#chase malone scenario

[jbtwentytwo]

🐝 novacandy

... so, I hope this title is related to the Post Malone song. Otherwise this is gonna be very awkward😅 Anyway.

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At some point, Jenson lost count on how many glasses he already had, but pretty sure it was below ten, possibly above seven.

He didn't care, he just needed to drink. A lot.

There was a tiny part in his brain that was still trying to stop him, the one that reminded him how pissed his dad would be if he found Jenson looking like this: drowning on booze in some shitty bar in Belgium.

But what else was he supposed to do? This now had been 5 races since Turkey and his lead started slipping away. Everyone was chasing him, and he could barely get away from them.

He signaled the bartender for another glass when the TV near the bar area suddenly showed his interview earlier after the race.

"Do you actually wanna win this championship?" The stupid journalist asked him.

Do you actually want a punch in your fucking face. That's what I should've said.

Jenson thought to himself, feeling the deep, rumbling growl in his body started coming up to the surface again. It wanted to chase something, and if he couldn't get it on track, might as well get it off track.

you can still submit your asks/prompts like this, here's how you do it

P.S = Drink responsibly, kids. Remember, this is a FAKE scenario. I'm sure irl JB dealt with the situation a lot better than this JB🧐 He's a World Champion after all.

[midnightghostwriter]

netflix and no chill

↬ summary: when lost in translation goes just a little too far to the wayside.

↬ genre: fluff

↬ pairing: chase/chacha malone x reader

↬ word count: 2.9k

a/n: another repost of an older work i did. istg i write stuff besides fluff, it's just all in the works rn. xP

It was well past time for the sun to be shining down on the harried faces of pedestrians shoving past each other on their way to any number of destinations. But the sun seemed much too tired to show her face, choosing instead to hide behind the silver-grey skirts of the clouds dotting the sky. The dim color had absolutely no bearing on the small spot of warmth blooming in you as you wove through the crowds to the AOMG office. It could begin pouring rain and you would probably still be smiling brightly to yourself.

You couldn’t remember the last time you had set foot in the place, though it certainly felt like longer than just a few weeks. Of course you understood that life for your musically-talented friends was beyond busy, and the last thing you expected was endless hours to spend with them. Their careers came before almost anything else, and standing in the way of something each and every one of them had been so long reaching for - you would never dream of it. Even so, you could only go so long without seeing them before something had to be done.

So here you were, pushing past the glass doors and waving to a few of the people scattered about the lobby. Rather than wait for the elevator, you slipped into the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time to the studio floor. The faint sounds of music drifted into the hall from one of the rooms, and you followed it to a door sitting slightly ajar.

Inside you discovered Jay and Loco sprawled on the couch, lazily scanning their phones, though they had the presence of mind to look up as you snuck in. Gray stood at the mic, firing out lines too fast for you too follow, especially with the window between you and the booth blocking most of them. Most importantly, though, was Chacha seated before the impressive array of mixing equipment. Ignoring the knowing looks on the other boys’ faces and the way your heart thumped in your chest, you plopped down into the vacant seat next to him.

You had yet to say it out loud to anyone but Hoody, but you had developed something of a crush on him. What had begun as mildly enthusiastic fangirling over his talent, had unexpectedly grown into more, and now you were hopelessly infatuated. The two of you had bonded further over your shared origins outside Korea, though you had the advantage of a mother from Gwangju. Even so, the two of you had hit it off much to your delight, and it had become a common sight to see you either at his side or running off to join him.

Which was probably why even though the pair of you didn't say anything as you watched Seonghwa finish his verse, he still handed you a can of coffee that had been perched happily beside his own. You accepted gratefully, shooting him a beaming smile before popping the tab and silently chugging most of its contents. It wasn't nearly as involved as theirs, but your own work had been wearing you down as well, and you were happy for the pick-me-up.

As soon as the door opened and the booth’s former occupant took up residence with Jay and Hyukwoo on the couch, Chase turned to you, smiling so genuinely your stomach flopped.

“Hey, long time no see!”

“Jeez, you say it like we haven't spoken in years or something!” You laughed. He shrugged.

“Feels like it. You haven't been by the studio in ages.” It was your turn to let your shoulders rise and fall as you tried to play it cool.

“I know you've all been busy. I didn't want to get in the way.”

“That's a lame ass excuse,” Jay declared. “Y’know you're welcome here anytime.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm busy too.”

“Busy avoiding how deep in denial you are,” Gray chimed in. It took your brain a second to process the sudden switch he'd made to Korean, but when you had you sent him your darkest glare.

“Yah!” The other guys chuckled, though Chase just looked confused. For once you were grateful for his lack of knowledge with the language, as it saved you the immense embarrassment of explaining yourself. The others relentlessly teasing you was more than par for the course, but it didn't make you want to crawl down a hole any less. What came out of Jay’s mouth next didn't help in the least.

“Well I think that's everything for now. We’re gonna go get lunch.” Before you could open your mouth, the three of them fled the room, leaving you and Chacha alone.

“They could have at least invited us too,” you muttered. He watched the way you pouted and chuckled.

“Who needs them, let's go get lunch ourselves.” You looked at him, the implication of his proposition making your stomach do somersaults.

“Don't you wanna go catch up to them or something?” He scoffed and stood, holding a hand out to help you out of your chair. You accepted, letting him tug you to your feet.

“Nah, I see enough of them here during the day. Let's go.” As he began leading the way out of the office, his phone buzzed. Checking the screen, he rolled his eyes at Jay’s message.

You owe me.

A second later, it was followed up with,

Don't fuck it up.

Despite your initial hesitation to spend any extended time with Chase, lest you become a mess of butterflies and nerves, you made it through lunch without any problems. In fact, it was the most fun you'd had in a long while, and when you caught him grimacing at his phone your heart dropped.

“Sorry but I should probably get back.” Knew it. But you smiled in understanding and started gathering the remains of your meal.

“Those tracks won't mix themselves!” You declared cheerfully. When you looked up from tossing your collective trash, a look of hesitance had overtaken him. “What?”

“Do you wanna come over later?

“What?” You repeated, this time with an added edge of disbelief. His gaze slid away from yours and you realized you'd never seen him, the Chacha Malone, so obviously nervous.

“Well it's been awhile since we hung out, so I was thinking when I'm done at the studio you could come by... There's some new stuff out, so we could watch that and just, y’know, chill.” If your desire to not look like a ridiculous beached fish hadn’t won out, you were fairly certain you would’ve been gaping at him. Instead you swallowed and raised your eyebrows at him.

“Chase did you…. Did you just ask me to Netflix and chill?” Realization dawned in his eyes, before they melted back to his familiar dark brown, lighted with amusement.

“I guess I did,” he laughed. “Are you saying no?” This time it was you who hesitated, weighing the offer in your mind. After all, it didn’t have to mean what you thought it did, right? And even if it did, were you really going to turn that down?

“I’ll see you tonight,” you managed eventually, and the two of you went your separate ways out the door.

By the time you showed up at his apartment door, with what felt like an eternity left before the time he’d texted you earlier, you were a mess. A nervous, excited, and maybe even a little queasy, mess. You’d made an effort to wear more than just your typical couch surfing gear of sweats and a comfy tee, and even refreshed your makeup rather than removing it like you usually would have. None of it made you feel any better about anything.

The universe took pity, though, only giving you a few minutes to worry yourself senseless before the door swung open after you’d finally raised the courage to knock. You could see the weariness of the week catching up to him; not only in the faintly visible bags under his eyes, but also the fact that he was in a well-worn hoodie and jeans that made you feel supremely overdressed.

“Hey.” He moved aside, letting you slip past into the hall. “Did you come from somewhere?”

“Huh?” You looked up from taking off your shoes, meeting his eyes with your confused ones.

“You seem more dressed up than you were earlier.”  Shit. Forcing a quick smile onto your face and willing your cheeks to stop heating up, you nodded.

“Oh y-yeah, I met one of my friends at the mall earlier.” Before he could ask any more questions, you moved past him into the lounge, making yourself comfortable on the couch and he followed suit a moment later.

Picking something to watch wasn’t difficult as you both shared similar tastes in shows and movies. It was getting through the episodes that was proving to be difficult. You were so high strung you had forgotten what was happening at this point, and you couldn’t be bothered to focus enough to find out. What you were focused on, rather than whatever pickle the main character found themselves in, was how close you two were seated, how you could just feel his body heat seeping into your skin despite his sweatshirt, how if you moved a smidge to the left, you’d be basically leaning on him. None of these thing seemed to bother Chase, and that just made you all the more frustrated with yourself. You were beginning to think you had read way too far into his offer earlier that day, and he had meant exactly what he said - Netflix and chill the fuck out.

Then, it happened. What many considered to be the universal signal that things were stepping up a notch. When you had turned your head back to the television in an effort to actually pay attention, he shifted beside you, and suddenly you realized his shoulder you’d been carefully seated away from had moved. Oh.

Your companion showed absolutely no sign that he picked up on how your heart began to race or how you had frozen to the spot. Uncertainty ran like ice through your veins, a thousand questions spinning through your mind. Namely, however, was what the fuck were you supposed to do now?

After several elongated second of deliberation, you settled for playing it cool, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Yup, you had noticed absolutely nothing except how very interesting the show before you was. And so you continued to tell yourself, a mantra that lasted enough episodes that you actually felt yourself loosening up, your earlier tension dissipating.

But fate had other plans apparently, and all your hard work was undone a second later.

You had finally settled into a comfortable position, letting yourself lean into him just enough to be supported in your lounging; everything was right with the universe. But just as another episode ended, you felt eyes on you and turned to find Chase staring at you.

“Wh-what?” You asked, suddenly and inexplicably nervous. The racing thump of your heart in your chest went unnoticed as he leaned a tiny bit closer, still silent. As if on some kind of pre-programmed instinct, your eyes slipped shut and you held your breath. Warmth brushed your cheek and you felt heat lick its way up your neck to your face.

When nothing else happened after a few seconds, you finally opened your eyes, and Chase was still staring at you, this time looking bemused. Oh no.

“You had an eyelash stuck to your cheek.” You nodded at the simple explanation, shame and humiliation in equal part flooding your system.

“Thanks,” you muttered, almost inaudible, as you looked anywhere but him.

The second your eyes dropped from his and red flooded his cheeks, Chase knew he had fucked up. And fucked up hard. You looked positively mortified, and it was abundantly clear you had expected something more, something he was all too willing but too apparently oblivious to give.

Fuck.

He had always known he liked you. From the moment the two of you had met and you had been able to not only match wits with Jay but share the group’s appreciation for music and art, he knew. But getting up the courage to say anything was impossible, even with all the time the two of you spent together, or perhaps because of it. After all, what was the appropriate time to tell your best friend you were more or less in love with them?

It could have been then and now, a moment of utter perfection handed down by the universe through Jay’s attempts at matchmaking, but it had passed. Fled the scene in the wake of his blunder, its disappearance obvious in how you situated yourself as far from him as possible and tried to hide your embarrassed tears with your hair.

Uncertainty and panic of a nature he had never known swept through him at the sight. What if he had messed up everything? What if you stopped coming by the studio on late nights to remind them to sleep? What if your gestures of comfort when all of them became too frustrated to think ceased?

What if he lost you as a friend, all because he had been too dumb to read the signs?

The crashing wave of possibilities was intimidating, almost keeping him frozen as the tension rose. What would happen, he had no clue, but he did know that if something wasn't done, he'd probably lose it. Even if it destroyed everything, he had to try something because seeing you like this was killing him.

As if you were a small creature not to be disturbed, he reached over and swept up the remote. He watched you jolt as the press of a button made the screen go black and the room fall incredibly silent. Acting completely independently of the coherent thought that had been washed from his mind, his hand found your shoulder, turning you back to face him. Your startled eyes met his, wide and unsure, and surprised at the faint light of determination in his.

“Ch-Chase…?” His name as it passed your lips was barely a whisper, too hesitant to be much more than that. The tension crawled molasses slow along your skin, wrapping you in a tight and nearly suffocating embrace. It felt like an eternity with your gazes locked on one another’s, the feeling of drowning in his stare beginning to consume you when he finally leaned in and this time when you closed your eyes, you got exactly what you’d wanted.

What kissing Chacha Malone was like you couldn’t have hoped to guess. It was something you never thought you would get to experience. Yet as his mouth found yours, molding together in a way that was almost too perfect, you were struck with the notion that it was something you would give anything to do again. Your head tilted back in response, following the light touch of his hand cupping your neck to deepen the kiss. Restless fingers found the neck of his hoodie and tugged him even closer, wanting to get everything out of the kiss that you could.

The need for oxygen that had your lungs screaming in your chest was the only thing that kept you from pressing into him further, or begging with fingers cascading through his hair for something beyond the sensation of his lips against yours. Taking a moment to collect yourself and enough oxygen to think past your spiralling emotions, your eyes remained closed, missing the way his expression shifted into something along the lines of stunned or star-struck. He studied you silently as you finally opened your eyes again, meeting his gaze with pupils blown wide and lips slightly swollen from the intensity of the kiss and, in short, perfect. A few moments later those lips split into a shy smile and you let out a soft laugh that made his heart warmer just hearing it.

“Well,” you started, slightly breathless even still, “that was… That was something.”

“Uh yeah,” he muttered. Now that the moment had passed, he found himself incredibly embarrassed that he had done something so rash. He supposed he was lucky you hadn’t utterly rejected him. That would have been infinitely worse.

“So…” Embarrassment was making the rounds now to you, and it brought with it a healthy dose of uncertainty. Where did this leave you? “I’ll be straight. I like you, and I’d really like it if you liked me too. But if this was just a one time thing tell me now so I don’t humiliate myself later.” His eyes widened for a moment before he shook his head.

“No, definitely not a one time thing. At least, I’d like it not to be. If, uh, that’s what you want too. Because I kind of, maybe, like you too.” A sly grin crossed your lips.

“‘Maybe’? That’s not good enough, Chase,” you teased, watching with utter amusement as panic set in, and he hurried to elaborate.

“Wait wait wait, I like you too! For real.” Another giggle escaped you and, feeling bold now, you leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

“I’m glad,” you told him, softer now, a matching smile replacing your earlier one. He returned it with a genuine grin of his own and slid an arm around your waist.

“So about that whole ‘Netflix and chill’ thing.”

“Don’t push your luck, slick.”

Wearing matching idiotic grins, the two of you settled back on the couch, much more comfortably entwined than before. As you engrossed yourself in the next episode, Chase slid his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text.

To: Simon I believe you and Loco owe Jay ten bucks. Just saying.

[dprwolfgang]

Lights Down Low // Jay Park Series

15. Lights Down Low : The Final Chapter

After a year and three days,here’s the final chapter of Lights Down Low.Fair warning it’s not proof read and it’s a bit confusing lol but I hope you all enjoy -if y’all still read my works anyways- Thanks for all the support.Love y’all.

Leya’s P.O.V

Walking into the house, the last thing you expected was the silence that greeted you.Usually it’s always noisy.The mess in the kitchen however was no surprise as you knew how lazy Jay could be at times.

“Babe,” You call out as you make your way up the stairs. Peeping into Kai’s room, he’s fast asleep with Oscar at the foot of his bed and Pj in his arms.Closing his door you head to yours and Jay’s bedroom at the end of the hall.

“Jaebum,” You call out but upon opening the room you’re greeted by darkness and the soft snores of your man child.Careful not to make any noise you put your bags in a corner and grab a change of clothes using your phones light and head for the bathroom. You were in need of a shower after that train ride from Busan.

What could have possibly made my boys so tired that they’re out cold and it’s not even 8pm yet? 

I know for a fact that Kai would sleep straight into tomorrow but Jaebum on the other hand would be up sooner.

Drying my hair, I toss the used towels into the hamper.Jay now laid on his back as he mumbled incoherent things in his sleep.Climbing into bed,I straddle his lap and shake him lightly.

“Bum,”

“No…don’t leave. I’m sorry.” He mumbles.

“Jay.. Baby wake up,” I shake him again.He tosses a bit but doesn’t wake up,still mumbling.What the hell is he even dreaming about?  

Shaking him roughly a couple times I curse when he still doesn’t wake up.God, please forgive me for I’m about to do.

“Wake your short, pointy ears having ass up,” I shout before slapping him across his cheek and he jolts forward, his head colliding with mines.

“Owww! Bum what the fuck?” I groan,rubbing at my forehead.

“Cataleya?”  

“No shit Sherlock.” What was she doing here? Didn’t she get married? Why was she straddling my lap?

