#but so it's fun to get in the mood and groove to draw again :)

[krockat]

(to the tune of ymca)

it is fun to draw OOBJECTHEADS

So yea i am drawing out some designs for objecthead characters.

The scissor head one I think I'm gonna call Sax, which is swedish for scissors, and I think it sounds cool pronounced both in english and swedish.

Also yea i Ship them, but mostly Sax and another lightbulb character, which i might make siblings with the one featured here, unsure.

but most of the art ive drawn of that char is nsft haha.

they were the one who made me wanna continue drawing this objecthead story to begin with :D

I'm having fun!!

[soufcakmistress]

new love on the near northside

A/N: haters that ruin the fun will get blessed out and blocked! find someone else to play with, tysm :) this is for all the sydcarmy truthers like me who’ve been in a spiral for two years

Pairing: Sydney Adamu x Carmen Berzatto

“All right chefs, we need to fire four prime ribs, two lobster risottos, and four cream puffs!”

“Yes, Chef!”

“Marcus, 86 the mascarpone for the cherry tart on 20!”

“Heard, chef!”

“Okay I need to see hands!”

The waitstaff gingerly grab the plated dishes from the final station, while Carmy is gently yet firmly reminding them not to smudge the plates as they’re being taken to their respective tables. Dinner service is in an awesome groove right now and Syd is feeling confident tonight. She’s still riding on a high from the last food critic that visited from the Chicago Tribune, who raved over her braised short rib and orzo pasta. There are also other reasons for Syd’s good mood.

“Open your legs, Syd..”

Syd shudders, takes three deep breaths and continues to fire off orders from the expo. The Bear has been packed almost every single night for three weeks. They don’t have much of a waitlist yet, but word of mouth moves quickly in Chicago and the front of house are noticing some repeat customers already.

Carmy joined Syd at the expo, and she can still pick up the scent of his cologne even in the midst of garlic, heavy cream and raw seafood. If she even peeks at him, she’ll lose her train of thought, and that’s the last thing the team needs right now. After having to let go of Josh after his unfortunate episode, her sous Tina has been pulling double time, covering both stations like a champ. She makes a mental note to give her an unbelievable gift and some love this weekend. “How are we doing, Chef? We cool?”

His eyes are so crystal clear and she recollects how he stares through her when they….oh fuck. “Yes, Chef. Runners are getting everything out in a timely manner, and we are turning these tables around. You?”

“Carmy, Carmy, yes—oh!”

Carmy licks and bites his lips and smirks. “Yes Chef. You’re the captain of this ship.” He squeezes her shoulder and goes back to his station as their boucher, Daniela checks in with Carmy about the fat trimmings for their beef.

Fak, Richie and Sweeps were holding down the front since Nat is on maternity leave. Carmy keeps a wallet size photo of his brand new nephew at his station, looking occasionally with a smile. Forty five more minutes before dinner service is over and Syd can finally go puke out back. “Chefs, we’re almost in the clear! Let’s keep up the momentum and sense of urgency!”

“Yes, Chef!”

Every dish is gorgeous. So many painstaking hours reworking the menu. Chaos menu, thoughtful chaos menu, back to chaos menu again. Reviewing and poring over Carmy’s intricate drawings, all the late night sessions, so much money spent on ingredients—it was enough to make Syd’s head spin. Hence why, almost a month since The Bear opened she’s still subsisting on a diet of Tums and Pepto.

She’s eternally grateful for her partners. Nat and Cicero have saved all their asses more times than they can count. Cicero is a hard ass but he adores Carmy and Sugar and has grown to love Syd as well. And of course, the best chef she’s ever had the privilege of working beside is her executive chef, business partner, best friend and now lover.

“Look at you. You’re so wet baby. Fuck—”

~

They’ve managed to keep their love affair under wraps for this long. It’s a struggle not to be able to touch each other when they’re working. Tina and Marcus are too perceptive; they would be found out immediately. Still, Sydney feels like a giddy school girl whenever Carmy corners her in the office as they open the restaurant every morning—both of his hands by her sides keeping her close. He’s so incredibly sexy without even trying and she still gets shy sometimes. He has to pull her chin from her shoulder and make her look at him.

“Don’t run away from me. You know I won’t let you..” And those ocean blue eyes of his again….and his lips are feather light on top of hers. Her knees are ready to buckle and Carmy sensed as much, so he pulls her close to the hardness of his chest and stomach to keep her standing.

She loves how his stubble feels on her chin and cheeks, especially when he drags his mouth down her jaw and lightly sucks on her neck. “Carm, Carm, Carm, oh my god, don’t! If they see me with a hickey when I didn’t have one yesterday, how do I explain that?” Her face is hurting, she’s cheesing so hard.

One hand slides up her chef whites, slipping under her camisole and his agile fingers pinch her nipple while his tongue circles her earlobe. Syd’s learned that Carmy is insatiable. For someone to not be as experienced as he claims—his hands, lips, tongue…always seem to go exactly where she needs them to. “I can’t help it, Chef. You’re just so damn beautiful.”

Syd’s hands roam all over his thick biceps and eventually land in the bushy mess atop his head. Their tongues lave and suck on each other’s and their moans can’t be held back any longer. Carmy pulls her leg up to his hip while he grips her braids, until he hears Marcus and Sweeps come through the back door. They separate quickly and get themselves together. Lusty gazes linger between them and they’re both aching between their legs. Carmy is as red as a beet, and Syd’s lips are swollen from his kisses and nipping. “Right, thank you chef.” Syd walks out first awkwardly with wobbly legs that make Carmy chuckle.

~

Dinner service is over—the kitchen has been scrubbed down, trash taken out, perishables have been stocked away in the lowboys and walk-in, and the back of house staff has skated out. It’s just Carmen and Sydney, in their brand new restaurant. “I’m beat. You got all your stuff right?”

Syd has an overnight bag with everything she needs for a weekend with her babe. “Yes, I do! Are you..ready to go?” Carmy grabs the weekend bag along with her hand and they walk in tandem to his car.

Carmy has been seeing a therapist in addition to the Al-anon meetings and Sydney can tell a difference already. He’s slower to rant and rave and owns up to his mistakes. More eager to hear people out. She’s proud of him—he’s suffered through a lot to make it to this point. They eventually arrive to his apartment and a shower is the first order of business. Syd loves the water pressure at Carmy’s place and taking showers together has been great for their newfound intimacy. They undress each other, Syd pulls her braids up in a high bun, and they just hold each other under the steaming water. This is their time. Away from The Bear. Away from Chicago. Away from the many demands and decisions they’re forced to confront every single day.

Carmy washes her with her pink loofah that’s been made a permanent staple in his bathroom. This is all new to Syd; her heart blooms in her chest at these big feelings she’s experiencing. He’s gentle and doesn’t leave an inch of skin untouched. Syd washes his hair with his expensive shampoo and Carmy’s eyes close in ecstasy. They needed this tenderness. They deserved it.

All cleaned up and fresh, they mosey back to the kitchen for a late night meal. Habits are hard to break. “Spaghetti?” Carmy suggests.

“Yes oh my goodness. Butttt use bucatini instead. And all the cheese.” He smiles in agreement and pecks her on the lips and gets out all the ingredients they need. Julia Child is on in the background on a public access channel, as they converse about the restaurant and Carmy’s nephew and Sydney’s dad and Carmy’s dysfunctional family, the deep loss Syd still feels at the absence of her mom for most of her life. More tenderness.

Pasta is rolled out. Meat sauce is sautéed, seasoned and almost ready. The Shiraz is poured. Carmy can’t stop staring at her in his shirt and boxers. She’s so cute. The pasta boils and he watches her watching the program, fully enthralled. Everything is finally done; he plates everything in his unique Carmy way and Syd audibly orgasms at how the savory flavors meld together especially with the wine.

He grates more pecorino over the pasta and the lull in conversation is comfortable and warm. Not awkward and full of anxiety like with Donna….leaving him constantly overthinking and being afraid to speak. Sydney seemingly knows what he’s going to say before he does and that brings him comfort. They’re in crystal clear alignment on every way and he now knows a semblance of peace.

“Fuck. This is good.” Sydney is damn near scraping the plate, while Carmy is smiling the biggest she’d ever seen from him. They both love when the other eats their food. That sense of pride is undeniable.

“I’m glad you enjoyed, Chef. Anything for you.” He winks at her and she gets bashful and mumbled out that she’s going to take care of the dishes since he cooked. To his surprise, he’s a little more tipsy than he realized from the Shiraz. Carmy drains his glass and pours himself another, while checking Syd’s frame out. His boxers are screaming for relief and a little moan eeks out of him before he can stop it. Thankfully Syd isn’t aware of his moment of weakness.

Carmy swallows and wipes his lips and moseys behind his girlfriend. Kissing and nipping. “I’m almost done here, Carm..” Syd whines a bit at his ministrations and drops the plate into the soapy water.

“Yeah. Not fast enough for me..” Carmy turns her around and leaps with his tongue and mouth first. Her hands are dripping wet but she doesn’t waste a second grabbing his head of wild curls and taking what he has to give. Carmy grabs her legs to wrap them around his waist and Syd can periodically feel him thrust up into her mound, wailing for stimulation that only he can provide.

Their shared affection overpowers the television, and Carmy feels his way down the hallway with his baby in his arms. His love, that saved him in so many ways. He pulls his shirt off, she takes hers off. She takes his boxers off that she had on and she lays on his bed, naked as the day she was born. “Fuck me, Carmen.”

She held in her amusement because his entire neck and face was blood red with the pupils of his eyes blown out. Syd knows that he’s doing everything he can to stay contained, but he knows her better by now—she does what she wants. So she spreads her legs for him and twirls her clit in tandem with a brown nipple. Carmy’s about to explode.

He drops to his knees and explores her love below like it’s never been done before. “Sydney, why do you taste so good? Why do you do this to me..” She relishes in the fact that he’s potentially bruising her with the vice grip he has on her thighs, but yet she’s so afraid that she’s gonna squirt in his face if he keeps gently sucking her clit in and out of his lips like that. His manicured fingers enter her canal one after the other and prompt her to let go. “CARMYYYYYYY!”

His whole chest is drenched, and his eyes are shut tight, his deft fingers rubbing tight circles around her clit with a precision that only an executive chef named Carmen Anthony Berzatto could deliver. Sydney pushed his head away and she’s left trembling with watery eyes. “I-I—i didn’t know I could do that!”

Carmy just smirks and wipes his mouth and drops his pants. Syd still can’t get over him. He has even more tattoos that can’t be readily seen on a day to day basis, he is so cut and muscled and has a cock that should be cast in 24 karat gold. Don’t sleep on the short kings.

“Turn around.” His voice leaves no room for pushback, and she can barely raise up on her knees before he’s manhandling her. He’s learned that he loves doggy with Syd. With her ass high in the air, she is getting impatient as well and reaches behind her to line him up with her slit. Carmy catches his lip in his teeth as he pushes forward and they both groan out a “fuck” that only they could wholly grasp.

On the first stroke, he’s all the way in and Syd fees his sack grazing over her entrance. They’re both in a trance. Carmy has visions of Syd cooking, smiling, cumming, revolving in his mind as well as the score of the last White Sox home game so he doesn’t bust his load quick. Syd can’t get the thought of how intense and sweet he gazes at her. How he commands their team, how his talent speaks for itself, how fucking sexy his jawline is, how big his heart is. How lucky is she? To fall in love with her idol, mentor, boss….and to have him love her back.

The bed is beginning to bounce off the wall. Their volume increases as Syd can’t hold herself up anymore and they fall into collapsed doggy with their fingers interlocked. “I’m so glad you found me. I love you Syd, I love you, I fucking—fucking love you baby!” That set Sydney off for the most expansive and overwhelming orgasm of the night, taking her beau with her over the edge. Carmy’s sweaty forehead lays on Sydney’s right temple—both of them with tears in their eyes.

Carmy kissed every finger tip until their mouths met again, both letting their waterlogged eyes flow free. “I know. I love you too Carmy. We’re never alone.”

“We’re never alone.”

[aliteral-ghost]

This is the piece I did for @hermitzine! It was so much fun to be a part of this project and get to work with everyone! The theme of this zine was music and I hope that's obvious in this piece :)

~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of the record skipping is Joe’s alarm clock this morning, and it’s only because it skips multiple times that he actually gets up. Darn, he slept in again, and now he has to stay up late again so he can finish the parts of the machine that he needs to get done, and it’ll just end with him sleeping in again. At least he has–oh. The record that has been playing all night (and also for the past few weeks, if he’s honest) has a massive groove in it, tearing through all of the ridges and splintering the vinyl.

“Aw, man,” Joe mutters, staring at the destroyed disk in his hands. “That’s my last one of those.” To be fair, he probably should have expected something like this to happen after using the record player while placing hundreds of blocks of sand, but it’s still sad. To be fair, this has happened to the last five disks he overplayed, but Joe is nothing if not persistent. 

The next day he and Cleo are halfway through their weekly crafting session when they hum. “No music today?” Joe waves a hand.

“Some days the best music is the sound of nature around you.” He sets down a pencil and listens to said sound of nature, which is currently someone very violently chopping down trees. “You know, be in the moment, and all that.” He’s never lived in the moment once in his life and they both know it, but then again neither has Cleo.

