#but man holy SHIT the art this section popped OFF

[hsblitzed]

shhhhhhhhhit it is day 34!!! i am starting this at 11:53pm and that counts okay!!!!!

@_@

still one of the most badass pre-godtier outfits

oh yeah no duh, of course when you say you’re on breeding duty, the obvious first thing that comes to mind is frogs. yeah totally kanaya, just common sense

i dont know much about tadpoles but i’m pretty sure that’s one shitty place for one to grow up

BABY KANAYA BABY KANAYA BABY KANAYA

first time i read this i thought it was part of terezi’s whole password thingy, i tried every version of “croak” i could. little did i know that’d come into play WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY later down the line

Oh No indeed

oh shit GAME TIME AGAIN, there’s so many of these

sollux and feferi... 🥺

oh shit, battle between hope vs doom. who will win???

...ah. fuck

stop HURTING my BOY

bitch better fucking run

stop looking COOL when you’re KILLING PEOPLE

that’s fuckin it i’ll kill you myself

OH NO DONT YOU EVEN FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT

B I T C H

welp. have fun dying

S T O P  T H A T

STOP FUCKING KILLING ALL THE GOOD CHARACTERS YOU DOUCHE

totally forgot he was in the room. have fun living with that memory karkat!!!

he’s just having a truly terrible day, huh?

so what, everyone decided right now, right this moment, to become psycho murder serial killers? did i miss a memo or something?

):

“oh there might still be a chance to save him! gotta make sure he’s alright!!” *removes giant fucking lance from his chest*

alas, there is no saving those double-dead. 

fucking love the video linked here

;-;

[vixenpen]

Okay but like..... hawks as a body piercer or tattoo artist

Babyyyy!😩 Hawks with tats and piercings?!!?

That’s TOO much flavor. Like things are getting too spicy for the pepper ma’am.

Tattoo Shop AU (Hawks x GN Reader)

Your friend had recommended this place to you. Fierce Wings Piercing and Tattoo. And since all of f/n’s body work was dope, you trusted their judgement.

What kind of name is Fierce Wings?

You wondered as you checked out the artwork of intricate red wings etched on the glass door.

Ah well. Inside, the shop gave off a cool industrial vibe; with it’s brick walls, exposed pipes in the ceilings, and cool light fixtures.

You marveled at the beautiful pictures of artwork that must have been done on previous clients hanging in various picture frames from the walls.

A rock song you didn’t recognize pumped through the large shop and the front desk sat unoccupied.

The shop seemed to be empty from what you could gather.

“Umm, hello?” You called out, peering around the corner which was sectioned off with a crimson red divider

“Yo, yo!” A deep, lazy voice called back.

The voice, it turned out, was attached to the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your entire life. A man with tousled ash blonde hair emerged from the back. He was a bit shorter than average, body lean and rippling with muscle that looked like it came from actual manual labor rather than a workout routine.

His skin was a tapestry of patterns and designs. A colorful sleeve of Japanese art climbed his left arm, a geisha and an oiran on his right. The beautiful colors popped even more against the black tanktop he wore. He had a small gold hoop in every hole in his ear from the lobe to the cartilage and a barbell in his left brow.

But the real draw were his eyes. They were like nothing you had ever seen on a human being. A sort of liquid amber like a cats or more precisely like a hawk’s...

A slow smile spread across the man’s face. Those beautiful golden eyes ran over you—as if appraising your appearance.

“Hey there, welcome to Fierce Wings. What can I do for ya?”

“I wanted to get some new ink.” You explained.

“Well you came to the right place. Got anything particular in mind?”

“Oh, yeah! Here.” You handed the man your phone.

Hé whistled. “That’s beautiful, kid. That’s gonna be fun, but first things first. If I’m gonna be mutilating your skin for the next several hours, we should probably get acquainted first, huh? My name is Keigo, but everybody knows me as Hawks. How ‘bout yourself?”

“Y/n.” You answered.

“Well, y/n, if you’re ready we can get started. Follow me to the back and let’s get you prepped.”

As you followed Hawks to the back of the shop, you noted that all the stalls were indeed empty.

“I hope I didn’t catch you at closing or something. I saw on your site that you guys take walk-ins.”

You said as Hawks ushered you into a booth in the back.

“Ah, you’re good, kid. Funny story, all of my other artists quit on me except one. My boy, Dabi.”

“Holy shit, really?”

“Yupperdoodles.” Hawks laughed.

“Why?”

“During co-vid, everybody found it more fruitful to go off and do their own things. I can’t even be mad at ‘em. After that shut down and with us not knowing whether or not we’ll have another one or not, everybody’s just searching for job security. So we’ve had to adapt.”

“How has that been?”

“It’s been chill,” Hawks said as he cleansed your skin. “Less people, less drama. Unfortunately that means we’ve had to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps around here, but hey,” he shrugged, “I’m used to it. I go hard in everything I do, ya feel me?”

He winked and you felt your cheeks burn. Was that...an innuendo?

“Well, your work is amazing. My friend, f/n, recommended I come to you all.”

“Ah yeah, I remember f/n.” His face brightened at the name. “They’re good people! Tell ‘em I said: hi and thanks for the referral, when you see them again.”

“Will do.”

You settled back on the chair as Hawks went to work stenciling the design you’d chosen on your skin. His long tongue occasionally ran over his lips as his amber eyes narrowed in concentration.

Holy shit. His tongue is pierced too. Fuck that’s hot.

“You trying to commit my face to memory or sum’n, y/n?” Hawks asked, startling you.

His hooded gaze never left the work he was doing on your skin, but an amused half smile danced on his face.

“N-no, I was just thinking how amazing it is that you only saw that picture once, but you’ve got it down to the detail.”

Hawks chuckled. “That’s my gift at work. I have photographic memory. As soon as I get the information, it’s locked in. Came in handy in flight school.”

“Flight school?”

“Yeah, studied to be a pilot back in the day.” He tapped his index finger against his temple and glanced up at you. “This quick brain of mine made me a beast in the cockpit.”

“Is that how you got the name Hawks?” You asked.

“Cute and smart. A dangerous combination kid.”

You bit your lip, heart fluttering a bit at the compliment.

“Alright, y/n, I’m gonna get started now. How’s that look?”

You admired Hawks’ handy work. It was stunning. Every detail was accounted for.

“Perfect. Ohh it’s gonna be so dope!”

He grinned at you. “Sure is, kiddo.”

In a matter of minutes, the humming of the tattoo gun filled the air as Hawks worked. His handsome face was scrunched in concentration. He was moving quickly, but carefully. Obviously a master at his craft.

“There you go sizing me up again, kid.” Hawks piped up out of nowhere.

You bit your lip once again—caught and embarrassed.

“Like what you see?” He asked. His gaze flicked up at you, lusty and half-hooded, a smirk settled on his face.

Your throat went dry.

“Ye-yeah. Um, the tattoo looks amazing...”

“The tattoo or the tattooer?” He teased.

Fuck it. If he’s gonna tease me to death, I might as well throw it back at him.

“Por que no los dos?” You shot back.

Hawks laughed, surprised. “Both is good, kiddo.”

You smiled in response, glad the flirtatious cutie hadn’t thrown you too far off your game.

“So, Hawks, did you choose the name Fierce Wings because of your time as a pilot?”

“You bet. Fitting for the fiercest former fighter pilot in Japan. It was also my codename.”

“Damn, how many names do you have?”

“Hmm, let’s see, there’s: Keigo, Kei, Takami, Hawks, Fierce Wings, Wings, Big daddy, master, lover boy-“

You laughed, covering your face a bit at Hawks’ antics.

He let out a deep chuckle in response.

“But my favoriiite,” he said, dragging out the word as he tilted his head to look over your tat; “is; Oh God, yesss.”

His tone dripped with silent suggestiveness. Fingers gently brushing your skin as he examined his work thus far.

Your neck and face burned at the implications of his statement.

Hawks looked up at you once more, pierced tongue dragging across his full bottom lip.

And suddenly, neither of you were laughing anymore.

(((Pt.2)))

[pigstepmp3-moved]

holy hell, gamers, i finally reached one whole thousand followers! how bonkers is that! when i first made this blog in december 2018, i was just trying to start over in a new fandom. ive been active on tumblr for a looong time (since i was like 11, which is. not great, but we wont get into that). i cant remember quite why i decided to remake, but i never imagined getting a higher following than i did before, but i did! 1000 followers is bonkers, i’ve never had a thousand of anything! i seriously cant thank each and every one of you enough, whether you followed me for 911 or for mcyt or for whatever!

now, since ive reached this absolutely bonkers milestone, im feeling particularly sappy! so under the cut, i have some friends and mutuals tagged who are super great n who are always an absolute pleasure to see on my dash! <3 again, thank you all so much! (ps, if we’re mutuals and i didnt tag u in this, that doesnt mean i dont love and appreciate you!! i mostly am just picking people to tag based off how often i see them on my dash! i love all of u so much <3)

♡ 911 FRIENDS ♡

(aka the ogs, aka the fire fam)

♡ @lovelessmotel ♡ emily!! god, where do i even begin with how much i love and adore you!! i know youre one of my big sisters, but wow i am so proud of how much youve discovered yourself since we’ve met!! like wow, look at this epic, gorgeous person whos one of MY close friends! im so lucky to be friends with you! thank you so much for being my friend, i appreciate you and all the sisterly advice you’ve given me more than i can ever put into words!

♡ @eddiediaz-buckley ♡ sav!! mom!! i love u so unbelievably much!! i am so unbelievably grateful for you and everything youve done for me! all the advice youve given me and all the times youve let me vent to you have been so important to me and i cannot thank you enough for all that. im soso appreciative of you and im so glad that i have someone as amazing as you as my mom/big sister (we’ll never really figure out our fams family dynamics, will we?) (ps, whenever i go outside and have my keys with me, its always so comforting to feel the keychain you got me! its like my moms with me everywhere i go!)

♡ @liesoverthec ♡ bonbonbonbon!!! i love you so much, you wouldnt BELIEVE how much i love you!!! im so glad we met bc you are so unbelievably kind!! there is a very good reason a nickname for u is bonbon bc you are just as sweet as candy!! maybe even more so!! i love having you as one of my big sisters, you give such wonderful advice and talking to you always makes me feel a million times better!! i love you and i am soso glad i get to call you my friend!

♡ @marauder-girl ♡ sabsabsab!! i love u so much, u funky lil future lawyer!! im so proud of u and i can hardly believe ur gonna be my Lawyer big sister!!! thats so awesome!! i cant believe such a rad person is one of MY friends!! how lucky am i!! i love having you as one of my big sisters, youre so kind and funny and talented and your advice has always been so helpful to me too! thank you so much for being my friend and for always being there for me!!

♡ @nighting-gale17 ♡ cait, my love, my wifey!!! wowowow i love u so much!!! im so glad we’re friends, you are so unbelievably lovely!! youre also so unbelievably talented like??? hey queen wanna hand some of ur writing ability over to the unfortunate (like me). i’m so glad we’re friends, youre so sweet and even tho we dont talk as much as we used to, i still have SO much love for you in my heart

♡ @africaneuropean ♡ rae, my father!! i love u so much!! i know we havent talked at all in. who knows how long. but i still have so much love for u in my heart!! you are so iconic and cool and funny, im so glad i met you n became friends with you!! ur one of the coolest people i know, i hope i can be as cool and mysterious and wonderful as you one day

♡ @evaneddie ♡ DHYL!!! dhyl pickle i love u so much!!! whenever u pop into my inbox with random nice messages, every part of me lights up!!! u are so kind to me and for what!! i miss talking to u as much as we used to, you are so sweet and you are such a good friend!! i love u n im SO proud of how far youve come with gif making, i still remember when u first started n youve gotten SO amazing at gifs lately!! i love u soso much n im so glad we’re friends, youre so awesome!!!

♡ @basil-the-writer ♡ des!!! i love u so much!!! i know we’ve never rly talked all that much but im glad we have interacted in the ways that we have!! u are so sweet n so talented!! like the fact that u have the patience for those lil video edits u do?? that is so cool!! all ur edits are so cool, i cannot imagine being able to make stuff like that without dying every single time. u are so cool n i love being able to call u my friend!!

♡ GRIFF ♡

(aka griff)

♡ @yawnralphio ♡ u get ur own section bc u are my only 911 friend who isnt an og, but thats ok bc u are so swaggy!! i love being friends with u griff, u are so cool and funny and i am so glad that u still want to be friends with me despite all of the horrifying things u’ve learned about mcyt from me jdhfajkdhfa. i love u so much n i am so excited to get to know u more n get closer to u!!

♡ FRUITBLR ♡

(aka mcyt friends)

♡ @fear-epidemic ♡ atlas u are so swaggy and funny!! tumblr funny man!! im so glad we’re mutuals, i love u a whole lot. that one time u me n wilby played bed wars together was so fun even if we’re really bad! n that one time we played on the fruitblr server while on vc was so fun, i loved talking to u n playing with u so much, we gotta do that again sometime. i love u so much chapin n im so glad we’re friends!!

♡ @netheritedream ♡ hari my beloved... i love u so much. like literally so much that its really embarassing. i am so glad u tagged me in that one follow forever post n put the offer on the table to let me join the server. i love being ur dumb lil husband!!! jus like actual fundy, i would risk it all to watch treasure planet with u. i love u sososo much, i wish i could live closer to u so i could actually talk to u more often </333 im going through severe withdrawal, pray for me. im gonna stop talking for now bc if i kept going on, this post would be several miles along n nobody has time for that </3 just know that i love u so much and i love having matching icons n i love being ur husband, i love u so much

♡ @sootswilbur ♡ tommy... i care you so much. little bromther!!! im sososo glad we’re friends bc u are so kind to me all the time n u are so easy to talk to!! ur also so talented, ur writing n ur gifs are so amazing n im so proud of all the awesome stuff u make!! seeing u experiment more with ur gif sets n trying new things is so awesome n inspiring and i love seeing ur experiments work out!! i love u soso much n im so happy to be ur big brother!! (or one of them at least)

♡ @fruitbur ♡ virgil my Other beloved... i love u so much!! u are one of the kindest people ive ever met n im so glad i met u!! i know ive already told u this before but ur tagging system is so sweet n i love seeing u reblog my posts bc im like “yay alastair is gonna tell me that he loves me in the tags :D” i also lovelovelove ur theme, i love the soft pink and the lil aesthetic board that u have pinned, its so nice to look at!!! ily sososo much <333

♡ @theartofmining ♡ hey fruit ily. like genuinely, u are so unbelievably funny that u make my ribs hurt so much. i know we’re like never rly that serious but i love u so much. as much as i joke about hating u, i really am glad we’re friends n i really look forward to becoming better friends with u. i love u a whole lot rain, i love seeing u on my dash bc ur full of good takes n funny posts

♡ @sapnaplive ♡ dream.... bonks our foreheads together... i care u so much. my other half!!! i love u with my whole little heart. u are soso cool and im so lucky to be able to call u my friend!! ur themes are always so cool, i wish i could be half as cool as them!!! ur art is also so epic like??? u are a triple threat: good at art, tumblr themes, AND minecraft building. and ur also so kind!!! u are one of the sweetest people i know, i love u so much and im so glad im friends with u!!

♡ @dreams-little-kitten ♡ corn u are so weird and i mean that in the kindest way possible. u are so cryptic n i love that so much about u. ur like the wilbur to my philza sometimes and i think thats so awesome. that one time u came into my inbox to talk shit about that one cuphead boss was so funny and absurd, i loved that so much. i love You so much. i love how ur just so effortlessly funny, n im so glad i can be friends with u

♡ @dreamsmp ♡  JEL!!!! i love u so much holy cow. u are so sweet!! all the time!!! ur also so talented, ur gifs always look so good!!! i love being friends with u, ur always so nice to me n u always leave rly nice tags when u reblog my gif sets that make me so happy!!! i think about that one time u rbed my fundy gif set n said “FUNDY GIFS” and “GIFS BY FUNDY” it made me so happy!!! i love u a whole lot, im so glad we’re friends :)

♡ @leaguelol ♡ damien!! i love u so much u funky little cryptid!! i love when u pop into the gc just to share cryptic thoughts, u are so strange but i think thats so cool of u!!! i honestly see u kinda like a lil sibling, im always so proud of u when i see ur art on my dash!! u are so talented at art!! i love u so much n i love being ur friend, ur rly sweet n i love seeing u on my dash and in the gc!!

♡ @its5undy ♡ idk why im putting u on this, ur my mortal enemy. jkjk, i actually love u a lot clay! i love joking around with u, ur so funny and for what. im so glad u joined the gc bc i love talking to you so much!! i still love that one time u reblogged that fwt gif set n tagged me in it moments after I reblogged it. i love that u thought about me, that rly warms my heart! i love being friends with u sososo much

♡ @cavalreee ♡ oh hey, another great big fruit!! i dont think we talk all that often, which is a shame, bc ur so sweet!! and also so fucking funny, why is everyone in this friend group so fucking funny, its not fair. i love seeing u on my dash talking with ur other friends, u always have the funniest convos ever. also? ur desktop theme is SO epic, it threw me off the first time i saw it but its so swaggy, just like u!! i love u soso much azzie, n i hope we can talk more in the future bc ur so cool

♡ @technosoot ♡ i love u even tho ur a br*t /j /j /j. jannat u are so unbelievably sweet. im so glad u joined the gc bc u are such a kind presence both in there and on my dash! u radiate very Warm, Friend energy. ur friend shaped. i love u so much n i love being friends with u!! im very eager to become closer friends with u bc u seem like a really amazing friend to have

♡ @sortasortaspicy ♡ les where are u in the gc i miss u </3 i love u so much, u fit in so well from the very beginning n brought so much more fun and laughter into the gc. i dont know u all that well n i dont think we’ve talked one on one like. at all. but id love to get closer to u bc ur so rad and ur so sweet!!

♡ EPIC PEOPLE  ♡

(aka mutuals who are so cool n id love to be friends with u pls talk to me)

@eurytherm ♡ @vampkings ♡ @weelbur ♡ @wilburtheesoot ♡ @quackityskarl ♡ @wimblrscoot ♡ @technofarmer ♡ @wooteena ♡ @bloodforblood ♡ @smpsapnap ♡ @literallynotfound ♡ @hearty-an0n ♡ @enderanboo ♡ @springbonniecpu ♡ @pandascanpvp ♡ @tommylnnits ♡ @strawberrygogy ♡ @timedeo ♡ @nymika-arts ♡ @h-isforhome ♡ @eboykarl ♡ @joe-alkaysani ♡ @betwecouldmakesome ♡ @squirrelstone ♡ @maddieandchimney

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Comic-con.”

You guys wanted something fluffier and lighthearted, so I took a suggestion from a group of the Discord server, and did this with it I hope you guys like, and thank you for the suggestions.  “Where are you taking me? And why am I wearing this?”

Adam frowned at her, “Don’t be such a party pooper, I took you to watch MMA last week, and now its my turn to pick the fun activity.”

Sunny held up the glowing weapon --of facsimile of a weapon--, “What is this called again.”

“It’s an energy sword, from a really REALLY old video game.”

“And what are you supposed to be.”

Adam turned to look at her, shaking his head in disappointment, “Sometimes, I am sad for your lack of pop culture education.”

“And whose fault is it for my lack of pop culture education?”

He tapped his chin, “I suppose that is true.” 

“To be fair the pop culture you subscribe to is like two thousand years old.” She looked him up and down. He was wearing a spacesuit and a jetpack. This might have been normal for him were it not for the painstaking hours that he had spent painting the thing and applying decals.

Where the standard issue UNSC space - suit ranged anywhere from white to silver to dark blue, this one was in a gaudy combination of white with green and purple highlights with a blue decal on the front embossed with the outline of stylized white wings. Under that, he had taken the time to dye one of the old undersuits purple, and was now wearing the hood to complete ‘the affect’

“Seriously though. What are You?”

