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mercy-burning · 4 years

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I Felt A Burning (Songbird Chapter 3)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: As it turns out, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Reader finds herself missing Spencer while he’s away, so the two of them find unique ways to spend time with one another. Rating: 18+ Warnings: Smut (penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, dirty talk, male and female masturbation, squirting), Language Word Count: 6.3k

SERIES MASTERLIST SERIES PLAYLIST (new songs added with the release of each new chapter)

NOTE: Sorry this is a little late.. This series is giving me a rough time at the moment, so I’ll probably need a little time to work out some of the kinks (pun intended?) but I’m still very excited to share the rest with you, because I do think it’s going to end up being one of my favorite things I’ve ever written!

So, this month I’m going to take some time to work on requests for my 1k celebration (More info on that here if you want to check it out and send in some requests), and once they’re all complete, I’ll come back to Songbird! It’s not technically on hold, but chapter updates will probably stay pretty spread out while I try to make each one the best they can be 🥰

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

***

"I've never seen him this attached to his phone, it's almost like he's a whole different person."

I don't think JJ realized I could hear her, and she probably thought I wasn't paying attention. To be fair, I wasn't paying that much attention. But I had to be cautious; As much as I loved texting with Y/N, I knew what my friends would do if they found out the nature of our conversations. Or that I was texting a woman outside of a professional setting... Or that I was texting a woman at all.

"I wonder who could have him that caught up," I heard Emily say.

Deciding to take matters into my own hands, I spoke up, keeping my eyes locked on my screen. "Her name is Sudoku. It's something to do to pass the time."

"Oh, so he is alive," Emily quipped, and everyone laughed. I even let out a little smile. "Why invest money in a smartphone when you don't even like the technology? I mean, you can buy puzzle books for like a dollar a piece, anyway..."

The first time Y/N texted me a... rather scandalous photo of herself, I'd ended up having to wait until I got home, transferring and downloading the file to my computer there because I couldn't get it on my phone. And then she called me and said that if we were going to do this properly I needed to be able to see the photos while I was away, otherwise there wouldn't be a point.

And the funny thing was, I didn't hesitate to purchase a smartphone immediately after we hung up.

I have to say, it was really handy. Sure, it was still taking some getting used to. And I much preferred my old phone, but getting to experience these rather adventurous text exchanges with her made it all worth it.

"Endless puzzles on the free app is much cheaper than buying a new book every few days. It's not bad," I finally said.

Just as Derek mentioned something about Penelope finally 'bringing me to the dark side', my phone buzzed in my hand and my heart buzzed in my chest.

The rest of the team talked amongst themselves, leaving me to 'my game' and I was glad to have a cover.

But when I opened the message and saw the photo Y/N sent me, I felt like the most obvious person in the world. Surely there was no way that no one else didn't know what I was looking at, right? Because I felt my face get hot, and something equally warm stirred in my lower stomach.

Shifting my bag over my lap just in case, I swallowed and examined the photo further.

The camera framed her body from the top of her mouth to her chest. She was completely bare, her bottom lip formed in a pout and saliva leaking out and down her chin. My eyes followed the trail down to her exposed breasts, where a round, red lollipop was covering her right nipple. I could barely see her piercing from behind it.

My phone buzzed again with another photo attachment, this time revealing a different angle. The lollipop was positioned right above her clit, just barely touching it, and looked like she was dripping wet. Immediately I wondered whether or not she'd touched herself with the lollipop, and if so, had she tasted herself on the candy? What did it taste like? Would she be willing to let me try when I landed and could finally see her again?

My phone buzzed a third time, and it almost scared me. This time it was just a text: I hope you appreciated those. It was far less sexy to take them than you'd probably think. Definitely more sticky, too. Gonna take a shower. Might send you some more, if you can handle it. —Stranger

I tried not to smile too hard, fully aware of my friends on the other side of the jet, and texted back as discreetly as I could: I always appreciate the effort. As for what I can handle, you'll come to find I'm full of surprises.

It didn't take long for a response to show up: Well, I'll just have to test that out when you come back to me, won't I, Doc?

My breath caught, and I don't think I'd ever wished for the plane to land faster than I did at that moment. I thought about asking when we were expected home, but figuring that might be a little more suspicious, I thought better of it and decided to wait it out.

I messaged her back: Text you when we land, and then pulled up the Sudoku puzzle app to keep myself busy until I could see her in person.

***

Maybe it was a little ridiculous dressing up for someone when they were just going to take it off of you almost immediately after walking through the door, but for one thing, I needed to wear something while I waited for him to get here.

And for another, it made me feel sexy, and in the end that's all I needed to know.

I wore a matching white lace bra and underwear set with high stockings. It was simple, but as I'd learned over the past month, Spencer really liked white on me. So I knew this was a good option, even if ultimately he didn't care what I wore (or didn't wear). To leave it a little surprise, I threw on a robe and read on the couch until he would text me.

But even as my book was open in my lap, my eyes didn't scan the pages. Instead I stared off into space, thinking about what a month it had been.

A whole month, and everything was going great. Not that I expected it to be awful or anything, but over time, even though Spencer and I had strictly been sleeping together without any strings, every time he was gone I felt like something was missing.

It confused the hell out of me.

And not because he wasn't worth missing—that actually wasn't the case. It was the fact that I was the one missing him at all that confused me. I mean, it was obvious from the beginning of our sexual relationship that I was willing to break a few rules of mine just to be around him, but... Feeling these things so soon? Missing his presence when he wasn't near me?

It was all so unfamiliar and completely different from any relationship I'd been in before, and a large part of me wanted to stop it all together. But really, I knew that was ridiculous, because nothing was wrong. He always respected my wishes, he made me feel good, and he was always kind and reassuring. He even bought a brand new fucking phone just so we could sext while he was away. It was obvious that he would have done a lot for me, and for the sake of keeping our arrangement steady... And from the little I did know about him, he seemed like the type of person who would be totally understanding about any issue I had, whether it was of a sexual nature or not.

Simply put, he was perfect.

So why did I not want to let him in? Why was it so fucking hard for me to believe that I could actually date him like a normal person and be okay?

Maybe I just needed to take things slow. I could do that, right?

Yeah. I totally could.

When he got here, the first matter of business, of course, would be to have sex with him. Because he'd been away for almost a week now, and the whole time we texted back and forth about all the things we wished we could do to each other. And his job was stressful, so whenever he came back he liked to relieve some of that stress, which I was more than willing to give him. No matter my conflicted feelings, our arrangement was so solid that I had no doubts about what would happen the second he walked through my door.