“Sure.” Cleo pauses for just a minute. “Not this music, though. Ugh, who is…” They both glance over across the river, where Keralis is hard at work collecting wood. He pauses briefly to wave once he’s noticed them looking, smiling widely. They both wave back and Keralis continues, moving on to the next tree.

“Do you ever think about how our lives have a soundtrack?” Joe says after a minute, mindlessly coloring the sheets of paper he brought, tracing out the blueprint for a part of the pinball machine. Cleo looks over from where she’s drawing in her own notebook. 

“No?” They say, voice lilting up like a question. “I don’t? Why, do you?” She wrinkles her eyebrows, more focused on the calligraphy than really focusing on the conversation. It’s how they roll, most weeks. Joe talks and Cleo nods along.

“Well, sure! I like to think about the song that might be playing while things are happening. For a while, it was otherside, but…” Cleo glances over again, this time more interested. 

“You broke all of your disks, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I must have played them in the sand too much or something. Whomp, whomp.” He follows the statement up with a laugh, sort of high-pitched and frantic. “D’you think we all have different soundtracks then, if we do?”

“Oh, for sure,” Cleo says, in a voice that still sounds like they’re just humoring him. “Like Doc? His soundtrack is all scary, like heavy metal, right? There’s no way he and Scar have the same backing tracks.” They pause for just a second. “No, I lied. Doc’s isn’t heavy metal, he’s too much of a softie. Pearl’s is. She’s bloody hardcore.”

That’s an accurate assumption, Joe guesses. He hasn’t been privy to much Pearl has done this season, but he’s fairly certain she just built an entire Ender dragon out of pilfered dragon eggs. If there’s someone able to intimidate Cleo, it’s her.

“So what’s yours, then?” Cleo asks, setting her pen down and leaning on her hands. “Whatever song you’re obsessed with now over and over?”

“I don’t have much time for anything else.” Joe laughs again. “Besides, sometimes the best soundtrack is the same song, over and over, just played at different tempos depending on mood.”

This earns him a patented Cleo lookTM as she turns back to her journal, picking up a small knife. They don’t talk for a while after that, instead listening to the leaves rustle, water flow, and trees topple. 

“Here,” they say eventually, after the wood-collecting has gotten to be too much, and pass Joe a record. “Put this on, I know you’re aching to.” He gasps, energy he hasn’t felt in a while jolting through him, and pulls out his jukebox. 

“Thanks, Cleo!”

The aforementioned record is a simple piano tune, the melody and harmony weaving in and out of each other’s path, spinning down the river and floating high into the air. It fills the server with its music, and although Joe knows that the little song is barely reaching further than Keralis he’d like to think that Tango, in the depths of Decked Out 2, and False, high up on a snowy peak, and Grian and Doc, fighting their battles over the perimeter, can hear it. 

It’s a song that, although the notion is cliche, feels like home. It has managed to encapsulate the feeling that persists, from all ten years of Hermitcraft, of family and friends and feeling like belonging.

[obanais-koibito]

𝐌𝐮𝐳𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

Halloween was coming up in a couple of weeks and you were excited for it. You wanted to decorate the Infinity Castle with Halloween decorations but since you were a demon, you couldn’t go out into town due to the sunlight, your demonic appearance, and that slayers could be in town when you arrive and eliminate you. 

You however, didn’t let that stop you from wanting to get into the Halloween Spirit, so you took the art supplies that Muzan got you for your anniversary, sat down in your room, and started letting your creativity take you away. You began to create an assortment of Halloween themed decorations. 

With some clay and a pencil, you rolled the clay into a ball and molded grooves all around it to make it look like a pumpkin. While it was set to dry, you began drawing ghosts on large sheets of paper and cutting them out.

You were busy painting the now dried clay pumpkin when you felt Muzan’s presence behind you so you turned around. He was standing behind you attempting to decipher what exactly you were doing. You smiled brightly at him, placed your paint brush on a towel, got up and hugged him. He returned the hug and stroked your hair and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Making Halloween decorations to decorate! I have to make them since I’m a demon and can’t go out to human stores.”

He looked back at where you were working and saw the drawings and clay pumpkin and thought it was adorable. He looked back at you with a slight smile and he patted your head.

“Since I have a human disguise and it is currently nighttime, I can go out and buy decorations for you to use so you don’t have to exhaust yourself too much, okay?”

You smiled brightly and hugged him again.

“Thank you! Can you also decorate with me? It will be so much more fun if you join me!”

He nodded and pressed a kiss to your head.

“Of course darling, I will leave now so that we have more time to decorate together.

You let him go and he grabbed your hand before placing a kiss on it and then left. You started cleaning up and organizing your supplies and walked around the Infinity Castle and started planning out where you wanted decorations. Almost 30 minutes later, Muzan appeared with bags of decorations and shifted out of his human disguise.

“I hope this is enough for you but if not, I can go out and get more.”

He said as he handed you the bags to look inside them. He bought red and black streamers, spider webs, fake little gravestones, candles, plastic bats, plastic spiders, and even some glow in the dark skulls. 

“Real human bones would’ve been better but unfortunately they do not glow in the dark.”

Muzan said and you laughed a bit and pecked him on the cheek.

“Thank you for getting me decorations! I was thinking we should decorate the rooms that are the most used.”

You explained and he agreed and started helping you open the decorations and place them everywhere. He would cover the places you couldn’t reach and when he saw the excited look on your face when you both were done decorating made his heart warm. You both cuddled together and watched horror movies for the rest of the night.

Muzan could’ve never guessed that he would be decorating the castle but he didn’t mind it since he had fun with you and got to see you in a great mood. He enjoyed the feeling you brought to him and decided that he would do more activities with you.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

OKAY VOCACOLLE SUMMER TOP 15 SONGS (my ranking) LETS GOO

1. Kannagi - Hiiragi Magnetite: the lyrics on this are going to keep me occupied for the longest time until i understand it better. the atmosphere of this song is just incredible, the addition of the bells in her hand in the song, the light chime-y parts of the the instrumental, the piano, the longer notes, u dont need to know the lyrics to know theres a sense of regret in here. theres enough in the chimes u can feel the inner reflection in this, & like other series songs it hits that standing at the end of world in the rain feeling. its paced so perfectly it doesnt even feel like 6 minutes. series wise i think thats not only a call back to kyuuyaku but like shoushitsu & kyuuyaku it shows off that loop theme, getting into whats going on building it up, theres a bit of calm and then it picks up again. lots of story telling & details in it to add to the narrative. haru fits it so perfectly & that's definitely by design. this song has already embedded itself in my heart

2. Stockholm Office - Crump: if kannagi wasnt posted this would take first place EASILY IMMEDIATELY. i cant say in words how much i loved this so instantly. the light whispery-ness of kafu & the spacey-ness of certain instruments and parts combined with the heavy groundedness of the rest of it is so so perfect. the poetic way the lyrics show off the state of things in this song without being super blunt about the complaints in it & the overall rhythm of it draws me in so so much. they really matched the mood of the instrumentals & the lyrics so perfectly. its not spacey enough for me to say true dissociation type feel but theres such a strong feeling of disconnection in this, that feeling of lying to urself to stick something out which im sure is entirely intended given the title. im about to become the number one promoter of this song its one of those found it at the perfect timing things for me.

3. Candy Drop - yurame: this has the usual yurame song feel. i can only describe it as sounding how carbonation in drinks feels. its trendy sounding but at the same time is all its own thing and authentic feeling. the lyrics are written in a way its like ah yeah i get that feeling. despite the lightness of the instrumental its good at getting that melancholic feel across & isnt jarring in the slightest. flower has that mix of rough & cute to suit this as well. very good song.

4. Quiet - szri: szri's usual quick & heavy pacing definitely building off what they did in anaphylaxis. even includes the smallest part of it & u know i love songs that connect to each other. gekiyaku & kafu are such a good combination too especially how they pull it off. not a very light song in terms of content but fun nonetheless & isnt that what vocaloids about.

5. Euthanasia - Dopam!ne: a lighter/simpler song in terms of instrumentals that he does. nice change & still very distinctly his style. definitely not a light song in terms of content the guy even put a content disclaimer at the end. still easy to listen to if u like his style tho. good song

6. Waste - mairu: this ones probably about as heavy as szri's quiet musically speaking though theres a few calmer sections. flower's roughness fits the topic well i think. another one where the mood of every part of the song just seems to align well. i dont have anything profound to say i just think its neat

7. OSINT - Sheeno Mirin: i love the atmosphere in sheeno mirin songs a lot & this one doesnt disappoint. interesting vocal combination choice not that they overlap in any part & they work well with what they were going for. theres something brain scratching (in a good way) about the instrumental, a full sound thats got a weight to it but isnt too much. its really good idk what else to say

8. groom groove - yowanecity: i feel like its been forever since ive seen anything from yowanecity i really should follow them anyway i got really excited to see they posted & this didn't disappoint. its got that bounciness i expect from their songs. fun & smooth sounding. makes u want to dance. definitely worth your time.

9. Capsule - Fuyuu: cat rime & sekai thats so fun i love that and then the gachpon theme on top of it so fun. the sound is not what you'd expect from that description tho. it has a darker feel to it almost grungy i want to say but definitely not off putting. as part of the rime lover nation i love this song. this is going to end up stuck in my head all the time just like crow crow does. very good & both sekai & rime sound like they belong in this song 👍

10. Gambit - Yunosuke: another trendy, almost bubbly sounding song from yunosuke. pretty atmosphere to it. love the whistles & traditional sound instruments mixed in with the otherwise modern electric type sound its got going on. this would be fun to sing if i take the time to learn the lyrics. super good very worth your time

11. Rain - Gomennasai ga ienakute: the usual simple sounding style they have, deceivingly simple sounding bc its very clearly not. the tension building part right before the 3 min mark hits me in particular. very cool rin high notes at the end. very nice melancholic mood to it. maybe i should rank this higher its growing on me the more i listen to it. their lyric sense is very good. compels me. definitely give this a listen.

12. Static Love - Hagino: kafu rap nation rise up. its got that chiptune sound at first that gradually gives into a more modern edm sound. a good mix of cute, cool, and fun sounding. underrated the mixing & execution of this is too good to only have a few hundred views & yet here we are. worth your time

13. Prototype - Aira: THIS SONG GOES SO HARD!! coko chisei is such a good combo too. interesting theme going on here but the melody & such is just very good. the lalala parts make it seem a little lighter than it actually is. love the slightly wavering slightly squeaky sound on both vocals. lends a certain charm to this song.

14. Lewder Liar - Zensen: another great electro swing song from zensen. very fun fresh sounding instrumentals & flower's in no way out of place here. good mix. kind of an interesting theme going on here what with the demon stuff etc.

15. Death Game - Uron Riyu: this one is so fun to me. kafu running a death game. posting this as a vocacolle song feels like its framing vocacolle itself as a death game between songs & thats such an interesting way to look at it. kinda fun. the composition on its fun in its own way too. ik it's supposed to be dark but its just a fun song to me.

[enby-trainer]

orchid ⇢ what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

This changes frequently, but right now, it's "It Tore Your Heart Out" by Dirt Poor Robins.

cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?

I'm trying to learn more about status affecting pokémon moves in battles. My two 'mon have hard-hitting physical attacks only at the moment.

bamboo ⇢ do you change into a different outfit when you get home?

Only if I'm absolutely grungy and ew.

abelia ⇢ do you have a particular piece of jewelry you always wear or can’t part with?

I rarely wear jewelry, to be honest. The sensory issues of my autism make them feel very annoying to me...but I want to get my earlobes re-pierced sometime soon; I think I can deal with earrings.

daffodil ⇢ do you have siblings? if yes, in what ways do you think you’re similar to or different from them?

I have a half-brother who was already grown up when I was born. My mom had him when she was 19 or 20, and I was born when she was 39. We have different fathers. I am vastly different than him. I love him, and he loves me, but he's kind of an asshole about certain things.

mahonia ⇢ what place, thing, or activity inspires you most, and how do you express yourself when it does?

Listening to music, devouring new fiction media, writing, drawing, getting art commissions from artists I really like when I can afford it, and spending time with my gals. I feel really cloud nine-y when I'm in my creative groove.

chia ⇢ what’s an inside joke you have with someone else?

I kind of...don't have anything like that with anyone, really? Jeesh. I'm so boring.

sage ⇢ what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

It's a tie between the written word and art pieces. I think it's because I wish I could be that awesome with my own stuff.

edelweiss ⇢ how’d you think of your url/username? what’s it associated with to you?

Well, it's fairly straightforward. I'm enby and I have 2 'mon. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

camellia ⇢ what were you like when you were younger? do you think you’ve changed a lot?

I have changed incredibly since I was younger. I was impulsive, didn't pay attention much to the world around me (always stuck inside my head, maladaptive daydreaming and disassociating), and had at least mild PTSD from certain things -- mainly my dad.

jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?

Nope? I can just find all the things I've loved on the Internet again? Sorry. Nothing too dramatic here...wait! There was that one children's book I adored as a kid where a Galarian ponyta who was abnormally pink couldn't grow a horn or something, and I was so taken by the book's art style...I've never been able to find it again.

ivy ⇢ what are your ‘tells’ for your emotions and moods? how can someone tell you’re happy, annoyed, upset, or tired?