“What are you doing here?” Jay questions reaching across to the bedside table and turning on the light there.

“Uh, I live here? I know I was gone but damn baby it’s only been two days.”

“No you don’t and why are you on my lap?” He replies pushing you off.What the fuck?

“You’re married to that Gregory guy so why are you here?” Who the fuck is Gregory?

“What in god's name are you on about? If this your way of telling me you don’t wanna get married anymore,it’s a bit too late for that.” You say to him,getting off the bed.

“This is not real,it’s just in your head Park.Wake up.” He mumbles before proceeding to slap himself a couple times. “how long have we known each other? What year is it?” He suddenly asks.

“It’s 2019 and I’ve known you since I was 20 Jay,you know this.”

He’s off the bed before he can give you a reply.Grabbing at the nearest pair of shoes and a  hoodie,he slips them on before reaching for his phone and wallet on the nightstand.

“Where are you going?”

“For a drive…I need to clear my head.” Before you can say anything he’s out the bedroom,down the steps and out the door. The only thought running through your mind is ‘What the fuck just happened?’

One week later.

“What’s up with you and Jay?” Kiseok asks.He had come to me to work on some tracks for his album and we’ve gotten closer since then.

“I’ll give you an answer when I find out.We haven’t spoken since he practically ran out the house last week and he’s been ignoring my calls.I’ve been alone finalizing a wedding that may not even happen Ki.” I had no idea what was wrong or how to even fix it but in all honesty…at this point I’m not sure Jay even wants to marry me anymore.

“Aye,none of that sulking.This is a happy place.” Kiseok says. “Now I know we weren’t always as good as we are now and I wasn’t the nicest person when we first met but I can one hundred percent assure you that Jay wants to marry you.The guy bought the damn ring five months into y’all officially dating. I know things may seem uncertain right now but in two weeks time you’re going to be Mrs.Park Jaebum and you’ll look back at this and laugh.If anything he’s just scared that you’ll leave him hanging at the altar. You two have to get married,if you don’t then love ain’t real.Now turn that frown upside down and come join me on Instagram live.” He says pulling his phone out his pocket and hopping back onto Instagram after being gone for so long and looking like a damn bowl of spicy ramyeon.

“Thanks.” Was all I managed to say before his live started.

My fingers hovered over the piano keys as I tried my best to stay awake.Kai was with his grandparents for the weekend and without him or Jay around, the house felt rather empty.

With only one week left until the big day I had no idea where Jay and I stood.He just left and I hadn’t heard from him since then.

I had no idea when I fell asleep or how I ended up on the bed but the smell of caffeine woke me up.Sitting up and stretching, I get off the bed and head down to the kitchen to turn off the coffee maker because I’m positive I took it off automatic. I pause when soft humming hits my ear,I move slowly along the wall to kitchen.

Before I could peek in, a voice I know all too well speaks up. “I already know you’re there baby,sneaking up on me won’t work. I knew the moment you got out of bed.” Stepping out from where I was,I spot Jay sitting at the counter with breakfast laid out.

“Stop staring and come sit.” He says without turning to look at me.Hesitantly I make my way and sit opposite him.

“Eat.” He still isn’t looking at me and I don’t like it.

“Where have you been?”  

“Leya,eat.”

“Look at me and tell me where the hell you’ve been for the past two weeks Jaebum.” I try not to raise my voice but that doesn’t work out.How the hell does he expect me to eat when he just shows up after leaving us for two weeks without even a text or call.He doesn’t answer but he does look at me. “Was that your way of telling me that you don’t want to get married anymore?” I fiddle with the ring on my finger when he still doesn’t give me an answer.

“I know the way in which I left must have given you doubts but let me assure you that I am never going to change my mind about marrying you.You’re my special someone,both you and Kai and someday soon I’m going to put a baby girl in you but that...that dream felt so fucking real and it messed with my head a bit. I’m sorry for how I left,more importantly I’m sorry if I gave you any doubts.”

“Where were you and what dream?”  

Pulling me out my seat and onto his lap,he wraps both his arms around my waist and starts telling me about his dream and where he’d been.I’ll admit he could have just spoken to me about it but I also understand that he needed space but above all that I’m just glad that he’s finally home.

“I know we have our moments but no relationship is perfect.It was just a dream,I’m here and it’s where I’m going to stay because there’s no other man that’s ever gonna make me want to fight and love him at the same time.You’re it for me Jaebum and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I can’t wait either and that’s why I need you to wake up.”  

“Huh?”

“Come on Leya wake up.” I hear Sunghwa’s voice as Jay starts to fade.

“You gotta get her up before Jay starts losing his shit at the alter.” Another voice sounds but I can’t make out anything as I struggle to open my eyes. What the fuck was going on?

“I think she’s coming to..that’s it Leya.Open your eyes please before your man kills us.”

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room I’m in once they’re open but once they’re cleared I see Chase,Hyukwoo and Kiseok high five each other as Sunghwa lets out a sigh of relief.

“Why are y’all looking at me like that?”

“Ohh! I don’t know! Maybe it’s the fact that you didn’t eat or stay hydrated when I told you too.” It’s Hyunjung who’s popping out from behind Chase.That’s when everything starts making sense.Them being all formally dressed. I was getting married today.Holy shit! I’m getting married.

“Somebody’s finally back,” Chase chuckles. “We gotta get back out there,Hoody ensure that she’s good and we’ll continue in ten minutes.”

As soon as they’re out the door she’s rushing over and hugging me.

“Woman! I swear to God you better not scare me like that again. I almost told them about you know what.”  

“I’m sorry,” I sigh. “I had the weirdest dream though.”

“As much as I’d love to hear about it,we have four minutes to get you out there before Jay comes barging in here like a caveman.” She helps me stand and adjusts my dress. “I can’t wait to see him cry,” she snickers and I laugh lightly knowing exactly why she said it.

“How much did you bet with them?”

“In total...two hundred million wons and Hyukwoo has to where whatever I pick out for him the week before he leaves for army duty.” She smirks devilishly and I can’t help but smile.

They were a crazy bunch but I love them.Each and every one of them have  become such an important part of my life that I have no idea what I’d do without them.Before I can get any deeper in my feelings there’s a knock at the door before Dean sticks his head in.

“You ready Sofrito?” You’d think he’d get tired of calling me that after all these years but he hasn’t stopped. I smile and nod at him as he fully opens the door and sticks his hand out.

“Never thought I’d see the day someone tied Jay’s ass down nor someone tame your crazy ass.” He chuckles lightly,linking his arm with mine as he walked me towards the entrance.

“Tame?? I’m still crazy and he knows I don’t play.” I smile at him.Dean was as much a brother to me as Ronnie was and that’s why I had them both walking me down the isle.Once we're outside the door Ronnie sticks his head in, most likely signaling to whoever that we were ready.The classic bridal tune begins and the doors open as Ronnie links his arms on my right.Both him and Dean walk me down the isle before handing me over to Jay who looked like he was about to cry.Halfway through my vows,the first tear slips and I couldn't help but chuckle because Hoody had just won. Chase and Sunghwa mouth the word 'finally' to each other once our vows are said and the priest announces that 'you may now kiss the bride.'

Jay pulls me in and kisses me softly before resting his forehead against mine,"thank you." he mumbles.

"what are you thanking me for?"

"for giving me everything I've ever wanted…a family to call my own,your love and affection even if I get on your last nerves just…just everything. And with that he's kissing me like it's the last time he'll feel my lips.

After everyone gives there speeches at the reception and our first dance,Chase announces that we have put together a little performance for our guests.Everyone knew this day wouldn't be complete if Jay didn't invoke some kind of competition.We hadn't picked a honeymoon destination just yet and so whoever won this got to choose as well as to see who could give who the better wedding present and knowing my husband he's fully confident that he has this in the bag. Oh if he only knew.

I'm made to sit on a chair in the middle of the ballroom,facing the stage.I smile as I see Kai get up on stage with his guitar."Hi,mama." he smiles brightly and the crowd coos at him in his all white suit just like his dad.Seconds later Jay appears with two stools.Kai hops up onto one and Jay helps him with his guitar before he sits on the other and adjusts his microphone.

"Just want to thank everyone for coming out and celebrating this new chapter in our lives with us," he speaks "but y'all know this day wouldn't be complete without a little friendly competition." he smirks and the audience groans playfully.

"This first thing is my wedding gift to you.i know I've said this a million and one times for the day already but thank you and please don't leave me cause my mom would legit ring my ears if you did."

"Damn right," Mrs.Choi speaks up from her seat and everyone laughs.

The light dims after that and suddenly little crystal like lamps are lit around them both on stage and a light fog rolls in.Kai starts playing his guitar and the screen behind them starts playing videos from when we'd first met.

As Jay sings,Kai occasionally joins in with adlibs and I can't help the tears that start streaming down my face. Thank god for water proof makeup.

Is this what they'd been sneaking around with for the past few weeks?

Everyone bursts into cheers as they come to an end and I can't help but find myself on stage wrapping both of them in my arms.Jay ushers me back to my seat after and few moments and he proceeds to perform some of his songs that he knows are my favorite,even bringing Chase and the others in for one that they'd recently done together.Once he's finished,it's my turn to give my gift and knowing how big of a Beyonce fanboy he is,I know he'll enjoy what I have planned.

Ensuring that my mic-pack is securing the music starts and I make my entrance. 

The small peacoat that covered just until mid-thigh was enough to hide the surprise until the end.Jay sat with his mouth open or smiling and cheering throughout the entire performance and as our gathered in around him, the spotlight shines on me standing sideways,I unwrap the coat and smooth my hands over the very visible bump that I've been hiding for the past two months.Everyone is quietly as it takes a moment for Jay to process before he's out his seat and wrapping me in his arms,laying kisses all over my face.

"You're pregnant? I'm gonna be a dad again?"

"yes,yes and you got your wish," I smile at him. He doesn't get another word in the guys are clapping him on the back and congratulating him.

As the night draws to an end Jay and I find ourselves seated at an empty table with the family.His parents left over an hour ago and Ronnie had to go pack for his early flight out as well as Dean.My feet in Jay's lap and one of his hands draped over the back of my chair as we reminisced. "Remember when we first met and Leya dragged you by your ear out her studio?" Sungwha laughed along with Hyukwoo who adds, "what about when I asked if she had any Korean in her and he almost blew a gasket." We all started laughing at that. We had come a long way from a message on Instagram.

"Thank you." I mouth to him and he smiles before leaning in and placing a kiss on my forehead and then my lips before leaning back and sighing happily.

My life had changed so much since I've met each and everyone of them and I can't wait for this new chapter in our lives that we're about to begin.

[cthulhumystery]

[Image description: Two surly Bureau of Investigation Agents flank occultists Estelle and Anjana, in front of an ominous moonlit building.]

We’re in the final days of funding the next season of our show, a story called “The Case of the Penumbral Gate”. As of this posting, less than 36 hours remain. Support the show here: cthulhumystery.com/crowdfund

Fan-favorite sapphic occultists, Anjana and Estelle, are back and find themselves in the crosshairs of two down-and-out Bureau of Investigation Agents played by Sarah Rhea Werner of @girlinspacepodcast and Liam Malone of RPG From Scratch. It’s a tale exploring metaphysical malpractice in the haunted halls of Arkham Asylum, the troubled history of female Agents in the Bureau of Investigation, occult Jazz-Era hedonism, the trauma of The Great War, and the power of love and acceptance.

[Image description: A mock up showing the 50-page hardcover edition of the RPG book for Terrible Secret of Lot X. ]

“The Case of the Penumbral Gate” as well as our award-winning season, “The Terrible Secret of Lot X” will be adapted into Chaosium-licensed Call of Cthulhu roleplaying scenarios, written by Keeper Luke Stram and illustrated by Jarrod Pope.

[Image description: A cloth bag spilling out 5 wooden red herring coins - a fish on one side and the yellow symbol on the other. ]

Many other perks await our backers, such as Red Herring Coins for players who do a good job of chasing down bad leads, Call of Cthulhu gaming sessions run by our Keeper, tea & tarot with Cat Blackard, haunted items from Lot X, and more.

[Image description: A graphic highlighting the path of stretch goals, details outlines on our crowdfunding page.]

Stretch goals include exciting expansions like two original songs written and recorded for the show by @armyoftoys​, a remaster and expansion of our debut season, and a special all about Sarah Rhea Werner’s character, Agent Lake.

THE CAMPAIGN ENDS 11/23! DONATE HERE.

Keep us alive, and help us bring the darkness to light.

[textaomg]

gym is paying off 💘💘💪🏼💪🏼

[richardpapensdiary]

Rules: answer 16 questions and tag 16 people you want to know better.

so to my followers that don't exist, here's me answering 16 questions because @silverlightqueen tagged me lol.

1. height: 162 cm / 5 ft 3 in or so.

2. last thing i googled: "162 cm in feet" lmao.

3. favorite musician(s): bts, nct (all the units inc. wayv), stray kids, day6, ateez, jay park, ella mai, clipping., chase atlantic & conan gray. i also like some specific songs from different bands etc, but i'm not gonna mention them because otherwise this is gonna take like fifty years lol.

4. song stuck in my head: shoot me by day6,, issa bop.

5. followers: like twelve?? idk i just reblog things so ppl don't really care.

6. following: 20-40, mostly just writing blogs lol.

7. do you get asks: not really.

8. amount of sleep: i just woke up and managed to sleep for 11 hours, fucking finally lol. otherwise like 5 to 9 hours depending on the day.

9. lucky number(s): 23, because in middle school i was the 23rd student by surnames.

10. what are you wearing: black & white striped t-shirt, gray shorts and wannabe calvin klein underwear lol.

11. dream job: a writer/author, a journalist or a history teacher; they're the only realistic ones at this point, because i'd love to be an actress but i'm 1. from a small country and 2. not that good at acting.

12. instruments: i guess i know how to play a recorder, but that's it.

13. languages: finnish, swedish & english.

14. favorite songs:

- shooter by clipping.

- taste by tyga & offset

- fake love by bts

- gogobebe by mamamoo

- home by bts

- tony montana by agust d

- trip by ella mai

- shot clock by ella mai

- lonely by leegikwang & jiselle

- want by taemin

- cat & dog by txt

- airplane pt. 2 by bts

- chun-li by nicki minaj

- barbie tingz by nicki minaj

- chronosaurus by stray kids

- my pace by stray kids

- hellevator by stray kids

- 3rd eye by stray kids

- bon bon chocolat by everglow

- superhuman by nct 127

- pirate king by ateez

- love scenario by ikon

- baby don't stop by nct u

- regular by nct 127

- dnyl by nct dream

- gashina by sunmi

- bang bang bang by bigbang

- all i wanna do by jay park

- yacht by jay park & sik-k

- twisted dreams by jay park

- take off by wayv

- road not taken by stray kids

- side effects by stray kids

- roll deep by hyuna

- pied piper by bts

- trivia: seesaw by bts

- shoot me by day6

- days gone by by day6

- i need somebody by day6

- dally by hyolyn & gray

- wow by post malone

- checkmate by conan gray

- snapping by chungha

- piri by dreamcatcher

- hobgoblin by clc

- hala hala by ateez

- aurora by ateez

- butterfly by loona

- shoot out by monsta x

that's basically my entire playlist lmao, and it's almost entirely kpop oof.

15. random facts: 1. i'm actually pretty good at math but i fucking hate it as a subject, 2. i have two dogs & 3. i used to dance ballet.

16. aesthetic: old bookstores, bitter coffee, fairy lights, 80's clothing, musical playbills, arcades, mixtapes, vinyls, velvet heels and dresses, trift shops, marble statues, victorian paintings, hangouts at rooftops, decorative graffits, greek mythology, tinted glasses & dark novels.

i'm not gonna tag anyone because i'm scared,, oof. but like the two ppl that end up seeing this, pls interact with me i want friends 🥺🥺.

[kihyunspanda]

Best of 2018 Tag

@gayforseungcheol tagged me to do this.

