#hooky playlists

[jesterjunkie]

𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓎 𝒫𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈

[sunflowerpastels]

monica would absolutely be a swiftie i will take no notes

[hookyrecords]

【 プレイリスト公開 】

牙突 や FATIMA のギタリストとして活躍する Wacha の魅力を伝える為のプレイリスト「Wacha Works」を公開しました。本人から各曲へのコメントも届いていますので見ながら聴いて��さい！

[pepperonidk]

lover boy || h.js

Pairing: joshua x gn!reader

Summary: playing hooky with your best boy, your lover boy

Warnings: fluff

Word Count: 1525

a/n: wrote this on my phone bc i missed someone and i missed being in college and the times i used to skip my classes with him this is a very loose sequel to And What if We Kiss? but you don’t need to read it to enjoy this

masterlist || taglist

Today was one of those Fridays that didn’t feel like a Friday. The gloomy overcast sky paired with the warmth of late spring made the day pass at a glacial pace. Even in the air conditioned hallways of the science building, a layer of sticky sweat found itself on your skin.

Your three-hour neuroscience lecture was one of the last places you wanted to be on this less than ideal Friday. So you were pleasantly surprised to find Joshua Hong waiting for you at the door with the promise of a better offer.

“Wanna play hooky with me?” he asked with an easy smile as you walked up to him. His backpack was slung over one shoulder and his hair, tousled and disheveled from the wind was stuffed under a baseball cap. His shirt was the same one he slept in last night and he looked like home.

“Shh,” you whispered with a playful smile. “Not so loud.”

“Sorry,” he reached out for your hand and spoke in a mock whisper. “Wanna play hooky with me?”

He pulled you against him for a hug, laughing when someone scoffed in annoyance at the sight. The smell of his cologne was a welcome comfort and you nodded against his chest.

“Take me away, lover boy,” you smiled as you let your boyfriend pull you away towards the back stairwell of the building. In the building heat as you got closer to the exit, you could feel your hand grow clammy against Joshua’s.

“I’m surprised you agreed to skip your neuro lecture,” he remarked as you walked towards his car in the parking lot. In the sun’s late-afternoon zenith, the pavement reflected the glaring brightness of the gray clouds and the warmth wrapped itself around you like a sticky blanket. Joshua’s face was glistening with sweat by the time you made it to his car.

“It felt like one of those days,” you shrugged as you settled into the car seat, leaning forward to feel the air conditioner blasting against your face. “I probably would’ve fallen asleep halfway through, to be honest.” Soft music filled the car as Joshua picked out his driving playlist.

“It’s a good thing you’ve got your own dashing knight in shining armor to rescue you,” he winked at you as he buckled himself in. “Anywhere you wanna go?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. Joshua wasn’t one to invite you out without a plan already formulated in his mind. “Don’t you have a plan?”

He chuckled and reached across the center console to pull your hand in his, resting your intertwined hands in his lap. “Duh,” he replied. “But as a gentleman, I should still ask for your input.”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Take me away, lover boy.” Lover boy. You’re not really sure where your nickname for him came from, but it stuck. For the last year and a half that you’ve known him, Joshua has always been your lover boy and he was damn proud of it. Every time the nickname came up, you’d see him smile and puff his chest with pride just the smallest bit.

Sometimes, of course, he could be your sweetheart, your baby, but his favorite thing to be was your lover boy.

He put the car in reverse and gracefully backed out of his parking spot, and you were grateful to not be caught in the traffic of the mass exodus that fills the roads after your neuro lecture.

It wasn’t long before Joshua pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park once again. He had brought you to your favorite cafe by campus, the one where they display a new joke at the counter every day and offer you a free danish for being a regular. He switched off the car and you instantly missed the air blowing against you.

“I think we both can use an afternoon pick me up,” he remarked as he opened your door to let you out. Ever the gentleman, that lover boy of yours.

“I never see this place so empty,” you noted as you and Joshua waited for your drinks by the bar.

“Perks of being a delinquent,” he teased you with a nudge. He laughed as you rolled your eyes at him then leaned forward to read the small display with the joke of the day written on it in fun lettering.

“What do you call a bear who makes coffee?” you ask Joshua with a smile.

“What?” he indulged you.

“A bear-ista.”

Joshua laughed and shook his head, more amused by how funny you found the joke than the joke itself. When the barista handed your drinks to you, she handed two bags of pastries as well, on the house. As Joshua held the door open for you to exit, he asked, “What did the newly-caffeinated handsome boy say to his partner who got him a free pastry?”

“What?” you asked with a laugh as you waited for him to match your pace as you crossed the parking lot.

“I love you a latte,” he winked at you.

Joshua’s next stop for your day off was one of your favorite spots. By now, the sun was beginning to set and the breeze provided a much appreciated respite from the earlier heat of the day. He stopped the car at a local park. By now, most of the kids who usually played here had gone home and you and Joshua were the only people around.

He led you deeper into the woods of the park where a small river ran through with a small waterfall at one end of it. Joshua had brought you here the first time he asked you on a date. He had asked you out about a week after stealing your seat in a psych class a year ago, even though he was sure you hated his guts. Broke from countless nights of eating overpriced tacos and sushi, he emptied his wallet and ordered a single pizza and brought you to this very spot.

At the time you were partially convinced he was plotting to push you in.

Instead, however, he layed out a picnic blanket and stuttered his way through offering you a slice of the pepperoni pizza he bought and blushed in embarrassment when he realized he forgot to buy drinks to go with it. That was the Joshua that became your lover boy.

Now, Joshua led you to the same spot as he did that day, right by the bank of the river where he was close enough to skip rocks. He spread out the same blanket, and instead of a pizza, he set down your drinks and the sweet pastries and removed his shoes before sitting down beside you.

“We haven’t been here in a while,” you remarked as you watched the water rush down the waterfall.

Joshua nodded as he reached to break off a piece of the danish and pop it into his mouth. “Yup,” he agreed with a small smile that implored you to find out more.

“Why are we here, lover boy?” he turned to smile at you before planting a kiss on your forehead. He moved himself closer to you, inviting you to rest your head on his shoulder as he pulled your hand into his.

“I’ve just been missing you,” he said softly.

“We literally live together, Joshua,” you chuckled. He shook his head.

“We’ve both been busy with finals and org activities, and sleeping next to you is nice,” he explained. “But we haven’t really just sat and enjoyed each other lately. I always find myself missing this place when I’m missing you.”

You hummed thoughtfully. “Why’s that?” you asked.

“This is where I realized I love you,” he said simply but his words sent a flutter in your heart. The whispers of sunlight that still remained were reflected in the broken waves of the river. It was peaceful and it felt like home.

When you didn’t reply right away, he continued. “I still wonder sometimes why you even said yes to going out with me. I thought you hated me.”

“I did,” you agreed. Joshua let out a surprised chuckle. “You were annoying and a slacker and you took my seat.”

“Ouch,” he pretended to wince. “But that’s fair, I did do those things.”

“You’re still annoying,” you pulled away from him to give a teasing smile. He rolled his eyes as you assumed your position against his shoulder.

“So why’d you say yes,” he asked.

“You were also cute,” you answered.

“Were?” he echoed.

“Were, are, will always be,” you affirmed. Joshua could feel you smile against him. Joshua was more than just cute. He was charming, smart, and above all, he was kind. Falling in love with Joshua Hong was easy, like the end of a good song, like coming home. It happened so quickly and so deeply that you can’t even remember a time that you didn’t, and you surely can’t imagine a life where you don’t love him.

“Don’t ever leave me,” he begged.