And then, when it was all over, he would leave. He always did, even if I sometimes asked him to stay until I fell asleep. But maybe tonight I could tell him to stay and fall asleep with me instead. That would be a good first step, right? I could explain how he must be exhausted from work and travelling, so he should just rest and I would be willing to let him sleep in bed beside me.

Yeah. That was a good plan.

Except, what would I do in the morning, then? Would everything be awkward? Would he get up before me and leave before I even woke up? And if that was the case, would he leave another note? Maybe he would still be asleep when I woke up, and then I could make him breakfast or something. Mayb—

My phone went off beside me, snapping me out of my excessive thinking. Thank God...

I read the text with a smile forming as soon as I saw his name at the top of the screen: Be at your place in 20 minutes.

After sending back a winking-face emoji, I set my phone on the table and put the book next to it. And then I took a deep breath and reminded myself to take it easy. Everything was going to be just fine.

Everything was going to be just fine.

I must have repeated it to myself over and over until he actually showed up, because it felt like only a minute had passed before a knock sounded at the door.

"It's me!" Spencer called out, and my heart raced.

Even as I strode over to the door, I couldn't seem to slow the fast pace of my heartbeat. And when I opened the door to see him with a brighter-than-the-sun smile, I thought it might completely burst out of my chest.

"Hey, Stranger," I whispered, stepping aside to let him in. As soon as the door closed, he leaned in to kiss my cheek, and I couldn't resist. I grabbed his face and pulled his lips to mine, kissing him deeply and with as much care as I could convey. He dropped his bag and melted into me completely, wrapping his arms around my lower back and pulling me closer to him. In turn I melted into him, sighing into his mouth.

I couldn't tell you how long we stayed like that, standing at the front door and making out like he'd just come back from war. It felt like it could have been forever, but however long it was, I couldn't have cared any more or less. It was perfect.

His hands slid down my back and splayed over the curve of my ass, making me laugh against his mouth. I felt him smile before he pulled away just a little, just enough to keep our noses touching.

"I missed you," he said simply, though with those three words alone it felt like it was complex and enduring enough to chip away at the walls I put up.

And strangely I didn't mind. When he was here, touching me, smiling at me, speaking to me, I felt... serene. It was like the stillest water you could imagine—no ripples, no waves... Just clear water, so still it was like a horizontal mirror.

"Missed you more," I drawled out, running my hands through his hair and rubbing my nose against his. "I even wore something special."

"You did?" he mused, running his hands back over my back and then around to the front of the robe I'd put on over my lingerie. He probably already noticed the stockings, unless he was just as blindsided as I'd been by the fact that we were finally together again that he didn't actually notice. But either way, his whole body went still when he pulled my robe away and took me in. I anchored myself to him by holding his hands, studying his face as it looked me up and down and grew stronger with desperation with every passing second.

"You like it?" I finally asked.

The mood almost completely shifted when he met my eyes. I could have sworn they grew darker.

"I like you," he breathed, right before he reached forward, grabbing my face with both his hands, and kissing me again. This time it was primal, every nerve in my body going numb at the way he practically consumed me. It was all hands and tongue and teeth and warmth.

I clutched onto his shirt, pulling his body closer to mine as I was desperate to be connected to him on every physical level. A gravelly moan slipped my mouth when he reached behind my head and lightly tugged at the roots of my hair, to which he tugged a little harder. I returned the favor, using my other hand to mirror the hair pulling he was performing on me, and he groaned almost as intensely as I did.

I didn't even know we were at the kitchen table until I was sitting on it, my legs instinctively wrapping around Spencer's waist and my arms doing the same to his neck. His tongue slipped into my mouth with ease, just like it had a million times before. And it was just as intoxicating.

He moved his hand to my back, sliding around the clasp of the bra before he paused and pulled away, studying my face. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but with the way his hands slid over my body like they were merely exploring, I had a feeling it was going to work out in my favor.

"You got all dressed up just for me, I'd feel bad to make you take it off," he mused, finally letting his eyes roam the length of my body.

"Whatever are we going to do about that," I mused right back, biting my lip when he met my eyes again.

His lips twitched into a smirk for a brief second before he moved his hands to unbuckle his pants. "I guess you'll just have to keep them on while I fuck her right here on the table."

I couldn't help the excited whimper that came out of my mouth as I leaned back on my hands and waited for him to get situated. My hand drifted to my panties, sliding them aside and dipping my middle finger through my pussy. "Did you like the pictures I sent you?"

I knew his answer was yes, but I wanted to get him more excited, and it seemed to do the trick—I could have sworn I saw his hands move faster, finally pushing his pants down as he took a step closer to me.

"Y/N, I have an eidetic memory, which basically means that I remember everything I see. Those pictures? They've been burned into my brain since I saw them, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about how badly I wanted to be with you again."

Each and every word fell heavy with this burning desire that set my whole body aflame. Added to the way he looked at me with the same intensity, it was practically the perfect formula for my destruction. And the fact that he could just vividly remember everything I sent him? Every picture, every time he saw me in the flesh—desperate for him... God, it was all so fucking exciting. And that was putting it lightly, because no words could ever have been beautiful or poetic enough to describe the way this man made me feel.

It all must have been written all over my features, because Spencer stared down at me and hummed amusedly His hands reached out to spread my legs by my knees, his touch sending shivers all throughout my body.

I reached out to grip his dick, slowly stroking it as I bit my lip and blinked up at him. "You have no idea how much I missed you this week," I got out, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I think I do," he answered, right before he stepped forward and slid my panties aside. We both moved together then, me leaning forward to meet him as he brought his hips forward and ran his dick slowly along the opening of my pussy. He slapped it gently over my clit a few times, making me whimper out again which in turn made him smile a little. "How bad do you want it, pretty girl?"

"I want it bad," I answered simply, my voice low and on the verge of begging.

He seemed happy with that answer, a low hum coming from his throat in approval as he ran the tip of his dick through me again. And when he pushed it in just slightly, I wiggled under him in anticipation."

"Eager, are we?" he mused, stilling and bringing his thumb to gently circle my clit.

I threw my head back with an exasperated sigh that I only slightly truly meant in earnest. "Hell yeah, I'm eager. You promised to fuck me on the table, so when are you gonna deliver?"

Without another word, he slammed forward into me, and I gasped out, already falling apart at the burning I felt throughout my whole body.

"You're gonna regret being impatient, you know," Spencer grumbled, though the way I knew I had him practically wrapped around my finger told me that his threat was nothing more than a string of words that would fray and unravel into nothing once I got a tug on it.

And tug on it I did. Because he may have been the one currently obliterating me on my kitchen table, but the second I started talking, I knew he'd be just as ruined—maybe even a little more, though at the very least it would be an even playing field.

