#i have zero range in my music taste

[theredheaddevil]

tank ya for the tag :) ik most fok will probs just be running this thru spotify or something but im a sound cloud plebian so its what ik ive heard multipletimes this week 1. am i fixed yet - silent theory 2. wake up hate - monster 3. what are the odds - silent theory 4. promise - crooked teeth 5. basement - gemini syndrome 6. kool aid - bring me the horizon 7. good bye almond eyes 8. violence - a fall to break 9. Seek Irony - Devil in Me 10. midnight hands - rise against

as you can maybe guess, ive been on a postal kick again and working on some spencejack stuff

Tagged by: @zeldamacgregor

Top 10 most played songs at this time.

This is tough.

Hmmm…

Okay, let’s go. In no particular order…

1. Bright Lights — Thirty Seconds To Mars

2. Iridescent — Linkin Park

3. Zombie — Ran-D

4. Chasing Cars — Snow Patrol

5. Irrelevant — Pink

6. I Want To Break Free — Queen

7. I Want It All — Queen

8. Demons — Imagine Dragons

9. Midnight Show — The Killers

10. Yellow — Coldplay

Tagging (no pressure): @skinnyscottishbloke @ineffabildaddy @bildads-shoes @ritz-writes @tragic-cosmic-magic @xxxtosoxxx @shadesofdeviant @amagnificentobsession @2davethefish @peachworthy @crowleys-hips

[cruel-seduction]

A World Without You

(Picture taken from Pinterest)

Pairing - Peter Parker x Female Reader

Genre - Angst 

Summary: When Peter Parker wakes up in a world where Y/N never existed, he thinks he's been given the gift of freedom—no one to put in danger. But as the emptiness of her absence consumes him, Peter begins to question the cost of his choice. How far will he go to bring Y/N back, and who—or what—was behind her disappearance in the first place? Can Peter undo the deal he made, or is he trapped in a world where love never existed?

Glimpse - He thought back to their last conversation, where Y/N had called him a "Nerd" for winning at chess everytime, to which he’d fired back, calling them "a hopeless case with zero taste in music."

Warnings: This story contains heavy angst and emotional distress, exploring themes of loneliness, guilt, and the consequences of difficult choices. It also includes elements of reality distortion and manipulation, which may be unsettling for some readers. Proceed with caution if you're sensitive to intense emotional scenarios.

***

Peter Parker woke up with a start. His heart pounded in his chest, the remnants of a nightmare clinging to his mind like a fading mist. His body ached in places he didn’t know could hurt. The city skyline blinked outside his window as it always did, but something about the silence felt…off. He rubbed his face, trying to shake off the strange unease gnawing at his gut. It wasn’t unusual for Peter to wake up in a cold sweat after a brutal night of web-swinging, but this time was different. The feeling lingered like a whisper he couldn’t quite hear.

He groaned, rolling out of bed and pulling on a T-shirt. Maybe some breakfast would help clear his head. He padded barefoot into the kitchen, expecting to hear the familiar hum of Y/N’s terrible music playing in the background as they whipped up something quick before heading out. But the apartment was eerily quiet. Too quiet.

“Babe?” he called, only half-expecting a response. Silence. Peter frowned. It wasn’t like Y/N to leave without saying goodbye, even when they had early shifts. Maybe she’s at work already.

But the more Peter looked around, the more he realised something was wrong. The photos on the fridge—the ones of him and Y/N from their last disastrous attempt at a beach day—were gone. He checked the living room; no sign of Y/N’s jacket, their shoes, or the usual clutter that always accumulated near the door. Where the hell are they?

The sinking feeling in Peter’s chest deepened as he began to search the apartment. Their stuff was gone. All of it.

Peter’s mind raced. Has Y/N left him? No, that didn’t make sense. Things had been good between them. They always were, even when they fought. And their playful insults were never serious, just the way they communicated. He thought back to their last conversation, where Y/N had called him a "Nerd" for winning at chess everytime, to which he’d fired back, calling them "a hopeless case with zero taste in music."

But there was love in every jab, every joke. He knew Y/N didn’t mean any of it, and he didn’t either. It was their love language—twisting insults into affection in the way only they could. He could still hear their laugh in his mind, could still feel the way Y/N would poke him in the ribs after a particularly savage comeback.

But now, that warmth is gone. All of it.

Peter’s head was spinning. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialled Y/N’s number. The line rang once, twice, and then, “The number you’ve dialled is not in service.”

Not in service?

Peter’s stomach flipped. He called again, and the same automated voice greeted him. Panic rose in his throat. He rushed outside and knocked on the neighbour’s door.

“Hey, Mrs. Martinez, have you seen Y/N today? She—” Peter began, but Mrs. Martinez gave him a confused look.

“Y/N? Who’s Y/N?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter’s heart skipped a beat. “You know…my—my girlfriend? The person I live with?” he stammered, his voice unsteady. Mrs. Martinez’s frown deepened.

“I’ve lived here for twenty years, Peter. I’ve never seen you with anyone. You live alone.”

Peter’s world tilted. What?

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. He tried to laugh it off, but the horror was sinking in. “You’ve—of course you’ve seen them, Mrs. Martinez. She is always around…”

But the older woman shook her head sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder. “You’ve had a tough week, sweetheart. Maybe you need to take it easy.” She retreated back into her apartment, leaving Peter standing there, frozen.

He sprinted back to his place, his thoughts racing. What the hell is going on?

He fumbled for his laptop, searching through his social media, his phone photos, anything—anything—that could prove Y/N existed. But there was nothing. Not a single picture, no text messages, no memories captured on his phone. It was like they had been erased.

Peter’s chest heaved with panic. This can’t be real.

But it was.

As the day dragged on, the nightmare didn’t end. It only got worse. No one—no one—remembered Y/N. Their friends, their coworkers, even Aunt May looked confused when Peter mentioned their name.

Peter slumped onto the couch, staring blankly at the wall. How is this happening? He gripped his head with both hands, feeling the weight of Y/N’s absence like a suffocating blanket. He didn’t know if it was magic, science, or something worse.

But the silence? The emptiness?

It was unbearable.

At first, he had thought maybe—just maybe—this was for the best. Y/N was safe, right? Without him in their life, without Spider-Man lurking in the background, they wouldn’t be in danger. They wouldn’t have to deal with late-night patch-ups, watching him stumble in bruised and bloodied, hearing him apologise over and over for missing dinner or forgetting plans because someone needed saving.

But this wasn’t peace. This was torment.

Peter thought back to the moments they’d shared, the playful insults and sarcastic remarks that only drew them closer. He remembered Y/N’s smile when they called him a "complete idiot" after he bungled a dinner reservation. Or the time he jokingly told them to "Haww!! You are only with me for that ass" when she tried to help him fix his suit and squeezed his ass in teasinf way. The way Y/N had thrown a pillow at his head, laughing the whole time.

He missed it. All of it. The teasing, the arguments, the late-night takeout dinners where they’d bicker about who had worse taste in movies.

And now…he had nothing.

Peter couldn’t stay here. Not in this reality.

The thought gnawed at him—how had he ended up here? He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Sure, he’d been toying with new tech from Oscorp, but nothing experimental. Nothing that should have thrown him into some alternate dimension. Then, in a flash, a memory surfaced.

The last night he spent with Y/N before everything changed. A strange figure had appeared—someone with no face, no form, just a voice. A voice that had whispered to him about choices, about the dangers of loving someone so deeply while being Spider-Man. At the time, Peter had brushed it off, thinking it was just the stress talking, some weird fever dream. But what if…?

What if that figure had done this? Created a world where Y/N never existed?

Peter had to find answers. He had to get Y/N back. He couldn’t stay in a place where every corner, every sound reminded him of what he’d lost. The weight of their absence crushed him more each second.

As he sat there, planning his next move, Peter realised something chilling. The figure—whoever they were—had offered him a choice that night. A chance to live without burdening the people he loved with Spider-Man’s dangers. And in a moment of weakness, of exhaustion, maybe Peter had unknowingly made that deal.

But he hadn’t meant it.

Peter Parker was no stranger to guilt. He’d lived with it every day since Uncle Ben died. But this? This was different. This was the pain of choosing to save someone by erasing them entirely.

He couldn’t undo what had happened on his own. He needed to find the entity who had done this and force them to undo it. But first, he had to survive in a world that was a constant reminder of what he’d lost.

And that meant holding onto the memories of Y/N. The real memories.

He could hear Y/N’s voice in his head now: “Peter, you absolute dumbass, you know you can’t live without me, right?” He could imagine the smirk that came with it, the light in their eyes when they teased him.

“Yeah, well,” Peter muttered to the empty room, his voice cracking. “Turns out you’re right.”

Peter sat in the deafening silence of his apartment, his mind running in a thousand directions. Y/N was gone. No one remembered her, as if she'd never existed. And the only explanation he could cling to was that entity—that faceless, shadowy figure from the night before everything changed. A vague memory whispered at the back of his mind, telling him that he’d been offered a choice. But how could he have agreed to something so horrifying?

The truth, as much as it made him sick, was simple: Peter had been desperate. He’d been exhausted, weighed down by guilt and fear, always worrying about Y/N’s safety. Every time she patched him up after a fight, every time she stayed up late waiting for him to come home, Peter felt that gnawing fear that one day, she wouldn’t be there anymore. And for one brief, weak moment, the thought of her being safe—being away from Spider-Man’s world—had seemed like a blessing.

But he hadn’t realized the cost. Not like this. Not the emptiness.

Peter shot out of his chair, pacing the apartment as a plan started to form in his mind. He had to find the entity. That much was clear. This wasn’t just some glitch in reality; this was a deliberate choice—a deal made between him and something far more powerful. But if Peter had the power to get himself into this mess, then he had to have the power to get out.

First, he needed answers. How did he find the entity again?

Peter remembered that it hadn’t come from nowhere. The figure had appeared while he was messing around with Oscorp’s tech, but it wasn’t just any tech. It had been an experimental quantum destabilizer—a device meant to measure energy fluctuations between different dimensions. Harry Osborn had been talking about it for weeks, trying to figure out if they could tap into the multiverse for...who knows what. Science had never been Peter's strong suit, but he had a hunch that the entity had slipped through during one of those experiments.

Multiverse. The word hit him like a truck.

Was this even his universe anymore? Or was he trapped in another reality where Y/N had never existed?

Peter’s heart raced at the possibility. If Y/N was truly gone—not just from his life but from all universes—he might never get her back. But if she still existed somewhere, in some timeline, then Peter would burn through every dimension until he found her.

He knew the first place to start: Oscorp.

Later that night, after slipping into his Spider-Man suit, Peter swung across the city towards Oscorp Tower. It was late, the city’s streets quieter than usual, but Peter’s mind was anything but calm. He landed on the roof and quickly made his way inside, avoiding security cameras with the ease of someone who had done it countless times before.

The lab was exactly how he remembered it—rows of cold, gleaming equipment, the soft hum of high-tech machinery filling the air. But Peter wasn’t interested in the usual tools. He needed the quantum destabilizer.

Peter found it stashed away in a corner, covered in dust. He hooked it up to the main computer and started running a search for energy signatures. If that entity had come from another universe, there had to be some kind of residual trace left behind.

As the machine hummed to life, Peter’s thoughts drifted back to Y/N. Why had he said yes to losing her? In that moment, when the entity had whispered in his ear, offering him peace, safety, an escape from the constant fear of Y/N being hurt...he had caved. He’d thought it was a way to protect her.

But now he realized how wrong he’d been. Protecting Y/N wasn’t about keeping her away—it was about fighting alongside her, loving her despite the risks. Peter had always known that deep down, but fear had clouded his judgment. He’d chosen what he thought was the easy way out, but now he would do anything—anything—to undo it.

The machine beeped, jolting him from his thoughts. The screen flickered, showing a faint, pulsing signature. Peter’s heart raced as he recognized the same strange energy from that night. It wasn’t from his universe. The entity had come from somewhere else.

He plugged in the coordinates, knowing that if he followed the trail, it would lead him to the source—to the entity.

The next night, Peter swung through a dim, fog-covered alley deep in the city. The air felt thick, heavy with something unnatural. He could sense it—the same strange energy signature he'd tracked.

And then, like stepping through a veil, the air around him shimmered, and the entity appeared. A swirling mass of shadow, faceless and formless, its voice an eerie whisper that seemed to echo inside Peter’s head.

“You seek to undo what you asked for, Spider-Man?”

Peter’s jaw clenched. “You tricked me. I didn’t know what I was agreeing to.”

The entity’s voice hissed, low and mocking. “I offered you peace. I offered you freedom. You accepted.”

“I didn’t want this!” Peter shouted, his fists trembling. “I didn’t want to lose her! I—” His voice broke. “I love her.”

“Love is weakness,” the entity whispered. “It makes you vulnerable. It clouds your judgment. I gave you a world free from that burden.”

“Love makes me strong,” Peter said, his voice filled with determination. “I don’t want a world where Y/N doesn’t exist. I want her with me, in all her imperfect, wonderful chaos. And I’m going to fight you until you bring her back.”

The entity laughed—a sound that rattled the very air around him. “You think you can fight me, Spider-Man? I am beyond your comprehension. I am the architect of realities. I gave you a gift.”

Peter’s eyes hardened beneath the mask. “Then I’ll take it back.”

Without another word, Peter launched himself at the entity, his fists glowing with the energy from the quantum destabilizer. But the entity was fast, shifting and slipping through his grasp like smoke. Every time Peter thought he had it cornered, it would reform behind him, taunting him with whispers.

“You will fail,” it hissed. “I am all-powerful. You are nothing but a boy pretending to be a hero.”

Peter gritted his teeth, focusing on the entity’s movements. It might be powerful, but it had a weakness—every entity did. He just had to find it. And then, as the entity shifted again, Peter saw it—a flicker in its form, a moment where it hesitated.

That hesitation was all he needed.

Peter leaped into the air, firing a blast from the destabilizer at the exact moment the entity began to reform. The energy crackled, surging through the entity’s form. It screamed, its voice splitting the air like thunder. Peter didn’t let up, pouring everything he had into the attack. He thought of Y/N’s laugh, her smile, the way she called him out on his worst habits, the way she never let him get away with anything. All the moments they shared.

And then, with a final surge of energy, the entity shattered. The air around Peter shifted, reality bending and warping.

Peter collapsed to the ground, panting. For a moment, everything was still.

When he opened his eyes, Peter was lying on his apartment floor, the sunlight streaming through the window. His heart pounded in his chest. Was it real? Did he actually get her back?

“Peter? Why are you on the floor, you weirdo?”

His heart stopped. That voice—it was Y/N. He turned his head slowly, and there she was, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee and looking at him with a raised eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Y/N…” His voice cracked as he scrambled to his feet, pulling her into his arms.

“Whoa, whoa!” Y/N laughed, clearly surprised. “What’s gotten into you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I thought I lost you,” Peter whispered into her hair, holding her tight as if she might disappear again.

Y/N snorted, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Lost me? Please, Parker. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Now, stop being a dramatic idiot and help me make breakfast,”

Peter laughed, a tear slipping down his cheek as he smiled at her. “You can call me useless all you want.”

Y/N gave him a puzzled look. “What’s gotten into you?”

Peter just shook his head, kissing her forehead. “I love you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Okay, now I’m worried.Is something wrong, babe?”

He laughed again. “Nah. Just…never leave, okay?”

Y/N smiled, her usual sarcastic grin lighting up her face. “I wasn’t planning on it. But you know, I could leave if you keep talking like a sappy idiot.”

“Shut up,” Peter muttered, pulling her closer. “I’m serious.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll stay,” Y/N teased, poking his chest. “But only because you’re the dumbest, nerdiest superhero I’ve ever met.”

Peter chuckled, finally feeling whole again. He had Y/N back. He’d fought for her, and now, he wasn’t letting go.

He never would.

[lesbianrobin]

ok since people r very into my chris fic i shall share some of my random behind the scenes thoughts while writing it:

adriana has literally been waiting her entire life for her obviously gay older brother who joined the army to avoid his wife and then moved to los angeles to be a sexy firefighter to COME OUT ALREADY and by the time we meet her in this fic she is like Vibrating with the need to be like EDDIE IS GAYYYYYYY ARE YOU PEOPLE BLIND??? which is why it takes like absolutely zero prodding from chris for her to spill all of eddie's business. i think when eddie was little he was a very obviously gay little boy and as he grew up he learned how to Be Normal but adriana never forgot and she's like deeply sad about it.

chris is So fucking miserable at his grandparents' house he misses video games so bad. i couldn't find a way to really incorporate this without it feeling like a cheap "look he's a TEEN BOY" thing but yeah the second he gets back home he is slamming that headset on and gaming until eddie tells him he has to take a break or he'll burn his eyes out of his sockets.

there are a Lot of songs on buck and eddie's joint depression playlist that i listed and then cut for practicality's sake but if there's any like interest in that i could maybe put together + link the full playlist for y'all?

buck's "maddie" playlist is entirely music he listened to growing up bc it makes him think of her. as a younger sibling my music taste from birth to like. age fifteen ish. was just wholly whatever my older sister listened to and i think buck is the same way. i don't think buck necessarily listens to this playlist on his own very often but if he's hanging out with maddie and/or babysitting jee-yun he'll put it on because it makes him happy to enjoy some 90s/00s nostalgia with his best girls. sometimes he'll play it in the car when he's driving chris somewhere because he wants to carry forward some of those good memories he has with maddie with chris.

buck and eddie's texts were written in order to coincide with each other! eddie texts more frequently than buck but i think if you pay attention you can sometimes tell which days buck Also sent chris a text bc they match. some of them were sent specifically in the wake of very emotionally taxing shifts where they both wanted so badly to call chris and beg him to come home but they knew that wouldn't go well and they didn't want to make chris feel guilty so they tried to play it cool.

speaking of buck and eddie: i don't think that eddie's conversation with chris is necessarily the First step in eddie realizing he's gay or moving toward something romantic with buck. keep in mind that chris has been gone for at least two weeks by the time he talks to either of them, and buck and eddie spend the vast majority of their time together. this fic is restricted to chris' pov, and he has no way of knowing whether, say, buck and tommy broke up, or whether his dad has been thinking about some things differently since he's been gone. buck and eddie Also have to spend twelve hours in a car together just the two of them between the end of the fic and their reunion with chris. this is not me saying that buck and tommy DID break up or that buddie got together while chris was away (i don't actually have a solid "canon" for where they're at), just that i intentionally left space for a wide range of possibilities due to chris' limited knowledge of what's going on with them!!

i kinda intentionally did not delve too deeply into the psychology of the diaz parents here because i think their behavior is a bit inscrutable to chris. the vast majority of his memories of them are from when he was really little, and therefore i think he doesn't actually know them very well as people. he knows that there's some tension between them and eddie, but prior to this fic he never really bothered to question Why. all he knows is that his grandparents will probably come and get him if he calls, and that it'll hurt his dad's feelings, and in the immediate aftermath of the kim debacle that's all he cares about. once he's in el paso, he starts noticing some things that make him a bit uncomfortable, but he never does determine for sure what their motivations and opinions are about this whole situation, whether they're treating him a certain way bc he's the grandkid or bc of his cerebral palsy, and whether their treatment of eddie really does stem from homophobia or not. at the end of the day he's thirteen years old and i wanted to leave his grandparents' True Selves as a bit of a mystery because 1. i don't think They necessarily know why they do what they do and 2. i don't think there's any one answer that would be satisfying.

chris literally had zero intention of saying anything to eddie about the Gay Thing he just is very much thirteen years old and emotional and he fundamentally Trusts his father to never like. lash out at him for saying something like that. so he doesn't try too hard to hold it back and impulsively says Hey Dad Are You Gay Maybe because he's never gone so long without talking to his dad before and he's just bursting with thoughts and feelings. he's not even trying to do a buddie matchmaking thing it's just that the easiest way to make his argument is to be like (points at buck).