It usually shows on my face. It's hard for me to fake expressions; thus, my face is an open book when I'm really feeling something forreal.

chamomile ⇢ what kind of things do you like receiving as gifts?

Stuff that I've mentioned wanting, I suppose. I try not to ask too much of people anymore, so I just kinda keep these wants to myself nowadays. I used to be called selfish and greedy as a kid all the time and I just, don't wanna be that way again. But if someone asks I'll gladly tell 'em that I would like some more nice things for Nox and Delphine. My persian are my life.

aloe vera ⇢ what’s something (mundane) you really want to experience in life?

I'm pretty sure going up against gym leaders and then possibly the Elite Four of Unova is mundane enough since so many people try it. I don't know about the actual champion, but I would like to attempt to be a real trainer one day. My gals and I have been in a few battles for fun against others, and I'm pretty sure that's why they've evolved when my childhood meowth companions didn't; they quite simply have received more diverse life experiences than those ones ever did.

palm tree ⇢ do you have a fictional villain you shouldn’t like but love regardless?

I really like learning about this ancient guy named Volo from back when the Sinnoh region was still referred to as Hisui. He's long dead by now but he seems like the kinda lunatic Rotomblr would go nuts over if he was fictional or something.

nutmeg ⇢ how’s your room/home decorated? do you have a specific theme or style going on?

Everything in my studio apartment is pretty bare-bones. A bed, a couch, a coffee table, and a desktop computer on a desk. Everything else is for my gals' comfort -- scratching posts, toys, water dispensers, food bowls, et cetera. It's not a fancy home, but it gets the job done for a decent amount of rent.

papyrus ⇢ if you put your ‘on repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? what do you like about it / associate it with?

I have a bunch of playlists but none of them are for that purpose. I do have a personal playlist though that has many songs that I associate with my real life. The first song on it is "It's Alright" by Mother Mother.

taro ⇢ if someone called you right now to catch up, what’re the things you’d tell them about?

I'd tell them about the two purrloin kittens (one girl, one boy) I found a few weeks ago, which I gave to a local no-kill shelter last Saturday after about a week of keeping them in my apartment with the gals. They had no microchips, so there wasn't really any hope of finding their previous owners -- they were so clean and well-fed, they must've had an owner. Oh well, they're gonna be adopted now, I'm sure.

[sri-rachaa]

Hey Rae! For the 'get to know' ask meme that has been floating around in the fandom, I just wanna ask a few fun questions if you're bored :D

If you could, what message would you send to Erik/REDACTED?

Are there any fantasy outfits that you would wear in real life?

What got you into drawing? (I love your artworks, by the way. They gave me serotonin whenever I see one)

What playlist do you listen to when you enact revenge on your enemies?

What's your ultimate comfort food?

Which part of the day or evening gives you peace?

Thank you so so much for the ask, Monotony~~~! Also sorry it took so long!!! Busy week!!

Let’s see!

1. I would honestly just say thank you for giving us the content he does, to create your own full universe unrelated to any other fandom or anything and put it out there hoping at least a few people pick up on it seems crazily intimidating- not to mention letting us interpret a good amount of his own universe. And also for being just a sweetheart about everything and not being a shit person like a lot of other VA’s have been like :)

2. YES OH MY GOODNESS !!! Anything based on Victorian style with a fantasy twist is the dream!! Such as!

I simply would just like to frolic through a whimsical fairy field with a long flowey corset dress <3 the dream <3

3. This ones funny and a bit bittersweet actually! So I drew all through middle school with a lot of random stuff (yknow, as a lot of us did back in the day, just some doodles) for fun and in my free time. When I got into highschool, though, I winded up with a not so supportive group of people who had told me that they weren’t fans of my art- usually comparing my stuff to one of our other artist friends. Hearing that from the people I, at the time, held to the highest regard killed all confidence and motivation I had- so I stopped. And didn’t start again for 3 years. Luckily going into college this past year resulted in me finally cutting them off completely, and my motivation finally came back after all that time! Starting back up was rough, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get back into the groove of things again. All and all though, I’m happy I finally got the motivation back to draw again- and am even happier to hear that you enjoy it!!!! 🖤🖤

4. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5sOt6S0jNYcqFh3IIK5MSt?si=nR6gC9YgROSfeYB55u5HiQ

This one usually gets me in the crush-and-take-names mood :)

5. A Greek dish we call Lahanodolmades (λαχανοντολμάδες)- which is usually made with ground lamb and rice wrapped up in cabbage leaves and served with a thick lemon sauce. My grandmother (my yia yia <3) always likes to make this for us and it’s become my absolute favorite comfort food of all time <33

6. Very late evening!! I always stay up past when everyone in the house is asleep, so it’s my time where I can have all the personal time and space I want without intruding in someone else’s <3

Thank you again so very much for the ask!!! Drink water and stay safe 🖤🖤🖤

[kitsunesakii]

Experimenting, had fun writing this!

I wouldn't have it any other way:

"Great" I muttered, looking into the dingy hotel room, Onix pushing past me into the room. This day couldn't be any worse. Stupid hero agency. Most people would be happy to be in my position, I was stationed in a stake out with a local villain that was trying to prove that he had changed. A massive operation. My problem with it?

     First of all I was only chosen because I was the most expendable since I was not only a sidekick, but I didn't have a drastic power. He was a telepath, and since I was an empath, I was the only one that could be sent in that could keep certain secrets about the agency. But that's not why they chose me. I wasn't considered a super hero, barley looked at as a sidekick. People laughed when they heard about me, a girl who could distort emotions? Stupid compared to someone who could move brick and stone, or shoot lightning. I was the one they sent when there was a possibility of death. The only upside was Onix, he was the reason why I accepted the mission. He could switch from playboy to gentlemen to evil in three seconds flat. And while I can hold my own, it was easy for him to make my heart melt. Which was only slightly annoying.

     "Ah, we seem to have a problem"

     I was pulled from my thoughts as his voice echoed through the small room. "Only one bed dearest" he cooed. I stared at the room's bed. It looked cute, with a baby blue blanket with white pillows. In the corner of the room was a comfy looking chair. I tried to force down the red that was growing on my face, letting out a nervous chuckle instead.

     "I'll sleep on the chair" I stated, giving him a forced optimistic smile. This day was just getting better and better. He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms in front of his chest. Instead of watching him I pulled out my laptop and started hacking through the main frame of the building next door. I don't even know why they sent me, I'm no hacker, at least, not skilled like "Cypher" or her sidekick. And I was getting a headache, brought on by the lecture I had given before I was assigned this case. Don't forget that the only reason your here is because you are lucky enough to be able to force him out of your thoughts. It's the only thing your useful for. I grimaced at the memory, I wasn't really in the mood for being stepped on. And I was reaching my breaking point. Fast.

     "I'll just sleep on a chair" he mocked, a playful smile dancing on his features. It had been a while since I had seen him. The last time was when I worked with an insufferable hero people called "bolt" he had been the only one that took me on and only because I didnt outshine him. We had been assigned with a bank robbery, Onix had been there, along with about three other people. He had gotten the upper hand, just my luck, taking me into a room for interrogation. The minute I figured out that he could read minds I had shut him out. Instinctively fogging all my thoughts.

     That was the moment the agency realized I has some ounce of worth, Keeping the secrets safe. But Onix  hadn't gotten angry, didn't hurt me, just stared at me in wonder, in awe, a sight I never got to see. It made my stomach turn in knots.

     "Your gonna sleep on a chair, for 3 nights?" He sat on the edge of the bed, his teasing smile growing by the second.

     "Yes" I deadpanned. The heat in my face steadily rising. I guess it wasn't all bad, he didn't look down on me like everyone else did, or at least he pretended. I couldn't know for sure because he also instinctively  tuned me out of his subconscious.

     "I know I'm irresistible to look at but I'm even more fun to sleep with" he hummed.

     I dipped my head below the laptop screen. My face was burning, I wasn't used to someone speaking to me like that. And it was a bit annoying, it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it. it was that it could all be fake, and I was simply setting myself up for disappointment. I typed away at the computer, ignoreing his comments, it had been a while since I was asked to hack into something so complex, this was going to take me a while. I felt a hand drag down  the length of my scalp, onto the base of my neck. I went rigid. "W-what"

     "Shhhh, you get so tense, just relax"

     He traced a finger lightly through my hair, sending ripples throughout my neck. The pleasure ripped through my back. That was enough.

     I forced myself to stand, shaking free of his hold and moving to the other side of the room. "Don't, just don't" the surprise on his face was evident, as he also jumped to his feet, confusion seeping through his eyes. I felt the anger bubble under my skin.

     "Everybody treats me like crap, and you come in here and pretend and I just have had enough!"  I tried to breathe, tried to see reason, but I was so tired of it all. "I put up with it because I feel like I can maybe make a difference, and everyone looks down at me because I'm a bloody empath" I covered my face with my hands, feeling a hot tear make it's way down my cheek. "And you come in here, and treat me with pity" this shouldn't of been happening, I shouldn't of been here. My stupid emotions, his stupid good looking features. Two hand hit the sides of my shoulders, gently drawing circles on my skin. I wiped away the angry tear that had fallen, leaning into the touch, too tired to argue.

     "Do you think I'm giving you the time of day out of pity?" His voice was a whisper, and it was straight into my ear, I stiffened. "Over this past week I've gotten to learn a lot about you, I learned your power, how your looked down apon. But mostly, I learned that when you put your mind to something you won't let anyone lead you astray." He moved a hand, placing it under my chin. Tilting it so our eyes met. "Your beauty comes from the determination coursing through your veins. Your kindness comes from experience. And you patience is one of your greatest virtues." He paused, his gaze burning through my eyes. A dangerous smile resting on his smooth face. "And, I also noticed, that when your around me, your thoughts do this thing. Almost like a low hum. Almost like," he lowered his voice to a purr "you get flustered around me, and dearest? You have no idea how hard it is to keep my hands off of you~"

     with that he pressed his lips into mine, taking my breath away. His hands met my hair, and he combed through my scalp. Sending more shivers down my spine. I let the wall behind me support me, feeling all my strength leave with every small tug at my hair. One minute his lips were pressed against mine and the next they traveled down my cheek, riding the length of my neck. My breath hitched as his cool tongue grazed my exposed skin. He paused, moving back up to meet my gaze. I had held onto his shoulders, desperately trying to fight against gravity.

     He smiled. Looking at my fire coated cheeks. Tracing the tip of his thumb against my lip. His other hand still hypnoticly playing with my hair. "If you really think I'm going to let you sleep on the chair, then you don't know me at all" he teased, once again closing the distance between us. Nibbling at my ear. I let out a tiny squeak, unsure at what I was reacting too since his other hand was running up and down the length of my back, each time going a little further, causing goosebumps to creep along my skin.

     I moved my hands, gliding them down his shirt, feeling the grooves in his chest. My mind was hazy, all common sense and reason leaving me with every sigh. I didn't really know what to do, and he wasn't making it easier. Skillfully making every shift of his hands, every flick of his fingers, melt my brain more than the last. His lips met mine and I could taste the salt of his lips, feel the satisfaction rolling off of him. His hands moved down my front, rewarded with another small squeak from me, before slowly making his way to my hands, that were still absentmindedly tracing his chest. He held them in his, only then I was realizing how big his hands were compared to mine, suited with little cuts and bruises here and there. I breathed, taking a moment to pull his hands up to my face, studying them closely. Forcing my brain to stop spinning. He stayed quiet, watching me closely as I brought his knuckles to my lips, brushing against his hands, moving  them to brace against my cheek.

     "There so warm" I whispered, feeling him shape his palms to fit against my face. Still wearing the same smile that dug it's stare into my own. He stayed there a moment, his chest rising and falling quickly, sucking in a breath before settling his lips against mine once again. His hands moved, one taking residence behind my neck, and the other flew against my side. Making it's way to my hip, gingerly tracing circles over top of me, dragging his fingers slowly.

     He pulled me fully off the wall, startled, I braced myself against him even more. using his neck as a way to keep myself up, stretching flush against him. His lips were still planted on mine, I wouldn't have it any other way, especially considering I couldn't bring myself to speak. Instead, he hummed into my gasps. Skillfully holding me, just enough to feel his own heartbeat thrumimg rhythmically to mine. He lifted both his hands back up to my shoulders, fiddling with the front of the T-shirt I had on. The fabric smooth under his fingers. He said something, but I didn't hear it, between my heart ringing through my ears and my own breathing, I couldn't bring myself enough to hear.