So I clenched around him as he continued fucking me at a brutal pace, spreading my legs wider and moaning out maybe a little too dramatically. "Oh, you've missed this tight little cunt, haven't you, baby boy?"

His arms wrapped around my legs and he scooted me closer, giving him a deeper angle inside me as a strangled moan rolled past his lips and his eyes almost rolled back. "Fuck, Y/N, I..."

As the words struggled to come out, I laughed, puffing my chest out and tilting my head to the side. "That's right... That's fuckin' right..."

It really didn't take long for either of us to reach orgasm, between our banter and the sheer force at which he drove into me while I clenched around him every so often, matching his rhythm perfectly despite how staggered everything was becoming with every passing second.

"Fuck, Spence, that's it," I breathed, reaching a hand out to graze his stomach with my fingertips. "I'm gonna cum..."

"Me, t— shit..."

Feeling him spill over inside me as I came around him reminded me just how much I missed having him with me, because no matter how good I made myself feel with a vibrator while he was away, nothing ever compared to that feeling; How full he made me feel, how tingly I felt when he moaned out my name, how warm his hands were as they gripped my skin to keep himself steady as he just fucking gave it all to me until there was nothing left... It was all so intense that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to recover.

Which was why, even after he pulled out of me, I laid back on the table completely, letting my legs dangle off. My eyes closed as I tried to catch my breath and eventually I let out a breathy laugh.

"Fuck, man, maybe we should spend time apart more often, because that was..."

The weight of what I'd said didn't even really hit me until his phone started to ring, and I remembered my plan, that spending time apart was actually what I didn't want and I was supposed to tell him to stay...

I sat up and watched as he grabbed his phone from the pocket of his pants, which were on the floor. He pulled them up with him as he stood up again, murmuring a quick 'sorry' to me before taking the call.

I could see his ants were struggling to stay up, so I reached out and grabbed him by the belt loop, pulling him to me and buttoning his pants up for him as he spoke.

"Yeah, Hotch?" he said, smiling down at me because of what I was doing. I smiled right back with a wink, fixing up and straightening out his pants before I saw his smile falter.

A ball of disappointment started to roll in the pit of my stomach as I heard Spencer say, "Oh..." rather sadly. If I had to take a guess, he was probably being called into work again so soon, and once again I would be left alone.

"O—Okay, I'll be right in," he said, confirming my suspicions. Once he said goodbye, He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled at me apologetically. "Sorry I have to leave so soon, I was hoping to spend at least a little more time together before I left."

And I was kind of hoping I'd ask you to stay... "Oh, it's okay... I guess... absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

We both laughed a little, though it was clear the mood was still a bit dismal. So to lighten it I sat up a bit straighter and smirked, spreading my legs a little and feeling his cum slowly drip out. "Well, why don't you take a picture or two? Something to remember me by?"

I could tell he appreciated the playfulness I put forth, but he didn't take his phone out. "That's the thing about having an eidetic memory, I won't need a picture. Anytime I want, I can just remember you like this. Plus, I won't risk anyone else seeing anything."

I scoffed with a smile. "Please... I would hope you aren't looking at the pictures I send you in a room full of your colleagues."

"I don't. But I do work with a bunch of profilers, all of whom would just love to tease me until the end of time if they ever discovered what I was doing with you in my free time."

I was going to say something, but he cut me off, stepping forward and bringing his hand down to brush against the inside of my thigh. "But, if it'll make you feel better... I can give you something to remember me by..."

"What's that?" I breathed out, looking up at him as his hand travelled to my pussy.

He dipped his middle finger inside of me and felt around, leaning forward until his lips were barely brushing mine. My whole body seemed like it was going to crumble down at any given second, when he spoke quietly. "A taste."

"Of... what?"

He brought his finger out of me and brought it to my lips, and I took it in without even thinking. I groaned around him as he spoke again, his gaze unwavering and downright life-ruining. "Us. This is what we taste like together... A perfect harmony. Don't you think?"

I wanted to tell him that he wouldn't know because he hadn't actually tasted it himself, but the whole thing was so fucking hot that I didn't even bother arguing. I just sat there, whining around his finger as he all but stared into my soul.

His finger slipped out of my mouth and ran along my chin as he tilted it up. "I want you to clean yourself up just like that. You can send me a picture when you're done so I can see, yeah?"

"And... What if I don't?"

Spencer smiled knowingly, taking one more swipe of his finger through me before bringing it to his own lips, sucking it clean like anyone would have with food, and stepping back from me completely. "You will."

He left, and I could have sworn I felt my soul leave my body.

***

I'm not sure where that came from, exactly. But Y/N had brought out this other side of me that was almost jarring as much as it was sexy. She was everything seductive and enticing that the world had to offer, and it fueled me in a way I couldn't explain. In fact, I was almost positive she wouldn't send any pictures, because what the hell kind of request was that? I certainly never would have thought of it before, but she gave me all these filthy thoughts and ideas that I never would have been able to dream up otherwise.

Which, precisely, is why I was second-guessing everything. I focused on what work we had to do, of course, but once we were settled in on the jet and on our way to the next city, I brought out my phone to text her.

But I wasn't sure what I would say. I'd have to find a way to apologize, of course, in case my request had been too weird, and that I definitely should have asked her if she was okay with me telling her what to do like that. I knew about dominant and submissive dynamics in sex of course, but that's not the type of relationship we had. And, to be completely honest, if anyone was going to be the dominant role in that dynamic, it most definitely would have been her. While I could be confident and somewhat in control when we had sex, and while sometimes she took on a rather submissive approach to our sessions and I found myself deeply turned on by that, I was not confident in my dominant side. I never could take full control like that, and with some of the things I've seen and experienced from Y/N, that role was definitely better suited for her than me.

But in the end it all came down to us trying new things. Or... rather, me trying new things. I figured she was way more experienced than me from the beginning, and that still remained true, though by the reaction I've had from her a few times, especially after tonight, it seemed I'd shaken her up a bit.

Whether that was a good thing or not would be dependent on how this conversation went.

I turned on my phone to see that I had three photos and one video attachment. My heartbeat picked up immediately, and I quickly shut it off to compose myself, already having a feeling of what might be there.

About a minute later, I got up to use the bathroom while everyone was catching up on some sleep. This was a bit of a longer flight than we were used to, so it kind of worked in my favor. But just to be safe, I snuck in the earbuds that came with the phone as well.

Once the door was shut, I leaned back against it and plugged in the earbuds, simultaneously trying to navigate through the phone to get to my messages. And once I was situated, I put the earbuds in and looked at the pictures first.