[thats-the-teen-spirit]

Linkin Park - From Zero - Album Review

Well, a few months ago I didn't think that I would write such a review but here we go. So Linkin Park announced their return in September followed by a tour and an album, to everyone's surprise. The new singer after the great Chester Bennington's passing was announced to be the former Dead Sara vocalist, Emily Armstrong. The announcement was followed by many controversies which I'm not gonna touch on in this review, I'm just here, purely for the music, so take all my opinions with a grain of salt.

From Zero (Intro)

A very short, barely even 20 seconds intro is a Queen-like gang vocal/choir harmony followed by Emily asking about the name of the album. It sounds like they recorded her first reaction to Mike's idea for the album name, which is - as Mike mentioned many times throughout the promotion of the album - a double entendre. From Zero means from the ground up, a new beginning which is definitely true for the band after losing a beloved former member and a friend, but also From Xero which was the first name of the predecessor band of Linkin Park. It's genius if you think about it, and by the short and cut end of the intro Emily realizes this as well.

2. The Emptiness Machine

The first single and the song that started the return. The video and the song are both great, though it left a sour taste in some fans' mouth, expecting either a Chester-imitation or someone completely different (rumors were Amy Lee and Deryck Whibley). The Emptiness Machine opens up with a modern beat and Mike's rapping, he even sings the first chorus hinting at something new to come. The second verse starts with Emily singing and while at first I thought she lacks the power Chester had, by the end of the second chorus she proves her place is right among the boys. The lyrics are about an abusive relationship to someone or something which left people thinking about Emily's past (imo the lyrics definitely fit into Linkin Park's past catalogue as well). The passion of the last chorus and the "I only wanted to be part of something" bridge will leave you wondering though: how would this song sound with Chester?

3. Cut the Bridge

Already a non-single with a choppy hard rock riff and octaves, Mike starts rapping and you realize this is definitely a Linkin Park song. In my personal opinion this sound would have fit into The Hunting Party as well as this album. I'm not the biggest fan of the chorus but it's a fun song that might get a few headbangs at concerts. Emily definitely carries this song, the bridge melody by Mike is... not the best, a little jarring and does not fit his vocal style and range. We'll hear a few moments like that in the coming songs.

4. Heavy Is The Crown

Heavy Is The Crown was the second single and the anthem of this year's League of Legends championship which gave to already one of the biggest bands of the planet some extra boost of publicity. If I had to describe this song with old Linkin Park songs I would say this is a renewed version of Faint with the breakdown of Given Up. The beat and the melody throughout the song is very Meteora-era and the "THIS IS WHAT YOU ASKED FOR" breakdown pretty much calls out the fans who wanted a nu-metal banger. It's like they knew their return was controversial and they have to do the maximum nostalgia factor to appeal to the same audience that once loved them. Emily shows her real power in this one, letting out the beast and hinting at what's coming.

5. Over Each Other

A pure Emily song and the third single. Mike is not singing nor rapping in this one, and in the video we see Emily being in a relationship, breaking up and fighting with her girlfriend until the story takes a dark turn when she fakes her own death to get away from her now ex-girlfriend. It's a very honest and upbeat song that really arrives by the second half. The lyrics show a burnt-out relationship that seems to be over soon. This one I cannot even imagine with Chester's vocals, which is the first and the last time this happened during this album. The instrumentals in the second half are (in my personal opinion) very much Minutes to Midnight-like, almost as if Rick Rubin produced this one as well.

6. Casualty

Undoubtedly the heaviest one on the record, there's barely any clean vocals, (even Mike is shouting for most of the song) and there's even a hardcore punk beat in it. This is basically like their song Victimized was on The Hunting Party instead of Living Things. The guitars and drums are filled with rage and in the bridge we hear a new sound from Emily which is very In This Moment/Maria Brink. I didn't expect a hardcore song by Linkin Park but in 2024 even that could happen.

7. Overflow

After a very lengthy intro the song arrives to a space-y, flowy verse which is reminiscent of Deftones and I.O.U, the song Mike recorded with Chino Moreno off his solo record, Post Traumatic. The chorus keeps up the same slow pace and by the bridge I figured that this song would be very fitting to A Thousand Suns. Which is possibly the only song on this record that I can say this about. Like a more modern version of a medley of that album, strange sound and it's not gonna be my most listened song but I think it will find its audience.

8. Two-Faced

Ever wanted to hear a Meteora/Hybrid Theory song sung by a female singer? Well, here you go. Imagine if Figure.09, A Place for My Head and One Step Closer got together on a drunk night and had a lovechild. The verses are also very much like Nobody's Listening, another song from Meteora. The breakdown is so much fanservice to the HT fans that it's almost exactly the One Step Closer riff (even the turntables are there). This will be one of my favorites for sure, it gives me that Cure for The Itch for a old-new HT sound. The fans who can get over to be ready for the new era of the band and only love the first album will be happy to hear this one.

9. Stained

Another song that is hard carried by Emily's vocals, I swear it's like they're doing this on purpose. Mike is one of my favorite songwriters and musicians but man, is he boring in this song. This is the first song where I felt like it's a filler. Chorus melody is alright especially in the last one where it's much more epic, but the verses, the instrumental and the overall vibe of this song is very forgettable. If I wanted to be really harsh I would say, this one is a more pop-ish song of One More Light got rerecorded with a different vocalist and distorted guitars.

10. IGYEIH

IGYEIH or I Gave You Everything I Had is another heavy banger. The riff is very nu metal, reminding me of Burn by Three Days Grace. It's another one that Emily is carrying on her back, her performance is 110% again. Mike's "the clock keeps tickiiiiing" call-ins are very much forced, and in my opinion lack chemistry with the rest of the song. The yea-yea-yea-s by Emily are also somewhat forced before the chorus, the buildup and the breakdown are great though. It's not as mid as Stained but I honestly expected better from the riff.

11. Good Things Go

Probably my favorite song of the album, straight up. The modern rap beat and Mike's work on the rapping and the wonderful vocals by Emily make this composition a pleasure to listen to. Some people I saw online compared it to Leave Out All The Rest, I don't think that is true. While this is a ballad of some sort having very emotional lyrics, it's an unfair comparison to LOATR. The delivery by both Mike and Emily is amazing though and the buildup is one of my favorites of this year, it's both relieving and cathartic. This is this album's take on Good Goodbye and this one undoubtedly wins both the message and the delivery battle.

Overall I'm not gonna lie, I expected more. Upon the second listen I realized that I lost recency bias already. Some moments turned out to be probably the worst in their catalogue while others were highlights of this year's musical journey for me. The singles are definitely the stand-out songs, though Good Things Go and Two-Faced are up among them. Emily carried most of the songs as I mentioned many times before and it's clear that the band's intention was to make the audience love her as much as they loved working with her, even if this effort cast a dark shadow on the rest of the bands' performance.

7/10

[genitorturerss]

--------------- | ɪɴᴛʀᴏ !! | --------------

-ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛꜱ-

I like a whole bunch of movies (mainly horror), collecting cool stuff, drawing, games, & exploring outside. I collect stuff such as bones, antiques, records, dvds, cds, & many other trinkets. I looove drawing a lot. I like some games such as COF, Postal, Mortal Kombat, Resident evil, Silent hill, DOOM, Blood, Afraid of Monsters, Minecraft, & many more. Some of my favorite movies are Dazed & Confused, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of 1000 corpses (love Rob Zombie movies!), Zero Day, & Tombstone! I do also rlly like William Hellfire & Joey Smack.

-ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ-

I use any pronouns & I dont mind what you call me! I love animals & my favorite might be bats or mice! I love going outside & taking pictures of stuff & whatnot. I draw some traditional stuffs and I'll totally post some whenever I feel like it! I collect a lot like I said before and I absolutely adore collecting porcelain dolls! they're so precious to me. I have some rlly sucky social anxiety so I might be awkward when talking to new people </3 I also really like candles & incense! Alsoo have a cat! shes super super cutes!

-ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ-

I love music a whole bunch & I have a pretty eclectic taste in music! My top artists may be KMFDM, Genitorturers, Jack off Jill, LSD & the Search for God, MSI, Title Fight, Elliott Smith, Strawberry Switchblade, Chemlab, Heelflip, & The Beatles! I had a huge thing for The Beatles a while ago but I still adore them! I like genres of goth, punk, rock, metal (mainly industrial & black metal), shoegaze, midwest emo, antifolk, some rap, older country & folk, & many more! I like basically anything ranging from the 1920s to now! Im up to listening to anything! I also have a whole bunch of records (abt 270ish) and some cds which im starting to collect and some I have burnt myself! Music is a fun topic for me :3

___________________________________________

:3 hai haiii hai hai haiiiii pls im cool pls pls

[shimakaze-revivalism]

this year i've been doing a lot of stuff that i didn't mean to do, and not doing a lot of stuff that i did mean to do. i got involved with the kink scene, i deepened my familiarity with carbonated beverages, i ate a lot of fried chicken sandwiches, i started reading again, and i played a lot of gacha.

and speaking of gacha, the only one that stuck with me from the decent-sized crop that i sampled this year was mihoyo's zenless zone zero! what to say about it . . . it's a Real Game, for one. it manages to shed the unsheddable "rubbishy" feel that is almost universal to gacha. its premise is like if andy and leyley were normal and worked as shadowrun hackers in jet set radio tokyo, in a semi-apocalyptic world where the only people around are orphans, anthros, or both. there are also sentient automatons that have cool outfits, and chubby baby bunny robots, but unfortunately neither of them have rights. it's got a really cool soundtrack, a charming spiderversesque look, and characters i found surprisingly compelling.

new music! well, new to me at least. you know ben and jerry's cherry garcia (possibly the most prominent contemporary cherry-focused ice cream flavor)? well jerry garcia was a guy who had this band that old men loved called the grateful dead. and well, i don't really care for what i've heard of their records to be honest. but it must be said that they were a jam band, and the 16 minute terrapin station gives one a taste of what i assume was the sensory height of a real-life hippy's experience, and i can imagine listening to it for decades to come.

indeed, if one wants a meal in the proggy realm rather than a bite, it's best to look to the guys that do that stuff all the time across the pond. Morgan put me on to electric wizard and their impeccable self-titled album has been in heavy rotation since. jackie put me on to yes' album relayer, and the first track provides the rarefied pleasure of hearing the singer of the irrepressibly lighthearted and goofy jojo anime ED "roundabout" trill about bathing in the blood of one's enemies.

in more occasional listening i have to rep my oshi 星街彗星 (hoshimachi suisei). her consistently strong body of work ranges from saccharine, to heartfelt, to sort of diva-core. listen, it's increasingly popular to reference hatsune miku, and it's often done with a sort of surface-level appreciation of miku, riding off of the long history miku has in overseas otaku culture. i myself have participated in this. but step outside the bit with me here. miku is a synth, an instrument. miku has all the humanity of the DX7. in fact that's what her color scheme is based on (because yamaha made both miku and the DX7)! hoshimachi suisei . . . listen, maybe people aren't ready. but she really is a virtual pop star. she's iconic. she's got a sigma grindset. she has a favorite food and a sister and friends and it's not lore it's reality. she's not a prop owned by a company, but an autonomous performer! miku is a virtual girl. suisei has a virtual face, but she's a real woman with a real dream! won't you believe in it?

staying with japanese affairs for a moment, anime has been good too! gushing over magical girls, perfect show, hannibal for anime girls, delightful and heartfelt. i also watched the vexations of a shut-in vampire princess, which was frenetic, lightning fast and kind of stupid, but i eagerly await another season. both extremely lesbian.

looking ahead, i'm extremely excited for the release of the alters, a game whose demo caught me completely off-guard, and i'm also excited to try the early access release of marmoreal, a sort of isometric completely touhoucore game with so much charm and sincerity.

that's my little roundup! have a great september!

[ohmyohmygosh]

Looking for a Partner (a male top)

Click here if you're interested. 23+. minors do not interact. 

Hello, I hope this e-mail found you well.

This is my first time posting something in Tumblr, so do forgive me if it doesn't look pleasing to the eyes.

October is approaching, which means some of the best holidays are just around the corner—wouldn't it be nice to spend it with someone? I just recently got some time to roleplay again and thus I steeled myself and posted this advertisement. also because joining a place and having so many dms always get me overwhelmed and lazy.

At the moment I am just looking for someone to make some memories with and companionship. the things that we do can range from watching movies, listening to music, playing games, anything really. But what's important for me at the moment is someone that I can write freely with; from cuddling, dates, etc. 

I would expect my partner to be semi literate and can write in detail, since I tend to write in somewhat of a lengthy paragraph—but do not worry, I can also write short or casual text when the times are appropriate or any of us get a bit too busy with life.

I am of age OOC, 23+, and would prefer for my partner to also be 23+. at the moment I am in gmt +8 (planning to move to gmt - sometimes next year), and mostly active during the night time because of work. There will be times at night where my reply comes periodically because sometimes I do play video games with my friends, but I will still reply whenever I can. That includes the day time. Also I don't mind my partner being in the minus gmt, we will just communicate things properly.

My limits for kinks and anything sexual are varied, and honestly still looking into it. I am very much open to anything, including taboo things like age gap, etc., but my big turn off is scat and urine. we can discuss our limits and the rest once we agree to writing. I am a very honest and transparent person, so I expect you to do the same and not play the guessing game with me when it comes to your likes and dislikes, and also what you are feeling at the moment.

Speaking of guessing games, this is very important to me, because I am the worst when it comes to reading someone. When I become comfortable with someone, I tend to be very playful and not know when to stop with my teasing and everything, so do tell me if it gets too much or if you are simply not in the mood.

for cafe claims, currently my muse are Jang Wonyoung of IVE, Winter of Aespa, Ricky, Gunwook and Zhanghao of Zero Base O1, Doyoung of NCT,  and Sohee and Wonbin of RIIZE and I heavily bottom, but I don't mind topping if I must (though I'll be using my male FC for that). I don't have any preferent with whom my partner will be, but here are some face claims that are my current obsession:

✦ Zero Base 01's Jiwoong ✦ Actor Song Kang  ✦ NCT's Jaehyun, Johnny, and Jisung ✦ Riize's Sungchan and Anton ✦ NCT's Mingyu and Dokyeom ✦ Astro’s Cha Eunwoo ✦ TXT's Soobin

Generally I am attracted to tall guys with softer looks (yes something about this video changed the chemistry in my brain), so if the names that I suggest don't suit your taste, do feel free to be anyone that you want, please make sure to let me know beforehand. Also do keep in mind that the age gap before our character should be between 7 to 10 years.

As for the medium, I prefer to be using Instagram because I’ve been using it for a long time. So please do not try to make me learn another medium, unfortunately I don’t have the time.

If you find this e-mail to be intriguing or have more questions you want to ask, please send me a private message containing a small introduction about yourself, including the face claim you’ll be using, and account to your Instagram account.

With love, ohmyohmygosh

[banana-split-bitch-club]

THE UNIVERSE IS YOUR STAGE- PERFORM! AND DONT WORRY, WE’RE ALL HERE FOR THE SHOW. 🐩💘👛🐽🦄🐝🐝🐥🪼 ♥︎☆🝊𐬾

personal blogpost navi: pecanpie.sermon 💫 :)

PATIENT ZERO: PECAN

*bubble gum pops* HELLO AGAIN tumblr nation…it’s your favorite truckstop whore in the flesh.. nyeah………ANYWAYS. For those who haven’t come to know me my names pecan and I run a church (my blog) where we smoke newports and attend sermons (whatever bullshit posts I have to give) PLEASE! Make yourselves at home- the body of Christ is a gift that keeps on giving.

Specimen Info:

-My name is pecan, and I also sometimes go as pecanpie. Other aliases include: Cherry Ferry Fantasia. Choose wisely how you refer to me- or don’t, I don’t even exist!

-I’m 19 and female, you can use whatever pronouns when referring to me, but I usually go by she/her 🪭🪭🪭

-ADHD

-aroace, with a hint of bisexuality.

-My hobbies include: drawing, writing (though I rarely ever do finish my pieces let alone publish them) collecting worthless garbage, listening to music and blowing my eardrums out, being an eternal pain in the ass to deal with, thrifting, sitting on porches, smoking winstons, masquerading as a sane individual, dressing up, and trying out new things because I am an avid dopamine chaser. woohoo!

Things I like: Pretentious media, throwing pitchforks at rich priests, consumerism, otome games, douma, buddhism, echo rose, religious studies, args, reaching divinity, shitty manga, maximalism in every sense, bedazzled stuff, money, getting tacky nails, the roaring 20’s, 1950’s femme fashion, old era aesthetics, boutique shops, leopard print, grandma couches, Hollywood reality media, Madonna’s American Life album, Smokey eyeshadow, pathetic wet sop characters and a lot more.

-I have two cats, Mochi and Waffles. The bloodline ends with yours truly.