I'll tag @tangerine-jinani @justanotherblackchick @arrianna21 @honeyybin @lov-scenario @blushoseoks @shinigamibutterfly @joonsplaylist @taecheeks @blingbling-nunibusyeo @sanqyeongf

Top 5 Albums*

* in no particular order

▪ Love Yourself: Tear ~ BTS

▪ Hope World ~ J-Hope

▪ Present: You ~ GOT7

▪ The Connect: Deja Vu ~ Monsta X

▪ New Kids: Continue ~ iKON

Top 25 Songs*

*these are literally the first 25 songs on my Spotify 2018 playlist. Not necessarily released in 2018 😅

1. I Need Somebody - Day6

2. Surprise Yourself - Jack Garratt

3. Beautiful - iKON

4. Dimple - BTS

5. Been Through - EXO

6. Don't Change - Musiq Soulchild

7. A Little Braver - New Empire

8. In Love - Bobby

9. Better Now - Post Malone

10. Lullaby (Eng) - GOT7

11. Stop the Rain - Day6

12. Airplane - J-Hope

13. Only You - iKON

14. Airplane Pt 2 - BTS

15. Lightsaber - EXO

16. Beautiful - Monsta X

17. No Answer - G.Soul

18. Not a Bad Thing - Justin Timberlake

19. Secret - Bobby (feat. DK and Katie)

20. Chase Me - Dreamcatcher

21. Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

22. You Were Beautiful - Monsta X

23. The 7th Sense - NCT U

24. Just For You - iKON

25. Blooming Day - EXO-CBX

[oppatxtme]

Christian Yu: Just Let Me

x CHRISTIAN YU x

A/N: Since I’m still struggling with some things before the start of MISADEGALIO, here’s some quick scenario from our very hard working man. who’ve been inspiring us up to now.. I featured some AOMG and others for name reference. Hope Y'all like it! Advance Merry Christmas. 

Word Count: 4,524

 "Y/N?" your mom called you from behind you.

  "Uhmm?" you looked at her from the mirror in front of you since you're nearly done with your finishing touches on your makeup.

  "Are you sure you're not going to a date? You know it's fine, right?" she teased you.

  "Mom, please," you smirked as you tried to fix your hair. "I told you I'll attend our small class reunion from my high school, it's just a gathering thing they organize before Christmas." you remind her again.

You don't know if either she already has Alzheimer's or she just wants to nag you every single time she see's you all dress up - since you're not that fan of dressing up fancy - she always thought that you're either out on a date or already dating someone she didn't know about.

  It was not a secret that she wants you to be in a relationship and be married sooner than later. She keeps nagging you since what? Three years ago? Oh yeah, it was right after you graduated Med School.

  While studying, she was like a hawk eyes focus on all the guys who are attempting to get close to you and she will immediately build a mental wall from me. You understand her, she wants you to focus on your studies and get rid of all unnecessary distraction.

  But that flips 360 when you got your diploma and all. And when you start working as a resident to your local hospital, she always all friendly with all your colleague when she had the chance.

  So since that, you keep on telling her that you're still young and too early for marriage. But you said that two years ago since you're still adapting the environment from work. Now that you've been there for awhile, you had the tendency to get bored on your daily routine and just wished for a boyfriend to just pop out that will help you get your boring life all fired up.

  "From your high school? Oh, maybe Mrs. Yu's son will be there, he's from your class back then right?"

  Just hearing that last name made you stop for a second. But when you notice that your mom is waiting for your answer, you just shrugged it off.

  "I doubt that Mom, I've never seen him since for the last five or four years now. I'm impressed that you still remember him and his mother."

  "How can I forget that little kid who keeps following you home every single day from school. He was like your own bodyguard even tho you're much bigger than him if my memory is correct."

  You laugh when you remember those good old days, it was true that you are you're quite taller than him at that time. Remembering that and that last time you've seen him made you blushed.

  "Well, that's the good old days. He wasn't ever here in Australia anymore." you told her.

  She was about to say something but got interrupted.

  You and your mom heard a car honking outside your house.

  "Oh, that's must be Hoody to pick me up. I gotta go." you kissed your mom on the cheek and went outside and get on Hoody's car.

  "I swear, I have no idea at all. My mind went all blank ~ I can't even remember what happens next. I thought I'm gonna past out." Hoody said as she tells the details of what happened on the night Chase propose to her. "To be honest I didn't expect it - especially from him, right?" she looked at you for reaction.

  "You're hell right about that girl," Jessi response. "all I thought you're drunk that night when you send that voice message on our group chat. But when Chase posted that pics on his IG ~ damn girl, you'll be Mrs. Malone!" she laughs with a mixture of teasing Hoody.

  That made you laugh as well. You really enjoy their company ~ you have lots of set of friends from different aspects on your life ~ but for you, there's nothing come close on how you get all crazy and great when you're with this bunch.

  "Well for me, it was the other way around," Jay said in between all the laughs. "I thought Chacha is the one who is so drunk to even think of doing that!" and with that, all of you let out a loud laugh.

  Hoody on the other hand just pouts in silence even tho she finds it crazy as well. She just drops deadly glares at Jessi and Jay. "The two of you are so mean! And why am I'm the one being picked on when I'm the one getting married here and there's still one of us here are still single. Right Y/N?"

  You caught off guard on what Hoody said and now all eyes are on you. 'Shit.'

  "Me?" you said, "Are you serious, why me?"

  "Don't give me that look Y/N, you know you're my best friend and all ~ but have you forgotten the goal we set for our graduation?" Hoody said as a playful smile form on her lips.

  You sighed when you remember what she was talking about.

  "It's not as if I don't want to have a boyfriend and be engage like you. It's just that I can't find a time for it." you lied.

  "Can't find a time?" Hoody and Jessi said at the same time.

  "Okay," Hoody continue. "On your first year, remember that guy you mentioned me that you met on one of your subjects? What's his name again?"

  "Hoo--"

  "Matthew ~ that was his name and you pined over him for almost a year. It was later on you knew he was a total douchebag who just wants you to make his term paper for him. And you just let him until someone tell me about it and bit that guy up."

  You just rolled your eyes on how exaggerated she made it sounds.

  "There's that time as well," Jessi butt in. "Remember when we all went to Gold Coast, that was three years ago I think. His name was J.Seph and --"

  "Let's just drop it," you cut her when you can tell that your face is all flustered with all of this.

  "No," Hoody said. "as what Jess is saying, that J.Seph guy, you pretend that you can't swim--"

  "You know it was you who made me pretend because I loose from our bet." you tried to defend yourself.

  "--swim and made him teach you just to have an alone time with him but you backed out in midway, and you let some other girls get pass thru you."

  "He's a freakin lifeguard Hoody, he isn't a swim instructor! I can tell that I'm a better swimmer than him ~ God!"

  "And who else?" Hoody continue not minding what you just said. "Oh yeah, Taecyeon! From your law department at your university - that you start avoiding when you thought he was just using you to get with your co-attendant but in the end, you're the one he wants."

  You gave up. You massage your temple.

  "Past is past! Forpetessake!"

  "My point is you have all the time and the guys at the same time to be your proper boyfriend, but nooooooo ~ you still chose to let yourself be distracted for a reason." Hoody said as if she was your teaching you what's one plus one is.

  You can't help but laugh.

  "What now? I am trying to distract myself? For what reason?"

  "From Christian Yu." Hoody and some of the guys in the group you heard whispered.

  All of them including you went silent after hearing that name. As if the guy mentioned will just appear once you say his name aloud.

  Well, the closeness you and Christian back in the days are no secret to them, hell - all of you stayed in one section since the first year till graduation of your high school days. And all of them can tell back then that Christian treats you differently.

  You remember that on your last homecoming before graduation, he even had the courage to ask your parents permission to be your escort. Since your parents see no harm to him - well that's because he was so thin and all back then - they let him, and he was your first and last homecoming partner.

  But scratch that, the Christian Yu you knew back then is not the Christian Yu at the present.

  "C'mon Y/N, it's been what? Six - Five years?" Jay said breaking the silence. "Don't tell us you still hadn't get over with your first kiss?"

  Oh, how you wish you can kill Jay with your glares at that very moment. But you just sighed and massage your temple for more patience.

  "Who in the right mind told you that I haven't get over that jerk? And who do you think he is? Did you all think that I was still head over heels for that guy even now that he has his own company and went to my dream place - Santorini?"

  Silence. All eyes on you with all of them have that knowing look.

  "What?" you asked.

  "We thought you're not keeping tabs on him, so how come you know about his company and that he went to Santorini since it was just last month when he went there?" Hoody said, she doesn't seem to ask, she was accusing you.

  That realization made you shut up and swallowed hard.

  "TV?" at least you tried.

  That made them chuckled. And when you looked at Hoody, that playful smile is plastered in her not so innocent face.

  "What the heck are you thinking?" you asked her when she starts nodding without saying anything and just smiling like a devil.

  You looked at Jay and Jessi who seems have the same look as Hoody.

  "Nothing!!" Hoody said as she defends her arms when you about to pinch her.

  "That look doesn't seem nothing at all. I tell you guys, whatever y'all plotting, just cut it."

  "Fine." Hoody said as she rolled her eyes. "By the way are you free this coming Friday?" somehow you calm your nerves when she changes the topic.

  "I can make some arrangements, why?"

  "Just make yourself available that day," she said and smiled.

      You can feel your soul leaving your body as you saw a too familiar man who just entered the cafe you and Hoody are in. You immediately faced her since she's facing the other way to the entrance.

  "Don't tell me the one you're meeting was Christian?!"

  "Why did he arrive?" she said with all smile and turn around while just ignoring the fact that your face is as white as the tissue on the table.

  Hoody held up her hand to caught Christian's attention as he was roaming the cafe. When Christian saw Hoody he smiled as he removed his shades then he signals that he will just order his coffee.

  Now you understand why Hoody is being persistent to make you a dress up rather than your casual wear and even made you put a bit of makeup. And she even made your seat on the end of the table across her.

  She knew that once I knew that the one we will meet was Christian, I won't come with her and I will grab all the chance to slip away from this. But since Christian will be sitting beside me, that making me corner since I need to make him move first before I can even go. She really planned this all.

  You're about to grab your shoulder bag when Hoody knew what you're thinking.

  "Just relax Y/N."

  "Relax? How can I relax when you don't even mention me that he's the one we're going to meet?"

  "I mention him on our way here, I just didn't mention his name thinking that you've already got it." she tease you because true enough she mentioned something like describing sounds like Christian but you failed to focus on what she was saying because you're on the phone with your co-attendant discussing how she perform some surgery that lasted 10hours last night.

  "Look Y/N, you're reacting. Don't you think it's about time to test yourself on what you truly feel towards him till now? Aren't you tired of half feelings you're giving yourself since he left? And don't even argue with this because you knew what I mean. I'm your best friend Y/N, and the others feel the same. We all want to help you to understand what you really feel." she said as she copped her hands to yours.

  "Hi, there ladies!"

  You didn't even notice that he was already standing behind Hoody. He placed his seems hot cup coffee on the table as he returns the hug from Hoody who stand up just to greet him.

  For you, just to not make it awkward and doesn't seem being salty and all, you stand up as well to greet him. But unlike Hoody, you just settled to a half hug and give him a smile that you wished he didn't notice how forceful it was.

    So far the ‘catching up’ topic is going smoothly, you are really amazed at how Hoody manipulate the conversation the whole time. Mostly you just listened to them and just say Yes or No to a comment.

  You sip on your coffee as you looked at your wristwatch.

  Christian that was sitting on your left side seems to notice that you're totally quite, different on how he remembered you hence you're always the talkative one.

  "Do you have another place to be?" he can't help but asked while Hoody was still talking.

  "A-ah me?" you were caught off guard with his sudden question.

  "No she's totally free today, but me on the other hand," Hoody said as she looked at her own watch. "I think I'll head first, I almost forgot that I promised to bring lunch for the gang." and with that, she grabs her bag and walked outside.

  'Great! Just great... now what?!' you thought to yourself as you tried to focus on the coffee you're drinking.

  You heard Christian cleared his throat that made you looked at him.

  "So," he started, still unsure what to say to you. "it's been really a long time hasn't it." then he looked at you.

  You can't take his stare so you diverted your gaze and just nods to his question.

  "Well I hope nothing has changed --"

  "What do you mean?" you cut him, you can see on your peripheral vision he was looking at you and you just can't take to deal with that.

  "I mean, you're still the same, the same Y/N I knew..."

  "Too bad, I don't feel the same way." you can't believe that you manage to pull out your Medusa attitude towards Christian, 'I guess being around jerks made you better with this.' the jerks you're referring was the good for nothing co-worker guys whose keep bugging you during call time.

  You can see how his face went gloomy. "How can you say that I've changed?"

  "Because you do."

  "The last time I checked," he sighed. "I'm still the same Christian Yu for the past twenty-seven years on Earth and still the same Christian you knew since our Highschool days."

  You tilted your head as an objection to what he said.

  "Is this because of how I live my life now that made you think that?" he sips some of his coffee. "Not because I have this tattoos on my body, wearing expensive branded stuff, managing my own company and living my life on the way I wanted, that doesn't mean I forget who I am."

  "That's not what I meant." you looked at him and saw in his dark eyes what he was feeling and that made you guilty.

  "But that's what you're saying, you keep implying that I've changed. You ignored me all this time Y/N. Why? Because you're insisting that I've changed. I tried calling you - many times - but you keep on shutting me down, now I've changed?"

  You felt a pang of pain from your chest and felt a slight ache from the back of your head.

  "So it's my fault?" you let out a sarcastic laugh. "What the heck do you suggest I should do? When you're the one who kissed me the night of our last homecoming? You gave me hope that night, but you crushed that hope when you quit coming to school the next day and when we finally went to your house, you were gone and let me know all the freakin details thru your mother?! That you flew to Seoul right after our homecoming and you even failed to tell me?!"

  "Y/N ple---"

  "You kissed me Christian... not once," you tried your best to hold in all the tears you can feel that's ready to fall. "You kissed me and you just run away. You knew you'll be leaving but you didn't even say a word. Oh yea, you did say something that made me think that night, 'Don't forget, I'll see you soon' then you kissed me some more. I knew then that I meant nothing to you, even tho I confess my true feelings towards you. That's how little you take me for Christian." you clenched your fist.

  "Let me explain Y/N,"

  "No, there's nothing left for you to explain. All these years, I manage to think that you took pity towards me. Back then, a boyish girl whose parents are really strict, since you're the one boy they let me go with on homecoming, I knew you just felt sorry for me. And since then, I blame you, you kissed me to put a curse when it comes to my love life."

  "What do you mean?" Christian was clueless about what you're saying in the end.

  "In my twenty-seven years of existence, I'm still a freakin VIRGIN!" you said then punched him in his side.

  He immediately felt the pain from your punch and when he realizes what you said his eyes almost pop out.

  "What?! Are you saying that you never had a boyfriend all this time?" he can't believe in such and it was shown on his face.

  "I had few, but not good to last long enough." saying that made you looked down and admitting all this to him made you want to punch yourself.

  You heard him chuckled. And he just cleared his throat when you glare at him.

  "Anyways, where did you even get that idea?"

  "Idea?" you don't get what he was saying.

  "That 'you kissed me because you just felt sorry for me', do you really think I can do that?"

  "Well you just disappeared without a word Christian, what the heck do you want me to think? That you liked me too?" and you let out a sarcastic laugh.

  "For years, I never gave up trying to get thru to you Y/N."

  "Don't give me that Christian, you're making it sounds that we should just forget what had happened."

  "All these years I thought you were already with someone else." he just said with a smile of relief shown on his handsome face.

  "That won't ha-- what did you say?!"

  He moved enough to face you properly.

  "I thought you're already with someone. I'm not sure if Hoody mention this to you but I came back during your first year in the Uni, I planned to set the things between us right - I'm ready to back out in my agency at that time if you want me to, because honestly, all I can think about is you and your sweet lips. All that years you've been my strength, just thinking about you and the future we have after all my work was what keeps me going. But true to word that what makes you strong is your weakness at the same time. Going thru those painful days of training was all I can think was just stop and go home to see your face, to be with your embrace. It got me insane Y/N" he held your hand.

  "So when the management gave us a week off, I requested to fly back here, there were against it afraid that I won't come back but somehow they made their mind to let me. So I asked your whereabouts to Hoody and when she gave me the details, that's when I saw you with this guy that according to Hoody was named Matthew. You looked happy around him. I never have seen you like that when you're with me. But I knew something was off with that guy."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He seems shady so I kinda followed him more after you two separate that day, and there I found out he was just using you and he has more girls besides you."

  You're shocked by this revelation, no wonder you were surprised when Hoody - who went on a different Uni from you - barge in one day in yours and kicked the hell out from Matt.

  "So you're the one."

  "Damn yas. But I guess you really liked him since you still continue your ties with that guy even after you knew that. Hoody manages to promise me to keep tabs on you and take care of you on my behalf. So I just decided to let you be and just flew back to Seoul quietly and continue on what I've started and somehow - maybe I can make you proud and looked at me the same way."