“I’m all yours, lover boy.”

taglist: @yksthings @iamxelia @coveyland @xuimhao @sana-is-ms-rmty @gummymintae @jespecially

[romanarose]

If You Wanna Be Wild: Bonus Sick Fic

Santiago Garcia x Javier Pena

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Series Masterlist : Read on AO3

Summary: Part of If You Wanna Be Wild, Santi is sick and Javi comes over to take care of him, both realizing something is brewing.

Warnings and content: PTSD (flashbacks), internalized homophobia but like. Its mild. Flashbacks to that one scene in Glee with Blaine and Tina and the vapo rub lololol

A/N: I know it's been a min since the last chapter and I promise it's coming but I thought I'd giving a lil bonus chapter. Takes place before chapter 3.

A/N 2: for those who aren’t boomers like me, MASH is a show from the 70’s about med soldiers in Korea. It was a comedy but also dealt with super heavy themes and makes me cry

1.8 words

******************

When Javier Peña waltzed into work at 8:23 AM, he was surprised to find Garcia was not at his desk. Santiago was always on time, and usually early, often staying late to make sure his paperwork was just right. Javi had once returned after realizing he forgot his wallet before the weekend only to drag Santi out of the DEA’s office practically pouting at nearly midnight.

So needless to say, Santiago being gone on a Monday morning was certainly enough to make Javier concerned enough to walk back up to the secretary. Maybe he had finally gone out and enjoyed his life a little on the weekend. The kid needed it, he needed to let off some steam, and a guy that looks like him certainly wouldn’t have any trouble finding a nice girl. Well. Javi hoped she was nice. Santiago would get eaten alive.

“Hola Colleen, ¿Has visto Garcia?” He asked, leaning over her desk.

She did not look up at him. “There’s at least 6 Garcia’s in this building.”

Javi cocked his head to the side. “Which Garcia do you think I’m talking about?” A rhetorical question. “He’s late.”

“What’s it to you? You're late every day, your little lap dog probably got stuck rescuing a kitten from a tree or something.”

He would waste time on something like that.

“Colleen”

She rolled her eyes. “He called in sick, Javi, now mind your business.”

“Sick?” How did he possibly get sick, the kid had the best immune system he knew. Didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, ate all his veggie’s off his plate like his mommy was still watching. “How sick.”

“I didn’t press for details. He never uses sick days so if he wants to play hooky for once it’s none of my business.”

“Thank you Colleen.” Javi smacked the desk, not hard at all. “This was very helpful.”

Javi waited until noon to call. 

“Hola?”

“Garcia, where the hell are you?” He didn’t want to make it seem like he’d been asking about him, after all.

“Oh, hey Javi.” He sounded awful. “Lo siento, I thought they would have told you I was out sick.”

“Well, no one tells me shit around here, you know that.”

“Except for prostitutes.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, I’m going on break, want me to swing by and get you anything? Some food, medicine, blankies.”

“Oh, actually, there’s some paper work in my top drawer-”

“I’m not bringing you work, Pope! Jesus, were you the kid who had friends bring him his homework when he was home sick from school?”

Santiago coughed and his poor throat sounded so horse. “Well, if I had friends and if I took days off, I suppose I would’ve.”

“Jesus, Garcia.”

“I’m JOKING! But yeah it was my sister. Mamí would have my head if I fell behind.”

That kid was never going to be free of his mother. “Other than work, do you need anything?”

“No, I’m alright, thank you.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow? 8 O’clock?”

“I’ll see you when you walk in at 8:45”

“Shut the hell up.”

*

Javi was getting ready to leave work when he thought he might call Santi again to see if he needed anything on his way home. They didn’t live far, after all.

He called once, but the boy didn’t answer. He called again, no answer. When there wasn’t an answer a third time, Javier got concerned; he must be too sick to answer. Only stopping briefly at a corner store for some medicine, Javi rushed over to Santiago’s, banging on the door. “Garcia? Garcia!”

After a few minutes, Santi stumbled to open the door, looking groggy and messy and so unlike the boy he knew. Santiago shaved every morning, came to work crisp and put together. Right now, in a rumpled t shirt and shorts and a face that looked like he hadn’t shaved since Friday morning, Santi looked like an adorable disaster. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” He asked, worry in his eyes.

What a guy. “Am I okay? Garcia I called you three times and you didn’t answer, you look like hell.”

“Oh.” Able to relax a bit, Santi’s shoulders slumped and he rubbed his eye as he coughed and looked at the bad in Javi’s hand. “What’s that?”

Javi glanced at the bag before returning his gaze back to the sick man. “I brought you some medicine. Thought you might need something.”

The smile Santi gave him made his heart leap. “Javi, I appreciate you worrying.”

“I wasn’t-”

“But I’ve had three of my tia’s stop by and baby me already.”

“Oh-”

Santi saw Javi’s slightly dejected look, and it made his heart swell just a bit to see that yeah, Javi was an asshole, but he was his asshole and Javi cared about him. Javi wanted to take care of him. “You know how to make soup?”

“I can try.”

“Good, because I’m starving.” Opening the door to let him in, Santi went back to his couch to watch M.A.S.H.

Javi set to work. “Jesus, Garcia, M.A.S.H? Didn’t you get enough of war?”

“They can’t show anything on TV worse than what I’ve actually seen.” He mumbled, cuddling up in a blanket again.

Javier often forgot that Santiago had a whole life before him, a whole life of seeing things Javi couldn’t protect him from. Occasionally, Santi would mention his friends from the Army, his special ops team he was a part of, but not much, and especially nothing with what happened or why he left. There was his best friend who was a pilot and a pair of brothers. The older brother had been honorably discharged recently with “post-vietnam syndrome” although they hadn’t really spent that much time in Vietnam, comparatively. Vietnam was just the thing that got people talking, finally. This only came up in concern for the young brother who without an older brother’s guidance was hard to reel in.

By the time the soup was done, Santi seemed asleep so Javi walked over to the couch quietly only to find Santi was awake, watching M.A.S.H with tears in his eyes. Javi looked to the TV and although he couldn’t pinpoint what was going on, the scene was somber. “Garcia?” He didn’t answer him. “Garcia, hey, Santi-” Javi touched his shoulder causing Santi to gasp out of his trance.

“Will?!” Santi jumped up, eyes wide with panic and hand going for his hip only to find no gun. No holder. No uniform…

“Hey, amigo, relaje, relaje… It’s okay.” He held up his hands to try and placate him. “It’s just me, you're safe, I’m not going to hurt you, Santi.”

When Santi realized it had happened again he quickly averted his eyes, subconsciously shifting away from his friend. “Fuck, sorry, I was… dreaming.”

Javi knew he wasn’t dreaming. He had been awake, clearly, but Javi didn’t question him. “Dreaming about how you got that scar on your neck?”

He knew him a little too well. That’s why Santi called out for Will, the voice he had heard before slipping into unconsciousness. Santi felt like he had been going crazy. It wasn’t as bad as it had been for Will; Santi could handle gunshots and cross fire and action. He could handle it well, he knew he was capable. It was other things, however, things like dead bodies or funerals that sent him into a haze. One funeral he went to when he looked in the casket he saw himself. He never told anyone and never went again. When he went to mass he prayed he would never have to go Frankie, Will, Benny, or Elena’s. He prayed he’d go first.

“No.” He took a few bites of soup, complimenting it.

Javi just nodded. “Alright.” Turning the TV to the Mary Tyler Moore show, Javi tried to change the subject to distract Santi. “Always thought she was hot.”

“Me too. Had a crush on her when she was on the Dick Van Dyke show.”

Javi chuckled. “Of course you did. Here.” He went and got the cough syrup and put it on a spoon. “Here.”

Like a child, Santi whined. “Asqueroso”

“Shut the hell up, I’m not Mary Poppins and I’m not giving you sugar to wash it down.”