Fandoms I’m currently active in; see bio :)

Movies I like: Pink Flamingos, No Country For Old Men, Helter Skelter, Pulp Fiction, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Girl Interrupted, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Spun, Gummo, Last Night in Soho, Fruit of Wonder, Elephant (2003), The Royal Tenenbaums - will be updated the more I get my hands on anything new that tickles my fancy.

My taste in music: I’m pretty versatile when it comes to what I prefer, so it could range from bimbo-pop to classical music. Anything that sounds good to me I like. I mostly listen to 50’s housewife songs and lady Gaga, though.

-I’m a big fan of indie art and surrealism. Filmmaking as well. Shaye Saint John and Mouchette.org are a few of my favorites.

-I like mortuary work and autopsies. I hold the death industry in high regards- not everyone is willing to work with corpses.

-huge GIGANTIC douma fan. anything and everything douma related I will not hesitate to engage with, he’s my little guy.

- heart sunglasses ambassador (this is my trademark) ❤️

-Polka dot prints and faux fur are resounding yesses.

-You know Florence? (If you get the reference.)

-I think vintage pill cases are lovely.💋

-I have the response time of a limp dick. I either respond in less than a second or only after 3 business months.

-I’ve been working on my new oc line on and off for a few months now, called FEAR & LOATHING in JERUSALEM. artblock is a massive bitch, but stuff is in progress.

Anyways if you’re a terrible human being feel free to block me, you are not welcome onto my blog thank you very much xoxo (transphobes homophobes ableists you know who you are)

GOT COMPLAINTS? CONTACT ME AT 1-666-JERUSALEM-CRACK-SHACK! Make sure to leave me a message. Business hours only!

MASTERLIST: IN THE WORKS?

[nomsfaultau]

SBI Whumptober prompt 3) Dehumanization and 26) Shock (but only as a pun)

Disclaimer: this blurb is set in the SCP SBI AU I have called Fault, specifically prior to Part 1. Explanation of AU; tldr. 

(Wilbur)

[Exposure to object: ████’s voice may result in physical harm to ear drums. In extreme cases, it causes severe psychological distress that necessitates the termination of Foundation personnel. The objective of this treatment is to reduce the lives and sanities lost containing this anomaly, as its escape would cause countless casualties. 

As it is dangerous to check the content of auditory recordings, success will be measured based on the audio level in room 15021. Report attached below. For further information contact the archives division, but proceed with caution. 

(Legend: 60 dB is normal speaking range; 90 dB is a human scream; at 150 dB ear drums rupture.) 

Treatment introduced at 8:57 AM. No injuries were sustained. Post 9:23, object ████ did not produce volume above that of the 30 dB threshold. Treatment was suspended to permit sustenance intake. Early results are promising.]

— — —

The calming song he’d been humming pooled into the air. Velvety low notes, meaningless lyrics. Wilbur found it soothing. For all that he’d grown up with nothing to his name, music was always his if only because no one could rip it out of his hands like they did everything else. A small rebellion, but it was Wilbur’s, and it was a well-honed act of honey-sweet spite. 

It was a song to forever remain unfinished as footsteps echoed closer. A faint sound, but his gut was well-tuned to it by now. He backed away from the entrance as employees poured into his cell. “Stay still and make this easy or you’ll wish you had, ████.” 

Wilbur bristled at the moniker. “My name is Wilbur,” he snarled, jaw ripping apart into a horrendous, seething mass of teeth. He refused to let them steal his name, too. He wasn’t an object, or an it. For all that the Foundation refused to admit it, Wilbur was a person. 

“Unless you’d like to be tased again, cease the threat display.” The voice was bored for all the fear their words stabbed in Wilbur’s guts. Scowling, he wrenched his jaw back into place, shoving the mandibles to proper alignment with the rest of his skull. 

“So what’s up? Want to stab more needles in? Or, oo, you’re going to send more criminals in to see what happens? You humans really are eager to sacrifice your own,” he said conversationally even as he retreated from the sprawl of guards. Hands seemed to grab him from every direction and Wilbur just had to grit his teeth and bear it. “Come on fellas, there’s really enough of me for everyone, no need to get handsy-” He was scruffed, head shoved down. He suppressed the instinct to rip every one of them to shreds. Unfortunately, by now Wilbur was incredibly familiar with just how extreme Foundation punishments were, and he wasn’t eager to taste them. He’d been behaving, even, which was a tall order for him. All he’d been doing for days now was lay in his cell and hum stupid little songs to himself. Not jeopardizing people or devouring the world whole or anything! It made everything inside him howl, but even Wilbur could learn to submit to authority if the repercussions were extreme enough. 

So when they ordered him to shut up, Wilbur did, even if he had to bite his tongue to manage. Something snapped shut around his throat and he managed to make zero (0) snarky remarks. Phil would be proud. 

Almost immediately, the employees fled. Huh. That was a weirdly short experiment. Wilbur sighed in relief. Eventually, he prodded curiously at the thing around his neck. It was oddly bulky, tight enough to make him conscious of his pulse. What the hell?

A…collar? 

“What th—!?!” the world dissolved into pure agony. A horrific scream tore from his throat as electricity poured through it.

— — —

Legend: Asterix indicates when treatment was applied. Shaded areas average periods where object: ████ was in an inactive state and treatment was deactivated. 

Notes:

Day 1 offers a baseline for audio levels prior to treatment.

Treatment was introduced Day 2. 

Day 2: Volume spike at 21:41. If object: ████ is presumed to have a REM cycle akin to that of a human’s, it is hypothesized the initial increase in decibels was the result of a nightmare. This was an irregularity not accounted for when planning the procedure and thereafter was rectified by discontinuing treatment applications when it slept. 

Object: ████ is not given an artificial night block for obvious reasons and has an irregular sleep schedule. It tends to sleep whenever it collapses from exhaustion. Post 22:00 it was monitored for consciousness.

Day 3: At 3:20 AM it screamed in its sleep again. It did not immediately resume sleeping, instead staying up and continuing to produce sounds. Researcher █████ ███████ bravely volunteered to check the audio in case it was a security risk. Fortunately, researcher █████ ███████ was unharmed and reported it was mimicking vocal sounds ranging from soft humming to crying. It would not cease. At 4:10 treatment was applied to disincentivize exploiting the choice to leave the treatment device inactive during periods of unconsciousness. 

Conclusion: Object: ████ self-regulates volume to levels below 30 dB threshold, which drastically reduces the chance of harm for personnel. 

This Special Containment Procedure has been deemed a success.]

— — —

Wilbur rubbed his aching throat. It hurt, but it felt good to have the shock collar off his neck. Unfortunately, he reckoned the respite would only last the duration of the coming visit with Philza.

The Foundation hated the visits for their security risk. But the threat to humanity was far greater if Philza went unchained, and so they lured him in with promised glimpses of his stolen children. Wilbur hated to be a pawn, but there was nothing any of them could do. Still, he was grateful for the visits. He wouldn’t have lasted this long without them. 

He needed this to be normal. Jokes and quips and jabs and everything he needed to say before his voice was locked up again. Wilbur smiled brightly the moment the door opened and revealed Philza. 

And yet one look and concern spooled in his features. “Are you okay?” 

Yes. But the word never fell from his tongue. It should’ve been an easy lie, but Wilbur’s throat constricted, expecting punishment. Panic set in, this was supposed to be the one time Wilbur was safe and yet he couldn’t speak. His fingers jolted to his throat as if anticipating a shock simply for thinking of trying. 

Philza surged forward, wrapping him in a warm hug. “Hey, hey, I got you. What happened?” Wilbur tried to force out an answer, choking on it. Nothing came out. He tried over and over to speak only for his vocal cords to lock on him. It grew tight to the point of pain as his distress spiked. Philza ran a comforting hand down his back even as Wilbur clawed into him desperately. “You don’t have to tell me, that’s perfectly alright mate. Here, I saved some extra food for you…” 

He curled up with Philza the rest of the visit, sheltered in his arms. It was the closest he’d had to anything resembling safety in weeks. Philza’s heartbeat thumped comfortably from where Wilbur rested on his chest. Quiet, not loud enough to risk a shock. That was safe then. A low, sweet rumble began to vibrate in Philza’s chest, an ancient lullaby spilling over its gentle aegis. 

Wilbur shoved Philza away, terrified the current pouring through his body would be shared. It took a beat to realize there was no voltage forthcoming. Phantom electricity trickled down his spine, but it was all in his head. 

The lullaby stilled on Philza’s tongue. How often had Wilbur heard it as a child, the familiar tune used to lure him to peaceful slumber. It felt like a betrayal that a song that had soothed him so many times before now kindled only fear. Wilbur swallowed roughly, unable to look at Philza. 

“Sorry,” Philza murmured, confused. “I can be quiet?” 

Wilbur shook his head. He didn’t want the Foundation to win like this. Wilbur buried himself in Philza’s embrace, shoving the panic down and forcing himself to feel safe. Claws stroked through his tangled hair, lyrics half tumbled into gentle assurances. Slowly, the vice on his throat eased. Tentatively, he joined the song, so quiet it hurt. His throat ached from all the abuse poured into it, hoarse from disuse. Too far above the echo of a whisper and the fear returned, seizing his voice once more. Still, it got a little easier as the hour spent itself. 

But then the visit was over, and the panic spiked, knowing this might be the last chance he got to speak for the rest of the month. Wilbur pressed his mouth to Philza’s cheek in a parody of a farewell kiss. His words came out ragged and husky and so, so scared.

“I can’t do this anymore, Dad.”

[torchmlp]

Had a four hour car drive yesterday and thought about what monster hunter weapons each of the The Quarry characters would use so please enjoy this analysis of monster hunter weapon type mains and playstyles that literally no one asked for. I'm basing this off of World: Iceborne since it's the game I'm most familiar with.

Jacob:

This himbo would be a greatsword main. It's big, it's clumsy, but it packs one hell of a punch when it lands. Big sword means big damage numbers. He wouldn't use any of the side or rising slashes. It would be true charged slash or nothing, like god intended. He'd forget to block more often than not and get knocked back quite a bit, but he'd land enough hits to do a formidable amount of damage. Also, Kaitlyn would yell at him enough that he'd go after the tail like he's supposed to lol.

Kaitlyn:

My girl would be a light bowgun main. Heavy bowgun would be too slow for her tastes, and while it does do more damage, I could see her giving that up for more maneuverability. I could also see her doing a hardcore sticky build. It'd be five minutes into the fight and she's already got the monster stunned and on the ground. She never misses her shots and would be the one to take the time to tenderize monster parts before absolutely blasting them to shreds.

Depending on the monster, I could also see her doing a DPS spread build. She'd pile on the short-range damage mods and get up close and personal, hitting all the weak spots like the shotgun-wielding queen we know she is.

Any team she'd be on would be formidable, especially if she had someone like Dylan drawing aggro for her.

Dylan:

Our boy has two mains. The first is a defensive lance build. He's up front in center, hiding behind that shield while drawing aggro and taking hits like a champ. He's not a DPS, he's a full on tank, with max defense, fortitude, shield, and knockback jewels. And he'd be making jokes about stabbing the monster with his pointy stick the entire time, if you know what I mean.

His second main would be hunting horn. As much as the boy loves music, how could he not? Smacking monsters around while composing sick beats and buffing your teammates all at once is the perfect combo. He'd be a support-class king. I could see him running wide-range with speed-eating as well to serve as a healer.

Ryan:

Ryan's a bit harder to pin down since he can be equal parts aggressive/defensive depending on the choices you make in the game, so he'd probably choose a weapon that had a shield. More than likely it'd either be sword and shield or gunlance. He wouldn't bother with layering on the defense though, only elemental resistances. He'd boost his attack to get right in the thick of it, but would have a shield to fall back on if things got hairy.

His playstyle would be dependent on who his teammates were. If he's with Dylan, he's probably running sword and shield, because otherwise Dylan would be making jokes about him "blowing his load" in the monster with a gunlance.

If he's running sword and shield, I could see him running wide-range, especially if he's with both Kaitlyn and Dylan and Dylan was running lance.

Laura:

Girlboss is in it to win it. She's DPS through and through. Shields are for people who don't know how to dodge. If the monster is hitting you hard you hit it back harder.

When she's with other people she's maining switchaxe and is min-maxing the hell out of her build. She's got max attack, max expert, max challenger, and is eating for attack. She's zero sum discharging her load right into the monster's weak point and is loaded up on destroyer jewels to break every part on that motherfucker. If you can kill a monster fast, Laura can kill it faster. If it takes longer to set up a trap than it does to kill the monster, she's killing it.

When Laura is solo she's running a min/max heroics hammer build, because she fears no god and she fears no monster.

Max:

Max is a dual blades user. Easy to learn, easy to use, with the added bonus of Naruto running. He'd be more of a healer support build, running wide-range and buffing Laura so she could focus on damage. He'd make sure all the parts were tenderized for her. But he'd also always try to mount the monster (and of course make jokes about it), much to Laura's chagrine.

Abi:

Insect glaive all the way. She's up and away from the fight playing The Floor Is Lava. She'd load up on defense and elemental resistances and max her stamina regen to let her keep going as long as possible. She's not here to DPS she's here to survive and she'd be good at it. Also, she thinks the kinsect is cute.

Her and Nick/Emma would make a good team since most of the time she'd be out of the way of their attacks and wouldn't get hit. Abi would always want to capture monsters because she would feel bad killing them.

Nick:

Nick's another hard one to pin down, but I could see him maining either longsword or heavy bowgun. Both because they would make him look cool lol.

For longsword he would focus on using helmbreaker as much as possible but wouldn't be great at countering. He'd also forget that his spirit attacks hit his teammates and would get in fights with Jacob since they would constantly be interrupting each others combos.

For heavy bowgun, he wouldn't have different builds, he'd probably just have one generic build for everything. He wouldn't use just one type of ammo, he'd switch between everything he could fit in his inventory. He'd prefer wyvernheart over wyvernsnipe.

Emma:

Emma would be a chargeblade main with an equal parts defense/damage build. It's a flashy weapon that still has good defensive capabilities and she would take the time to properly learn how to counterblock and the intricacies of sword and shield mode versus axe mod. I could see her also focusing on utilizing monsters' elemental and status weaknesses against them. She'd be an ideal teammate for the Alatreon fight.

I could also see Emma using bow. She'd be inflicting statuses on monsters left and right. And as a bow user, she'd be a clutch claw queen. She's tenderizing all the parts and is the first to throw the monster into walls as soon as they unenrage.

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

I want to know what other people think, if you agree with me or not. Let me know!

[gorey]

Orchid's Official Commision Post

I am offering:

Art (portraits, full body, abstract; traditional medium)

Writing (poetry, short form fiction, essays; I will take a concept and run with it if you want me to. I also am willing to write fanfiction if it's for media I'm familiar with.)

Music! (Lyrics and instrumentals; I sing and I play the keyboard. My production setup is somewhat limited but I can create a lo-fi track for you. Particularly eager for music comms.)

Tarot readings (simple to complex. I do not do live readings; I will write up a document analyzing the reading in depth and send it to you. I have been reading cards since I was 16 and I have had a lot of positive feedback; I greatly enjoy reading for people.)

ALL PRICES ARE SLIDING SCALE AND NEGOTIABLE.

I will also offer work commensurate in cost of any proven donation to a current cause (Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Brazil etc) and if you choose to pay me I encourage you to make an equivalent (if possible) donation to a cause.

My situation: I am a disabled trans schizoautist who after years of hospitality work burnt out and can no longer hold a job. I live with my mother who is my sole source of income; I have my needs met but I have zero wiggle room to buy things in private/online; she pays me exclusively in cash and only for specific things with the exception of my monthly phone bill so I typically have absolutely nothing in my bank account. I am offering these commissions in hope that it can grant me autonomy while living here. I have applied for SSI but that's slow going so here we are.

Here are some examples of my art:

More can be found at @strawberry-room and all my music can be found via my carrd:

My cashapp is $Asher07 and that and Zelle are currently the only ways I can accept payment at the moment.

If you don't want a comm and wish to donate I appreciate it deeply but I'm prioritizing paid work as opposed to e-begging bc I am in a survivable situation right now.

Pricing for art will range with complexity of the work; pricing for writing will be based on length; pricing for music will be higher than the other things but sliding scale; prices for tarot readings will also be based on complexity of the spread.

I am also offering n s f w content on a case by case basis. To get a taste of that go over to @deadflirt

Really I am a jack of all trades and if you have an idea I want to make it a reality for you. Hit me up!

[tinker-tanner]

Tag Nine People You'd Like to Know Better

Favourite colour: intense, vivid green. I don't know how to describe it properly, but if you imagine the glow of radioactive waste in a cartoon, that's about it. Purple, orange, red, and black also suit me well.

Favourite flavour(s): My palate is unfortunately rather unsophisticated thanks to having almost zero sense of smell until age 27 (thank you estrogen for my life), so my sense of taste hasn't historically had a lot of room for variation. That said, there is nothing in this world quite like top-notch cheesy garlic bread.

Favourite music: indie rock writ broadly. This ranges from folky stuff like The Mountain Goats to metal-adjacent prog like Polyphia to the vast soundscapes of Sigur Rós. Also enjoy quite a bit of rap, electronic music, and folk.

Favourite movie: Attack the Block, always and forever. It's the perfect mix of horror, teenage shenanigans, comedy, and genuine emotion. This is also John Boyega's first starring role. I genuinely cannot believe he pulled off this kind of leading man energy as a teenager: watching this movie in 2012 lets me sincerely say I was into him before it was cool.

Favourite book: Two-way tie for first. Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe might be the smartest book I've ever read. Not that it makes the reader feel smart - I have rarely felt dumber than when I'm trying to understand what Severian is leaving out of a story - but that there's so much going on and every reread enhances how much you can extract from it. The Sisters of Dorley by Alyson Greaves helped give me the courage to finally acknowledge I was a woman and is also just a stupendous psychological drama filled with women who have so, so many things wrong with them. Honorary mention to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, which is still up there but no longer quite in the top spot.

Favourite series: Revolutionary Girl Utena. I did not know TV could ever be this good. I do not expect any TV show to astound me this much again. Watching Utena, I could feel my brain physically reshape itself. The show is unexpectedly blunt about rape and child abuse considering it's shojo, so watch out for that, but if you can handle it, watch this show.