The first one could only be described as a 'before' photo, showcasing her pussy exactly how I left it, and that alone was enough to start a stirring in stomach. I examined the picture intently, feeling myself grow harder in my pants, and I knew this was dangerous. But somehow that made it all the more exciting. It was a good thing I decided to stay in the bathroom.

The second photo showed Y/N's middle and pointer fingers spreading herself wide, everything exposed and glistening. I looked at that one longer, but the third one took me out and made me slump my head against the door with a soft groan. She was pouting slightly, her bottom lip dripping with what was obviously the cum I'd left her with. I didn't even want to watch the video, because I knew once I did I'd be a goner. I didn't even know exactly what it would be, but it didn't matter, because no matter what Y/N did she would tear down every defense I had. Everything I thought I knew, my ability to think straight, all of it would be gone with one word—Hell, one look.

I managed to take a deep breath before opening the video and adjusting the volume. And knowing it was probably going to do some damage to me, I stood in front of the toilet, making sure the door was locked before taking my dick out of my pants and slowly starting to stroke it.

Through the screen, I saw that Y/N had repositioned the camera so that I had a full-body view of her on her kitchen table. I wasn't sure how she was able to keep her phone propped up or where it was, but as she started to move, I didn't really care one way or the other.

"I've already sent you some pictures, which I hope you looked at first, but I figured this would be... better proof," she was saying, her legs spreading wide so I had a perfect view of everything. She brought her hand down to circle her clit a few times, and the longer she went on, the louder and more obscene the sounds were.

"Fuck," I breathed as quietly as I could, taking everything in as my hand worked my dick a little faster. I could have watched her do just that forever.

But she went the next step, plunging two fingers inside herself and pumping them in and out slowly. Every once in a while she removed her hand and cleaned off her fingers, looking into the camera and burning a hole straight through me as she moaned.

"You're right," she said, scooping up more of our mess and spreading it around. "We do taste perfect. I think I'm gonna savor it for a while... Take my time."

Her fingers were torturously slow, and even though she taunted, I knew it was killing her, because it was written all over her face—her whole body, really. As her face contorted and her body seemed to shake, I wanted to tell her through the phone that she could go faster, that she didn't have to make it this hard, but I couldn't. All I could do was watch, and listen as she fingered herself and all of it was burning me up from the inside out.

By the time two minutes had passed, it looked like my cum was gone, but she was still going, determined to bring herself to release another time. Her fingers moved fast and hard, the glorious wet sounds combining symphonically with her moans and whimpers. As I could see her getting close, it was like I was there with her, feeling myself get there as well. I knew it wouldn't be long now, though I wished we could have done this forever. And if I was being honest with myself, I was probably going to do this more than once as long as we were still seeing each other.

What happened next surprised me, because... well, simply put, I wasn't expecting it. And I don't think she was either, because the pure blissful shock that plastered over her features as she tensed and squirted almost sent me into cardiac arrest.

I came then, trying desperately to keep quiet as I took in the image of Y/N coming undone right with me.

I was catching my breath when she sighed out with a smile and a laugh. She looked exhausted, but completely blissful and serene all the same as she spoke. "Fuck, I didn't expect that... But next time it happens, I want you here with me. Got it, Stranger?"

Although she couldn't hear me, I responded with a light, yet truly sincere, "Yes, Ma'am."

***

The studio had been empty for hours, and nothing ever made me happier. Truthfully, it was always my favorite part of the work day, when I went in early, when the sun was still below the horizon and almost everyone was still asleep. That was when I felt most creative, and after about two hours of messing around on the piano and acoustic guitar, I was still going strong.

Maybe I had Spencer to blame for that. For a week now he'd been gone, extremely busy with work, and I didn't get to see him in person, but we sent texts and pictures and videos all the time. Just last night we even video-chatted for a good three hours before he inevitably had to return to his job. And while I missed him, if anything I think the distance was good. Because while we spent time communicating, I was also able to focus on work and myself, and I didn't constantly have to worry about things moving too fast. Things couldn't move fast if there wasn't any physical contact, right?

I mean, sure, At this point I was practically craving his touch and his presence, but I knew that once we did get to see each other again, it would be practically electric. There was so much we'd talked about over the phone that we would probably have enough to keep us busy until he got called away again. And then the cycle would repeat.

But maybe that was wishful thinking. I liked this system, even if we hadn't really been at it for long. All I knew, though, was that it was currently working, and I was feeling incredible about my life in its current state.

I wished it could have stayed that way forever.

By the time Jules walked in, I'd written about two songs and was currently working on a third. The studio was littered with sticky-notes and notebook paper from all the ideas I had, and she shrugged off her thin jacket with a laugh. "How many songs has it been today?"

I set the guitar down and went to pick up some of the notes, organizing them haphazardly. "Two. Working on a third."

"Damn, Y/N, you've been on a roll this week. Hell, all month. So... Who's the inspiration?"

Shoving some of the notes into a folder, I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Jules sat down at the large coffee table in the middle of the room and spread out, shaking her head slightly to the side to removed the auburn bangs from her eyes. "I'm a musician, too, Y/N, I know when inspiration strikes, and I especially know when it's because of a certain someone. So... Who are they?"

I hesitated saying anything, but Jules was right, and there was no way I'd be able to convince her nothing in particular was happening. So, I tried to keep it as vague as possible. "Oh, uh, this guy I met at a bar at open mic night."

She whistled as I took a seat across from her. "Damn... The sex must be pretty good if you're cranking out songs like an industrial machine."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, but I nodded all the same. "Well, you'd be right. It's, uh... it's going pretty well."

"I'll say, you're practically glowing. Good for you, babe."

I could tell she wanted to say more, ask tons of questions (more specifically, when's the wedding?), but she knew me enough to refrain. She knew how I did with relationships, and she knew just how private I was. On multiple occasions she'd ask me why I was a musician if I didn't like sharing my personal life with people, but I'd always retorted with a simple truth: You didn't have to show anything to anyone if you didn't want to. There were thousands of different things to write about, and the beauty of storytelling was that you could create whatever you wanted, no matter how true it was to you.

As the day went on, and more of the writers for our friend's new album came in to work, I was pulled out of the 'relationship' headspace and plunged into work.

Honestly, I was relieved. Not because I didn't like thinking about Spencer, but the exact opposite.

That feeling wasn't something I was used to, and I wanted it to go away. At least while I was working, so I could focus on one thing at a time. I didn't let people in, and I didn't want to let them in if I could help it, and I certainly didn't like when things moved too fast, which they always seemed to do. And this time was no different, only now I think it was me who was starting to feel things too early.

It was searing. It was slowly starting to consume me, burning me from the inside out, and I didn't know what to do.