He turned to look at her grinning and patted her on the shoulder, “Just wait.”

She sighed and did as told following him out of the underground parking lot and up into the sun. She threw her hand over her face as they came up into the sun, and when she withdrew her hand, she found herself surrounded by hundreds of humans all walking towards the same destination, and all of them were dressed, strangely… she couldn’t tell which ones for sure, because humans always seemed to dress strangely, but something bout this gave her the feeling that these ones were doing it on purpose..

At her side, Adam was grinning.

Following the line of people her eyes traced up to the large, and spacious building just up ahead. The walls were made out of metal and glass paneling, and across their surface scrolling scenes from movies and comic strips flashed.

Off to her side, a man in a blue and red suit, with a big yellow S on the front went floating past, his hover boots giving him the effect as if he were flying, red cape billowing out behind him.

Someone else to their side was walking a rather large brown dog towards the building. It had a teel collar and a couple of painted on black spots, while he was wearing a  green shirt and brown pants. He looked like he really needed a haircut.

Sunny tilted her head to better read the letters on the building before her.

J. HAIL CONVENTION HALL 

They were just outside the doors when someone ran up to them. THey looked younger, maybe in their teens, dressed with an elaborately colored wig, and strange colorful clothes, “Holy Shit! Your costumes are awesome, Can I get a picture?”

“Hell yeah.” Adam motioned the kid closer, pulling Sunny down beside them so the kid could grab a picture and then turn to look at Sunny, “How did you make it look so real. You look just like the Drev from that movie.” 

She stared at him before looking down at herself.

Adam laughed, “It looks real because it IS real.”

The kid stared at them in disbelief, “No way.”

“Yeah she's a real life actual alien.”

Eyes went even wider, I...w...wow.” 

Sunny shrugged and waved one of her arms to the kid as Adam dragged her further up the line.

“Here, hold out your hand.” She did as told and he wrapped a small plastic bracelet around her wrist. The letters on the band read VIP

Walking over to the doors they were stopped by a group of people holding up their hands. One of them walked around them, and pointed at Adam’s jetpack, “YOu have a licence for that?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” 

He reached into one of the pockets on his suit and pulled it out to show them. THey looked it over and then nodded, and he grinned. Tey read off some rules before they were suddenly interrupted.

Voices behind them, and Sunny turned.

A group of people walked up, one of them was dressed like a cowboy with a yellow shirt and blue pants, with a brown hat.

Another human in a blow up dinosaur costume pointed at Adam’s uniform,

“And what does that button do.”

Adam grinned, and Sunny watched him with a fond shake of her head as he approached them, putting on some sort of character voice.

“Ill show you.” Looking around to make sure that everyone was clear, he deployed the wings of the jetpack, striped in red and white.

The group oohed and ahhed.

THe cowboy moved forward, “Oh what, these are plastic, he can’t fly.”

“They are a trillium carbonic alloy and I CAN fly.”

“No you can’t”

“Yes I can.”

“Can’t.”

“CAN.”

“Can’t Can’t Can’t.”

“I could fly around this convention center with my eyes closed.”

Sunny just stood there watching them nervously shifting back and forth. She had a feeling that they were arguing, but it also felt very scripted, though how it could be scripted, she didn’t know. They had never seen these people as far as she was concerned.

The other man moved very close, “Ok then my light beer, prove it.”

“Alright then, I will.”

He held out his hands voice growing a bit more serious as he did, “Everyone step back.”

They did as told, and the cowboy was smiling now instead of frowning.

“Adam, is this legal.” Sunny wondered.

He turned to look at her, “Yes, the convention center has its own airspace just for this. I had to sign a waver.” He turned back to the others and ignited the engin on the jetpack kicking off the ground.

His flight was far more controlled than his original flight, and he flew in a fast circle around the area, dropping in with a flip to land before them to the cheering of an amassed crowd.

He pointed at the cowboy, “CAN.”

“That wasn’t flying, that was falling with style.” The man protested though he was grinning even as he walked over to take a picture with Adam.

“Pretty sure that made my day, your costume is awesome. Is this a real spacesuit.”

“You bet it is.”

“Where did you get your hands on one.”

“Oh I have my sources. Did you make your costume?”

“Sewed it myself. The hat and boots I bought though.”

They parted ways with Adam’s new friend and stepped inside the convention center scanning their bracelets as they went in.

“Welcome, Sunny to the biggest nerd convention ever conceived of by man...ComicCon.”

She turned in a wide circle eyes wide at thousands of booths, thousands of people all talking and laughing. He grabbed her hand and dragged hr further inside, “IF your good, I’ll buy you a sword.”

“Nerds want swords?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, “Of course nerds want swords. Here, lets start over there and movie this way, through the art section first.”

Sunny did as told, following after him.

She never knew Adam being one to spend a lot of money, he had no reason too, but after the first ten minutes she figured out that he was a little bit of a spender when it came to nerdy things. Posters and drawings and other related items.

However, she was surprised to find that they did have leather workers and blacksmiths as they were called, and she did…. In fact… get herself a sword which she recognized from the lord of the rings movie he had made her watch. It was a pretty good sword all things considered as if whoever made it actually knew how to make swords.

They were coming around a corner when they almost ran into another group of people. Adam dropped one of his bags and the other reached down to pick it up. When he stood, Sunny's eyes widened. Blond hair green eyes and an eyepatch, “Sweet Costume!”

She shook herself thinking she had bumped her head or something and was seeing double, but no, when she looked closer she realised that this person couldnt have been more than fifteen or sixteen…. And dressed like Adam.

She looked over at Adam who was standing mouth open eyes wide.

“Can I get a picture!”

Sunny just nodded her head as the kid jumped over next to her and had his friend take it before running off yelling back at her about her amazing costume.

Adam turned to look at Sunny, “Did I just>”

“I think you did.”

He shook himself, “Wow.”

She nodded 

After that it started happening more and more. 

Adam was everywhere, in all stages of life. They had recreated his uniforms, his flight suits, his space suits. They brought their dogs. There were even gender bent versions of him, blond women wearing eyepatches, brown jackets and jeans making it very clear who they were .

It got even more weird when Sunny started seeing herself.

Small children in costumes made of foam.

People wearing onesies that sort of looked like her, and even one costume that had a woman on stilts for her legs, and a complex system of homemade mechanics to allow her to move around.

Adam stood there mouth open just staring at them.

Sunny laughed at the irony.

He was here as a guest, and no one knew.

If only they had any idea that the real deal was here and dressed like a space ranger from a two thousand year old cartoon.

Sunny tilted her head listening to the announcements which said there would be a “Adam Vir look alike contest going on on the other side of the convention.

She turned to look at Adam and they  both began to laugh hysterically. She grabbed his arm. We have to see this.

They wandered over just as the others were filtering in. And there were TONS of them, all dressed like Adam. One stopped next to him, spiky blond hair, clearly dyed for the occasion, wearing a flight suit and aviators.

Adam Tried to avoid eye contact with anyone as they sat down to watch, however no one recognized him, not even close.

They sat, watching the judging.

An adorable little boy with blond hair and a NASA T-shirt won for the younger age bracket.

The jumpsuit wearing kid to their right won for his teenage years.

At the end it was up between two men, one in casual wearing and one in a uniform. The one wearing the uniform had a similar lopsided grin as Adam and she would have chosen him as a dead ringer, and was almost put off when they chose the other man, who was, on the other hand, roguishly handsome.

She snorted, “He looks nothing like you.”

“But he does look like Keith Jenning who played me, so I guess people sort of conflate us as being the same person.”

“This is so unreal.”

They laughed again as they walked away sunny pointing out he probably would have lost the contest if he had tried to enter, and he laughed along with her.

THey were perusing through a booth with a bunch of old vintage movies when another announcement came over the intercom, saying that the cast of Adam’s movie was going to be speaking.”

Adam’s eyes widened, and together they made their way wanting to see what all the fuss was about. There were hundreds of people packed into the large room, and they were only able to get space just along one wall.

Up at the table, he recognized Keith Jenning, Rita. Ortiz, and Adler Handen, the voice actor for Krill and the woman who played Sunny.

Adam leaned back against the wall to watch.

Keith didn’t look anything like Adam at this moment, his hair back to brown like it usually was.

Hands raised in the crowd as questions were shot out, “What was the hardest part of playing Adam Vir?”

Keith laughed and then paused, “I think it might have been the eyepatch. I stubbed my toe like…. What was it Rita, we kept track on set.”

“About 456 times during the course of filming.” She added, and the group of them laughed.

“How accurate is the story to what actually happened?” Someone called out

Adler Handen leaned forward, “You know it was actually pretty accurate because Adam Vir was actually consulting through the whole process, though I think it is glammed up to make him look maybe a little more….”

“Poised.” Rita added, “Ellis gave him a bit of an action hero spin.”

“What is he actually like?”

Keith smiled as did Rita, “He’s hilarious, and kind, and a bit of a clutz I would say.”

Rita laughed, “That is one part of the movie that is inaccurate. I think they should have put it in, but he was like the last man to step onto Proxima B, and when he did he says he actually fell out of the shuttle and landed on his face.”

There was laughter from the crowd.

“Honestly a really modest guy all told.

“He has the personality of a golden retriever…. In a good way obviously.” Rita said

Keith had stood up from his palace at the table and was looking around the crowd for more questions, when his eyes fell on Adam and Sunny not a few rows away leaning against the wall.

The recognition was instantaneous, despite them not having seen for a long time. He pointed his eyes wide, “Adam…. Adam is that you. Sunny?”

The entire crowd turned and thousands of eyes fell on them.

Adam was stuck like a deer in the headlights hands held up.

“No way It IS YOU. Someone grab a chair and get him up here.” 

Rita stood in her seat and waved.

Now people were standing to get a good look at them as two security people motioned them up.

Adam was bright red in the face as he was pushed to come on stage. The people looked confused, but when Adam pulled off his hood, and pulled on his eyepatch the entire convention center began cheering.

“Yeah give the man a round of applause.” Keith said pulling out a chair for him to sit on while Rita did the same for Sunny.

Adam shifted awkwardly in his seat.

“Nice costume, is that from Toy story?”

Adam shrugged, ‘Yeah, or the Tv show I guess.”

Someone hurried over with another microphone as the crowd below continued to babble and point.

Keith leaned forward, “Did I mention he was a raging nerd. Did you wear the costume to hide or….”

Adam shook his head, “No, I've been coming to the convention since I was a kid.”

There was cheering in the crowd.

Hands were raised high into the air for questions, and Adam blinked a bit red in the face still.

“Is it true what they said about Proxima B?”

Adam smiled, “uh yeah I fell flat on my face, right out the door. You see the movie had a ramp, but a ot of our ships don’t have ramps, they have doors because it would kind of be…. Impractical to have a whole ramp opening up into an airlock. So instead it had a door and stairs. And I got so excited that I missed the second stair and just fell.

“How accurate is the rest of the movie?”

He shrugged, still blushing, “They did make me look a little more… heroic, than I actually am. I mean there is a little known fact among members of the UNSC that doing a warp without a warp dampener like we did on the Enterprise was…. How shall we say… extremely hard on the body. About fifty percent of the men on the bridge peed themselves and passed out.”

There was laugher from the crowd.

“Were you part of the fifty percent?”

He snorted, “ I was nineteen of COURSE I was part of the fifty percent. Captain Kelly had a bladder of Iron though.”

More laughter.

“And when it came to meeting with aliens for the first time, I was so excited that I ran after them right….. Well as it turns out, to the aliens it looked really, really bad. Like they thought I was going to eat them.” More laughter, “We are still trying to repair human/Bran relations five years later because of me.”

More questions.

“What is your funniest story, something that didn’t appear in the movie?”

Adam had to think about it for a minute, “Did  I ever tell you about the first time we met Iotins or the Celzex.”

Cheering in the crowd,.

“Ok ok, so The one thing you need to know about Iotins is that they smell good, and I don’t mean your girl’s perfume good, I mean like continental breakfast with bacon and eggs and potatoes and I don’t know what else.” Sunny smiled as she listened to the sound of the crowd’s amusement, “This is the kind of smell that turns you into one of pavlov’s Dogs. Drooling all over yourself stomach grumbling the whole nine. So when we met them for the first time, it was during a GA convention and my men hadn’t eaten since breakfast. It was so bad, I drooled all over my uniform and we scared the Iotin council half to death.”

He smiled as the crowd encouraged him into more stories.

“Then of course there is the Celzex, a very war-like race, very honor bound and very easy to offend. And yet they are about a foot tall rainbow colored, fluffy and with  adorable pig ears. These guys were designed to be cuddled, and yet, not one human has ever done it for fear of pissing them off since they have weapons that could glass our entire planet.”

He was Animated as he told his stories, and the crowd was animated with him

“Sunny, i have a question.” She lifted her head in surprise, “Is it true you grew up in a stone hut/”

She hummed deep in her chest, “Yes, where else would I have grown up.”

“So you didn’t have electricity?”

She shook her head, “No, why would we need it?”

She answered a few more questions.

And then one young man stood.

“So, I was wondering, you supported the LFIL during their protests.”

Adam shifted nervously in his seat, “I did.”

“And it’s because of you that they are in a probationary state of legality.”

“Yes.”

.”“So I was wondering, considering all that and considering your relationship with Sunny. Have you tow ever thought about dating.” Adam blanched white and you could have heard a pin drop.

Sunny glanced quickly over at adam. A part of her really wanted him to admit it to people, but another part of her-- the bigger part-- knew that doing it here in front of thousands of people would be a disaster. He opened his mouth to stammer out a question but Sunny leaned forward towards her mic.

“You misunderstand Drev courting customs. He would have to be able to beat me in a fight first.

Factions of the room muttered, and Sunny quickly moved the conversation on to more Funny stories.

Adam turned his head towards her with a look of relief.

With her head turned form the cameras she gave him a brief wink before turning back.

They didn’t exactly get to see the rest of the convention as they were waylaid by people wanting autographs and to talk to him. He of course was good natured and answered all their questions with a smile and gave pictures with enthusiasm.

She smiled

He was kind like that.

Thought some worries gnawed at the back of her mind.

People were beginning to suspect, and that could be a big problem for Adam.

[florenceandthemachine]

The last meet-cute I asked you for was so good and I saw this prompt on someone else’s blog so if it sparks anything: “We’re both hiding in the garden furniture section of IKEA”

do you ever see a prompt and just have a full fucking fic pop into your head? just me? ok. 

here’s some fluffy-trope-y-nonsense! also saw you just had lasik sorry if reading this unedited nonsense makes you go blind again xoxo

When it came to IKEA, Eddie was typically a messy person. Normally, he relied on one of two things if he needed to stay focused; a thorough, detailed list, or Christopher, who had absolutely no patience for Eddie wandering through a literal warehouse of crap, designing for a home he didn’t buy.

Which was rough, considering his current mission—buy some new furniture for Chris’s room for his birthday. Which meant he had no list, no sense of direction, and no Christopher to keep him on track. That would normally spell a recipe for a distracted disaster—but he was so focused, so determined to get this right, that he was confident in his shopping abilities for once. He had to be, he only had two hours until Carla brought Chris home, and two hours wasn’t enough for an IKEA visit on a normal day. So he had to be focused.

He’s so focused, in fact, that as he passes by the Poäng’s and the Fjällbo’s, he almost doesn’t notice the man in the plants.

And no, that isn’t something that he can clarify. 

There is a man. In. The plants. 

What?

He tries to walk away, but the image of a tallish, blondish, beefyish, honestly pretty cuteish if Eddie is being honest, fully grown adult hiding in the plastic bamboo is a bit too much for him to ignore.

“You know, those plants are fake. If you’re trying to check the soil, they’re definitely not gonna need water any time soon.”

He tries not to laugh as Plant Man immediately stumbles, nearly knocking over a Smycka, a Fejka, and a whole case of hanging planters as he turns around. It’s cute. Kinda sad, but cute.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, I kind of figured. I mean, they’re realistic looking, but definitely fake. No, I’m—I’m hiding.”

Hiding? This was an IKEA, a place where you could get lost without even trying. 

“You’re hiding.”

“Yeah. My ex is here.”

Oooooohh. That, Eddie could understand. 

It was easy enough to spot who he thought was the culprit, if the harrowed look on her face and half empty yellow bag was anything to go by. 

“Shorter, redhead, kind of sloppy smokey eye, looks like she would stab someone with a high heel?”

Plant Guy laughed, but the sound didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, that’s Taylor.”

Eddie pretended to be engrossed in his phone as he looked over to the stranger again, tilting his head to the side. 

“Well, I’ll tell you what. If you agree to help me load what I buy into my truck, and get me a plate of meatballs before we leave—the full size plate, by the way, I’m not settling for less than ten meatballs—I’ll help you get rid of her for good. I’m Eddie, by the way.”

“I’m Buck.” Plant guy—Buck—looked like Eddie had just handed him a goose that laid golden eggs. “For good? No, way. You can really do that?”

“I can.” Eddie said seriously, extending a hand to Buck. “But you have to trust me. My methods may be extreme, but I can almost guarantee results.”

A bit dramatic, maybe, but he still found himself smiling as Buck easily took his hand, taking a moment to savor the warmth. A sharp tug was all he needed to pull Buck up and out of the plants, making a sort of yelping noise, stumbling over a row of Boysenbär pots as Eddie put a hand on his hip, helping him steady. 

The effect was instantaneous—while the noise wasn’t loud, it was just enough to draw the attention of anyone who happened to be searching through the warehouse already. 

Eddie could feel the redhead’s eyes laser lock onto him as he steadied Buck’s hips, his opposite hand coming to cup Buck’s cheek. 

“Sweetheart, you okay?” He plastered what he hoped was a look of concern on his face as Buck turned bright red, something that thankfully could be attributed to his stumbling, and not the fact that a near stranger was calling him ‘sweetheart’. He was mercifully quick on the uptake, at least, a smile blooming over his face as he chuckled, ducking his head, pressing into Eddie’s hand a bit more, and oh, wow, that was fucking adorable.

“Yeah, I’m good, sorry, I just… thanks, baby.”

Eddie chuckled as he dropped the hand from Buck’s face, the hand on his hip lacing with Buck’s instead, tugging him along. “C’mon, I want to look at a new lamp for the living room. We need something brighter, and as much as your smile lights up a room, I’m tired of stubbing my toe in the morning.” Eddie said, pulling that story directly out of his ass, hoping that he was selling the ‘teasing boyfriend’ aspect as he pulled Buck along.

It was purely coincidence that the route to the lighting section of the warehouse was only a row away from the redhead that was currently glaring daggers into Eddie’s back. 

Once they turned the corner, Eddie let his hand slide out of Buck’s easily, the air a little cooler than he was expecting after being so close to someone so hot something so warm. 

“Holy shit, that was amazing.” Buck blurted out, looking at Eddie like he hung the moon, and yeah, Eddie could admit, he preened a little under the admiring gaze.

“There you go. You’ve just earned yourself a harassment free shopping experience.” Eddie said proudly, winking as he took a few steps back, snatching up a yellow bag and tossing it over his shoulder easily. Buck still looked a little flustered, and honestly, it was cuter than anything Eddie could have hoped for—but the tick of his watch brought him back to his mission. “Hey, I hate to scare off an ex and run, but I gotta make some quick choices, so...”

“Oh! Oh, uh, for sure. Thanks again, Eddie.”

“No problem. Good luck, Buck.” Eddie winked for good measure as he turned around, feeling warmth pool in his stomach. He hadn’t had that much fun flirting since before he was married, and while he worried occasionally that he lost his touch, the blush on Buck’s face begged to differ.