     "Dearest? Did you hear me?" He didn't sound out of breath, making me jealous. I could barely speak. Instead, I shook my head, thanking God that I could at least have enough sense to do that. His smile only got wider, "I said, this is going to be a fun 3 days. "

[joculatrixster]

Hey, what does it feel like to have madd, because I think I have it but it's not so severe?

uh hm how to describe it

i get a Need, sometimes its because em in a stressful environment like a party, sometimes its cause im in a boring place like school, most times I'm just at home and listened to a song or read a fic that just triggered It and now I have to do It

so i get this pull, if I ignore it my brain punishes me by being like dude wtf r u doing wtf wtf this is Wrong why r u not doing It go do It no more happy juice unless u do It and im like pls no ill do it just let me be?? so then I just like ya know blank out, I'm gone mentally, for me the main thing I do is pacing or doodling so sometimes I just like get up and start walking in circles or I start absentmindedly drawing faces over and over again, the respective motion is well Good it helps me focus.

then well im there, its happening and im immersed, I can hear my paras voices I can see everything they see from like a third person view for me personally its like I just turned on the tv or open a google doc, some actions im saying out loud like a narrative im reading and some I just see the scene play out like behind my eyes there's actually a reality there that I get to witness when I pace I listen to music on my headphones because it really helps me get into a groove sometimes I play the same song on loop for hours because the scene is just Good great but it can be Better, keep in mind to the outside I am just walking in circles for no fuckign reason or filling up the margin of a worksheet just cause like physically my body is on Autopilot im not fucking paying attention to the real world rn my priority is in my head so I may not hear ppl when they talk or may get so in the groove of pacing I just don't see something on the floor, my parascom isn't real but it is something I experience even if the impacts r not physical.

as I mentioned ppl cant see what I see or hear what I hear, sometimes when im in a car ride(btw car rides r the fuckign best for daydreaming) ppl talk over the radio or skip songs that I am vibing with and I get this sense of just Annoyance it makes some feel Bad that u interrupted It's flow why would u do that to me dont u understand i need to focus?? it happens when i pace too my family makes stupid quips about ti all the time and it throws me so far Off i need a few moments of mindlessly wandering to get back into it or sometimes its jsut Ruined and i cant feel the same attachment i did to the scene i used too and it jsut ruins my mood.

daydreaming makes me happy when nothing does, when my friends r offline or my family is being well the fuckign worst theres always my parascom waitign for me, its a constant and a comfort that i know that i can jsut retreat inside myself and see my paras story play out, im emotionally invested in their lives and seeing the plots play out its fun and nice and when i was younger it was all i had, no friends or family to rely on jsut a bunch of dispointment and lonelyness and madd was the answer at least for me.

let me make one thign crystal clear this fuckign SUCKS, if i had the choice to abandon madd and know id be happier then yes i would do it but currently i cant do that my parascoms r the onyl things rlly keeping me stable, this is an unhealthy addiction i Need to do this or i get depressed and stressed out, its escapsim at its finest and not the good kind, the kind that takes over ur life and can destroy u if it gets worst. 

and hoenstly? my madd IS mild, compared to what it used to be i can just take an hour or 2 a day to pace while listening to music and im fine, i know for some its MUCH MUCH worst and their madd has become more of a nightmare than a comfort, anon if u have madd and i helped u realize this im glad but dont just take my word for it everyone experiences madd differently for example me n my friend both related to our experices pacing but we have vastly different types of parascom litterly my acc is cookie run based only because cookie run happed to be the franchise that spawned my favorite fiction based parascom

[joon-ipersgirl]

"dance with me" - jhs twoshot

genre: strangers to lovers!au, fluff, tiny bit of angst

pairing: hobi x reader (f)

summary: this is the first part of hobi’s birthday twoshot where he meets a girl on a night out on the town but loses her (a better summary will come later)

word count: 1.8k

warnings: some cursing, mentions of alcohol, not a happy ending rn

a/n: whew it's been a minute. as per, school and work are kicking my ass but i wanted to write something for hobi's birthday. i actually finished this first half on time but was stuck on the second half before i decided i should make this into a twoshot. i'm going to finish it though, hopefully soon. i’ll edit everything later. either way, enjoy :)

full masterlist // part two

“Guys, I really shouldn’t,” Hoseok laments.

“Why not?” Jimin whines from his sprawled out position on Hoseok’s aging leather sofa. “It’s been weeks since you’ve come out with us.”

Hoseok shrugs. “I’ve just been… busy,” he finishes lamely.

“Doing what?” Jungkook challenges from the kitchen, his voice barely carrying over the low hum of the open refrigerator.

“Okay, I guess I haven’t been doing too much. I just haven’t been in the mood? Life is just a lot right now,” Hoseok says as he picks at the fraying carpet on the floor. He really should get a new one.

“So, let us help you feel better!” Jimin rolls off the sofa, narrowly missing Hoseok’s head with his legs and keeping his leather pants intact. “A night out dancing with your best friends. Maybe a few drinks. You don’t even have to bring anyone home if you don’t want to.”

Hoseok is still iffy on Jimin’s proposal. Usually, he’d be the one encouraging his friends to enjoy a night out on the town but starting his new job at the architectural firm downtown a few weeks ago had really taken its toll. He knew that he’d have a lot to learn when he started but he didn’t think it’d be this much, the new programming and drawing systems much more sophisticated than what he’d remembered during his undergraduate matriculation. Hoseok spent much of his free time practicing his skills, exhausting himself late into the night. All he wanted to do was rest but it was proving to be challenging after his friends showed up on his doorstep tonight, demanding he join them.

“I don’t know, Jimin.”

“You don’t have to know anything. Look, if you aren’t having a good time by midnight, I’ll call you a cab home myself,” Jimin offers. “And Jungkook will buy you your first three drinks,” he tacks on after seeing Hoseok’s unwavering expression.

“Hey!” Jungkook exclaims from the entryway.

“It’s the least you could do, Jungkook. You’re literally eating him out of house and home right now,” Jimin says, pointing to the roll of kimbap Jungkook has in his hands.

“You can’t drink on an empty stomach,” the younger one counters.

“You ate an hour ago.”

“Fair enough,” Jungkook concedes. “Get dressed, Hobi. Drinks are on me,” he finishes around a mouthful of food. Jimin beams, turning to Hoseok.

Sighing, Hoseok reluctantly drags himself to his feet. “Fine. But you’re buying me drinks and dinner. Nope. I don’t want to hear it,” he says, holding up a finger. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Yes!” Jimin cheers as Hoseok heads to his room.

Twenty five minutes later, the three young men arrive at Antarri’s. Known for its strong drinks and booming bass, Antarri’s had become their regular stomping ground. It was safe to say a few other patrons recognized them in the dark; the trio’s dance reputation preceded them. On any given weekend the establishment would be flooded with young people ready to let loose their frustrations. The proximity of the city’s two major universities being just over a stone’s throw away may also help.

“Okay! Shots first!” Jimin yells over the incessant chatter. Hoseok shakes his head but follows his friend deeper into the club.

“What should we get?”

“Nothing too crazy -” Hoseok starts.

“Tequila!” Jungkook interrupts, waving his arm frantically for the bartender’s attention. Both Jimin and Hoseok blanch at the suggestion. “What? I’m buying. I should get to choose.”

Jimin shrugs. “He is buying.”

Hoseok rubs his forehead, already feeling the splitting migraine he’d have tomorrow morning. Alcohol never seemed to agree with him and he’d learned many times what pushing his limit did to him. Still, he doesn’t protest when Jungkook orders, “Your finest shots of tequila, my good sir.”

Maybe the night would pass by faster this way.

“Okay guys. What’s the game plan?” Jungkook asks around a mouthful of lime.

“Just have fun. If you’re leaving, send a text will you? I don’t want another repeat of last time,” Jimin huffs and sets his shot glass down on the counter.

“I wasn’t even gone for that long!”

“You came back the following evening missing your shirt and a shoe, Jungkook,” Jimin frowns.

“Okay but -“

“Guys,” Hoseok interjects. “Not the time.”

“Right. This is about you, Hobi. We’re going to have a great time. And you -“ Jimin points his finger at Jungkook.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll text the chat that I’m alive. Let’s go!” Jungkook says, pushing off the stool and heading into the crowd.

Hoseok shakes his head at his younger friend. He worried about his safety sometimes.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Jimin checks in.

“Yeah, yeah. Go have fun. I’ll see you in there,” Hoseok responds. Nodding, Jimin pats him on the arm before setting off.

“Remember, I’ll call you a cab if you aren’t having fun,” he calls over his shoulder and then disappears.

Moving over to a less crowded part of the bar, Hoseok leans against the wall. Already his shirt is starting to stick to his skin. The music blares at an obscene level he feels in his bones and he welcomes the feeling.

Though an architect by trade, Hoseok knew his way around a dance floor. He wasn’t captain of the university’s dance team for no reason. Music was a language Hoseok translated with his body, each syllable corresponding to a particular movement as he listened to each rhythm and rhyme. Closing his eyes, he lets it speak it to him.

It doesn’t take long for him to get lost in the feeling. Limbs moving freely, Hoseok glides across the floor easily. He’s not concerned with the curious onlookers as he grooves to one of Billboard’s latest bangers. A small crowd has started to form around him but Hoseok ignores them as he spins through a move. Then, he sees you.

His body sputters through the movement until he slows to a gentle rock, eyes trying to focus on you through the pockets between people’s heads. You aren’t looking at him. Too engrossed in your own movement as you vibe with the music. Hoseok almost feels as though he’s watching himself dance. Intrigued, he moves closer.

He’s pretty sure he’s never seen you here before. Granted he doesn’t remember every face he sees but Hoseok is positive he would remember you because of the way you move. Blinking, he feels like he’s in a trance as he watches you turn, your hips swaying in time with the beat. Hoseok realizes he’s not the only one watching you. A few other guys have gathered but you ignore their presence, favoring to dance alone. Hoseok chews his lip. Did he even have a chance?

The music changes and Hoseok watches you change your movement to match the tempo seamlessly. He smiles. He would do exactly the same. Smooth RnB filters out over the sound system and Hoseok calms his beating heart, finding his own rhythm again as he slips back into his translation. When he turns, he makes eye contact with you, a small smile on your lips as you regard him. He’s pretty sure it’s the alcohol that makes him bold enough to take a step towards you.

Though you don’t move closer, your eyes don’t leave Hoseok’s. A silent exchange happens between you as you continue dancing and Hoseok matches your movements while maintaining his distance. Hoseok nearly holds his breath as you tentatively step closer. If he were to reach out, he’d surely be able to touch you. He doesn’t though. The two of you continue to dance in front of one another, though not with each other as the song changes.

When you turn - back towards him and continue dancing - Hoseok isn’t too sure of what to do. He doesn’t want to impose and ruin your night but he sure as hell would love to dance with you. He takes another tentative step forward, the space between you what chaperones at prom would call encroaching on dangerous territory. Still, he doesn’t touch you though he’s sure you can feel his breath dance across your skin.

It’s you who makes the final move.

He feels your fingertips brush against the outside of his thigh until your fingers wrap around his and place them on your hip. Jeans slung low on your waist, Hoseok’s thumb rests against your bare skin. He lets his other hand settle on the outside of your thigh, his touch light so not to scare you.

Chest against your back, Hoseok matches his hips with yours, the swell of your ass pressed tightly to his crotch. When you curl your arm around the back of his neck, fingers splayed in the hairs at his nape, Hoseok squeezes you in reflex. The heat of Antarri’s only grows worse as you continue to dance and another small crowd gathers to watch you.

Hoseok has never felt so at ease dancing with another human being. He feels like you’ve been partners since you were three and took classical ballroom together for eighteen years. You read his movements and he reads yours as you trade the role of leader and follower back and forth. In all honesty, Hoseok doesn’t want the night to end, especially when you hit a particularly dangerous move - bending at the waist with your hands on your knees, the push back firm as his hand ghosts your back. He has to stifle a groan at the sight, more than a few ungentlemanly thoughts surfacing in response.

Spinning you around, Hoseok gazes down at you as he slots one of his legs between yours. A gentle smile crosses your face and you rest your hands loosely around his neck. Hoseok gently brushes your damp hair from your forehead. You don’t look away as his hand comes to rest under your jaw. He watches your tongue swipe against your bottom lip as he wraps his arm around -

“Y/N!”

The moment is broken at the scream of what Hoseok assumes is your name.

“Y/N, come on! We have to go! Code Blue!” Hoseok loosens his hold on you as you step away. Before either of you can utter a word, your friend is pulling you through the crowd and away from him. Over the din of the music, he faintly hears you call a “Sorry!” as you disappear.

Stunned, Hoseok stands in the middle of the crowd as your figure slowly becomes lost in the sea of swaying bodies. He feels like he’s just stepped out of a sauna, the trance you placed him in lifting as people start to fill in the space around him now that the show is over. Hoseok rubs his face in frustration. How could he have let you leave like that? How was he supposed to find you?

“Hobi! Hey Hobi!” Hoseok turns at the sound of his name to see Jimin elbowing his way through the crowd. “Hey, are you okay?”

Sighing, Hoseok nods.

“Okay,” Jimin says wearily. “Do you want to leave?”

“No, it’s okay. Jungkook still owes me two more shots. I gotta collect.”

Jimin grins. “That’s the spirit! Come on, let’s go.”

Tossing one last longing look to what was supposed to be a promising night, Hoseok follows his friend to the bar to forget what could have happened.

full masterlist // part two

joon-ipersgirl, 2021

[herefortayloronly]

folklore first impressions

i just want to preface this post with WHAT THE FUCK TAYLOR? For the past couple of months i’ve been trying to get back into the grooves of things after self-isolation and finding a new routine. Just when i thought things were getting back to normal (as normal as it can get with people still getting sick and things are still close down of course), taylor decides to say SURPRISE! i’m not gonna lie, when this annoucement was made, i was still in bed and asleep. my best friend texted me a picture with one “omg”. When i saw the picture i was like “oh no, what happened to taylor”. but then i read the caption and i woke the fuck right up. I feel like we all know how I feel, just like the rest of swifties. so I’m just gonna jump straight into the songs because this is going to be long.