So I did the only think I did know how to do, and that was ignore it, replacing it with music, the one true comfort I'd ever known. I drowned myself in the cool ocean of work, merely hoping it would be enough to quell the frantic, petrifying, and rapidly growing wildfire that would surely be my downfall. And for a while it seemed like it was working.

And yet, somehow, by the time I left the studio, there was a dull ache in my chest that left me confused and scared.

Suddenly I was glad for that night we'd been interrupted before I asked him to stay, and that I never got the chance to follow through. I don't know what I would have done then. Because if that feeling, when he inevitably agreed and stayed the night, was anything like how I was feeling now, then it probably would have been a lot worse.

All the same, I came to the realization that no matter what I did or didn't do, he would always be there, taking up some amount of space in my being that refused to let go.

Whether I liked or not.

***

“I knew it when you looked my way That I’d be begging you to stay. I couldn’t say it to myself.

I felt a burning in the way I held on when you pulled away. I couldn’t say it to myself.

—Maggie Rogers, Say It

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#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x reader smut #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #criminal minds smut #songbird

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katrinawritesthings · 3 years

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Jonghyun/Taemin; Starchild; PG

au where jonghyun is a tiny little fallen star and taemin is a human

hey don’t forget to check out my favorite jonghyuns challenge this month :)

"Can you take me to the bedroom?" He asks. "I want to nap."

"Yeah, of course," Taemin says. No problem. He takes his headphones out, puts his laptop onto the couch cushion next to him, and offers Jonghyun his hand. With a polite word of thanks, Jonghyun steps on. He's warm, almost too hot to the touch, and practically weightless.

Well, not practically weightless. Entirely weightless. The only pressure that Taemin feels on his palm is from the weight of the quilt. The only thing keeping Jonghyun from floating up to the ceiling is the quilt. Star problems, Taemin guesses.

The sigh of relief that Taemin lets out when he closes his front door behind him is, as always, his favorite breath of the day. He leans back against the door for a minute, rubbing his hands over his face. Finally. Finally he gets to pretend the entire rest of the world doesn't exist until he has to go back to work tomorrow morning.

He rubs his hands over his face, through his hair, drops his work bag next to the door and tosses his wallet on top of it. Then he bends down and digs inside of it for a moment to pull out the leftover fries he got from the drive-thru on the way home. Munching them on the way to the fridge, he gets himself a soda and then makes his way to the living room.

There, like he expected, is Jonghyun in his usual spot on the arm of the couch. The single patch of a quilt that Taemin cut out for him is wrapped around his shoulders, the earbuds that Taemin fashioned into a tiny set of headphones are over his ears, and Taemin’s tablet is resting in front of him. He uses his whole hand on the touchscreen , pressing and swiping around the surface. When Taemin walks in, he looks up, golden eyes big in his small face.

"Welcome home," he says quietly. It's not anything new from the past couple of months that he's lived here, but it brings a smile to Taemin anyway. There's nothing more comforting to him than his little star friend.

"Thanks," he says. He sits himself down on the couch and grabs his laptop from the coffee table. With one hand he opens it up and with the other hand he offers his carton of fries to Jonghyun. "Want one?" He asks.

"No thank you," Jonghyun replies, not looking up from the tablet. Taemin shrugs. That's what he expected. Jonghyun doesn't need to eat food, and so he usually doesn't, but he does have the ability to so Taemin still likes to offer. Just in case.

While his laptop is still loading, he peeks over at the tablet.Jonghyun is in the music app again, organizing songs into different playlists. He's been very interested in the task ever since Taemin first showed him the app. Since then, he's been listening to and downloading all kinds of songs that are far from Taemin’s own tastes. Taemin thinks that it's one of the only human things that Jonghyun really, genuinely enjoys.

All of his playlists have names, but none of them make any sense to Taemin except for one: the one that's just his name. That one is the one that Jonghyun shares to his music player every couple of weeks, and that one is the one that is full of songs that Jonghyun thinks Taemin would like. And on each song, he's been correct so far. Taemin doesn't know how he does it.

The last time he got some new songs was just yesterday, though, and he doesn't want to be nosy, so he looks back to his own laptop. Wiggling an earbud into the ear that isn't facing Jonghyun, he draws circles on his touchpad until the laptop has fully started up and then clicks right to his video subscriptions to unwind.

A while later– he's not sure how long—he's pulled out of a string of dance practice videos by the softest tap on his shoulder. He taps the spacebar to pause and looks up. Jonghyun is standing now, holding his quilt square around himself and looking at Taemin with those soft eyes of his. The tablet is turned off and tucked safely onto the end table next to the couch.

"Can you take me to the bedroom?" He asks. "I want to nap."

He carries Jonghyun to the bedroom carefully, roll stepping and holding his wrist with his free hand to make it as smooth and steady as possible for him. As they get closer to the bedroom and farther away from the lamplight of the living room, the warm glow that Jonghyun emits becomes more noticeable. He's a little ball of light in Taemin's hand , soft and cozy, and when he steps into the room he doesn't bother to flip the light switch.

Jonghyun gives him another quiet thank you when he sets him down on top of the dresser. Over the past couple of months, the two of them have been working together to turn it into more of a comfortable living space for the little star. Clearing Taemin's stuff off of the top, emptying out the top left drawer, filling it up with Jonghyuns new things. Taemin even pulled on the knowledge of the one semester of woodshop class he took in high school to install a little trap door and ladder that goes from the top of the dresser into the drawer so Jonghyun wouldn't have to ask Taemin to let him in every time.

He's working on creating a nice Jonghyun size wooden house to sit on top of the dresser too, but for now, he's just nestled a nice comfortable cat bed in front of the window for him. Jonghyun has also made himself a little nest from a couple of Taemin's old scarves and cut off sleeves inside of his drawer, and that's where he's going now. Taemin opens his trapdoor for him and, as his glowing little head disappears through the hole, smiles, "sleep well."

Glancing back over his shoulder as he leaves the room, he smiles again at the nice orange glow he can see through the crack around the drawer.

Then, yawning, he heads back to the couch to finish watching his videos. He hits up his friends when he's done, popping on his headset and turning on the tv when they convince him to play a couple of video games. Then it's time for him to throw something together for dinner, and then to get outside and jog around the block before it gets scary late instead of cool late. Once he gets back, he does his daily stretches and then sits in the middle of the living room with his face in his hands for a solid 5 minutes before he decides that he doesn't want to do the rest of his workout and just goes straight to making himself his bedtime smoothie.

With that, he peeks carefully into the bedroom and then walks in when he finds that Jonghyun has finished his nap. He's out of his drawer, in his cat bed, chin in his arms as he gazes out the window. He glances at Taemin for a second before looking back outside. Taemin grabs his rolly chair from his desk to be next to his dresser so he can look out the window with him for a little bit.