--

Eddie was making good time. He had narrowed it down to two potential presents—it was either a Vitval bunkbed / loft, complete with a desk and a physical-therapist-approved ladder, and Eddie knew that Chris had been dying for a bunkbed for forever, but... on the other hand, there was the Phal workspace, with plenty of drawers, shelves, and surfaces for Chris to completely drown with his pictures, Legos, arts and crafts. 

He had been stuck between the two—literally, standing between both display models—when he felt a hand slide into his own, blinking in surprise, a low voice in his ear before he could turn. 

“Sorry, uh, she followed me out of textiles. I’m so sorry, this is super weird, I just can’t shake her off, and—”

“Phal or Vitval?” Eddie asked, cutting him off, raising a brow as Buck just blinked.

“Uh, gesundheit?”

“Very funny.” Eddie said, squeezing Buck’s hand, tilting his head between the two. “I’ve been stuck here for like twenty minutes, and you’ve been no help, leaving me just so you could get your...” A quick peek into Buck’s bag told him everything he needed to know. “...artwork and lightbulbs. Which should we go with? Phal or Vitval?”

Buck blanched at that and Eddie let himself chuckle, shaking his head as Buck groaned. “Come on, Eddie, you know I’m no good at making decisions. I don’t even remember which toothpaste I like, I rely on you for things like that.” he said, and Eddie had to admit, he was impressed with the little tidbits of information Buck was throwing into their faux-relationship so easily. If this Taylor chick was still in earshot, Eddie would have bet that she was just plain pissed by now.

“I know, I know. You really are hopeless, aren’t you?” Eddie said with an exaggerated sigh, bringing their linked hands up to his cheek, pressing Buck’s knuckles against the corner of his mouth. It wasn’t intimate enough to be a kiss, not really, but to the casual bystander it would have looked like a simple show of affection, kissing his boyfriends knuckles in the middle of an IKEA. 

As he pulled the hand back, he did a quick scan around them—no redheads in sight. “I think your coast is clear—is she still hanging around?”

Snapping himself out of what looked like a trance, Buck blushed again—Eddie could get really used to that—and looked around, shaking his head. “No, I think she’s gone, um. Thanks again. And sorry. Again.” he said, their hands falling free again. Buck was the one to retreat this time, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “I should, uh, probably go back and grab the dish set I had to ditch, but If you want my opinion, you should definitely go with the Flem.”

“Buck,” Eddie started, trying and failing to keep the smile off of his face and the laughter out of his voice as Buck turned away. “That was not an option!”

“Sorry, can’t hear you! Go with the Flem!”

--

In the end, Eddie had wound up buying both—Chris was turning ten, damn it, Eddie was allowed to treat him—and finished up ahead of schedule, swinging by the restaurant to make sure he had everything before he started the trek out to the parking garage. He was double checking his receipt when a tray clunked down across from him, two plates of meatballs sliding his way as his brows rose up into his hairline. 

Buck sat down shortly after, looking incredibly too apologetic as he handed Eddie a fork. “Sorry, she kind of followed me away from the register, and I saw you here, and... I did promise you meatballs, right?” he offered, and Eddie actually laughed, resting his head in his hand as he took the fork Buck offered, raising a meatball to Buck’s lips to help keep up posterity—and immediately stealing one from Buck’s plate for himself afterward. “So, Buck. What do you do when you’re not hiding in fake bamboo?”

It was incredibly easy to talk to Buck, Eddie found, dangerously easy. They had a fair amount in common, turned out—both had older sisters, Buck with one while Eddie had three, both spent a good amount of time at the gym when they weren’t at home, and Buck had spent some time with the SEALs while Eddie was in the Army.

They even worked together, in a sense—Buck was a firefighter with the 118 while Eddie was a paramedic with Station 6.

“...though I promise, I did not come to IKEA to enlist the help of a handsome paramedic in avoiding an ex girlfriend that literally might be Satan in disguise. I just needed some art to cover a drill hole in my wall before my landlord kills me.”

Eddie almost swallowed his fork, feeling a certain thrill build up inside of him—Buck was flirting. Flirting with Eddie! Eddie hadn’t been flirted with in an age and a half, but as much as he wanted it to continue, he knew that it would be unfair for him to let it continue without addressing the childs-bunk-bed-sized elephant in the room. “Well, much as I hate to admit it, I didn’t come to IKEA today to help a firefighter run away from Satan either. I’m here today buying some furniture for my kid. It’s his birthday next week.”

Eddie squared his jaw, watching Buck process the information, ready for the easy let down. “You have a son?”

Here it comes. Oh, well it was nice meeting you. Oh, well thanks again. Oh, enjoy your day, Oh—

“Do, um. Do you have pictures of him? I love kids.”

... oh. 

Any hesitation Eddie might have felt melted way as he brought his phone back up, easily scrolling through endless pictures of Chris, paying painful attention to the way Buck’s eyes grew wider than his smile.

Oh, no. 

Buck wasn’t just hot, he was cute.

--

Eddie had to admit; after Buck helped him load the furniture into the bed of his truck, true to his word, and Eddie had scribbled his number out on Buck’s hand with a hot pink marker (the hazards of sharing a vehicle with a kid), he wasn’t sure what he should be expecting. What he definitely wasn’t expecting was a message to be waiting on his phone as soon as he started his truck.

Unknown Number, 11:01 AM: so maybe i have a confession to make

Sent, 11:03 AM: Maybe?

Eddie couldn’t deny the spike of curiosity he felt with that, taking a moment to save Buck’s number in his phone as the three dots appeared again.

Buck, 11:05 AM: yes, maybe. taylor maybe actually left when you pulled me out of the plants

i didn’t see her again for the rest of the day

i was just kind of... being self indulgent after that

wow this sounds way creepier than i thought i am so sorry

Literally laughing out loud in his car, Eddie let himself reread the message twice, a smile growing on his face as he typed out a response.

Sent, 11:09 AM: Tell you what. You help me build these monstrosities, maybe bring over a beer, maybe let me kiss you goodnight, and I promise I won’t hold your awkward flirting against you.

He felt another thrill race through his stomach as he sent the message, putting his truck in gear, not trusting himself to look down as his phone buzzed again until he was safely at a stop light.

Buck, 11:11 AM: it’s a date :) :) :) :)

[theimpossibleg1rl]

Faking It | Mini Series | One.

Actor!Bucky Barnes x OFC Alex Pierce

Warnings: language, angst, smut in later chapters

James 'Bucky' Barnes is one of the most famous, sought after young actors in the world. Alex Pierce is the up and comer with a few credits under her belt. What happens when their PR people suggest a "fake" relationship to boost their images?

tags: @dreams-in-blxck @badassbaker | tags open

“Absolutely not.” Alex huffed, holding the phone away from her ear. She wasn’t that desperate. And he was the last person on earth that she wanted anything to do with. He had quite the reputation. It was no well-kept secret that James Barnes was what the tabloids referred to as a “womanizer.”

That was something she had no interest in getting involved with.

“Lex,” Jane, her agent, sighed into the phone, “you have two big projects coming up and he just landed a role in a big franchise. You both need this. And his reps are determined to clean up his image. You’d be good for that.” James certainly made no secrets of his “extra curricular activities.”

She ran a hand through her long blonde hair before pulling it into a braid. “He’s...ugh, Jane! Why him? Can’t you get someone else if you’re really determined to do this to me? There’s gotta be some other single guys.”

“His people have asked for you specifically, Alexandra. They want you.”

She sighed heavily into the phone. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

****

James Barnes reportedly dating newcomer Alex Pierce. The pair were spotted at dinner in Soho. A source close to the pair say they looked very cozy and comfortable with each other.

“They definitely looked like a couple,” the source commented. “Holding hands, very interested in the conversation.”

“Jesus,” Alex groaned, “I literally haven’t even met him yet,” she lamented to Maria. “I barely agreed and it’s starting.” She stared at the phone, almost unable to believe how fast it moved. “How in the hell was I ‘supposedly seen with him in Soho?’ This is insane.”

“The machine works fast,” Maria hummed, scrolling through her own phone. “On the plus side, he’s fucking gorgeous, Alex. Did you see that scene in The End? Holy fuck. His ass is outta this world.”

Alex had seen it. And as much as Maria was right, that didn’t excuse his off-set behavior. How was his PR planning to make him look like he’d done a complete one eighty? Faking a relationship didn’t necessarily seem like the best course of action here.

****

“She’s gorgeous,” Steve marveled, eyes locked onto his phone screen. Bucky was lounging on the sofa, legs up on the coffee table. His eyes were closed and he merely hummed in response. “You seen her movies yet? They want you to.”

Bucky shrugged. It didn’t matter. Six months to a year. He could fake his way through nearly anything. He did it every time he promised some chick he’d call her as he sent them on their way. He never called them. Why should he? They only wanted one thing.

“You paying any attention to anything I’ve said, Buck?”

“It’s all bullshit anyway, Stevie. They wanna make me a ‘bad boy gone good’. They’re tired of my fucking around. Doesn’t look good for the studio,” he muttered in a mocking tone. He rolled his eyes. He was perfectly happy doing what he was doing. He was a young man, plenty of pussy. Who needed a commitment?

“Well, it’s already all over the gossip blogs. Everyone’s talkin’ about it,” Steve hummed, skimming the comments. “People think you make a hot couple. They aren’t wrong.”

Bucky honestly didn’t give a shit. It was just another acting gig to him.

****

“Barnes,” Tony, his agent growled, ripping the phone from his hands, earning a deathly look. “Pay attention. Look alive. She’s here.”

The door opened and Jane escorted Alex inside the office. Bucky looked up, pushing his sunglasses up to the top of his head. Holy fuck. Steve wasn’t wrong. This might actually be better than he’d hoped. She was gorgeous. A goddess with long flowing blonde hair and a killer body.

Bucky wanted to get his mouth on her.

“James, this is Alex,” Jane introduced and Alex held out a hand. If he was beautiful on screen, it didn’t come close to real life. His blue eyes were piercing. His chestnut brown hair looked soft to the touch. His plump lips were perfect. He made her weak in the knees.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Nice to finally meet you, Doll,” he coped, his voice like honey. Alex melted a bit at his tone. Get your shit together, she reminded herself. It’s a job. Just a job. It’s not real, Alex. He doesn’t give a damn. If anything, worse comes to worse, you’re just another notch in his belt,

“You too,” she replied, keeping her cool, flashing him a blinding smile.

And action.

****

“The paps will be waiting outside the restaurant,” Jane told them both. “Step outside, hold hands, ignore them. Pretend they’re not there.”

Bucky nodded, looking at Alex for a long moment. He wondered what was going on inside her head. She seemed relaxed, that was a good thing. They could do this. Their jobs were to pretend. That’s all this was. In six months, she’d be out of his life. Simple.

****

“You’re all over the internet!,” Wanda squealed, shoving her phone in Alex’s face. “Yeah, yeah. I know what we look like, Wan,” she sighed. She’d seen them. They’d blown up within minutes. And this was only the beginning of this mess.

“You look good,” Maria agreed from her spot on the sofa.

“It’s all pretend, ladies,” Alex reminded them. She tried not to think about Bucky. How perfectly his hand fit in hers. How good he smelled. How he smiled at her like she was everything. He was a damn good actor, there was no doubt about that.

James Barnes and Alex Pierce take a stroll in NYC. Looks like the “bad boy” may have settled down. Sources close to the pair say that he’s telling friends that she’s the one.

*they’re cute!*

*aww! They look happy!*

*super hot together!*

Alex groaned. The one? Really? Who came up with this shit? They’d known each other for a week, not spending more than a few hours together. She didn’t know a damn thing about his private life. She figured she could Google it, but that seemed weird. It was just performance art, right? Nothing more.

****

Bucky scrolled through the comment sections, smiling a bit. “So she’s the one, huh?,” Clint teased, tossing a beer at him. Bucky caught it and laughed. “It’s all bullshit, Barton. Some asshole is actually paid to write this shit. It’s a fuckin’ joke.”

“She’s hot as fuck though,” he grinned, plopping down beside him, popping open his beer. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get something outta it, ya know?,” he added with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulders.

Bucky nodded, running a hand through his messy hair. “Yeah maybe? I don’t know. I don’t even know her.”

“Never stopped you before,” Sam piped up and Bucky threw his bottle cap at his head. “I’m supposed to be transformed, Wilson,” he said sarcastically, “she’s the one who’s gonna change me, didn’t you know?”

Sam and Clint laughed. It seemed extremely unlikely that any woman would have the ability.

Of course, Winnie Barnes had always pressed him to try and settle down. Find a nice girl. Get married. Have a couple of kids. Be a good man. But Bucky had other plans for his life the minute he got his first big paycheck and the first time some girl recognized him from the shitty TV show he was on.

Settling down was something he’d lost any kind of interest in a long time ago.

No one was gonna change that.

[thanksjro]

Spotlight: Orion Pax - Because Hasbro was Getting Antsy About Their Golden Boy Having Faffed Off into Space

Oho, you thought we were done with Optimus Prime, did you?

You fools.

This is Transformers- we’re legally obligated to have Optimus Prime in some form or fashion running around at all times. This is just Hasbro catching up.

Fun fact: this was published on December 12th, 2012!

Our issue opens up with Orion Pax strapped to the top of a shuttle that’s careening towards a city.

But that’s the hook, so we won’t get to see what that’s all about just yet. No, first we’ve got to see just what all led to this point.

Earlier in the day, Orion Pax got refitted with a hot new bod, courtesy of Wheeljack, and now he’s showing off his new look to historical constant Rung and Kaput, who are here to assist in acclimation.

This is Kaput’s first appearance in the comics, but it’s not his first entry into the IDW continuity. He was introduced in the  Last Stand of the Wreckers prose story Bullets, where he diagnosed Ironfist with dead, in so many words. Kaput’s here currently because he specializes in sparks, and he’s going to make sure that Orion’s doesn’t explode in his chest thanks to the frame change. No word on whether the wheel was something he came into the world with or a modification.

But enough medical nonsense, let’s see the star of the show.

That’s not how reflections work!

Orion’s first point of contention is the fact that his lucky faceplate is missing. Wheeljack replaced it with a proper face, because that’s the new hotness right now. I guess when you’re a race of space robots who can change their bodies the way humans change their clothes, fashion is a lot more work. I wonder if faces out out of vogue in the present- there’s a lot of guys without one on the Lost Light.

Rung offers Orion some reading materials to help him cope with the sudden change, but it isn’t necessary. Orion fully intends to switch back to his old bod after his mission is over.

If you couldn’t tell by this point, this whole “frame change” thing is a plot contrivance to explain away some of the design clashing between comics set during this time period.

This is Zeta.  

Yes, really, they’re the same guy. I don’t think Senator Shockwave would have had him modified for Matrix carrying if he’d known how tacky he was going to be about it.

Zeta Prime seems to think that haute couture is exploding a Galapagos turtle and then strapping the smoking remains to your back.

Zeta leads Orion over to where Nightbeat’s waiting with a slideshow he spent hours on. Nightbeat, at the time of this story, is a hostage negotiator, and today his mission, as well as Orion’s, is to retrieve our beloved Ratchet from a Decepticon terrorist cell hiding somewhere in the Rust Spot. The Rust Spot’s some heavy duty danger, hence the reformat for Orion.

They’ll also be bringing on Alpha Trion, #1 Rust Spot navigator, philosopher, polymath, polyglot, historian, and all-around grandpa.

His beard gets a D+, however.

Note the quotation marks on “he” here; it looks like even Roberts was sick of the Furmanism that is “genderless robots that all appear to be male”. We’ll get more into that sticky situation later on. What I want to focus on right now is our artist for the issue, Steve Kurth.

Kurth is from Wisconsin, and doesn’t have a ton of pencil credits to his name in the Transformers franchise. He mostly does work for Marvel, and while it appears his art blog hasn’t been updated in a few years, the publishing company still has a tag for him. He’s done the Avengers, if that’s your thing.

Anyway, so nobody knows who’s in the back.

I gotta say, Alpha Trion, you got some brass fucking balls to insinuate that the cops forgot to put the hostage tradeoff in the trailer, in front of said cops.

The fellas transform and roll out, Orion pulling the trailer because anything else would be blasphemy, as Alpha Trion guides them to the meet up point. As they drive, the old man regales the young whippersnappers with his tales of friendship and adventure alongside Metroplex the Titan. They were, like, best friends. Seriously.

Storytime gets interrupted however, as our heroes are attacked from beyond the mists.

You know, when I was a kid, my mom had a car that looked exactly like Nightbeat here, paint job and all.

Alpha Trion got so wrapped up in blathering away, he forgot to mention that they were in Slicer territory, and might want to be on the lookout. Thanks, Alpha, way to be a pal.

Nightbeat refers to the creatures as “throwbacks”, something that’s never elaborated on, but I’m going to guess it means something along the lines of being primitive, or perhaps animalistic.

Holy fucking shit, that’s terrifying.

These awful things start swarming Orion, Nightbeat, and Alpha Trion, who all start punching and shooting with wild abandon, making short work of the mass. Orion gets a few paper cuts for his troubles, but they’re all more or less alright.

The trailer can’t say quite the same though; the door’s popped off, and the contents have either escaped or never existed in the first place.

Schrodinger wept.

Alpha Trion pulls the prisoner out of the fog… and then so does Nightbeat.

It’s a two-for-one sale at the Hostage Emporium.

Rack and Ruin haven’t really done anything to warrant being worth a whole entire Ratchet, so Orion decides to have a little chat and see what’s up.

Oh, that’s what Nightbeat meant by Ruin being the ugly one.

Orion’s chat reveals these two chumps to be even bigger losers than they first appeared to be- their only talent seems to be instantaneous conversion, which involves shutting off all the safety protocols for one’s transformation cog for a faster switch.

Orion switches trains of thought, asking about the Decepticon cause and its whole deal. This is a bit after the events of the heist, so the rhetoric has become a bit more violent by this time, and he wants to know what the hell happened.

But there’s no time for philosophic musing, because that’s when the Decepticons show up. Thundercracker escorts our group to the hideout to meet Bludgeon, and the exchange is made, albeit with a pro bono thrown in.

Well, shit.

This was why the Decepticons wanted to meet in the Rust Spot; because they knew only Alpha Trion would be able to guide the cops to the tradeoff point. But what are they going to do with robot grandpa? Why, use him to find Metroplex, of course!

There’s a rumor that Titans have the capabilities to create space bridges inside them- we as the reader know this to be true thanks to the 2012 MTMTE Annual, but let’s not tell Bludgeon about all that, yes?

Orion, please, this is hardly the time.

Luckily for Alpha Trion, Orion stuffed some guns into the bottom of the trailer, as is made apparent when he starts throwing them to his buddies. Why he and Nightbeat weren’t carrying any weapons on their person isn’t addressed, but at least the idea here is kind of cool.

Alpha Trion  easily escapes his bonds, because a noose isn’t really worth much to a species that doesn’t breathe and can literally survive not having a head.

We are just laying it on THICK today, aren’t we?

Rack and Ruin lead the other not-Decepticons into the tunnels towards safety- not sure how exactly, considering they’ve got their sensory deprivation helmets back on- as Orion Pax is dogpiled into submission.

Bludgeon might need a hobby. Might I suggest jigsaw puzzles?

Orion’s about to hit the loop that was created by the first page of this issue, so he tries to stall for time to think of a way out of all this. He halfway succeeds, in that he gets a little more time, but doesn’t come up with anything. Down on the ground, all his friends watch the shuttle shoot into the sky, probably wondering what all that’s about.

Bludgeon was aiming for this shuttle to hit a populated area, but it would appear that he’s an idiot and overshot by a wide margin. Cool beans.

Ah wait, we still have another three pages of story to this.

Hey, y’all remember Hoist’s tragic backstory, where he wandered the Rust Spot alone until he almost died of exhaustion?

Yeah, that was Orion’s fault.

The Fault of Our Star, if you will.

(I’ve never read anything written by John Green, what the hell am I doing?)