  You can't help but laugh. That made Christian looked at you worried as if you're sick or something.

  "I'm sorry, I just can't believe this." he still looked confused. "You see, it would never happen, - I mean whatever you do - I'll never look at you the same way as I looked at Matt."

  "Why?"

  "Because, Christian Yu, Matthew - even he's big ass of a man - he's a closet queen. The girls you saw that with him after me, I bet it was his customers to do their makeups or something." you saw how Christian face transcend all the emotion when he manages to get what you mean.

  "Oh." he said, still trying to digest the whole idea he made for himself all these years.

  "Oh my my ~" you manage to tease him.

  He scratched the back of his head as if he felt embarrassed, but you cursed in your thought as you watched him and still he looked so damn good. Talk about puberty hits at its best. How you wish that hits could happen to you but that's too late now.

  "By the way," you said when you remembered something. "Since you mentioned that Hoody keeps you posted about me, I guess she mentions someone named Taecyeon?" He nods. "Uhmm - I don't know if you knew it but he was the lawyer in charge of your dismissal case regards your previous agency. Mr. Taecyeon Ok."

  He raised his eyebrow when he realizes it.

  "Oh," he said again.

  "Oh my my ~" and both of you laugh.

  You drank the remaining coffee you have in your cup.

  "So ~" you said that made Christian looked at you even tho you locked your eyes to the cup you're holding. "back then, you didn't kiss me just because you felt sorry for me?"

  "Yas." he nods.

  "And you tried reaching out to me for the past years but somehow you manage to stay lay low with all that?"

  "Like what we say, row like kings - lay low like clowns." he smiled as he nods.

  "And you thought I had a boyfriend who technically wants the same thing - a boyfriend?"

  "Hell yea." he chuckled. "Now my turn to ask, do you...?"

  "Do you ~ what?"

  "You know that." you can't tell if you're eyes playing tricks on you or did just Christian blushed?

  "What that? Just tell it."

  "I don't want to, it's too embarrassing."

  "Don't let me repeat what I've said, just spill it out or else!" you tried to hold back your laugh to make it seem you're serious.

  "Do you ~ like me?" and he bit his lips and looked down.

  Silence. He kept his eyes looked down, while you, on the other hand, looked at him freely ~ enjoying your chance to properly appreciate his looks - you take a mental note that you need to give thanks to Mommy Yu when this is done - and how rarely you see a man like him to be blushed and damn it's because of you.

  Because of the long silence, even tho Christian knew you were looking at him, he manages to look at you just to get the answer to his question.

  You smiled at him. Then you reach to touch his cheeks. And heck he was red as a tomato. That made you even happier.

  He was waiting for you to say something, so you decide to cut his torture - that was definitely a pleasure to you - it was enough to make him pay for making you wait almost in vain.

  "Of course ~ friends needs to like each other."

  You saw how all the redness of Christian's face drain and turned to pale real quick. You can't help it yourself but burst out laughing. Even some of the customers in the cafe looked at your way and can't help but be contained in your laughter.

  "Seriously Y/N!" he said not how to react properly.

  "Christian, I take it back ~ you're still the Christian Yu I knew, dumdum as ever and I always fall in love with you."

  "Oh Y/N ~" he said as he wraps his arms around you and pulled you closer for a hug that you gladly welcome.

  As the laugh exceed and he slowly loosens his arms around you, he placed his forehead against yours.

  "So how about let me take a taste of that sweet lips of yours that I've missed so much?" he said as he slowly moves to kiss you.

  You nod. "Tho I'm not sure if it's still sweet since I learn to drink coffee ever since you left."

  "Well, let me be the judge to that."

  The kiss tasted bitter-sweet, while you drink an americano latte- Christian, on the other hand, was drinking a cup of chocolate mocha.

  In between that kiss, you smiled, for you thought that maybe - just maybe Christian already knew that he will meet you that day; that he knew that the both of you will end up kissing each other in the end so - just maybe that's why he ordered chocolate-latte for his drink, even tho you knew the reason why you like americano latte from the first place ~ is it was his favorite drink when it comes to coffee.

[demiebby]

Can you please do a Gray scenario where he takes you to meet the others and in the end hes like "i think you lobe hoody more than me" because you guys become bffs quickly 💛tysm

My New Best Friend

Characters: Y/N, Lee Sunghwa/Gray, Kim Hyunjung/Hoody, Kwon Hyukwoo/Loco, and rest of AOMG artists

Genre: Friendship, Jealousy (from Gray’s cute ass)

A/N: I tried to add some humor into this by letting some of the guys refer to you and Hoody as “gay” jokingly.

You felt like you could throw up at any moment. Your hands were getting clammy and you were fidgeting in the car seat in your boyfriend’s car. Your eyes were fixated on the buildings you passed as you were both heading towards the headquarters of his job. Tonight you were going to meet his friends, and co-workers, for the first time. While it shouldn’t be nerve-wracking it was to you. You had your doubts of his friends. What if they didn’t like you? Or if they didn’t approve of you being with Sunghwa? It was the familiar feeling you got when you first met his parents. The intense fear that they wouldn’t accept you. In the end they did, in spite of how critical his mother was at first of Sunghwa dating you a foreigner. They approved of you; what of his friends?

A dull quaking sigh came from you and you leaned against the doorframe. Sunghwa heard your lament and reached over the armrest to grab your hand. You told him prior to the car ride of your anxiousness to meet his friends. He acknowledged your nervous stature. Sunghwa caressed your hand in his.

“Babe,” he called out to you, his eyes on the road, “Don’t worry. My friends are all open-minded. They will love you.”

You retorted, “What if they don’t? What if they think I’m just a groupie that got with you for other reasons?”

Sunghwa affirmed, “Then I’ll get new friends if that’s how they feel.” He turns into a narrow parking lot. “You know I’ll do anything for you Y/N. Even if that means getting rid of friends who don’t approve of our relationship.”

You beamed at Sunghwa and when he parked the car into a spot you unbuckled your seatbelt. You leaned your body across the space between you two to kiss his cheek. “I love you.” You told him sweetly before you got out from his car.

Sunghwa led you to the entrance of the building, holding your hand in his proudly. He showed you the lobby of the headquarters and you were amazed by the design. It felt like you were at home with the cool and neutral colors. The lavish furnitures and frames of their artists on the wall. He took you to a door and he knocked on it. Through the door you could hear music blaring, people laughing and talking loudly, and some thumping.

“What is going on? Are they having a party or something?” You asked him, your eyes wide and an eyebrow raised.

Sunghwa shook his head. You looked at him – he was probably used to this. Just then the door opened and a man around Sunghwa’s height, arm covered in tattoos, stood. He howled when he saw Sunghwa, completely missing your presence for a moment, to put him into a choke hold. His other hand playfully yet roughly ruffling his hair.

“Aye Gray! What took you so long homie?” He ruffled his hair once more, “Huh man?” The man’s eyes looked at you and he whistled. “Gray,” he started and released Sunghwa from his hold. Your boyfriend straightened his posture and fixed his hair. The man continued, his finger pointing at you, “This is your lady? You told us she was pretty but not gorgeous man.”

You blushed at his words, and covered your shy smile with your hand. Seeing this the guy continued flattering you, “That eyeliner you wearing really brings out your pretty eyes too baby. I like that. It’s sexy.”

You giggled and hit the man’s shoulder. “Stop with the flattery please.”

Sunghwa narrowed his eyes behind his friend. He added, “Stop it.”

The tattooed man ignored Sunghwa and invited you two inside. Your eyes scanned the room to see numerous of people crowded in a small room. There were around 6 to 7 of them. Multi-colored lights were flashing on the walls thanks to a party disco ball on a table. A few of them were on hoverboards. To you this must have been some sort of party if not then a get-together.

“Aye listen up!” The guy from earlier announced. The music stopped and eyes were on you and Sunghwa. “Loco get off the table man,” He scolded to a younger man wearing a navy blue beanie on his head. You watched him hop off and the guy continued. “Gray just came here with his girlfriend so y’all give her a warm welcome.” He turned to you, “What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

The guests all shouted, “Hey Y/N!”

“Alright, now we gonna introduce ourselves one by one. Starting off with me.” The man pointed to himself. “My name is Park Jaebeom, but call me Jay Park or Jay for short.”

The beanie guy introduced himself next. “I’m Kwon Hyukwoo, and I go by Loco. It’s nice to meet you.”

Then a intimidating man with chopped blonde hair. “Name’s Jung Kiseok, but I’m known as Simon Dominic or Simon D.” You thought he was cool.

Another man with slicked back hair followed, “Ugly Duck is my name, but since you’re family now call me Ju-kyung.” You smiled at that statement.

A guy on a hoverboard waved to you with a smile, “I’m Oh Mintaek, and my stage name is Elo. It’s nice to meet a special someone of Gray’s.”

Afterwards a man with tanned skin presented himself, “Chase Malone; call me Cha Cha Malone okay?”

Loco caroled, “I need a cha cha beat boy,” to which everyone broke out into laughter.

You gasped at Cha Cha and pointed a finger to him. “You’re him? Oh my god, it’s an honor to meet you! I love your beats they are so dope. You gotta show me how you do it man.”

Sunghwa complained, “What about me?” He folded his arms with a pout.

Jay clicked his tongue at Gray, “What about you?” and you chuckled. You assured your boyfriend that you appreciated his work just as much as you did Cha Cha’s.

Lastly the only female besides from you introduced herself. “Hello my name is Hyunjung, but call me Hoody.” You thought of her as pretty. Her piercing eyes contrasted with her sweet smile when she gave you a brief wave.

When introductions were over you and Sunghwa went your separate ways. He was dragged off by Jay and Simon to a recording room. That left you with the rest of the members of AOMG in the lounge. You were sitting on the couch talking with Hoody about your interests. Surprisingly you both had a lot. You both shared similar favorite artists, clothing brands, and even favorite dog breeds.

“How are you guys able to click so easily?” Hyukwoo enquired as he offered you a cup to drink. You asked him if there was alcohol in it to which he shook his head. You thanked him as you took the drink and shrugged your shoulders to his question. He pointed to himself and Ju-kyung. “Is it because we’re guys and you’re girls?”

Ju-kyung nodded his head, “That has to be it there’s no other way.”

You scoffed and Hoody rolled her eyes. “It’s not because of gender,” you said. “Me and her just click fast because we’re both interested in the same things and have many in common.”

“Don’t get riled up about them Y/N. They were like this when I first joined AOMG, too hesitant to talk to a woman. Especially Loco.” He gestured to the man. “He was so scared to talk to me I thought it was because I was ugly.”

“What?!” You exclaimed. “You are so pretty though! Beautiful to say the most!”

Hoody smiled shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You really think so?”

You nodded your head eagerly. Hyukwoo and Ju-kyung proceeded to make comments about you being lesbian. You comically replied, “Maybe for Hoody.” and covered it with laughter.

That night you exchanged your phone number and social medias with everyone. You gained extra followers on your Instagram, Snapchat, Kakao, and Twitter. You would speak to most of them, but you talked with Hoody more. You two would talk back and forth during the day and into the late night. Sometimes Sunghwa would have to coerce you into going to bed because of your conversations with Hoody. You couldn’t help it. The conversations were intriguing and engaging.

One day you and Hoody had made plans prior to Sunghwa arriving to your house. You were on the sofa with Sunghwa’s head on your lap while on the phone with Hoody.

“Really? Loco told you that he had a crush on you?”

“Yes he did! I was shocked at first… but I didn’t want to reject him. Loco is a nice guy and all but he’s not my type.”

You awed, “Then who is your type?”

Hoody took a moment to pause before she answered. “Jay. B-But I know that Jay has his eyes set on someone else already. I’m only using him as an example of my preference.”

“I know, I know, jeez calm down Hyunjung.” You proceeded to change the topic, “So what are you wearing for our date to the mall?”

“Probably just jeans, throw on a shirt, wear some sneakers. Nothing too flamboyant.”

You suggested, “Why don’t we wear similar outfits? I was thinking of wearing my pastel pink hoodie, skinny jeans, and Adidas sneakers.”

She hummed, “Hm,” then answered, “I don’t have a hoodie in that color, but I do have a cropped sweater. What color are your Adidas?”

“White.”

Hoody told you hers were white as well and you two confirmed your plans for the evening. You said your goodbyes and ended the phone call with her. You gently nudged Sunghwa’s head and made your way upstairs to your room. As you were searching through your closet for your outfit’s pieces Sunghwa entered. He sat on the bed watching you take out your pink hoodie and hold it up to your chest in the mirror.

“Planning dates, telling each other’s crushes, and wearing couple outfits,” He thought aloud, Sunghwa crossed his leg over the other and said, “If I didn’t knew any better I would think that you and Hoody were dating.”

You took off your t-shirt and pulled on the hoodie. “You wouldn’t be the first to say that.” You replied pushing your arms through the long sleeves and fixing the hoodie. You took off your sweatpants and began to look for a pair of skinny jeans.

Sunghwa stood up from the bed and hugged you from behind. You grumbled for him to get off of you because you needed to find your jeans when he suddenly turned you around. Your eyes went up to look at your boyfriend’s. “Gray, I gotta get dressed Hoody will be here any minute now.”

“I think you love Hoody more than me.”

His statement made you laugh and you hugged him. Your face buried in his chest while you shook with violent laughter. Sunghwa was confused. “Why are you laughing?” he asked.

“Because,” you started, “You! You’re jealous of my friendship with Hoody babe.”

“Well I wouldn’t be jealous if you’d cut back on hanging out with her. Lately you’ve been with Hoody rather than me.”

“Lee Sunghwa. Listen to me,” you grabbed his hands, intertwining your fingers in the spaces between his. “Hoody is just my friend. This is what friends do they hang out and go out to places together. If I am hanging out with her too often for your liking then I will cut back on it. Will that make you happy?”

Sunghwa nods his head to your suggestion and you kissed his lips. “Good. I still gotta change but I’ll commit to my promise after today.” You pushed him away and found the pair of jeans you were looking for. You slid them on and turned to your boyfriend who stood there pouting. You sighed at him, “Are you still sulking?”

“No,” he remarked.

“Then why are you,” You stopped refusing to break this into an argument. Sunghwa’s evident jealousy towards your evening out with Hoody was apparent. It wasn’t going to go away anytime soon no matter what you told him. You buttoned your jeans and ran your fingers through your hair. At that moment you came up with an idea. “How about this… I cancel my plans with Hoody to go out to the mall with you and out to the movies. How does that sound?”

Sunghwa shrugged his shoulders briefly but he smiled through his action. He nodded his head agreeing to your plan. “I like that idea.”

“Good.” You looked him over prior to walking to your phone and texting Hoody to cancel your evening plans. You got a text back from her saying that she understood. You replied back with a curt apology; not telling her Sunghwa’s envy was the cause. After texting your friend you looked at Sunghwa.

“I’ll meet you outside at the car let me slide on my sneakers.” You told him. You watched him leave and when you heard the door to your house shut you immediately dove for your phone. You quickly told Hoody that you were going to meet her at AOMG headquarters to go out for a night of drinking.

“I always get what I want,” you murmured triumphantly and put on your shoes to leave out with Sunghwa.

[interestingfactsquotes]

5 Interesting Facts About Tool

5 Interesting Facts About Tool In their album Opiate, at the end of their title track named "Opiate" as well, there is a secret song called "The Gaping Lotus Experience." The band never announced this publicly, but instead, fans claim that it was a method they used to trick their fans. TBH, the band is well known for little nuances such as this and the use of time signature in music. For their 2nd album Disgustipated (which is a combination of disgusted and constipated), you would hear sounds of things being broken and people raging. This was the sound of the members of the band breaking a total of three pianos to get the required sound. As proof, the band went on to upload footage of this on Youtube. You can imagine the GIF and MEME flowing from this scenario. For their album Lateralus, there was a sound in the song "Mantra," which really scared a lot of their listeners. This sound was created by Maynard James Keenan by slowly squeezing his cat in a non-painful manner. He claimed multiple times that no animals were hurt during the making of the album. The album contained "Parabola" as well.Their album 10,000 Days was named after Maynard’s mother, who had suffered partial paralysis for 10,000 days after suffered a stroke. "Vicarious" was the lead track here. Tool has won multiple Grammy Awards for their songs, under the category of Best Metal Performance ( 1998, 2002, 2020), Best Hard Rock Performance (2007, 2008), and one for Best Music Video in 1998 for the song "Stinkfist". In 2020, for the year 2019, they were nominated in two categories with the tracks "Fear Inoculum" and "7empest". "7empest" took home the prize and Tool's passionate fans again understood HIFW vindication arrives, SMH. No more chasing the tail of dogma. Don't miss out on other incredible and unknown facts about other artists such as Pablo Picasso, Lizzo, Andy Warhol, Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Billie Eilish, Pink, Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Post Malone, Hadestown, and Dear Evan Hansen plus so much more. https://youtu.be/q7DfQMPmJRI https://youtu.be/9D2R69gVyZ0 Read the full article

[dprwolfgang]

Light Down Low // Jay Park Series

Happy birthday to this hardworking inspiration.We know you don’t know what a break is but I hope you had an incredimazable day and that you enjoyed it to the fullest.