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

the 1 - this song is really interesting when you think of it as an introduction to all the characters you’re about to meet in the album and also the feelings you’re about to endure listening to the songs. 

cardigan - this song is easily my favorite song on the album. so the first listen, it didn’t really hit me but immediately listening to it the second time and watching the music video, i literally broke down. something about it is so hauntingly beautiful, it’s mature but also very classic taylor. something about it is so effortless and freeing. the use of piano (something that is gonna come up more in later songs) is so interesting and different for taylor. this one is definitely going to be on my top ten.

the last great american dynasty - as the song went along, i figured she was talking about her house in rhode island especially when she literally said rhode island lol. But when the line “and then it was bought by me“ hits. i literally got chills. it was such beautiful storytelling and songwriting. 

exile - i know there are people who don’t love it when taylor collaborates and have feature artists but when she has a feature artist that just works with her voice and create beautiful lyrics, magic happens! although i like all of collabs to different degrees, i can only say with my whole chest that The Last Time with Gary Lightbody is the best collab she has ever done. exile with Bon Iver is a close second. the back and forth between the two singers reminds me so much of The Last Time. the way their voice just balance each other out. it’s great.

my tears ricochet - i want this song play at my funeral. it is so haunting and tragic. but also full of anger and resentment. the way the song keeps building and building throughout gives me chills. another top favorites of mine. i’ve seen so many interpretations of this song and i think that’s why this song is so wonderful. it really hits in all different ways.

mirrorball - i feel like this song is so perfect for when you’re high or drunk. it is so groovy and chill and mellow. and while it sounds like a fun song, it’s also kinda taylor admitting that she has a problem with how she perceives herself. and the fact that she compares herself to a mirrorball because she knows that her own fault is trying to please everyone, trying to fit in. it’s a little sad but also comforting to know that she recognize that.

seven - another song that uses the piano so beautifully. this song reminds me so much of me and the group of girl friends i had in elementary school. something about that childhood nostalgia and how young friendships shape your childhood. i have a lot of love for them but i don’t talk to them anymore and i wouldn’t consider them close friends. but that’s okay because the memories and friendships were great. 

august - i just want to take a drive down the beach with the windows down while blasting this song! although the sound gives off a free and bright vibe, there’s also something bittersweet about it. it sounds like this person is yearning and hoping for something, and reminiscing on the nice memories and realizing that they are no more. it’s almost tragic.

this is me trying - The lyrics of this song is so sharp and tight but for some reason I can’t get into it. but i do love the imagery in the song. there’s a sense of desperation and eagerness and it’s also a little self-deprecating.

illicit affairs - i love the imagery in this song about a relationship that just ruins you. it didn’t just break your heart but it affects that way you see other parts of your life. 

invisible string - this song is so precious and sweet and whimsical. really reinforces her love for this person and i love that even with all the other songs this song is just a nice glimpse into their relationship. and i love this idea that fate is the reason why they are together. but not just fate, it’s also their past and their relationships with other people. 

mad woman - this song is fire!! another great use of the piano. i love this song is about women being mad and that’s okay and there’s a reason why women get mad. women being mad isn’t an irrational thing and she’s not overreacting. and when women do get bad, there’s passion there.

epiphany - i love the perspective of this song is of someone fighting because they are trying to protect the great good. i think this song is also a great tribute to all the essential workers and healthcare workers fighting in the frontline during the covid pandemic. 

betty - i love that this song is from the perspective of a person who cheated. i think taylor has been cheated on many times in her life and to see her step into the shoes of the cheater is really fascinating. this is another songs that proves taylor doesn’t have to know or feel a certain type of emotions to fully capture that perspective. she’s able to create a world and a narrative from just knowing how she wants to portray a certain emotion.

peace - so i said this song is similar to Dancing With Our Hands Tied and The Archer. it reminds me of taylor’s talking about her fears and troubles in a relationship. but also about how she has learned that she is okay with those fears now because she realized they don’t have to dictate her life and she’s not alone. in a way this song makes me happy and sad. it makes me happy because she’s in a place where she knows she wants to be with someone for the rest of her life and she found that forever love. it also makes me sad because she will always worry and be haunted by these past scars. and lets talk about the style of this song. this is the soft rock john mayer vibes that i always wanted taylor to do, so i love that she’s experimenting with that and i hope she does a rock album one day! i also think this is the first love song where she’s not just talking about how she felt but also how the other person feels. the other person also feels a sense of insecurities.

hoax - in the same vein as peace, i think this song is also about how two people in a relationship can be extremely hurt but still find ways to make sure to hold each other up. my favorite line in the song is “you have beaten my heart”. there is a really interesting double meaning to that line that i think holds so much weight. the person has beaten her heart as in he has hurt her in some way but he also has won her heart and also made it beat again.

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if you are here to see where i rank all of taylor’s album, you will be disappointed. i try my best not to rank her albums because i love all of her albums one way or another. they are all unique and hold a special place in my heart in different ways. i do have vague placements for them but at the end of the day, i love all of them. the best thing about taylor and being a fan of taylor is that i never have to pick one album to listen to and i don’t have to favor one over the other. if i am in the mood for a certain sound or style, i can choose from her catalog. i’m also not going to be insulting or trashing past albums because people have decided that folklore is her magnum opus. i can acknowledge that folklore is one of her best albums without bringing down other albums. i love each and every single album. it is impossible to rank and pick and choose among eight albums.

i’ve have the pleasure of witnessing taylor’s career for 10 years, since speak now. to see her go through so many changes, growth and hardships is really a sight to see. people are going to say this album is sad and tragic but i disagree. it isn’t the same sadness like how Red is sad. it’s more freeing and accepting. the sadness isn’t holding her back like in Red, it is actually pushing her to do and say things she probably wouldn’t have said before.

also this album isn’t meant to redefine a genre. It’s not meant to be something new, i’m sure there are plenty of artists doing something similar. taylor is just doing what she does best, incorporating all the best parts of her, her storytelling, songwriting, beautiful melodies, catchy hooks and putting a twist to it with a completely new production. i think that’s something very special about taylor. she’s just let music and ideas flow and always so open to experimentation. the fact that she’s arrived in this moment with this album is very special. 

the fact that she is able to create these characters and stories. this is why she’s an amazing writer, not because she writes about her own experience but because she can write about anything. goes to show how her mind works and how she operates. she doesn’t have to draw from her experience, she gets inspired by everything.

as for rankings. something really fun i did this time is keeping track of my rankings to see where each song moves. so i did a list for after 2 full listens, after 20 hours (this is friday 7/24 night) and 44 hours (saturday 7/25 night).  and because i didn’t finish this post saturday night i added in sunday’s 7/26 ranking as well. it’s really fun to see which song i was drawn to that day. 

as you can see, cardigan is a constant number one for me. it is the song of the album. i think a really good example of a song that grew on me after a while is peace. i think this song is definitely secured its spot among the top 5 of the album once it’s all said and done. in my opinion, anything after #10 i love them but it speaks to how really good this album is because it’s really hard after ranking 10 songs. the most notable thing is the recurring songs on the bottom, epiphany, mirrorball, illicit affairs, and this is me trying. now i actually love epiphany and illicit affairs, again speaks to how much i love the other songs and how great this album is. this is me trying is a song that i enjoy listening to but i don’t seek it out. i don’t crave listening to it but i do like it alot and i love the meaning of it. same with mirrorball, i love it but i’d have to be in the mood for it. all that said, right now i can say for 100% sure that cardigan, peace and my tears ricochet are my top favorites of the album. while the others are gonna keep moving with more listen and time. 

this album is really meant for taylor. she really is born to write an album like this. even though there are songs that aren’t personal and directly about taylor, she’s able to leave bits and pieces of herself, how she feels and her emotions in those songs. and i think that’s why not only is she a good writer but she’s also a good messenger. her voice and her delivery is one of my favorite things about her and the reason i love listening to her and her music. and this album emphasize that and highlight that talent. no other pop artists will be able to pull off an album like this and that’s why this album is made for taylor.

[taetaespeaches]

You opening request? If yes can you make songfic based on taylor swift you belong with me? The member can be jimin or jin, you pick it. Thanks!!😁

“Dolly Parton’s a real jerk, huh?”

Jin x Reader

Word count: 2.7K

a/n: So this is very loosely based on “You Belong With Me”. It mostly just uses the general idea of the song and the whole “Hey isn’t this easy,” line. I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for reading :) 

The rain was getting heavier, drops increasing in amount and weight as they drummed against the car roof and windows. Pulling up behind the Big Hit dance studios, you opened up your messages, tapping on the most recent conversation, finding your way to the call option. You put the phone on speaker, the ring back tone echoing throughout your car as you leaned over the center console to rid the passenger seat of your junk- various papers, a few food wrappers, your gym clothes, and a water bottle.

“Jesus, I need to clean this,” you mumbled to yourself, “I’m disgus–”

“Hello?” Jin’s voice cut you and the ring back tone off.

“Hey, I’m here,” you replied happily. “Out back.”

“Ok, we’re packing up now,” Jin spoke into the phone, seemingly distracted.Sitting back in the driver’s seat, you looked out the front window, focusing on the patter of raindrops against the glass. “Yeah, cool, I’ll be here,” you said, pushing down on the windshield wiper switch, sending the blades into a single swipe. “Wanna get some snacks bef–” Jin abruptly hung up the phone, making you flinch at the sudden silence. Scrunching your face in confusion, you began to think that maybe tonight you wouldn’t be getting your fun, carefree best friend.

After a few minutes went by, the doors of the building opened up, Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jimin pouring out, all hurriedly headed towards the same vehicle to escape the rain as Jin, sporting a hoodie with the hood up, hung behind them, breaking away to head to you. The others waved to you, flashing small apologetic smiles, you waving back tentatively. What the fuck happened?

When Jin opened up your backdoor, a water bottle that was lodged against the backdoor rolled out, bouncing on the wet street near his feet. “Jesus, you really need to clean this,” Jin told you with a huff, throwing his practice bag across your seats before bending over to grab the water bottle, tossing it onto your car floor, pushing your door shut. You pouted as he opened the passenger side door, hopping inside the vehicle, grabbing the seatbelt, pulling it across his body, clicking it into place, all while not sparing you a single glance.

“Um, hi?” You questioned, your tone laced with confusion and sass. Jin slowly turned to look at you, raising his eyebrows at your expression and tone.The gears visibly turned in Jin’s head, as he strategically decided his next move.

“Hi love,” he smiled, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes, which you took notice of.

“Hi love?” You mocked. “You come into my car clearly in a bad mood, criticize my cleanliness, and then toss me a hi love?” You were teasing, your tone dripping in dramatics, but you were studying his features as he let out a light chuckle. “Ok, what’s up?” Jin’s eyebrows pulled together as he looked at you, avoiding meeting your eyes. You cocked your head as you observed him. “You seem off,” you frowned, “What’s wrong?”

Shaking his head slightly, Jin looked ahead, watching the raindrops trickle onto the windshield, streaming down the glass, collecting into larger drops of water.

“Just dance practice,” he sighed, “Stressed me out.”

Leaning forward, you tried to catch his gaze. “Nothing else?” When Jin responded with a little head shake, you hummed. “You know what this calls for?” Your best friend looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “Sad Bitch Hours.”

Reaching for your phone, Jin let out a breathy chuckle. “What bops do you have in store for us tonight?”

“Oh, you’ll find out, just you wait,” you said as you looked over your shoulder out the window to check for oncoming traffic before pulling onto the street. As “You Make Loving Fun” by Fleetwood Mac filled the car, a smile spread across Jin’s face. You snuck a glance at him, smiling when you saw his expression. “There’s my boy,” you cooed with a fond grin, causing him to bashfully snicker, shaking his head as red tinted his cheeks and ears.

“Sweet wonderful you,” you sang with the song with a little shoulder shimmy, causing a small breathy chuckle to escape Jin’s lips. “You make me happy with the things you do.” Looking to Jin for a moment, you smiled widely before whining, “Jinnie,” you dragged out his name. “Sing with me,” you giggled.

As you sang along with the chorus, Jin started to bob his head to the groovy beat. When the guitar solo kicked in, Jin couldn’t hold back from rocking out.“Ooh, Rocker Jin, get it,” you cheered, bursting into giggles. Watching Jin fully commit himself to the guitar solo, arms in position as his left hand slid along the imagined frets, his fingers wildly moving along the non-existent strings, you couldn’t help but think how easy it was to just be with him. Even when one of you was in a mood, neither of you could ever stay upset for too long when around each other.

Returning your focus to the road, you nodded towards the small convenience store to your right. “Hey, I’m gonna stop up here for snacks.” Jin nodded as he finished out his guitar solo, both of you joining in on singing the chorus.When the second verse kicked in, Jin’s singing faded out as he watched you groove, your head smoothly moving from side to side to the beat, your voice belting it out with Christine McVie.