Because he just bounced off the underside of Hoist’s shuttlecraft, Orion’s hurtling towards the downtown section of Iacon, which is absolutely a populated area and exactly what Bludgeon was going for. Orion’s going to have to think fast if he’s going to get out of this one. Good thing Rack and Ruin told him their super secret transformation technique.

Thinking quickly, Orion transforms into a truck, breaks his bonds, somehow manages to not fly off the side of the shuttle due to wind pressure, transforms back to root mode, shuts off the autopilot, slams into a wide open field just outside of town, and survives well enough to be more concerned about Wheeljack being mad he scuffed up his new body than his own safety. Good on you, Orion! You saved the day!

To celebrate, he takes an old hubcap or something and shoves it over his face, because I guess only he gets to know how he’s feeling.

Don’t look at me like that, it’s not my fault the story just kind of ends here.

[worlds-shortest-astronaut]

Ateez - Inception Thoughts

First of all, this is the first proper love song that Ateez have released. They’ve sung about love before but this is the first song that really seems to centre around romantic love and the emotions they experience because of it. 

Second of all, Inception feels like quite a big departure from their usual sound. It DEFINITELY is a good way to shift into a new era. It’s also sounds more mature and less bombastic. It’s intimate. It’s also really, really intense. 

I’m in love - YeosANG lines

also starting the song off with the killing part? BRAVE

I really like how sparse the instrumentation is at the start - it’s VERY DREAMY (text painting? Umu from @reacttothek will have to answer that one)

UGH i LOVE the pulsing low string/piano/hybrid synth during Yeosang/Yunho’s parts. 

From Seonghwa up until Wooyoung, all of the melodic material is carried by vocals. There’s no melodic synth, just percussion. Then the synth comes back in with Wooyoung’s part. 

Back. Ing. Vo. Cals. Backing VOCALS - Ateez always use them so effectively

The “oo-oo-oo”s

There’s a higher harmony over San and Wooyoung’s part which helps thicken the texture without taking away that dreamy aspect

Okay i LOVE the percussion in this first part of the verse - it’s regular but the way they stress the different parts of the beat make it feel like it’s staggering a bit

Hongjoong’s rap

 we get different backing bocals - some classic Ateez “eyyyy-ooohhhs”

The pre-chorus build to the chorus is pretty standard. It kind of feels like it starts in half-time and then accelerates but I’m not sure. Yunho’s chest voice/lower vocals are really awesome to here, though. And WOOYOUNG OOF Usually tho, Ateez pre-choruses are elevated so this was a bit different.

JONGHO it is so GOOD to see him sing/dance again!

It is a typical Ateez chorus in that there’s a bit pre-chorus build-up...but the chorus doesn’t feel massive/big like you think it would. It’s like how in Say My Name all that energy from the pre-chorus doesn’t resolve in something faster. Instead, the chorus is really heavy and it actually pulls back. The 1st part of the Inception chorus feels like that too.

Nice light higher harmony over Jongho and Yunho

There’s one kind of snare-like percussion synth which stays really echo-y. I like it cos it keeps the dreamy sensation - like your world is kind of fragmenting

Okay okay okay the SECOND (2nd) part of the Inception chorus - the part which actually murdered 83% of this fandom (i had to listen to this like 5 times).

Segonhwa’s “every day and every nigh i’m gonna chase you” - oh my GOD first of all. That shit sexc. That’s all folks.

Jks. The way he switches from chest voice to falsetto feels so PURPOSEFUL? which makes it even more attractive because it implies a kind of very tight control. 

Wooyoung’s ‘I in love’ layers over Seonghwa’s line and I’m obSEssED with it - it’s a totally different part from Seonghwa’s line, though both melodies move in a downwards direction. I think the overlap again reflects this whole idea of being in a dream. Things overlap and start and end at different times in a dream. It’s really just one sensation after another LIKE THIS SONG AHHHHH

Have I said backing vocals already? Yes I have. Will I say it again? Yes I will. The way they play with the lo-o-o-ve holy SHIT it GUIDES you through the song. It feels like it’s pulling you. 

Weirdly enough there isn’t a very prominent bass synth/part in this section. Makes it seem more FLOATYYYY

Mingi and Hongjoong’s shouted line? we love rap line. It’s such a nice contrast to the moving vocals.

OH MY GOD THE POST-CHORUS DANCE BREAK I GOT WHIPLASH

first of all, who puts a dance break (it’s like a Solid Length as well) after the first verse/chorus? Literally only Ateez. Who is doing it like them/their production team? It did remind me a bit of the post-chorus in VeriVery’s Thunder which was also AWESOME

Again, it kind of feels like half-time, or their emphasising beats 1 and 3 rather than 1,2,3,4

Also again, it’s super sparse and kind of stays in the higher ranges. i LOVE the way the synth bounces around

Yeosang’s lines (we stan - also his dance solo? I see you contemporary dance lessons)

Okay we’re DEFS in half-time here at LEAST

also we LOVE verses with DIFFERENT MELODIC MATERIAL give me more PLEASE

Mingi please step on me - i love that his rap is slower and deeper than Hongjoong’s

HNNNNNGGG different percussion from the second pre-chorus into the chorus that’s hot

Also San getting a chorus part hits different. I feel like San usually does a lot of verse/bridge work OR the response part in a call/response chorus. Having him get the main part of a chorus was SO COOL pop off with your gorgeous vocals my man

Jongho’s ad-libs I hear you and thank you

Wooyoung please do not sing ‘i’m in love’ like that it hurts my feelings

Okay bridge

the bridge bugged me at first because there’s no change in energy. like it stays at the same energy as the chorus when usually it drops off a little

but also the BRIDGE POPS OFF WITH NEW MELODIC MATERIAL UGH WE LOVE TO HEAR IT

its kind of a long bridge and i feel like there’s 3 parts to it

there’s the first vocal part with Seongwha and Yunho really using their chest voices (as;glaksjd;lgkj i love them so much). there’s also a nice new synth melody which kind of bursts on to the scene

There’s San and Wooyoung - i LOVE their part. They kind of break the 4th wall by addressing the audience. Rhythmically it’s also kind of fast. San’s falsetto is hot. 

RAP LINE YESSSS give me some ANGST. Of course we have Jongho belting that last line. 

as;aldkgja;lskdgjha;slgja;slkgdj a the INSTRUMENTATION CUTS OUT EXCEPT FOR THE DRUM which BURST into the last chorus oh my GOD this is so attractive and i don’t even know why. 

AHHHH THE JONGHO/SEONGHWA HIGH NOTE - lads i was NOT prepared. the HARMONY. I’m pretty sure it’s a chest/head mix. whatever it is it’s hot. the ANGST. the HEARTACHE. GODDAMN

Jongho just riffing thru the whole last chorus we stan

Jongho’s “i’m in love” and the little riff he adds is actually ART

I love that it ends with a rap line shouting ‘hey’ idk why. it’s like a nice flourish

Music video: gorgeous. The water scene and then the way they added fire to the ceiling? GeNIUS. Not a huge fan of school uniform styling but we’ll let it slide co everything else was stunning. 

[lefaystrent]

Could you write a short story where Virgil is out at a store, Deceit and Remus spot him. Virgil is like F social interaction. Then is only rude because he really didn't feel like being noticed by people who recognize him. (Patton could be another costumer, Roman a cashier who is working there when not acting, Logan getting supplies for a science class at school)

A Storm Rolled into Town

Fandom: Thomas Sanders,Sanders Sides

Pairings: none

Summary: It’s not likeVirgil meant to become famous anyway. It just sorta happened. And now he’sshopping in some small-town mom-and-pop store on a weekday morning. Despitewearing the hood of his jacket up and perhaps looking the more conspicuous forit, he can sense that someone somewhere in this store is watching him.

Word Count: 2150

________________________________________________________________

Virgil Storm was born with eyes inthe back of his head.

Not literally. It was mostly justanxiety and paranoia working in tandem to create a 360° zone of caffeinated caution.A necessary skill when you became part of the famous crowd. All it took was onecrazy person with a knife screaming about how you’re meant to be together, andthen you’re fucking dead.

Not that Virgil had been assaultedby anyone.

Yet.

He has had experiences witha couple of stalkers before that were quickly handled. It’s amazing how whenmore than a handful of people know your name and can buy your merch, theirsense of entitlement turns you into a thing to be owned.

It’s not like Virgil meant tobecome famous anyway. It just sorta happened.

And now he’s shopping in some small-townmom-and-pop store on a weekday morning. He had to make a pit-stop on his longdrive back home to Florida. Sure, he could have gotten home faster if he’dridden in a plane. He could also set this store on fire or go jump in a lakewhile strapped to an anvil. Doesn’t mean he’s going to.

The point is, Virgil is very awareof how famous he is, and despite wearing the hood of his jacket up and perhapslooking the more conspicuous for it, he can sense that someone somewhere inthis store is watching him.

Virgil glances down the aislebehind him, but there’s nothing. Again.

He lets out a huff of air andcontinues to peruse the candy section. He’s got a craving for something sour,but he’s not looking to get accosted here.

He swipes up a packet of gummy wormsand goes around to the chip rack next. Virgil subtly peeks around the store,noting the two guys manning the register counter. They look young, maybe aroundtwenty. They’re more talking and laughing rather than working. Other than them,there’s this one nerdy looking guy in a tie and glasses over by the stationary.The store seems empty otherwise.

Virgil picks up a large bag of sourcream ‘n onion and nearly screams when there’s a mustached face poking out inthe space left behind.

“Boo!” the man says.

“Fuck off!” Virgil growls andthrows the chip bag right at the face.

A series of snickers come back fromthe candy aisle that Virgil had just vacated. Pissed off and heart racing, hewhips his head around to see some guy in a bowler hat.

“I do believe the phrase ‘got you’fits this scene well,” Bowler Hat says.

“You didn’t ‘get’ anything,” Virgilhisses.

“Oh? So you didn’t just jump likeyou’d seen a ghost?”

“He definitely jumped, Dee! He evenpeed his pants!” Mustached Man cackled, coming out from behind the chip rack.

“I didn’t—” Virgil went to defendhimself but found it pointless. These guys just seemed like assholes. “Justleave me alone.”

“Oh poo, have some fun would you?”

“Now Remus, let’s not annoy him toomuch. Wouldn’t want him to storm out.”

Storm.

He made it very clear that he knewVirgil’s last name. If the pointed pun didn’t say as much, the smarmy grin onBowler Hat’s face surely did.

Virgil tried not to show how muchthat got to him.

“So what? You know who I am. Bigdeal. Buzz off and let me shop in peace.” If these two kept harassing him orworse, Virgil could always threaten to call the cops. Then again, cops took afew minutes to respond, and it only took less than a second to die.

New plan. Virgil could throw downthe chip rack and then run for his life. And if that didn’t work, he carriedpepper spray on his person for a reason.

“What brings someone such asyourself to our neck of the woods?” Bowler Hat questioned, not leaving Virgilalone in the slightest.

Mustached Man jumped up beside hisfriend, leaning an arm against his shoulder to loudly whisper, “I bet he needsto hide a dead body!”

Virgil’s eye twitched. “Yeah,because that’s the only reasonable explanation, right?”

Mustached Man nodded in agreement. “Nothingelse to do around here.”

“It does get rather dull here,”Bowler Hat mused. He brushed his gloved fingers over his chin.

Seriously, who the hell were theseguys? And were they intentionally being low-key threatening? Perhaps not, butthat’s how they were coming across anyway.

“That’s nice.” Virgil smiled in away that showed his utter contempt. Better than showing his fear. “Now if you’redone bothering me, I’ve got things to buy.”

He would have liked something morethan just the gummy worms, but he no longer felt hungry enough to risk hislife.

Virgil walked away, his stepspicking up speed as he heard Mustached Man barking at him.

He was never stopping anywhere everagain.

________________________________________________________________

Roman sat at the register counter,bored out of his mind.

“Patton, my loyal companion. Remindme why we’re here again?”

“Because we get paid to be here.”

“Ah.” Roman nodded, eyes narrowedin deep understanding.

Then he slumped over with a whimperingwhine. His head banged against the countertop.

“Awww, cheer up Ro-Ro! We’ve only gota few more hours left of our shift!”

“My shackled soul is unmoved byyour comfort. They are but mere words in the face of unforgiving oppression.”

“…so what you’re saying is that youneed a pun, right? Or maybe a hug. A combination of the two? A pug. Oh!Doggy!”

Roman snorted as Patton’s train ofthought derailed. He sat up to stare at his coworker and long-time friend.

He snapped his fingers. “Focus,Puffball.”

“Oh, right,” Patton said,refocusing. His expression became determined. “Go on and get all the angst out,kiddo. I’m all ears.”

“Retail suuuuuucks,” Roman concluded.“My creative spirit yearns for a place I can spread my wings and thrive! I ammeant for bigger and better stages. You see this face? You hear this voice? Alltoo good to be squandered away in Backwoodsville, Tennessee.”

“We don’t live in Tennessee.”

“My point is that I am a work ofart, and yet I am left collecting dust in grandma’s attic. It is a crime! Theuniverse should give me a break already.”

From the stationary aisle, afamiliar voice contributed to the conversation, “Perhaps if you put nearly asmuch effort into publicizing yourself to the entertainment community instead ofwhining, you wouldn’t be stuck where you are now.”

Roman slammed a hand on thecounter. “No one asked you, Microsoft Nerd!”

Logan smirked and resumed hisshopping. They knew each other of course. It was hard not to recognize everyonewhen you worked in one of the only stores in town. Plus all three of them hadgone to high school together.

Patton patted Roman’s shoulder insympathy. “I think what Logan’s trying to say is that you’ve got loads of potentialand I’m sure someone’s going to notice one day.”

“That is not what I said at all,but go off I guess,” Logan stated.

Roman flipped him off. Somehow, despitehis back turned to him, Logan must have sensed it and returned the gesture rightback to him.

Patton swatted at Roman’s hands. “Don’tbe ugly!”

“That’s impossible for someone likeme.” Roman grinned.

Patton sighed. “What am I going todo with you?”

“Love me, of course.”

Patton giggled.

“Hi,” a clipped voice cut in. Romantore his attention away from the agony of his life to regard the customer athis counter.

Roman hopped up from his seat andshifted flawlessly into his customer service spiel. “Hello! Ready to check out?”

“Yeah,” the man nodded, his hoodfalling back a bit at the movement.

Roman smiled. He recognized thejacket brand and was about to compliment the customer’s taste.

Their eyes met briefly and Roman’sheart exploded.

Virgil Storm.

Virgil freaking Storm was standingat his register counter.

No. No it couldn’t—

HOLY SHIT!

“That’s it,” Virgil Storm said,tossing a pack of sour gummy worms onto the counter. He briefly glanced overhis shoulder as if to look for something. He wasn’t really paying attention toRoman, so he didn’t catch being ogled.

Oh god, Virgil Storm was standingat his register. No matter how many times Roman looked, Virgil Stormstood there, and all Roman could do was ogle him.

Roman suddenly found the candypacket very interesting.

If he kept his head down, nothingbad would happen, right?

“Uh . . . that’s it,” Virgil saidagain, and Roman realized that he’d been standing there frozen.

Willing his limbs to unthaw, Romanmechanically reached for the candy and ran it over the scanner. A beep sounded,and with a stiff arm, he punched for the total.

“Your total is . . . a number.”

“What?”

Roman couldn’t even look up farenough to check the screen. How could he? When one of his idols stood beforehim. He owned all of this man’s albums, for God’s sake!

“Yes,” Roman said, as if thatexplained everything.

“Okay . . .” Virgil said. Heshuffled, presumably getting his wallet out or something. Internally, Roman wasscreaming to Patton for help, but sadly his friend had never mastered telepathy.In fact, he had no idea what Patton was doing right now. He wasn’t sayinganything, that was for sure. Did he even recognize the celebrity in their storeright now?

“Here,” Virgil offered a five-dollarbill.

Roman blinked at it. Wasn’t VirgilStorm rich? Why was he using cash when he could use a card?

Carefully, lest he mess up andforever embarrass himself, Roman reached up and took the bill from him. Theirfingers weren’t even close to touching, but Roman still felt like he’d steppedon a live-wire, a shock racing through his system.

Roman had dreamed many a time ofcasually running into his idols. He imagined nearly daily of becoming likethem, of leaving his mark, of impressing those that he looked up to. He wouldbe suave and graceful and witty, a dazzling star in the making who would sweepthem off their feet.

Instead Roman hunched in on himselfand began to cry.

“Oh shit, are you okay?” VirgilStorm asked him, and that somehow made everything worse.

Roman covered his face with hishands and sniffled. “I’m just feeling a little emotional right now.”

How mortifying.

A hand rubbed at his back. “Sorry,he’s having a quarter-life crisis,” he heard Patton explain.

Roman threw up his arms,tear-streaked face be damned. “PATTON! That’s not why I’m crying.”

“It’s okay Ro, it happens to a lotof people. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I knew retail work was hell, butgeez,” Virgil commented.

Patton nodded in sympathy. “Hereally wants to be on Broadway someday.”

“Patton,” Roman gasped in admonishment.“You can’t just be telling V— telling people about my silly dreams.”

“Why’s it silly?” Patton asked. “You’reso talented! You’ll make it, I know you will. You’ve just gotta keep trying.”

This could not be happening rightnow. Roman wanted to curl up in the employee’s bathroom and die.

“Broadway, huh?” Virgil asked.

Screw going to the bathroom. Roman coulddie on the spot.

“Ridiculous, huh?” Roman tried tolaugh at himself. If he laughed at himself first, it’d hurt less when everyoneelse did.

Virgil shrugged. “Not really.Someone’s got to do it, right?”

Oh.

No rejection.

Just a practical sense of hope.

Someone’s got to do it, and thatcould be him.

Roman blushed and gazed down at hisfeet. “Thank you . . .”

“No problem. Just uh, feel better Iguess.”

It was clear Virgil found this situationawkward but was trying to be considerate. For that, Roman was extremely grateful.

“Dee! Remus! What are you doing inhere? You know you’re banned!” Patton hollered, moving around the counter. Hehad his stern face on and a broom in hand. The two troublemakers would do wellto run while they still could.

They watched Patton chase Dee andRemus off.

“Does that happen a lot?” Virgilasked Roman.

“Only about every other day.”

Virgil didn’t say anything, soRoman went ahead and finished the transaction.

“Here’s your change,” Roman saidmeekly, handing the correct amount back to him.

“Thanks,” Virgil said, pocketingthe money. He picked up his gummy worms yet hesitated.

“Something else?” Roman wondered.

Virgil scratched the back of hishead. “To be honest, I wanted to get more stuff. But those guys were beingcreepy . . . But they’re gone now, so . . . would it be weird if I went to getmore stuff?”

Roman’s lips twitched up into asmile. “You didn’t judge me, so I’m not going to judge you.”

Virgil smirked. “Thanks.”

___________________________________________

General Tag List: @spectralheartt @a-pastel-pan @notalwaysthevillian @rose-gold-roman @ijustrealizedhowdumbmynamewas @katie-the-noble-fangirl @yourroyalydramaticanxiousness @aroundofapplesauce @merlybird500 @beach-fan @jemthebookworm @whats-going-on-kiddos @randomsandersides @gamerfreddie @unring-this-bell @analogicallythinking @lilygold23 @levy-the-b00kw0rm @tacohippy56900 @accio-hufflepuff-power1 @just-another-rainbowblog @georganabanana @grey-says-heck @crookedlyoptimisticdestiny @thesynysterunknown @idont-know-what-im-doing @idioticsky @fadingglowcloud @whizzie72 @theinvisiblespoon @greyyy523 @opaque-puppet @just-fic-me-up @wowimsogoddamnoriginal @sos-fandoms @loganeatsbooks @trust-is-overrated @theitalianalchemist @im-crunchie @mourning--star @4amanxiety @hogwarts-my-love @enby-phoenix @justanotherpurplebutterfly @internet-or-sleep @absolutesandersidestrash @seaspider10 @nonasficcollection @satanblessi @an-absolute-failure @analogical-mess @noisyeggpizzapatrol @hamilsandersfam @cefinitely-rolo @thgjclw @knight-shives @no-no-no-no-6 @savingshae @rabbitsartcorner @buddypallady @midnight-tragedyy @007ardra @fandomloverangel @dorkoverse @mirrorz-n-starz @idunnosong

[sindrafalcone]

Inspired by THIS ask that @noonachronicles​ answered earlier today, here is the (oddly detailed) story of how I fell for my Ult. Bias... Choi Seunghyun.