Last song: "Sun Bleached Flies" by Ethel Cain. The perfect song for a certain mood when you need to reckon with not being Christian anymore. The first time I heard her sing "God loves you, but not enough to save you" was like a revelation.

Last series: Afraid I don't watch enough TV to remember this.

Last movie: The Boy and the Heron. Miyazaki near the peak of his powers, which I never expected to see again. The big screen added a lot to this one. Even by the usual high standards Ghibli sets, it's incredibly gorgeous.

Currently reading: Beowulf (as translated by Maria Dahvana Headley). I'm a sucker for Old English literature. Took two courses on Old English in undergrad and they were some of my favourites of the degree until the person who taught me turned out to be profoundly racist. Headley's take is bizarre and therefore compelling to me: I'm always interested in seeing how weird someone can get with the source material.

Currently watching: Nothing. I weeded and organised my bookshelves for the first time in the 2020s and am taking advantage of this to read my TBR list at a ferocious pace.

Currently working on: Nothing in particular. I'm not all that creatively inclined and what little writing projects I did have were pushed aside by all the real-life nonsense I'm juggling. Tarot reading has been a joy to learn, though; attempting to interpret real-world events through knotty tangles of symbolism is exactly the sort of thing my brain likes. Shoutout to The Tarot Restless by Winslow Dumaine, which dared to ask "What if I made up my own Dark Souls cosmology and put it in a deck of cards?"

Tagged by @tobermoriansass, which I find terribly considerate given how hard it is to drag him away from his elves these days. Tagging @sophibeans @stackslip @licoricefern @deadciv @catgirltoes @loki-zen and whoever else would like to join in!

[littlewalken]

TIL that Daniel Vangarde (Bangalter) went from being banned on French radio to seeing his son win album of the year and more at the Grammys. He was there when Daft Punk won everything.

Now I got to go look at the Grammy footage and see if I can see him.

transcript of the Bilboard.com article:

Daniel Vangarde, Father Of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter & Disco Innovator, Breaks His Silence

From his home in Brazil, the 75-year-old legend reflects on being banned from French radio, the best advice he gave to Daft Punk and the re-release of his catalog: "I think I will not die."

Daniel Vangarde has lived a fascinating life. He’s lived at least three of them, in fact. 

His first act was as a producer, A&R and all-around catalyst for some of the most popular European disco and funk acts of the 1970s and ’80s, shifting millions of copies. Since the late 2000s he’s been residing and working in a Brazilian village of 750 people, teaching English, computer literacy, vocational skills and a range of artistic expression.

Somewhere in the middle he fathered a son, Thomas Bangalter, who also made some decent records himself. 

Vangarde (born Bangalter) helped guide the early movements of Daft Punk, at a time when the pre-Homework duo had magic in their fingertips but hadn’t yet mastered the close control of image and narrative which forged their mystique. Vangarde doled out critical advice to Thomas, Guy-Manuel and a coterie of close friends in the ’90s Parisian scene, instilling in them the requisite knowledge to play the industry game on their own terms and better enabling them to sculpt their consequential destiny. 

Then followed a high-profile battle with France’s publishing and rights society, SACEM, over both restrictive practices for modern artists and historical aberrations for post-World War II remuneration to Jewish musicians. Sufficiently content with both his own success and the imprint he left on the next generation, Vangarde retreated into silence, only fleetingly emerging when required (including a trip to the 2014 Grammy Awards, where he watched his son clean up). There were no plans to issue communiqués with the music ecosystem — until now.

Following a deal with powerhouse French label Because Music, the vaults of Vangarde’s Zagora Records have been busted open. The resultant compilation, Daniel Vanguarde: The Vaults of Zagora Records Mastermind (1971 - 1984), out Nov. 25 on Because Music, should re-situate him in a lineage of discotheque-pleasers with a taste for suave, symphonic and Star Wars-influenced material that bristles with joie de vivre. The comp is surprisingly tight for an era which left no excess untested; it’s not a stretch to say, from the colorway of his suit down to his perm, the Daniel Vangarde peering out from the cover might just have been the model for Disco Stu.

Having undertaken the grand sum of zero English-language interviews for 75 years, Vangarde made himself available to Billboard from the deep Bahian forests for an extremely rare and rather charming conversation about it all. 

One thing that’s clear across your life is a fascination with culture and society outside of your own. You produced artists from the French Antilles and the West Indies, kickstarted a cossack dance craze in the late ’60s, and latterly founded an NGO. Where does this curiosity stem from?

I always liked traveling: I spent 10 summers of my adolescence in Costa Brava [Spain], visited Swinging London, and in 1966 hitchhiked from New York down to Mexico in order to visit the Tarahumara. Life felt like an adventure.

In 1971, I happened upon Guadeloupe and loved it — the people, the place, and the local rhythmic music, biguine, which I took back to work on in Paris. Throughout trips to Kathmandu, Bali and Malaysia in the ’70s, my love for African, Arabian, South American and other music outside the French or Anglo-Saxon tradition kept growing.

What were your dreams for the world back then?

Ah, that is easy. I was curious about the globe and completely against war. I was politically active from a young age. I was arrested during the student revolution in ’68 and spent three nights in a jail cell without light. That was very frightening. They say there were no deaths but I am certain this is untrue, there was great violence. For years afterward I had to cross the street whenever I saw a policeman, you know?

You had post-traumatic stress?

Yes, yes, it was this: it was post-traumatic stress. But I stayed against nuclear factories, against the Algerian War and successfully avoided my own military service. I did not change my point of view that mass consumption is a dead-end of civilization. In 1968, we had spiritual belief in a more open future. Today we have realism about our present moment, and that is what it is.

When you were 25, you and longtime collaborator Jean Kluger came up with Yamasuki, a faux-Japanese project whose only release is still pored over by record collectors and DJs like Four Tet. Why did you decide to jump into the deep end with such a specific concept? 

Listen to this article

After the success of “Casatschok,” I was mostly considered a choreographer. Shows about kung fu were beginning to sweep through television, so Kluger and I thought about creating a Japanese dance, which we called Yamasuki, but the great sound of the music caught on more. We really got into a Japanese mindset: I bought an English-to-Japanese phrasebook, we learned phonetic pronunciation and taught a children’s choir lyrics in Japanese. We even hired a karate master to deliver a shout of death [kiai] — except he had no sense of rhythm, so I would stand in the studio, cueing him when to shout… and trembling on the other side of the mic.

As disco became popular globally, and you had French artists like Cerrone winning Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, was there any competition or jealousy? Or did you regard them as your peers?

Peers, totally. There was no competition at all. If there was any competition, in fact, it was with American and English production. I never used a mastering studio; I would be there at the Phillips factory, watching the acetate get pressed, making sure the sound was impeccable. Cerrone, he was not a friend, but we would see each other at the discotheques when taking our new records to the DJ for promotion. The same applies for Jacques Morali {the disco producer responsible for the Village People] — at this time, for the French to have success away from home was a great feeling.

Some of the records you worked on were massive. “D.I.S.C.O.” was the third biggest-seller of 1980 in Germany and the fifth in the UK; the Gibson Brothers sold millions of copies; you’ve been sampled and covered by Erykah Badu, Bananarama, Roger Sanchez — it’s a legacy of success by any other name. Did that come as a surprise to you?

I will say that when I started to make songs, I wanted to write to The Beatles and tell them that there should be five members. [Laughs] I was this certain that I could bring something to them. I imagine that maybe everybody that records hopes that his music will be understood and appreciated by the public. But even if I was expecting success, I recognize it’s a great privilege to live your life off of music. 

What was your relationship to fame throughout all this?

I only did one LP as a frontman, which had the privilege of being banned on radio and television. The lyrics concerned how France is the third biggest producer of bombs and mines. Of course, that’s a state secret, so the record was buried, and I was never a frontman again. But that’s alright: I was an author, composer and producer; an artisan. I sought no fame, no show business. A reporter asked me recently: “So you live your life in the shadows?” And I said, “No! I live in the light, normally, like you do.”

Interest in the Zagora reissue is however fun to me, because I was not fashionable at all. I produced La Compagnie Créole, a very big band in the ’80s, and we could sell out three nights at L’Olympia but I could never once get a journalist to come see the show. That’s just how it was then. If it’s not chanson, it’s not serious. In France, popular music is suspicious.

By the time your career wound down around 1990, was the love for music still present? Was it a creative rupture or a decision to be with your family?

Truthfully, I was not producing music that excited me, and I thought it unwise to carry on. When making a hit my hands would become wet while mixing, and a physical sensation would overtake my belly. So if I was not feeling anything, why would anyone else? Also, there was a new generation doing dance music, and of course this was very close for me.

Yes, on that note… perhaps no one in the last 10 years has done more to kickstart the revival of disco and analog production than your son, Thomas. Why do you think that era has swept back into the public consciousness? 

I can see why. Nothing replaces rhythm. Songs that you can dance to, with a melody you can sing — not rap, not techno, not even Daft Punk can compete with this human response to a good feeling. There are different chapels today: you have country radio, rap radio, rock radio, but the old repertoire has maintained.

What aggregates the masses are famous hits, and disco was the last of this kind of music. When they decided that disco was over and they started to burn the records [1979’s infamous bonfire of hate, Disco Demolition], I thought it was a joke, because I never thought happy, dancing music could possibly fade. And when disco came back, I realized it hadn’t faded after all.

Your know-how helped ground not only a young Daft Punk, but also their peers Phoenix and Air, all of whom credit your advice with allowing them to navigate the music biz and retain creative freedom.

I think all artists should have this freedom. I helped Thomas, Guy-Man and their friends as much as I could to allow them to release without barriers. They were only 20 years old and the industry could have squeezed them — a normal contract generates interference between your work and the time it’s released. I made an introduction to my English lawyer, who is still [Daft Punk’s] lawyer today, and advised them not to let the author’s rights society in France authorize their music for film or publicity. My input was to help create a good environment that allowed them to produce freely.

Do you think the industry is a better place for young artists now than it was in the ’90s, or the ’70s? Or is it contingent on who you are?

That’s difficult to say. I think the music industry is in a terrible situation, not because of the internet, but because record companies and publishers didn’t know how to use the internet. When I helped Thomas set up Daft Club [a groundbreaking hub for digital downloads and fan service, released in tandem with 2001’s Discovery] even then, many considered the internet science fiction for geeks. And what was the result? 

They should have contracted the hackers! The best guy from Napster should have been contracted by record companies to organize a new paid system. At a time when people paid $10-20 for an LP, of course they would have accepted paying $1 instead. But the industry did nothing, music became like free air, and once the value collapsed to zero for many years, it was hard to come back from this.

In the ’70s, the artistic directors of a record company or programmers of a radio station held all the control. So I didn’t think it was good then. But I can’t say it’s better today either. It’s difficult for true talent to break through or generate wealth in the same fashion as before.

As you’ve never given interviews, your working practice from that era is lost. I mean — Bangalter now rings with a uniqueness and star quality, so why did you use Vangarde as your professional surname?

I wanted to allow future Thomas to use Bangalter! No, I chose a pen name in case I had success; I did not wish to book a hotel or restaurant and be recognized. Why Vangarde? Originally I had prepared Morane, the name of a small French plane in the early 1900s. But on the day of registration with SACEM, this was already taken, so I was given one minute to change. I quickly thought of another plane called the Vanguard, and this stuck by complete accident.

You’ve been distant from your own catalog for so long. Why now? 

I’m afraid it’s not very romantic. I have known Emmanuel [de Buretel, kingpin of French electronic music] since he was 25. When Because Music showed interest in buying Zagora Records and releasing some old tracks, I trusted them, and said, “You’ll be the owner of the catalog, so if you want to, yes.” As I have never done photos or interviews, I did not expect interest at all. I could even not remember some of their choices, so I had to go on YouTube and listen back as I was certain these were not my songs! To see any reaction has been a huge shock. Because made a very good decision.

So you never considered what you’d like your legacy to be?

I think I will not die. I have songs that I did 50 years ago that are still popular. If people are happy when they hear the songs and go to dance, or go to see the bands still touring, they do not die. This is the answer of my legacy.

And are you satisfied?

Yes, I’m very happy. I have the privilege to do what I want, and a good personal life… in the shadows. [Laughs] I have a good relationship with Thomas and now I have two grandchildren. One is 20 years old and the other is 14 — I love them. I go on being free and having my health. What more can I ask for?

[cloudcountry]

Ooo, I’ll keep that piece of Ikevamp lore in mind!! 👀 Thank you! >w<

While I was around for the Zero hype, I only saw some of it— I don’t know the full extent of how down bad you are for him, but then again, you’ve made him your profile picture, so maybe I should already have a good sense of it jkdfngk— /j /lh

And speaking of Ikevamp!! I wrote a little bit for that Beethoven fic, but I only made discombobulated bits and pieces kjdfgn— If you don’t mind, I’ll share two snippets,,! 👀👉👈 (Tbh, the fic isn’t going to drop in a fairly long time because I don’t have much time to work on it, unfortunately,, It’s a bit messy, and these are kinda loose ideas, so they’re not final, but I hope you like them regardless!)

~~~

Ludwig van Beethoven, seven years old: *he and his father, Johann, are on their way to the music hall where Ludwig will give his debut performance*

Ludwig: Papa? How many people will be there?

Johann: Quite a few, but don’t be nervous. Remember what we’ve practiced, and you’ll be alright. Many musicians I know will be there as well. I will introduce you to them after your performance; they’re quite influential! I’m sure they’ll take a liking to you.

Ludwig: *he hums in response* *thankfully for Ludwig, whether it was due to his youth or confidence, he didn’t feel nervous like many others would before their debut performance*

Johann: Oh, and Ludwig? From now on, you will address me as ‘Father.’ All the other children call their fathers ‘papa,’ and you are no ordinary child. You are not like them. You are far more brilliant, far more talented; the next Mozart!

Ludwig: Yes… Father. *he presses his lips together; the word sounded odd on his tongue, but if Johann wanted him to call him that, he would. If not because he wanted to make his father proud, then if only because he didn’t want his father to be mad at him - he had a terrible temper, after all*

(Time Skip - Beethoven, now an adult, is slowly losing his hearing)

Those ringings in Ludwig’s ears were like the death knells of a church bell. They signalled the impending doom of his hearing, and whenever they rang their high-pitched intonations, everything sounded just a little further away. It wouldn’t be long until he felt like his head was submerged underwater; everything sounded distant and far away. Even now, as he played the piano in his room, he needed to strain his ears to properly hear the tune he was creating.

He closed his eyes to focus the entirety of his senses on the sound from the piano. As he squeezed his eyes shut tighter, he felt his growing despair gnaw at his heart. 

Music can change the world. He believed that as a child, and even now, he still did with his whole heart. So why was it that the music was falling silent?

It should have been my eyesight, Ludwig thought. But then how would he be able to write down his music if he couldn’t see?

It should have been his sense of taste, he reasoned. Food was nothing more but mere sustenance to him, anyway. He couldn’t even find joy in eating his favorite food anymore. He was a musician, Ludwig thought bitterly. The vibrant music he heard and produced were his food, the fruits of his labour, his love, his passion. If he couldn’t even have that, what else was there?

~~~

Oh, but I do have one more Ikevamp question!! You said that pureblooded vampires can bring people back to life as lesser vampires; is Comte a pureblooded vampire? I tried checking the fandom wikipedia, but the categorisation on him confused me nmfgbd 💀 Oh, and also,, does it say in the game how tall the MC is? Because I tried estimating her height out of curiosity judging from CGs, and she’s,,, REALLY short 💀 Like, she’s either 4’11 or 5’0 in the CGs I’ve seen 💀 5’1 if we really want to stretch it- Which is kind of a shame, because I was hoping that MC could be the same height/taller than Beethoven JFGGBFB

On one last note!! Next week I have to perform an original monologue with a character who has a god complex kfjghb- I hope I do decent,, TwT  Also!! My birthday’s coming up soon! :D

[Oh, and before I forget- I’ve written down a bunch of random TWST thoughts/ideas,, Would you like me to drop them,,? 👀👉👈]

Jackdaw Anon 🐦

AAAAA NO YOU DONT UDNERSTANDNDN &%$^!@$^%!@$^!@%$@! ZERO IS SO . HE IS EVERTTHI9GN .. GHES SO GERAT HES REALLY JUST SP GREAT . HES SUCH A HARD WORKING ERSON AND EVEN THOUGH I WISH HE DIDNT HAVE TO WORK SO HARD FOR THRE ASONS HE WORKS SO HARD HES ASO RELIABLE ANYWAY AND THAT MAKES HIM SO AMAZING AND I LOVE HOW SQWWEET AND STRONG AND WONDERFUL AND DETERMINED HE IS, HES WORKED SO HARD TO BE WHERE HE IS NOW AND HE OPNE EDUP TO THE MC ENOUGH TO REALLY CONNECT WITH HER AND BECAUSE OF THAT HE GETS REWALLY BLUSHY SOMEOTHIMES AND ITS LITERALLY THE SWEETETS THING YOU COYLD EVER WITNESS BECAUSE HE DOESNT WANT TO LET HER GOP EEVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS HE HAS TO CEVNETUALLY AJHJSGHKAWDGKJFWESHILESFWHLJIUJEWRSFGHOYIU

beethoven is so kickass for that HES BOYBOSSING RN HELL YEAH GET THAT PIANO!!!!! ALSO YES comte is a pure blooded vampire, along with vlad and leonardo ^^ i checked the ewiki and it said greater vampire so i can see how that confused you LMAOOO

UR SO REALF OR THE MC SHORT THING.....ugh the on saving grace is that the avatars are basically the saem height (at least isaac and shakespeare are...theyre the only ones ive had in my room AHGSFD)

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHSAY OMG?!?!?!? I HOPE YOUR MONOOLOGUE GOES WELL!!!!!

ofc you should totally drop them C:<

[cocomanga]

The Sweetest Beat - Set 3

Pairing : Megumi Fushiguro x Fem!Reader,

CW : JJK AU. Daddy Kink, Noncon, Dubcon, Praise Kink, Size Kink, Oral, BDSM, Unprotected Sex, Edging, Drunk Sex, Aggressive Sex, Overstimulation, NPD Abuse/Trauma

Please Note: please block me if my work is not your cup-o-tea I do not own any of the character art

Reader is encouraged to listen to music mentioned for context. :)

WC : 14K! (got kinda crayzeee!)