Don’t break the spell,It would be different and you know it will,You make loving fun, And I don’t have to tell you but you’re the only one.

Too into your jam session and your focus on driving the vehicle, you didn’t see the mix of a sad expression and an adoring smile plastered to your best friend’s face. Straightening his form, he settled further into his seat as he kept his gaze on you. 

The outro of the song played out as you pulled into the convenience store lot. Parking the car, you looked at Jin, who was already staring back at you. Eyes widening, you pointed to the store. “You coming with?” Shaking his head, he pouted his lips in a frown. Eyeing his features for a moment, you could feel your heart break, knowing there was something wrong but also knowing he wasn’t planning on opening up any time soon. 

With a sigh, you unclicked your seatbelt. “Want anything in particular?” You stared out the windshield as your mind raced over the possibilities of what could be wrong with your best friend.

“No, I’m good,” he said, making you turn to look at him. “You always choose the best stuff anyway,” he said with a small smile. If you were anyone else, you may not have noticed the heaviness in his tone, reflecting the heaviness in his mind.

“Yeah, I have good taste, huh?” You smirked, opening the car door as the piano intro to Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” started playing.

“Dolly Parton?” Jin asked in confusion, you staring at him blankly. “Since when is Dolly on Sad Bitch Hours?”

“Hey, Dolly speaks to my soul,” you shrugged, hopping out of the car. “Yeehaw bitch,” and with that, you slammed the door shut, leaving Jin alone to fondly gawk at you and your antics.

Jin settled into his seat, blowing on the cold passenger window, drawing little squiggly lines on the glass as the song played.

He tried not to think about you and what the 95s had told him not even twenty minutes ago, he really did. But as the song went on, he slowly starting to process the lyrics.

All you gotta do is smile that smile,And there go all my defenses.Just leave it up to you and in a little while,You’re messing up my mind,And filling up my senses.

He pressed the previous button on your car stereo, restarting the song. The piano intro started sounding as he focused in on the song, staring at the stereo.

Here you come againJust when I’ve begun to get myself together.You waltz right in the door,Just like you’ve done beforeAnd wrap my heart ‘round your little finger.

He didn’t even realize he was crying until you ripped the car door open exclaiming you got all the way to the candy aisle before you realized you didn’t have your wallet. “Fuck, I’m a mess, I really need to get my shit—Jinnie?” Your voice got quiet as you stared at Jin, his eyes wide and pointed at you, cheeks damp as more tears built up on his water line.

“Jin, why are you crying?” You stood frozen, in shock, rain drenching your form though you hardly took notice.

“Huh?” Jin snapped into consciousness, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. “I’m not.”

“Jin,” you started, “my love, you’ve got to talk to me.” Finally coming to terms with what was happening, you hopped inside the vehicle, shutting the door and turning your full attention to your best friend.

“Dolly Parton’s a real jerk, huh?” He said with a small laugh as more tears appeared in his beautiful orbs.

“You’re crying because of the song?”

Shaking his head, he waved you off. “No, I’m just stressed, the song must have hit me weird tonight. I’m ok,” he forced a small smile in a poor attempt to assure you.

“Ok, you’re my best friend, I love you, you are not ok,��� you said, reaching out to touch his arm, only to have him pull away. He saw the hurt flash across your face at his action and he felt all control and resolve crumble.

“You belong with me,” he said suddenly. It was whispered but it rang loud and clear in your ears, however you couldn’t hold back the shocked “what?” that slipped out. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He said louder, this time accompanied by an angry tone.

Flinching a bit at his change in resonance, you pulled your eyebrows together. “Tell you what? What is going on?”

“That you’re seeing someone,” he yelled, not at you but out of frustration.

“Huh?” You said in utter confusion. “Where the hell did you get that idea from?”

You looked around the car as if you were searching the perimeter for answers to your own question. “Wait, did you say I belong with you?” You asked in surprise, suddenly hit with the meaning behind those whispered words. Dolly’s voice faded out as the song ended, though neither of you noticed.

Jin looked at you sadly, defeated, as Rick James’ “Give It To Me Baby” started playing through the car speakers, still neither of you taking notice. “It’s so easy with us,” he spoke quietly, tears welling up again, your eyes mimicking his.

“Jin–”

“You talked to Tae and Jimin about some dude you were interested in,” he explained in a sudden loud voice. “Why were you keeping it from me?”

Realization slowly came to you, resulting in a scoff escaping your lips when you figured out what had happened.

“Did they tell you that at practice tonight? That I talked to them about some dude? That I’m seeing someone?” You chuckled, shaking your head, your focus shifting to the two morons, momentarily getting distracted from Jin and the possible confession that just took place.

“Why are you laughing?” He asked you, hurt written in his features.

“Because those two morons are as big of idiots as you are, jesus Jin, you think I wouldn’t tell you if I was seeing someone?” You looked at him with scrutinizing eyes.

“You didn’t tell me though—”

“What did they say?” You asked impatiently, already preparing yourself to kick their asses next time you saw them.

Jin looked at you a bit taken aback at your hasty tone. “What? Th-they,” Jin stuttered. “You asked Jimin about some guy. Him and Tae said you’re dating him.”

“Ok, first of all, I didn’t even willingly talk to them, they practically forced me to after they caught me pathetically watching you play guitar.”

Jin’s look of confusion only set further in as he repeated your words, “Watching me play–”

“Second of all, I only told them that there is a guy I like, that’s it. They came up with all the other shit on their own, I guess they have some wild imaginations,” you said frustratedly. “How the fuck could they have even gotten all of this so wrong? I was literally pining after you right in front of their eyes, it was obvious what guy I–”

“Pining after me?” Jin’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he tried to figure out if he was somehow hearing things, officially having gone mad, or if you somehow actually just said those words.

“I didn’t tell you I’m interested in someone because I didn’t think you felt the same way,” you confessed quietly.

Jin stared at you blankly as his mind carefully considered everything that just happened. “You like me?” He asked for clarification, wanting to be completely sure before he prompted his next question.

“I do,” you told him genuinely, your eyes locked on his own.

Nodding slowly, he took a few seconds to process. “Can I kiss you?”

It felt as though the oxygen within the cab of the car disappeared as you nodded quickly, a whispered, “Yes,” slipping from your vocal cords.

Leaning towards you, he placed a hand on the side of your neck, fingertips digging into your wet hair, his thumb brushing over your jawline. Your mouths were a mere inch away from each other, your noses bumping together as he rubbed his against yours, a small smile on his face, before he tilted his head opposite to yours and connected his lips with your own.

As soon as his plump lips met your own, the oxygen rushed back into your lungs and you felt more alive than you think you ever had before. He deepened the kiss and you happily responded, getting lost in the moment, the rain still pattering against the car, and him, kissing you after all that time.

Interrupting the intimacy, Jin groaned, “this song,” as he chuckled into the kiss. “Why is this song playing right now?” He shook his head lightly still laughing as you pressed small pecks to his lips and the corners of his mouth.

“This is our song now you know,” you teased, giggling against his lips. Jin’s hand cradled the back of your head, pulling you more firmly against his mouth, kissing you hard.

“Absolutely not,” he mumbled into the kiss.

“We’re gonna have our first dance to this at our wedding,” you continued to laugh at yourself causing Jin to pull back just enough to see your face clearly. 

“Already planning our wedding?” He smiled widely. “You really have been pining after me huh?”

Groaning, you turned away from him, pulling your seatbelt back on. “Nevermind, call it off,” you said as you positioned one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gear shift as you pretended to prepare to drive. “You ruined it,” you joked, a smile toying on your lips. Jin laughed loudly as he leaned over the console, placing a hand to the side of your face turning you towards him, capturing you in a needy kiss. You responded easily, your hand moving off the gear shift to grab at the material of his hoodie, your lips moving perfectly with his.

It was always so easy with him. Almost as if you really did belong with each other.

“You’re all wet,” he suddenly spoke, pulling back a bit.

“Jesus, you’ve got a filthy mouth,” you teased, Jin sighing as he flashed an embarassed smile. “Give it to me, baby,” you giggled, sliding your hand from his chest to his neck, holding your palm against the warm skin.

“Stop it,” he laughed, shaking his head, his face tinted red. “I just meant we should head to the dorm so you can–”

“Nuh uh,” you interrupted. “If I go to the dorm and see those two idiots I’m going to kick some ass and I don’t want to do that tonight. Tomorrow maybe, but not tonight,” you smiled as you put the car into drive, pulling out of the parking lot.

Jin strapped his seat belt, laughing at you fondly. “Ok, to yours we go then.”

So fucking easy.

[silyabeeodess]

I can’t draw the AHIT kids in PJs or work on any fics right now, so I’m gonna indulge myself with some cutesy holiday headcanons.  

When Hat Kid first learns about Santa, she’s all for it--super excited about Christmas and the idea of a man giving gifts with a team of flying reindeer.  She’s been through a lot, so she doesn’t even question that he might not exist.  Outwardly, she’ll try to keep herself composed, but it’ll be obvious that she’s in a last minute rush to get everything ready for the holiday and Santa’s arrival: Writing a letter to Santa, making her own presents, decorating her ship the best she can with Cooking Cat’s advice, etc.  She’ll have stars in her eyes for weeks on end, waiting for the big day.

Bow Kid’s a little more skeptical about the idea of Santa, but she’ll play along because it’s fun and Hat Kid’s really into it.  It’s easy for her to get caught up in the excitement of the season and she can be caught humming carols as she goes about her day.  She’ll probably look for more things to do around the planet for the holidays.

Mustache Girl doesn’t believe in Santa, so she just rolls her eyes at all of the “nonsense” the others are caught up in and will openly call them out on it.  She’s not going to be in the Christmas spirit, so Hat Kid and Bow are going to need to drag her along with them against her will.  She, begrudgingly, will play along at times--secretly even enjoying it all--but during the last few days to Christmas will get really nasty for seemingly no reason. In reality though, it’s because she hasn’t really had a good Christmas in a while so all of that magic is gone for her: She doesn’t want to be there when the others wake up to no Santa and realize some of the same things she did a long time ago.

Cooking Cat’s gonna be with the kids the entire time, helping Hat Kid decorate her ship and get some food ready (besides just cookies) so that they can enjoy a real meal for the holidays. She’ll probably plot with some other people to ensure that all three girls can have a great Christmas together and continue to believe in the magic of it.  

The Mafia goons are gonna be kind of split on how they spend the holiday season.  The Boss is pretty negative, openly mocking the girls--especially Hat Kid--for falling for all of the Santa stuff despite believing in it himself as a child *cough*: He’ll just boast about how he’s going to hold a massive feast the rest of the Mafia, more interested in boosting morale and partying overall.  A lot of the goons have that same mindset, but some others are gonna kinda nervously chuckle and hide their true thoughts because some of them have kids and they’re not gonna disappoint their own children and/or have a soft-spot where Christmas is concerned.  They just don’t wanna be laughed at by the rest of the gang. (Someone outside of the Mafia is gonna sneak into the Boss’s place and give him coal to wake up to on Christmas morning, just to make him mad and give everyone else something to laugh at.)

The Conductor’s gonna be somewhat bitter about it, acting like an absolute Scrooge, but he’ll put his work on hold because his family won’t stop insisting that he spend the holiday season with them--dropping over to visit at the last minute.  Then, when the grandkids start talking about Santa, he’s gonna be real quiet about it the whole time. In reality, he’s absolutely the guy who’ll dress up as ole’ Saint Nick to put a smile on their face.  If anyone finds out it’s him though, he’ll say it’s just good acting experience to keep him on his toes every year when the little ones try to invent new ways to catch Santa.  Might have a tradition of running his own “Polar Express” for some extra cash.

DJ Grooves is all about having the biggest party around.  While he does criticize his penguins, the holiday season is the main time of the year where they do see how he really does appreciate them.  And he’s going to make sure to be the best host possible, so he’ll extend an invitation to anyone who wants to show up and have a good time.  Expect nonstop dancing, eating/drinking, and music through the night and a few noise-complaint calls.  No one’s gonna be able to stop him though: He does it every year, and it’s still nothing compared to his New Year’s celebrations.

Snatcher’s not really in a Christmasy mood, so the season is just business as usual to him: Mostly, he just stays on his toes since the winter weather can strengthen Vanessa’s ice.  Then there’s his minions and the Dwellers... With a lot of them dying as children, the first Christmas was the absolute worst.  Most of their families had been split apart upon death as it was and the ones that did still believe in Santa were worried sick because “would he even still think of them since they were dead?” If it weren’t for so many of them being so young, he probably would’ve told them to grow up.  He kinda did, but for his own reputation.  He couldn’t do much of anything about keeping to their traditions, so he just let the minions and Dwellers deal with the celebrations on their own, grumbling all the while as he “oversaw” it to “make sure they weren’t going to do anything stupid that would attract other spirits.”  In secret, however, he did attach “playing Santa” to his usual chore for the mail--either putting some poor soul to the task under both a contract and heavy death threats if anyone caught them or doing it himself.  Now that Hat Kid’s around for the holidays, it’s gonna be that all over again.  