Okay, first of all, I need you to understand that I was not in a good headspace when I found Bigbang. It was early 2016, around late January or early February, I think... I had been listening to Kpop off and on since 2014. My Youtube playlist consisted of only girl groups (Ladies Code, Rainbow, Bestie, Orange Caramel, Crayon Pop).

Either way, like I said, not in a good headspace. I've said it before & I'll say it again, Bigbang saved my life. I was at a point where I had no interest in anything & I was questioning what was the point of even being alive. And on really bad days I would use my playlist to try and cheer myself up. Which was what I was doing that day. I finished the music on the list, felt a bit better,  but I was craving more.

So I looked over to the right in the “Recommended” section and saw this:

It intrigued me enough to click it. And that click changed my life...

(Keep in mind that I didn’t know their names, nor did I understand any of the language!)

At first I was hella confused by the owl and Jiyong on the throne with all that HAIR. I was thinking “What the fuck did I just click?” Then that first beat hit my ears through my headphones & once he started speaking, my brain jumped to attention. Still completely confused but fascinated.

Then there was the juxtaposition of the fire/Molotov cocktail & Taeyang being iced over, which I liked. I remember thinking, “Dang, that is a LOT of tattoos! I like dudes with tattoos!” (Also keep in mind that I had no idea that they were mostly fake.) The Mohawk kinda threw me off though... not really my style. But his voice was like having your ears caressed by silk, so I was into that. And I vividly remember thinking that he had gorgeous lips, very kissable.

All of a sudden we were back to Jiyong behind the visor, only I wasn't sure it was even the same guy because... ya' know, hair. Oh, wait... the other dude has a visor too... must be a theme. Okay...

Then we were cutting back and forth between Jiyong in different hair & outfits. I kid you not, there were a few moments there where I wondered if it was identical twins or something. I thought that might be a cool group concept, twins in the same group.

While my brain was trying to wrestle with that & trying to decide if Jiyong was one person or two (Can you even imagine... TWO Jiyong’s?!?), the voice of Choi Seunghyun hit my ears. Before I even saw him, I knew. I was in trouble. And then my eyes were blessed with this:

That very first zoom cut, I paused the damn video.

There was just too much to take in. The hair... the outfit... the fact that the man is in a damn picture frame like a piece of art... that chiseled jaw & smoky eye. And then I saw the hands... that massive ring on those long ass fingers of his. Most of you already know that I have a thing for hands. I would go so far as to call it a fetish. (I blame my husband, he has massive hands that are just... amazing.)

I unpaused because I needed to hear more of this blue haired mans voice. It was like a siren song calling me... 'come closer'. The more I watched, the more I noticed that I adored. Especially his adorably crooked bottom teeth! OMG, the teeth!!!

At that point, I got a break when it switched back to Taeyang and the whole “Monk” thing. To be honest, I thought that was kinda neat. But my brain was still pretty much mush at this point. Like, I barely registered “Oh, look... a shirtless guy, ripped as hell, chained to the wall!” Normally that would get my attention a lot more than it did. Oh, hey... more visors AND a high note!

Then there was that chorus again, where I had this stream of consciousness: ‘Damn... that's stupidly catchy! Oh, Jesus... he's back with the damn fur coat on. Stupid, sexy... wait, when does My Man get a visor. Shit! Did I just think of him as “My Man”? I guess I did... I don't even know his name! Oh, god... eyeliner is gonna be the death of me. Wait... who is that guy? (Seungri) I haven't seen him yet... how many of these gorgeous men are there in this group? Why the hell haven't I been listening to guy groups? I've been missing out! Oh, There is my man in a visor. Nope... don't like it. It obscures his beautiful face too much. Wait.... did he just say “Boomshakalaka?” No... there's no way... damn he did.... and I loved it. What the fuck is this song doing to me???’

At this point I am actually squirming in arousal at the look Seunghyun is giving the camera. It's like he's peering directly at me. “Come here, darling. Get to know me... you know you want more...” And I'm thinking 'Hell yes I want  more. I need to know EVERYTHING about this man.’

(And, I'll be totally honest, my mind was SO blown away by T.O.P at this point that I totally glossed over Seungri too. I vaguely remember thinking that he had nice eyes and his voice was different from the others in a good way. But I just couldn't focus on him, I was too distracted.)

‘Oh, wait... my man is back again! Yay! In a different fur this time & a blue suit? Nice. Oh...what the fuck is up with those eyebrows? Yeah... not a fan of that. Wait... holy shit, he has GLOVES!  Fuck me...’

Then I kinda got distracted by Jiyongs weird lipstick for a sec, which helped me calm down a little from the gloves. And I was curious about Taeyangs metal arm & why they suddenly decided to give Daesung clothes.

But then Seunghyun was back to focus on in semi-normal clothes and.... glasses? Oh, fuck... they gave him glasses. Just hit ALL my fucking buttons while you're at it why don't you?!? Let's  see: Deep voice - check Nice hands - check Long legs- check Suit King - check Cute teeth - check Epic jawline - check Piercing eyes - check Gloves - check Slightly nerdy look with Glasses - check

It was like they made this one especially for me...

That's it... I'm screwed. He's mine now... or am I his? I don't even know any more. I have sold my soul to this man and I don't even know his name!!!

Guys at t his point, I was a complete newbie. I had no concept of “bais” or “eras” or “fanchants”. No clue. But I learned quickly. And the more I learned about Choi  Seunghyun, the deeper I fell for him. But this... this is where I totally, irrevocably fell in love:

[veganmikehanlon]

10 and 25 for hanbrough if you please! otherwise any pairing will do ♥

you know that thing where u can’t even search ur own blog for something you /literally/ tagged? this was something like…idk something but it reminded me of something i already wrote so i Really have no reason for not posting it sooner other than procrastination being my middle name so anyways, this:

Mike doesn’t mean to start writing a sex scene while sitting in a Starbucks, but he’d tried writing at home, well it’s just his parents house now, and his mom kept walking in trying to talk to him. So he left the old farmhouse and drove into his newly modernized hometown of good ol’ Derry, Maine.

It’d started with a piece of his story inspiring a memory from his own sex life. Something he’d done forever ago with an ex. Secretly, in a tent. Surrounded by friends. Not their most shining moment but it was hot and applicable to his current story.

He’s in the middle of writing about tongues sliding together when his eyes are drawn to the sound of the shop door opening. He almost chokes when he sees who it is walking in. Well, daydream about sex with your ex and he shall appear. Mike ducks behind his things to hide because he’s panicking.

Mike watches Bill walk to the counter, he observes the broad lines of his shoulders move under familiar flannel; and how the end of his short blond french braid, mostly held together by multi-colored bobby-pins, brushes the collar in a physical reminder of how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other.

He walks through the room with the same gentle confidence that he always had, and it still draws the same admiring gazes from those around him. Mike’s eyes flicker between Bill and his computer screen, the incriminating words screaming at him, and then he catches sight of Bills’ smile and the perfect adjective pops into his head.

Just like that he’s writing again, more caught up in his story than he’s been in the last 30 minutes. Words stream from his fingertips and a scene unfolds, bits and pieces of Mike’s past slipping through, and just as he’s writing a description of how exciting it is to make someone moan as loud as you can make them laugh, he’s interrupted.

“Hi,” a soft voice calls, startling Mike from his head making him jump and hit his knees against the table, a move that almost sends his coffee toppling, but two pairs of hands shoot out to catch the wobbling cup. Bills’ hand settles warmly over Mike’s before he draws it back with an awkward chuckle.

A shiver runs through Mike as Bill’s fingers brush over his knuckles, and he looks up at the man before him with wide eyes. “Hi,” he squeaks, this entire situation sending him careening out of his comfort zone. Bill clears his throat before speaking (an old habit) “sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he says with a wince.

Mike chuckles nervously, his voice coming out a bit high and strained, “it’s okay I was just, um, writing.” This might be the most uncomfortable he’s ever been in his life. But Bill looks excited and he falls into the chair opposite Mike, setting his coffee and a notebook down on the open space.

“You’re writing?” He asks, a smile spreading across his face, and Mike has to smile back because oh yeah, they’d once shared everything with each other and Bill knows all about Mikes’ commitment-phobia to writing.

Mike quickly switches programs, an attempt at putting the niggling guilt in his chest away. “Yeah, just this story for this thing,” he answers vaguely, and they pause for an awkward second before Bill starts to ramble. “I’ve been working on drawing (a sentence that makes Mike proud too), I’m in a portrait class right now at school, and I came here to people watch and I saw you, and I was wondering if you’d mind if I practiced drawing you?”

Mike gasps softly in surprise at the request, “uh, what? You want to draw me?” The words fall from his mouth without his input, any functional part of his brain currently caught in a dumpster fire, set by this stupid story that is making an already uncomfortable situation of running into an ex just that much worse!

And then Bill is talking again, “well my art style has changed and I thought it’d be cool to get a comparison, you  know, a then and now? It’s cool if you don’t want me to, no biggie, just thought I’d ask, but actually? Never mind,” he starts gathering his things into his arms, “sorry for bothering you, it was nice seeing you, bye!”

He starts to get up but stops when Mike bursts out laughing, his cheeks reddening, and he stays frozen uncomfortably. And Mike doesn’t mean to, but seeing Bill so obviously out of his comfort zone has him cracking up, the situation making him feel hysterical, and he can’t quite stop the laughter bubbling out.

Mike manages enough words to get Bill to settle back down. “Hey man it’s cool, it’s good seeing you too, you know me, I love to help.” Bill settles back into the seat and flips his sketchbook open with an eye roll. Mike can’t help but tease him, he starts shifting through different dramatic poses, making Bill laugh loudly. A hand behind his head, his bicep bulging, Thinking Man pose, his smile barely suppressed-

And Mike ends his display by lewdly flicking his tongue between his fingers. “Jesus Mike!” Bill sputters out between laughs and Mike raises his hands in an innocent gesture, his own laughs ringing out through the space between them. “Sorry, I’m done!” He surrenders with an amused snort.

Bill sticks his tongue out childishly at him and flips the pages of his notebook to a blank page, “just go back to what you were doing weirdo,” he says softly and Mike lets out another laugh before following his directions. Well, not exactly since he’d literally been writing about his and Bill’s sex life. Oops.

He fucks around on his computer for a bit, opening and closing a few homework assignments (yeah right like he’d be able to concentrate right now), editing bits and pieces in other stories, he even plays a couple rounds of solitaire. But his attention is scattered after three lattes (that’s 2…4…6 espresso shots) and the adrenaline rushing through him from Bill sitting across from him drawing him which requires Bill to look at him with his blue as fuck eyes-

“Hey you wanna go somewhere?” The question bursts from Mike and he cringes at the abruptness. “Wait, you’re drawing, never mind,” Mike amends with a shake of his head. But Bill just flips his book closed with a simple “yep,” and starts chugging the last bit of his coffee.

Mike packs up quickly and, swinging his backpack over his shoulders, follows Bill out of the shop.

“Holy shit, is that Silver?” Mike exclaims incredulously when they walk outside. Bill laughs and leads the way to the old bike where it’s locked up by the building. “Yeah, Georgie didn’t wanna give up the car, so I’m stuck with her.” Bill explains. Mike runs a hand over the handlebars with a small smile, “seems smaller than she used to,” he comments, nostalgia rushing through him. Bill hums in agreement, “easier to handle too,” he comments steadily belaying the nervous shake in his next words, “and still big e-e-enough to ruh-ride double.”

Mike grins excitedly, “why Mr. Denbrough, are you going to show me a good time around town?” Bill’s face lights up with a wide grin and giggling, he unlocks his bike quickly, “it’d be my puh-pleasure, Mr. Hanlon.” They drop their things in Mike’s truck before racing recklessly out of the parking lot, Bill pedaling frantically and Mike hanging on tight to his waist, praying he doesn’t go flying off the back of the bike.

It’s weird spending all day with an ex, but they’d been best friends for just as long as they dated, and it’s as easy as it’s always been. They ride through the streets of Derry just like when they were kids, taking turns too fast and speeding over bumps. Mike’s teeth click together but it barely registers over the barrage of other sensations. The softness of Bill’s waist under his hands, the warmth between his back and Mike’s chest, the soft blond hairs flying into his face where they come loose from the braid and bobby pins.

It’s a lot of old and new sensations that has Mike’s head spinning.

They ride until Bill complains of shin splints, his face red and a little sweaty. Mike totally doesn’t think of licking the sweat from his brow because that would be weird. They ride back to Starbucks and load Silver into Mike’s truck. They sit in the cab, unsure where to go from here. They decide to live out the nostalgia further, and head to the barrens.

“Can you help me get all these out?” Bill asks gesturing to the many bobby-pins in his hair. Mike pats the spot on the truck bed next to him and Bill sighs a “thank you” as he sits with his back turned to him. Mike begins to gently pull the clips from his hair, doing his best not to pull knowing full well Bill is tender-headed.

He brushes the hair out with his fingers as it’s freed in sections until all the pins are out and Bill’s hair is a wild mane framing his face. Bill had shifted to face him when Mike got to the sections held back in the front, and Mike watches his face carefully. His eyes are closed and his face is relaxed in contentment. He’s always liked having his hair played with, no doubt part of the inspiration to grow it out.

Mike finds himself fiddling with the ends of his hair, carefully brushing it back from his face. He’s too distracted watching the soft strands fall through his fingers to notice Bills’ eyes have opened to watch him.

They used to lay in bed together, Bill on Mike’s chest, while Mike would drag a hand through Bill’s hair while they cooled down. Sometimes they would talk and other times they would lay in silence, just letting themselves feel the moment.

Lost in his thoughts Mike doesn’t notice Bill moving his face slowly closer, or how his hand has ceased it’s ministrations running through soft blond hair to rest gently on his cheek, he doesn’t realize he’s guiding Bill’s lips to his own until they’re barely a breath apart. And then soft lips land on his and awareness comes crashing over him.

They both freeze for a second, they’re mouths held stiff against the other, and then Mike opens his mouth slightly to pull Bills’ bottom lip in between his. And with that Bill is pushing forward and Mike unfolds his legs so he can slot in-between his knees. They kiss desperately, mouths moving together hot and slick. Mike moans softly at the feeling.

And then he’s pushing away because holy shit, “did you-“ he pants and Bill moves to kiss his neck at the interruption, unwilling to stop whatever this is. Mike is totally okay with that but, “you didn’t eat meat today did you?”

Bill stops his traveling lips, body going stiff in the not fun way. It may have been something they used to argue about when they were dating, Mike thought it was gross to kiss Bill after he’d eaten meat, and Bill didn’t get what the big deal was. Mike thinks maybe he ruined the moment but then Bill is grinding his hips down into him and he drag his lips up Mike’s neck to his ear, making him keen at the sensations, his own hips stuttering to meet the boy’s above him.

“Not yet,” Bill whispers grinding down into the v of Mike’s hips harshly, drawing a groan from the man that quickly turns into laughter. Throwing his head back Mike giggles loud and uncontrollably. “Seriously?” He laughs breathlessly, Bill sucking a mark on his neck. He pulls back to look into Mike’s eyes. “Seriously. Your nagging finally got through my thick skull.” Bill says with an eye roll followed by a wink.

“Wow, fuck, that was such a fucking turn on.” Mike says drawing Bill closer with a hand on the back of his neck and kisses him passionately.

[frickfrackjimin]

Whiskey on Ice

⇻ Meeting Jungkook at an award show after party leaves a bigger impression on you than you wish to admit. 

Pairing: Idol!Jungkook x Idol!reader Genre: Slight smut (Like, if you really, really squint. Basically just my first attempt at trying to write a make out session in detail bc I suck at writing smut :/ lol)  Words: 4.8k Inspired by: “Gorgeous” by Taylor Swift; “Delicate” by Taylor Swift; “Sex” by the 1975  Warnings: Mild language, mentioning of alcohol, mentioning of drugs 

You were drunk. So, so drunk.

The drink in your hand was your fifth of the night, something that your cousin, Aura, ordered for you originally. You had no idea what the contents of the drink were, only that it was bright blue and sweet and that you couldn’t get enough of it.

You were enjoying yourself on the dance floor of the club you were at. The bass was pulsing throughout the building as strobe lights lit up during the build up to the bass drop of the EDM songs playing. You could feel yourself letting loose and enjoying yourself for the first time since your ex-boyfriend,Youngjin, pulled that whole stunt last month. You pushed off every guy that tried to dance on you; Youngjin may have been an asshole, but you were positive you did not want to hook up with a stranger in an attempt to get over him. You didn’t understand how people could go home with someone they just met, and probably don’t even know the name of.

Aura approaches you on the dance floor, saying that she was leaving with someone. You look behind her shoulder at the man standing behind her. Did you know the guy? No. Did she know the guy? Probably not, which worried you. You tried following after her to tell her not to, especially since you did not know your way around that well and your phone was nearing 10%.

By the time you reached the front of the club, Aura and her mystery man were nowhere in sight. You yelled out for her, hoping that by chance she was within ears distance and would return to you. When she did not appear, you could feel the tears pricking at your eyes. Your phone is nearly dead; you have no idea where you are or how you are going to get home. What are you supposed to do?

In your drunken stupor, you felt someone grab your hand and start to pull you down the street.

“You know it’s not safe to be walking around the city this late at night by yourself,” a male voice speaks out. You could not see who he was since he was concealed by a dark hoodie. You felt a scream get caught in your throat but in your shock from the situation, could not seem to let it out.

A few seconds later, you both ended up in a run-down restaurant in the middle of the city.

After slumping down into a booth seat, you looked at your captor sitting across from you. Low and behold, it was Jeon Jungkook, in all his gorgeous glory.

A smug smirk sits on his face, fingers intertwined on the table. A grey beanie adorns his dark head of hair that stops at the nape of his neck. You can vaguely see the loop of his grey earrings peeking out from under his beanie. His hair is longer than you remember it being. Granted, it has been two months since you have last seen him. He has a black facemask pulled below his chin, revealing his face. A risky move, considering the fact that he is out in public in a city where someone could recognize him by his pinky finger.

You feel yourself staring at him. Shaking your head slightly, you break your eye contact and begin to look around the restaurant.

“Where are we?” is all you manage to sputter out.

“Not too far from where I found you,” he responds. A waitress appears at your table, putting down two glasses of water.

“You were at Club Zero?” you ask back. He did not look like he was dressed to go to a club. You took a sip out of the water glass in front of you.

“No, I was on my way home when I saw you. Who is Aura?”

“A stupid girl,” you mutter.

“A friend of yours?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“My cousin. She wanted to take me out, something about drinking away the breakup, or the bad publicity, or whatever the hell people are supposed to do when they get their ass chewed out by their famous ex-boyfriend on social media for the world to see,” you reply sarcastically.

It hits you that this is the first time you have spoken to him face to face. At the after party a few months ago, your interactions were brief, but left a mark on you nonetheless.

➵

You walked into the after party hand in hand with your boyfriend, Youngjin, his hand on the small of your back. The environment screamed an industry after party; a hell of a lot of alcohol, the strong smell of weed and whatever other drugs were being passed around, and a heavy beat playing. You saw a few familiar faces of various singers, producers, and even actors that were given access to the after party.