14. Wine Slow.

“Family Vacation?”  

“Yeah,he’s off school for two weeks and it’s Hawaii. You can bring Ronnie and his fam along too.Its been awhile since I’ve seen him.”

“Are you forgetting that you start tour soon? You don’t have time. I don’t have time.We have to get these tracks finished and your girl gon throw a tantrum if she knows what you’re up too.”

“She’s gonna be in California for Coachella along with some other things and I know that your boyfriend is gonna be away for games so really it’s a win win situation.” He states. “Please Leya,I know we have a lot of work to do and I promise not to play around if you agree."

It's not that bad of an idea,the shows were days apart and then the other week Kai was heading to Cali with Ronnie and Jas while we worked.What's the worst that can happen?

"Fine,because we both know you won't leave me alone until I agree to this.I'm working choreography with Hyolyn today so you're working out the technicalities of this family vacation as you call it as well as picking Kai up from school and taking him to your parents before bringing your ass back here to record the vocals." Jay salutes at me before I pick up my bag and leave his office,heading down to the dancehall to meet up with Hyolyn.

---

What's the worst that can go wrong?

"You planned this didn't you?" I point to Jay accusingly.

"How is it my fault that they don't have enough rooms? I'm not telepathic, I can't read minds." Somewhere in the corner Ronnie snickers and I turn my glare towards him.

"What's so funny Ron?"

"Oh c'mon Leya.You're behaving like you both have never shared a room before."He says slinging an arm over my shoulder,pulling me close to him."Let's not give the people a hard time,with all of the crew he has working,it's understandable that they're overbooked." He says innocently before leaning into me and whispering in my ear. "Everything's fine that is…until you jump him."

"Ronnie!" Jas smacks him in the chest before I could."Leave ya sister alone boy,I'm sure she can control those hormones." She teases and I remove myself from Ronnie's arms,sticking both middle fingers up at them.

"I swear you both are annoying as fuck."

"but you love us," they say simultaneously.The show was in five hours and I am so not in the mood to deal with these two.Given the fact that Gregory behaved like a bitch about the entire situation and we weren't on speaking terms,Jay's girl apparently gave him an earful as well before she left,so all in all we were both a bit on the grumpy side.

"We gotta go get ready for the show,take care of my baby." I say to them both,leaving Kai with a kiss on his forehead before heading over to Jay who was waiting on me.

"If you really don't wanna room with me,I'll just crash with one of the guys or something.I think Shawn and Austin got space."

"Look,about that…I'm sorry.I didn't mean for it to come out that way.I don't have a problem rooming with you.I'm just grumpy because I fought with Gregory before we left and I'm hungry."

"So we good?" He smiles at me.

"Yeah we good,just as long you get me food." I smile back at him.

---

"Sooo how are we doing this?" Jay and I both ask each other as we stared at the bed.It's almost 2am and we're trying to figure out who's sleeping where.

"you've got shows and interviews,so you need your sleep and the couch isn't gonna give you that so I'll crash there seeing as Youjin gets in tomorrow and I don't gotta dance anymore."

“Leya you know you don’t have to sleep on the couch,”

“I’ve slept on a couch before Jay.It’s fine.” I cut him off.

“Would you stop cutting me off? Wait when did you sleep on a couch and we can share the bed.It’s big enough and I promise I won’t touch you.Trust me.”

“After we broke up and I went back to L.A and trust me it’s not you that I don’t trust,” I mumble the last part to myself.If he heard me then he acted like he didn’t because he’s shifting pillows and making a wall down the middle of the bed.

“See problem solved,now get in and get some sleep.We got a long day ahead.” Jay says before he gets in on his side.Arms crossed behind his head, he looks at me expectedly. “Leya get in the damn bed before I put you in it.”

“Fine,fine.”  

— Day 3  

Today has been quite eventful.Jay rented a yacht and we spent most of the day at sea.Kai had a blast and to be honest that’s all that really matters.Gregory still wasn’t speaking to me and neither was Jay’s girl speaking to him but we decided not to let that dampen the mood.

Kai and Mimi knocked out right after dinner with Jas and Ron opting to stay in while Jay and I got some work done.

“Bum,c’mon.” I whine.We are currently sitting in the now empty rehearsal space trying to get another track down and he won’t stop goofing off.

“We been at this for hours Leya,we both know that we aren’t getting anymore done tonight.Pack up and come dance with me.” He says.He had a point,given the amount of time I’ve been working with Jay I knew we weren’t getting anything done if he wasn’t feeling it and right now all he wanted to do was dance.

“No thank you,” I reply while packing my equipment away.

“You’re behaving like we haven’t danced together before.”

Again he has a point but I know Jay and I know myself.Dancing is our thing.

“The last time I danced with you we ended up with Kai.”

“That was years ago though,aren’t we friends Leya?”  

“Yeah,but…”

“No buts.It’s just two friends having fun.” He says before he’s pulling me by my hands to stand in front of the mirrors.Once the beat starts and I recognize the song I immediately try to back out but he isn’t having any off that.Jay’s arms wrap around my waist holding me in place.His eyes lock on mine in the mirror and he leans in close to my ear. “I hope you remember the moves.”  

Sweaty,pushed up against the mirror with Jay behind me.Fingers interlocked with mine,head tucked into my neck as the song started again.

“Leya,” he mumbles and I can feel his breath tickle my skin.

“Hmmm,” I hum back to afraid to use my words.

“Tell me to stop,”

“We..we should probably…stooooppp,” the last part comes out as a moan as Jay presses his lips to my neck.His lips trail up my neck and across my jaw before he’s spinning me.Both hands above my head trapped in one of Jay’s while the other travels down to my waist and over the curve of my ass as he cups a feel of the flesh.

“We really should stop,” he whispers,lips hovering over mine.

“Yeah,we should..” I mumble before capturing his lips with mine.Call me naïve,call me stupid but I was through denying myself of Jay.No matter how much we tried to convince ourselves that we’re just friends,just co-parents to Kai,we know that there’s underlying tension.

Breaking your hands free from Jay’s hold, you kiss along his jawline and to his neck.Fingers running along his clothed chest as you slowly sink to your knees before him.His body shook in anticipation as you palmed him through his sweats,pushing his shirt up and licking a broad stripe up his stomach.

For some reason Mia didn’t like giving head so he never really pushed for it.She didn’t like a lot of shit so he settled for what he got and seeing you so eager and ready has him twitching in your grasp. You pull his length free from its confines,looking at him as it rests against your cheek.

You lick up and down the underside of his shaft before wrapping your lips around his tip and sucking hard.

“Fuckkk,baby,” Jay groans gripping a handful of your hair and tugging your head backwards.He leans down and presses a kiss to your lips before he directing your head back to his leaking tip. “Open up and stick your tongue out.”

You do as asked and Jay grips his cock and guides it into the awaiting wet,warmth that is your mouth.Hands behind your back,you keep your mouth open as he uses your mouth for his pleasure,just the way you know he likes it.Somewhere in the back of both y’all minds you both know that y’all shouldn’t be doing this but neither gave a single fuck. You can tell his orgasm is near as you feel him pulse when he buries his cock down your throat and you swallow around him.Jay’s quick to pull out and lower himself onto the floor,pulling you on to his lap.

Jay was thankful you wore a skirt because lord knows he didn’t have the patience to deal with pants today. You waste no time sliding your panty to the side and aligning his dick with your entrance before you’re sliding down on him until he bottoms out.

Hands gripping onto the flesh of your ass cheeks,you start a slow bounce,picking up the pace every time you rise until just the tip is in then sinking back down onto him.From this angle Jay had a perfect view of the way his dick slid in and out of your wet cunt as well as the way your face contorted in pleasure in the mirrors on the opposite side of the room.

Jay knows that your close,so is he but he needs you to get it first but with the way your walls are gripping and clenching around him,he feels like he’ll bust at any moment.Forehead resting against his,he slips a hand between both your bodies and goes straight for your clit.Your body arches into his as you come undone with a scream of his name.He helps you ride out your high before he’s getting to his feet and holding you up against the mirrors.

Legs wrapped tightly around his waist he fucks into you rapidly and sloppily until your nails are digging into the fabric of his shirt and his neck is hidden in your neck as he buries himself deep in you,coating your walls with long ropes of his his warm seed.

He pulls out once he catches his breath and puts your feet on the ground.No words are spoken as he fixes your panty back in place and you tuck him back into his boxers and pull his pants back up.

“Can we order room service when we get back?”  

Jay nods before kissing me.Both his hands grabbing onto my ass.A slight moan escapes my mouth before he’s tugging on my bottom lip,licking it in the process. He pulls away before I could deepen the kiss.

“Let’s go.” He says grabbing our bags and leading me out of the building.

—

I woke up the following morning to Jay’s head under the covers and between my legs. I know I should regret this but I can’t find in me to stop.My body’s so in tuned with Jay’s that it’s like we’re connecting for the first time all over again and if I’m being completely honest… I haven’t felt this good in years nor in the months that I’ve been with Gregory.

"Go shower,we have places to be.” I say to him once he comes up from under the covers.I honestly thought he’d change his mind but judging by the smirk on his face, I know exactly what idea came to mind as he lifted me and threw me over shoulder softly smacking my ass as he walked to the bathroom.

"Jay put me down."

"Nahh,we got places to be.Save water,shower together." He turns on the shower before putting me down on the counter and stepping in between my legs. He kisses my cheek down to my neck,my legs tightened around his waist pulling him closer when he bit down and sucked on a sweet spot.

My hands made work of his clothes the same way his did mine throwing them haphazardly on the bathroom floor.Lifting me up, he carries us both into the shower.Back up against the wall as we kissed under the water while rolling his hips against mine.My hand reaches up and let his hair out the tie as he teased me by putting just the tip in.

"Jaebum I swear now is not the time for teasi-" my back arched against the wall as I get cut off.Jay pushing his entire length into my awaiting heat in one quick stroke.Nails scratching at his back,my lips worked his neck leaving a trail of purple marks as I went.  

—

Jay  

I knew she wasn't a virgin but the way her walls wrapped around my dick gripping me tightly has me just about ready to bust.Had me wondering if homeboy even knew what he was doing with her body.

Her moans filled the bathroom along with the slapping sound of our skin as I deep stroked her pulling out till only the tip was left in then driving right back in.Her legs began to shake in my arms,I let her down turning her around to face the now fogged up shower door. I got in between her legs from behind bending her over both her hands on the glass door as I held onto her waist with one hand while the other fisted in her hair,pulling as I rocked in and out of her roughly.

"Fuck,daddy!! shitttt right there..." she moaned out the rest of her sentences coming out in Spanish.

Her walls clenched around my dick tightly as she screamed out."shit stop before you make me squirt.” As those words left her lips I couldn't help the smirk that graced my lips as I sped up knowing exactly what was about to happen. I could feel my balls tighten as I continued hitting it hard. I hit one particular spot and her entire body became undone as her legs shook uncontrollably as she squirted all over my dick,her pussy squeezing the fuck out of my dick,triggering my own release. I held onto her waist tightly releasing into her as we both rode out the high we were on.

We washed up well more like I washed us up because Leya kept dozing off in the shower."Come on ma keep them eyes open." I coaxed her as I slipped one of my shirts over her head onto her body before changing into some three quarter sweatpants.By the time I returned from the bathroom Leya was out like a light cuddling a pillow.Sliding in next to her and removing the pillow replacing it with my body.I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my social accounts before checking my dm’s on Instagram and stumbling upon something that I’d suspected for a while but had no proof.

We still had a couple of hours left before we had to head down for breakfast and so placing my phone on the bedside table, I cuddle into her body and close my eyes.

—

“Mia,” I call out as I enter my apartment.Her bags where by the door so I know she’s here and hopefully she won’t hate my ass for what I’m about to do.

“Mia..”

“I’m in here.” I follow her voice to my bedroom and what I see has everything I planned on from the drive from the airport stuck in my throat.This has got to be some sick form of karma.

“Surprise!” She says all excited as she gets off the bed and makes her way over to me.

“Is this for real? You not playing with me right?”  

“It is.I’m not.We’re gonna have a baby.” She smiles and presses a kiss to my lips.

Fuckkkk! How the hell was I supposed to handle this? I’m this close to getting Leya back and now this. I couldn’t leave Mia now,not like this. I already messed up when Leya was pregnant and I refuse to let another child of mine grow without me.

—

“Greg??” I call out once I step into the apartment.Most of the lights are off with the exception of the light in the hallway and that’s when I notice the flower petals lining the floor. I swear this motherfucker better not have some bitch in my apartment.Kai was with Ronnie until next week and right now I couldn’t be more happy,just in case I had to drag two hoes.

Upon entering my bedroom I’m frozen in my tracks at the image before me.Greg on his knees in the middle off a circle made out of candles and the words ‘marry me’ spelt out with flower petals.

Overwhelmed and shocked I bolt towards my bathroom door and lock it behind me once I enter.Pulling my phone out my bag, I quickly dial Jay’s number only to get his voicemail. I keep trying until it finally picks up.

“Jay-” I start but stop at the words that I hear next.

“So you’re definitely pregnant? I’m gonna be a dad?” I hear him ask and she says yes.

She’s pregnant? Does he know she’s been sleeping with Greg? Is he even going to believe me if I tell him? He’s already ignoring me so I guess he’s made his choice.Hanging up the phone, I open the door and slowly step out into the bedroom.Jay’s made his choice and now I have to make mine.

Greg looks up from his place on the edge of my bed with a smile on his face.

“I’m sorry.. I”

—

“Kai,you coming to dance with us today?” Chase asks as they eat lunch.

“I can’t,it’s ma’s rehearsal dinner tonight.”

“What for?”  

“She’s marrying Greg.” He replies with a roll of his eyes and Chase almost chokes on the water in his mouth as his eyes drift to Jay.

It’s been about six months since Jay has seen you. He wanted to talk to you but he had a feeling that you already knew what was up and that’s why you took your piled up vacation days. He however, was not expecting this. You were getting married to the man that is the father of Mia’s baby.Did you know they’d been sleeping with each other? Would you even believe him if he told you now? Why would you? You’d probably think he was just trying to ruin your relationship? Why didn’t he just break up with Mia that day and come back to you? Why didn’t he just answer his phone when you’d call? Maybe then he wouldn’t be sitting here feeling like shit and you both would be happy.

It was too late for all that now.He had to live with the fact that you’re getting married to the man that’s the father of his ‘girlfriend’s’ baby and that he was stuck with said girlfriend.

Both hearts knew where they wanted to be but the truth is Jay couldn’t find it in him to strip you of that happiness so in the end you both end up without each other.

The end.

[midnightghostwriter]

m a s t e r l i s t

below are all the scenarios and fics i’ve posted on here so far! the groups are in alphabetical order by name, and then the same by member! happy reading!