"Want some?" He asks, offering his smoothie. Jonghyun looks at it quietly. He takes his time to think, like always, and then lifts his eyes and asks, "what is it?”

"Um," Taemin says. "Banana, strawberry yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder, milk." He swirls it around the cup a little bit as he lists off the ingredients. "It's a little thick," he adds. It was a big banana. Again, Jonghyun takes a while to answer. Taemin pulls out his phone after a minute to keep himself entertained while he waits.

It unsettled him a little bit, at first. Jonghyuns tendency to really take his time considering his replies. At first, Taemin thought Jonghyun was ignoring him, or that he had upset the little star in some way. It's a special kind of silence that Jonghyun has. Not a non-verbal kind, exactly. It took Taemin a long time to finally understand what it was.

It's the kind of silence that stems naturally from infinite patience. The kind of time needed to consider from someone that is used to spending an infinite amount of time doing nothing but infinitely considering. When Taemin thinks about it, for someone that only fell down from the sky 3 months ago, the speed at which Jonghyun thinks things through now has to be off the charts.

Eventually, he feels Jonghyuns small hand on his finger and when he looks up, Jonghyun nods at him. Taemin smiles back, humming, "mmkay.”

He opens Jonghyuns drawer and pulls out one of the tiny ceramic mugs he ordered for him online. Carefully, he pours a couple drops of smoothie into it and hands it to Jonghyun. Jonghyun takes it, sniffs it, and then tries a tiny, hesitant sip. Then he takes another, and then he turns back to the window, head nestled back into his arms, still holding on to the mug.

He likes it.

Proud of himself, somehow, Taemin smiles into his cup as he takes his own drink. It's like every time that he shows Jonghyun a human thing and Jonghyun likes it he wins an award.

He scoots closer to the window on his rolly chair, putting his cup on it so he doesn't have to hold it. Outside, the sun is long gone and the only light comes from the street lamp on the sidewalk. Wind rustles the leaves of his growing pepper plants and the neighbor’s big magnolia tree. Every now and again a car or someone walking their dog will make their way past the window. In the sky, stars twinkle faintly between patches of void.

Taemin finds himself transfixed on those for a while. Even after he finishes his smoothie and puts it off to the side, he puts his chin in his hand and stares up at each of them. Each one of them,a tiny pinprick of gas. Each one of them a distant little soul.

He glances down at Jonghyun. His attention is fixed upward, steady, resolute. Not once does he lower it to look at anything else on the ground. If Taemin leans just right, he can see the stars reflected in his golden eyes.

"Do you miss them?"

The question comes out of him before he realizes that he was thinking it. Once he processes it, though, he knows that he meant it and he lets it hang between them without taking it back.

Jonghyun turns to look at him slowly. He blinks those big eyes of his just as slowly. Taemin meets his gaze calmly.

Jonghyun doesn't often answer questions about being a star. Almost never, actually. But he never gets upset at Taemin for asking, either.

It's a long moment that they sit there, the two of them, looking at each other. Then Jonghyun turns away, looking back at the stars. "They don't miss me," he says.

And the fact that he answered, let alone that quickly, let alone with something like that, is what surprises Taemin. So much that he replies immediately himself without even taking a second to think it through: "Well, there's an infinite amount of them. Statistically, some of them have to."

Jonghyun doesn't respond. Even to acknowledge that he heard Taemin. Taemin scratches his cheek, turning back to the stars himself. That's fair, he guesses. Except, he realizes after a moment, "that wasn't my question, though." he says it to the window, mumbles it more to himself than to Jonghyun. He doesn't expect an answer. He doesn't get one, either.

Not until over an hour later when he's finally nestling himself underneath his bed covers. He plugs his phone into the speakers on his headboard and opens up his podcast app, selecting the soft D&D one that he usually falls asleep to. Then he hands it up to Jonghyun, letting him add whatever podcasts he likes into the queue for after Taemin falls asleep. Before he can take his hand away, Jonghyun gently touches his finger.

"I don't know," he says, and then, when Taemin frowns at him, confused, adds, "if i miss them or not. I would have to think about it more." He opens his mouth again after that, like he has more to say, but he hesitates. It's another long minute before he says, "I do know that i'm happier down here with you, though."

"Oh," Taemin replies. He turns a yawn into his pillow. "Well. Thank you. And," he says. He doesn't really know how to reply to that and he's a little too tired to be having a conversation like this anyway. "Take your time, little star."

Closing his eyes, rubbing his cheek into his pillow, he doesn't see Jonghyun nod, but he does hear and smile when he says, "sleep well, little human."

#jongtae #jonghyun #taemin #starchild au #fluff #pg #i talk about this sometimes on patreon but this is basically all of it anyway #jonghyun is just a sad little star boy that fell from space and then taemin caught him by accident #and then now they just hang out together #:) <3 #peen #:)#ydw #��#I went through all of my things that I have written waiting to be posted and this is one of my favorite Jonghyuns : )

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jwink-4life-blog · 4 years

Text

My girlfriend posted this. Turns out I'm the asshole. lol. LMK if i am.

I am still with my girlfriend so please don't be mean to her. I did this to see if it would help me with my anxiety associated with the whole situation. Maybe it will help me move on.

My girlfriend posted this. Turns out I'm the asshole. lol. LMK if i am.

"So my boyfriend recently decided that he was having issues trusting me for little things he would consider white lies. (i.e. things such as saying I could handle spicy food when it turned out i no longer could) so he wanted to go through my phone, which I obliged. He went in to my Snapchat account and asked who a particular person I was talking to was.

I told him the truth, that it was someone that I had met through tinder and had become friends with. This person was well aware I'm with my boyfriend and made no moves to try and flirt or insinuate he was hoping my bf and I broke up.

My bf went through the conversation and didn't see anything suspicious, his words, not mine. All there was were complaints of wanting to kms and stomach pain. However he still insisted that he couldn't trust me and has beliefs that I'm possibly cheating on him if he has no proof of such and I never did. I never met the person I was talking to IRL

Am I the Asshole?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hey, her boyfriend here. I just thought I would fill in what is missing. At the time of her post, we had been dating since the summer of 2019 (8 months in total) but officially SO since late November (3 months). Still together!... maybe not after this. I address the extra information she added on the comments too.