Youngjin and you approached the bar, him ordering a scotch on the rocks and yourself ordering a cosmopolitan. Even though you had just turned 19, the bartenders around here will start serving you at 16 if you are lucky enough to pass off as older. You never got into the drinking scene until you were around 18 like most people in the normal world; in this industry, however, it was practically unheard of.

“Hey _____! Congrats on your awards!” you hear from behind you. You turned around and greeted the face that met yours; Choonhee, a new breakout artist from this year and one of your closest friends.

“Thanks! You too girlie!” you congratulated back.

“Did you come here with Youngjin?” Choonhee asked.

"Of course-" you start, turning around to show that you indeed, did show up with boyfriend. You furrowed your brows in confusion when he was not standing behind you like he was thirty seconds ago. You looked around before realizing that Youngjin was nowhere close to you. Your eyes skimmed the darkened room before seeing him standing on the second floor talking to some men you didn’t recognize. They were more than likely other artists in his genre you didn’t know or producers. Youngjin was apart of the EDM industry and was always collaborating with people you had never heard of.

“Well, I guess he’s ditched me yet again. The big boys snatched him before I could grab ahold of him,” you chuckled, slightly annoyed.

“He’s always pulling shit like this, why are you still with him again?” Choonhee asked.

“I love him, that’s why,” you retorted.

“Right…” Choonhee replied again.

“Come on, stop with the negativity! Let’s celebrate! We are AWARD WINNERS!” you screamed, grabbing ahold of Choonhee’s wrist and throwing it up in the air with yours. The two of you cheered, grabbing little attention from the people around you since the music drowned out your cheers.

➵

It had been about an hour since Youngjin had ditched you for his little work buddies and honestly, you were having an amazing time! A hella amazing time, if you will!

Maybe it’s the fact that you were on your third cosmo, but all of your shyness that came from talking to strangers had flown out the window. You were approaching nearly everyone and starting a conversation about absolutely anything. Thankfully you were still aware of your surroundings and you were only tipsy so you didn’t make too much a fool out of yourself … you think.

You and Choonhee began to make your way to the second floor, drinks in hand. The VIP sections were located up there and you saw people like EXO, Super Junior, and Twice all popping bottles of champagne in celebration. They should all definitely be celebrating, they all went home with a shit ton of well-deserved awards that night.

You were looking around for Youngjin but instead, your eyes lock on a different pair of eyes. From far away and with the terrible lighting, you couldn't tell what color they were. You don’t immediately recognize who he is, but after seeing the people standing around him, you put together that he’s a member of BTS. You can’t remember which one specifically, maybe V? You honestly can’t remember any of them besides him right now.

Holy shit though, you wish you remembered that one’s name. Point blank, he was gorgeous. Suit pants and dress shirt, no suit jacket though. Loosened tie around his neck; rings on his fingers glistening as he swishes his glass in his hand. His dark brown hair is tousled in a way that makes it look like he just had sex, but is still put together.

You downed the rest of your drink, walking to the mini bar to order another one. You looked back over and saw him still staring at you. When you catch him this time though, he slowly turns away.

“Does you know the name of that guy in BTS over there?” you ask, resting your head in your hand as you wait for your drink.

“Which one?” Choonhee asks.

“The hot one,” you reply.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Okay seriously, the one in the tie with the dark hair. That’s not V is it? He dresses too plain to be V, from what I remember.”

“I think that’s… Jin maybe? Or Jungkook? No, it’s definitely Jungkook,” Choonhee confirms, also slightly tipsy.

“Well, that boy got me jungshook, that’s for sure,” you say, grabbing your drink as it’s handed to you.

“He’s hot as hell.”

Choonhee laughs at your bluntness. “Hey honey, don’t you have a boyfriend that you supposedly love?”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate art when it’s put in front of me,” you smirk. She gives you a worried look. “Oh come on, I’m just kidding. Let’s just go say hi. The worst that could happen is that they ignore our existence completely and I have to hide my face around them for the rest of our careers.”

Choonhee gives you a scared glance before following in step behind you.

Once you were in front of the group, you felt seven pairs of eyes on you and you were suddenly intimidated.

“H-hi,” you stammered before clearing your throat. “You guys are BTS right?”

“Hey, yeah we are. _____, right?” one replied back. His presence gave him the feel of a leader. This one must be RM.

“Yeah I am, and this is my friend Choonhee,” you said, pointing to the girl standing on your left.

“You won best new artist tonight, right?” one asked, looking at Choonhee.

“Yes, I did,” she shyly smiled.

“Congratulations. I love your song, by the way. I’m Taehyung.”

“Thank you, Taehyung,” Choonhee bowed in appreciation of the compliment. “_____ should be getting credit for it as well. She wrote the song, I simply perform it.”

“You wrote that song?” another one asks you. You nod your head in response.

“Your songwriting skill is amazing. You write beautiful lyrics,” He reaches his hand out, “I’m Yoongi.”

Following that, the rest of the members introduced themselves. Of course, once you reached the last member, he simply nodded his head at you. You noticed that in both ears he had small hoop earrings in. You smiled before averting your eyes. Why did he make you so nervous?

Choonhee began conversing with RM and Taehyung about her upcoming music. Jimin, Hoseok, and Yoongi started a conversation with you. From your conversation you could tell that Yoongi was immensely passionate about music.

“So let me put a scenario out there," you started. "I have an idea for a song. Would you be down to work with me on it if I sent you some samples?” you ask him. Drunk you should be allowed out more frequently. You often struggle to find other people to work with because you’re so shy.

“Definitely, I have some beats saved in my studio computer, I could see if one of them would work with the vibe you have in the lyrics,” he replies, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. You exchanged emails and agreed to attempt to work on a song together once your schedules both cleared up.

The three boys fell into another conversation about something involving the award show as your attention fell to the two boys behind you who were avoiding conversation with you. Jin and Jungkook were goofing around with each other, pushing at each other and speaking in weird voices. Why won’t they come over and talk to you? You’re more than capable of talking to them. Maybe Jungkook wasn’t really interested at all?

‘Whatever,’ you thought.

“I’m going to get another drink, anyone care to join?” you asked, addressing the group.

“I’ll come,” Hoseok replied.

You both walked back over to the bar where you decided to switch it up and order a vodka cranberry. You felt the presence of a figure next to you as you waited. When you turned your head to see who it was, you saw it was Jungkook. Getting to see him up close in this light, you realized that he was wearing blue contact lenses.

You turned away, blushing slightly at the eye contact. As the bartender gave you and Hoseok your drinks, you heard him ask Jungkook what he wanted.

“Whiskey on ice,” Jungkook replies. You snicker to yourself. His voice sounds so different than what you expected it to. That also didn’t seem like a drink Jungkook would be drinking. He seemed like more of a sex on the beach kind of guy; you were clearly mistaken.

He places his hands on the edge of the bar, one of them covering your right one that was placed in a similar way. You looked at him, shocked that he was being so bold.

There was no way that was an accident.

He grabs the drink from the bartender before sparing you a glance. He had a look on his face that was hard to decipher. Before you could question him, his hand slid off of yours and he turned to walk away. You shook your head, taking a deep breath before following behind him with Hoseok to rejoin the group.

“Hey _____, isn’t that Youngjin?” Choonhee asked, pointing behind you. You turned around to look, and sure enough, your boyfriend finally decided to show face.

“We should probably get going,” you say.

“It was great getting to meet you guys, we’ll definitely keep in contact,” you smile.

You heard a chorus of “Bye!” and “Nice to meet you!” and “Don’t forget to email me those samples!” from the group as you and Choonhee walked away. Choonhee began to walk down the stairs, but you stopped her, saying that you wanted to grab Youngjin first.

He was standing at a small table overlooking the first floor, another scotch on the rocks still in his hand.

“Hey, where have you been this whole time?” you asked him, putting your hand on his chest.

“Talking to some producers. You know, business talk,” he responds. There was a bit of a condescending tone when he said "business talk," but you chose to ignore it.

“What have you been up to?” he asks instead.

“I met BTS. They’re really cool, actually; I got one of their emails so we can try to collaborate on a song together. How cool is that?” you ask, excited.

“Super cool," he says in a bored tone.

“They were all super nice too. Except for one, Jungkook. He didn’t talk to me the whole time. The only time he said anything near me was when we ordered drinks at the bar. He sounds so different. You’d expect him to have a deeper voice,” you laugh, the alcohol starting to really affect you now.

“Um, _____,” he says, glancing behind you.

You turned around to see Jungkook standing there, looking at you. You can’t decode the look in his eyes, you instantly feel bad though.

That guilt went away when you see him smirk at you, glancing between Youngjin and you before turning and walking away.

“What was that about?” Youngjin asks.

“I’m not sure, let’s go though, it’s getting late,” you reply back, grabbing his hand and walking down the steps and out of the club.

➵

Aside from that basic introduction, no words were actually exchanged between you two. You only snuck glances and he practically held your hand. You would think that you would be a bit more nervous talking to someone that looks as amazing as him; the alcohol must, once again, be giving you the confidence to hold a conversation.

He breathes out a laugh through his nose, rubbing his thumb against his bottom lip. You could feel your mouth go slightly dry at the sight. You took another sip of water before you continued.

“She ditched me for some guy in the club. I don’t venture into the city much aside from going to work. You would think that she would have enough common sense to assume that I don’t know where the fuck I am or how to get home.”

He cocks his head to the side a bit. “Where are you staying? I’ll give you a ride,” he offers.

“No thanks, I’ll just call a cab,” you say, rifling through your purse for your cell phone. Unfortunately, when you retrieve it from the depths of meaningless receipts and gum wrappers, it is dead. You sigh, rubbing your hand down your face, disregarding the fact that you definitely just ruined your makeup. Honestly though, it was probably already ruined from the sweaty nightclub.

You slowly meet Jungkook’s eyes, sparkling with amusement.

“Problem?”  He cheekily asks, peering at you from the top of his water glass as he takes a sip.

“Can you call me a cab?” you ask.

“Now, let’s look at this logically,” he starts. You roll my eyes.

“Why would I, a gentleman, let you, a pretty young woman,” he pauses, glancing up and down my body. You can feel a blush appear on your cheeks.

“Call a cab in the middle of the night, costing you roughly 500,000 won, when I can just give you a ride for free? It will ensure the safety of you and your wallet’s well-being.”

You know he makes a good point. It is not exactly safe for someone to be catching cabs this late at night, and you really don’t feel like spending more money than you already have tonight.

You groan in annoyance. “Fine.”

➵

Twenty minutes and a plate of fries later, you are both approaching a dark van parked outside of the restaurant. Jungkook’s hand is guiding you towards the vehicle, resting on the small of your back. Dangerously close to your ass, you may add.

“This is yours?” you ask, hesitancy in your voice.

“The band uses it. I called my driver to come get us.”

“You woke up your driver in the middle of the night? I told you I could have just taken a cab.”

“He wasn’t asleep, he was dropping the hyungs at the dorms. I wanted fresh air so I decided to take a walk before going back home,” he explains, opening the back door for you.

“You know it’s not safe to be walking around the city this late at night by yourself, Jeon Jungkook,” you tease in reply. He plasters that infamous smirk on his face as you slide in, careful to not let your dress ride up. You didn’t particularly feel like flashing the passerby’s.

“You may be right, ______, but ask yourself this; if I had not taken that walk, where might you be now?” he questions as he hops in the car behind you.

Even though you scoot all the way to the other side of the van, Jungkook sits in the middle, right next to you. His jogger-covered left thigh is touching your bare right one. You are so distracted by the fact that he is sitting so close that you nearly forget to give the driver your address. After he puts it in his GPS, he puts up the divider between the front and back, for privacy, you guessed.

“You live in the suburbs?” Jungkook asks.

“My parents do. I’m staying with them for a while,” you respond, looking out the window.

“Ah, too much drama back in Seoul?” he assumes, throwing his arm around the back of the seat behind you. You are all too aware of the fact that you can practically feel the tips of his fingers on your left shoulder.

“You have no idea,” you utter out. “Everyone thinks I’m some pretentious princess that only dated him for publicity.”

➵

Last month is when shit hit the fan.

You had started to get a bit tired of always being put on the back burner by Youngjin. Even when he was not promoting, he always seemed to be filling his schedule up with other things. Whether it be interviews, rehearsals for a comeback that was still months away, or hanging out with his friends from his label that he sees all of the time anyway. He was constantly blowing you off for any small reason it seemed. When you approached him about it, he got defensive.

“You’re overreacting like a child, as per usual,” he rolled his eyes.

“As per usual? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you are still immature. You don’t know what it takes to be in this industry and quite frankly, you don’t have it. That’s why you clung to me like glue after the one time I flirted with you all those months ago, to grow your career,” he scoffed.

“What are you talking about? I responded to your flirting because I like you as a person! How dare you think I did this for my career? I am perfectly capable of building a name for myself without you!” you nearly screamed.

“Oh yeah? Prove it,” he sneered.

“Fine. We’re done,” you said adamantly as you grabbed your coat off of the arm of his couch. Walking towards the door, you stop right in front of his face.

“Watch me.”

Turns out, ending things on negative terms with a pissed off ex-boyfriend who has a high status in the media wasn’t the best of your plans.

You may or may not have released a cover of an English song, “Sorry Not Sorry” onto your SoundCloud just days later. Rather than just letting the bit of shade slide, Youngjin decided that he needed to rebuttal.

He did a V Live, indirectly telling the world that someone close to him betrayed him for their own personal gain. It was the biggest load of horseshit you had ever heard, but the fans somehow connected the dots and practically overnight the entirety of your country had seemingly turned on you. That is why you had to move out to the suburbs to live with your parents, and why you had gone into a sort of hiding and social media cleanse.

➵

“I don’t think that’s true,” he says. You can feel his hot breath on the side of your face. You’re too nervous to turn and look at him.

“I think he’s the pretentious one, and he’s an idiot for doing that to you. He wants sympathy for a situation nobody is sure actually happened.”

“Well, at least somebody is on my side,” you whisper, glancing at him for a second before looking down at your lap. You feel his hand that’s not around your shoulders play with the end of your dress.

“By the way,” he says in a low voice, his mouth so close to your ear you can feel his lips on your earlobe. “Black lace really suits you.”

Your eyes widen and your heart rate begins to increase as you realize he must have seen your underwear when you got in the car, despite your efforts to make sure that did not happen.

Instead of feeling mortified like you should have, you felt powerful. Maybe it was the alcohol taking affect on you, but your mood went from upset to almost… lustful?

“Does it now?” you questioned back. He hummed in reply and you could not help but let a breath out of your mouth when you feel his teeth graze the cartilage of your ear.

“Sexy,” is all he murmurs. Your thighs involuntarily tightened closer together at the simple word that fell from his lips.

You gazed up at him for a split second, seeing his eyes full of lust.

Next thing you knew, your lips were on his.

His hand on your shoulder moved to behind your neck as your lips hungrily meshed together. Goddamn, his lips are softer than you thought they would be.

There was no questioning whether or not this was right or wrong, no devil on your shoulder telling you that you barely knew the man tangling his tongue with yours. The only thing your mind was telling you right now is that you needed more of Jungkook, and you needed him now.

Your hands slid up his chest, lightly gripping onto his black hoodie. You felt his free hand resting high up on your leg with his thumb rubbing slow circles into your inner thigh. You tried withholding a moan, you really did, but it slipped out anyways. His grip on your leg tightened at the sound. You lightly bit his lower lip in approval before pulling back for air.

Holy shit, he’s an amazing kisser. It has been so long since you’ve kissed someone like that.

Jungkook took that opportunity to move his lips to your neck. He brushed your hair back before letting his tongue trace up from your neck to your earlobe, gently biting down. You could feel your desire for him building by every hot breath in your ear, every movement of his tongue on your neck, every purple mark he left.

You grab the back of his head, gripping onto his brown locks before pulling them away from your neck and reattaching your lips with his. His hand that was on your leg has moved your dress up and dangerously close to the band of your underwear. One more inch and he would probably be able to feel how badly you want him right now.

Instead of letting him get that close, you swing your leg over his until you are straddling him in the backseat. Your hands go up to his chest and your forehead rests on his briefly before you go back to kissing him. You feel his hands tightly grip your hips and in that moment, you wanted your dress off.

A knock on the divider is what pulls you away from each other.

“We’re here Jungkook. Say goodnight,” his driver says from the front seat.

“Let me walk you up,” he insists. From the way he looks at you, you know he’s not giving you an option.

You swing your legs back over to your seat before you adjust your dress and open the door. You wait for Jungkook to follow you. He shuts the car door before signaling “one minute” to the driver. His hand returns to the small of your back just as it did earlier as you approach your parent’s front door.

“Thanks for the ride,” you say nonchalantly.

“Same to you,” he boldly replies. “We should do it again sometime.”

He pulls his phone out of his pocket, holding it out to you. You go to his contacts and put your information in before handing it back to him.

“Well, goodnight,” you state, putting your hand on the doorknob. You begin to turn it before you’re pulled into Jungkook’s chest, hand being ripped away from the door. His lips crash down on yours hard, kissing you for a few seconds before pulling away.

“Goodnight.”

Before you could even open your eyes from the kiss, he is walking away and back towards the van.

Standing there stunned, you take a minute to compose yourself before you reach for the doorknob again.

“Oh, and _____?” you hear him yell.

You peaked over your shoulder at him, standing by the open van door.

“Purple suits you as well,” he smirks, motioning to his neck. Your mouth drops as the reality of his words sink in, and you instinctively reach towards your own neck. A small hiss escapes your mouth when you feel the ache of the numerous marks he littered on your skin. You look back up at him with a small glare, to which he cracks a smile and gets in the back of the van. You watch the vehicle drive down the street, turn left at the intersection, and off into the night.

Walking into the house, you shut the door quietly behind you before leaning against the dark wood. A sigh escaped your lips and the only thing you could think of was how utterly screwed you were.

[ultrasuperfangirl]

It was the end of the world as we know it.... now what?: Chapter 3

Read below OR on AO3 (Read from the beginning here.)

Chapter 3 Time: 2:50am  

Location: Lamp lit street on the outskirts of a large metropolis. Six living siblings, one dead sibling, one mysterious lady and an indifferent tabby cat stand outside of a small run down bungalow.  

Date: Still 1987 (and will be until further notice.)  

“THIS is The Initiative?” Diego said skeptically.   Three blocks from where they landed, Eleanor stood before them with a smile in front of a small run down bungalow buried among a series of other run down bungalows. The group stood in stunned silence.  