The Goats and Nomads don’t celebrate Christmas, but have their own holiday that’s more like a winter solstice celebration.  There’s some gift-giving, but it’s mostly focused on feasting and a large, community festival.  Gifts shared are either given to family members or other, very close loved ones, as it’s considered something a lot more personal than the rest of the celebrations.

The seals are all for the holidays, and now that they have to wait until they can get another boat--so they don’t have to spend it working for anybody--they’re going to take advantage of the situation and go full-in.  It’s probably the busiest you’ll ever see them, although they’re still clumsy as ever.  Most might just go to their families, but the rest are going to party together--and hopefully drag the Walrus Captain into their celebrations as well.  He’ll go, because he’s got nothing else to do, they invited him and he can’t easily say no, and he thinks it’ll be a Christmas miracle if they don’t somehow hurt themselves just by putting up a tree.  He’s kinda like a dreary uncle that does care, but won’t say anything and just plays along, because hey--it beats eating a microwave dinner alone at his place.

The Empress is more interested in banking on the open consumerism or any of her enemies’ weak points during the season than actually celebrating it. Therefore, while she might begrudgingly give some of her gang a little time off, she’ll still demand results from them.  Meanwhile, she’ll take a bit of a break herself with a relaxing night-in alone. Do not disturb her unless you’ve got some really good news.  

[believingispowerfulmagic]

“The Christmas Cottage” Chapter 1: Time

A/N: Happy Advent everyone! Here is my gift for the OQ Advent story, which was the one chosen to kick off the calendar! It’s a long one so I’m dividing it up in chapters. I hope you all enjoy this story based on the Hallmark movie “The Christmas Cottage.”

           Regina thanked her driver as she opened the car door. She shivered as the December cold filled the car. Stepping out into it, she closed the door behind her and quickly hurried toward the front door of the building in front of her. Reaching out, she wrapped her gloved hand around the golden handle and pulled the door toward her. The scent of pine wafted past her, coming off the festive wreath hanging on the door. It sent a pang through her heart but she pushed it aside as she strode into the warm building.

           She stopped at her mailbox, opening it and finding it empty. Figuring her fiancé already checked it, she closed the door and continued into the main part of the lobby. It was decorated for the season with wreaths hung on the walls and in between the elevators. An evergreen bough entwined with colored lights lined the desk where security sat and a tall artificial tree sat in one corner, its lights twinkling and fake presents resting underneath it. To complete the festive atmosphere, holiday music played over the speakers and in the elevators.

           It all seemed such a stark contrast to how her day had been. She was still trying to process everything that had happened as she passed their night security guard, Thomas. He tipped his hat to her as she headed straight for the elevator bank, in no mood to talk to anyone but her fiancé. Maybe then it would all feel real.

           As she rode up in the elevator, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and she got lost in trying to sort them out. She jumped as the elevator arrived at her floor and the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, she exited the elevator and headed down the hallway to her apartment. Regina pulled out her keys and opened the door, stepping inside. “Daniel? I’m home.”

           He didn’t respond but that wasn’t unusual. Daniel often continued working after he left the office and he liked to listen to music when he did so, meaning he likely hadn’t heard her. She knew he was home because the mail sat on the table where they kept it. Regina looked through the items and determined nothing needed her immediate attention.

           After hanging up her coat and scarf, she headed down the hallway and entered the bedroom they had converted into Daniel’s office. It was painted white with wood floors and decorated with framed black and white photographs of famous buildings. His drawing table was located by the large window in the room, giving him a gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline as he worked.

           Daniel sat there, earbuds in his ear as his head bopped along to whatever song he was listening to. His pencil flew across the paper in front of him, sketching out a building Regina knew was going to be magnificent once it was built. She hated to interrupt him when he was in a groove but she needed to talk to him, so she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

           He jumped and twisted his body to look at who had disturbed him, relaxing when he saw it was her. Daniel took out the earbuds and smiled at her. “Hey, babe. You just get home?”

           “Yes,” she replied, kissing him. She studied the building he was drawing, noting that it didn’t look familiar. “Is this new?”

           “It is,” he confirmed. “With luck, this is going to win the bid and become the new centerpiece for the Belfrey Center in Seattle.”

           Excitement and pride filled her, pushing her other feelings to the side. She knew his firm was going to submit a bid to Midas Industries but there hadn’t been a decision about which architect would be the one to design it. Daniel had been talking about it for almost two months and she knew he had been campaigning hard to be the one they chose. His hard work had paid off.

           “Congratulations!” she said, rubbing his back. “This is a big deal!”

           “Well, we haven’t secured the contract yet,” he said. “This is just for the bid.”

           “You were still chosen out of all the architects in your firm to create the bid. That means that they respect and value your work. Even you don’t get the bid, this is the start of big things from you. I just know it,” she told him.

           He grinned. “Thanks. How was your day?”

           The question brought her crazy and confusing day back to the forefront of her mind. Her good mood disappeared as she grew somber. “It was bad.”

           “Bad? How?” he asked, frowning.

           “Albert Spencer died,” she replied. “He had a heart attack last night. Or at least that’s the assumption since the janitor found him stiff and cold at his desk this morning.”

           Daniel’s eyes widened a bit. “How awful! What happens now?”

           She sighed, leaning against the wall as she felt fatigue take over. “I think they’re still working that out. We spent the day contacting all his clients. They are thankfully understanding and were expecting our work for them to pause for the holidays anyway. So now I guess it’s just the funeral and then figuring out who will be working with his clients after the New Year.”

“Are they going to replace him? Make someone else partner in his stead?” Daniel asked. She could see the wheels turning in his head and it made the knot in her stomach tighten even more, not loosen.

           “I don’t know,” she replied. “Everyone was talking about it but I think the other partners aren’t going to focus on that until after the New Year.”

           He nodded, rubbing her arm with a smile. “You’re a shoo-in for it, you know. You’re one of their best lawyers. Spencer had to know that or he wouldn’t have kept you on his team.”

           She knew he had a point but still shook her head. “I think Spencer was grooming Arthur King to take his place and he’s probably going to get it. Aside from Mal Draco, it’s pretty much a good old boys club.”

           “That’s not fair,” Daniel replied, crossing his arms as he frowned.

           “I know,” she replied. “But think about it. How many women are in top level positions at your firm?”

           He was silent before shrugging. “No company is perfect. I hope ours changes soon. But I can’t focus on that. I need to focus on this.”

           Daniel tapped the paper on his desk and she nodded. “Right. Just like I can’t focus on what the firm will do. I need to focus on Mary Margaret’s wedding. Which reminds me—did you ask Thomas downstairs to put a hold on our mail and newspaper?”

           “Oh.” Daniel paused but the sheepish grin he gave her when he forgot about something and was embarrassed by it did not appear. Instead, he stayed somber as he said: “We need to talk about that.”

           “You’re not coming,” she said, backing away from him. She didn’t pose it as a question—she just knew. Disappointment flooded through her as she pressed her hand to her stomach. “We’ve been planning this for months. I was really excited to go away with you.”

           “I know,” he replied soothingly, rubbing her arms. “We can plan another getaway, one where there’s no one else. Maybe we can spend Valentine’s Day on a tropical beach.”

           “It wasn’t just about us going away together,” she replied softly. “I was looking forward to going to the wedding with you. For us to hang out with my family and friends in my hometown. You’ve hardly spent any time with them.”

           He sighed. “I know and I understand it’s important to you.”

           “But,” she prompted, hearing it in his voice. It made her feel even angrier.

           “That’s all your past,” he said. “I’m more interested in our future.”

           Daniel slid his hand down her left arm until he could raise her hand up. She glanced down at the large square cut diamond sitting on a platinum band studded with smaller diamonds on her ring finger. Her heart melted a bit and she smiled softly. “Our future,” she repeated.

           “A future that will be even brighter if I nail this design,” he said, letting go of her hand as he motioned to his drawing. He gave her an earnest look as he continued: “And that’s why I need to stay here so I can work on it. I can’t afford to be distracted right now.”

           Her ire rose again and she pulled her hand from his grasp. “My friends would just be distractions?”

           “You know what I mean,” he said.

           “No,” she replied, crossing her arms as she glared at him. “I don’t. Please enlighten me.”

           Daniel sighed, carefully reaching out to rest his hands on her arms. “I meant that I would have way too much fun with you and your friends that I wouldn’t want to ever go back to our room to work. And I have some tight deadlines I need to hit, so I would either not hit them or have to lock myself in our room and not spend any time with anyone.”

           “Oh,” she said, her anger dissipating a bit. She should’ve known he had a good reason for what he said. Lowering her arms, she leaned closer to him as she said: “You should’ve started with that.”

           “Yeah,” he replied. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t want to spend time with your friends or that I didn’t care about them. I do. It’s just now isn’t a very good time.”

           She nodded, disappointed but more understanding. “I get it. I’m going to miss you.”

           “I’m going to miss you too,” he said, hugging her. “This will be our first Christmas apart.”

           The lump returned to Regina’s throat as she realized he was right. She tried to swallow past it. “Do you think you could sneak up to Maine for Christmas?”

           “I’m afraid not,” he said, shaking his head. “I wish I could but it just wouldn’t be feasible. Not for what would just be a night. Maybe two—but that would be pushing it. I pretty much need to be in the office on the twenty-sixth.”

           “Then what are you going to do on Christmas?” she asked, her heart hurting at the thought that he would be alone.

           He shrugged. “Honestly? Probably working. I’ll probably order Chinese or something.”

           “That sounds sad,” she told him. “It’s Christmas. You shouldn’t be alone. Why don’t I call Kathryn and tell her there’s been a change of plans so you’ll be coming to dinner?”

           “I guess,” he said hesitantly. “But I really need to get this done. It’ll probably be best if I just stayed home and worked.”

           Regina pressed her lips together, knowing that he was not big on celebrating Christmas and that he had described his ideal way to spend the day. Still, she pressed on as she rubbed his arm. “Look, if we can’t be together on Christmas, I will feel better if I know you’re with friends just like I will be.”

           He relaxed a bit and she knew his resolve was melting when he gave her a small smile. “Okay. If it will make you feel better, you can call Kathryn and tell her I can come.”

           “Thank you,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’ll call her in the morning.”

           She stepped back, crossing her arms as she gave him a stern look. “Have you eaten? Or did you come straight home and start working?”

           His sheepish grin finally emerged. “I wanted to wait for you and figured I’d get some work done while doing that.”

           “Of course,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What do you want?”

           “I figured we could just order from the sushi place down the street. They’re usually quick,” he replied, taking her hand as they left his office.

           She frowned. “Are you sure? I could try to cook something quick. Maybe try one of Glinda Goode’s twenty-minute meals? It would take less time than delivery.”

           Daniel paused where their foyer exited out into their living room, gently rubbing her arms. “You’ve had a stressful, emotional day at work. Do you really want to cook?”

           His tone implied that it was a rhetorical question. That of course she didn’t want to do that—that no one would want to do that. Rather, they would want to lay on the couch and put up their feet until it came time to answer the door for the delivery person. She had to admit it did sound nice. And she would be able to get some work done in that twenty minutes.

           “You’re right,” she admitted.

           “I’ll place the order,” he told her, pulling out his phone. “You want your usual?”

           Regina nodded. “Yes, please. I’m going to go change.”

           “Okay, darling,” he replied, kissing her cheek. “I’m going to get a little bit more drawn on my building.”

           He moved back toward his office, head bent over his phone as he placed their usual orders. Regina sighed as she headed into their spacious living room. She navigated around the glass coffee table that sat between two black armchairs and in front of the matching black couch. Two tall lamps rested in corners, lighting up the room. As she headed toward the door that led to the master bedroom, she passed the small artificial Christmas tree she and Daniel had set up earlier that week. It came already decorated with white lights and matching white and black ornaments, looking very sleek and chic. They also had two stockings over the fake fireplace against the wall separating the living room from their kitchen. Both were black and white rather than red and white.  There were no other decorations and everything fit well with their décor.

           Regina, though, always wanted to do more. She longed to really decorate their apartment for the holiday—especially given how tall and wide their windows were. Lights would look amazing around the edges on them and she knew she could create little scenes in each window, even if no one else could really see them. It would be enough that she could and each year, she stood in the decoration aisle of the local story to admire the decorations. Yet she never purchased any, knowing that in the end, there would be no time to properly decorate as she and Daniel were often too busy. The only reason the tree went up at all was because they just had to take it out of the box and plug it in—just five minutes of set up, if that. And the stockings just hung on hooks they never took down from the fireplace, so it took them even less time.

           She missed having a real tree, though, and she missed spending a good chunk of time decorating it with ornaments that held lots of memories and special meaning attached to them. While she got to play Christmas music on Christmas morning, she wished she could play it all the time and dance around the apartment while either decorating or wrapping presents. Or while making every type of Christmas cookie known to man, the apartment smelling like gingerbread or peppermint. Instead, she usually listened to it through her headphones while working as already wrapped presents and factory-made goodies were delivered to their door.

           It was another reason why she was looking forward to spending Christmas in Storybrooke—the whole town loved the holiday and pulled out all the stops to celebrate it. There would be real Christmas trees that were properly decorated and music everywhere. And she knew Granny would keep them all well-stocked with cookies, pies, hot chocolate and eggnog—while Ruby would be stocked with all types of spirits to add to the latter two. She had wanted Daniel to experience that kind of Christmas at least once—even if she knew it wouldn’t change his feelings about the holidays, they would at least have the memories.