“Fiiiiine.” Santi lifted is head enough that Javi could guid the spoon between his plush and waiting lips, eyes dropping in exhaustion and face flush with fever in a way that made Santi just look… fucked out.

No, fuck, shit, he’s not suppossed to be thinking those things about his partner, or men in general. Not that Javi had a problem with it, but he wasn’t gay. It was just his mind wandering, that’s all. 

“Javi?” Santi mumbled half asleep.

“Hm?”

“There’s some vicks vapor rub on the counter, can you grab it for me?”

“Yeah, no problem.” When Javi returned with the rub, Santi was out cold. “Garcia?” He felt his forehead, he was burning up. Poor kid was probably exhausted. Sighing, he opened the vapor rub. With care and precision, Javi rubbed a bit on his neck and a little on his chest, only dipping slightly under the collar so as to not put his hand anywhere untoward. It wasn’t sexual, Santi just needed help. Digging through his medicine cabinet, Javi also found some peppermint and lavender oils and remembered what his own mother used to do when he was sick. A tiny bit of lavender under the nose and some peppermint on Santi’s temples, Javi hopped at the very least he could have a good sleep.

He deserved it, honestly. The young man worked hard, he cared about what he did and the people of Colombia. He was smart, capable, and kind, traits that Javi remembered liking so much in Steve. He was easy to like. 

Settling into a chair nearby with some soup, Javier decided to stay for a little bit just in case Santi needed something or in case he got worse.

When Santi woke up a few hours later it had already gotten dark out and he had intended on moving to his bed. When he began to sit up, however, Santi saw Javier asleep on the chair. He must have stayed to keep an eye on him. Santi’s heart was full, overcome with emotion and affection for his partner in ways he can’t remember feeling since… well shit, Santi can’t remember feeling like this. He had friends he loved dearly, he loved his sister and his mother and all his extended family… but this felt… different. He couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Standing up, Santi quietly used the bathroom and got another blanket from his room. Before laying down again, Santiago carefully laid the blanket over Javier, tucking him in.

“Buenas noches, amigo. Y gracias."

************

Hope this was enough to tide y'all over!

I was writing the vapo rub scene and it was gonna be a lil more intimate but then I got trauma flashbacks to Glee and ina singing and... I said hmmmmmmmm nope lol

@runa-falls @lunar-ghoulie @campingwiththecharmings @whatthefishh @itspdameronthings @persephone-girl @criticalarchitecture @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @beelzebeth87 @pimosworld @millerscoffee @heareball @thatwonderouswoman @poolbool @meveispunk @lovable-liar @millllenniawrites @read-and-wip @missdictatorme @the-fox-den @milkymoon2483 @k-ra @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @rosellacwrites @legendary-pink-dot @dreamingofbucky @axshadows @englandsgray @starsthatwatch @laiisleitte @fairlyang @alwaysmicado @theywhowriteandknowthings @casa-boiardi @lostfleur @ninebluehearts @puglover12 @sub-aro @laiisleitte @itspdameronthings @heareball @comfortlessjoy @csarab615 @calaveramangonda @bit-dodgy-innit @stevngrant @nanfafnan @kirsteng42

[lahooozaherr]

I Will Always Find You

Chapter 4

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: angst, fluff, yearning, pining, shooting a blaster with Mando (aaaaaay) vague description of dress on reader (listen, I said it was “traditional Naboo” dress but I don’t know if such thing exists I just love that dress Padme wears by the lake lol but I’m leaving it as vague as I can incase y’all want to imagine something else, I only describe having an open back) (wanted to give Mando some skin, ok), reader runs hand through hair and has strand brushed away but no actual description of hair, Din tries to not have sexy thoughts lol

MY WORKS ARE 18+ MINORS DNI. AGELESS/BLANK ACCOUNTS WILL BE BLOCKED.

My tag list (instructions & requirements)

Summary: You and the Mandalorian spend part of your “hooky” day relaxing in a place special to you. Later, he helps you get ready for the festival. Both of you are full of conflicting emotions as realizations surface and the end of the week looms.

A/N: Welp, this is getting done later than I intended. I recently visited my grandpa who is in the dying process. I had a good weekend with him and my family and tbh I thought I would be writing/reading in my spare time then but it didn’t end up happening, but that’s ok! I was able to come up with more things I wanted to add to it before so I hope everyone enjoys it. I promise we’re getting close to the smut lol I just have story building I gotta do. Also, I realized I already messed up the timeline I was trying to work with so look forward to me fixing that when it becomes more relevant. And by timeline I mean, it def takes more than a week between this and the flashback opening of the first chapter, so I’ll edit that. I’ve also been doing my best to leave reader and some other things as vague as I can but if that starts to sound weird pls tell me, I just want anyone reading to be able to see themselves in this. I also fixed the series master list banner since I kept have nagging feelings about the pictures I originally chose lol.

Song Inspo: Unfair by The Neighborhood

Inspo Playlist

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Read it on AO3

Din only really has himself to blame for getting himself in this position, he tells himself.

He was almost immediately mesmerized by you, and he let his heart and not his mind take the reins. That was mistake number one.

He went from experiencing loss, trying (and failing) to cope with that grief, to here. With you. He knows he has to face his feelings, because meeting you has flipped his inner world upside down. 

Every night he leaves you, images of you replay at the forefront of his mind’s eye. At first he’d brushed it off, chalking this up to some playful banter with a bored princess. But then he entertained it, learned more about you, watched you, and found himself enchanted by you. 

Somehow you had made your way through the cracks of his armor. Not exactly his Beskar, but the one he built around his heart. 

He hasn’t slept much tonight, opting to use this time to reflect and at least try to gather himself. He can no longer ignore what you do to him. How the sound of your voice has become music to his ears. How your touch sends electricity throughout his body from your delicate squeezes in the spaces of his arm that are not covered in Beskar. The way your eyes almost always find his own, despite the helm covering.

When he saw you help that lost child, when you opened up to him about your own mourning and conflicted emotions about your position, he almost snapped. Something possessive, or maybe more so protective, wanted to wrap himself around you. Prevent you from having to do this anymore. He could tell you didn’t want this. Maybe you wouldn’t say it, and he couldn’t out loud, but he could feel it.

He doesn’t know what to do with his own life and hasn’t for a really long time. Now, he’s coming to terms with his feelings, and desire, for you. 

But the life he leads isn’t a life for you. Or at least, that’s what he tells himself. This life is dangerous…..and lonely. He knows he couldn’t ask you to become his just as much as you can’t, or won’t, abandon your position. It’s easier to accept that answer over the latter.

He’s let this go too far, but he can’t help it. You bring something out in him that he tried to forget he had. It’s like he simultaneously knows he can’t make you his, and that’s he’s too scared to. Which is saying a lot; a Mandalorian afraid? But not just over anything. Over experiencing that kind of love and then losing it. He can’t go through that, on top of the rest, it’s too much. 

Yet Din ignores his instincts and indulges in you. He wishes your affectionate glances were reserved for only him, and no one else. 

Catching you yesterday was almost the final straw, taking every fiber of his being to not rip away the garment bag that separated your bodies. His helmet picked up on the wild thrum of your heartbeat; and maybe he wasn’t certain how you felt but it had to mean something, right? Even if neither of you can say it. 

For now, he will force himself to settle for what he has with you until this job is done. 

—————————————————————————

“Mando?”

Din is wrenched out of his head, coming back to himself. Both of you are on a small boat steered by a droid, him across from you. He must have been lost in his thoughts on the short sail to the area you spoke of. 

You wave a hand across his helmet’s eye-line, “hey, are you in there?”

He cocks his helmet, turning back to you, “where else would I be?”

You let out an amused huff but your eyes search his helmet, concerned but observing. Returning your hand back to your lap, “is something wrong?”

“No, Cyare.”