The fenced yard broke at the front where a small metal gate hung crookedly on its hinges, creaking slowly against the light breeze. The cracked sidewalk and cement stairs led to a weathered wooden door and a dented round door handle, speckled with the brown and red of creeping rust. The windows were dark against the blackness of night – reflecting only the streetlights against the dirty panes. A small overgrown bush to the right of the front stairs rustled in the breeze, waving a dirty plastic bag caught in its branches like a flag.   Allison exchanged looks with Diego.   Beside them, Five’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”   Eleanor smiled again, wider. “I am not. Follow me.”   Eleanor went through the crooked metal gate towards the front steps and veered off the path to the left. She disappeared quickly behind the side of the house, leaving the group on the sidewalk. The Hargreeves stared uneasily as her head popped back around the side of the house. “Waiting for a formal invitation?”   The siblings all exchanged looks, landing their eyes on Five, observing his reaction. Five stared at the side of the house where Eleanor had disappeared again. His jaw clenched.   “Ouch! Jesus!” Klaus exclaimed as the cat in his arms scratched and struggled to release himself from Klaus’ arms. The cat landed on all fours, jumped the fence in one leap and followed Eleanor around the side of the house. Klaus quickly followed, clumsily leaping over the fence himself, arms outstretched towards the fleeing feline. “Marty!”   Diego turned to Allison. “Marty?” Allison shrugged.   Five cleared his throat and followed Klaus and the cat through the crooked gate and around the side of the house. He was followed in short order by Allison, Diego and Luther – Vanya still unconscious in his arms.   As they rounded the side of the house, they found Klaus, once again holding the tabby cat, stationed next to Eleanor, who was waiting calmly for them beside a small shed in the backyard of the rundown bungalow.   Diego sneered. “Right. Because a dirty run down house wasn’t bad enough, but now this secret society of yours that is going to help us save the world is holed up in a shitty garden shed?”   Eleanor smiled and slowly lifted her hand to a small gray switch to the right of the shed’s splintered door. As she flicked the switch, a loud mechanical sound came from inside the shed as the door swung open quickly. Inside the door was a small metal room.   In you go!” Eleanor chimed, holding her hand towards the open door, inviting them to step inside.   “No way!” Klaus exclaimed. “Is this, like, a secret elevator?”   Eleanor just smiled.   Klaus stepped in without hesitation, followed closely by the reluctant apparition of Ben beside him.  He noticed his siblings still stuck staring at the shed, brows furrowed identically. Although none of them were actually related by blood, there were certain mannerisms and quirks that each of them adapted and adopted from one another. The brow furrow was one of the classics. Klaus rolled his eyes at the hesitation of his brothers and sister. “Come on you guys. Is this REALLY the weirdest thing to have ever happened to any of you? We’re in 1987 for Christ sake.”   In Luther’s arms, Vanya’s eyes fluttered. “Luther?”   Luther looked down at Vanya as she opened her eyes – they had lost their white hue and were back to the warm hazel that Luther had known as a child.   She was slowly waking, but was still disoriented, her hazel eyes open but unfocussed. “Luther, where are we? What’s going on?”   Luther looked up quickly at Eleanor. “You’re sure whatever that elevator leads to can contain her?”   Eleanor’s smile faded slightly as she looked at Vanya. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”   Luther hunched down to fit his frame into the elevator and looked impatiently at Five, Allison and Diego who remained. He raised his eyebrows at them, waiting.   Allison looked at Vanya, moving slowly but still tucked in Luther’s arms. She moved into the elevator, followed by Diego and Five and took Vanya’s hand.  When she did, Vanya looked over at her and smiled lazily. “Hi Allison.” Allison smiled back.   Eleanor entered the elevator and spoke loudly and clearly. “Initiative engage. Young, Eleanor. ID 2-5-0-0-3-9.”   A computerized voice came from overhead as soft fluorescent lights flickered on and the door closed slowly. “Voice recognition successful. Welcome. Eleanor.”   The elevator shuddered briefly as the group felt themselves moving downwards. They remained silent for the ride aside from the soft purr of the cat in Klaus’ arms.   The computerized voice returned as the elevator came to a slow stop. “Initiative. Area one.”   The doors opened, to what appeared to be an apartment. The room was rectangular with a long table running through the middle of it with mismatched kitchen chairs flanking it on all sides. To the right was a small kitchenette akin to what one might find in an office or dormitory. To the left was a small living area with a sectional couch and a couple mismatched armchairs – all of which appeared to have been second (or maybe even third) hand. There were outdated magazines strewn on a coffee table in the centre of the sectional and ratty paperbacks shoved haphazardly into bookshelves along the far wall.   Around the room, the walls were adorned with one or two motivational posters as well as a print of Van Gogh’s Starry Night and other common and innocuous pieces of art that you might find in a doctor’s office. It was the kind of art that makes a room feel more comfortable, but just passably so. It was there to prevent the unease that comes in a room with empty walls - it was there to serve a purpose and was obviously not chosen with any care or attention beyond that.   The cat in Klaus’ arms stirred and jumped away. Klaus pushed past the crowd in the elevator in pursuit.   “Marty!”   Klaus watched as the cat trotted over to the living area where a small cat bed was tucked under the coffee table.   “Sorry Klaus. I’m afraid he already belongs to someone.” Eleanor said, moving out of the elevator, making room for the remaining Hargreeves siblings to step into the room.   “Who?”   “Me.” The voice came from the sectional sofa, which appeared to be empty. Until, in a blink, it wasn’t.   A man appeared, laying on his back facing the group with arms crossed behind his head as if he had been lounging for quite some time. His fingers were playing with a strand of his messy dark brown hair. He smiled, his teeth straight and white peering out through brown lips and a neat black beard. He appeared casual, but well put together in a pair of dark wash jeans and a burgundy pullover crewneck sweater. The exception to his well kept appearance was the pair of bright pink bunny slippers that appeared as he swung his legs to the side and sat up with his feet on the floor.   “And,” he said, raising his body from the couch, moving towards Klaus and the new arrivals, “His name is Ichabod. Not Marty.” His deep voice rang with a slight hint of an English accent.   Eleanor held her arm towards the man in the bunny slippers as he shuffled towards the kitchenette and flicked on a kettle that was sitting on the counter.   “This is Aarav. He works with The Initiative as well. He's our primary medical tech.”   From the back of the crowd, Diego shook his head and stepped forward, pushing past Five. “And are you just going to blow past the fact that he appeared out of thin air?” He looked at Luther and Allison.   “Come on. I can’t be the only one who saw him just appear out of nowhere.”   Aarav shook his head and snorted from the kitchenette as he dug a tea bag out of a canister on the counter and dropped it in a brown coffee mug. Eleanor shot him a sideways glance and spoke through his snickering.   “Aarav is.... like you.” She said.   “Like us how?” Luther asked.   Before Eleanor had a chance to formulate a response, Five's eyes grew wide with a realization he couldn’t contain. “He's one of the 43.”   Klaus, who had ignored the continued goings on in favour of trying to coax Ichabod out from under the coffee table, finally became aware of the conversation. He gave up on his endeavour and sat on the coffee table, arms crossed in front of him. Ben observed from behind the back of one of the armchairs and spoke in unified confusion with Klaus. “What 43?”   Five pulled out a chair from the long table in the middle of the room and put his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ. Your chemical diet has really done a number on your memory.” He looked up at Klaus and noticed that Diego, Allison and Luther had the same blank expression on their faces. “Christ you guys. He is one of the 43 kids born on October 1, ‘89. You know. Like we were?”   “Holy shit.” Diego and Luther spoke in unison. Allison’s mouth hung open. Vanya had fallen back into sleep in Luther’s arms. They all joined Five around the table, Luther resting Vanya on his knees.   The kettle squealed and Aarav topped off his mug with hot water. His eyes connected with Klaus from across the room as he shuffled his way back to the sectional. As he settled back in - pink bunny slippered feet crossed on the coffee table next to where Klaus was perched - he blew on his tea and spoke. “Your first time then? Meeting one of the others, I mean.” He smiled at Klaus, who was admiring the bunny faces looking up at him.   Diego responded. “We’ve been a bit busy our entire lives. Not much time for socializing.”   Aarav looked at Diego and smirked. “Right. Saving the world and all that.” He snickered again. “I really dodged a bullet, didn’t I?”   Diego smirked back sarcastically. “What bullet?”   “The Hargreeves bullet. When Reginald came sniffing around looking to adopt the next generation of self-important vigilantes. Shitty way to raise a bunch of kids if you ask me.” He sipped his tea and looked back towards Klaus. “Bullet dodged. That’s all I’m saying.”   Diego glanced towards Vanya, cradled in Luther’s lap, and sighed, his head in his hands. “You’re not wrong.”   Klaus weighed in, staring at Aarav with fascination. “Invisibility? I don’t even want to think of what kind of sick shit the old man could have pulled off with someone like you in the ranks. He would have loved you. Well, to the level that a cold blooded robot person is capable of at least.”   Beside Diego, Allison was scrawling madly. She finished and shoved the pad of paper at Five and pointed to Eleanor who was still standing just outside the elevator doors looking increasingly uncomfortable with Aarav’s bluntness.   Five read Allison’s message to Eleanor. “How many other of the 43 have you met?”   Five glanced up at Eleanor who cleared her throat quietly, grateful for the slight change in subject. “I have met a few of the others. There was an attempt to recruit a few years ago as everyone was turning 25. But - quite happily, if you ask me - most of them are living quite happy, normal lives and didn’t have a lot of interest in the time space continuum.”   Allison scrawled again, passing the note back to Five to read. “How many of the others work with The Initiative?”   “Just Aarav and one other.” Eleanor said, averting her eyes towards the ceiling.   Five stared ahead, knowing what Allison’s next question would be. “Who is the one other?”   Eleanor’s eyes straightened and met with Five’s.    “Me.”

[saportuh]

ok panic concert highlights

(plus some personal adventures)

this was the portland show on the 12th k

so it was a fuckin hour and a half drive bc where i fuckin live now is far away from everything i hate it anyway that sucked & i ran my phone down to 80 percent during said drive which proved problematic

we get there (me & my lil sis) & our dad drops us off & we run up & im bitching about how weird the fucking venue is (it’s normal, it’s just not what i’m used to - in vegas the venues were typically in the casino/resorts so you lined up inside the halls & sat against the walls & tourist-watched, in this venue u stood outside in a line???? ughhh)

so we approach the line & something happens, i’m gonna make a separate post about it because holy shit

befriended two excitable gay kids, maybe 8th or 9th grade?? & i was like woah i was u once. now im old & jaded. eugh. then they bailed on me so.

we got into the arena & were on the wrong fucking side so we had to JOG all the way AROUND THE WHOLE FUCKINGN PLACE UGH

THEN WE GOT IN & SAT IN THE WRONG SEATS so the guy next to me (dad w a thick accent, maybe ukranian?? it wasn’t russian but it was close) politely informed me & i was like fuck well until they get here we’ll stay, but i had anxiety so during an arizona song i pretended to go to the bathroom & came back to look for our actual seat, someone took it so i pussied out & went back, had hella anxiety about it, then before hayley the ppl showed up so we had to move & i had to kick some preps out of their seat & they called my lil sister a bitch ;-;

OK SO ONTO THE PERFORMERS

arizona was cute, gotta check them out... singer kept getting emotional & wiping his eyes, it was sweet, and he was hella feeling himself dancing & stuff lmaoo. idk em but im proud of them.

HAYLEYYYYYYYYYYY her dancing & drumming & outfit??? also all the lesbians/wlw getting crunk in the crowd was so damn good haha

ALSO shout out to hayley’s band, they were so cute??? the guitarist & her kept having moments & he seemed like a cool dude, & the girl on synths was so pretty omg??? & smiley i loved her. & the drummer, they were goin so hard i couldnt get a good look, but they had kewl hair

“if you don’t know anything about me, there’s one thing you should know: I LOVE GIRLS” there was so much gay energy at that show i was teary the whole damn time

k confession, i love everything about hayley but i find her voice a little grating on the ears, something about it, but it was super angelic live & didn’t bug me once, & wanna be missed fucked me up cuz it’s my fucking f a v

SHE DID THE DRUMMY IT WAS HOT 

her oufit was so damn iconic rlly tho, the pants & shoes totes fit her but wouldn't look good on anyone else, but that shirt, the hot dad look w the open v & all the jewelry, holy fuck that’s how im tryna be

during girls like girls, everyone had their lights out & there was a bunch of pride flags out, and i got this gorgeous shot of a gay pride flag illuminated by lights (i posted it)

most of the songs they played between the breaks were gay themed too which was powerful dude i was so damn emotional

then during the countdown to panic, they played the next episode by dre (the “smoke weed every day” song) & then africa by toto jsfndjfndjskfnjdk

THEN PANIC CAME OUT 

WHOLE ASS STRING & BRASS SECTION BDEN RLLY WENT THERE WOAH

KENNY & NICOLE WERE SO CUTE THE WHOLE TIME THEY KEPT GOOFING AROUND ESPECIALLY KENNY IT WAS ADORABLE

THEN BREB POPPED OUT THE DAMN FLOOR

ok several things about breb

one, i never was heavy into panic, but considering how obsessive i was into bandom a few years back, i still know a lot about early panic, livejournal shit, ryden bullshit, etc, so it was really weird being there with normies who were just like “he’s hot & sings good” when i was like “yall lucky fucks never heard of myrtle beach ” dsjfnjsdnfds

two, four years into panic & i never was attracted to brendon, but dude, EVERYONE fell in love with him at this show, myself included, & i was starin at this bitch ass motherfucker in a trance before i was like “wait ur a bastard STOP U ENDEARING DICKWAD” he was so fucking endearing it was ANNOYING cuz i’ve seen some of the shit he’s pulled damnit. srsly tho, so absolutely charming, wow.

three, and what stuck with me most; brendon loves what he does. a little bit of exhibitionism, i think; he likes ppl looking at & admiring him, he’s that type of person, a showman, but also, i think he just loves making music, people singing along to the music, etc. ive been to eight concerts now, and i don’t think i’ve seen someone who clearly loved being on stage so much. a lot of ppl act like it’s a chore to tour, but brendon clearly loves it, and it made me happy, especially as an aspiring musician. 

four, the straighties drooling over him and the gays drooling over him was truly straight/gay solidarity

ok what else happened... brendon would throw in random ass high notes towards the ends of songs... my sister looked at me super alarmed when he first did it during dtmwagt lmfao... ppl would cheer & it was impressive, but kinda piercing & i was like “show off” lol

HE DID THE ‘I MAKE THESE HIGH HEELS WORK’ thing, i thought he retired tht?? so i was pleased lmfao

i dont rmr anything that stands out about ready to go or la devotee but the lights & backgrounds during them were very pretty & i got some good pics of brebbois face (i finally got semi decent quality pics im rlly happy abt tht, concerts r so hard to photograph)

hallelujah was cool cuz there were, like, those catholic(?) church windows projected on the top part of the stage, it was pretty af, they rlly outdid themselves with the visuals

and mona lisa had like pipes & industrial stuff?? idk it looked dope, and it contrasted rlly cool it was super pretty

nine in the afternoon,,,, the only pretty odd song... i dont even like pretty odd but it was like,,, damn. & he had the piano, total live in denver vibes ;-; but he wasnt dripping sweat this time lmao

golden days, brebweenie knows hes hot, kept winking & doing mic flips & shit & i was like u fucken weenie ive seen that pic of u w a bowl cut in a bra, die

k he’s a fuckin bastard but hhe’s pretty & talented fuckin big ego bitch ... can yall tell i hav a lovehate relationship w him bc i do

I GOT THIS ONE PART ON VIDEO DURING GOLDEN DAYS WHERE KENNY & NICOLE R FUCKING AROUND & MAKING FACES & GOOFING IT’S SO CUTE

during casual affair in the chorus, the mic would echo each word (just lay (lay) in the atmosphere (sphere) & the ‘lay’ was rlly good on my ears idk sometimes certain vocal notes sound GOOD & that was one i keep replaying it

SO VEGAS LIGHTS as yall kno i was born & raised in vegas & a vegasfucker69 it’s my fucking home i moved last november (not my choice) & miss it violently & i was CRYING during vegas lights hard & it was so beautiful im gonna watch the video i got over & over & over that song means so much to me IM SO FUCKING HOMESICK

speaking of which, im pretty bitter i didnt see panic in vegas, this was my first panic show & that kinda bothers me, like i should’ve seen them in vegas a few yrs ago but it never worked out.... still, im grateful i saw them at all & im glad i saw the song live. i had my fob snapback on too, it says ‘las vegas’ on it cuz i got it there haha, wore that on purpose

he did the fucking running man thing towards the end & everyone cheered & i was like dONT ENABLE HIM

sat down during dancing’s not a crime cuz im a bitch who doesn’t like half the new record & also my knees hurt cuz im old apparently, anyway this chick glared at me then sang every word wat a fuckin prep lmao

o yah i forgot, in golden days he got in the crowd & let a girl sing the last chorus it was amazing i bet that made her life

AND DURING DOAB HE WALKED THRU THE CROWD that was SO FUCKING ENDEARING i was like “wow what a guy” then i was like “HE’S A BITCH U KNOW HIM” & i was like “hmm??? what a guy” but omg he made so many people happy it was really beautiful & sweet & i was like... half in love & then i came to my senses jksjfhjsdhfkjsdn

RLLY THO HE WALKED THRU THE CROWD & HIGH FIVED PPL & SHIT & GAVE HUGS & TOOK ART/LETTERS IT WAS SO DAMN GOOD HE WAS SO SWEET & LEGIT EVERYONE WAS FALLING FOR HIM & I WAS LIKE SUFFERING

legit guys, like it’s weird i used to watch his parascopes in 2015 or w/e & he’d say some Bad shit on there sometimes, like ik he does some messy shit BUT HE ACTED SO FUCKING LOVELY BLEH

also he’s very short, like he’s 2 inches taller than me but he looked so little in the crowd i was like... aw

the piano thing ;-; it was rlly pretty but my paranoia & anxiety was off the charts i was like that things gonna fucking fall & crush the crowd it’s gonna fucking fALL but it didnt ofc but i was stressed bleghh

but ok on a positive note, that was soo fucken lovely, bden stopped to try to make eye contact with as many ppl in as many places of possible, like he made the effort to get to everyone & make them have a special moment & it was ... magical ok thts fucken cliche as shit but it rlly was

ok i did smth lowkey embarrassing, i doubt he saw, but when he faced towards us i was just overwhelmed w like.. gratitude?? ive had a bad 2 years in every way, so being somewhere filled with love & fun & kindness & joy & all around good vibes, i was so grateful? i just wanted to thank him for creating that kinda atmosphere. so i like,,, blew kisses but not in a weird way, like later i was like oh that was kinda weird whyd i do that, but at that moment i didnt use my head & it was jus my instinctual way of saying thank u idk it’s lame but it happened so there ya go idfk

fun fact, my vid of it is out of focus cuz i was so enamored watching him & watching the crowd react it was pretty fucking magical it rlly was

once he got down from that piano he went “wow i feel so fucking inspired now” & i was like “bitch me too tf” 

legit it was absolutely indescribable, even watching my vid now.... wow. and u can hear me lightly crying in the back of my video too lmao, and i was shaking p hard, it was so fucking magical. like im getting emotional rn cuz it was exactly what i needed to remind myself that there is good stuff in the world thats worth staying for. 

i never was super big on panic or breb like i said but if i ever meet him im gonna thank him bc that. wow. transformative.

also that transition from the piano cover he did to dying in la was smooth af. it was all around gorgeous.