GROUPS

BTS

J-HOPE / HOSEOK

cold december night - fluff / the holidays - not rated ↬ you thought your christmases would all be lonely

SUGA / YOONGI

the sound of heartbreak - angst - not rated ↬ you couldn’t have imagined it would end like this

JIN

series: ease | 1 - fluff / slowburn / slice of life/ roommate au - see chapters for ratings ↬ you couldn’t have imagined it would end like this

MONSTA X

KIHYUN

series: sober | 1 - angst / school au / bad girl au - see chapters for ratings ↬ you never planned to be “that girl”

dance break - pwp / smut - rated e ↬ you let your boyfriend’s dance moves get to you

SOLOISTS

AOMG

CHA CHA / CHASE MALONE

netflix and no chill - fluff / friends to lovers - not rated ↬ you never expected movie night to be so nerve-wracking

JAY PARK

close encounter - fluff - not rated ↬ you take a trip downtown

coffee’s for closers - fluff / coffee shop au - not rated ↬ you always hated closing shifts

wake up slow - fluff - not rated ↬ you take a little extra time to rise and shine

SIMON DOMINIC / JUNG KISEOK

what to do - fluff/angst - not rated ↬ you doubt his loyalty

[ethanalter]

5 Shows We Don’t Want to See Revived

(Photo Credit: NBC)

2016 was a banner year for TV revivals, as such beloved series as Full House, Gilmore Girls, and The X-Files climbed out of the cancellation graveyard to once more consume their fans’ brains and eyeballs. Don’t expect that trend to slow down during the next calendar year; mere weeks into 2017, NBC has already announced the next big TV resurrection: Will and Grace, the Debra Messing/Eric McCormack sitcom that ran for eight lucrative years between 1998 and 2003. The 10-episode revival will reunite the entire original cast, including Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, along with legendary director, James Burrows. It’s hard not to be tickled at the thought of catching up with Will and Grace after 17 years, in the same way that spending time with Mulder and Scully and Lorelei and Rory tickled the nostalgia bone. Even so, there are some shows we hope remain untouched by this wave of revivals. Here are five series that deserve to remain undisturbed, as well as the worst-case scenario for each should they return.

Family Ties (NBC, 1982-1989)

(Photo Credit: NBCU Photo Bank)

Why We Love the Original: While the oh-so-‘80s clothes, hairstyles, and attitudes make Family Ties seem as much of a period piece as Downton Abbey these days, the Keaton clan remains the portrait-perfect model of a sitcom family. Even when they couldn’t stand each other, their mutual admiration and affection gave us all something to aspire to. What would we do baby, without them? (Sha la la la.)

Worst Case Scenario for the Revival: Twenty-five years after securing his first Wall Street gig, Alex P. Keaton is one of Tom Wolfe’s Masters of the Universe. But his single-minded pursuit of wealth has routinely short-circuited any attempts at starting a family like the one he grew up in. One divorce and a string of exes later, there’s a knock at his door: One of his girlfriends gave birth to a daughter sixteen years ago, and now she’s come to get to know her father. And we know she’s a chip off the old Keaton block, because she’s already a political dynamo… but for the left. While that thrills her hippie grandparents, who drop by on a recurring basis, it completely flummoxes Alex — still a staunch Republican after all these years and presidential administrations. As her Bernie Sanders merchandise competes with his Reagan memorabilia for wall space, father and daughter have to find common ground. Wait for the Very Special Episode that tackles both the Occupy movement and teenage sexting.

Cheers (NBC, 1982-1993)

(Photo Credit: Everett Collection)

Why We Love the Original: Watching Cheers gave us all the pleasures of hanging out at our local watering hole — joshing around with the regulars, bantering with the staff — without having to leave the couch. We still miss our weekly visits to the place where everybody knows your name.

Worst Case Scenario for the Revival: Unable to keep up with steadily escalating Boston rents, Sam Malone sold Cheers to ESPN in the late ‘90s and the homespun bar was transformed into a gleaming ESPN Zone. Looking to appeal to a younger clientele, the lifers were strongly encouraged to find other places to congregate, although Norm and Cliff kept coming back even as their usual place at the bar was replaced by a bank of televisions. When the Zone franchise went under, Coach’s grandson, Eli (David Walton) — a minor league washout — used his inheritance to acquire the property and bring it back to its roots. But as a former Brooklynite and recently AA-approved teetotaler, Eli decides that the new, improved Cheers can’t be your average, ordinary sports bar. It’s gotta be an artisanal coffee shop with an organic, gluten-free brunch menu. And if you thought Carla was cranky before, just wait until you see her serving granola waffles to whiny hipsters.

Murphy Brown (CBS, 1988-1998)

(Photo Credit: Everett Collection)

Why We Love the Original: An ahead-of-its-time portrait of an ambitious woman in the workplace, Murphy Brown mixed topical humor with terrific characters. Even a noticeable dip in quality towards the end of the show’s lifespan couldn’t diminish the title character’s pop culture relevance. Here’s how you know Murphy Brown mattered: Murphy’s decision to be a single mother had real-world consequences, when Vice President Dan Quayle took the tone deaf step of condemning a fictional character.

Worst Case Scenario for the Revival: Having survived a breast cancer scare in the final season, Murphy made the decision to add to her one-child brood by adopting a daughter. Following their strong-willed mom into the broadcasting game, the grown-up Avery (Hayley Joel Osment, reprising his role) and Eliza Brown (Meagan Good) co-anchor a “He Said, She Said” opinion show on a struggling 24-hour cable news channel. Network president Miles Silverberg plays the role of neurotic father figure in the executive’s office, while the ghost of Jim Dial regularly appears in their dressing rooms, offering pointers and rolling his eyes at what passes for “news” these days.

Fraggle Rock (HBO, 1983-1987)

(Photo Credit: HBO)

Why We Love the Original: Jim Henson’s flair of fantasy was given free reign in this nostalgic favorite, which imagined an underground universe teeming with fun-loving Fraggles, dogged Doozers, and giant Gorgs. It was the perfect series for kids who were a little too old for Sesame Street and a little too freaked out by The Dark Crystal.

Worst Case Scenario for the Revival: Three letters: CGI! Since live action puppetry is often a time-consuming, labor-intensive process, Fraggle Rock is transformed into a digital playground courtesy of high-powered computers. Naturally, all the characters get modern makeovers, too. Gobo (voiced by Justin Bieber) sings pop songs while popping wheelies on his skateboard, while Wembley (Josh Gad) finds solace from his crippling anxiety in EDM DJing and Red (Kylie Jenner) is a literally underground vlogger who posts her videos on FraggleTube. As for the Gorg family, they’ve stopped growing radishes and are now all about kale.

My So-Called Life (ABC, 1994-1995)

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Why We Love the Original: The TV equivalent of revisiting our old high school poetry, My So-Called Life perfectly captures that awkward period of adolescence when you and your love life (or lack thereof) are the center of a very, very unfair universe.

Worst Case Scenario for the Revival: After painfully pining for Angela all through high school, geek-turned-hottie Brian Krakow leapt at the chance to become Mr. Angela Chase after they reconnected after college. With his wife’s demanding job requiring frequent travel, stay-at-home dad Brian raises their 14-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son with help from Uncle Rickie. Heading into her freshman year at Liberty High, who should Jordanna Krakow immediately lock eyes with but Zach Catalano, estranged son of Angela’s one-time flame. Everyone but Zach can read the writing on the wall because, you know, Catalanos can’t read. (Midseason spoiler alert! That illiteracy is due to an ancient family curse, as Three Rivers happens to be over another Hellmouth.)

[textaomg]

when you're the MOST oblivious person on the planet and cha cha wants to take you on a date 🍘🍣🍱

[junker-town]

99 NBA predictions for the inevitable, incredible 2017-2018 season

Yes, the Warriors are going to win it all. No, you don’t know what else will happen. Yet.

The 2017-18 NBA season tips off on Tuesday. After a completely wild offseason that saw several All-Stars change teams via trade and free agency, and coming off a thoroughly dominant revenge season for the Golden State Warriors, everyone is excited to see what’s going to happen.

So allow me to spoil it all for you by telling you exactly what’s going to happen this season. From the All-Star Game to the broader league narratives to the playoff races, I’ve spelled out 99 big predictions for you.

The predictions are organized into 11 topics, with nine predictions in each. These range from the silly to the serious, from the no-brainer to the completely unbelievable. Don’t hold the crazier ones against me if they fail to materialize, please.

Without further ado ...

The Warriors

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Warriors will win the championship. Sorry, I should have stuck a spoiler alert on this one.

The Warriors will go 16-0 in the playoffs. We’ve seen this team set impossible goals and achieve them. We saw this team go 12-0 through the Western Conference. We’ve heard Draymond Green declare how mad he was the Warriors didn’t sweep the Cavaliers in the 2017 Finals. It’s happening. 16-0 is happening.

The Warriors will accidentally win 73 games. It would actually be difficult for this team to lose, especially with new rules limiting the number of starters who can legitimately rest in road games. (I won’t put it past Steve Kerr to make up fake ailments to get his guys some rest, of course.)

Steph Curry will have a 60-point game. His current career high is 54. That’s a very soft career high!

Kevin Durant will have a 60-point game, too. Durant’s career high is also 54. This is also very soft!

Klay Thompson will live the best life.

The Nick Young-JaVale McGee friendship will be one of the most lovely stories of the season. The last time this duo was together had darker overtones as the Wizards foundered. They were goofs helping to hold an immature team back. No longer. Now they are the goofs helping a bored hegemon have fun.

The Warriors will drop regular season-games to the Thunder, Spurs, and Rockets. These results will give those teams and their fans false hope.

Steve Kerr will pen op-eds in The Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. He will also publish an essay on democratic norms in the New Yorker, do an interview with the Paris Review, write a first-person essay for Vox.com, and endorse quite early in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

The Narratives

Prepare for the G League to become a big deal. We’re nearing the point where every NBA team has a G League team. The NBA is debuting two-way contracts this season. We’re closer than ever to true farm league status. Pay attention. The teams that have embraced the G League are getting great value from it.

The age minimum will finally get solved. In 2011, the NBA and players’ union vowed to fix the age minimum outside of collective bargaining. Then the union leadership imploded and took forever to hire a new executive director, David Stern retired, and the Donald Sterling saga happened. Before we knew it, it was time to negotiate a new labor deal. But this time, I believe the NBA and players’ union are sincere in wanting to change the age rules in some way. Adam Silver has even admitted publicly that it’s not working.

Franchise owners, writers, and fans will continue to complain about superteams. Water is wet.

The Last Tank will be a massive story all year, thanks to a dope draft class. You’re going to have the Knicks and Bulls — two of the league’s most famous franchises -- chasing lottery balls all year. You have at least three potential franchise cornerstones in Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley, and Michael Porter. You have lottery reform. It’s a stew of weird attention.

LeBron’s offseason plans will be a constant source of delight and frustration. Seriously, are you ready for it?

LaVar Ball actually has a son in the NBA now. All of that attention the sports media complex (myself included) lavished on him came before his kid even debuted in the league. FML.

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

All-Star Weekend will be a wonderful league showcase, belying the controversy over 2019 in Charlotte. Last season’s All-Star move from Charlotte to New Orleans over an anti-LGBTQ law in North Carolina showed the league making a political stand for decency. The NBA has already agreed to return to Charlotte in 2019 after what many consider a weak reform to that anti-LGBTQ law passed. No one will talk about that this year. That’s good in the short-term for the NBA ... but it’s a ticking controversy bomb.

NBA stars will not protest during the national anthem ... but at least one player will test the league’s willingness to punish those who do. LeBron has repeatedly indicated that he will not kneel during the anthem, and the Warriors are unlikely to do so, either. But some player out there will sit or kneel in solidarity with NFL players who have done so this season and last. And we’ll all look askance at Adam Silver to see if he’s serious about enforcing the NBA’s rule on standing during the anthem. (Meanwhile, in the midst of all that, we aren’t talking about the reasons NFL players are protesting.)

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

NBA players and coaches will continue to speak out about the President’s policies and tone. This is the important piece: the league’s faces will assuredly continue to use their outsized voices to raise objections to what is happening at the head of the federal government. It remains to be seen whether this translates into direct support for efforts to limit the impacts of the administration’s action. Speaking in generalities about decency and democracy in media availability is one thing. Raising money and awareness of actual organizations doing the heavy lifting on this issue is another.

What about LeBron?

LeBron is going to drive us crazy this season. I mean, this has already begun with his visit to a private school in Los Angeles over the summer with his wife. He explained it away as needing a place to work out after a long commercial shoot, but no one buys it. There will be more little flirtatious nuggets of news throughout the season that will point toward a Los Angeles sojourn for LeBron this summer. It’s going to drive us crazy.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

LeBron isn’t going to try to score 50 on the Celtics. That isn’t LeBron’s style. He wants to beat teams he’s mad about, and he knows he can do that most effectively by using the full breadth of his talents. So opening night when the Cavaliers face the Celtics, expect fireworks ... but not a scoring explosion.

LeBron will continue to pick his spots to get political. James isn’t the most political NBA star, but he understands his power and has a clear point of view about human decency. That’s what led to “U Bum” and it’s what will lead to the next conflagration. But don’t expect him to get political every week. That’s not him.

LeBron will become the seventh player in NBA history with 30,000 career points. He’ll do it around All-Star weekend, joining Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Dirk Nowitzki. He won’t catch anyone yet, though.

The G.O.A.T. debate will get louder. If LeBron wins another MVP and leads the Cavaliers to yet another NBA Finals — even if he can’t beat the Warriors as presently constructed — the calls to compare him favorably to Michael Jordan will get only louder. You’re beginning to see more converts in the media willing to say it out loud.

LeBron will hype up Isaiah Thomas more than he ever did Kyrie. This isn’t so much a once-bitten, twice-shy scenario, but there’s something most NBA players seem to admire in Isaiah that makes him easy to embrace. LeBron will do so after having a long “work relationship” with Kyrie.

The LeBron-Dwyane Wade friendship will be hilarious and sweet. We lost the Road Trippin’ tag team when Richard Jefferson got traded for luxury tax relief, but at least we have Peanut Butter and Jelly.

PB&J ..We got a lot of work to do as a team but it felt good to be back on the court with my guy @kingjames &⚡️!!!

A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) on Oct 10, 2017 at 9:26pm PDT

LeBron will be the dean of All-Star weekend. James’ pride in his own career and his status within the league is more important than his desire to lay low at this point. Plus, All-Star is in Los Angeles, which will make it even more of a circus than usual.

LeBron will remain in Cleveland, but somehow assemble the Banana Boat. This prediction extends beyond the season, of course. I think his desire to be “home” and help the children of Akron exceeds his desire to spend half the regular season in Southern California, especially when that means dealing with the stacked Western Conference, risking his Finals streak, and potentially dealing with LaVar Ball every day. But another defeat at the hands of the Warriors will sting, leading him to convince the front office to bring in Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, even if it costs those two, LeBron, and Wade lots of cash, the Nets pick, and/or Kevin Love.

The Transactions

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Expect more Klay Thompson rumors. There’s like no chance the Warriors trade him this season, but he’s a free agent in 2019 and no one expects him to take less money to help out Joe Lacob. Thompson really does not seem like a guy who takes less money ever. He doesn’t have Nike or Under Armour money (no shots at Anta) and he has not seemed to embrace opportunity in Silicon Valley like Kevin Durant or Andre Iguodala. If Lacob gets antsy about an even bigger tax bill in 2019-20 as salary cap growth stagnates, he might direct the front office to look for a younger, cheaper replacement for Thompson on the market.

Isaiah Thomas vs. The Max. When Isaiah gets back on the court, you know he’s going to get questions about his offseason contract expectations. Isaiah has been underpaid his entire career. He wants to get paid, and he should get paid ... if his hip checks out. That could cause some friction as Isaiah speaks up and the Cavaliers (smartly) demure.

That Nets pick is getting traded. The Cavaliers, as presently constructed, are not going to beat the Warriors as presently constructed. Cleveland has the Nets’ unprotected pick thanks to the Kyrie deal. It has been presented as an insurance policy in the event LeBron leaves. Forget that. Use it while you have LeBron to boost your chances of winning another title. What is more likely to persuade LeBron to stay in Cleveland: a very competitive Finals against an unbeatable opponent that may or may not result in a title, or the promise of a good rookie next season? Come on. Trade the pick for an All-Star.

DeMarcus Cousins is not getting traded. There have been suggestions that if the Pelicans come out flat, New Orleans could flip Boogie (possibly for that Nets pick). For one, I think the Pels will be pretty good, and there’s no way New Orleans sacrifices a playoff run with Anthony Davis for a future asset. But here’s the flip side to that: if the Pelicans are bad, Cousins will invariably take the blame, tanking his already low trade value. Plus he’s going into free agency in 2018. No way.

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Jahlil Okafor will be traded, and will thrive for a while. It’s been a long time coming. How hard must it be to give it your all in a situation where you know you aren’t wanted, especially as a relatively young person who is accustomed to massive success.

Nerlens Noel will get traded. Noel’s restricted free agency was completely bizarre, and his decision to sign the qualifying offer clearly angered the Mavericks. Dallas didn’t give up much to land Noel a year ago, and so it can justify flipping him for a low first if it determines in January it doesn’t plan on paying what it requires to keep him in the summer.