           Most of all, they would have time. It was a precious commodity here in New York. So she was looking forward to just being able to spend time with him without work interrupting them. Maybe they could finally start planning their own wedding…

           “Regina? Dinner’s here,” Daniel called out.

           She felt as if she was just jolted from a dream. Blinking a few times, she realized she had just been standing in her bedroom and hadn’t moved. She had stopped to think but hadn’t really had the time to do so. One day, she would reach the point in her life where she would have all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted.

           Regina realized she couldn’t afford to dawdle much longer. Clearing her throat, she called out: “I’ll be right there.”

           Quickly changing, she headed out to their dining room. Daniel set the table and pulled their food out of the bag it had been delivered in. She continued to the kitchen, pulling the stopper from the bottle of wine they had opened the other day. Pouring two glasses, she returned to the table and handed him one. He thanked her and they sat down together to eat.

           They discussed their new vacation plans as they ate and sipped their wine. Regina hoped her disappointment didn’t show. Daniel’s excitement over landing the Belfrey deal didn’t seemed dimmed so she guessed he didn’t pick up on it. He told her that they would have all the time in the world after her won that and got promoted to partner at his firm. Regina listened and nodded, hoping it would all come to pass as he said and they would finally have that most precious commodity.

           Time.

Continue reading on FFN, AO3 or Wattpad

[lonelypond]

IT’S AN ASK MEME

These are fun so thanks @oumiyuki for tagging me. Here we go:

Nickname: It’s always fun to see how people shorten blinkkittylove. My immediate family and the people I knew in elementary school shorten my first name, I’ve also answered to MDN and Howard Francis. 

Zodiac: Horse/Gemini 

Height: just under 5′ 9″

Last movie you saw: On the big screen: Aquaman (the second time). Mera was awesome. On the small screen, Captain America: The First Avenger. I wanted to watch someone punch Nazis.

Song stuck in your head: “Mona Lisa” by Sabrina Carpenter. I’m still looping her new album, Singular, Part 1, in my car so which particular song varies by day and mood

Other blogs: Yes, too many, honestly, I’ve lost track. This is the one I update though, plus Twitter and Instagram.

Do you get asks: Not often...I appreciate them when I do. And I still owe some people AUs, which I have not forgotten. Feel free to ask away.

Following: 270 (I feel like a lot of those are from when I first started this Tumblr and are now inactive.)

Followers: 288

Amount of sleep:  Insomnia wins too often.  I tend to sleep in two hour shifts. College and my first job being an overnight shift got me locked in to not sleeping on a regular schedule.

Lucky number: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Just roll the dice ; ) 

What I’m wearing: Silver shirt with a recharging battery graphic with “Introverting” above it, gray sweats, green, white, and tan plaid flannel shirt, black beanie with pins (SpiderGwen, Godzilla, Pride Star Trek badge, Sparkly unicorn with Santa hat hula hooping), glasses.

Dream job: I think it’d be cool to have an animation studio so I could develop stories, be involved in the process, and play around with different styles. And have actual trained animators on hand so it only takes 2 years to do a project not x+15.

Dream trip: Ireland. My dad’s family is originally from there. I love the stories I’ve read about it and the green hills are gorgeous.

Favorite food: the cauliflower pakora at a small Nepalese/Himalayan restaurant slightly north of where I live...there are pockets of spices in the batter and so you get these little delicious pops of flavor in your mouth.

Languages: English, some French, thanks to four years of Latin I can clumsily hack my way through Spanish, French, and Italian poetry and road signs.

Favorite song(s): “Satellite” The Dollyrots; “Start Dash” and “Snow Halation” μ's; “Fridays I’m In Love” The Cure; “Bizarre Love Triangle” New Order; “You Only Get What You Give” The New Radicals

Random fact: “I can’t live without music” This is oumiyuki’s random fact but it could also be mine. Music is how I process things aka emotions.

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: pine trees, surf, midnight wind and howling, very smooth ink drawing a cute doodle across very scratchy paper, windows down stereo blasting

Thanks again for tagging me, O Bringer of Smiles. And I’m going to say “Tag” to anyone who’s read this far, I’d like to know your answers, especially the ones involving songs. Or drop a song in my ask box and I’ll write something inspired by it to help me get back in the writing groove. Have had my theatre hat on for a couple of weeks.

[thekonnection82]

As promised, Mamamoo completes their year long project ‘Four Seasons Four Colors’ with the release of their ninth mini album ‘White Wind’ on March 14. ‘Four Seasons Four Colors’ had goals of building up Mamamoo’s artistic repertoire by exploring new sounds that are unexpected of the group. Using seasons and colors for the concept gives the quartet wide range to accomplish these goals. Reviewing the last two mini albums (‘Red Moon’ and ‘Blue;s’) have been awesome, and I felt obliged to post about the final piece of the project.

The concept for this album treats white as the blank canvas for Mamamoo to freely create an array of colors by using the colors they had showcased in the past, conceptually both primary and neon colors. Mamamoo pays homage to their start as they use their bright colors in a modernized way parallel to their jazzy, retro-pop concept of debut. The way they are bolder and cooler with the pop of neon gave me the essence of their previous releases under the primary colors. Even the album cover design used a gradient accent of blue and purple that reminded me of their mini album cover for ‘Purple’ that was released prior to this project, which they first expressed the concept of mixing colors to symbolize a new sound. With all this said and seeing the teasers, I wondered if they were in any way revisiting their old sound.

I’ll be quoting Mamamoo as they gave descriptions of each song in their highlight medley video.

Let’s get to it!

  ‘White Wind’ Album Art

  ‘Where R U’

R&B song that expresses the heart fluttering feelings of waiting for a destined lover, as if they’re playing hide-and-seek. 

This track took me by surprise by how airy and light the production was. The plucked chords reminded me of strings from the violin family, and the flute synth notes created a refreshing, dreamy sound. If you listen closely during the pre-chorus you can hear xylophones chiming in and it plays as a cute little accent. These parts gave me the feeling that I was probably going to transcend into heaven, but the guitar and the main beat helped balance out the mentioned parts  as if to keep listeners grounded. The vocals expressed well about wondering where their future lover is. Although Mamamoo sang lightly, they didn’t sound weak or broken but rather firm. The way the song ended felt abrupt and awkward, only to realize it emphasized the wonder that surrounded the repeated question.

  ‘Gogobebe’ (Title Track)

The song uses the ‘jijibee (…)’ from Kim Gunmo‘s ‘Jjanga‘ as a motif for the lyrics and melody. You will be able to see Mamamoo having fun and enjoying themselves without clinging to past loves or things that have happened. 

Mamamoo embodies a liberating dance track here. Solar and Hwasa have entrancing control of the refrain as it draws you in and encourages you to continue partying with the group. Wheein delivers her lines in a sassy and chic way that you can forget her soft side. Moonbyul, raps her self-written lines coolly and with ease, and I appreciate her parts had two differing tones. The chorus’ melody reminded me of R&B girl groups of the 1990’s, which gave a different kind of retro vibe (compared to their rookie funky-pop releases). Within the chorus, the line where the members sang in unison gives emphasis to the theme of letting everything go. Yet, I find the theme ironic when the arrangement and production of this song sounded like it was crafted carefully and intricately. I never would have thought the combination of reggaeton and this latin guitar riff would be tasteful. So this is a fun, colorful track that will make you move in any way as you please.

Check out ‘Jjanga‘ by Kim Gun Mo, who co-composed this track.

  ‘Waggy‘

Bossanova-style song that tickles your heart like a spring wind, and has witty lyrics. It’s a song that’s like listening to a friend who has fallen in love and can’t hide their heart fluttering excitement. 

When the simple instrumentals started playing, I already had good feelings towards this song as it sounded upbeat and sweet. ‘Waggy’ really oozes fluttering affection, perfect for the spring season. The vocals are charming as they sing like a fresh breeze, and bounced to the rhythm like animated springing flowers. Mamamoo’s “beagle” humor could not be avoided as they added cute but subtle animal sounds throughout the song. The trumpet solo was a nice, classy touch that rides along the track’s wholesomeness. This quaint song was a little reminiscent to their similar, but more relaxing bossa nova track called ‘My Hometown’ (2016). It was nice to hear Mamamoo do this style of song again as it reminded listeners of their strength in making something a little old sound new while maintaining their boisterous group personality. You can definitely see this come to life as they performed ‘Waggy’ on music shows as they dressed up in various costumes and finding amusement out of  Hwasa’s tsundere attitude.

  ‘25‘

…still clumsy at 25, missing her natural, pure younger days while still loving her own self now, a step closer to her dream by maturing strongly. 

Since Wheein holds the color and wind symbol for this project, ‘25’ is the album’s obligatory solo track. Knowing her discography, Wheein is usually the one being featured, or has had a rapper feature on her tracks. It was nice to hear Wheein sound relaxed yet her serious effort was still prevalent. Even co-writing this song, ‘25’ gives listeners a chance to hear a personal, introspective side of Wheein. Besides the lyrics, the smoothness and steady groove of this song gives a sense of nostalgia, especially for those who grew up with ‘90s-early 2000s R&B.  The simple arrangement of guitar and snap beats didn’t overshadow Wheein’s varying vocals as it expressed genuine gratitude. Mamamoo’s fanbase, or Moomoos, would find this track so obvious in style as they are familiar with her leaning towards R&B and soul. It’s a down-to-earth, chill song which acted as a nice break between the livelier songs throughout the album.

On the set of ‘You Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook’ .

Backstage at M Countdown.

  ‘Bad Bye‘

Pop slash R&B track that ardently expresses the painful feelings of not being able to accept an approaching breakup. As the farewell is too painful and bad, a ‘good bye’ is expressed as ‘bad bye’.

This song started off with sad piano notes and I assumed it would be Mamamoo’s classic pop-ballad like the way they performed on music show “Immortal Songs 2” or their diva-esque ‘I Miss You’ (2016). But the thought was immediately denied when the mid-tempo beat with brief pulsating synth high hats, rain drops as snaps, and deep basses came in. The vocals are strong throughout the song, even at their lowest, softest parts. The melody sounded distressing and reminiscent (again) of old-school pop slash R&B tracks of the early millennium. The arrangement briefly alters during Moonbyu’s first rap part, and I thought it was interesting how dark it felt. Overall, listeners can belt out their heartache with some rhythm and soul.

  ‘My star‘

It expresses ‘You are my star’ to someone who can’t be compared to anyone else. The heavy bass and trendy beat hit you powerfully. 

A few seconds of the intro created a dramatic mood. Mamamoo is definitely right when they say that this song hits you hard, especially since the heavy bass drives the song. To match the heavy bass’ booming energy, the vocals had to sound mighty and confident as well. Solar’s tone fits perfectly for this, and Hwasa’s raspiness added some texture as it stands out more when reaching for those loud, high notes. The rap sounded gritty and flowed rhythmically well even though it was so brief. I kind of expected the bridge to be totally toned down, but there were spurts of the resonant notes (in the background) that tells me the energy was not going to be halted at any time. Kudos to Wheein who sprinkles the ending chorus with her falsettos. This song was very enjoyable and can uplift one’s mood.

  ‘4season (Outro)‘

It’s a song that brings Mamamoo’s ‘Four Seasons Four Color’ project into one. It has lyrics about each of the album themes, ‘moon, wind, flower, and sun’

This definitely ties up the ‘Four Seasons Four Colors’ project nicely. The arrangement felt warm and laid back, and it had me reminiscing of what Mamamoo tried to prove with this project for the past year. It’s parallel to their song ‘Paint Me’, but instead of talking about the colors they mention each season. Like how Mamamoo has described in their highlight medley, the outro encourages listeners and fans alike to continue on making memories with the group, which implied that just because the project is over, does not mean their musical ventures end.

Promoting to vote on M Countdown.

Promoting on Music Bank.

‘White Wind’ for the majority of the album reached the retro vibes in a way I did not expect. Rather than the funk and blues similar in their debut, Mamamoo took elements of 90s-2000s R&B pop and showed a more modernized confidence. It is a unique take of fusing old trends with the current trends of programmed music. I mostly enjoyed the diverse beats and production of this album, thanks to the magic provided by Cosmic Girl, and Rainbow Bridge World’s Cosmic Sound, Park Soo Wang, and hit maker CEO Kim Do Hoon. They were able to provide clean, vibrant backdrops while keeping Mamamoo’s vocals shining upfront. This EP also compiled the gists of previous albums: the freshness of spring like ‘Yellow Flower’, the bold and daring like ‘Red Moon’, and the chicness like ‘Blue;s’. Mixing these sounds gave Mamamoo more to paint with and it has produced vivid and entertaining tunes for any kind of listeners. 

  What do you think of ‘White Wind’? Comment your thoughts down below!

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  Written by: Eliana L.

Sources: Mamamoo Facebook | Mamamoo Twitter | Mamamoo Youtube | TV-People Youtube | Mnet K-POP

Check out Mamamoo's newest album 'White Wind' ! As promised, Mamamoo completes their year long project ‘Four Seasons Four Colors’ with the release of their ninth mini album ‘