OK GIRLS GIRLS BOYS, I WAS SO CONCERNED W FILMING I COULDNT PUT MY LIGHT ON (i had a red heart) BUT OMG

he got a bi flag first, then a rainbow one, then another rainbow one... one was those hayley ones lol, and one ended up on the stage out of his eyesight & he never saw it & i felt so bad fjdnfds

G-D ALL THE GAYS SINGING WAS SO EMOTIONAL & THE RAINBOW BEHIND THEM ON STAGE (AND PAN FLAG COLORS AT TIMES?!??!?!)) IT WAS FUCKING MAGICAL & BRENDON LET A FLAG DRIFT IN THE WIND FOR A SEC BEFORE HE PUT IT ON IT WAS GORGEOUS

AND ALL THE RAINBOW LIGHTS IN THE CROWD FUCK DUDE

breb might be a turd but he’s the only one of these emo dudes who parades around draped in flags & so aggressively empowers gay fans through it, and for that, i respect him. ik the song has more perverse origins but now it’s a bi anthem that rlly connects w lgbt fans & it’s rlly beautiful, AND i got another gorgeous shot of a pride flag surrounded by lights & im just. wow.

after, breb said “that is gorgeous btw” about the rainbow lights, and “thank u for participating in love” & giggled, i got this shot of the lights in the dark lookin incredible ;-;

also said “this a record number of flags tonight, very cool” so portland is rlly gay apparently, kewl

nicole doin the nicotine bass line slayed me dead wowie u can hear me go “WOO” on the vid lmfao (im a bassist so i lov her double)

ive seen miss jackson live twice now cuz at my monumentour show, new politics brought lolo out to cover it so that’s dope lmfao

anyway bden did the fuckin valley girl voice for “the scenery is so loud” which was delightful

he had us do the ‘ayyyy’ bit woo

NICOLES BASS,,, SPARKLY

drum thingy ;-; speaking of monumentour, andy & patrick famously did a drum off & i MISSED IT cuz the stage at my venue wasnt large enough to fit both sets ;-; so they didnt do it ;-; but bden doin his own drum solo kinda made up for it a little bit

fuckin show off tho he played like 3 instruments & i was like u bitch stop

there was some kinda audio sample that went “i got a fever & the only prescription is more caffeine(?)” & bden mouthed the words along, and some girl behind me went “SAME” 

UPDATE: googled it, i knew i recognized chris walken’s voice, he says cowbell not caffeine & it’s a skit from snl that i’ve SEEN im a disgrace anyway that was fun also woo cowbell

the big screen kept cutting from bden drumming to a shot of the crowd & someone holding a pride flag & i was like yah drumming is gay now

lmao i only filmed like a minute of a song unless i rlly liked it so i could spend the rest of the song gettin funky right?? & i like king of the clouds but not a ton, but i filmed the whole thing cuz the visuals were so pretty lmfaooo i jus was staring at them like wowwww prettyyyyy

during the ‘i dont feel anything at all’ he looked rlly sad & i couldnt tell if it was genuine or if he was goin for like a pouty look djfdsjfndjks then right after he winked so ig pouty thx breb

at some point he introduced nicole&kenny plus the strings & brass ppl as “his friends” it was sweet & he was like “these lovely ladies” about the strings & “these handsome men” about the brass & i was like WOO GAY RIGHTS

FIRE DURIN CRAZY EQUALS GENIUS. BOZ FLASHBACKS. FIRE ON MY FACE HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY. FEAR. DONT LIKE FIRE. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. KENNY WAS TOO CLOSE. FEAR.

a whole arena singing bohemian rhapsody 25+ years after freddie mercury’s death was Incredible, i dont believe in afterlives but if there is one i hope he was watching & enjoying & knowing his legacy was staying alive bc wow that was powerful

THE END WAS CRUNK AF HOLY SHIT BDEN GOT DOWN

i cant believe i remember the day emperors came out like,,,, jeez. so lit live tho

I HAVENT MENTIONED HIS SPARKLY SUIT YET. KING OF SPARKLY SUITS

BRENDON DOIN HIS HIGH NOTE BIT & THE STAGE LIGHTING UP FULLY ON FIRE FUCK DUDE

bitchden took his shirt off when he came out for the encore..... bitch

SINS,,, FUCK DUDE,,,, MY CHILDHOOD WAS CRYING HHYSTERICALLYYY, 

in the background of my vid u can hear me do the ‘ily’ ‘ily’ from the mv emo ass

my lil sis got fucken turnt to sins lmfaooo??? danced her ass off???

us: W H O R E bden: ily

VIOLINISTS GETTIN WILD TOO

they played footage of the music vid & breb & his fuckin iconic outfit & i was a lil emo kid again omg i cant believe i saw it live

he did funny voice durin calls for a toast nerd ... least he’s not entirely bitter abt songs ryan wrote anymore tho lmao... or maybe he is considering theres only two on the 30 song setlist ;-;

i gotta listen to afycso again damn it’s so iconic

oh yah at some bit he said “ive been doing this for 14 years, im 31 now” & it reminded me like.. most of these emo bands, they started so young. & got successful at such a young age. it’s so crazy. idk. wow. 

he got growly during the chorus, that’s pstump’s thing beeb dont steal it lmao

CONFETTI fitting ending, & i got him walking off which is cool, other bands it goes dark & they just kinda disappear & it’s unsatisfying ;-;

so yah i finally saw breadman live, i got 400 pics and 30 videos so that all got spam posted over the last few days lmao

[stop-klancing-around]

Lost and Found Part 1

ANNNNND WE ARE BACK WITH ANOTHER INSTALMENT OF DAILY SHIFTS.

I'm a bit excited about some of the things that Ray and I are planning for this AU and I can't wait to share them.

Thank you @raythenerdyfangirl for being my beta once again.

You can also read it here on AO3

Enjoy :)

The room was in disarray, socks that used to be in the drawers are now all over the floor. The desk that was neat with folders and notebooks was now on the bed opened and forgotten with the papers scattered over the sheets. Lance is looking for his textbooks that he somehow misplaced in the dorm. He was now looking under the bed to see if it slide off from the edge but, got up when he discovered that they weren’t sitting on the bottom of the bed.

"Hunk?" Lance called out. There a few footsteps before someone popped their head in just to see if there was an immediate danger before walking in with an apron on and a ladle in his hand.

"What happened Lance? You know not to disturb me if I am stress cooking"

"But, you're always stress cooking though?" Lance tilts his head to the side before going back to his book bag and dumping its contents to the floor.

"That is because I, Hunk Garrett, is always stressed. With all of the work, they give me in Pre-Cal and English Comp. II. PLUS, working as a security guard for the campus, PLUS, STUDYING. I’m more stressed than I was in the Garrison." Lance looks at Hunk for a bit to see that the front of the apron had been stained with some weird orange colored goop. Lance wants to ask Hunk about the stain but refrains because it wasn’t the time to wonder about it. He was panicking himself over hardcover textbooks.

"Oh calm down Hunk. I know that you will ace all of your finals and will get all of your Gen-Ed classes done on time if that was on your mind. Plus it's a security guard job. The most they made us do is break up fights and walk people to a certain point or to their car. This is a very simple job for the most part."

"But that’s still something. What if they’re armed or something and they shank one of us and dip. I am not built for speed. I barely completed the physical test." Hunk looks away from him. Lance walks up to Hunk and places a hand on his shoulder and smiles.

"But you did it. Hunk, you were determined to work with me as a security guard because you said and I quote 'I don’t want you to come back to me and Pidge dead in Miami.' Trust me. We are both lucky to be security guards. Do you know what they make campus police do?"

"No, what do they do?"

"You don't want to know. Plus, campus police are the people who are trying to get their degree in some form of criminal arts."

"Do you mean Criminal Justice or better yet, Criminology?"

"Yeah. Yeah, same shit. Shiro doing all of that and he is in the masters program in Criminology. He asked me if I wanted to join the force. I looked him dead in his eyes and said hummus."

“Wait, where did the hummus thing come from again? I can’t remember.”

“It was when you showed me what was hummus.”

“The same day where you proceeded to spill it on Pidge and they immediately said and I quote ‘hummus?’ before chucking their phone at your head?” Lance rubs the back of his head.

“The same day Hunk. Although, I never knew that a large lifeproof phone would hurt as bad as it did.” Hunk starts to giggle for a mere second before giving out a loud laugh. It gives Lance such joy that he can calm his best friend from anything.

"Man, I forgot how funny you are. You should become a comedian"

"And talk about all of the stupid shit that I’ve done from middle school to now. Including senior year of Garrison High" Lance pauses for a good minute before shaking his head. "Besides, I don’t need any more people laughing at me for the peanut butter incident." Lance shudders at the mention of the word peanut.

"Alright comedian, although, I don’t think anyone would laugh at that one. That experience rather freaked me. You should've told me about the peanut butter thing.”

“I didn’t know it was going to be like THAT.”

“That’s understandable and its okay. So, what did you need me for anyway before we broke into some sappy conversation about my stress levels and comedic relief." Lance had almost forgotten about his problems. He clasps his hands on top of his head and looks at Hunk with wide eyes.

"I LOST THE TWO MOST EXPENSIVE BOOKS FOR MY CLASS AND I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT"

"Wait, which books were they before we start panicking."

"It was on Health Care Dynamics and Society and on Hole’s Human Anatomy and Physiology" Hunk winces at the titles. Those books cost actual money because of how old they were.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's calm down for a second. Lance, where was the last time you used your textbooks?"

"I was at the library a... few... days ago... UUUUGGGH FUCK MY LIFE I LEFT THEM THERE."

"Where in the library?"

"In the study section."

"Was Keith working that day?" That was a good question. Keith was the one who would sometimes call the office to be walked from the library to his car at around 6:45 PM. Lance remembers a flick of a burgundy sweater and a ponytail that day. Lance also remembers that he was talking to Keith about something very irrelevant to his studies.

"Yes, he was working that day."

"Then you should probably hit him up about the textbooks."

"Hunk, you are a damn genius." Lance leaps towards his bed grabs his phone. He locks it to realize that he gave Keith his number but did not receive his. "Hunk, I FORGOT TO TAKE HIS NUMBER."

“Are you sure about that? After the Plastic Angels incident?” Lance thinks about it for a mere second before remembering that he had called Keith the same day he received his number.

“I have his number...”

“Then call him?”

“He’s probably working right now.”

"Well, you are looking at least two hundred dollars on each of those books. So that adds up to four hundred. That is half of your paycheck right there, that if you don’t call him." Lance eyebrows could have hit the roof and the moon if they weren't attached to his forehead.

"I need the money to pay for my classes and food."

"Sorry buddy, you are screwed at this point. I would have helped you but I'm in the same boat as you with all of the expenses." Lance sinks to the ground. He was fucked if he had to repay for those books. He could always rent those books but, they were so hard to find. Plus he had notes specifically for certain pages on those books.

“I’ll make that call right now actually.” Lance looks at his phone one last time to realize that there was a voicemail message waiting to be opened.

"Good. I meant to ask you this but did Keith call you? It could have been a 57 percent chance that he did."

"Ugh, you sound like Slav. I don't want to be reminded of him." Lance calls his voicemail number and puts in his pin. There was one new voice message from Keith.

The moment Keith’s voice begins to speak, Lance could feel both his and Keith nervous energy pouring out of the message.

‘Hey, this is Keith Kogane from the Smythe’s Library, the person that you sometimes walk to their car. This is probably weird because, why am I calling you during your working hours. You left your textbooks on Health Care Dynamics and Society and on Hole’s Human Anatomy and Physiology in the library. I don’t know where you actually live or such to drop off your books so I'll hold off your textbooks until your next visit. Thank you.’ The message ended with a click and Lance is hopping around with Hunk.

“HUNK, HE HAS THE BOOKS. HE SAVED MY ASS FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. I GOT TO CALL HIM.” Lance calls Keith immediately after to get hit with his voice mail. “I forgot he working...”

“Leave a message then. It has been three days since he called you and is probably waiting for a response.” Lance looks at Hunk and smiles.

“Hunk has anyone told you that you’re the best?”

“A couple of people, why do you ask?”

“Because you truly are the best.”

“Thank you. Now leave a message for your freckled ‘friend’” Lance wanted to ask Hunk about what he meant when he finger-quoted friend but he was mentally preparing himself to leave a message.

“THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I THOUGHT I LOST THOSE. HOLY SHIT! Those books cost too much. I’m sorry, but can you hold on for a second.”

‘Hunk, hold me really quick” Hunk looks at him for a second before speaking

“You’re getting emotional over a phone call Lance. A phone call over textbooks.”

“He just saved me money and stress Hunk, At least give me a hug and comfort please” Hunk sighs and hugs Lance. He gives a few soft taps to Lance’s back before releasing him.

“Sorry about that. I’m alright it's just that I don’t have the money to replace those. I’ll try to pick them up as soon as I can or better yet, can you drop them off? I work at the security office that’s right inside the Honvera’s Arts and Science building. Just walk in and the office is to youuuur” Lance looks at Hunk for help.

“Left, Lance”

“Left. Thanks, Hunk. Thank you, Keith!” Lance hangs up and gets up from the floor.

“Wait, I just realized, Lance you gave him the wrong building.” Lance goes a double take.

“What? Seriously!? It’s not the Lego building?” Lance rakes his hand through his hair. ‘That’s perfect’ Lance thought.

“The fact that you call it the lego building.” Hunk facepalms and shakes his head. “It’s Blaytz Hall on your right.”

“Isn’t that in front of the Lego building?”

“Yeah but it’s still a walk from the library, considering that the hall and the ‘lego building’ are located on the north campus. The library is on west campus. That’s a whole shuttle ride from west to north campus.”

“You are saying like north is further away from the west then south”

“Lance, it is. That is why they are trying to get a transit system up and running by the ending of 2018”

“Welp, hopefully, he doesn’t get lost?”

“Hopefully. Say, do you want to taste what I’m working on?”

“I thought you would never ask.” The both of them leave Lance’s room to the kitchen while talking about the goop on Hunk’s apron.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: The Cairo Gang

The Cairo Gang started out as a solo project for Chicago jack-of-all-bands Emmett Kelly, who has worked with Bonnie Prince Billy, Angel Olsen, Beth Orton and Sonny Smith, as well as sitting in Joshua Abrams’ transcendant Natural Information Society. Now, a five-piece augmented by Ryan Weinstein, Sam Wagster, Gillian Lisée and Marc Riordan, the Cairo Gang invokes VU-ish drones and Feelies jangles in an ear-friendly mix.  Brett Marion, reviewing the Gang’s latest Untouchable, hears “glam rock’s showbiz drama, jangle pop’s emotional sentiment and punk’s detached cool in equal doses.”  No surprise, then, that Kelley’s Listed spans genres and even art forms.  

Kevin Ayers & the Whole World — Shooting at the Moon

Sacrificing one’s sense of humor in order to make something serious is a foolish, yet common tendency among artists, especially musicians. I, as well am a fool, so don't get me wrong. The point is to recognize that you are a fool and that that is possibly the only means toward success in a world that is completely insane. 

Sullivan’s Travels — Preston Sturgess 

Making serious art reaches out to only those who have enough time on their hands to busy themselves with bullshit. It’s a perverse nature where those who have only to suffer their own inner suffering reach out to the suffering of others for entertainment. Give the people what they want!  

Harpo Speaks! — Harpo Marx

This book is pure magic. Distilled wisdom from a clown of the highest echelon. I first came into contact with the Marx Brothers when living in Chicago in a loft that was built by a film projectionist/international man of mystery. He built a proper theater in the loft and on occasion would get his hands on a print of something and play it for a small group of people next to a wood fire over glasses of wine and cheese. I think it was New Year’s Eve and he played us a 35mm print of A Night at the Opera. I do believe I have never been the same since. I remember going to the Rainbo afterwards. It was snowing and all of the sidewalks were ice. I happily slid to the bar and found my friends and danced for the rest of the night. 

  Corky’s Debt to His Father — Mayo Thompson

I remember first hearing this from a guy named John Klos in Chicago. He gave me this and A Wizard, A True Star by Todd Rundgren at the same time. I was really into Epic Soundtracks at the time and he thought those records were lame. I was new to town, and was going out and drinking a lot with random people that I have no idea how I met or why. It wasn't a good time, though crucial, and I remember deeply imbibing and in my best Sebastian Dangerfield would attempt conquest over a world I knew relatively nothing about, and to this day only barely know any more (or less!). There was thievery, violence, sex, and drugs, all of which became my good friends. Corky’s became a keystone at that point. And I think I have this record memorized. I feel like it might be one the best records about male female relations.   

I wanted to share the song “Black Legs,” but here this will do. The whole album is great and you can buy it directly from Drag City:

 Then Play On — Fleetwood Mac

I was raised by two characters. An Italian flower child from Detroit, and an Irish rock and roller from Dublin by way of London. I was raised to believe that Clapton was God, and that Peter Green was the Holy Spirit. I know Eric Clapton gets a bad rap and yeah, yeah I know. But he fucking ruled in Cream and Blind Faith and The Bluesbreakers. Peter Green took Clapton’s place in The Bluesbreakers. My father lived with Peter Green in London back in the 1960’s. He came to my house when I was a kid in Van Nuys cuz he was working on making a record with my dad (that eventually became In the Skies featuring Snowy White and Kuma Harada from Heavy Heart, my dad’s band). I always had this weird feeling about Peter. He did truly seem like a spirit. Like a secret force that only really, really hip people knew about. But Fleetwood Mac always confused me, because they turned into such a lame band once Peter Green left. Well that’s not entirely true, but more or less. Then Play On was the final Fleetwood Mac album with Green and it’s probably one of my top five favorite albums of all time and definitely one of the best examples in my mind of psychedelia put to music. I never understood why they didn't change their name.  

Catch a Fire — The Wailers

The Wailers are definitely one of the most important bands in my life. Bob Marley of course, but the magic trio that was The Wailers is something else. They are like the Beatles. Of course everyone wants to dig super deep and go as far away from the main source as they can. You know, prove their savvy-ness, but it always returns to these guys. They had the best harmonies and the best ever rhythm section ever. These days, it’s so lame to rep the obscurities. I mean whatever, there is so much rad shit out there in the world, but the internet made that pursuit so lame. Even the most bro dickheads in the world can use the internet and learn about what’s hip. Listen to The Beatles, The Wailers. Shit is fucking amazing. This album got reissued however many years ago with the original Jamaican mix before Chris Blackwell made it “more accessible”. It’s so killer.  

 Monty Python’s Flying Circus

When did it become funny or useful to complain about mundane life? Or when did anybody’s normal mundane lives get so important to everyone else to the point where they get to make a big cross bearing out of it? When did it become funny to talk about yuppie BS like, does this ever happen to you? I read this amazing thing in a paper relating a study interviewing college freshmen upon entering college. They were asked, do you think you have something special to offer the world? Over time the answer has become more often than not, “Yes, I have something special to offer the world.” This blows my mind. Not because people don't have special things to offer. It’s just that, really? Everyone has something special to offer the world? Like what? Complaining about being in line at the post office? Or relating the foibles of bachelor life? I don't know. It’s a narcissistic and voyeuristic present tense we live in. VR is what’s happening. I feel like I am going insane. 

The Book of Monelle — Marcel Schwob 

The further along I get, the more my relationship to people becomes elusive. I feel as though I want more and more to tell them how much they mean to me, but I know... it’s not as though they don't want to hear it. It’s just that there is a well of emotions that is deep, and tapping into it requires strength and people come from all sorts of different backgrounds. For me, I feel like my closest friends are ghosts. Those of departed friends, lovers, and all of the people that come and go as they all do in life. The ghosts of my life are the realest. And they are that which I have the most respect for and honor the most in everything I do. 

 Ten New Songs — Leonard Cohen

This album came out in October 2001. What a shite time for a record like this to come out! I didn't hear it until maybe five years ago. Will Oldham played it to me. It’s a wonderful collaboration between Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, who was singing with Cohen for some time before this record. I heard a story that Sharon Robinson made these demos of the songs set to Cohen’s words with the intention of going into a studio and re-recording the music with live instruments and instead Leonard insisted on using the midi demos instead. Who knows if this is true? But in my mind it is. There are a couple major things in it that I love more than anything. First off: Boogie Street. Fuck YES. I have been to Boogie Street. I visit it regularly and whatever dubious fortune I find there lives with me always. And the song Alexandra Leaving is possibly the greatest love song ever written. 

  Banana Moon — Daevid Allen

 To return to the beginning. Kevin Ayers was possibly the coolest guy to ever walk the earth. He was part of a band called Soft Machine which was the result of him, Robert Wyatt and Mike Ratledge meeting the wild Australian hippie Daevid Allen. He somehow rolled into Canterbury in his rainbow glory and turned on all these cool young dudes on to free jazz and drugs and all kinds of amazing radical shit. He is the musical ‘pataphysician. The ultimate wild man. The fool, the clown, whatever you want him to be. He’s my favorite influence. Everything that came from Soft Machine is just totally what’s up. Gong, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt etc. It’s everything I ever want. Its fun, its serious, its dense, its playful. It has substance, and it doesn't take itself too serious. It’s thoughtful, and doesn't alienate you. It’s not pretentious and yet super highbrow. This album Banana Moon was one of three, that’s right, three monumental albums that Allen was responsible for in the year 1971, the others being Gong’s Camembert Electrique, and Continental Circus. Its fully insane realizing they all came out the same year.