Eric Bledsoe will be traded. Bledsoe is on an old cap deal, due less than $30 million over two seasons. Phoenix is still not ready to win, and the Suns can’t believe Bledsoe will re-sign in 2019. Bledsoe would have been a more likely option for the Cavaliers before Dwyane Wade signed on. He’d be a brilliant fit for the Jazz or Bucks if they have the pieces to make it work.

Andre Drummond will again be in the rumor mill, and it will again amount to nothing. Drummond is a player whose potential still far outshines the reality. It’s really hard to trade those players because defining what good value looks like is really difficult. It’s clear he doesn’t mesh with Stan Van Gundy at all. Even with Van Gundy pulling the strings in Detroit, finding a taker who will offer the goods is a problem.

The Nuggets will be active. No team looks more thirsty for a playoff bid than Denver — remember the Dwyane Wade chase a year ago, and the Paul Millsap victory this summer, plus that awful Mason Plumlee-Jusuf Nurkic trade at the last deadline. That roster is still wildly unbalanced with youth and potential in the backcourt and veterans (plus Nikola Jokic) up front. Expect attempts to balance it all into a cohesive collection of talent. (The defensive upside still remains wholly questionable.)

The All-Star Game

Joel Embiid will be an All-Star starter. He came awful close a year ago as he expanded his fan base beyond the borders of Philadelphia and, uh, actually played NBA basketball. His fan voting campaign is likely to take on a life of its own, and he may even get a boost from media or player voters if he plays enough games and minutes. We know he’ll put up numbers if he can get out there.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be your captains. Remember, the leading vote-getter in each of the Eastern and Western conferences will pick rosters based off the All-Stars chosen through traditional methods. LeBron is almost a lock in the East, barring injury. Curry could definitely be beaten by Kevin Durant, James Harden, or Russell Westbrook for top billing out West, but he has won the honor last year, and I’m betting that holds.

Given the chance, LeBron will steal a Warrior. As I understand it, the captains will pick the other eight starters first (to ensure each team has five) and then start picking from the reserves. Assuming LeBron and either Curry or Durant are captains, and assuming LeBron is the overall leading vote-getter, and assuming the NBA determines that gives him first pick among the other starters ... LeBron would probably pick the available player out of Curry and Durant, just to break up the Warriors and add some intrigue. Don’t count out LeBron drafting his frenemy Draymond Green, too.

Neither Kevin Durant nor Russell Westbrook will draft each other. The prospect of either one being the West captain and passing up on the best All-Star style player on the board should LeBron go first and pick Curry is magical. It’s too bad LeBron would definitely want both of them on his team.

Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Joel Embiid will be the last starter picked, and will savage the other team for it. It appears that the draft will happen in advance of actual All-Star weekend: I bet they’ll roll it into the getaway TNT game before the break so Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley can chuckle about it. So whoever is the last starter picked will have time to stew before arriving in Los Angeles. Unless a goofy fan vote like Zaza Pachulia makes it as a starter, or a low-glamour wing like Gordon Hayward is named a starter, Embiid might be the last dude picked. Anyone think Embiid would take that in stride with his Twitter Army at his back?

LeBron is going to snub the hell out of Kyrie Irving. The one conditional exception to the above: if the West captain starts taking other players over Kyrie for various reasons, there’s no way LeBron is going to take him. Imagine the nation of Georgia and country singers and Warriors Nation all conspire to make Zaza an All-Star starter over Kawhi Leonard. Imagine LeBron and Curry are the captains. LeBron took Durant, Westbrook, and Embiid. Curry takes Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and DeMar DeRozan. LeBron’s up and the choices are Kyrie Irving and Zaza Pachulia. You don’t get an opportunity like that every day.

James Harden will not be a starter. He narrowly edged Westbrook last season. The Thunderian’s MVP and boosted team, in concert with Chris Paul shaving down Harden’s gaudy stats a little, should get Westbrook there.

Goran Dragic will be an All-Star. No offense to the Slovenian, but this says as much about the East as it does Goran Dragic. (He’s really good, though.)

The game will still be mostly non-competitive. The NBA and players’ union — led by Michael Jordan and Chris Paul respectively on this topic — think they found a way to turn the All-Star Game from a playful, non-competitive exhibition into an actual game by revising the team make-up and putting charity money on the line. Wrong. No one’s playing real defense here.

The MVP Race

LeBron will be the NBA MVP. It isn’t as if LeBron lacks help with Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade, and (eventually) Isaiah Thomas. But this is a perception thing, and Cleveland should be out in front in the East. LeBron is by far the best player in his conference, and he’s led teams to the Finals every year since 2011. He’s in the driver’s seat.

Kawhi Leonard will be No. 2, and has the best shot to beat LeBron. Leonard finished second when Steph Curry won it unanimously, and third last season behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The issue here is that he’s starting the season injured, and he’s likely to rest frequently throughout the season. There’s also a non-zero chance that the Spurs aren’t quite up to their elite standard this season given some player personnel losses.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Paul George will hurt Westbrook’s case. Let’s just say that Westbrook is unlikely to average a triple-double again. Westbrook will still be a top-flight scorer, but holding the ball less should reduce his assist numbers, and he has a solid rebounding team around him.

Chris Paul will hurt James Harden’s case. Harden’s problem with MVP hasn’t been a lack of stats or wins. It’s been timing. He ran into Curry and Westbrook buzzsaws at the wrong time. But CP3 will have the ball a whole lot more than Patrick Beverley ever did, which should reduce Harden’s gaudy numbers and hurt his MVP shot.

This @CP3 finish! http://pic.twitter.com/Tgm0GsR8Wl

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 12, 2017

Stephen Curry is never winning another MVP. This is not because he did not deserve the prior two MVP awards. It’s mostly because his team lost the NBA Finals to a LeBron-led team in 2016, and then grabbed another top-5 player to strike back. Honestly, this also means that ...

Kevin Durant has an added difficulty level in winning MVP. Remember how some voters kept LeBron off their 2011 MVP ballot, despite him being clearly no worse than the No. 3 player in the league that season? (I think he was No. 1 or 2.) People hold decisions they don’t like against the protagonists. LeBron eventually won two more MVPs, but Durant has a lower margin for error with such great co-stars and such heavy competition. That voter melt matters more.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not there yet. Almost. The Bucks need to be better.

Jimmy Butler will get some push. If the Timberwolves are as good as many expect them to be, Butler will definitely get a push for ballot inclusion. You know, the old “Chris Paul belongs in the MVP conversation!” that gets a player a bunch of fifth-place votes. Get ready for it.

Ultra dark horse contender: Anthony Davis. If the Pelicans finally put it together and win close to 50 games — we can dream, right? -- The Brow needs to be in the conversation. You might think he gets dinged for having All-Star help in DeMarcus Cousins. Narratives can be framed that he’s the guy who finally took Cousins to the playoffs, though.

The Other Awards

A Timberwolf will win Most Improved Player. I once renounced this award as illegitimate because it only ever rewarded the player who got the biggest minutes played jump. But voters have seen the light and begun awarding it more appropriately -- Giannis was an inspired choice last year — and so Most Improved is back in my good graces. That said, I think team influence will matter a lot, and Minnesota’s expected improvement should help Karl-Anthony Towns or Andrew Wiggins get the nod.

Jusuf Nurkic is the dark horse Most Improved Player. This is tough, because a lot of people already consider Nurkic a basketball god. To get Nurkic MIP, we have to convince everyone he’s not actually already perfect. We have our work cut out for us. One more dark horse while we’re here: Justin Holiday. Okay, one more: literally any Charlotte Hornet other than Dwight Howard, Kemba Walker, and Nicolas Batum.

Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

If Norm Powell comes off the bench, he’s my Sixth Man of the Year favorite. As of press time, it’s not clear whether Powell or C.J. Miles will be the full-time starter at small forward in Toronto. I would encourage Dwane Casey to choose Miles, both for basketball reasons and to help make this prediction come true. Powell is a dynamo scorer ready to break out into the continental consciousness.

The Clippers have intriguing Sixth Man options in a post-Crawford world. Jamal Crawford, eternal Sixth Man candidate, went to Minnesota. But the Clippers still have two intriguing options for Sixth Man of the Year. The first happens if Milos Teodosic comes off the bench behind Patrick Beverley. Milos will be on “SportsCenter” every night due to his brash passing, so he’ll get juice off just that. Milos, however, might end up a starter alongside Beverley — especially if Austin Rivers is playing more small forward. That opens up the award contention for Sweet Lou Williams, a perennial contender.

Draymond Green will be the Defensive Player of the Year. There’s nothing more to say. Apologies to Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard. Green is at that status where he should automatically win it as long as he plays 70 games.

Tom Thibodeau will be the Coach of the Year. Ending Minnesota’s long playoff drought will have been the work of Towns, Wiggins, and Jimmy Butler, primarily. But Thibodeau is the front office boss, as well, and he’s so damn respected among the media that he’ll get the nod as long as Minnesota is a comfortable playoff team.

Rookie of the Year is going to be a wonderful race I am not going to handicap. Last season’s ROY race was impossible because of a dearth of good candidates. This season’s ROY race is going to be overloaded with worthy contenders. I refuse to pick just one right now. Not even Milos.

The BEST of @MilosTeodosic4 for the @LAClippers in the #NBAPreseason! http://pic.twitter.com/e1DjvcAmuL

— NBA (@NBA) October 15, 2017

It will not be Markelle Fultz, though. It’s pretty clear that Ben Simmons will be more productive than Fultz this season, and that Joel Embiid will soak up attention and credit for any success Philadelphia has. Fultz’s narrative this season is not off to a great success with his jumper weirdness. Sorry, Markelle.

Here are your 2017-18 All-NBA teams. On the first team we have Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. On the second team we have James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gobert. On the third team, we have John Wall, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. The biggest snubs include DeMar DeRozan (an outrage!), Damian Lillard (unconscionable!), Draymond Green (disrespectful!), and DeMarcus Cousins (no comment).

Welcome To Tankville

The last real year of tanking will be a barn-burner. Beginning with the 2018-19 season, the worst three teams will have identical draft lottery odds of winning a top pick, and the odds won’t be much worse for the fourth- and fifth-worst teams. But this year, the old rules remain in place: bad teams have significant incentives to be worse than other bad teams. The bad teams that own their own draft picks won’t ignore that. Get ready for the tank.

The Knicks are going to be the worst team in the NBA. This isn’t totally all about trading Carmelo Anthony. This is about committing to the future fully. Scott Perry, the team’s new front office leader, won’t ignore that it behooves the team to bottom out right now. That will inform the moves he makes. Jeff Hornacek is probably sick of losing, but his roster doesn’t have many winning pieces. Kristaps Porzingis will likely be an All-Star, but this team is going to be really bad. The good news is that a good shot at Luka Doncic awaits!

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The Pacers will be close. Losing Paul George, C.J. Miles, and Jeff Teague is such a drain on this team’s passing ability and versatility. It’s going to be a long season for Nate McMillan and the few veterans (like Al Jefferson) on the squad. But hey, Lance Stephenson is around! [hits face on desk]

The Nets will also be bad. Brooklyn again has no reason to tank: its pick will go to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, as Kenny Atkinson and the crew learned last season, a lack of incentive to lose doesn’t mean you won’t lose lots of games. Trading away Brook Lopez was smart for the long-term — D’Angelo Russell has promise — but it doesn’t help win right now. Allen Crabbe is gonna score a bunch, though.

The Kings are the worst in the West. Unless Phoenix trades Eric Bledsoe, the Suns have a blue-chip top-50 player. The Kings ... do not. What’s more, Sacramento owes its 2019 pick, so time is of the essence to bottom out completely. The Kings are one George Hill injury from winning 20 games.

The Lakers will ascend to mediocrity. Lonzo Ball will make L.A. so fun to watch, and Brook Lopez will give them a blue-chip player to orbit around. But the depth is disastrous and I am deeply concerned about the shooting. Thirty wins seems right.

The BEST of the @Lakers from the #NBAPreseason! http://pic.twitter.com/bviUWCKX1R

— NBA (@NBA) October 15, 2017

The Hawks won’t be hideous. The Bulls will. Atlanta has a bad roster, don’t get me wrong. But the system abides and the Hawks should be able to pull some improbable wins out of their hats. Chicago, though? Unless Zach LaVine comes back early, Justin Holiday chases Most Improved Player, and Kris Dunn develops quickly, this season is one long search for Doncic.

The Process is over. No NBA draft lottery party in Philadelphia this year. It’s the end of an era!

There will be a surprise tank team. I’m not saying it’s definitely going to be the Mavericks, but ... it’s probably going to be the Mavericks.

The West

The Rockets will be a clear No. 2 seed in the West. The Thunder added a bunch of firepower and retained the most important pieces of their core, but I question their depth, especially at the point. Houston is built to survive road trips, long stretches, and injuries.

The Thunder and Spurs will battle for the No. 3 seed, which means avoiding the Warriors in Round 1. San Antonio has to be concerned about Kawhi Leonard’s preseason injury and the age of the frontcourt. But the Spurs just win games. The Thunder should be improved enough to make a run at No. 3 with 55 or so wins.

The drop-off between No. 4 and No. 5 will be enormous. There are really four tiers in the West: the Warriors, the three teams chasing them, the eight other teams who are realistically aiming for a playoff spot, and the cellar dwellers. Four of those eight playoff chasers will make the postseason, but my prediction is that six or seven of the team will fall within six wins. Forty-five wins might get you the No. 5 seed, and 41 means you’re out.

The Timberwolves will end their playoff drought. Hallelujah! The curse of Kahn is over! But I don’t expect many more than 44 or 45 wins. Even that is asking a lot, despite the arrival of Jimmy Butler.

The Clippers are in. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan remain a deadly combo, and the depth is not as bad as you might think.

The Blazers are in. Last season was a disappointment that narrowly resulted in a playoff berth thanks to an inspired February trade for Jusuf Nurkic. I’d expect Portland to come off the starting line hotter and get a few extra wins.

The Pelicans win the last playoff spot on the final day of the season. I have New Orleans sneaking in past the Jazz, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Mavericks. Utah has an elite defense but too little offense. Denver has an elite offense but too little defense. Dallas is in transition and may be closer to the No. 15 team than the No. 8. The Grizzlies are depending too heavily on magic and Chandler Parsons. Anthony Davis is too damn good to keep missing the playoffs, no matter what misfortune begets his team.

The Lakers will look frisky early and fade away as defenses figure out Lonzo Ball. The team’s defense is also going to be a real disaster. Again.

The Suns might be one of the most fun terrible teams ever. Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe (so long as he’s around), Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss — dunks and jumpers all day.

The East

The Cavaliers will not be the No. 1 seed. Over the course of LeBron’s seven straight Eastern Conference titles, his team has been the No. 1 seed only twice. With Isaiah Thomas unavailable for a bit and lots of new players to incorporate, expecting Cleveland to run away with the No. 1 seed is asking too much.

The Celtics will be the No. 1 seed. Boston, of course, is also incorporating a bunch of new faces. But everyone save for Marcus Morris begins the season healthy, and the offensive brilliance of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward should carry the Celtics through the growing pains.

The Raptors and Wizards are going to be pretty good again. Toronto lost Patrick Patterson and traded DeMarre Carroll, but so long as the Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan combo is running the squad, the team will be solid. C.J. Miles is a good addition. O.G. Anunoby is on track to be a sleeper hit as a rookie. Meanwhile, the Wizards still have no depth, but that John Wall-Bradley Beal-Otto Porter core is too good to fail.

The Miami Heat are joining the playoff party. Miami has two potential All-Stars in the starting five with Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. How many East teams can say that? Plus Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow are back, James Johnson stuck around, Kelly Olynyk joined the party, and Bam Adebayo looked useful in the preseason. Strong depth, good top-end talent. Playoffs! Dalé!

The Charlotte Hornets are your surprisingly good team. 2016-17 was a down season for Charlotte after a strong 2015-16 campaign. Blame injuries, ennui, fate. But the Dwight Howard acquisition should actually help (I know, I know) and the conference is exceptionally soft beyond the top nine teams.

The Bucks will be quite solid, too. I know it’s weird to talk about the soft East but bring up decent teams; this is all relative. Milwaukee would probably be the No. 11 team out West. That’s likely good enough for No. 7 in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo is ridiculously good, Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton are valuable, and I will ride with Jabari Parker until he can no longer run and jump (which might be sooner than we think).