Organized in chronological order:

1. She mentions a guy, let us call him Jeff. She said that Jeff and she went to a movie together after we had gotten together; that is true. Expect she left out that when we were dating she went on a date with this guy. That was perfectly fine. At the time she was not my girlfriend. She had vented to me that the guy ditched her halfway through the date and began to cry about it. She vented how upset she was because she was looking forward to it. During the time she was venting, I listened and gave her friendly advice. I finally realized months later that I really liked this girl and wanted to be with her so I asked her to be my girlfriend and to my luck, she said yes. We discussed on the day we got together that we would not talk to ex's, flirt with other people, and get off of our dating apps. Even talk about not putting ourselves in a position where cheating could occur because of someone else making a move. However, not a month into our relationship and she goes to the movies with Jeff. On are seconded date we went to the cinema where we kissed and hugged during the movie and had sexual relations for the first time after the movie which is perfectly fine. She was single and she could do with her body as she pleased. But once she got in a relationship that should have changed. What am I supposed to think? She had dated the guy before, cried about him and were at a place where I know that they could be affectionate. She told me that she was going to the movies with him and I expressed that I was not OK with it. She still went. That was the first red flag. The reason why it was a big deal was that we had just talked about our relationship and the guidelines that we expect to follow.

2. After the time she went to the movie with "jeff" (not his real name). I started to get on tinder to look at her profile to see anything suspicious (She had lost my trust). I was looking for new changes to her bio and photos. Probably a day or two later I noticed her tinder profiles had disappeared from my matched list. I thought that maybe she had blocked me so I could not see changes. Second red flag.

3. I talked to my support system such as a friend, and family they agreed that it is something worth bringing up.

4. I confront her about everything so far.

She explained that her father had prank called her using an automatic voice recording that called about a tinder date. She said she got scared because she didn't understand how they got her number and deleted the profile. So I asked her for her phone. She gave it to me but before she did she entered Kik and swipe the start page to the left and press some things. At the time I had no idea what was Kik so I just asked her what it was and she said it's an internet browsing app. She failed to mention that it was a messaging app too. I exited out of Kik and went in to tinder and we tried to sign in. There was no profile connected to her number so I left it as she was saying the truth.

When I brought up Jeff her excuse was that she had always gone out with guys by herself and it wasn't a problem ever. She said that I should trust her. She said it was her first relationship, so she didn't know it would have been an issue. I didn't like that excuse because we had already talked about guidelines in our relationships and she was breaking one. I explained that I don't trust Jeff (but I didn't trust her too). This is a guy that has dated another guy to watch free movies and get free food but he's not gay. He's is a shady person. She said nothing happened between them. She agreed on the conditions that would not happen again. We went on with our lives together.

5. Some time passes. We had other issues later on but like any other couple.

6. One day while I was driving she had mentioned that she was keeping in touch with people all over the world and that they were her friends. She mentioned that she use to be in love with a guy from out of the country and would have phone sex with another that lived out of state. I didn't say anything because at the time I didn't feel that she need to get rid of these friends since they were so far away. Later on, stuff happened that changed my mind.

7. Some time passes again.

8. One day when we were laying in bed together I noticed that she was deleting her Snapchat and Kik from her phone. I just made a mental note because I thought it was old. I didn't ask anything and she just told me that she needed space on her phone. It sounds valid to me. Still, though, I didn't ask. Later in the future, she told me that she had deleted them so I wouldn't think she was cheating.

9. Later on that night or the following night she was acting weird. She didn't want to have sex which is fine but she distanced herself from me. We would normally cuddle but she was on the other side of the bed. Her mannerisms were almost like covering her vagina where ever she moved (not on her period); it was behavior she never exhibited before. I joked with her to try and make her feel better and she said: "you are a bitch though!". She was defensive about my jokes. Not how she normally acts when I joke with her. That whole night was terrible, it just became a battle of who could annoy the other.

10. The next morning I could not stop getting this feeling that something was wrong. I knew I didn't have much of a reason to ask for her phone again. Still that night I talked to her. I began to doubt myself. I explain to her, how when I was a child my mother would have me call all the numbers off of my dad's phone from call history to see if my dad was cheating(He was) so I told her that I think this is the reason why I may feel she is cheating on me with no evidence. I asked if she would let me see her phone to prove my suspicions are wrong. She said yes. I smiled and didn't take her phone. I felt that was good enough for me... until after we were done eating she began to get ready to shower but before going she made eye contact with me and placed her phone in her backpack, never breaking eye contact with me; solid 20 seconds of eye contact. I just made a mental note that it was weird that she put it away so awkwardly.

11. Later on that night in bed I thought it was the best time to ask her for her phone to finally put my suspicions away. She gave me her phone. Initially, she didn't bother looking over to see where I was going on her phone. That made me feel that I had nothing to worry about. I went to her phone and didn't find a thing but then I remember she had deleted her Snapchat and Kik.

12. The next move was to go into the files of her phone where stuff is stored even when the app is deleted. I enter the Kik app file and she was sending a video of her kissing the screen and role-playing. She said it was before we were together. I check the date it's in late December after I met her family. This is when her relaxed attitude change to focusing on the screen at all times.

13. I download Kik and Snapchat. I made sure to remove the phone from her hands once she signs in to not have a suspicion of her deleting stuff.

14. I still didn't know much about Kik but later I found out that if you delete or sign out of the app all your messages will be deleted. No message was found because she had deleted the app. Just a guy's name that she said was a friend but messages in the conversation were empty.

15. Snap chat was where I found a red flag. I enter her snap chat and saw 4 guys' names. I asked her "before I go in any of these do you want to tell me anything?" she said no.

I enter the first guy chat, it was the out of state guy who she had phone sex before; he saved messages. The saved messages didn't look suspicious but it's Snapchat so there can be some that weren't saved. Weird that she talking to someone she uses to have frequent phone sex with but OK. Didn't say much about it.

The second guy, he saved messages too. He was sending her voice messages. Saved messages were not suspicious but it's Snapchat so there can be some that weren't saved. I asked her who he was since his name was not familiar. She said he found her from tinder and they been messaging since. That was a red flag for me because we discussed we would not communicate with the people we meet from tinder. She said that he never made a move on her... stuff like that; however, she then said how she was trying to meet up with the guy at Denny's once because she wanted pancakes and even though she wanted to he would not go unless she would take a friend with her because he knew she had a boyfriend. Sounds weird?? Yup! She said they never met. why would she try to meet up with him by herself? So I'm the asshole? why do all these dudes supposedly "save the whole conversation"?

The third and fourth were guy she has been friends with and I have no problem with her hanging with the two of them together. She had mentioned these friends a long time ago so it checked out.

16. On the drive home, after I went through her phone. She must have the worst timing ever because she brought up the fact that she used to cheat when playing cards with her dad. Her dad got mad at her and would not play with her again. She would ask to play with her dad but he wouldn't let her because she would cheat. Then she told me that if her dad would have given her another chance she would have proven that she wouldn't have cheated again. Why did she say this??? no idea. Bad timing, maybe?