Wanna take it from the top? Start at Set 1🎶;)

<< The Sweetest Beat - Set 2

The Sweetest Beat - Set 4 >>

TSB - Masterlist ~ AO3 | Wattpad | Playlist

Synopsis: Megumi Fushiguro is the leader of a fresh new rock band. They're currently playing covers and gaining a following at an alarming rate, skyrocketing his career as an indie artist. But when his best friend introduces him to a beautiful someone and sparks fly, he's challenged to navigate her fear of loving freely.

..... Minors: You have no business here. Love you, but please don't ....

▶ SET 3 Say it Aint So - Weezer Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead Destiny - Zero 7 Coral - Fractures Process - H.E.R. Snooze - SZA Whoa - Snoh Aalegra Finesse - Drake Autumn's Dreamland - A.G. Sully I Adore You - Yebba Your Interlude - Sabrina Claudio Take Me Home - Paper Kites Roslyn - Ben Pellow Lippincott - Animals as Leaders Do For Love - Snoh Aalegra Tastes so Good - Sabrina Claudio

A low, humming vibration gently pulled you from your peaceful slumber. As your eyes slowly adjust to the dim sunlight peeking through the closed wooden blinds, you notice your phone sitting silently on the bedside table.

It's... not mine...

With a little grunt, you lift and turn your throbbing head toward the left side of the bed. Your arm slides several times across the cool sheets. You look over, blinking, to find that Megumi is quietly tucked away underneath the soothing pitter patter of the shower.

Say it Aint So - Weezer

played softly in the room from the speaker.

His phone vibrated a few more times on his table, then went silent. You closed your eyes, plopping your head back down, grateful to regain the quiet.

Not 5 seconds later, another vibration. You opened your eyes, looking at the glow of the screen illuminate that side of the room.

2 rings. . .

5 rings. . .

8 rings. . .

A frown formed on your face as you hoped they'd simply just call him back later. Obviously he's busy, right?

11 rings, then finally, silence.

Geez.

You let out a breathy sigh.

Surely they're done.

It rang again.

You know, its funny we live in a day and age when we can actually assign personality traits to people based on the way our little devices are used.

That many rings?

Had to be one of two people. His mother... or a woman. Tch.

You decided to look. I mean, you're in his damn bed after all. You deserved at least that much since they wouldn't relent.

You sluggishly dragged your body over to peek at the screen after the 12th ring:

"Nanako". You let out a chuckle laced with a little attitude.

Welp, it doesnt say 'Mom'.

She finally stopped calling.

You decided it really wasn't any of your business but you were still curious. You retreat to your side of the bed, sinking your headache back into the plush pillow, facing that amazing window as the shower in the bathroom stopped running.

You hear the door open and as the misty air wafts over your way, you feel, and smell Megumi emerge steamy fresh and clean. As you inhale that wonderful fragrance that you hoped he'd never stop using, you turn your little smile around to face him.

He stood in the doorway, illuminated from behind by the light in the bathroom, his perfect athletic figure leaning against the door frame with a towel wrapped low around his waist as he brushed another one across his jet-black hair.

Damn he's hot.

You hid most of your wide smile in the pillow.

Well, Nanako, can't say I blame you, honey.

He stood there, his hooded eyes observing you for a bit. "Good morning." He finally uttered as he tilted his head sideways to get a better look at you.

You revealed your smile with a breathy, "Good morning".

An adorable smirk formed on his lips as he approached the bed. He sat on the edge, "What a pleasant voice you have in the morning."

You blushed into the pillows, taking another deep breath.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, still looking at you with a beautifully warm expression on his face.

His question triggered your memory that something other than adoration was happening in your body. "Definitely hungover." You whined, with a frown.

"Yeah..." he replied, as he acknowledged his own throbbing headache. Well, the bathroom's all yours now. Choso's making breakfast. The food'll help.

"Choso?" you chuckled. "Really?"

He huffed, "Yea. He's actually a damn good cook."

Giggling softly as you sat up on the bed, your hand immediately reached for your head as the throbbing continued to pound behind your eyes.

Megumi handed you a bottle of water that was sitting on his bedside table.

"Thank you".

"Of course."

You got up from the bed as you opened the bottle and chugged as much of it as possible on your way to the bathroom, suddenly stopping before reaching the door. You turned back toward him, "Megumi... I, wanna apologize for- "

"Don't worry about it." He interjected as he stood up to face you. "It's really ok." he said as he observed your concerned facial expression.

"No, I..." you started as you held your head down, shaking it back and forth, in an attempt to make sense of yourself. "I was-"

"Bad?"

You looked up quickly, blushing, genuinely embarrassed, your brow furrowing a bit as you averted your eyes again.

He continued, in an unnervingly soft tone, "You... were bad." still managing to peek up through his lids at you, even though hes taller.

Megumi had that emotionless gaze down pat, his dark blues always pierced clean through you, exposing your innermost desires.

He slowly stepped closer with his hands behind his back, clad only in the white towel, soft black lines below his lower abdomen disappearing behind it, leading down to his print as it became more visible by the second.

You took a deep breath, standing there quietly as he turned his head in toward your ear, his voice in a hushed tone, "But . . . we took care of that, right?"

Your body clenched from your core as his deep, soft voice vibrated in your ear, his words reigniting a fire, and the memory of the unforgettable "care" he quite literally put into you.

Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead

Played as he slid the back of his hand softly down your cheek, his thumb gliding across your lips. "Are you trying to tell me that you need more discipline?"

You felt a deep 'thump' in your chest. Your body temperature seemed to rise steadily, but you shook your head slowly, your eyes fluttered as you mustered an answer barely above a whisper. "No".

Megumi smirked slyly, whispering, "You don't sound too confident, sweetness." His fingertips wrapped around to the nape of your neck. "How about a little help in the shower, hm?" He took a few steps toward you, leading you backwards into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Y-your..." you stuttered, as you gathered the strength to look up into his lusty eyes. "...your friends will hear us."

He leaned in, his lips as close as an inch from yours. "Not if you can stay nice and quiet for me, yeah?" He reached for the hem of your ripped tee, pulling it past your beautiful curves, up and off, his eyes roaming all over your bare skin.

With a little blush, you chuckled softly as you stepped over the edge of the enormous bathtub into the shower. You faced the head, exhaling as the warm flow of water soaked into your hair.

Megumi stepped in behind you, observing how beautifully the water cascaded down your curves. He wrapped his hands around your waist, gliding his fingertips softly across your skin, sliding them up to cup your breasts as he gently fondled your nipples.

Your body immediately buckled under his touch. You arched your back, pressing yourself against his hard length as he explored you with his hands. They followed the flow of the water, traveling down to massage your clit and folds, already soaked from both the water and your response to his gentle fingers, making your moans far too difficult to avoid.

"Shhhhh..." he whispered, as his lips gently pressed into your earlobe, the soft smack sending shivers all over your body as he slipped his thick dick back and forth between your thighs and two of his fingers from his other hand in your mouth.

"Mmmhhh," you moaned, having a hard time containing yourself.

Megumi could tell you were already so close. His tongue slid across your ear as he breathed, "Let me in before you cum, sweetness..." His breath hotter than the temperature of the water and his voice tickling as it vibrated in your ear.

Already quite dazed, you parted your quivering thighs a bit more, planting your foot on the edge of the tub, welcoming him.

As Megumi bent his knees for the perfect amount of leverage, he covered your mouth as he thrusted hard, pushing his entire length inside. He screwed his eyes shut, pressing his head into your neck as he grunted, his arm wrapped around you, holding you in place. "Mmmm! Fuuuck..."

Your entire body tensed as your walls gripped him pulling him further inside. You struggled to contain your sensual moans that managed to leak past Megumi's fingers as your eyes fluttered shut.

He paused for a moment, his breaths hitching in his throat as his body quivered, basking in the warmth of your slick heat. He slowly pulled out, then thrusted back in harder, again, and again, and again, quickly pushing himself, and you to the edge.

His left hand left your mouth, and wrapped around your neck, his right arm held you firmly as your sopping wet core received him, his thrusts hitting your sweet spot both relentlessly and deliciously. Your hands clutched his slender, yet muscular forearms as he maintained his grip.

Megumi's groan vibrated deeply in your ear, "Cum for me beautiful... cum all over my cock..." as he held you firm around your neck, firm in your hole, and firm around your waist, his strong embrace causing you to erupt from the depths of your core as he clutched you steady.

He released into your womb, your arousal blended beautifully with his, running down your legs with the flow of the water. His lips smashed into yours, his tongue massaging yours in another deeply passionate kiss as he pumped the remnants of spend into your core, savoring being nestled inside you as if it would be his last time.

*~*~*~*~*

As you finish gathering yourself and all of your things, you hear happy, cheerful voices on the other side of the door, along with

Destiny - Zero 7

floating on the airwaves into the room with the aroma of fresh pancakes and bacon.

You finally emerge from the master suite, still feeling the need to catch your breath after Megumi successfully took it away for the second time. You see the members of the band, hanging out in the kitchen around the table having breakfast.

As comfortable as you were becoming around Megumi, it felt terribly awkward. Almost as if you were attending an event, uninvited. You weren't a part of this band and, without the veil of alcohol, your presence felt a little more ... intrusive.

Not to mention, you were awfully loud last night... or... this morning. Surely someone heard you.

You wondered if you could creep past them unnoticed, but also hoped for quick eye contact with Megumi.

Choso caught you first. "Hey singer!"

He yelled from the kitchen with a mouth full of pancakes, kinda blowing your stealthy cover as you slinked your way toward the front door. "You get what you came for?" he flashed a big smile at you, quite satisfied with himself.

Asshole.

You cut your eyes at him, then nodded toward the door of his room. "Did they?" you asked as you flashed a phony smile back at him.

"You're damn right they did." he said, followed by an obnoxious laugh.

You shook your head, unable to hide your giggle.

Megumi made his way over to you. His hair lacking spikes since the shower, layered in wispy strands over his eyes, the strands in the back curving gently around toward his neck. He saunters over in baggy grey sweatpants, and a crisp white V-neck tee, contrasting beautifully with his black hair and dark blue eyes, looking like a fucking breakfast platter himself. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah... I've actually got a lot to do today so I'd better get home." Yeah, a 'lot'. Like escaping the embarrassment of being his groupie for the night, for starters.

"Okay." He said, "I'll walk you out."

"No, you don't have to. I've already called an Uber. It's outside."

"I'm walking you out." He insisted, slipping on shoes at the door.

You smiled, pressing your lips into a flat line.

You walked down the long carpeted hallway relatively quietly as Megumi trailed behind you. You both stepped into the elevator, maintaining a "healthy" distance while inside.

He stood on the opposite side of the metal box, his eyes observing your demeanor before traveling up to the illuminated numbers at the top of the doorway as he muttered, "I enjoyed your company." glancing back your way, flashing a killer smile.

It felt as if all you could do was blush, since it seemed everything you needed to say was successfully expressed in the shower this morning, and in the glow on your face.

You got downstairs and he held out his hand. "Your phone."

You fumbled through your satchel, unlocking it and gracefully handed it over.

He added his number. "Our next show is in about a week. You think you'll come?"

You smiled warmly, "Sure."

"Alright." He huffed with a smirk, giving you one last once-over. "See ya, sweetness."

*~*~*~*~*

You sat in your cozy breakfast nook, so glad to finally be back in your personal space as you took another sip of ginger tea, staring out the window, listening to

Coral - Fractures.

Nobara continued to request more info from you over the phone. "It's his birthday. Don't you at least want to see him for a little bit?"

"Nah... I really dont". You answered. Feeling a tiny wound open somewhere in the recesses of your heart.

"I just... I don't want to deal with what might come with it. There's always something, you know? He always finds a way ... to hurt me."

"I agree. But... you can love him from a distance, right? See him, say hi, ask how he's doing, set a time limit, honor it, and leave."

"He's such a chore to be around sometimes you know?" you whined.

"Tch, yeah." she huffed. "I understand. I mean, I've never experienced it to that degree, but I get it. I'm just saying, maybe do this small part. For you. Not that you have anything to prove, but he'll never be able to say you weren't the best daughter to him."

"Okay. I'll go."

Narcissists are the worst. People talk about them a lot these days, but unfortunately for you, you had to deal with a few your entire life. One covert, and one overt. Let alone your grandparents.

As far as relationships go, you had always been a people pleaser. A "yes" girl so to speak, yet never receiving the same regard in return. The result of constantly having to work for attention at home, and a fear of abandonment. Without even realizing it, you developed a habit of being "nice" out of necessity.

Nobara brought love to you in a way that you hadn't known. That's why she's your best friend. No matter what, she always cared for you. She never demanded anything from you besides you being yourself. And you cherished her.

Itadori turned out to be the same. It was the first time in your life that you had found people who truly loved you. Genuinely. Without strings or stipulations.

The irony was though, sometimes you still felt bad, as if you loved them because they love you... Weird right? Of course that's not the only reason you love them, but it still felt like an unintended condition within no conditions. Life is so bizarre.

Your dad was a musician. A damn good one. But his ego was more than excessive. He worked hard, learned guitar, keys, lead several bands and taught many vocalists over the years, including you.

His image was important to him. He worked hard to make a name for himself. As a result, many well-known, musicians in the area knew him well. He'd likely be remembered if he were mentioned at any popular music hall.

You sang on numerous projects he worked on; albums, events, shows, etc. and loved working with him, in the beginning. It felt wonderful to see your dad work so hard and be so happy doing what he loved. He was undeniably talented and you supported him genuinely, just because.

However, when the time came for you to work on projects of your own, something that would support your career as a solo artist, he wasn't there. He didn't have the time or the drive to help. Before long, you noticed that as far as he was concerned, you and your talents were to be used only for his benefit.

And forget communication. Whenever you saw him, he talked only about himself. For hours sometimes, never really asking about you. If you interject or attempt to add to the conversation, maybe you get a word in edgewise, but then it's back to him. All about him.

Doubtful he knows much about who you really are; your likes, dislikes, how you've been, your friends names, etc. Even now.

It was truly exhausting dealing with him.

As a result, you just kept your distance. Set boundaries that would work for your life. It often felt selfish to you, but you came to realize that your mental health is important too, so you do what you can.

Nobara taught you the meaning of self-care. She knew how to have a healthy balance in life of caring for others, and not neglecting herself in the process.

That's something you were still learning.

"Try to think of it as going to a hospital to visit a mental patient." Nobara continued, "The reality is, he doesn't deserve special treatment. And it'd be a miracle if he changed. But you deserve to do what you love. And you love to love. So do it. For you. And sort of for him because really, we all need it. Even the assholes."

You chuckled, "Thanks bestie."

"By the way... Are we gonna talk about 'The Rockstar'?"

You went silent, not having the slightest idea where to start, your heart immediately skipping a beat at the mention of him.

"Oh my god, girl I can hear you blushing from here! Hahaha! What the hell happened to you last night? I was looking all over for you!"

"He's... really great. Amazing actually." you said with a giggle.

"Yea?" She whispered, "Did you stick around?"

"Um..." you uttered with a tiny huff.

"You did!!! Ha! Yaaas! Was it that fire or was it that fire? 'Cause I know it was that fire." She wailed.

"An inferno, sis. oh my gawd. Nothing like it." You let out a heavy sigh.

"Buuuuuut ...?" she questioned.

"Tch, I don't know... I feel like I moved way too fast with him. It's not like having sex makes a relationship or anything, you know?"

"Girl, I think he really likes you whether he realized it the first night or not. Don't over think it. And don't underestimate yourself. You're gorgeous, sweet, and talented. He can see that. If it's happening, just let it happen."

You took a deep breath... "Yeah." You continued, "But... how do I know he doesn't just see me as the girl who screwed him on the first night? It'd be so embarrassing to keep coming around, if that's how I'm perceived."

"Did he ask you to come to the next show?"

"Yeah, and... Oh! By the way," you said, as something hit your memory." he received quite the persistent phone call this morning before I left".

"What do you mean 'persistent'"?

"Woke me up blowin' up his phone. Repeatedly."

"Really? Was it his mom?"

"You chuckled, if I were to guess, I'd say no. Do you remember he answered his phone at the table when we ate pizza?"

"Uh.. No...?"

"Anyway, I'd bet any amount of cash it was that person. Somebody by the name of Nanako. She didn't seem to want to take 'no', or 'wait' for an answer. I'm curious if he's dating her".

"Oh wow. Well, that explains some of your hesitance about him."

"Hm?... I hadn't thought of that. I mean, we just met, so I wasn't expecting him to not have anybody in his life, but... I have zero complaints if he cuts 'em off. Ha!"

"Okay!" Nobara agreed. "But look, if he thought you were just a one-off, he definitely wouldn't have invited you back. You need more information about this mystery woman before drawing conclusions."

"You smiled and sighed. Yeah, I suppose you're right."

A vibration interrupts your call, as you notice one coming in from another line.

"Hey, I have to take this. I'll see you later at the bar, K?

"Ok".

You look at the screen and notice it's your boss.

"Hello?" you answered, confused.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" He asks.

"Of course. What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Something's come up. We have a few classes we have to conduct overseas for some new recruits. We're putting together a team to head over and do the training. I know its a little out of the blue, but you're one of my most capable. I was hoping you'd join us."

"Um... Wow? I'm not sure I can do that on such short notice."

"Look, I'm sorry about the time frame, but this is a really important project that needs to be done to help sales and production. You're one of my best. I really need you on this. I'll double your pay for the eight weeks you're there."

"What? Eight weeks?!"

"Yeah. In India. We're conducting two courses, four weeks each. You'll get room and board while you're there, plus some excellent experience to add to your resume. You won't regret it, I promise. I'm really sorry to spring this on you, but some of the others, they have kids, families -- they've already solidified schedules that make it next to impossible for me to get them to help out. I only have a few I can really depend on for support. Please, I'm begging you. I really need your help."

Really? Now I'm on call? …

This is a lot of money, though, so you decide it's worth the sacrifice. "Okay, Mr. Geto. I'll do it."

"Aaaaah! Thank you so much. We leave in a week."

"Okay."

Damn.

*~*~*~*~*

At this point, It had been a few days since you'd seen Megumi. You wondered how he was doing. Knowing what you know about him, he's probably preparing well to make a great impression at the next show.

For now, they're doing covers, so its not like they can play the exact same sets every show for the same venue. Which means they have to practice and memorize music from other artists, and try hard to make sure the audience appreciates it.

As hard as he's working, he's likely having some crazy rehearsals. You could totally see him busting everyone's balls as their leader.

"Over here!" You waved at Nobara as you sat in the middle of your favorite sushi bar, waiting for her and Yuji to meet for dinner.

Process - H.E.R.

played on their system. Fresh food and warm sake is a cure-all for sure, and you were more than excited to indulge.

"Can you believe this, girl?" You said to Nobara as you roll your eyes.

"Oh god, no. That's crazy. And such short notice?" She said as she sat next to you at the square table. "Couldn't they find someone else?"

"Apparently not." you shook your head, "All the trainers with preset family-oriented schedules couldn't help. And I wont be back for two whole months."

"Wow. It's good money though right?" Nobara asked with a deep frown.

"Great money. But... I really wish I could see Megumi's show. That turnout was crazy on their first night. I can't imagine how the next one'll be."

"Yeah. But Since they're doing so well, you'll see more soon."

"I guess you're right. My plane leaves the night of the show at 7."

"Hmmm... did you tell him you're leaving?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

"He's busy getting ready for his next performance. He doesn't need his groupie chasing him down."

"Girl if you don't pick up that phone and call him, Nanako will."

"Stop it. Haha!"

"I'm, serious! Don't underestimate persistence, girl!" She said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you're stalking him. Just drop him a line and let him know what's what."

"Ok, I guess I'll do that at least."

Itadori had just walked in, checking for your presence at the door. He finally saw you and walked over.

"Hey guys." He sat at the table smiling brightly.

"Hey Dori. It's good to see you." You smiled back. "How's everything at the bar?"

"It's going great. Kinda crazy though. Megz's show nearly sold out."

"What? Are you kidding me?!?"

"I kid you not. The tickets are 50 bucks, too."

"Wow! He really is becoming a rock star."

"Tell me about it. And with that kinda turnout, I'm gettin' a nice bag, too." He said, all excited. "I visited a rehearsal yesterday. They're gonna do a couple originals."

"Oh my god! That's amazing!" you exclaimed, freaking out a little.

"Yeah, I know right? If they're received well, pretty soon he'll have grown out of this venue. Of course that depends on how much more music he plans to make. But they also have to start thinking about which cities to hit next. Can't just be known in your hometown you know?"

"True. That's tough, too. Some crowds are really hard to work with. Especially if they don't know you." you grumbled from experience.

"Yeah, there is that part." Yuji agreed. "So what happened to you last night?"

You looked at him and said with a straight face, "Megumi happened."

"HA! I figured as much." he laughed.

"Tch, yeah that's what I told her. Apparently it went well though, right?" Nobara added, nodding toward you. "but, she kinda thinks Megumi sees her as a groupie."

"Yeah, no. Megz doesn't do groupies."

"What? Yeah right. Since when do guys not hook up with girls who throw themselves at them?" you inquired, since you, apparently, were one of them.

"Yea. What even makes you say that?" Nobara chimed.

Itadori went on, "I mean, he's kinda different. More … serious. He doesn't like to start ventures he's not planning to finish, and as long as I've known him, that includes women."

"I find that hard to believe." you said, chalking his advice up to him just being a good friend to his "boy".

"Yeah well, he's been like that since we were kids. He's always been driven, always wanted things to go well for himself. Which means keeping distractions to a minimum."

"Hm, I guess that's logical..." You shrugged. "Except the fact that anybody who wants to be an hoe can be a hoe. I'm just sayin."

Nobara looked at you with a "you-got-that-shit-right" face.

"Ha! Well, that's true. Buuut... situationships like that can ruin a career. Especially from where he's sittin'. Think about it. What if he got with the wrong kinda girl? Someone who brought drama or bullshit to his business, or his band. He could run the risk of losing everything. It's not worth it to him. And I can't say I blame him."

"Hmm... well, what about Choso? He doesn't seem to have a problem with that kinda thing." you pointed out.

"Yeah, well Choso's a different breed." Itadori huffed, "He's also not the leader of the band. If Megumi wanted to, he could just hire another singer. Also, Choso might act like an ass sometimes, but he's actually a great guy, and pretty serious about his friends, too. We didn't hear much from his girls last night did we?"

You frowned, "Now that you mention it, no. Not a damn peep." chuckling at that revelation.

"Megumi's a good guy. Just keep talking to him. You'll see. Communication is key and all".

"Okay. Thanks for the insight, Dori." You didn't expect him to talk shit about his boy, but... you were grateful for the info.

"Yup. You're such an overthinker. Its okay, though. I get it. But just remember, people usually think more of you than you think they do. Just relax. It'll work itself out."

"You smiled warmly at Itadori , and turned to Nobara. "Wow. You're a lucky girl, you."

"You'd better believe it." She smiled brightly and winked at him.

Itadori held his chin up as he chewed his edamame with a huge grin on his face.

You all finished your meal and parted ways.

As you approached the train station, you decided you might as well hit him up.

You: Hey Rockstar. Just dropping a line that I got called away to work. I'll miss the show :(

Not 3 minutes later, he texted you back.

Megumi: Called away?

You: Yeah. Its kinda nuts. Going to India for 2 months😅.

Megumi: Whoa. That is nuts. I was looking forward to playing for you. 😢

You: lol For me?

Megumi: Yea, for YOU.

You: Aww... Dont worry. You'll have plenty of screaming girlies out there.

Megumi: Just one screaming girlie will do. 😌

You: 🤭 Can't make money that way.

Megumi: Ha! No cap.

Megumi: So when do you get to India?

You: Plane leaves at 7, the night of your show. Takes a couple days.

Megumi: Call me after you get settled in there?

You: Sure. But... Won't you be busy?

Megumi: Maybe, but I'll make time.

Damn charmer.

You: Okay. I'll do that. ttyl

*~*~*~*~*

You got in to your hotel a full 2 days after you left home. You slept quite a bit on the plane, but were eager to wind down from being cramped in that tin can. You took a shower and headed out, since there was a restaurant on the beach where a few of your colleagues agreed to go.

You sat alone at a table, ordered a fire curry appetizer and decided to give Megumi a call since you were nice and relaxed. The restaurant played some pretty chill music.

Snooze - SZA

Megumi didn't answer.

Must surely be busy.

Your phone rang less than 5 minutes later.

"Hey. How's India?"

Your smile grew wide the second you heard his voice. "Hey... They have us set up in a beautiful hotel here in Chennai. Right now, I'm at a beachfront restaurant having curry and a delicious pineapple cocktail."

"Woooow … How nice for you." he said as he laughed quietly. "Sounds like more of a vacation than work."

You chuckled, it may feel like that now, but I'm sure it'll get quite busy here soon."

"Well, its evident that you're quite the amazing woman to have them not only depend on you, but offer that kind of treatment."

"Hey beautiful. Is anyone sitting here?" A stranger asks, stopping at your table, his hand on one of the empty chairs.

You answered, "No, But I'm actually on the phone."

"Is it your man?" the stranger asked.

"Um... no... but. I don't need any company right now, thank you."

"You sound so sweet, rejecting him." he teased. "Why didn't you tell him I'm your boyfriend?"

"Tch, because you're not?" You rolled your eyes, chuckling playfully.

He snickers over the phone. "Well damn. It'll suck for me if you get one while you're there."

"Oh yea? Why is that?"

"Because then I won't have a chance."

"A chance for what exactly?"

"To finish what we started."

"Oh okay..." you giggle. "We'll see if there's anything left of you when I get back after all those amazing shows. Your fan base is gettin crazy."

"You think so huh?"

"Of course. You're quite the phenom on the drums. And Maki... geez. All of y'all are fantastic and I'm not just gassin'. I couldn't imagine you not makin' it big."

You could hear his smile over the phone. You really missed his smile. Interestingly enough, you started to notice how good making him feel good felt to you."

"Well, thank you. We're working pretty hard."

"I bet. And... you're performing originals? How did that go at the show?"

"Better than expected, actually. We tried tracking requests for availability and got good results. We decided to go ahead and release an EP at the next show."

"Woooow... I sincerely hope you go real far, real fast. But I gotta admit, I'll miss these conversations, Rockstar."

"'Rockstar'?" Megumi huffed, "Is that how you think it is?"

"Oh yeah."

One of your colleagues yelled out to you. "Hey! You comin' to the beach with the group?" As the next song played.

Whoa - Snoh Aalegra

"Is that the same guy?" Megumi asked, curious.

"Nope, that's someone else."

"Sounds like you're more popular than you think I am."

"Yeah, right." you replied. Hmmm... now's as good a time as any, you thought. "So, did you get a chance to call Nanako back?" You asked, as you took a considerably large gulp of your Malibu Pineapple.

Megumi paused for a moment before answering. "I figured you saw that. I guess you heard the phone that morning huh?"

"How could I not. Seemed pretty urgent."

"Nanako's my ex." He let out a deep sigh. "She's uh... she's trying to rekindle things and I'm just not interested."

"Why not?"

"We don't see eye to eye. I met her at college. Through Yuta. We even dated for about a year."

"That's a long time. Why'd it end?"

"She thought I was crazy for wanting to have a solo career in music. She felt I should stick with my professors, maybe work with their connections in orchestras before pursuing an independent goal so 'lofty'. Tch. That's what she called it... 'lofty'."

"Yikes. I could see how that's a problem."

Megumi huffed. "Yeah. I mean, we had a decent relationship, I just... she didn't believe in me."

"Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's cool. I mean, it's over. That's not gonna change."

You understand the persistence an ex can be on sometimes, but like Nobara said, that could easily become an issue. And drama is definitely not your thing.

"I'm better off with people who are in my corner." Megumi continued. "Even my parents supported me when a lot of others thought I was just dreaming."

"Yeah? That's good. And definitely not something to take for granted."

"For sure." He agreed. "So you said you sing?"

"Yeah. I tried for a long time. Even laid a couple tracks down." you revealed.

"Whoa. Where are they?" Megumi asked, actually sounding excited.

"I have 'em stored at home, and of course in a file on my computer and a couple drives to avoid losing 'em."

"Can I hear them?"

"Well, they're not mixed... so ... they're really just a little music with my vocals I laid on them in pretty raw form."

"Oh I definitely wanna hear."

"Okay. But you know artists aren't supposed to distribute material that isn't registered. I mean, what if you steal it?" you joked.

"I would never." he breathed, a cute low laugh escaping his lips.

You giggled. "Of course you can hear. I'd actually love to know what you think. Though I'm kinda nervous."

"Will you sing for me in person? It'll be like a private concert."

"Ha! Even so, I'd still be super nervous. I think singing in front of one person is more nerve wracking than a crowd."

"Makes sense. One pair of eyes can be a lot more critical. But there's no need to be nervous. It's just me."

"Yea... just you." you chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a professional. I'd hate to make a fool of myself, so I'd better be able to actually sing before I present something to you."

"I get that. But in my experience, most people who can't sing don't get as far as putting anything on a track. I'm willing to bet you're pretty good. Besides, we're friends now so its not like I'd be rude to you."

"Oh we're friends now?"

"Of course. What? You don't wanna be friends with me?"

"Sure 'Megz'."

"Oh, is that what we're doing now?" he snickered, playfully. "You're calling me 'Megz'?"

"Ha! Yea. Your friends call you 'Megz' right?"

"Tch... only the good ones." He replied, with a blush you couldn't see. "I'll allow it."

"Oh, well thank you very much sir." you retorted sarcastically.

"So … now I'm curious. Why didn't you continue your music? Did you lose interest?"

"No, I just... honestly felt like I was always on my own. I worked with my dad for years. Singing in concerts, leads on his songs at events and performances. He just didn't support me the way I supported him. Life's a lot harder when you're going at it alone, you know?"

"Hmmm... Do you still talk to your dad?"

"Yea. As a matter of fact he's having a birthday dinner when I get back. I was reluctant to go, but..."

"You don't want to?"

"He's … severely narcissistic. Usually when I see him, he sits and chats about himself. He doesn't really have much interest in me. He's often rude, belittling, dismissive... It's been a while since we've talked. I plan to go and say hi, but..." You rolled your eyes.

"That's tough. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yea, it is. But, thank goodness for Nobara and Yuji. They've been so great to me. Nobara has helped me through some difficult times dealing with my dad."

"Well, I'm rooting for you. And I hope it goes well."

"Thanks Megumi. I really appreciate that coming from you."

Mr. Geto waved at you to come over to a table with colleagues for a quick word. "Well, I gotta for now. It's good to hear your voice. I hope all your rehearsals go well."

"Can I call you tomorrow?" He asked, hopeful.

"Of course!" you replied warmly. "Talk to you later."

*~*~*~*~*

'Tomorrow' came and went.

He texted you, but you couldn't talk.

The next day was the same.

They had you working crazy hours, and the communication barrier was difficult to navigate with the trainees, making you so much more exhausted after each session.

You were physically and mentally drained. You texted periodically, but by the time you were finally able to settle down and chat with your friends again, long enough for a decent conversation, it had already been 3 weeks.

Megumi had dived into tons of rehearsals with his band, especially on weekends, working hard on originals he'd planned to release in another show they would do, so his calls couldn't come as often either.

You were able to chat with Nobara, mostly during lunch breaks, but phone tag between you and Megumi became an ongoing thing. And you were too tired most evenings to talk long.

You were finally able to reach each other for a reasonable amount of time in the middle of week 4. You had meetings and classes that day, and Megumi was in rehearsal.

"When do you think I can see you?" Megumi questioned during a break as his group discussed some intricate parts of a song.

"Uh... I won't be back unt-"

"I mean, tonight. When I call you back. Can you video chat?"

You blushed. "Um... It'll probably be really late but, sure. Of course."

"That's cool." he said, "I'll be looking forward to it."

*~*~*~*~*

It was another long day. By the time you got home, it was almost 10pm. You were exhausted, but still anxious to talk to him. As soon as the door to your room closed behind you, you dropped your things, opened up the app and set up your laptop at the small office table in front of the moonlit window, facing you. You popped on your music:

Finesse - Drake

You relaxed your mind, took a deep breath, and called him.

"Hello?" after a moment of him fidgeting with the screen, his beautiful face appeared.

"Heeeeeey". You said as softly as possible, trying to contain your enthusiasm, a warm smile spread across your face the moment you saw his.

He sat at what appeared to be a desk, gazing.

There was a long moment of silence as you bit your lip, blushing, waiting for him to speak.

"How are you?" he said finally, peircing you with his eyes.

"Glad to be back here." You said, still smiling, taking a deep breath. You were so happy to see his dark blues again. "Where are you?" You noticed it looked like an office space.

"At my studio."

"What?" you said, shocked. "You have a studio? I totally assumed you guys just booked one."

"Nah. I rent it out to others to use from time to time. That's one of the reasons I get so busy. I cash in on the profit from bands renting from me, but the space itself is actually paid for by my parents."

"Wow."

"Yup, as long as I don't stop working. That was our agreement ever since I left college. I continue to work toward my dream, they'll help support the cause. They've been great."

You held such admiration for him. "You always fascinate me." you muttered, shaking your head. "You're such a pro."

Megumi smirked and blushed, "Are you still working?" He asked, noticing you're clad in your long sleeve button down blouse, and ... glasses? "You look so... corporate."

"Yeah, tell me about it." You chuckled, rolling your eyes. "I'm a little exhausted, but, I feel so much better now that I get to relax."

"If I were there, I could help you relax."

"Heh, oh I'm quite sure you could." you said, resting your head on your palm.

Megumi 's eyes scanned your features as he leaned back in his office chair at his desk, dropping his hands into his lap as he swiveled side to side slowly. All expression but adoration had gone from his features. "You are so damn beautiful".

His complement only made you blush harder. "Thank you. I'm not exactly comfy yet though until I get out of these stuffy clothes."

You looked at Megumi staring at you, not making a sound, or responding. The tension between the two of you quickly became palpable.

"Okay. Go ahead." he said, breaking the silence.

You squinted into the screen. "Go … ahead?"

"Yeah. You said you needed to take off your clothes. Go ahead."

He'd caught you off guard. You averted your eyes suddenly. "Um..." you laughed nervously. "I can't do that."

Megumi smirked, entertained at how cute you were getting all flustered. "Well, why not?"

"Because"... you replied, "What if someone sees?"

"I promise you, I'd never let that happen. This is my office. And right now, I'm the only one here." He licked his lips, still swiveling lightly in the chair. "The doors are locked. The front door and the office door. Sometimes I even sleep here."

"Oh... wow." you replied.

Thorough.

You watched him swivel as his hands moved beneath the view of the camera, under his desk as he waited patiently for you. His eyes never leaving your face.

Another song played as you locked eyes with him, drowning in his blues.

Autumn's Dreamland - A.G. Sully

His resolve never faltered. Not even slightly. He was so intimidating sometimes. Such a fucking boss. And you loved it.

You maintained eye contact as you reached up for the buttons of your blouse, undoing them slowly, one by one. The light from your laptop and of the moon glowed softly across your bare skin, more of it coming into view as you opened each one.

He stopped swiveling, once you reached the fourth, getting a peek at your hot pink satin bra covered in lace, showing from underneath. His bottom lip disappeared into his mouth, his gaze fixed.

"Are you sure I'm not distracting you from your work?"

"100% certain." He leaned into his computer with his left fist pressed into his mouth and his elbow propped up on the desk. His right hand stayed out of view.

You removed your top, revealing your beautiful lingerie, and reached up to remove your glasses.

"Leave them on." Megumi urged. "Please."

You smiled, biting your lip, running your fingers down the left side of your neck and your shoulder slowly as you watched him take you in.

"That looks like a cozy spot you have there." he said, as he peeked behind you. "Why don't you go relax on the bed?"

You turned, looking at the bed, then back to him as you blushed, realizing where this is quickly headed. You flash him a coy smirk, "Okay."

You took the laptop with you and propped it up on a stack of books on the bedside table so that he could view the bed and you clearly.

"Good girl." He said, with a smile.

Your face turned pink as you saw his beautiful smile. "You're such a tease Megumi."

"Am I?" He replied, eyebrows raised. "Who says I'm teasing?"

You cut your eyes at him, suspicious.

"You gonna finish undressing for me?"

"Really?" you huffed, kinda surprised at yourself for doing this.

"Oh Absolutely. I told you. I wanna see you. All of you." He replied.

"Can I? Please?" he requested with a smirk curling up into the side of his adorable pouty lips that made you practically melt.

My god... what is this man doing to me?