The best plays from @Giannis_An34 as he led the Bucks to the W last night!! #FearTheDeer http://pic.twitter.com/nWj4cayF1t

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 15, 2017

The Sixers are going to be in a pitched battle for the last playoff spot ... with the Pistons. Detroit was a massive disappointment last season, but the addition of Avery Bradley should steady things somewhat. Meanwhile, Markelle Fultz is going to be a real rookie (in other words, don’t expect much) and there is so much learning to do in Philadelphia, even if Joel Embiid stays on the court. (Please recall that the Sixers went 13-18 in games Embiid played last season. They were much, much better when he was around ... but not playoff-worthy.) I think the Sixers will end up with the No. 8 seed solely due to cosmic penance over us missing the Heat last season.

Seriously, don’t watch the Knicks or Pacers. Have I mentioned that I think they will be quite terrible?

The Aaron Gordon saga continues. He’ll be a full-time power forward (finally) and we still aren’t going to see what he’s truly capable of doing. There’s always the dunk contest, though!

The Playoffs

A Celtics-Sixers first-round series will break the Insufferability Scale either way. If Fultz has figured it out and abuses the Celtics, Philadelphia fans will be impossible to deal with, even in defeat. If Fultz struggles, Boston will be so condescending. If this series happens, I’m climbing into a bunker.

Boston’s going down in the second round. Either the Raptors or Wizards (or even the Heat) should be able to abuse what may be an uneven Boston defense. Al Horford is a high-end defender, and Jaylen Brown has enormous potential. But all those potential second-round foes have excellent point guards and shooting guards, making it tough to hide Kyrie. I like the Raps or Wiz to make the conference finals in place for the C’s. (I do think Boston eventually wins a title with this core, though.) This turn of events would also deny us a Boston-Cleveland playoff series, which is deeply upsetting to the point I would like to revise this prediction.

The Cavaliers have another cakewalk. Cleveland went 12-1 in the East last spring. That included a sweep of Toronto and a 4-1 win over Boston. The Wizards might be able to peel two off Cleveland, if Isaiah isn’t ISAIAH when he comes back.

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The inevitability of the Cavaliers both will and will not overshadow fun series. As a fandom, we are learning again how to stay engaged despite inevitability. The Warriors teach us this. This is also writ small in the East as it concerns LeBron’s much longer hegemony. At times, the journey will seem so picayune given the high odds Cleveland advances to the Finals. But hopefully together we can find joy in the ultimately meaningless twists along the way.

The Spurs are the looming hulk out West. San Antonio got swept by the Warriors last season. But there’s a big ol’ asterisk on it: the Spurs were crushing the Warriors in Game 1 until Zaza Pachulia stuck a foot under Kawhi Leonard, ending The Claw’s season and the series. We can still make ourselves believe the Spurs have a real shot to dethrone the Warriors because of that.

Rockets vs. Thunder is the series we all want. It will pay off. James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Paul George ... plus Carmelo Anthony. Pinch me. Houston vs. Oklahoma City bogged down last season because Westbrook had little offensive help. That’s no longer a problem.

The Timberwolves are getting swept. This isn’t quite the 2010 Thunder, who won 50 games and took the defending champion Lakers to six. Minnesota’s learning curve is just a bit longer. And the top four teams in the West are buzzsaws.

DeMarcus Cousins is definitely getting ejected from one of his first playoff games. I’ll never forget when Boogie was ejected from the season finale of his rookie season. Some things are just perfect.

The Warriors will sweep the Cavaliers. Golden State is just too good, no matter how amazing LeBron is and what Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Thomas, and Kevin Love do. I wish it weren’t so, because the 2016 Finals were simply incredible. But this is what happens when a 73-win team adds a top-3 player. This is what happens.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the ride!

[itsworn]

Crazy World of Sideways Sidewinder Dragsters

90-Degree Dreams and Quarter Mile Sideshow

In the golden age of drag racing the variety of surrealistic machines was challenged only by one’s ability to process the cornucopia of crazy contraptions and beautiful blitzers unleashed on the quarter mile. It was a mind game for builders, but also for fans. Of all the crazy configurations and ideas flirted with and doubled down on across drag strips nationwide, the sidewinder dragster seemed like an incredible idea that could revolutionize quarter-mile racing.

With a mid-engine location, but placed sideways in the frame, the engine’s natural torque increased traction rather than pulling to one side. With both rear tires equally loaded there would conceivably be less control problems. It also eliminated driveshaft failures because there wasn’t one; and you could build a dragster more compact to lessen weight. It was also a solution for seeing around a blower and scoop, and the obvious catastrophic results of clutch explosions and blasts of burning oil and engine shrapnel, an all too familiar scenario.

But there were downsides. Disappointing results far outweighing any perceived advantage. Broken axles were common because the hit was instant. There was no clutch slip or driveshaft flex to cushion the rear end for its inevitable absorption of horsepower. Plus wheel hop could snap a keyway axle instantly. A broken chain, used to transfer power from the engine to rear axle in most cases, could kill a run before it started. And slinging a big fat chain had its own medieval consequences.

That said; the biggest issue stymying the sidewinder onslaught was not anything mechanical. Sidewinders handled otherworldly and unpredictably. Whether due to their short wheelbase, the driver’s inability to react quickly enough, or something like a curse, sidewinders were wickedly uncontrollable. Noble drivers and also owners in most cases gave up, failing to tame these unwieldy beasts.

That’s not to say there were no winners, because there were glorious moments. But in many instances a fast, clean run was followed by an unholy terror of whipsaw fury on the next pass, requiring even veterans like Jack Chrisman to take time for reflection on what they just survived.

We should mention one of the earliest sidewinders and an outlier was Creighton Hunter’s 1955 “Slice of Pie” which was the only front engine sidewinder we are aware of. In an overhead view it had the shape of a wedge, thus the name. But aside from Pie, we’ve assembled a solid representation of sidewinders starting from 1955 to the 1980s, including a Funny Car and even a motorcycle; hopefully piquing your brain to imagine the wondrous possibilities and unique solutions for conquering the quarter mile.

1956: Bert Kessler and Dean Gammill of Mattoon, Ill, used a diminutive Crosley sedan body to house their gear-driven sidewinder. Most sidewinders favored chains to transfer power to the axle, so gear drive was somewhat novel. This was configured by removing the tail-shaft of a Borg-Warner transmission and in its place welding a gear onto the shaft. The shifting was handled by a hydraulic shifting mechanism. Power was from a 6-carb 324ci Olds appearing rather stock except for twin-coils. The Crosley competed at the NHRA Nationals in Kansas City in 1956.

1957: Paul Nicolini and Harry Duncan out of Orange County, California, originally built this car, set up with a small block Chevy engine. Bent axles and flinging chains became a common occurrence leading them to sell the evil machine to Joe Mailliard. The Long Beach machine shop owner teamed with house mover Wayne Reed and graphic artist Chuck Jones, who raced a Fuel coupe before taking the reins of the “Automotive Engineering” dragster. This became the first of three sidewinder dragsters the team would campaign. Gone was the Chevy, replaced with a 550hp blown Chrysler Hemi, driving a solid axle by a stout double-row chain. A double-row chain also drove the supercharger. 70-percent of the weight was said to be biased to the rear. On gas it ran a best of 9.05 at 151.51 with Jack Chrisman at the wheel. By 1959 it was reworked with a lengthened chassis and new bodywork incorporating a zoomy tail similar to their new “5 Cycle” car. 5 Cycle was a marketing term referring to a particular type of Isky cam.

Eventually rechristened “Me Too” it would have an afterlife at the hands of Jeep and Ronnie Hampshire in 1960. They purchased the freshened car for $450 and installed George Bolthoff’s 340ci blown, Algon-injected Chevy engine into the chassis, running in B/GD. In later years Ronnie Hampshire said finesse slipping the clutch was the best antidote for the spooky handling, netting a best 9.09 at 168mph, before retiring the car at the end of the year.

1957: Lowell Lister’s clean “Crossfire” dragster from Pennsylvania. Lister’s gas-powered sidewinder ran a best of 9.7 at 156mph. In the early 1960s it changed hands with Bill Miller, also from Pennsylvania, giving the short slingshot a try.

1958: Oscar Taylor’s small block Chevy-powered sideways dragster from Drumright, Oklahoma, seen here at the 1958 NHRA Nationals, ran in the A/Gas dragster class. Weight was stated as 1050-pounds.

1959: The second sidewinder product of Jones, Reed and Mailliard was the 100-inch “5 Cycle Special”, a more refined and sexier progression of the first sidewinder. Again powered by a blown Chrysler Hemi, this time with a Gilmer belt spinning the 6-71 blower, the short dragster was still chain-driven. This was a consistent 9-second car running over 160mph. With Jack Chrisman at the wheel both team’s sidewinders competed at the 1959 NHRA Nationals at Detroit Dragway, with this car going all of the way before losing in the final round.

1959: Though not technically a sidewinder, we couldn’t help including Fontana, California’s Ed Rannberg with his lightweight “No-Cam Special”. Powered by four-cylinder, opposed two-stroke, 100ci McCulloch drone engine, the gearbox was from an Ariel motorcycle. Running in the X class, it was driven by GR Hardin at the 1959 NHRA Nationals.

1960: Still chasing the perfect sidewinder, Chuck Jones ventured out to create the “Magwinder” with this Kent Fuller 113-inch magnesium chassis featuring a Wayne Ewing magnesium body. Total weight was 1443-pounds. Supposedly NHRA VP Jack Hart signed off on the lack of a steel rollcage.

One side note about this car is a pit mishap landed Chrisman in the hospital when the push bar broke, causing the push car’s bumper to catch the rear tires and catapult over the dragster landing on top of it. In the ensuing action the underside of the push car also caught the back of Jack’s head, scalping him from the rear forward. Finished in late-1960, the Magwinder competed in both 1961 and 1962. It is speculated that the extreme light weight combined with the rigidity of the mag chassis created launch and handling problems. Jones later owned a series of Formula 5000 racecars, and eventually raced in Formula 1. The Magwinder was later sold to Bill Mann who campaigned it with Iskenderian livery and without the rear cover.

1960: The original “Michigan Madman” was EJ Potter, known for his Harley sidewinder small block Chevy drag bike. He once famously said, “Ignorance is a powerful tool if applied at the right times, usually even surpassing knowledge.” With no clutch, Potter would engage the center stand, rev the engine, and at the green light an assistant pushed him off. Extreme vibration, unpredictable steering, and wheelies were some of the issues EJ sorted out on his terror trek. His per-diem for exhibition runs easily netted him over $400 for three runs a night. He was limited to three runs as that was how long the tires held up before blowing out. During the course of running the Harley at over 170mph he experienced major injuries from an exhibition run in England. Eventually he switched to a rocket-powered trike he called Widow Maker, which exceeded 200mph, also resulting in a serious injury in 1971 after he jumped from his bike when the chute failed to open. He quit motorcycle exhibition runs in 1973, switching to competitive tractor pulling. He died in 2012.

1962: Lee Titus, proprietor of Lee’s Speed Shop in Santa Monica, California, would have had the most exotic sidewinder ever had he completed it. The chassis was set up for TWO gear-driven sidewinders, one in front and one in the rear. Two gears were attached to machined axles with special bearings. The back of each small block Chevy engine had a gear and idler assembly tied to the main axle gears, driven by two B&M Torque Master converters. Ron Hier was slated to shoe the twin, when Titus unexpectedly pulled the plug. It hung in the rafters of his shop for years before slipping into the ether.

1962: The Sidewinder Plus 1 from the team of Hammel, Cullinan and Mulvey from Lancaster, California, ran between 1962 and 1964 off and on, seen here at the 1964 March Meet at Bakersfield. Best times were 8s at 170mph.

1964: Jim Sivenpiper, from Buffalo, NY, and money buddy brother Dan fashioned this slick sidewinder. The S&M Speed Shop product was Chrysler Hemi-powered, featuring very clean construction. At the 1964 Nationals, where these images were taken, it bogged at the starting line and failed to qualify. The chain-drive hauler ultimately ran low 9s at 170mph.

1970: Art Malone’s novel dragster graced our November 1970 cover. 426 Hemi-powered with a 6-71 blower, weighing in at 1380-pounds, weight bias was said to be 95-percent rear, and only 5-percent at the front, for the long 265-inch wheelbase dragster. The low relationship of the rear axle centerline to the chassis was from the live axle being placed above the crank centerline and running through the engine. A Morse-link chain tied the crank to the 3-inch axle by way of a large gear attached to the specially made multi-disc Crower clutch. On the other side of the Hemi was a blower drive using a Gilmer belt, but Malone also experimented with compressed air forced-induction. Roots-type blowers are parasitic, with Don Garlits positing they strip 2000hp from an engine, so having a source for spinning the blower without the parasitic downside would theoretically add 2000hp. Also, if the compressed air was regulated, engine boost could be staged so less was used at the beginning of a run, coming on strong at mid-track where it was needed. Interestingly in this pre-rear engine dragster period, Malone installed mirrors to see how the tires were reacting, which he missed from driving with a traditional front engine viewpoint. Another problem was his inability to sense the dragster getting out of shape until it’s too late. Though used for testing, Malone’s engineering marvel was unsuccessful in actual competition. It resides in Garlits’ museum today.

1972: The Jack Chrisman “Funnywinder” Mustang made a big splash including landing on our November 1972 cover. Experiencing a fair amount of success with earlier sidewinder efforts Chrisman drove, this new Funny Car must have seemed like a chance worth taking. Curiously, it ran Ford’s 427ci SOHC for power at a time when those engines had fallen out of favor in Top Fuel. Unfortunately it never ran well, and would have evaporated into history were it not for John Force. John and his brother Louie purchased the Funnywinder—their first Funny Car effort. It became the “Night Stalker” in Force’s hands. Evil handling prevented Force from achieving any success, and it was sold and then modified to a conventional front engine setup for an Econo small block Chevy/Powerglide combo, making a few runs at Irwindale Raceway before disappearing. The Night Stalker body surfaces for sale from time to time.

1964: There were a number of Pontiac Tempest 4-banger sidewinder dragsters built, including Norm Leonard’s 262ci example from the 1964 Bakersfield March Meet. The Tempest engine featured an Isky cam, Hilborn injection, and Scott fuel pump; and was chain-driven. Best time was 10.87.

1961: Ted Cyr and Emery Cook were staples of drag racing, winning the 1958 NHRA Nationals. For 1961 they concocted this strange-even-for-sidewinders dragster. Former NHRA Director of Competition Steve Gibbs has described it as an “evil handling experiment.” The nitro small block Chevy spun a direct-drive setup incorporating a driveshaft geared off of a V-drive into the odd side-slung quickchange, in an obvious attempt to experiment with gear ratios. Transferring torque from the quickchange to the right side slick must have created some twist, creating potential spooky runs.

1961: The Stu’s AE Transmission sidewinder from Long Beach, California. One of the only automatic trans sidewinders we are aware of, the small block Chevy runs a 4-speed Hydro sliced in the middle of its case, with a fab’d case aft of the slice for adapting the chain-driven output shaft. Interestingly it accepts a complete stock Hydro pan. A larger gear attached to the rear wheel completes the complicated drive system. As there are no other images of this rig we assume the old handling gremlins kept this effort from making any dent in the sidewinder attempts continuing to trickle into drag racing around this time.

1982: One of the last of the sidewinder dragster attempts came from one of drag racing’s greatest; Big Daddy Don Garlits. Neither discouraged by friend Art Malone’s 1970 attempt, nor the crash of JT Stewart’s “Arizona Sidewinder” dragster over ten years before, which driver Dennis Wiery survived; Big Daddy unleashed this Sage Brothers creation. Chuck and Mike Sage were into tractor pulling, creating gear sets at their company SCS Geardrives in Bellevue, Ohio. They built this stunner based on experiments with a Pro Comp dragster they owned. Convinced of its merits, they contacted Garlits, who liked the concept enough to agree to run a 240-inch dragster they were building for Top Fuel competition. Using one of Garlits’ 484ci nitro Hemis, power was transferred through a complex set of gears to the rear end. At Orange County Raceway in early 1982 for its maiden voyage, Garlits lost three match race rounds to Shirley Muldowney partially due to gear damage. By spring the brothers had refined the gearbox, but in numerous match race competitions the car did not perform to Garlits’ expectations. Calling upon an engineer-friend at South Florida University, he calculated that Garlits was losing over 20-percent of the Hemi’s available power due to the gears. With that, Garlits returned Swamp Rat 27 to the Sage brothers, who continued testing for another two years before donating it to Garlits’ museum where it rests today.

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