Your face heats up, looking away quickly thinking he wouldn’t notice. It brings him instant satisfaction, the way he flusters you sometimes. The boat comes to a stop as you stand to gather the basket you brought with you. 

“One of these days, I’m going to find out what those names mean.”

Din carefully stands in the boat, stepping over the side to the dock as it approaches, “you can sure try.”

Although, the thought of you finding out has Din’s face heated, another moment to be thankful for the helmet. 

He steps up onto the dock, connected to the other side of the lake you departed from. An expansive field full of greenery and flowers, surrounded by a forest in the short distance. It was tranquil and private, just like you had described to him. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” You remark, maneuvering your way out of the boat until his hand drops in front of you, offering help. You stop first, looking up to him to smile before taking it. His strong arm helps lift you out of the boat, effortlessly.

“I would come here to just be alone,” you continued on as you adjusted the basket and yourself. You decided on wearing a simple set of a tunic and leggings for this portion of the day, saying you’ll change later. The combination hugged your body’s curves in a way the dresses didn’t and Din certainly didn’t mind. 

He mentally scolds himself for wandering towards such thoughts. 

He follows you as you trek through the field, heading deeper towards trees that provide shade. Picking a spot, you drop the basket and plop down next to it. Sighing and stretching your legs before settling to lean against a tree, you close your eyes and inhale. Din lowers into the spot next to you, facing the view. 

Several quiet moments pass before you speak up again, “my mother found this place.” This caused Din to look at you, waiting for you to say more. You look into the sky, tightening your lips, not quite smiling and not frowning either.  

“It means a lot to you,” Din states. At this point he could tell how sentimental certain things were to you, he has very few things like that for himself. 

“It’s special to me, there’s a lot of good memories here. Time spent with her, many books….the first place I learned how to shoot a blaster.”

Din snorts before he realizes he’s even done it, you smile, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“You? You can shoot a blaster?” He teases, emphasizing the first ‘you’.

“Are you underestimating me, Mandalorian?” Batting your lashes at Din. He can hear his heartbeat in his helmet while trying to conjure an image of you, aiming a blaster in hand.

“No….” He trails off. Your eyes trained on him with a determined expression. “I just don’t expect a princess to know how to shoot.”

“Well Mando, it looks like there’s even more for you to discover about me.”

“Alright, prove it,” he shifts to stand. He offers his hand again and you take it, firmly. When you completely stand, you're closer than he had originally intended and he can feel the tense air between you. He brushes a thumb across your knuckles before letting go. 

You give him a sly grin while motioning your hand towards him, “alright, hand it over.”

“Hold on, let’s find a better spot.”

The two of you don’t stray too far, walking into the small forest behind the tree you were previously leaned up against. Din stops and points to a different tree just a few feet away, “hit the middle of that one.”

Usually, Din wouldn’t be so keen as to just hand anyone his weapons. But, you weren’t just anyone, were you? He sets the blaster in your hand, switching off the safety. 

“Thank you,” you mutter, situating the blaster in your dominant hand, with the other coming up to steady it. 

Raising your shoulders, you assume your stance and level the blaster for aiming. He watches from behind, arms folded and observant. So far he could say you’re doing everything you’re supposed to and is already impressed, not that that shows. 

Taking a deep breath through your mouth and out your nose, your supporting hand drops and your finger twitches on the trigger. In a split second, the blaster fire perfectly hits the middle of the tree. Lowering the blaster, you let out a “Hah!” You puff your chest with pride, looking back at Din for his reaction. 

If Din didn't think he was in trouble before, he definitely is now. He hadn’t realized just how attracted he would be to a trait like that in YOU, and suddenly the armor is too hot for him.

He almost can’t bring himself to say anything in response, it feels like his heart jumped into his throat. A self-satisfied look on your face as you set your other hand on your hip, “you seem…speechless? Hard to tell.”

You were right, and that was saying a lot for Din, considering he’s not much with words to begin with. He quietly clears his throat and reaches to take the blaster from your outstretched arm, “Count me impressed.”

You beamed, but this time it’s shy as you try to look away from him as he takes the blaster. He’d tell you that was cute if that wasn’t so out-of-character for him. 

“What made you take this up?” Din asks as you return to your spot on the grass. 

“Father said ‘pick a form of self defense’ and that was my choice,” you mimic your father’s voice and shrug. “I just happened to hit it off with blasters, and now I prefer them.” 

“But have you ever actually had to use one?”

“No. I guess, fortunately?”

A silence falls, you fidget with your hands as he settles next to you, once again. 

“I know that part isn’t impressive,” you add, dejectedly.

“It’s not bad. I’m glad you haven’t had to yet,” Din then turns his head towards you. “Any more surprises?”

Your lips curl at the edges, biting your lip and stifling a giggle, “for now.” You wink at him and turn to dig through the basket you brought with, setting out various fruits. 

Din’s eyes focus on the food but says nothing. 

“Don’t worry,” you assure him, while taking a bite out of one you’d chosen. “It’s just in case you want it. I felt rude not at least trying, I can give you privacy if needed.”

Din mulls the thought in his head for minutes, considering the setting. He feels a twinge in his stomach, anxiety coming up as he shoves it back down. He’s grateful for how understanding you are when it comes to his boundaries. He hasn’t been given a lot of that when it comes to his helmet and his creed. The galaxy so far has insistently been against him when it comes to those. 

“I appreciate it,” he says. 

—————————————————————————

You choose for today, and just today, you’ll pretend. Pretend your obligations don’t exist, that you’re not a princess. That you’re just you, someone capable of being so much more than what she’s just been slated in life. Capable of being more with Mando. 

That’s when the realization finally sets in, just how deeply you’ve found yourself in love with him. You realize it’s only been several days since you’ve met him, you haven’t even seen his face! But that didn’t matter to you, you have never felt so drawn to and comfortable with someone before in your life. 

You also can’t say you didn’t let it happen, and it’s tragic almost. It didn’t help that the two of you had almost immediately fell into a rhythm together. Two stars in sync with each other’s gravitational pull, becoming a careful dance.

You can’t be with him, and he can’t be with you. But that’s assuming he feels the same way, and that you’re not really sure of. It might be better to not know. You can’t abandon your life, and he shouldn’t have to worry about you.

It hurts immensely. 

“Here, I’ll do this,” you say, shifting your body to sit back to back with him. “I can’t see you this way, and I won’t look.” 

Mando says nothing at first, visor trained on the spread you’d set out. His lack of response causes you to feel insecure. 

“I’m sorry, maybe that’s too much-“

“No. You’re fine. It works.”

You give him a small nod before turning back to face away from him. You focus your eyes on anything else; trees, hills, the sky. You hear a hiss escape from where you feel him shift to lift his helmet and your heart stops. How would it be to see that face? But you would never betray that trust he’s just displayed. 

Mando doesn’t completely remove the helmet, just lifting it enough to take bites of the fruit you’ve laid out. Fair enough, though. Whatever works for him and makes him feel most comfortable is more important to you. 

Moment’s of peaceful silence pass as you take in the sounds and scenery around you while partaking in some of the fruit you snagged. Beautiful, lush green forest and fields, a clear and beautiful sky, the silent chewing from your armored companion. You wish you could live in this moment forever.

Reality finds ways to drift back into your thoughts though, always somewhat present and hard to escape. You let out a quiet sigh, leaning your back against his. You feel him tense up, subtly. But before you can think twice about it, he relaxes back into it, giving you a small amount of physical contact. You’re relieved he allows you this.

‘I’m glad we did this,” you break the silence. “I needed a break, as brief as it may be.”

“Thank you for including me,” he says in his unfiltered voice, helmet still lifted. Your heart in your chest speeds up from hearing it. As much as you love his voice with the modulator, the actual, naked sound is music to your ears. His voice is still low but with a rich timbre. 