Megumi spoke as though he heard your thoughts, "If you really don't want to, you don't have to. But... I really, really want you to."

You paused for a moment, but stayed locked into his gaze as you pulled your ponytail holder from your hair, shaking it out. You stepped back from the camera so he could get a better look. You unbuttoned and unzipped your slacks, the lace top of your matching pink undies peeking out of them.

"Hmmm..." Megumi lets out a soft moan from behind the screen as he observes your movements with hooded eyes, slowly rubbing his lips with the back of his fingers, and bites down on his left thumb.

You lean into the screen, your cleavage being the only thing he sees for a moment while you shimmy out of your pants. They drop quickly, pooling around your heels.

Megumi's eyes widen. "You're wearing heels, too?!"

"Of course. I was working today." You smirk as you step back further from the camera to show him the black heels with pink soles you wore to work.

"Wow. You're stunning. I see why the guys there can't let you spend a moment alone. Can't say I blame them though. I wouldn't either."

You giggle playfully as you twirl around in your glasses, lingerie and heels.

"Oh my god … you're so gorgeous". He mutters as he's sitting there with his hand left covering his mouth. His right hand still under the table as his right arm moves ever so slightly.

You sit on the bed, peering at him, curiosity painted on your face. "What are you doing?" you giggled.

"Nothing." he lied.

"I don't believe you."

"I'm watching you, sweetness."

"Yea? But what else?" you asked, licking your lips, pressing your cleavage together as you got closer to the camera, the next song played softly:

Waterfall (I adore You) - Yebba

Megumi smirks, as if there was a small chance he didn't want you to know what he was actually up to. "Well... you have quite the affect on me. I'm enjoying the view."

"Can I see?"

"Can you see what?" he asked, teasing, but also knowing he wanted nothing more than for you to tell him.

"The affect I have on you."

"You have to say the magic word."

"Pleeeeease, Megumi?"

The moment you said that, his dick pulsed in his pants.

"May I see? Pretty please?" you begged, peeking over your glasses.

Now dying to show you, Megumi pushed his seat back from the computer, his enormous print chiseled into his dark denim jeans. He leaned back in the chair with his legs parted, propping his elbow up on the arm while his right hand groped his large bulge.

You could hardly contain your gasp as you saw him. You blushed hard and licked your lips, your core clenched so tightly you rubbed your thighs together as you body tingled all over. You turned away, gently rubbing the nape of your neck.

Megumi missed nothing. "You're hiding from me again." He scolded. I told you not to do that. You like what you see?"

Your heart pounded hard in your chest as you replied softly, "Yes."

"Then why don't you be a good girl and show me how much you like it?"

Your desire for him surged through every part of you in an instant. Pure want and arousal began to show up all over your face.

You moved back away from the screen, positioning yourself in the middle of he bed, leaning back on your palms, rubbing your legs together.

"There's my girl. Now open up those legs for me."

Your heart felt as if it would pound right out of your chest. Your body temperature rose steadily as he spoke. Need coursing hot through your veins as you breathing became heavier.

Why does this man have such an affect on me?

"Whats the matter, sweetness?' Megumi teased, seeing your reaction, and realizing you were no more immune than he was.

"I'm. . ." you opened your legs up slowly. Your cute pink undies revealed a spot slightly darker in color than the rest of the fabric.

Megumi suddenly began breathing heavier himself. "Mmhh...You're wet." his tongue peeked out from the corner of his parted lips.

"Yes." you breathed.

He leaned in to the screen, resting his mouth between his thumb and first finger. "Why is that? Hm?"

"I... I don't know." You began to squirm on the bed as your body betrayed you, refusing to conceal your feelings. Your eyes grew heavier.

"Sure you do."

Your pupils widened as adrenaline coursed through your body.

"Is there something you want?" Megumi asked, softly.

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

"I want … Megumi."

"Yea? And what do you want from me exactly?"

"I want Megumi... to touch me."

"Touch you where?"

You slid your hand from you hip, around to your inner thigh, sliding your fingers slowly up you middle, flinching as you touched your clit, throwing your head back.

Megumi's eyelids lowered slowly as he felt the adrenaline coarse through him. "You want me to touch you there? With what?" His voice, soft and low.

"With … with your hands." you moaned.

"And what else? Do you want anything else?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you want from me. Tell me clearly, exactly what you want from me."

"I want... I want Megumi's cock. Inside me."

Megumi took a deep breath as he watched you rub your hot middle with your fingers. You breaths were deep and heavy, as you writhed in desire. In want, in need of him.

"I want Megumi here."

"Take off your panties and let me see you." Megumi breathed.

You did as you were told.

Your Interlude - Sabrina Claudio

Blended into the air as Megumi pushed his seat back again, spread his legs open, and unzipped his pants. He released his thick dick, rubbing it from base to tip in his large hand, his eyes glued to the screen, glazed over as he bit his lip. Arousal painted all over his face.

Seeing him touch himself, holding that beautiful cock completely outside of your reach, your body called out to him fiercely. You laid your back down on the bed as you squirmed, aching for his thickness to be pressed inside you.

You squeezed your legs together as you covered yourself with your hand in an attempt to satiate yourself.

"No, baby..." Megumi commanded. "Open up. . . I want you to open up nice and wide for me. Let me see that pretty pussy."

You opened your legs slowly, revealing to him that you're dripping onto the bed as you massaged yourself with your hand.

"Fuck. You're so wet, for me baby. I want you so bad."

"Haah... I want you, too." You begin moving your fingers around in circles on your throbbing clit, as your entire body begged for Megumi's touch. You arched your back, pressing your head into the soft bed. "I remember... how you felt."

Megumi's stroked his cock as he listened to the sound of your sweet voice, and watched you writhe in desire for him.

"I remember your hands as they touched me." You lifted your other hand, squeezing your breasts. "Your lips, on my clit... how they kissed and sucked me... haaaah... ~Megumi..."

Megumi's brow furrowed hard against itself as you called out to him. his dick was rock hard, throbbing against in his hands, pulsing and calling back to you, as he stroked himself to your beautiful body.

"Your … your tongue..." you moaned, "How you … licked me over and over. Megumi... please... I want you so bad."

Chills went up and down his spine and goosebumps covered his skin as he watched you pleasure yourself by mimicking with your hands all the things he did to you that night.

He gazed lecherously, white hot longing in his veins. He fisted his length, squeezing and panting, wishing your wet, throbbing pussy was covering him, pressing down on it. An insatiable thirst took over, to feel your slick heat take every inch of him in.

Your fingers, now sopping with your wetness, slipped into your hole as he watched. Your moans were music to his hears, pulling the same from his mouth as his entire body trembled with erotic fervor.

His eyes... his hands... his lips... so visible, yet unable to touch you, drove your desire to the brink of unbearable as you pumped your fingers in and out of your core.

Megumi couldn't take his eyes off you. Your sexy heels pressing into the bed, your pretty legs curving up to your hips, your hands massaging places he couldn't, the beautiful arch in your back, the line in your neck leading up to your soft lips that called out his name.

He wanted to take you so badly. To drive his thick dick deep into your cunt, pound you relentlessly, and fill you up, making you his.

His large hands moved even faster across his cock as his frustration built from watching you cum all on your own, from thoughts of him.

You both peaked as your arousal poured out all over your hands. Megumi squeezed and pulled his throbbing, aching cock until his come spilled all over his...

He came, right there in his office, wanting, needing, aching to be inside you.

You both stared into the camera, breathless, looking into each others eyes through the blue screen. Realizing yet again your indescribable yearning, your thirst for one another that can only be quenched by closing the distance.

"When you get back here," Megumi proclaimed, catching his breath, "I want you to come to me. Come straight to me."

"Yes," you promised. "I will."

*~*~*~*~*

It seemed that night, seeing him that way, made things much harder. If you weren't thinking of him before, that sure as hell wasn't the case now.

Megumi was always on your mind.

Unfortunately, you got even busier as you drew closer to the end of your stay in India. Your team was leaving soon, so they wanted to be sure they took full advantage of your presence there.

At this point, all you wanted was to just get home. You wanted to see him. By the time your last day there arrived, you could barely concentrate on work.

Texting wasn't anywhere near enough. And since he had a show every week now, he was even harder to reach.

It felt as though this man had taken over your every thought. You longed to feel his touch. His eyes. His presence.

Your thoughts of Megumi were clouding your mind, spreading throughout your body like the sound of music on airwaves.

And now, you were finally on your way home.

You touched down at about 3pm, and though you remembered your promise you were also tremendously exhausted. Tired after being tugged every direction from your superiors and subordinates, and now you could add jetlag to the mix on top of attending a dinner.

You decided to go straight home and get some rest so you'd be prepared for whatever fresh hell was waiting for you at this event.

You were irritable. Anxious. Uncomfortable. And you really didn't want to drag Megumi into it. You just wanted to get it over with and go home. You told yourself you'd call him when it was over.

You showed up at a beautiful 4 star restaurant at 7pm in the heart of the city, relatively close to the place Megumi would play tomorrow night.

Why cant I stop thinking about him?

I wish he were here with me.

You felt so desired with Megumi. But still felt like you needed to keep a safe distance. He's on the fast track to success, and you really didn't want to be a distraction to him in any way. Regardless of your level of intimacy, you genuinely cared about him.

You were torn between complete and utter submission to your feelings, and maintaining some semblance of control, for your sake, or for his... Or … both?

When you walked in to the restaurant, your dad's party was set up in a private room filled with around 25 people. He was sitting with his buddies, chatting at the long dining table. You gave him his gift and said hello as you leaned in to speak to your grandmother.

Take Me Home - The Paper Kites

Played on the system. "I don't like those kinds of dresses they really make me look fat." she said to you, completely disregarding any type of formal greeting. "Turn around so I can see the back." She said, grabbing your arm, spinning you like you were a display rack at a truck stop. "You really shouldn't wear that either." she insulted.

You were already aching to leave.

Your dad said hi, giving you an uncomfortably crushing hug, and introduced you to the table as his 'talented daughter'. "She's super talented, but not as good as me!" he laughs at himself.

You thought of what it must have been like to have supportive parents like Megumi's as you sat at the table to order dinner. It was extremely hard to imagine. His life is truly admirable.

After nearly an hour of backhanded compliments, blatant insults, being interrupted mid-sentence, and ignored during any moment you mentioned anything about you, you couldn't take any more.

You felt like you were suffocating, surrounded by mean people you had no choice but to be with. People who really didn't give a shit about you. And this was family. Asking for a normal conversation among them was like pulling teeth.

All the rude comments, disrespect and/or disregard for others your dad practiced, even to the people he called "friends", your grandmother dug right in and either defended him or egged him on with phony laughs, then would turn right around and talk shit about him to the person sitting next to her.

She spent a lot of time putting on this "sweet" and "harmless" persona in public, but constantly belittled and hurt people in private. But she always made sure her insults were dressed up with a smile.

You'd tried. God how you'd tried. Tried talking to him, and to her. Many times. Tried heart to hearts that always resulted in them either walking away and not taking responsibility, or accountability for their behavior, or simply gaslighting you for speaking on it.

And today, no way were they gonna trap you into making a complete fool of yourself in public for calling them out on bullshit they know they're doing. Only to be gaslit again.

It was enough. You couldn't breathe. "I gotta go, Dad." You walked out of the event, even as he and your grandmother were asking you to stay. The contrast between your friends and family was glaring.

As soon as the fresh air hit your face you felt a weight lifted. Like you were released from prison. You walked what felt like 2 miles down the street in your dress and heels not realizing your cheeks were colder due to tears pouring down your face.

Why are they always like this?

Now I really can't call him. I can't dump all this on him.

You hailed a taxi and made it home.

You found yourself calling Nobara as you settled inside, telling her how it went. You let her go after a few minutes, trying to keep yourself from burdening her too much with your problems, and cried yourself to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

Today was Megumi's show.

You wanted to go. You really did but … you felt like you needed more rest. A break. From everything. From doing anything. Being anything right now was just too much. You just didn't want to deal with any more right now.

You missed him but didn't call him because you knew he'd be busy; Preparing for the show, the show itself, the after party.

But... he called you.

You didn't answer.

Obviously not because you didn't want to talk, but because if you did, the venting, the waterworks, the unloading would start. Nobara had put up with you for years, the poor thing. But... would Megumi even understand?

Would he even want to deal with me if he knew how fucked up I am?

And now, since you'd waited so long, you were afraid to talk to him, afraid that he'd maybe want to end things. You didn't want to hear that from him. Not him.

He was your inspiration. One of the few lights you had in this world that lit up your life with happiness and brightness and fun. You didn't want to do anything to ruin that.

And you didn't want to bring him down. Unloading your hurt on to him isn't fair. He has so much going for him, why disrupt that?

How could you?

Nobara called. You didn't answer her either.

I'll just let this day pass. I'm tired.

~I'll just give everyone a break from dealing with me.

You had planned to go out with Nobara again tomorrow. A girls night.

I'll see her then.

And I'll hopefully see him... later.

*~*~*~*~*

Nobara scolded you as you sat at the bar.

Roslyn - Ben Pellow

Played on the speaker. "I told you. When you're having trouble like that, you can come to me." She urged.

"I know, but... I don't wanna be a burden." you replied.

"Why would you think you'd be a burden? Besides, you can't decide that for me. I'm your friend. I don't want you suffering alone. I love you. I care about what happens to you. I want you to be safe and happy."

"I'm sorry. I just … they were so awful. And I mean, combined with the way I was feeling after coming back from that trip, I was far too overwhelmed."

"Yeah. I could imagine." Nobara started. "I did talk you into going. I'm sorry if I pressured you."

"Oh my god no, it's not that at all. Attending wasn't the issue. I just … need them to treat me better. Although that'll probably never happen." You said, fidgeting with the bottom of your wine glass.

She paused for a minute as she looked down stirring her drink with her straw. "Megumi... asked about you." She continued without looking up.

It didn't sound like a good report.

"He was wondering if you got home ok. Asked if we'd heard from you. I told him I'd meet with you today."

You looked at her, considering what she said about you not reaching out to her. You looked outside the window as it started to rain. Turns out you did the last thing you wanted to.

Tears began pooling in your eyes. "I uh … I disappointed him. Didn't I?"

Nobara bit her bottom lip as she took a breath. "Look, we're almost done here." she said, finally looking up.

"This is the address to his studio." She put it into your phone. "He asked me to have you come by after our dinner. It's pretty close to this place. "Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes by taxi."

"I cant leave you here alone. It's late."

"Dori's on his way."

"Oh. Okay." you plugged an Uber ride into your phone. "Thanks Nobara. I love you. And I'm sorry."

"I love you too. Talk to him. Okay?"

*~*~*~*~*

You stood outside of his studio looking at the door, actually scared to face him clad in your little black slip dress and heels you wore out with Nobara. The rain started coming harder, so you went ahead inside without waiting for someone to come to the door.

When you walked in, Megumi was at his kit, practicing

Lippincott - Animals as Leaders

He didn't notice you at first, considering how loud he was playing. His eyes were closed, he was in his zone. You approached him slowly, nervously, fidgeting as you drew closer.

It was like it had been an eternity since you'd seen him play, also as insane as it was, he'd actually improved. You creeped forward, watching in amazement as he pulled off some of the most complex beats you'd heard from him yet.

He was mesmerizing to watch.

God. He's even more beautiful than I remember.

He smashed the last beat, and stopped immediately when he saw you. He stood up from his kit, breathing heavily, biting his lip in silence as he stared at you.

You averted your eyes down toward your fidgety hands, his gaze and dominance consuming you, as it always does.

That powerful presence of his.

"Nobara, she..." you glanced at him, catching a glimpse of his dark blues for a moment before looking away again. "she said you wanted me to come here. I can see you're busy, so I can-" you pointed toward the door.

"No." Megumi propped his sticks across his snare and walked away from the set slowly toward you, stopping a foot away. He stared for a moment, panting a bit. "I'm fine."

You seriously had a hard time looking him in the eye.

"Nobara told me about what happened …" he started, his breathing slowing, compassion and softness in his tone, blending with the soothing sound of the rain patting the roof. "...with your dad. That you had a hard time. I'm sorry."

"It's um... it's nothing." you huffed as you shook your head.

"It's not nothing. It's something. And it matters. You matter."

You glanced up at him for a second as he spoke those words, working hard to fight back more tears. You could feel your body trembling. It's possible he could see it, too.

"Come with me". he said, leading you to another door adjacent to the large room he played the drums in.

It was the office you saw during your video chat. It was much bigger than you'd imagined. There was a large window on the back wall, opposite the door, covered with blinds and thick black curtains. His swivel chair was positioned in front of the window, facing his desk, where his computer sat.

"Wait here for a sec." he asked, as he disappeared out the office door.

There was a large, plush rug in the middle of the room, and directly in front of you, a few feet from the door, was the back of a huge fluffy black suede couch which faced his desk. It was enormous, a half sectional, and must have been the one he'd slept on. There was no coffee table in front of it, but 2 small tables on either side. In addition to a loveseat on the left, and a chair on the right.

Your eyes traveled up the walls, widening as you noticed they were covered with accolades of all kinds. Photos of him, with different artists, awards and plaques from high school to after college, along with documented achievements and signatures.

Megumi was far more accomplished than you'd ever known. Albeit not a surprise to you. Seeing that on his wall, in his office, was awe-inspiring. He's a formidable man. An amazing man. But... you knew that. Right from the start.

His speaker was on low, playing

Snoh Aalegra - Do For Love

as you heard him locking up the front before he made it back into the office and closed the door, also locking that behind him.

"Megumi, I just... I didn't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I couldn't just..." you trailed off, realizing you were just posturing.

"This sounds familiar. You told me you'd be here."

"I know. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to lie." you expressed with genuine regret, fighting back more tears.

He stared at you for what felt like an eternity. Your eyes refused to make contact with his out of fear you'd start bawling.

"I thought about calling you. Maybe asking you to go with me and-"

"I would have." He interrupted. "I would've gone with you. Been there for you. I would have supported you."

"But you were busy... I didn't want to impose..."

"You can't decide that for me. That's my decision to make. My decision, if I'm too busy, or if what you say or do is too much. I decide if it's too much for me. Its not."

As he spoke, he noticed you constantly shying away from him. "Look at me. Please."

You lifted your face up slowly, your eyes reaching his last. The look on his face surprised you. Even pained you a little. He looked genuinely hurt. Concerned. A hard line formed between his brows, his eyes, searching yours for reason. "I missed you".

You felt your heart skip a beat and whispered, "I missed you, too. And I'm sorry".

"Do you? He muttered, "and … are you?" concern still apparent in his features.

You gazed up at him, taking a deep breath. "Of course."

The longing in his eyes was far more than apparent than any form of frustration. "Show me." he requested.

"Show you... what?" You squinted, confused.

"That you're sorry."

A series of questions flooded your mind.

What? - being the most obvious.

"Show me that you're sorry." He repeated, seeing the confusion in your eyes. "Take off your dress and kneel".

You flinched, as your eyebrows shot up "Excuse me?"

"You … were bad." His dark blues piercing a hole directly into your eyes, making it clear that he's kidding you not, apparently.

"You lied. You neglected me." he slowly took two steps back toward his desk, leaned against it, crossing his arms and legs. He repeated, "You said you're sorry. So... Take off your dress... and kneel."

You stood watching him for a moment, your lips slowly parted, mimicking a jaw drop as you stared. He was dead serious.

You were searching your brain for the reason you were actually, even for a second, considering doing what he asked - no - told you to do. After scraping your upper molars with your tongue, in awe of the sheer size of his balls, your body began to move … In obedience.

You raised your dress up past your hips, pausing for a moment. You looked up at him as if expecting him to stop you. He didn't.

He simply stood there, looking away, waiting for you to do as he asked. His blank expression giving you no indication of emotion.

You continued, sliding your dress up over your curves, revealing more of your smooth, bare skin in the dimly lit room.

You tugged it over your breasts then up over your head and around your hair as it flung over your right shoulder.

You then tossed it on to the chair as you stood revealed, covered only in your black lace lingere and black heels.

Megumi slowly turned his face back to look at you. As his eyes took you in, you hear something similar to a gasp as you looked down toward the floor.

He pushed himself off of his desk, his hands behind his back. He took two slow strides toward you, stopping at your chest just centimeters shy of your body. He turned his head toward you, his hot breath wafting down your neck as he whispered, "Kneel".

You did as you were told, lowering your body slowly, planting one knee after the other on to the carpet, facing the window.

He grabbed a pillow from the chair, dropping it lightly to the floor in front of you.

You leaned in, sliding your knees on the pillow, far too nervous - and embarrassed - to meet his gaze, still looking down to the floor.

Megumi walked around you slowly, his gaze like warm soft hands, exploring all over your body... that tangible gaze you loved, covering you, regardless of what he was doing.

What was he doing?

Is this a...

punishment?

or … a consequence of some sort?

"I told you to come to me." He started, his voice firm and resolute. "I said, 'come straight to me'. I would have taken care of you. Given you what you wanted, or needed. I wanted to see you... touch you. I wanted to be with you. That's something that only you could give me. You promised me you would, but you didn't. And now... you will."

He stood in front of you, his waist, mere inches from your face.

"Take off my belt."

Your heart was racing, you mind wandering. What is he planning? Yet... you could see his bulge, his manhood begging for release from behind the confines of his jeans.

You did as you were told.

You reached up to his buckle, your core clenching at the sight of him. Your heart beat harder than ever as your trembling hands slid the leather strap through the buckle. Something about this was exciting.

You tried to avoid his bulge as you leaned in to pull the strap from the loops, your face mere centimeters away, as you finally slid it off.

He took the belt from your hands and walked behind you. After a few moments, you suddenly see the belt strap float past your face, resting across your collar bone. He'd wrapped it around your neck, securing it loosely in one of the notches he'd just created. The cold leather making your body shiver, the metal buckle sending a chill down your spine as it touched your skin.

He walked back around to face you. "Is this making you angry?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stop?"

You hesitated a moment, giving it sincere thought. "No."

He crossed his arms in front of him, "... what's your favorite color?"

Your brow furrowed a bit, "Turquoise."

"If you want me to stop. I'll stop immediately. If at any moment this becomes unbearable for you... say, 'Turquoise'. Do you understand?"

'Unbearable'?

Goosebumps pressed forward all over your body. "Yes."

Your heart was beating even faster now. You had never been here before. It was...

Slightly scary... but...

Somehow...

Wildly arousing...

What the hell is happening?

It was as if you were meeting a brand new version of yourself for the first time in your life. A version that you were surprised to find you enjoyed.

You slowly looked up at his face... as your gaze met his, your core clenched from deep inside you as if jump-starting your heart. Your breathing became heavier.

"Once we begin... Do not take your eyes off of mine. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

As your gaze remained glued to his, he unzipped his jeans, pulling them down. They pooled around his ankles as he stepped out of them. He was wearing deep red boxer briefs with a black band. They looked amazing on him. "Pull it out."

You had to grip the band of his boxers in each hand in order to pull them down. Your body tingled as your fingers made contact with his bare skin.

They grazed his smooth abs in front of each hip, as they curved down into the band, sliding outward around his waist, pulling them down over his perfectly round ass, then curving back around across his hipbone toward the smooth, jet black strands that trickled down his v-line.

He was rock hard, the fabric pulling taut against him. The band struggled over his bulge as you pulled them down. It sprang free; his large, throbbing cock, right in front of you. It was so... fucking beautiful.

The sight of it nearly made me cum...

"Take it in your hands and look at me."

Attempting to maintain your composure, you gripped the shaft, in both fucking hands. The moment you touched it, a shiver went through your entire body. It's temperature hot against your skin as clear fluid seeped from the tip.

You felt him flinch immediately also. You took a deep breath as you looked up at him. He trembled against your hand, his eyes closed, breathing hitched and heavy.

Tension spread like lightning throughout your body. You felt the slick, pooling between your legs, saliva filling your mouth as the fire inside you burned fiercely.

He slowly opened his eyes, holding your gaze. He ran his fingers through your hair, gripping it into a messy ponytail in the back of your head, held in place by his right hand.

He gripped the loose strap of the belt in his left, wrapping it in a firm hold. As you locked eyes with him, he spoke clearly and deeply, "Open your mouth".

... fuck! I almost came again...

Your entire body felt as if it were closing in on itself.

You did as you were told.

"Now... make me come." He pulled you forward by your "collar", your tongue making first impact on the thick, smooth tip. It was warm. Precum glazed your tongue, mixing with your saliva. The heady, slightly salty flavor blended with his familiar aroma, flooding your senses.

Tastes So Good - Sabrina Claudio

Played as your brow furrowed and dizziness took over. It was as if you'd been holding your breath, starving, for months. You exhaled on contact, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. The taste of him...

The tender part of your lips wrapped firmly around him, gliding smoothly across his veiny shaft. Your body grew increasingly weaker as you fell under hypnosis. Tiny moans escaped your vocal chords as you trembled uncontrollably.

Megumi missed nothing. "Keep your eyes up here."

His voice... you slowly looked up into his eyes as your head bobbed, your tongue tracing the lines in his throbbing member as he pulled you further onto him. His fucking eyes... you had yet to see such fire.

I'm... so... so wet...

The desire to shove his cock between your legs grew more intense by the second. Your knees shook underneath you, pressing deeper into the pillow.

As Megumi observed your face, your quivering body, your glazed over blown out eyes, your pink cheeks, he groaned deeply, his mouth gaped open as his breathing hitched. His eyebrows pressed together as he watched you take him deeper down your throat.

He gripped your hair tighter. "That's it, sweetness. Very good..."

A chill went up and down your spine as he spoke. You wrapped your lips around him tighter, sucking a little harder, hoping to pull more praise from his mouth and more come from his cock.

Megumi's eyes fluttered shut as he threw his head back, thrusting his hips forward as he slowly fucked his dick into your mouth, only covering a fraction of his length.

You responded, just as a good girl should, using your hands to compensate for the parts of this beautifully engorged thing that your mouth struggled to envelop. Using your saliva to coat him, you hummed against his length savoring his heat and his flavor.

The sound of his moans were utterly intoxicating, urging your boldness forward. You gazed longingly into his eyes as you sucked him off, your hips moving, telltale signs of just how good all of this was making you feel.

Your brow furrowed in a silent plea for his approval as his dick pumped in and out of your pretty little mouth.

Megumi smirked, locs of your hair tickling his wrist as he yanked at your collar, widening your throat with each thrust as he continued fucking his cock into your face. "Yeah... Good girl." he grunted.

Noticing your constant trembling and the flutter of your eyes, he tilted his head, glancing between your thighs. His eyes widened, finding that you were dripping down your legs.

He gasped at the sight, a sharp tinge of adrenaline pulsing through his thick pretty cock as you held it in your mouth and your hands.

Your eyes closed as more of Megumi's precum spilled onto your tongue. You raised your chin up toward him, your pupils wide and your mouth wider, showing him just how good you can be for him.

Edging toward release at the sight of you, his hips bucked forward as he trembled, throwing his head back again, his hand tightening even more around your makeshift collar, the other around your hair.

He hissed "Aaah yes... I'm gonna come. Your mouth feels fucking incredible." He moaned as his thrusts stifled in pace. His mouth remained open, granting him more oxygen as he peaked. "Fuck! Don't stop."

As he pressed in deeper, pulling the leather and pushing his swollen head toward the back of your tiny throat, you hummed against him, with a slight gag and more saliva slipping past your fingers, tears pricking at your eyes.

You moved your hands faster, squelching and tightening your grip as they slid up and down his shaft, your wet tongue dancing around the tip, your lips plumped from the friction.

"I'm coming... fuck! I'm coming..." he moaned, trembling.

You tightened your mouth around him as you felt the warm, thick liquid shoot out from his tip to the back of your throat. The sound of his voice, the sensation of his strong hands shaking as it gripped your head, the pull of the collar, his moans as he came, all unbearably intoxicating.

Sure to lock onto his gaze, you raise your head as you pull him from your mouth, your lips sliding across the shaft all the way to the tip. You stayed there, your tongue orbiting and gliding over his slit, gently sucking the sensitive head, pulling every drop from inside.

Megumi practically doubled over in pleasure as he watched you suck at his oversensitive dick, a few more times for good measure, then letting go with a wet, satisfying smack.

He frowned deeply, still trembling and gawking at you in awe. He lifted his hand to your chin, pressing his thumb past your wet lips as he slipped it into your mouth, rubbing your tongue, finding no remnants of his seed. He stood there for a moment smirking, catching his breath, his dick refusing to lower its head. "Shit..." He moaned... "That's my good girl."

His praise satiated you. Gratified you. Megumi was fucking delectable. Inside and out. The pleasure that came with satisfying him was nothing short of incredible.

You wanted more. Needed more.

But... You were dying for him to... just … touch you. Aching for him to put his hands on your body. You desired him. Craved him.

In this short time, your connection, your compatibility, your chemistry, was all so perfectly aligned, regardless of anything else.

Megumi clearly wants you. Just you. And you wanted him back.

"Please..." you whispered.

Megumi froze at the sound of your voice.

"Please... touch me..." you pleaded.

Genuinely perplexed, he asked, "Am I not touching you now?"

"Please, Megumi." You answered as you looked up at him, trembling.

"I need … to feel your hands. ... just touch me. Anywhere... Everywhere... I want you, Megumi." as your tears welled, you allowed them to finally fall from your eyes.

Megumi held your hand, kneeling, wrapping his arm around your waist as he helped you up, your shaky legs threatening to give out from underneath you.

He cupped your cheek as he stabilized you with his strong arm, and pressed his lips against yours in a passionate kiss that reinforced the longing apparent in every bit of his touch. His tongue danced excitedly across yours, his lips, caressing and sucking your softly.

"How's this?" He purred as he slid the back of his hand down your cheek, curving his fingers around to the nape of your neck.

"Perfect," you whispered, as you relaxed in his arms.

"Good." He muttered, "because we're not finished yet." pressing your cheek with his as he began kissing you on your neck. He then turned, and in one quick movement, pulled a handle on the couch, converting it into a bed.

"What the..?" you couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, I told you I have to sleep here sometimes. May as well be comfortable, right?" He shrugged, grinning.

"True … but uh … how many others have been here?" you asked, half joking, half thinking this might be where brings his fans?

Megumi turned his head toward you quickly, then chuckled as he held his head down. He looked back up at you with a grin. "Just you."

You cut your eyes at him in disbelief. "Just me, huh?"

He observed your expression, as he attempted to subdue a laugh, knowing how crazy it must've sounded to you. He paused for a second, then took a breath, "Do you have any idea, how expensive some of the things in this place are?" He squinted.

"Well..." you had some idea, but...

"I'm not asking out of arrogance … Maki and Yuta? They each have two guitars here. My kit, Toge's computers, one of his keyboards, and a Yamaha, Choso's mic's, not to mention the recording equipment, speakers, and …" He shook his head. "If I wanna bring somebody around for just a night, it damn sure won't be here."

Your eyebrows jumped as you smirked, pressing your lips into a hard line. "Makes sense..."

Megumi stepped toward you. His hand reaching up for your cheek as he leaned in to you, taking a breath wrapping his arm back around your waist as he pulled you close. His fingers grazed your chest as he gripped the strap of the belt, still hanging from your neck. "Are you okay with this?" And you knew he didn't mean just that.

You looked up at him as he leered at you though hooded blues. A sly, mischievous grin curling up into the corner of his mouth.

A chill went up your spine as you whispered, "Yes sir."

He leaned in to your ear, blessing you with those soft kisses you love, tickling your lobe. "Good..."

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"...'cause I'm your Daddy now."

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<< Set 2 / Set 4 >>

Set 4 Preview: "... “We’d better go… before I lose control and devour you right here”.

Your heart skipped a beat, electricity surging through your veins as he spoke. What this man does to your body is sometimes inexplicable. But he was right. It’s time to go, or you’ll become extremely irresponsible in this moment.

You let out a heavy sigh, lifting your head up as he held you, looking into his eyes with a sultry gaze, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence. “Then let’s go, baby.” You whispered. Then leaned over to the couch, grabbing your bag and jacket. ..."

Thanks for reading! ✨🥰✨

Notes: As always, I welcome any and all critiques, suggestions, and comments regarding my work, since I truly feel all of those may make me a much better writer! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my little stories, and if you'd like to be tagged in releases, don't hesitate to comment below! 😊💖🎶

©cocomanga 2024 | Please do not plagiarize, copy, or distribute my work.

Fanart Art: Courtesy of @Pinterest/@Berserker049 Ombre Caution/DNI & Animated lines: Courtesy of @CafeKitsune

[randoimago]

Music Ask Game

So I reblogged a music ask game a few days ago and decided that I wanted to just do all of them for fun. All links go to the song on Spotify!

Put it under the cut cause it gets lengthy! Also, TW for blood mention for song 19!!

A song you liked as a child - Dust in the Wind b. Kansas (I was a fun child 😅 )

A song that features an element (earth/fire/water/air) - Tempted to drop September b. Earth, Wind, & Fire and call it a day. But let's go with we're all eating each other b. Juliet Ivy

A song you’d choose to introduce someone to your favorite genre - Idk if I have a favorite genre since I listen to all kinds of music. Maybe I'd go with ZITTI E BUONI b. Måneskin or Usseewa b. Ado if I was getting people into music in other languages.

A song you’d put on a playlist for a character you love - Giving me the urge to make character playlists yet again. Ngl, I can't decide if Itadori would go nuts about Otaku Hot Girl cause Megan Thee Stallion mentioned his name, or if he'd be crying cause of Gojo's name being in the chorus (should've been me, not him meme)

A song you think most of your followers won’t have heard before - Hmm I feel like I have a wide range of followers so I'll use one of my favorite songs just to see if anyone else enjoys it! Too Much Heaven b. Bee Gees

A song that makes you think of a family member - Stairway to Heaven b. Led Zeppelin. It was my great aunt's favorite song and I miss her every day (I was very close to her, one of the few people in my extended family that I cared about)

A song you know every word to - This also applies to a lot of songs😅 I guess most recently it'd be Espresso b. Sabrina Carpenter

A song from a soundtrack - Ooh there's lots of songs I enjoy from soundtracks. I'll go with I Just Can't Wait to Be King from The Lion King soundtrack (favorite Disney song ngl, Zero to Hero is a close 2nd)

A song in a language you don’t speak - I usually talk about Japanese music and sometimes Kpop so let's try a different language this time! Не вистачає кисню b. Alice Change

A song that makes you feel relaxed - I'll go with H.S b. Tom Cardy. It just makes me happy to listen to it and gives happy vibes.

A song that makes you dance - Just a Girl b. No Doubt always makes me want to reenact cheesy 80's movie "dance "let's dance and go crazy" scenes

A song from the 90s - The urge to put Running in the 90's b. Max Coveri and call it a day is so strong. (looked it up and jokes on everyone, the song came out in 1998, it counts 😎)

A song by a performer you’ve seen live - This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race b. Fall Out Boy. First ever concert I ever went to was FOB back in 2016 (I think? I know I was a sophomore in highschool but I don't remember the exact date).

A song you love to sing along to - There's so many that I love singing too. I guess right now we'll go with Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) b. Eurythmics

A song you’d play for a toddler - My parents had me listening to The Rolling Stones and Guns n' Roses when I was a kid so what would I play for a toddler 🤔 Prison Song b. System of a Down. Gotta start the anarchy young 😤

A song that makes you think of an old (or current) crush - Do Re Mi b. Blackbear. I swear the relationship ended on a good note! She's the one that got me into Blackbear and that was her favorite song

A cover song - Baby Got Back b. Jonathan Colton (it's one of my favorite covers ever ngl. I also enjoy Jonathan Colton's music very much)

A song you’d play to set the mood on a date - Megalovania jokes aside, it depends on what the date is. Although, playing the Undertale soundtrack as background noise would be pretty chill (it'd also be me testing to see if my partner has good taste)

A song that makes you emotional - Susie Q b. Creedence Clearwater Revival. Typically not a sad song, but the reason behind it is a bit depressing 😅. My dad used to play guitar all the time when I was a kid and I'd request him to play that song because I loved listening to him play it so much. And then back in 2018 he had a heart attack and we learned he has diabetes. Things have gotten worse since and now his hands are really bad so he can't play guitar without bleeding. It just makes me emotional thinking that I might not be able to hear him play that song again. Like I said, a bit depressing.

(I didn't do 20 cause it's "a song you'd put on the playlist of the person who sent you this ask" and idk if there's any song I'd add to my own playlist unless you guys want to suggest songs for me to listen to!)