasts the whole week and I’ll get to see him again for the whole week :) I listened to “Come on Over” by Christina Aguilera and almost BURST UP LAUGHING because that was the song that I had to choreograph a dance with 3 other girls in my 7th grade dance class. Nope, I don’t remember the dance but man, that was a particular memory because for the first time ever, my parents actually allowed me to come over to a classmate’s house. Probably because it was for school purposes but I also remember feeling so cool about it because the other 3 girls were the IT girls. I listened to “If You’re not the One” by Daniel Bedingfield and my memory shot up to a time of heartbreak in freakin 7th grade (teenage years man, it’s heartbreak after heartbreak, it’s brutal). I had liked this boy and I actually knew him even before he transferred to my school because we used to go to the same elementary school. I’d like to think “We go way back” (not really but oh well). I remember one day, after lunch, I saw him walk into our classroom holding hands with a girl and I just realized that I blew my chance of ever telling him I like him.  I came home and watch MTV and sure enough,  If You’re not the One was playing. I just remembered thinking this song sounds so sad and I AM SAD so this must be MY song. Then I listened to Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” and my mind went to the time my aunt, Mama As, called me. I was still living in Indonesia at that time and she would often call us to catch up. I remember watching MTV (I really watched a lot of MTV back then )and my mom handed the phone. “Here, Mama As want to talk to you” “Hi Kezia, what are you doing?” “Hi Mama As, Kezia lagi nonton tv. Mtv nih, ada Avril Lavigne” “Who’s that” “Oh ini penyanyi favorit Kezia sekarang. Dia pop punk gitu deh Ma. Keren deh” “Oh wow. Ya mungkin nanti kalo kamu udah di sini, kamu bisa nonton konser nya dia ya” and I remember feeling so edgy because I listen to Avril Lavigne and my Aunt knows how cool my music taste is. 

And so on and so forth. With each song that I added to the playlist, it just kept bringing me back to many memories. The good ones, the bad ones, the cringy ones (I think at some point, I dedicated “Flying without Wings” in the school radio to the boy I liked, like HOW CRINGY IS THAT). It also made me realize, I’ve always had a thing for Menado and or Toraja boys because literally every boy I liked back in Indo were either Menado or Toraja (and I ended up married to a Menado man!) God already knew my heart even back then! LOL 

Needless to say, it just makes me appreciate spotify even more. Think about it, if spotify didn’t exist, how difficult it would be to get those songs from each year and organizing it into a playlist. Worse, would we have to take each song and burn it into CDs? I don’t know about you but I am so thankful to not have to burn anymore CDs these days :) Honestly, this wasn’t even going to be like a project for me. I intended to just save an existing playlist to my spotify but after seeing the list of songs, I realized I should just create a brand new one, and curate it in a specific order to my liking, which is why I decided to go year by year. 

I should also say, it’s cool that this project starts with music from 1999 and end at 2005 this week because  I believe those are my formative years in terms of music. i started watching MTV and get a lot of exposures to different types of music (Eminem’s “Without Me” and ALL of Linkin Park’s music video live rent free in my head), sneaking into my brother’s room to listen to his cassettes and later CDs, borrowing cassettes from friends and talking about music. There was a heated discussion about Avril Lavigne vs Michelle Branch one day in 6th grade during our lunch break (I was team Avril). In 5th grade, this girl lended her linkin park cassette to another girl and before you know it, that tape was passed around to the entire class, myself included. I don’t understand why we did what we did, but all I remember was that we collectively as a class felt very cultured after experiencing Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory album. 

I can’t wait to complete my playlist, though I’m conflicted if I should end it at 2010 OR just end it at 2005. At what point do all music start to sound like trap music? I couldn’t pinpoint that. But either way, I’m glad I started this mini project. 

[scifiphan]

Since we're on the topic of Spotify what was your 2017 wrapped like (if you can remember)

i think i have a hoarding problem bc i have 50k pics on my phone but also sometimes hoarding comes in handy gdfhsdja 

and omg can you tell i got OBSESSED with dodie in 2017 aka when i was sad as fuck