17. But right after that story she then became mad and quiet. She said I had broken her personal space which all she has in her life. I told her that I gave her phone back and she could go through mine whenever she wanted. She still was mad. Saying that I took her privacy away. This got me heated because I didn't say she had to stop talking to anyone after I found the suspicious activities. I blew up! I told her we will talk about it at her house! Then she started crying saying how she is sorry and so on.

18. Once at her house, I told her that anyone from a dating site that she met; people she had any sexual activities including phone sex from the past she would have to stop talking to if she wanted to be with me. I dropped her off and left angry. We took the weekend apart from each other.

19. I talked to my support system again and they said it was time to cut it off. I agreed but...

20. My dumb ass stayed with her. lol, We talked it out. She blamed her inexperience with the relationship since it was her first. Saying she didn't know better.

21. We had other issues like any other couple.

22. I was going to finally break up with her but I had to wait until the weekend because I promise to take her sibling to school for a few weeks. I waited to break up with her to keep my promise to her.

23. She caught on to me being distant and faking being happy. She confronted me about it and we decide to work on our relationship.

24. Part of the conversation involved people who thought I was overrating about past relationship troubles. Turn out she was talking about Reddit!!! Hi, Reddit! Seems allot of info got left out. SMH. I thought it was weird how everyone I went to for advice thought I made perfect sense but with her, she thought I was overreacting, insecure, and bad shit crazy.

24. I fell in love with her. Hopefully, I don't get my heart to rip out. lmao.

25. Almost forgot, the "white lies"... well, do I have to go in detail about this? Shouldn't this post speak for itself? I understand why we use white lies; we are using then to not hurt someone's feelings. "Hey, do I look ugly?" "No, you are a snack". This was not the case. I have caught her many times lying about stuff that there's no need to lie about, hold information, and change a slight thing in her story to fit her narrative. For example, "My bf went through the conversation and didn't see anything suspicious, his words, not mine". Really? Did I say that? The only thing I told her was there was not enough proof to say she didn't cheat on me. There was defiantly so suspicious activities.

Am I the asshole?

Is she the asshole?

Or am I a 100% simp?

LMK

#reddit

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littlemulattokitten · 6 years

Text

Dating App Conundrums

Alright so I’ve been planning to do this for a while, and may make a thing out of it just to chronicle the adventure from single to hopefully not, but who knows.

Basically I decided to research a few dating apps and try them out, since I’m the type of person who’s content to stay home, but also only likes going out with a friend or small group (not alone) - therefore my chances of meeting people are probably in the negatives without dating services like the ones I’m currently on.

This post will probably end up being both a review of some of these apps as well as a master shitpost detailing the adventures of a straight female attempting to find a straight male to date online. And I know Tumblr well enough that at least half the people who read this will have yet another reason to be proud of their not straight orientation. Because good fucking lord the nonsense I’ve seen.

Storytime begins below the cut. This isn’t going to be short. That’s your warning. It will probably be funny at some points though. It’s funny to live it, at least. And I may break it into parts, Idk yet.

Let’s get a few things out of the way first.

Until this experiment, I’d never used dating apps ever. I knew of them. Hated them on principle (dislike them even more now, but we’ll get into that later) and wanted nothing to do with them. I knew a few people who were happily married to a Match.com or OKCupid match but aside from that – I’d never even downloaded Tinder like everyone else I knew in HS and college.

I haven’t actually dated anyone since my first semester of college. On purpose. I broke off my engagement to my elementary school sweetheart (thankfully we are still good friends and our friendship recovered from that near disaster) and I just wanted to focus on myself for a while.

The small handful of relationships I have had that lasted longer than 6 months taught me a lot about what I want in my ideal mate. The one or two less-than-6-months-barely-relationships I had in high school taught me A LOT about what I will never put up with from people.

My “type” isn’t reflective of my dating history. I’ve gotten to the point with these apps where I’m combining their shallow-indorsing metrics with my own personal preferences. Basically going through an aesthetic checklist then scanning through their profile to see if the actual person is equally pretty.

Spoiler, I have to swipe left A LOT.

I’m a very particular person. I’m very introverted and I hate when someone makes conversation harder than it has to be. I can hold a conversation. I just refuse to be the only one putting effort into it. (This makes more sense later)

I’m beyond fed up with dating app culture but my perfect or close enough to perfect guy has gotta exist so most of my accounts will remain I fucking guess.

I’m not necessarily looking for Mr. Forever. I’ll gladly keep him if I find him, but I’m also not looking for a relationship that I know will be temporary. I don’t do things by halves. I want something solid, whether it lasts forever or not depends on a lot of things.

I CAN’T EMOTIONALLY MULTITASK. I can really only give one person my full interest and attention at a time, which doesn’t bode well for these apps bc you gotta be able to bounce form one to the next no matter how excited you were about someone. These apps fucking suck.

Okay. Now let’s begin properly.

I started with Bumble. Yes. I know. Introverted female starting on a dating app that requires her to make the first move. That can’t go badly right.

I damn near have a panic attack every time I get a match I stg. Anyway.

I was skeptical at first. I’m not huge on people knowing a lot about me from the outset (or I wasn’t - i give so much less of a fuck now bc it makes almost no difference on these things) so my profile was pretty threadbare and cold. Now, a few weeks later, my profile is an efficient snapshot with a splash of Slytherin “Don’t fucking test me.”

Did I mention I’m an INTJ Scorpio? Yeah my entire approach is gonna scream that and my Hogwarts house, just you wait.

Round 1 ~ Bumble 🐝🍯

Okay so Bumble is interesting. For those who don’t know, it’s basically Beehive-Themed Tinder except for heterosexual couples, the lady has to initiate conversation. (Either party in a same sex match can message first) She has 24 hours from the point where her and a fella have “matched” to do so, then he has 24 hours to respond and seal the match – ending the time limits.

Bumble also gives you a rough estimate of how far away someone is sometimes. I’ve read articles about how bumble’s location estimate feature has ruined relationships forged through bumble and generally turned women into paranoid psychos over matches. Can. Fucking. Confirm. It’s the most annoying thing ever. Why?

Android vs Apple. That’s literally why.

The way Bumble’s location service is supposed to work is that everytime you open the app, it updates your location based on your phone or computer’s location. As far as I can tell, that’s exactly how it works on my android phone.

Apple users. Y’all are a problem. Not because I give a shit about your iPhone, I don’t give a shit do you ffs, but IOS location permissions can allow apps to update your location without the app being open.

Reread that for me.

Without. The app. Being. Open.

Which basically means if you match checks your profile, they can tell whether you’re where you were when they swiped right (say, 26 miles away) versus, oh idfk, a whole state or two away.

Real specific example I know. