#even though i adore their music i decided not to get any of their albums

[minjv]

i wish aespa had stuck with case versions and released one for each of their albums

[gay-dorito-dust]

hobie brown (spider-punk!!) is giving me severe brain rot, i love him sm 😭

if you ever decide to write for him, could you do some relationship hcs??

ty ^^

Not sure wether this is what you wanted but I hope it was worth it.

Music from the heart:

One of the most obvious ones is that Hobie would have a plethora of songs about you, it’s fucking adorable and so sweet, and so he would play them for you within the comfort of your room because where else would you rather be serenaded?

If anything it makes the moment more special and memorable for the both of you as something you can look back on with fondness.

Though you probably try teasing him one day by asking how many more songs of you he had in the works and Hobie would either say ‘too many to count.’ Or ‘a whole albums worth.’ He’s not going to hide the fact that he’s got notebook after notebook filled with song lyrics dedicated to you.

Pda though not quite:

Hobie isn’t the type to heavily involve himself in PDA but isn’t against the likes of:

holding hands.

his hand being placed on the small of your back when guiding you somewhere else.

the classic arm over the shoulder.

Thigh holding

His/ your head resting on each others shoulders and or laps.

Guitar pick:

This one came to my head out of the blue but I’m gonna add it here even though I’m not too certain but here it is anyway:

if Hobie uses guitar picks to play his guitar -which he probs doesn’t but idk- I’d like to think he’d make you a guitar pick necklace from one of his old picks.

Sure he hates gifts and such but this is the sole expectation alongside any and all handcrafted jewellery you may give him because he wears that shit with pride.

Terms of endearment:

Love

Darling

Sweetheart

Impromptu sleepovers:

Hobie crashes at your place more often then not to the point he might as well be living with you in regards of how often he leaves something of his at yours, so much so you’ve begun to wonder if he was doing it intentionally or accidentally.

Either way you made sure that his stay was comfortable by having a makeshift bed set up for him so he didn’t have to constantly sleep on the uncomfortable couch and wake up with a crooked neck.

Hobie appreciates all that you do for him but would often tell you it’s not necessary but you weren’t about to get into a discussion about whether or not he was deserving of help because the answer was obvious and that answer would always and forever will be; yes.

Also he’s a bit of a cuddle bug but only with you but that’s your little secrete.

Date nights:

Most, if not all of your dates are either just the pair of you being your natural selves in the comfort of your own home where’d you would talk about anything and everything that came to your mind, free of judgment.

or

showing Hobie your undying love and support by showing up to his gigs and scream the loudest because he is talented as shit and deserves a lot more in your eyes.

Either way as long as you were within each others company, anywhere you both went could be considered a date.

Spidey business:

Now this is all dependant on wether or not you know he’s Spider-Man:

If you did then you’d probably would help him patch up his wounds after every fight he had

Or

If you weren’t due to Hobie wanting nothing more then to keep you and that life as far from each other as possible, you’d most definitely would be concerned when you see him with any sustained injuries he tried patching up himself.

No matter how hard you try to get him to tell you what’s wrong, Hobie would just tell you it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.

Meeting his friends/ Bragging rights:

Before introducing you to the likes of Pavitr, Miles and Gwen(if you haven’t already met her), it’s almost an 100% guarantee that he brags about you anyway he knows how which only intrigues them more and more to the point they’re just pleading with Hobie to introduce his cool, kickass partner to them.

So when he does, the three are practically hounding you about your relationship with Hobie and when you looked back at him for help in wrangling in his over excited friends, the little shit merely smirks and shrugs his shoulders as though he had no idea they’d react like this, all the while leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest; happy to see all his favourite people he cares about a lot interacting with one another to the point that by the end of the day you’re very good friends with each of them.

[shawtuzi]

i’m still deciding whether i want to write for ellie or abby in my next tlou fic but until then pls enjoy these construction worker!eren hc’s bc i am sooo thirsty for him

cw include: black fem!reader, lots of fluff, lots of smut, eren being the cutest thing ever

sfw

construction worker!eren whose only dream in this life is to have a pretty wife with a litter of kids and a big ass house to go with it. he’s already slipped a gorgeous fat rock on your finger and talks of getting pregnant with your first child were slowly but surely happening which meant he was getting closer and closer to what he truly wanted most.

construction worker!eren who is a total mommas boy!! his mom is so very dear to him and to know she adores you just as much as him makes him so so happy.

construction worker!eren who looks so cute in his everyday work outfit. whenever he’s got his hard hat on around you you can’t help but knock on it a few times but it’s okay he thinks it’s super cute.

construction worker!eren who starts his day a six-thirty every morning and is always home by five o’clock on the dot. his morning routine consists of giving your forehead and lips a sweet good morning kiss as soon as his eyes open, a quick fifteen minute shower with music softly playing in the back (usually the trapsoul album by bryson tiller), making a big ass pot of coffee bc lord knows he’ll need it with the airheads he works with, quadruple checking to make sure there’s food in the fridge and pantry for you, another sweet kiss to your lips before he heads out, and then spending five minutes trying to pry you off of him while you beg him to take the day off. “m’sorry sugarplum i cant take off today, gotta save up for that big house we want you know how it is,” he’d always say before shushing your whines with a kiss full of tongue n passion.

construction worker!eren who is so tired and sore when he gets off work but is never too sore to accept one of your bone crushing hugs as soon as he walks through the door to your shared apartment. he’s always extra careful to make sure his hands that are usually covered in residue don’t touch your clothes even though you could literally care less.

construction worker!eren who facetimes you everyday around the same time to enjoy your company while he’s on his lunch break. usually the conversations consists of you telling him to make sure he’s applying a lot of sunscreen (bc this heat was nothing to play about), your plans for what you were making for dinner, and if anyone happened to piss him off that day you’ll surely hear about it.

“how’s your lunch?” you asked giving eren a loving smile as you watched him practically devour the leftover lasagna from last nights dinner. he wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking, a content smile on his lips. “food is perfect honey tastes just as good as it did last night,” you smiled at his words but it faltered just the slightest bit when you saw how reddish pink his cheeks were. “baby have you put on any sunscreen yet? weather app says it’s supposed to be almost a hundred out today,” you pouted wishing so desperately that he was there so you could give his little sunburns kisses. eren observed his face in the tiny box on the corner of his phone, letting out a small hum. “don’t worry about me sugar i’ll put some on before we get off the phone,” he gave you a comforting smile which you returned. you folded your freshly manicured hands together before speaking, “so…for dinner i was thinking steak kabobs?” “now we’re fuckin’ talking”

construction worker!eren whose nicknames for you are sugar, sugarplum, honey, angel, and my honeysuckle (which is a type of flower heje)

construction worker!eren whose stomach is almost as big as his heart lol this man loves him a good home cooked meal!!! he doesn’t know what he did to deserve a wife who feeds him as good as you do but you best believe he thanks his lucky stars everyday for it. and yes he’s fs the kind of man to completely devour his food in record time meanwhile you’ve barely made a dent in yours, this usually leads to you splitting the rest of yours with him bc this man always has room to eat more food.

you had decided to make steaks for dinner and like usual eren had devoured his plate in less than ten minutes. “was it good my love?” you giggled taking a bite of the roasted potatoes you made as side. bc he had a full mouth all eren was able to get out was a satisfied sounding ‘mhm!’ eren had washed his dishes and put them away before making his way back to the table to keep you company while you continued to eat your food, love and adoration swarming in those jade irises of his. without a word you swiftly got out of your chair and got comfy on his lap. eren didn’t say a word but by the way he was looking at your plate you could tell he was dying for another bite. you cut off a piece of steak and held the fork up to his lips with a smile, “go ahead take a bite i know you wanna.” without a second thought eren took a bite and for the rest of dinner you took turns feeding him and yourself.

construction worker!eren who becomes even more attentive and loving than he already is once you’re finally pregnant!!! you have morning sickness?? he’s right behind you rubbing your back and even offers to brush your teeth for you after you’ve finished. you need your feet rubbed?? prop them up and he’ll get straight to work. he even takes more days off work than usual bc he misses your touch just as much as you miss his. ever since he found out there was a little him growing in you he frequently started talking to your belly.

construction worker!eren is a girl dad no ifs, ands, or buts!!!!! crazy story but he had the strongest feeling you were having a girl and low and behold on the day of your gender reveal you found out you were having a girl!! yes he cried like a baby himself and yes connie has it on video.

construction worker!eren who treats your daughter like she’s the finest china when she’s finally born :( the first time he did skin to skin contact with her he swore his heart was gonna explode with how much love his had for the tiny human in his arms. and once she was sound asleep in her lil bed he was quick to leave the hospital to buy you whatever foods you were craving—you deserved the best princess treatment for bringing his lil princess into the world.

construction worker!eren who keeps a polaroid pic of you, him, and your newborn daughter in his worn out wallet, showing it to everyone at his job…and a couple strangers….he rlly can’t help it you two are his pride and joy <333

“hey reiner did i ever show you this picture?” eren beamed holding up the polaroid in reiner’s face for the third time that day. reiner chuckled a bit before nodding, “yes eren you showed me, she’s a cute one you and y/n are lucky,” he smiled and eren nodded in agreement, still staring down at the picture. “yeah…m’the luckiest guy in the world aren’t i?”

nsfw

construction worker!eren who is six foot six and pure muscle. it’s a wonder how he eats so good and manages to look even better but hey! you weren’t complaining. he certainly was lacking down there either baby he’s the full package. his dicks eight and a half inches with two prominent veins on the underside that rubbed against your sensitive walls in the most delicious way possible.

construction worker!eren who has a raging breeding kink but is that really a surprise? whenever you two fuck and he’s able to rlly take his time with you i kid you not he has to cum inside you at least three times or he will not be satisfied. sometimes whenever he pulls out he’ll push down on your lower belly and watch his cum spill out with dark, predatory eyes. majority of the time he’ll use that as an excuse to fill you up for the umpteenth time bc he just cannot let any of his precious cum go to waste.

“so pretty,” eren had a lazy smile on his face as he watched three orgasms worth of cum ooze out of your puffy, spent pussy. just when you thought he had his fill and was ready for a much needed good nights rest you felt his one softening dick begin to harden up against your still trembling thighs. “eren…” you whimpered, but he just shushed you with a kiss mumbling a quick ‘jus one more’ before slipping back inside you with ease. he was extremely low on energy so he wasn’t quite able to fuck into you like a madman like he was before so he just settled for grinding into you. “o-oh honey! f-fuck!” you squealed wrapping your legs around his waist. between his swollen tip continuously bumping into your stomach, and the coarse hairs on his pelvis rubbing against your sensitive clit you were slowly but surely going dumb. “yeah jus’ like that, f-fuck yeah let daddy fuck a baby into you baby c’mon make me cum.”

construction worker!eren who is nawt a fan of quickies at all!! he’s a man that likes to savor the moment when it comes to sex and if he’s able to admire the faces and sounds you make then what’s the point?? when he’s got you all to himself expect to be occupied for the next couple of hours bc like i stated before he’s not satisfied until he’s cum in you at least three times and made you cum twice as much!!

construction worker!eren who is a certified MUNCH!!!! this man loves having his mouth on your pussy and yes if ur wondering he definitely eats it through your panties. he’s so sloppy and loud with it you’d almost be embarrassed if he didn’t completely turn you dumb whenever he tongue fucked your weeping pussy :(

“mm renny,” your brows scrunched together in pleasure as eren sloppily ran his tongue up and down your soaked folds. his hair was still damp from his shower and was slowly soaking the couch from the droplets falling from his locs but neither of you seemed to care. “couldn’t stop thinking about you today…i mean i already think of you all day but i kept thinking about you in that way and fuck it was so hard to focus. reiner almost ripped my head off from how distracted i was,” as he was talking he was pressing sloppy, wet kisses all over your cunt and the inside of your thighs. he inserted two fingers easily into your dripping center and couldn’t help the groan that rumbled in his chest when he saw how tight you were squeezing his fingers. “you got the prettiest pussy honey, you know that right?” he gave you a small smile before spitting directly on your clit making you jolt. you whined in embarrassment ofc and covered your face with a near throw pillow, whimpering out a pathetic ‘stop ren s’embarrasing.’ eren just hummed and attached his mouth back to your pussy, wrapping his slightly swollen lips around your throbbing clit, “m’never gonna fuckin stop my pretty little honeysuckle never ever.”

construction worker!eren who is a biggg fan of the 69 position. sometimes you suck him so good he tends to lose focus but you don’t mind in the slightest. your big strong man never stops working whether he’s on or off the clock so if he gets a little consumed in his own pleasure who are you to snap him out of it?? if you’re putting some serious work in he’ll moan n groan so loud into your pussy you could cum alone just from that!!

construction worker!eren who had the prettiest moans *sighs dreamily* he’s never shy to let you know you’re making him feel good and it’s so fucking hot hearing his breathy whines and moans especially when he accidentally overstimulates himself which he happens to do a lot heh. you’ve definitely had a couple complaints from neighbors bc of the noise but he don’t even give a fuck!! he knows it turns you on more than anything to hear him be so vocal so why on earth would he ever stop??

construction worker!eren who was soo nervous when you suggested having sex while you were pregnant. it was no problem for him at first but once you started showing that’s when the panic started to settle in—he was so afraid he’d accidentally hurt you or the baby that he kinda went on an sex hiatus much to your dismay, but after some convincing be finally gave in.

you were on your side and he was spooning you from behind, giving your shoulder or neck a kiss of encouragement every once in a while. “jus’ let me know if it hurts at all or you’re uncomfortable okay? cant believe you talked me into this…” eren mumbled into your shoulder. you replied with a soft ‘mhm’ your patience wearing thinner by the second. it had been a good couple of weeks since you and eren last had sex and you were almost sure you were beginning to lose your mind. you’d finally had enough when he came home from his morning jog looking like an absolute dream with his chest heaving and brown baby hairs sticking to his forehead. that’s how he ended up here: one hand securely holding onto your small bump while his other was slowly pushing his dick inside your awaiting entrance. “oh wow…” your eyes fluttered shut in pure bliss, toes curling once he bottomed out. “f-fuck that feel okay hun?” it felt more than okay. you brought your hand to your clit and began rubbing quick circles to dull out the stinging stretch. eren peeped this and replaced yours with his own, the rough pads of his fingers on your clit had your lips trembling. “y-you need to stop this—hah! sex strike and fuck me more please i—i miss this,” eren heard your plea and nodded feverishly. god was he a fool for ever depriving yourselves of each other, he will never be doing this again.

[billsbabydoll]

“𝒸𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒾𝓃 ℴ𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝒿 𝓁𝒾𝓅𝓈.”

contains:SMUT<3

summary:while on my walk home, a very familiar cadillac pulls up beside me.rolling down the window calling out for me, my ex-boyfriend convinces me into his car for a quick “chat”.

WARNINGS:softdom!tom, sub!reader, light nipple play, pet-names, praising, blowjob, throat-fucking, make-out session, cat-calling, quickie, dry-humping, ex-sex.

notes:guys please excuse my last post im ovulating and i got horny in the middle of the night :3.

ugh today has been such a long and stressful day at work, finally im making my way back home, with music blasting in my ipod head-phones as i take in my surroundings, the orange sky and the sound of the city.

i was about 5-ish blocks away from my apartment before i randomly get the feeling of someone watching me and i was correct, i slowly turn my head over to the side of the road, taking a head-phone out of my ear and of course i see that stupid, ugly, pathetic cadillac i knew so annoyingly well and i instantly knew very well who eyes were watching me inside.

to no surprise he rolls the window down and stops the car, our eyes meet for the first time in 4 months.

“hii gorgeous, what are you doing baby?”he chuckles with that smug smile that i once absolutely adored, now only brutally hated.

i scoffed disgusted at his flirting, i decided to continue walking, putting my head-phone back in my ear.over my loud music i still managed hear his car driving slowly beside me and his long string of cat-calls.

“cmon doll, i’ll give you a ride!”

“schatzi (sweetheart), i know you hear me!”

“cmere, baby!”

“whats a pretty girl like you doing walking alone, it’s getting dark out y’know!”

i mean it was pushing 6:30 and the sun was already beginning to set, and i most definitely didnt wanna walk the rest of 5 blocks i had left on top of the 10 i already had walked.i sighed stopping right in my tracks taking my head-phones out of my ears and placing them in my tote-bag along with my ipod, before turning fully to the vehicle, signaling for him to unlock the door.

he smirked ignorantly, the door quickly unlocking with a switch of a button allowing me inside.i settle in the passenger’s seat, refusing to make eye-contact with him.

“how you been, i haven’t seen you since-well you know..”he questioned trying to make conversation as he began to drive again, his tone now more serious and gentle, taking note of my annoyed face and my refusal to meet his eyes.

“ive been okay just been busy with work, and you tom?” i replied obviously not interested in making small talk, especially with someone who dumped me.

“thats good, uh ive just been busy too with touring and promoting the new album, been thinkin’ about you a lot lately though schatz (sweetheart).”

“oh yeahh righttt.”i chuckle sarcastically, i know he had hundreds of girls throwing themselves at him everyday and night, heck they were even while we were together, there was absolutely no way he being honest.

“im serious, sometimes i ask myself why i let you go and, i mean really who would forget such a pretty girl like you hm?”he teased looking over to me, placing a hand on my thigh before looking back to the road ahead.

my heart begins to pump and race at the sudden contact of his large hand rubbing and softly gripping on my flesh, i could almost hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears.

i know i know what your thinking, and i was really struggling trying to maintain some sort of strength, i mean the guy dumped me!i also know hes just sweet-talking me like he always did but with someone so charming and handsome as THE tom kaulitz, it was like handing a child a huge lollipop and asking them not to eat it, absolutely impossible.

we sit in silence for another few minutes, still he continues to caress my thigh before he looks over to me again searching in my face for any sign of uncertainty or discomfort , to which he only finds willingness and desire.he nods, then proceeds to pull into an empty, quiet, hidden alleyway, parking the car before shutting off the ignition.

i waste no second more to quickly climb over to tom, straddling his lap my thighs resting on the sides of his own, capturing his lips into a hot kiss.he kisses back immediately toms hands finding their way effortlessly to my hips, helping me grind my clothed cunt against his urging length, creating a delicious friction.

we continue passionately making-out, our tongues swirling and intertwining perfectly into one-another.

as hes savoring the sweet taste of my lips, he removes his hands away from hips now using his left hand to lift up my skirt squeezing and slapping my delicate skin, his right hand finding its way inside my shirt, the tips of his fingers now rubbing fast circles on the buds of my tender breasts.

i moan lightly into his mouth, my eyes shutting as i take in the amazing sensation, my teeth biting down softly on his wet lips, my hips rocking recklessly against his seeking any further friction.

he pulls away from the kiss moaning and groaning with me, his cock begging to be released right at that instant.

“steig hinten ein, engel (get in the back, angel).”

i immediately comply, hopping off of his lap and climbing into the back seat, he follows shortly behind sitting down before going back to meeting his lips with mine.

he takes my hand in his and places it upon his groin, helping me begin to palm him through his baggy jeans, he groans into my mouth, his eye-brows furrowing together.

i take the lead now and pull away from his lips, looking into his eyes then looking down to his lap, i then lean over and quickly unbuckle his belt pulling his jeans down enough for his hardened length to be visible in his blue checkered boxers, begging to be pleased.i slip my hand in his underwear and pull his cock out, it swings out hitting his stomach before bouncing back up.

“your killing me here, c-cmon baby..”he whines impatiently.

i softly chuckle before i lowered my head down, my lips now not even an inch away from his leaky tip.i teasingly lick a few rings around his tip and lick up and down the sides of his shaft before i slowly take his length into my mouth.

he scoots up and relaxes his legs as he makes a make-shift pony tail out of my loose hair.i then begin to glide up and and down his cock, his tip once in a while kissing the back of throat.

“ohh f-fuckk keep sucking it that mmh-prinzessin (princess).”he praises, his head tilting backwards and hitting the headrest of the seat, his grip on hair becoming tighter.

i keep up a steady, quick, consistent pace throughout, using my left hand to stroke the extra inches i couldnt fit inside my mouth, i moan as i suck him off, sending high vibrations straight through his cock.

hes a complete groaning and whining mess, gripping my hair with one hand gripping the seat with the other.

“look ughh-into my eyes..”

“g-god i missed your fucking lips on my mmh-dick so much, doll.”

my watery eyes quickly looked up into his maintaining long eye-contact before looking back down.

he bucks his hips into my mouth seeking further relief, his orgasm coming in any moment now, his mouth hangs open mumbling desperate swears from his lips.he then grabs the sides of face with both of his hands and starts harshly fucking his cock into my throat.

i whimper as his tip rapidly stabs into the back of throat, my hands squeezing the leather of the seats, my eyes now crying from the brutality.

“f-fuck fuck im gonna cum!”

he announced before taking his length quickly out of my mouth and placing it on my blood-like-red lips.he pumps his length urgently, squeezing his eyes shut and with a primal grunt busts a fat load on my lips, covering my lips with his cum like lipgloss.

i lick the salty white substance from my lips, looking deeply into his eyes as i swallow, before an idea suddenly pops into my head-

“wanna finish this at my place, babe?”

“fuck yeah.”

THE END

[babyleostuff]

your smile | JEON WONWOO

summary | reading date with wonwoo in the comfort of your shared apartment

genre | fluff

word count | 871

pairing | jeon wonwoo x gn!reader

"What should we listen to?" Wonwoo asked right as you walked into the living room with a book in your hand.

"Whatever you feel like. I chose last time." A moment later soft tunes of your favorite album started playing, and along with the LED lights and a couple of candles it only added to the cozy feeling your shared apartment had.

This little act of your boyfriend - putting the music he knows you like, even though it's his turn to choose, puts a small smile on your face, making you even happier than you already were.

Having an afternoon for yourselves, not worrying about work or any chores, you both decided to have a stay at home date, with food and books.

Wonwoo already had his gaming live today at the company, so you didn't have to worry about your boyfriend bailing on you mid chapter and gaming his ass off until dawn, which was always a nice thing.

"Do we have everything?" he wondered, taking a seat next to you on the big sofa, which was now covered with fluffy blankets and lots of pillows.

"I'm just going to grab something to drink, so we don't have to get up later. Oh, and we need chopsticks. Anything else?"

"I don't think so,"

"Okay, I'll be right back."

As much as you loved going out with Wonwoo, exploring the city, going to nice restaurants or simply taking a casual stroll by the Han river, nothing would ever top your at home dates.

Being both so comfortable with each other - no fancy clothes, no makeup, no pressure to look your best and no stressing about being recognised by other people. You could savor the comfortable silence, each with a separate book and your feet in his lap.

A barefaced Wonwoo with his glasses and an oversized t-shirt was just a bonus to all of this. He's really the definition of boyfriend material.

While in the kitchen, beside drinks and chopsticks you grabbed extra snacks for Wonwoo, as he always likes to have something to munch on while reading. In addition you also grabbed an apple juice box, one of the many sitting in your refrigerator.

Quickly making your way back to the living room, you couldn't help, but admire your boyfriend for a second. He was sitting comfortably under one of the many blankets, his glasses at the tip of his nose while he was smiling at something on his phone.

Seeing him so happy was like a cup of tea on a winter morning. Without a doubt, him smiling was the best thing in the world and seeing him do it so often in these past months was the biggest dream come true.

He is one of the strongest people you know, but even he couldn't always hide his sadness and pain, so seeing him getting his happiness back is everything you could've asked for.

"Everything alright?" suddenly you were pulled back to reality, by Wonwoo's gentle voice, that so often lulled you to sleep.

"Yeah, just zoned out a little. Here, your gummies," you handed him all of his snacks along with a water bottle and a set of chopsticks.

"When did you get them? They weren't there in the morning."

"I saw you eating them in your live today," you explained. "So, I decided to buy some. You always like to snack when you're reading and gaming."

Wonwoo usually saw himself as a very stoic person, who was good at controlling his emotions, but you always proved him wrong.

His gaze turned to the softest expression known to mankind and he couldn't help himself but kiss the side of your head in a loving manner as a thank you.

Not being able to resist your boyfriend's sweet action, you put your hand at the back of his head, running your fingers through his short hair, that made him look so adorable when not styled.

"How much of the book do you have left?" he asked, as you both snuggled under the warm blankets.

"I think I'll finish tonight."

"Will your next book be a little bit more, how to say, intellectual?"

"Jeon Woonwoo, stop making fun of my book," you laughed and hit his arm repeatedly, though you doubted he felt anything.

"Not my fault my childhood was based on Wattpad, you dumbass." He laughed and shook his head in a playful manner.

"Sorry not everyone can be as smart as you, Mr. I-know-it-all. " you huffed, putting your bookmark at the coffee table. Not saying anything more, he simply put his arm around you, pulling you closer to his side.

Moments like these made you feel so safe and loved. Wonwoo may not be the most outspoken person when it comes to his emotions, but he never made you doubt yourself in any way.

Everywhere you went, you knew you could always count on him, he was there to keep you safe, protected and happy. The simple touches and small acts of service was all you needed.

So, as you both sit in the living room, each of you in a different fictional world, keeping each other warm, you knew that this was how you'd like to spend the rest of your life.

[fivestar-outlaw]

New Horizons (Park Seonghwa) (Ch.1)

Chapter 1: Turnips

Pairing: Park Seonghwa x Fem!Reader

Words: 2.0k+

Warning(s): None

A/N: aYO first story on this blog, hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this self-indulgent series. I lub Seonghwa so I knew he had to be the first one posted here.

Reader is implied to be living in the US bc uh TIMEZONES ARE FUCKY and i didnt realize how reliant i was on mine (PST) when looking up KST

Italicized is English, just an fyi

Summary: Attempting an all-nighter while playing Animal Crossing alongside your bias, you didn't expect your turnip prices to be such a high amount... nor did you expect Park Seonghwa to actually accept your offer to sell his turnips on your island.

Series Masterlist | Navigation

You take a small bite of your snack before you made your avatar walk around your island. Seonghwa's livestream was playing in the background and he, too, was playing Animal Crossing. You made sure to stop and talk to the villagers who you came across outside, pull up some flowers before they overwhelmed areas on your island, and dug up some fossils, which you set aside to get assessed later. Right now, you planned on taking your turnips you bought from Daisy Mae to Nook's Cranny. With the help of time travel, your game was set during the day rather than matching the bold 4:40 am on your phone.

It was a chill all-nighter. None of your classes assigned homework over the weekend, you had the weekend off from your part-time job, your roommate was out of town until Sunday... You didn't mind ruining your already rocky sleep schedule to play Animal Crossing along side your bias.

Before you got into Ateez you already had been learning Korean, figuring having a language degree would help you with future careers. You had been a fan of Ateez for awhile. You adored all of their personalities and enjoyed their music, but for some reason you gravitated towards Seonghwa. You then started collecting albums when you had the extra money and made sure to check into their live streams when you could. Seonghwa even pulled you out of your Animal Crossing burn-out too which you were grateful for.

Currently, you finally got your avatar to Nook's Cranny, your turnips in tow. It was the last day to sell and the previous prices were all bellow a hundred bells. So you prayed to the Lord Tom Nook and hoped for good prices. You tapped the check prices and waited eagerly to see how much they would take for the turnips. Your eyes widened when little Timmy answered the prices.

660 bells.

You immediately sell your turnips to them, making a lot of bells in the process. Finally, you could give Tom Nook a sizable amount of money towards your last loan payment.

Seonghwa's voice, sounding frustrated, caught your attention. You looked at the livestream and saw he was holding his switch up. You could make out that his turnip prices were a mere 34 bells and he mentioned the prices have been like that for him all week.

"That sucks." You murmured to yourself.

For the hell of it you quickly type up in chat that you'll let him come sell his turnips and added the price being offered. You saw how fast the chat was going but you decided to tempt fate. After double-checking for any spelling errors you hit send.

The chat stuttered for a bit, your message right in the middle. You figured it was on your end but then you saw Seonghwa's eyes widen and watched as he scrambled to touch something on his phone. He spent a few moments typing and then hesitating on whatever he just did. You heard him sigh, tapping his phone before setting it down off screen in front of him.

Then, you saw a notification pop up on your end. Curiously, you opened it and when you did, your eyes nearly popped from your head.

Seemed as though Seonghwa, through the Ateez account, direct messaged you.

'Can I sell my turnips after stream?' It read. You immediately go and click the profile, just in case it was someone trying to pull your leg. All that did was lead you back to the official account. You tried it again a few more times just in case but it was the same result.

Seonghwa actually messaged you.

You could hardly contain your excitement coursing through your veins. You took a deep breath, switched your phones keyboard over to Hangul and carefully typed up your response despite your shaking hands. You had to pause several times on what to say but after a few minutes you responded.

'Sure! Just let me know when I should open my island and I can send you a code. I apologize for any mistakes in this message. I figure it would be more comfortable for you ^^.'

You hit send and put your focus purely on the livestream, your game forgotten about. You watched as a few moments passed by and saw Seonghwa glance towards his phone. A small smile grew on his face as his eyes trailed back to his game.

You focused back on yours. You got those fossils assessed (all were ones you already had), visited Brewster, found a gyoird, and stopped by at Marshal's house. You still cringe at how you accidentally told him yes when he asked to move. You caught it too late and the game saved the decision. Your little squirrel you spent hours island hopping for was leaving.

"I'll miss you buddy." You sigh to yourself as he told you he'll miss the island. None of your friends still played nor had space on their islands to save him for you. Maybe Nookaz-

"Yes!" You heard Seonghwa exclaim and you glance back over to his stream. "Cephalobot wants to move." He had such a big grin on his face as he proceeded to tell the robotic octopus villager to move. You couldn't help but smile along with him before focusing back on your island.

About an hour passed when Seonghwa said goodbye to the stream, making a heart with his hands, before shutting it off. You stifle a yawn and grab your phone, bringing up the messages between you and the offical Ateez account. You weren't sure if you were to message first or if you should wait for him to message you. You stood up from your chair and stretch your limbs, hearing a few satisfying pops.

You glance down at your phone and promptly sit back down.

'Ready when you are.'

You smile and start heading to your airport to get a code for him when you passed Marshal's home. You stopped your avatar when an idea popped into your mind. You picked up your phone and quickly typed up a message.

'If you don't mind time jumping to get an empty spot on your island and don't mind swapping friend codes, I have Marshal ready to move if you want him. I accidentally said yes when he asked to move. Only if you want to of course. :)'

You hit send, took a deep breath of air, and looked away from your phone, too nervous to see his reply.

"The worst he will say is no. And understandably so." You say to yourself under your breath. You didn't want to even look at the message but decided to calm your nerves. You turn back to your phone and saw he messaged you back.

'That would be great. Thank you, Atiny. Give me a few more minutes please.' You then saw he sent his friend code.

"Okay, what the hell?" You couldn't believe it. "I guess he really is serious about this game." You chuckled and pressed the home button. You typed in his friend code, making use of the Switch's touch screen and sent him a friend request.

You saw you were immediately added back. You take another deep breath and open your game back up. You went to your airport and opened the gates up for friends. You let your avatar stand idle as you waited. You figured he'd have to time travel a day to get Cephalobot in boxes and then travel again to have an empty plot for Marshal.

You got up from your spot and quickly got a drink of water. You couldn't stop the yawn escaping past you lips, the lack of sleep is starting to hit. You quickly return to your couch and plug your switch back into the dock since the battery was getting low and grab your controllers, the game appearing on your TV screen now. You unlock your phone and opted to lay on your side on the couch, viewing the new message Seonghwa sent.

'Almost ready. Hopping back on now.' His message read.

'Gates are open :)'

A minute passed when you got the notification a friend was arriving to your island. After the little animation finished you see his avatar walk into the airport. You quickly do a little wave and walk out, seeing he is following. You lead him to your Nook's Cranny and wait outside as he goes in to sell his turnips. You simply wait outside so you could take him to Marshal next when you see another message pop up.

'Can I buy the cabinet?'

'Go ahead. I am outside and will take you to Marshal when you are done.' You smile and do nothing to stop another yawn from escaping.

A few moments pass and his avatar walks out of the store. He stays still for a moment before he does the little 'joy' reaction, which you return. You then start heading to Marshal's home with Seonghwa in tow. If sudden tiredness hadn't washed over you, you'd probably much more outwardly excited.

You finally get to Marshal's home and watch as Seonghwa's avatar enter; you opted to stay outside again. Another yawn left you and you had to blink a few times to keep your eyes open.

"I'm just not built for all-nighters anymore..." You mumbled to yourself. You realized sitting up may help keep you awake, but you were just too damn comfortable laying down as you were. Your eyes droop but you were trying your best to stay awake to see him off your island.

You hear the door in game open and close and see Seonghwa's avatar leave. He did another joy reaction and stayed like that for a moment. You get on your phone again and saw he had sent a message.

'Thank you again, Atiny <3 your island is cute.'

'You're welcome, Seonghwa'

You watch as his avatar heads back into the direction of your airport, though, you did not stay awake long enough to hear your game let you know that a friend has left the island.

---

You woke up about eight hours later feeling like you were hit by a car. You couldn't tell where you were for a moment, what time it was, what year it was,and your stomach ached with hunger. Finally, your eyes fully adjusted to being awake, though you didn't have the energy yet to lift yourself up off what you know realized was your couch.

You lay there contemplating life, cursing your past self for trying to do an all-nighter. You glance around and saw your Switch controller and phone on the floor. You then look to your TV and saw it was off. You had a half drank glass of water on the coffee table and an almost finished snack.

You finally sat up, making sure to stretch your limbs. You felt more awake now. You pick up your phone and curse at the low battery life. Quickly you unlocked it and then nearly dropped your phone, the messages between you and the official Ateez account were still open.

You played Animal Crossing with Seonghwa.

You played Animal Crossing with Park Seonghwa.

You take a deep breath to calm every emotion hitting you and get up to turn your Switch back on. You grab the controller and immediately look to your friends list.

He still had you added.

"Should I unfriend him...? He didn't unfriend me but..." You sighed. You go in and change the time and date to match real life before opening the game up. You quickly press through the usual Isabelle announcements.

When your avatar exited the house you noticed you had in game mail. You figured it was probably a goodbye letter from Marshal. You had your avatar open the mailbox and to your surprise, Seonghwa had sent you a letter and a present.

'Thank you again for letting me sell my turnips and for letting me have Marshal. Let's send gifts!'

You favorite the letter and take the present. You opened it and felt immediate excitement. He sent you a piece of artwork you knew you for sure didn't have for the museum. You could barely contain your excitement at the prospect of being Animal Crossing buddies with Seonghwa.

[chcrryade]

CHERRYADE: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? It all sounds a little too perfect. Or maybe that’s just me. Song Kyumin. Jul 1, 2021.

JAGUAR have emerged from their year-and-two-months period of almost complete radio silence with news that has shocked many—or perhaps a little less than many, because you can’t really expect to rise from the dead and still have millions of fans at your beck and call, ready to lap up any scraps you throw them. A new boy group is on the way, and their name is CHERRYADE. Something too sweet to drink all in one go, but too carbonated to sit on the tongue comfortably after just one sip. It seems rather on-brand for a company that has so far fed us one group that hated their failed-actor-turned-idol newbie’s guts, one soloist who kicked the chair after one (1) album that tanked, and a duo who I’m still not sure were hate-fucking or making attempts on the other’s life every time the camera turned.

This time, though, they’re not unveiling their (sure-to-be devastatingly attractive) members one-by-one from wherever they’ve been hiding them, as per the last three attempts. Neither are they shoving their not-yet-debuted faces in our faces with too many social media accounts or mind-numbingly boring introduction videos. Instead, JAGUAR have made the decision to protect the idol-environment and reuse our past favourites, taking them from one unknown group to another. Aren’t we lucky.

This isn’t a new (or even particularly exciting) concept. You may recognise the formula from STRMRUNNER Media, who chose trainees from only the top companies to shove together in a now-superstar group named SO(U)L. JAGUAR CEO Ae Seungdae must have witnessed the success the seven have seen and decided he wanted a piece of the pie. They even share the same amount of members. But I doubt they’ll be greeting each other at any music shows or posting cutesy selcas on Twitter, because some of the boys selected for this ‘supergroup’ of sorts aren’t known to be the nicest.

First, JAGUAR reached out to FNC and asked if they would miss SLOW MOTION’s once-leader Kil Doyeon terribly. The answer must’ve been no, as he’s rumoured to be the appointed leader of CHERRYADE also. Next on the list was METRONOME Media’s Duan Jieyang (who was more commonly known as DJ, although it’s been said he’s long abandoned that alias) and Jeon Haeil from their group ALGORHYTHM, disbanded in 2019, who had been in hot water previously for alleged fights breaking out between leader Daehoon and youngest Levi—who, funnily enough, left the group and ended up in SLOW MOTION not long after.

The higher-ups didn’t have to look too hard for the next couple of members, as they were right there in their pockets anyway. Qiao Yijun and Ahn Jaehee (our aforementioned failed actor) from BONSOIR were next on the roster, and the general consensus on that was that it was certainly an.. interesting choice to make. They were the two that seemed to despise each other the most, after all. 

Next is one that may surprise some. Hwan Minhui (or GOGO, as many know and love him as) was recruited from SM’s much adored sub-unit NCT DREAM. Reactions were mixed, but the largest question of all was why. Alas, it doesn’t seem like JAGUAR is going to be holding a press conference anytime soon to answer that burning inquiry. Or releasing any sort of statement, either. There’s far too much on their plates for that—what with trying to get all these complete strangers to act civil with each other, and all.

The last member of CHERRYADE is the only new face that we’re receiving. Not much is known about him except his name, Lee Hasun, and that he’s the youngest of the lot. Let’s hope he doesn’t receive the same treatment as Jaehee did, because otherwise this ‘supergroup’ might last even less time than all of JAGUAR’s other ventures combined. And we wouldn’t want that, of course. Or would we? (Don’t answer that).

Whatever the public may think of them, the one thing that is certain is that JAGUAR won’t care. Their age old motto of ‘any press is good press’ has lasted them too long for them to be doing anything like reassessing their values or realigning their morals. Hell, some have even been saying that accused (or rather, known—it’s something of an open secret at this point) nepo baby BONSOIR manager Hong Jaeyoung has found his new place as CHERRYADE’s handler, so from that alone it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be off to a spectacularly great start public-opinion wise.

The group are making their debut on August 1st, 2021—a mere month from now. What they’re releasing is still a mystery (a single? An EP? A mini-album? I’m as clueless as you are), but what we do know is that it’s going to be called DOUBLE DIP. I can vaguely glean the concept they’re going for from the name alone. Teeth-rotting, sugary goodness. The type of stuff that makes your mouth feel heady and vision swim. Or your ears bleed, depending on your opinion on the type of music that JAGUAR has put out thus far. Their styling seems to be heading in the same direction, as the explosion of colour that makes up their seconds-long teaser video is reminiscent of a handful of candy scooped up into the hands of an eager child.

CHERRYADE marks JAGUAR’s fourth attempt at an idol presence. Most of the hard work has been done for them, what with them lifting most of the members from other groups, but that in no way means they won’t meet the same failed fate as all of their predecessors. I feel that most deciding to follow the group will be doing so more out of morbid curiosity rather than genuine excitement for the content they’ll produce, and music they’ll put out. Right now they seem more like a ticking time bomb set to explode in an array of violently bright colours and burnt sugar than a group of boys that’ll be loved by the masses.

But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe CHERRYADE will be the success JAGUAR has so sorely been wanting, and for more reasons than how many times they’ve been caught smoking, or leaving shady love hotels in the earliest hours of the morning. Maybe the seven will actually grow to like each other, and they’ll replace the previous reputation they held—of catty and spiteful boys who were there for the money and to make the lives of people they didn’t like as unpleasant as possible—with one that paints them as genuine, likeable people. We’ll just have to wait and see.

DOUBLE DIP. Whatever it turns out to be, it’s dropping August 1st, at 2PM KST. Do make sure to tune in, if you want to see what all the fuss is about.

Or don’t. I suppose I wouldn’t blame you.

S(O)UL⠀⸻⠀@syoul

[bonesandthebees]

Hi again Bee.

Thank you for lending an ear to listen even if I just kinda showed up. I really appreciate it. I've actually been reading through some of your other stories and they're very good (I adore the fae works!).

When it comes to Wilbur, I'm just. Very disappointed and upset. Of course I support Shubble and am glad she spoke out, it's very important and I'm glad that it's encouraged others to come forward with their own stories of abuse at the hands of large creators. At the same time though part of me wishes she hadn't said anything, so I could have continued as I was, in blissful ignorance, even if I feel really guilty for thinking like that.

It just saddens me that someone I looked up to so much ended up being this horrible person. It makes me worried that I too am bad, that somehow he has imprinted his awfulness unto me. I used to be horrible too. I like to think I've grown as a person, I was only a kid, but have I? Or was being drawn to Wilbur a sign? Like attracting like?

Y'know, I used to say that my hair style goals were how Wilbur's hair is, and recently I got a haircut. When I took a shower earlier it ended up floofing up in a similar way to his. I don't know how to feel about that. Maybe I should style it differently, even though I like the floof. I don't want to be even a little reminiscent of an abuser.

I am reminiscent of him though, in ways I can't change. I used to feel so seen by him, we're both song writers, and hypochondriacs, and I wanted to be him so badly I would cry. I would cry because he was everything I desperately craved to be as an insecure transmasc, an attractive guy with a beautiful voice and an amazing life. And now he's horrible, and probably always has been, and all of my memories of him are tainted.

I hate that I can't listen to Lovejoy anymore. It feels unfair to the other band members. It isn't their fault Wilbur is awful, and yet I'm taking away a source of their income. I know I'm taking away from Wilbur too, but he's only one person out of the group. Maybe that's just me giving an excuse so that I won't have to stop enjoying their music. It doesn't matter, I can't stomach listening to them anymore anyways.

I keep getting songs from YCGMA stuck in my head. It's like now that I can't listen to it anymore my brain has decided to fuck with me by making me listen to it anyways. I can't even justify listening to that album, that's just Wilbur's music. I was going to cover a song from that album for fun. Now I can't.

Is it bad I still find comfort in Wilbur as a character? C!Tommy is my favorite, but C!Wilbur is almost always a huge part of any C!Tommy story and I love C!Wilbur stories too. I know C! ≠ CC! but I just. It's complicated.

Idek why I'm this upset. I haven't been an avid watcher of anyone in the DSMP in at least over a year. If anything this whole thing has brought me back into the fandom more than I have been in ages. I feel bad about that, but also this situation has introduced me to people like Aimsey, whose content I'm seeing more of and I find myself enjoying.

I've also found more great DSMP fics lately in my quest to binge read them before the mass deletions start. Is it bad to find good things in a bad situation?

I'm sorry for the lack of put togetherness and the length of this ask. I promise I'm usually more coherent and to the point.

-Tech (just call me Tech like a name, "tech anon" feels weird heh)

hey tech, sorry for a bit of a late reply I've been busy the past few days

(sorry about the 'tech anon' thing, it's just a habit since that's how I refer to most of my anons. I'm going to still tag your ask as tech anon though just for my tagging system if that's okay)

I'm so glad you like the fae stories!! I'm still so proud of both of those looking back on them

anyway, yeah, I get that. I get the guilty wish that none of this had ever come out so you could just continue to go on in blissful ignorance. when someone learns something very upsetting, it's only natural to feel like you wish you never learned that. you don't need to feel guilty for that. you're not a bad person for your emotional reactions to things. your actions are what matters.

also, you are in no way a bad person because you were drawn to wilbur's content. the persona wilbur put on for the internet was not representative of who he actually was. you were drawn to the facade. an illusion of the person wilbur could've been, if he actually practiced the things he preached. you said you used to be a bad person, but you've changed. the fact that you are worried at all that you might still be bad shows a level of self-awareness and concern that wilbur apparently did not have. because wilbur was aware he was a bad person and treated the people around him terribly, but he didn't care to try and be better. as long as you're trying to be better, you're already leagues ahead of him.

also, regarding the hair, the floofy fringe is an incredibly common haircut. that is not exclusive to wilbur soot. you do not look like him if your hair does the floof similarly to his, it just makes you look like thousands of other dudes with fluffy fringe.

the day after shelby first streamed I had an MSR song stuck in my head and I hated it so much. it really sucks. you just have to try and drown it out with other music

it's not hypocritical at all to still find comfort in c!wilbur. I know it's complicated, and there's so much discussion I could get into as to why it's so complicated, but we can all separate the guy and the character in our heads. there's no reason to feel guilty about that. and there's also nothing bad about finding good in this situation. I think it's really sweet that you've found so many great fics in this time and I'm so glad you've been getting comfort from them. you're appreciating the authors hard work and that's a good thing! you don't need to feel bad about that

I hope you're doing okay tech

[wrongcaitlyn]

Just read chapter 17! It was sooo worth the wait!

It totally flew over my head that nico and will got a apartment (had to go back and reread, lol) but I feel like someone needs make a pintrest board on what there house looks like, what do you imagine?

As soon as I read that will was going to a party I KNEW he was going to trigger nico with alcohol. It was really sweet though how he just kept confessing his love to nico, I couldn't keep giggling at that part

Oh poor will, the dating accusations with ncio are only going to get worse lol. In all honesty I guess he's not going to care that much about people knowing he's bi, but I don't think nico will like the speculation

Nico making the luckey one the seventh track omg we love the cabin 7 refrence!

I am so ready for this new album (my spotify playlists consist of nicos music from this au, not even egsagurating) I'm so happy with the addition of all falls down (I hc that the saxophone was Austin's playing!)

Also will Hazel and or Frank ever make a appearance in this au? If not why? (Genuinely curious)

This was a great chapter! I hope you have so much fun at the eras tour, and I hope you get a good suprose song!

so sorry it took so long for me to respond to this!!! at first i wanted to wait till i was able to make a pinterest board, but then i couldn't really find exactly what i wanted (but still made a board - here's the link!) so i decided i'd just describe it:

it’s a penthouse, and right now it’s veryyyy empty. they moved into it just before will’s next semester started so not much time to decorate!! they kept all like the basic furniture, so i do think they have a sort of living room connected to the kitchen - hold up, now i’m realizing i sorta based that layout off my uncles house. don’t know why i did that but!! we’re going with it. so they have two couches in the “living room” and a tv, leading to a kitchen with the generic appliances + a kitchen island - then i think that there’s a hallway with doors to one of the bathrooms, the guest room, and the studio, and then the master bedroom is also like. right across from the kitchen. if im even making any sense. i actually don’t know what a penthouse looks like so im just going off of pinterest vibes💯💯 anyway i think that eventually, they’ll also def have a lot of (fake) plants (bc lord knows they don’t actually have time to water and take care of plants), and LOTSS OF BLANKETS. i think that like almost every time they go to a target or smth to get smth they actually need, they walk out of the store with at least one blanket. they’re all over the couches, the beds, the chairs, idk why but i just want their apartment to be very very cozy :) aside from that, will 100% has his record collection moved to their room, with a few hanging from the living room- there’s definitely shelves of a bunch of awards or posters and things like that - A PHOTO WALL TOO!! definitely a photo wall. i also think that both nico and will are very messy, at least when they’re busy with something (and they always are) so every countertop and table and desk is filledddd with clutter. like so much. papers and textbooks and headphones and laptops they’re everywhere.

i realize it’s actually really hard to explain my vision for their apartment, which is funny bc i have a very specific layout in my head - and also one for nico’s apartment in so american btw!! so maybe sometime ill figure out how to draw a floor plan just so i can show yall what im thinking, but in the end, that’s the general vibe of it!!

now on to the rest of the ask‼️

will is ADORABLE he’s just such a simp and i love him for that. drunk words r truly sober thoughts in his case

youre 100% right with will not really caring abt people knowing!! i know some people assumed that will was the one being outed, and this was going to lead to some sort of angsty plot line, but seriously- will doesn’t care for that stuff. in his eyes, he’s already out, because he’s come out to all of his friends and the people he knows. the people on twitter are trying to search for something that just isn’t really that important

YES YES YES FOR THE ALL FALLS DOWN HC!!! i forgot to mention the songs and the artists in the end notes but seriously, all falls down by lizzy mcalpine is SOOOO fucking nico. i almost considered it being apollo (which i think it could also be) except the production style just wasn’t rlly very him if u get what i mean?? he’s much more like mainstream pop, and nico is too but he’s less worried abt sticking to a genre and i think it matches him perfectly

hazel and frank WILL be making their appearances soon!! i’ve had their backstories planned for sooo long and i can’t WAIT to finally include them. it’s been a long time coming but i swear it’ll be worth the wait!!

thank you SOO MUCH and i’m sorry again for taking so long to respond to this!! i had an incredible time at the eras tour and got some AMAZING surprise songs so thank you for that!!

[abcwordsurge]

hello my good friend mx surge! what kind of music do you like/prefer, genre-wise? got any favorite songs? and then can i get some favorite lyrics? smile! and. tell me what characters/stuff the lyrics make you think of if you'd like to go that far! doesn't have to be any characters I'd know about or even any at all. i am Curious <- all /nf! do as much as you like. i love asking questions and hearing your thoughts 🫡🫡 —marley

hello my wonderful friend marley! eeee I love talking about music. this is gonna be a long one

(disclaimer: I am admittedly Very Bad at genres, so I'm gonna give you artists and maybe you can decide for yourself what genres they are)

AJR is a big one, I could talk for days about AJR. they're one of the only bands I've been to a concert for (very very good concert, very fun, very dramatic, highly recommend, they are clearly showmen, not just musicians, and that makes for entertaining shows). I'm unironically following someone on tumblr who posts ONLY AJR stuff because every time I see the name "AJR" it's like a visceral reaction that makes me grin. ooh, also Twenty One Pilots. I love then. looking forward to their new album

I listen to a lot of broadway. some of my favorites are Be More Chill, Mean Girls, Six, and Titanic the Musical, just to name a few. I love seeing live shows especially- I saw Something Rotten not too long ago, and the Nick was BRILLIANT it. was, admittedly, a high school production, but nonetheless. he danced a lot, even unchoreographed dancing in the background, just like, vibing, and it was so obvious that he was just having a good time and enjoyed being there (the actor, that is, not the character) and I just liked watching him

oh, and Sleeping at Last! I first discovered them by their Atlas: Enneagram album, because I'm a nerd and adore personality tests (I'm an INTP and a 5 in case anyone was wondering), but I've been slowly absorbing the rest of their music, and it's all so beautiful

favorite songs... hm. I can't not say "2085," the closer to AJR's most recent album, and perhaps the most emotionally devastating song they have released as of yet (which is really saying something). best lyrics from that song are undoubtedly the last bit, where they say "you gotta get better, you've all that I got," then it gets softer and the lyrics change to "I gotta get better, I'm all that I've got." HEARTBREAKING /pos. I mean, I like that part enough that I wrote a whole fic inspired by it. one of my very few angst fics. "All That I've Got," a Minnesconsin fic (link here if you're curious). by the way, the first song of that album, "Maybe Man," is also a banger, highly recommend

I love "96000" from "In the Heights" (I think it's only in the movie version, not the musical version? not 100% sure though). ooh this song makes me crazy. this song... ok. I can't talk about this song without being a bit weird about it, but stick with me. this song always makes me think of the people on the Titanic. I read a book once with fictionalized versions of a few of the Titanic's officers and crew members, and once I was listening to this song and when it got to Sonny's verse, all I could think about was how exactly it matched fifth officer Harold Lowe's vibes. it's not really the lyrics, but several of the verses just remind me of various crew members' vibes. and it's. it's just a great song

"Air Catcher" by TOP. that's another wonderful song. always makes me think of Iowa to Wisconsin, for no particular reason. best lyric is "I don't believe in talking just to breathe," which is an idea that always appealed to me

Tyler Joseph is a BRILLIANT lyricist, actually. other great lyrics by him:

"our words are loud but now I'm talking action" (Neon Gravestones)

"for us to think is to be alive / and I will try with every rhyme / to come across like I am dying / to let you know you need to try to think" (Car Radio)

"death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit" (Heavydirtysoul)

"haunted by a couple big mistakes / she covers all the dents with the way she decorates" (Redecorate)

"like an "I love you" / that isn't words / like a song he wrote that's never heard" (Shy Away)

I love "despair" by leo. always makes me think of florida talking to loui (in a queerplatonic way, of course). another great floui song is "Tightrope" from The Greatest Showman, but I picture this one as loui to florida

holy moly this is even longer than expected. I'll leave you with this for now. you've probably gotten a good grasp of my taste by now haha. thank you sm for the ask, I had a delightful time answering :D

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on November 2nd, 1974 - Freddie Mercury interview

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS

by Julie Webb relentlessly probes the cut and contour of Queen's Lead Trouser

The contents of Freddie Mercury`s pants are his alone. They belong to him and to no-one else.

Funny how times change. Seems like only yesterday that people were taking the mickey out of Queen. Of course, there were some who reckoned they had a genuine talent which would come to the fore, but for many they were merely a flash in the pan.

Two hit albums and two hit singles later, the band can afford a smirk at the expense of their journalistic detractors. This week Queen began their second major tour of Britain. Last time round they were just breaking “Seven Seas Of Rhye” ��� this time the new album “Sheer Heart Attack” will be featured, but strangely enough not their new single “Killer Queen,” since lead singer Freddie Mercury deems it “not necessary to add to what we are going to do on stage.”

It was Mercury, you may remember, who was so sublimey confident about the band`s chances of success – and he hasn`t changed. “Queen II” may have gone silver, but he reckons “it`ll go platinum” before long. Four months ago, you might have sneered – now it`s about time you listened.

The turning point for the band is really the new single. “A double A side, though no one seems to realise it because they keep playing `Killer Queen`,” interjects Mercury. It`s a turning point in that it sounds nothing like the noisy heavy metal sound to which we are accustomed from Queen, thus justifying their earlier claim of `versatility.` It`s more of a mixture of Beach Boys, early Beatles and 1920`s music-hall. Quaite naice, actually.

Says Mercury: “People are used to hard rock, energy music from Queen, yet with this single you almost expect Noel Coward to sing it. It`s one of those bowler hat, black suspender belt numbers – not that Noel Coward would wear that.”

And you?

“Oh no dear, just a nice little black number.”

It is apparent that success (in any shape or form) has not altered Mercury, who still insists on using the suffix “dear” at the end of many of his sentences. He is also still very much hung up on maintaining the `star` image.

For a start he never carries much money round with him. It`s not that he`s poverty-stricken or even mean – just that it`s difficult to keep cash in your shoes. A star to the last, he wears pocketless trousers and keeps his finances close to his feet.

“I hate pockets in trousers,” he stresses. “By the way, I do not wear a hose. My hose is my own. No coke bottle, nothing stuffed down there.”

Of course, Freddie.

However, sticking rigidly to the star image has its drawbacks. Satin trousers aren`t that durable (“I split a pair last week”) and velvet and sequins have a nasty habit of dulling in the rain. Still, they create the desired effect of getting people to stare. Mercury still adores the stares, of course – he`s insisted all along he`s a star and thinks he should dress accordingly. But for all the high camp, he`s got some grey matter in that head of his.

It was, after all, Mercury who wrote six of the thirteen cuts on the new album and being artistically inclined it was he who provided the idea for the album sleeve.

“God, the agony we went through to have the pictures taken, dear. Can you imagine trying to convince the others to cover themselves in Vaseline and then have a hose of water turned on them?”

Sheer agony, Freddie. The end result is four members of the band looking decidely unregal, tanned and healthy, and as drenched as if they`ve been sweating for a week.

“Everyone was expecting some sort of cover. A Queen III cover really, but this is completely new. It`s not that we`re changing altogether – it`s just a phase we are going through.”

But won`t Queen devotees be a trifle worried by this new image?

“They will love it. We`re still as poncy as ever. We`re still the dandies we started out to be. We`re just showing people we`re not merely a load of poofs, that we are capable of other things.”

The album, as detailed above, boasts 13 tracks – most of them a mere three minutes in length.

���Not a collection of singles, dear – although we might draw another one off later for a single. I`m not absolutely sure about that, though. No, not all the numbers last for ages. There were just so many songs we wanted to do. And it makes a change to have short numbers. It`s so varied that we were able to go to extremes. I only had about two weeks to write my songs so we`ve been working (expletive deleted) hard.”

(➡️ Read on https://geirmykl.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/article-about-queen-from-new-musical-express-november-2-1974/)

[blogquantumreality]

As I was traversing New York back to Frey's place, I noticed an interesting NPC interaction with Frey, and it made me want to come up with a short fic. This is the result!

Frey couldn't help but notice the brown-haired woman in the grey turtleneck and winter parka staring at her as she walked by.

Even though it was a freezing cold day and she wanted to get home, she decided to turn around and see if, just out of morbid curiosity, the woman would talk to her or if she was just staring because, well, black street girl.

Then again, maybe the allegedly ubiquitous "Christmas spirit" might make the interaction go more smoothly. It had gotten her a serious reprieve from Judge Bird.

"So, uh, hey." The words didn't exactly roll smoothly off Frey's tongue.

The other woman frowned. She didn't back away, though, which was something. "Hi," she said. Frey took a moment to eye her jawline, and noted with appreciation the complicated braided ponytail she could partly see at the back of her head. And she had hazel eyes, if Frey judged correctly.

Frey looked up and saw that she was standing in front of a record store. "Any good records in there?" As pick-up lines go, that sucked.

That forced a chuckle from the other woman. "Not really. My grandpa still has one of those old record players and I was hoping to get him a Frank Sinatra album. Cheapest one is, like, thirty bucks, though. Gotta pay the 'vintage premium' according to the guy at the counter. So much for having a sale on!"

"I usually just watch music videos on YouTube with my phone when I can get Wi-Fi," Frey replied. With an effort at a change of subject, she asked, "Waiting for someone?"

She winced internally and mentally set a new low bar for how bad her pick-up lines could get.

Luckily, the other woman didn't seem fazed and just shrugged. "Wanted to stand outside for a bit. The surge pricing's insane right now so I'll wait till things calm down a bit."

"You're braver than me. I wanna get home and warm up as soon as I can!"

"So... I'm the only reason you're delaying your return, hmm?"

Frey could feel the heat rising just a bit in her face, and if that wasn't enough, the other woman fucking winked at her.

"Busted," Frey muttered. "But I did see you staring at me, so I kinda, well..."

"You usually go around picking up strange women on the street, then?" She grinned. "I'm Amelia." She stuck out her hand and said, "You're...?"

Frey hurriedly extended her hand. "Frey." As she clasped Amelia's hand, she couldn't help but feel a slight shiver up her spine at the warmth of her smooth hand.

Amelia released her hand and let hers drop to her side. "Frey. I like that. Unusual name. So what do you like doing in your spare time?"

Be a street kid and steal shit for a living so I can save up enough and get the hell out of this damn city.

"Well, I've got a cat, so between her, games on my phone, and walking everywhere I go that's kinda what I do when I'm not, um... freelancing."

Amelia gasped. "A cat?! Please tell me you have a picture!"

Frey held her phone out to Amelia. "That's Homer on my lock screen."

"She's adorable. So fluffy!" Amelia smiled widely at Frey. "I like you more and more, Frey."

Flipping it back around, because she really didn't want to accidentally let slip she just got out of court, she said, "So, Amelia. What do you do in your spare time, besides browse record stores?"

Amelia chuckled. "I'm kind of a bit of a nerd, honestly. I play some tabletop games - D&D, that kind of stuff."

Vaguely remembering a club she'd been in back in high school, Frey nodded. "Uh, which rules are you using?"

"We were using fourth, but when the new ones came out we tried out the Lost Mine of Phandelver and it was pretty cool, so we switched."

Frey frowned. "We...?"

Amelia waved that off. "Oh, just me and a couple of friends from college; I'm majoring in business, so doing this stuff is a good way to blow off steam."

Frey smiled. "Must be nice, being in college."

"It's not for everyone," mused Amelia. "My brother's actually going into trades because everybody and their dog needs a plumber, but me, I wanna be owning the plumbing repair shop." She reached out and touched Frey's arm briefly. "So what kinda freelancing do you do?"

Think, think, think!

"Uh, just kinda... a bit of everything. I know a little bit about cars, so my last job was helping fix a guy's ignition," Frey babbled.

And if by 'fixing the ignition', I mean attempting to hot-wire the car, that's technically sorta true. I just didn't do it with the owner's permission.

Amelia lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Interesting. More variety than my life, anyway."

The wind shifted and a sudden chill went through Frey. "Shit, it's getting colder. I really gotta--my cat." She gestured vaguely in the direction she'd been walking.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry about that." Amelia dug in her pockets and then coming up empty, said, "Uh, you mind giving me your phone for a second?"

Reluctantly, Frey handed it over. Without that phone, she was completely adrift; she bit her lip as Amelia tapped away in the Contacts section.

Relief flooded her as Amelia handed it back and winked again. "My number's in there. Give me a call sometime and I'll buy you a coffee."

Frey lifted her eyebrow. "Are you asking me out already?"

Amelia's face went red and she ducked her head for a moment before looking Frey in the eye. "What can I say? You're growing on me. And you are pretty cute."

It was now Frey's turn to blush, and she mumbled, "Guess you're pretty good-looking too."

"Seeya, Frey...?"

"Holland." She looked at her phone. "Amelia ... Evans, I take it?"

She nodded. "That's me. See you around."

Frey sketched a short 'goodbye' wave and said, "Guess maybe I will."

Amelia waved back. "Hopefully soon!"

Frey turned and began walking down the street, but a smile kept tugging at her face. Maybe this Christmas - and my birthday - won't suck for once.

[7surreality7]

When the show was first announced, I had already decided that I would watch this show because of JM. 

Now, he's my absolute bias and I watch every single thing that he's in. I don't do that for every other member. I love BTS and I am ARMY but I am a rather chill fan if I may say so and I don't go crazy over views, numbers, statistics. I don't put my all into working night and day in the aim of breaking or creating new records for the boys (even for JM, for that matter) when their music is out. Heck! I am not even on Weverse! And I don't intend to join it anytime soon either. Once BTS makes a comeback, we shall see.

All I do, when their music is out, is listen to their music (single or the album) and if I like it play it a number of times, add it to my favorites and playlist across a couple of streaming services. If I love the songs I listen to them on loop, all day every day until I have exhausted my listening capabilities. And I appreciate and love them for their talent and hard work and for being so adorably relatable even though they are ginormous international superstars!

But for JM, one exception I make is to watch all of his content that is available out there. I first became his fan around the Face era and I consumed all the promotional activities, all the shows he went to. I make sure I watch all of his lives and all the Bangtan bombs that he is a part of. I don't do that for other members. I will watch if Jimin is also featured with them but not always otherwise. With other members, I watch some things and skip other things but with Jimin, I don't skip anything. And that's why I WAS SURE that I would watch Are You Sure? Heh heh!

You really don't have to be a Jkkr to want to watch it. If you are ARMY it's a good enough reason to watch it. I wanted to watch it to get to see Jimin primarily since I miss him big time and jk-jm being in a show together doesn't really affect me because unlike jkkrs I have zero belief in them being a couple. In fact I am even more convinced than ever at this point that they have a purely brotherly bond between them and their dynamics scream of those that are between younger-older siblings. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now, getting Tae do a guest appearance was not on the cards and it's apt to say that both tkkrs and jkkrs are having a collective meltdown at this point, for completely different reasons. 

As a Viminie though? I couldn't have asked for more, could I? 

I can't really guess what or how JK feels about having Tae on this show. Although, knowing how they've been close friends and family for over a decade, I know he wouldn't harbour any ill feelings towards Tae's inclusion here. I will go so far as to say he would have rather enjoyed having the three of them together. The maknae line. They have their own precious dynamics. 

Nothing from the trailer gives off the vibe that JK was being sarcastic towards Tae or wanted him out, the way a lot of jkkrs are making it out to be . Do you actually believe JK to be such a mean person? Tae is family to him, not you. You're being pathetic atp.

As for JM, he is over the moon having Tae beside them, y'all.

I'd bet my life on it. You'll see.

[stupidspidey]

AJR - Living Room

if you told me in 2013 that this was the absolute pinnacle of music and that it would get no better than this, chances are i would’ve told you “that’s nice, leave me alone creep” and went to go kick the shit out of my brother at Mario on the DS. Now if you told me now that these guys ended up being my favourite band, i’d probably give you the same response but i’d go play a Spider-Man game instead. Regardless, Living Room by AJR is just… not good, by any sense of the word realistically, don’t get me wrong it’s got its merits but holy fuck, it’s really hard to listen to. Now, i don’t want to be too unfair about this, believe it or not sitting here for a good 5 minute read yelling about how bad something is is REALLY undesirable in a review, and it’s even more undesirable since my girlfriend refuses to sleep with me because of it. (jk rose ily) So, i’m gonna take their advice from one of their next albums that came after this and well, skip to The Good Part, which unfortunately should only take me like, 20 lines, maximum, before i start either repeating myself or talking about how a line in “The World is a Marble Heart” is was reused as a backing vocal in “I Won’t” like, 10 years later.

The Good

My GOD, do these guys know how to write a decent line or few. Sure there’s a few “Thirsty, Thirsty, Thursdays!” in there but, every one of those is definitely made up for by the honestly-adorable Infinity or the surprisingly-hopeful My Calling, each lyric will either strike you as cheesy in a really cute way, or inspiring in a really dumb way, the album could honestly be mistaken as written about someone with how directed and loving each line feels from the start to the end and briefly sidestepping around at least 49.2% of each song. Big White Bed especially, but as i wrote that down all i could think to describe the song was “I love you… BITCH. I ain’t ever gonna stop loving you… BITCH.” from a vine like 10-or-so years ago. So, really, pretty appropriate for their timing on the albums release realistically. A really specific praise for the album but, i think the art itself is really pretty? something about it feels so real. Like, if you made an album with two of your brothers and basically pro-tools, a mic and a big idea (yeah, that’s a quote from one of the songs, Big Idea.) would you not just make the album art you all sat on the comfy family sofa in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere with your band name splattered on the wall in a nice deep red? I know i would if i could fit all 5 of my brothers onto one tiny-ass couch. Now unfortunately i can only realistically think of these two points for the positive part but, i will say this: Every track on this album, has thought behind it. It sometimes comes across as them just lobbing the entire processing power of a Windows 7 computer running pro-tools at you, but if you listen to the audio-commentary edition of the album (because, for some reason they made that?) it really is easy to tell the three of them had passion for the thing, especially seen in Jack’s (the J in AJR) enthusiasm about finally making it out of slummin’ it in the streets while his two way-fucking-taller brothers tap danced and sang, outside of his appearance in Pink Panther 2 and Sesame Street of course. (seriously, i’m deadass, look it up, he even has an iMDB page.) Now, unfortunately, on that point, i can’t realistically stay on the positives forever on this without ending up on some TikTok calling me a brainrotted liberal or some slur that hasn’t been unsealed since some crusty fucking 4channer woke up from his food comatose over a reddit girl with fat tits so, with that point.

The Bad

Ok right so, you know how i mentioned this was considered some sort of principle of music back then in 2013? Well guess what, motherfucker. I wasn’t even joking, the way people view Bruno Mars now is the way people viewed Living Room in 2013, though it was hard not to when their brain cells rubbed together and they decided the best way to promote their album was to tag every artist under the sun on gods green-motherfucking-earth and tell them to listen to it. Even then, the only one who listened really was Sia, and realistically what the fuck have you actually seen Sia do in the past like 5 years? This is a real question seriously please for the love of GOD tell me i have no idea past *Chandelier*. Anyway, enough of throwing Sia some strays (i’m sorry ma’am i’m sure there’s a grammy somewhere i didn’t bother googling), back onto Twenty-One Pilo— Coldplay— I mean, AJR. The album had passion behind it, don’t get me wrong here, but it is completely misplaced. The only way i can describe this is that, if this was the latest release around the time of E.T. for the Atari 2600? Music probably wouldn’t have survived past that either. Though realistically it was probably one of the better albums of that era since by then every other song was the most bassy-pile of “please dance to this” you’d ever seen, but i’m sure there’s someone still out there hitting the dab to fuckin’ The World is a Marble Heart, surely. The album itself had some pretty… interesting, approaches, but really you can only get around 30 seconds into the first song before that fucker starts yodelling? why the fuck is he yodelling? Regardless, no matter how many times you make a sequel to Turning Out or how many times you make some good shit like The DJ is Crying for Help, to those guys at TikTok? you’ll allwwaayyss be the guys who made Thirsty. You could get a treaty and a vulcan salute from half of space, but all those motherfuckers will still only know you for Thirsty. Personally? i’d be so fucking mad. I mean, you look to your left and Kanye has just dropped Yeezus, and what do you have to compete against that? a new national holiday celebrated exclusively by kids who get bullied at school, Thirsty Thursday, if i were them i wouldn’t have even made it to The Click without some sort of apology statement.

The Ending

Now, if i’m being completely real here. I can’t entirely slander Living Room, it’s got ideas, it’s got (marble) heart, and most importantly… It let Neotheater exist so… some good out of the bad right? Sure, for anyone else, unless you’re subconsciously subscribed to every single opinion on r/Music like some sort of absorption sponge. And just… in future, for anyone reading this, Include yodelling in your song and i will fucking SLICE you, not for poor mixing choices, not even for poor taste, but for reminding me that i sat here for an hour, and reviewed an album. Worst part? one out of five baby, i’m not down until i hear the fat lady sing, i’ve still gotta drop my useless thoughts for The Click, Neotheater, OK ORCHESTRA and *The Maybe Man. So, i’m gonna go out with a BANG! and by that? i mean get gunned down by the mexican cartel for even daring to include a good section in this slice of piss.

4/10 - Not enough yodelling really.

[yurigalactica]

Any assortment of 1, 2, 7, 9, 17, 21, 22, 30 for the music ask game! It's alot but I couldn't decide which ones lol. U don't have to answer them all just pick ur favorites

jokes on you jinx i am so obsessed with music and deep within my own brainrot that i will be answering ALL of them >:D 1. a song you can listen to on repeat

now this question in particular is really hard for me, because i tend to listen to a lot of songs on loop a lot. however most of the time doing so easily makes me sick of it and i have to take a break from listening to it for a few weeks. however one of the songs i listen to a lot and never seem to get bored of is Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales by Car Seat Headrest. especially the end bit, it really scratches my brain the right way, and it's really fun to belt out the harmonies in the car when you're driving through town in the evening

2. a song from one of your favorite albums

it's no secret that i'm a slut for los campesinos. everyone knows this about me. so it's kinda obligatory that i use one of their songs for these asks lmao. my favorite album of theirs in particular is definitely romance is boring (i just adore so many songs on that album!!! genuinely it's banger after banger, i highly recommend listening to the whole album.) my personal all-time favorite from that album is definitely In Media Res, just because of the ending bit with the trumpets. holy shit i get such a surge of dopamine when gareth campesinos goes "if you were given the option of dying painlessly in peace at forty five, with a lover at your side, after a full and happy life, is this something that would interest you? would this interest you at all?" just—AGH

7. a song that reminds you of your friend(s)

this one's easy—Dynamite by BTS. my irl best friend loves k-pop (stuff like BTS and Stray Kids), and while i don't listen to it on my own, i've gotta admit, she's got immaculate taste. dynamite is the one i hear the most around, playing on the radio (because it's mostly in english and i live in a country where most people i know speak english as a first language). so literally anytime i hear this song i find myself immediately thinking of her and going to text her about it LMAO

9. a song that reminds you of yourself 

this one was definitely the hardest to answer, and quite frankly, i sat at my desk for a solid hour trying to find a good one for this. but after some careful deliberation i had to go with Dear Wormwood by the oh hellos. the oh hellos are an incredible band and i genuinely adore all of their music, and highly recommend you listen to their entire discography. this song, though, holds a very special place in my heart—after all, it was my number one song on my spotify wrapped during 2020. it was the song i had on loop during the entirety of quarantine, when i was stuck in my bedroom, isolating myself from everyone in real life and online. during those months i didn't talk to any of my friends, not even over text. my only steady companion was my beloved spotify premium subscription. listening to this song over 500 times permanently altered my brain chemistry and i'm pretty sure it's the reason i have anxiety now /j

17.  a song with great lyrics 

holy fuck. holy fucking shit. To Tundra by los campesinos. i literally froth at the mouth anytime i think of this song oh my gosh. i made a whole post about it ages ago but i'll go on about it again. like "meet me at st. nicholas among the oaks, behind the church that sway like pig-tailed girls as summer wind whistles around your bare-skin knees and the forsythia leaves" KADGKKDFHKADFKHK THE IMAGERY AHHHHHHHH "and in a hazy daydream, our bodies married the stream and we broke down into pebbles and silt" SCREAMING SOBBING VOMITING /pos "we take on the burden of all these sad-eyed children with lilies bunched in our hands" i am literally going to eat a brick this makes me feel so many emotions

21. a song for the rain

Woman by the 1975, probably. there are a lot of good songs to listen to in the rain but this probably takes the cake just because of how echoey and melancholy it feels. i love it when artists do that kind of stuff with the guitar and make it carry out really long—and almost make it sound like it's wailing. it's one of my favorite electric guitar effects ever and i've always found that the 1975 does that really well! and as a guitar player myself how a guitar is played and how it affects the rest of the song is really important in my picking of a favorite song. this one in particular is very versatile, and i feel like you could listen to it not only in the rain, but at night in the car too.

22. a song for dancing 

Tongue Tied by grouplove!!! it's genuinely one of the most happy fun upbeat songs i know. it's like dancing in the kitchen while making cookies with your bestie at 2am kind of music. if you need to cheer yourself up and have an impromptu dance party with energy and excitement then this is the song for you!!! ultimate anti-depression song. and this also happened to be my most listened to song in my spotify wrapped 2021 if that tells you anything about how that year was for me /lh

30.  a song you recommend

Do Me A Favour by the arctic monkeys. i've been listening to them a whole lot more lately, mostly because i also admire their guitar work and also feel like their music vibe fits very well with a fic that i've been workshopping for a while and have not released yet. this one in particular is my ultimate favorite of theirs, probably because of the guitar and the lyrics that go together (but probably mostly because of how well it fits the overall vibe of the fic it goes with. and if you're interested in what it is, it's a benchtrio-centric mystery/horror au)

[lola-babylon]

If Ryan had loved Led Zep and not The Beatles, maybe we'd have the Cabin Album

Two years after the release of AFYCSO, PATD fans were crying out for new music from the boys, and curious as to what they'd been working on during their stay in a cabin in the mountains of Nevada (which actually wasn't that isolated ... Mount Charleston is less than an hour's drive from Summerlin; Brendon would pop home to have dinner with his family during this time).

The band debuted material they'd been working on at Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 7 2007, playing a then untitled song later dubbed "True Love" amongst the bandom.

And the reception was not enthusiastic. To quote Pretty Odd Fever:

"I genuinely loved the song, so its reception still makes me a little sad. It felt like the majority of fans completely hated it and were absolutely brutal. There were seriously thousands of comments online tearing the band apart. Even fans who were at Summerfest said the crowd didn’t seem too impressed with the new song.

Yes, the song was a repetitive fairy tale cliche… but who knows where it fit into the album’s storyline or what the tone actually was! Brendon said that a lot of the cabin album was satirical.

[...]

Basically, a huge amount of people were hating on the lyrics (but some people still seemed to love the melody, Brendon’s vocals, or other small parts). The band absolutely saw what so many people were saying online. There’s no way they could’ve missed that even if they didn’t lurk (which Jon did). Right after Summerfest they decided to scrap the cabin album and completely start over. The album’s release date had been pushed back before Summerfest, though, so it sounded like the band was maybe already uncertain about their new material before the overly negative response."

Had PATD already decided to scrap the songs they'd been working on at the cabin before Summerfest? Or was it the audience reaction to the debut of "True Love" that caused them to rethink their musical direction and start over? Some fans still want to know what happened in Seattle (nothing) or what happened in Cape Town (nothing to do with any relationship between Brendon and Ryan) but goddamn it, I want to know what happened in the cabin.

We do know, though, that Ryan was getting massively into the Beatles about this time. Which is fine, but the course of PATD history might have been different if he'd had a Led Zeppelin phase instead. Because Led Zeppelin know something about a band's art being disdained on first hearing, and if Ryan had known his Zep history he'd have known that Stairway to Heaven was also hated by the fans on first performance.

Stairway to Heaven starts with the sounds of recorders - recorders! - before taking the listener on an almost 8 minute long aural journey across mythology, folk rock, hard rock, and a lengthy Jimmy Page guitar solo. And for all that it was hailed as a masterpiece in subsequent years, early audiences hated it. Unsure of what exactly they were hearing, they'd whistle and boo with derision, stamping their feet until the song was done and they could get back to rocking out to Whole Lotta Love. As Led Zep bass player John Paul Jones said of the the audience response to Stairway's live debut in March 1971, "They were all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew." It wasn't until Stairway to Heaven began to receive radio play later in 1971 that the appreciation, which would later grow into adoration and obsession over the song, began.

So maybe if Ryan had been into Led Zeppelin in 2007, he'd have noted the audience reaction to True Love and said "who cares if they don't like it now? People didn't like Stairway to Heaven when they first heard it, and look at how that went." Of course for Led Zep, audience reaction was limited to what the audience saw on the night and fan chatter after shows; there were no forums or Live Journal or YouTube videos allowing fans to be on the lnternet within minutes registering their disgust throughout the world.

Maybe PATD had already decided to scrap the cabin album anyway, and just decided to give a small slice of it a public airing when they had the chance. But it's fun to imagine the alternative timeline where Panic got into Led Zeppelin instead of the Beatles; Brendon being the one with the tambourine, shirt unbuttoned to his navel, dancing around as Ryan cranked out excruciatingly lengthy solos on a double necked Gibson, having decided to hell with what the audience thought. And John's symbol for their album cover would be a cat.