Worrying your bottom lip, you lean your head back onto his shoulder. He allows for that as well, maybe indulging you. It’s comforting, but also sad. 

“There’s a chance I could not become a senator, like my father.”

Mando stills, “Is that so?”

“Sort of,” you begin to explain. “We still have democratic elections. There’s a possibility of me not being elected.”

Mando gives a low hum, “What would you do then?”

A million ideas including him run through your mind at that question, but you don’t say. “Technically I’d still be serving in some capacity, it’s how our family has always worked.” Part of you had hoped he'd have something to offer, more to say to that.

It’s quiet again, this time more somber. You’d been thinking about this detail for a while, and it still felt like no way out, and you feel ashamed for even trying to look for one. Mando doesn’t respond yet, replacing his helmet to its normal position. 

You sit up and turn back to him, looking into his visor. Helmet already trained on you. 

“Thank you,” he all but whispers, barely picked up by the modulator. You give him a gentle smile in response, “Of course.”

After the afternoon had worn on some more, and some comfortable quiet moments had passed as the two of you relaxed together, you signaled it was time to go. 

Your heart tightens in your chest at the thought of every minute passing, becoming less and less time with him. You’ve tried hard to not focus on that, nor show that emotion. You want to enjoy the time you have left.

———————���—————————————————

You and Din return to your suite at the palace, stopping just before the door. He assumes his regular place in front, waiting to watch you disappear inside for the time being. 

But you don’t go inside, you stop just at the threshold. You stop in your tracks, seemingly contemplating something. You turn back to him, avoiding his gaze but also not as you start to run a hand through your hair. 

“You can come in to wait for me…..if you want.” 

It’s silent again, but tense. Din can feel his heart in his throat now, mouth dry as he tries to swallow it back down. His resolve crumbles enough for him to step forward, towards you. In his usual fashion, saying nothing, he strides past you into your living space. You step to the side to allow him in and he nods to you on the way. 

Upon entering your temporary living space, he takes in the details of proof that you’ve been there. One side of the room is a luxurious, wide bed with accompanying side tables, a couch sits at the end of the bed. Across the room from there is a table with books, a rack of clothing, a vanity and dressing screen for your privacy. 

“The couch is probably the most comfortable,” you mention as you saunter past him. “Make yourself at home.”

Din does so, looking out-of-place as he cautiously sits in the middle of the soft couch. Posture straight and gaited, he looks as stiff as he feels. He is painfully aware of the effect of the whole situation on the inside of his flight suit. It’s not that he’s uncomfortable, he just never expected to be in such a private setting with you.

It’s been too long since he’s felt this kind of need and genuine desire, and that also scares him. He feels like a doomed man, mentally cursing to himself that if only you had met under different circumstances. 

You press a button on a panel on the wall near the dressing screen and all lighting in the room fades to a softer, yellow hue. You step behind the screen, bending to start removing your shoes. 

Din has to suppress the almost audible gulping sound that leaves him when he realizes he can see your silhouette through the dressing screen. He doesn’t know if you know he can see you like this and is too stunned to even say. 

“I’m happy we happen to be here right as this festival is happening,” you state. “I haven’t been to it since I was a teenager.”

He watches your shadow begin to undress, slowly peeling off your layers one by one until you’re in your underwear. Your hands move to undo the clasp on your chest band, causing an audible ‘snap’ noise. You move sideways, emphasizing a perfect outline of your front and back. He imagines your breasts must be as soft and enticing from their outline in the shadow. 

He feels a twitch in his flight suit pants then immediately seeks to contain that by resting his ankle on his knee, bouncing it repetitively to keep himself ‘busy’. He almost jumps out of his skin as you walk to the edge of the screen, only to stop just before the end and reach your hand and naked arm to the rack where the garment bag you picked up yesterday hung, plucking it.

It’s certainly not out of place for him to have nothing to say, because at the moment he can’t even muster a word. He’s way too distracted now and hopes you’re not looking for a response.

You maneuver yourself into the dress, swaying your hips side to side to slide the fabric over your body. Din unconsciously flexes his hands, imagining how those hips would feel beneath them. 

When you finish fitting the dress onto yourself, you emerge from behind the screen. When you notice him, your expression is curious and he fears he’s been caught until you ask, “are you ok?”

Din crosses his arms and stands abruptly, guarding the subtle expressions of his body language as much as he can. Give offers a curt, “Yes.” He immediately notices how flattering the dress is on you, laying perfectly with your back being the most exposed. 

You narrow your eyes at him briefly and turn to seat yourself at your vanity. Din takes the opportunity to roam the small space, observing the table of books and reading material from the event that had been unceremoniously placed there. 

You adjust yourself in the mirror of your vanity, fixing your hair. You look back at yourself with a determined look, twisting your arms to place your hair where you need it. Din watches your meticulous routine from behind, eyes flitting between your actions and yourself in the mirror. You can see him in the reflection as you work. 

“It won't be too long, but it’s a process,” you murmur, moving to grab various pieces of makeup to apply. 

Din can barely manage to offer any words as he imagines what it would be like to casually approach you, placing reverent kisses on the back of your neck and shoulders. 

“Don’t worry about me,” he finally says. 

You shoot him a questioning look where you see him in the reflection of the mirror, “are you sure you’re alright?”

Din forces himself to visibly relax, it’s uncanny how well you’ve been able to pick up on his mannerisms since you’ve met, “everything is good with me.” He feels like he sounds unconvincing and your lingering eyes in the mirror don’t help. You shrug and return to your tasks.

That companionable silence has returned as Din watches you apply your makeup, you mutter to yourself absentmindedly here and there as you move to each next piece. Some time passes before you set down your items and pat your lap, giving yourself a last look over in the mirror before standing. 

The way you look takes his breath away. He was almost shocked when he first saw how casual you’d chosen to be today but loved it all the same. He loved seeing another side of you and right now is no exception either. He felt domestic just from being allowed to watch you put yourself together. 

He wants to take you apart. 

—————————————————————————

“Well?” You query Mando as you turn side to side to get a good look over yourself in the mirror. “Do I look alright?”

He’s paused then steps closer behind you, looming over your shoulder at your reflection, you look at him. You feel your heart rate quicken under what feels like his eyes raking over you. It takes everything in you to resist the urge to turn into him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“Beautiful,” he offers the one-worded response, but that's all that needs to be said. 

You turn to him, smiling, staving off a heat that threatens to take over your cheeks, “thank you.” He cocks his helm to the side in response. 

You stride past him, noticing his helmet visibly follow. You sway your hips ever so slightly as his visor scans you up and down. Getting closer to your door, you look back and flash him a grin and gesture with a nod, “I saw that.”

“No you didn’t,” he throws back at you, sarcastically. You snicker in response, “Come on, shiny man.”

Mando stalks towards you and stifles a chuckle, “I get a nickname too?”

“I tried, not sure how I feel about that one.”

“Not as fun as mine, mesh’la.”

—————————————————————————

The festival is bustling, vendors sell their wares and trinkets while others offer delicious and exotic street foods. There are large displays of flowers and accompanying decorations across the town and performers scattered entertaining the masses. 

You point out these things to Mando as you stroll through, your hand back in its place in the crook of his elbow. He doesn’t have much to say but you know he’s invested in your excitement and what you say. 

Here and there you'd explain the meaning behind certain displays and performances to educate him. You figure you can do the same for him as he’s done for you when he’d allowed you to poke at him about Mandalorian customs. You’d share similar traditions from your own planet and how they coincide with each other. 

You tried your best to be in the present and stop worrying about tomorrow, when you’ll inevitably have to say goodbye to the Mandalorian. You’re going to miss the camaraderie the two of you had unknowingly built together in the short amount of days. You’ve never found someone so in sync with you. 

Regardless if he has similar feelings, it’s heartbreaking all the same. It’s too scary at this point to ask. If you’ve learned anything about him this past week, it’s that his actions speak louder than his words. Although it seems he reserves many of those words and actions just for you. A self-indulgent thought you keep tucked in your heart. 

Day slowly turns into night, the sun giving way to a beautiful, pink setting in the sky. You finish up a snack you’d bought earlier as you nod at Mando, “fireworks should be soon, we should find a good spot.”

“Fireworks, huh? They really go all-out here.”

“It’s Naboo,” you laugh. “What do you expect?” 

“Do you have a spot for that too?”

You scoff in response, “of course I do.”

And that you did. It’s a bold move, but you offer him your hand, “follow me.” He takes your smaller hand in his gloved one, and it feels warm. Safe. 

You lead him along, navigating through other festival-goers until you find yourself in front of part of the forest that lines the city. He doesn’t question it though, and you bring yourselves to a small path in. When you’ve arrived, you’re at a small clearing on the side of the larger lake the show will display over. 

“I never doubted you,” he proclaims. You feel like you can ‘hear’ a smile in his tone. You turn your nose up with a ‘hmm!’. You hear a faint chuckle that barely escapes his helmet’s modulator. 

The sun is finally set, giving way to a beautiful, clear night sky. You take in a deep breath of air and admire it, smiling to yourself. You look down and notice he’s still holding your hand. You don’t say anything or move it, for fear of ending the small contact. He doesn’t try to break it up either. 

One by one, lights lift into the sky and explode. The fireworks are bright and loud and your spot is the perfect and more private place to view them. You instantly become entranced in them, their reflections flash in your eyes.

You suddenly feel a familiar shift in energy, one that you’ve been feeling all week. From the times you feel his eyes on you for long periods of time. Sometimes even when his helmet isn’t exactly pointed towards you. A feeling almost hard to explain, you just know. But you don’t turn to face him just yet, preening under what feels like his warm gaze, while you can. These last few moments are difficult to approach, no matter how hard you shove back the emotions.  

What will it be like after tomorrow? Will you feel a hole in your chest? A part of your heart that knows and wishes to know him that will forever be empty? Will you always spend the rest of your life asking “what if”?

You finally turn to him and he does the same. But there are no words. You’re both silent, save for the sounds of fireworks in the background. You look into his visor and admire the reflection of the bright, colorful explosions that play out on his helmet. It’s beautiful. 

A tension builds between you, again. But what could be said? It’s too painful to say out loud. You’ll have to speak through your actions, just as he does. 

You slowly lift the hand you’re still holding, cautiously bringing it to place over your chest where your heart pounds. You fear it might be too much when his hand stills, but then relaxes in place underneath yours. You just want him to feel your heartbeat, and he acquiesces. 

But he surprises you again, after a moment passes, holding his hand over your heart. He brings his other hand up to remove his glove, carefully plucking from his fore and middle finger, sliding it off then placing it in his pocket. 

With his now bare hand, he gently tucks a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. Instead of bringing his hand back, he caresses the side of your face. You can feel him hesitate at first, hovering slightly above your cheek, seeking silent permission. You oblige by nuzzling into his palm, relishing the feeling of his bare skin on yours.

The setting is calm but the storm in your chest is otherwise and you wish you could remain like this. Tomorrow is coming too soon, it’s too much. But you know, and he knows. 

When the show ends, the two of you remain that way for a short while after. You can’t bring yourself to end it any sooner but after some time, you decide to rip off the bandaid. When you slightly move from his hand, he returns it to himself but without putting the glove back on. 

When you return to your room, after a solemn and quiet walk back, you swear you can still feel the warmth of his skin on yours. It’s all he can give right now and you’ll hold it dear to you. 

—————————————————————————

Settling down for the night, you walk around the room to fade the lights back to the yellow hue. You sit on the couch as you read the last of a book you’ve had your nose in for the last hour. You glance up, down, then quickly back up again when you notice the silhouetted shape of something from behind your dressing screen. 

Hurriedly putting the book down, you set for the screen to investigate. Behind it is the pile of clothes and one of your suitcases that had made up the shape. You realize, to your mortification, that anything behind casts a shadow than can be seen.

That means. That earlier. That he could. He could see- Oh MAKER. 

Mando'a Translated:

Mesh'la = Beautiful

Cyare = Sweetheart

@dindjarinsmut @impala1967666 @kittenlittle24 @angel-with-a-heart @leithatnight @i-usually-main-bards-tho @dins-riduur-anthe @fatima-marisa @lalalalemonade11 @n7cje

Next Chapter

[spectacleweirdo]

hooky song characters from my playlist

the king - conan gray - Dorian to Monica (ACCURATE)

jigsaw - conan gray - Dani (ACCURATE)

boys will be bugs - cavetown - Nico

juliet - cavetown - Nico (ACCURATE)

a guy that i'd kinda be into - be more chill - Monica

dizzy - mxmtoon - Monica (ACCURATE)

dumb dumb - mazie - Damien

will update

update: did not update

jk i did but only this song because it's been in my head

cupid - jack staubers mircopop - Dorian

ALSO WHOOP WHOOP THE THIRD ONE IS COMING OUT SOON

[theemeraldforesthideout]

I totally missed that Perfume released their latest album on the 20th of last month. I thought the singles released previously were just standalone songs, so I actually know those, as I put them on the playlist for our recent Preseli Hills trip.

'Love cloud' is such a good song. It's like Gran Turismo menu music mixed a with a fuzzy, pulsing electro bassline. Whereas opener 'The Light' is very much 'We're on an adventure though the Welsh mountains!!', more of a hooky, instantly-stuck-in-your-head-say-woah-three-times-in-the-chorus, J-bopper.

[jelliegirl]

🔱🍃🚫💤🎶 for atlas!! :D

🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming?

no they cannot, in fact when i first came up with them i drew this image while laughing at the idea of them getting their wings wet and being dramatic about it

🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school?

playing hooky dlsgj. atlas was a very bad student. but they are very interested in illusion magic! as a child they didnt like being told what to do by people who didnt bother explaining why they had to do things a certain way

🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

they drink at royal parties to be polite (if they are in an agreeable mood) but all food/drink is tasteless to them unfortunately. they would 10000% smoke cigarettes just to look cool and hot though

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

atlas doesnt sleep in canon because theyre a fey. in a human au they'd have very high functioning insomnia and would not sleep much to the detriment of their wellbeing

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

idk what fey music sounds like, but theyd like upbeat music i suppose? dramatic royal entrance music?

honestly they contain so many multitudes that i have several character playlists for them of different music genres and theyre all very fun to listen to! so yeah i guess in summary, theyd like upbeat danceable music of many different varieties.

also atlas would unironically love hyperpop like 100 gecs in a human au.

[jesterjunkie]

𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓎 𝒮𝒽𝒾𝓅 𝒫𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈

[astorythatwritesitself]

Rachel Ram

What if this does not belong to you

And all those things you thought were true

Turned out to just be someone else's lies?

I still have no idea how I'm actually formatting this project or anything, but fuck it, every bit of creating and musing on it helps, right? So - character board for the main character & POV of Vide - Rachel Ram, later known as Sidney Shepard.

The funny thing is, Sid doesn't consider Rachel as a deadname, not really. Rachel was... well. She was.

Rachel liked exploring the woods and studying bugs and watching stolen scary movies when she could play hooky from church or school. She spent way too much money on rigged games in the arcade, then way too much time digging through long-lost closets and crawlspaces when the place was shut down and abandoned. Rachel wrote shitty poetry and drew weird shit in journals she kept sandwiched between the mattress and boxspring, she loved Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark, and was fascinated by folklore and mythology; the ideas of living gods or spirits lurking in the air, the grass, the rivers and seas.

Rachel was scared and lonely and so, so very brave, because she kept going, and kept dreaming of a future, even if she wasn't sure what form it would - could - take. She wanted to be a musician when she grew up, or maybe an actor or a comic artist, and have three (exactly) dogs.

Sid has done a lot of shitty, less than legal things in her life, and she's hoping to add 'vandalizing a grave' to that list one of these days - though, is it vandalizing, when it's your own? Either way - Rachel isn't dead, isn't gone - just grown up and changed, no different than the grubs and catterpillars she tried (and often - but not always - failed) to raise. A unique, distinct phase that deserves a hell of a lot better than being some empty casket.

(Thanks for the votes! :D Yeah the poll was 'I have a couple vague moodboard ideas but can't choose' lmao. I'll do the Deconstructing Gods one at another point - or put it to another poll depending on what else from the playlist might strike me!)

[cature]

characters. susan pevensie, himari takakura, blair waldorf, clara oswald, odette (bluth animation), celia bowen, kirakishou, clara / the changeling (patho), mina harker, arabella strange, nicolas de lenfent, faith lehane, abigail hobbs, olivia dunham, river tam, wendy darling, lelouch vi britannia, xie lian, alice morgan.

listen. boygenius, carly rae jepsen, dashboard confessional, death cab for cutie, debussy, deco*27, ellie golding, fall out boy, fiona apple, frank turner, ghost quartet, green day, james morrison, loona, majiko, mayday parade, meg and dia, my chemical romance, natori, orla gartland, paramore, perfume, radwimps, regina spektor, slipknot, stormzy, taylor swift, the 1975, the decemberists, the used, the weepies, thriving ivory, yoh kamiyama, you me at six. [insane playlist here.]

play. 1bitheart, arkham asylum, caligula effect, corpse party, dgrp, dead space, death mark, deemo, fate extra, honkai impact, legend of zelda (ocarina), lobotomy corp, nanastars, outlast, oxenfree, pathologic, payday, persona, pixel horror, red candle, resident evil, rumu, silent hill, sims, skullgirls, transistor, undertale, until dawn, warhammer, we know the devil, yume nikki.

read. animorphs, cheese in the trap, clamp, cold comfort farm, discworld, dungeon meshi, fables, hooky, inso’s law, iwtv, jjk, live forever, lotr, more than human, morning glories, narnia, old kingdom, orange, pandora hearts, rubyquest, shinshi doumei cross, strange tales of oscar zahn, sweet home, the house on falling star hill, the night circus, the red country, tokyo ghoul, uglies, uzumaki, watership, wmmap, witch hat atelier, x-men, yumi’s cells.

watch. 28 days later, 30 days of night, ahs coven, baccano, btvs, code geass, critrole, death parade, doctor who (classic, big finish, new, novelizations) firefly, fringe, fdtd, got, ginger snaps, goblin, gossip girl, hellboy, i am in eskew, juni taisen, justified, kiznaiver, labyrinth, les mis, luther, magpod (s5 hater), motorcity, mxtx, netflix haunting, no. 6, penguindrum, precure, princess tutu, rozen maiden, the thick of it, tmfu film, yorimoi, zankyou no terror.

[housewarningparty]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌🖤

aw thanks josie

idk if this is my FAVORITE playlist but i did shuffle my hugelong 47 hour driving playlist and got these songs

Saturdays by Twin Shadow (feat. Haim) - just a super fun little pop song by two artists I really like. Total bop, upbeat 80s vibes, it's on the driving playlist for a reason. Musical equivalent of a super sugary latte in the morning

Shove by L7 - Smell the Magic is probably my favorite L7 album ngl. Shove is a perfect album opener, grimy riffz, gnarly punk rock vox, delightfully pissed off (and timeless!) lyrics

The Grain by Hammers of Misfortune - this song has such a great epic vibe to it. I love how big the chorus is - very hooky and SO dramatic. Love the galloping heavy metal bass, and the atmosphere the keyboard provides. Killer tune.

Distortion Sleep by Soilwork - ANOTHER RIPPER. God, Soilwork was my life at one point. I still love 'em, but nothing compares to how much a 16 year old gets attached to their first spate of melodic death metal bands. Another big chorus - Speed Strid is honestly one of the best to ever do it, I never get tired of his vocals

What Might Soothe You? by Pity Sex - my FAVORITE Pity Sex song, which is a big deal, cause I love all of their songs. I love the way the big fuzzy shoegaze riffs and the jaunty percussion play off each other in this song, I love the contrast between Brennan Greaves' slightly monotone vocals and Britty Drake's high, clear voice. The lyrics are really vivid too. Ugh, it's perfect, it's the perfect Pity Sex song

Here's the playlist if you wanna listen:

rather than keeping this going as an ask game, I'll tag a few people here: @shewhosleepsalotincemeteries, @holdsteady, @peachythesequel, @nataliving, @coraniaid, and @badwolfwho1 if you feel like doin it! (no pressure)

[literaticat]

I know we are only on the cusp of the battle with A.I. in publishing. My question is for agents, AI can help write summaries and pitches. So if agents decide to use AI to help with SOME functions of their jobs, is that ethical? Is that something every agent should disclose to clients?

There already ARE ways that we "use AI to help with some functions of our jobs" -- because there's AI all over the place in computer programs, etc. For example, when I record my podcast, the program I use can generate a transcript for me, and Zoom can create a written transcript of meetings. (I don't happen to use those features, but they do exist!) My email will suggest responses and "grammarly" will correct my grammar on the fly. There are computer-generated reminders one can set up that can be activated when certain payments haven't come in. Amazon's "customers like you bought XYZ" feature can be helpful when trying to create a list of similar titles. Basically a lot of the shit we use every day, from Gmail picking the garbáge out of our emails to Siri finding a playlist for me, to Spotify MAKING a playlist for me, to somebody's smart fridge telling them they are out of milk and adding it to the grocery list -- all involve AI in some fashion, right? So I would imagine that for things like database management / organizational type situations, it could be useful in some way.

(Again, I'm a dope who does everything in notebooks and am not really hip to HOW, but I'm sure that there are things it already does or will be able to do that could be helpful for work situations or life situations or whatever.)

That said -- I'm talking here about workflow, databases, and the like. I'm not talking about the *creative* part. I might be naive, but I don't really think it CAN be used to properly write a good pitch or a summary of an unpublished book in manuscript form unless you feed it all the information (which, no, and also, it still would probably be wrong and not that good so you'd have to edit it, and also if you're going to all that bother, why not just write the dang thing yourself?)

I've just noodled around with ChatGPT a little to understand what it even is, and I'm sure I barely scratched the surface, but like -- the info it gives is not factual, and there is no nuance, and it's just *vague as hell* for the most part? I asked it to "brainstorm a list of titles for an enemies-to-lovers romance about rival figure skaters" and the titles were SO CHEESY and bad, it was basically pointless. ("Struck by Cupid's Skate Blade" is at least memorable, but not in a good way!) I asked it to write an agent bio of ME and it just made random shit up -- like it all SOUNDED right and was formatted well and if you didn't know anything about me, you'd be like "seems great!" -- but actually it was insane. Not to brag on myself or anything, but I'm a MUCH BETTER WRITER than it is. The only thing it was just as good as writing as I am was a rejection letter, because those are vague and full of platitudes on purpose.

So - yeah, idk, I don't really foresee a time when I would let a robot take over ANY real part of my job, let alone a creative part. But like -- IN THEORY? IF there was an AI that somehow actually knew how to write a killer pitch full of singular hooky details etc and a random agent who isn't me wanted to utilize that? I guess my feelings about the ethicalness depends: If the agent has to somehow "feed" the client's work into the AI thingie to make it spit out the correct info, that'd be wild and weird, and something they should not only disclose to their client, but also GET PERMISSION from their client to do, IMO. If, though, the agent is using some kind of AI program as a helpful tool to improve their own work and it DOESN'T involve giving a robot your intellectual property, I don't really see any problem.

I mean -- if gmail auto-suggests I answer an email "sounds great, thanks for the heads up!", and that's what I was probably going to say anyway, and so I click that button rather than spend twenty seconds typing it out -- I don't put an addendum saying, just so you know, AI suggested that response. :-)

[hermitologist]

My Favorite Records of 2022

Hi. I made another list.

First thing’s first. I apologize for the lack of music recommendations and runs on my Instagram this year. Thrice had a pretty busy touring schedule, and with the kids back in school the local virus carousel was BRUTAL. Seemed like we got to sample a new strain of the crud literally every other week. It’d rip its way through the house, we’d send the kids back to school, they’d bring a new batch of snot home a few days later, and it’d start up all over again. Rinse and repeat. It was hard to get out there and run with all that going on. Also: Blame where blame is due ... I got a little lazy when I wasn’t picking up goopy Kleenex or horking up some crud of my own. I”ll be back next year. (Hopefully.)

An-y-waaaaay ... 

I did manage to listen to a lot of new music despite "the circumstances”, and I have compiled all of my favorites for you here. There's a pretty clear cut Top 5 this year based on play counts, but the rest of the list didn’t really make sense to rank because this shit’s really all subjective anyway. I broke the list into categories that made sense to me, at the time, for organization’s sake. Each record has link to the band/label’s Bandcamp or website, so please please PLEASE support the artists you love beyond just streaming their music.

Playlists with a song from each record are below. I know it’s a lot of music. I know it’s all over the place. I know you don’t have time to listen to five-and-a-half hours of music. At the very least, I’d suggest at needle-dropping through the entire thing and earmarking some stuff to check out. That’s how I find a good chunk of this stuff. 

And please let me know what you dug this year and think I should check out!

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. See you next year!

PLAYLISTS

My Favorites of 2022 Playlist (Spotify)

My Favorites of 2022 Playlist (Apple Music)

My Favorites of 2022 Playlist (Tidal)

THE TOP 5

Elder - Innate Passage

No contest here. This is a clear cut #1 for me. Fifty-four minutes of absolutely glorious, wholly transcendental, life-affirming, dreamy/heavy metal-adjacent prog. As a musician, I can tell you firsthand how hard it is to write a long song that doesn’t *feel* long. These fellas routinely crank out high-quality 10-minute-plus jams that you’ll hope never end. Queue this up and take it for a run, a long walk, or a long drive and you’ll see what I mean. It’s magical. And yes, it came out late in the year, but I haven’t been able to stop listening to it or thinking about it since, and I don’t see that changing for a long while.

Meshuggah - Immutable

It’s damn near impossible to find the right words for this band, let alone this record, but this is absolute wizardry, yet again, from the best metal band that has ever existed. Pure face-melting heaviness. They routinely reset the bar for what heavy music can and should be, and Immutable is no exception. It might even be my favorite Meshuggah record ever.

Museum of Light - Horizon

Ultra-heavy, sludgy, dynamic, meditative, push vs. pull, melody vs. dissonance post-rock in the vein of Kowloon Walled City, Shiner, Traindodge, and Torche. The songwriting is so clean and efficient, and the record as a whole is just a gorgeous, perfectly crafted arc. It’s perfect.

Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed

The heaviest, prettiest, most infectious batch of post-rock/metal I’ve heard in a long while. Dynamic shifts that are pure catharsis. A band that has the ability to give you euphoric chills one minute, and bring you to tears the next, headbanging all the while. Their first LP blew me away, and I wasn’t sure they could top it, but they totally have.

The Beths - Expert In A Dying Field

This record was an instant pick-me-up this year. A much-needed salve amidst all the stress and anxiety and depression the world can throw your way these days. Twelve preposterously hooky jams, that will put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step (even when the lyrical content dips into darker themes). It totally rules.

15 OTHER RECORDS THAT STAYED IN HEAVY ROTATION (in no order)

PLOSIVS - S/T

Drug Church - HYGIENE

Tvivler - Kilogram

Birds In Row - Gris Klein

gospel - The Loser

Cult of Luna - The Long Road North

Russian Circles - Gnosis

Conjurer - Pathos

Anxious - Green House

SPICE - Viv

PUP - The Unraveling of PUP The Band

The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention

Pianos Become The Teeth - Drift 

Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave

Stray From The Path - Euthanasia

OTHER RECORDS I ENJOYED (also in no order)

Architects - the classic symptoms of a broken spirit Pedro the Lion - Havasu And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison Mass Worship - Portal Tombs Rival Consoles - Now Is  Fleshwater - We’re Not Here To Be Loved Abraham - Debris de Mondes Perdus Norna - Star is way way is Eye Dan Mayo - Greenhouse Silvan Strauss - FACING Vein - This World is Going to Ruin You Author & Punisher - Krüller Black Thought/Dangermouse - Cheat Codes Cave In - Heavy Pendulum Square Peg Round Hole - Reservoir  Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers Pete Rock - Petestrumentals 4 Pet Fox - A Face In Your Life Swami John Reis - Ride the Wild Night Heriot - Profound Morality  Bastions - Majestic Desolation Wake - Thought Form Descent Inclination - Unaltered Perspective Momma - Household Name Hot Water Music - Feel The Void KEN Mode - NULL Animals As Leaders - Parrhesia Mark Giuliana - the sound of listening Meat Wave - Malign Hex Haunted Shores - Void Blessed - Circuitous Celeste - Assassine(s) Louis Cole - Quality Over Opinion Grivo - Omit Wonder Years - The Hum Goes on Forever A Hope For Home - Years Of Silicon Mountaineer - Giving Up The Ghost Norma Jean - Deathrattle Sing for Me Lamb Of God - Omens Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist Easy Prey - Unrest 84 Tigers - Time in the Lighthouse  Codespeaker - S/T Colonial Wound - Easy Laugh Thousandaire - Ideal Conditions

THE NEW BOTCH SONG I LISTENED TO LIKE 247 TIMES IN 3 DAYS

Botch - One Twenty Two

10 FAVORITE EPs

Downward - The Brass Tax  Cult Leader/End - Gather & Mourn  Irist - Gloria  Gleemer - Here at All  GoGo Penguin - Between Two Waves Lockstep - Lockstep 2  Portico Quartet - Next Stop  Be Well - Hello Sun  Chamber - Carved In Stone  Waldo’s Gift - Improvisations Vol. 2 

1 RECORD FROM 2019 THAT DIDN’T “CLICK” UNTIL 2022

Car Bomb - Mordial

2 RECORDS THAT DIDN’T COME OUT IN 2022 BUT GOT A LOTTA SPINS

Low - Double Negative Pile - Green and Gray

3 PODCASTS THAT I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT

Office Hours - humor, music, pure joy The Distraction - sports and social commentary/humor Effectively Wild - baseball analysis/humor

[chuuuvi]

Listening to TWS because I cute girl I matched with on tinder was holding one of their albums in a pic (like not even showing it off.. i had to go full detective because only the side was showing and most of the letters were covered by her hand). Happy to say this is actually quite good! Will be going on the playlist 🥳

The QUESTION is how do I use this to my flirting advantage? Do I pretend that I already knew the group and say that I recognized the album in her pic because of that? Do I admit that I went creepy zoom mode on her picture and listened to all their music because of that and hope that she finds it endearing?? She said on her profile that she loves sharing playlists so maybe I make her a playlist and coincidentally include a song from the random bg she likes so she thinks we’re just that in sync? I gotta be strategic here 😣😣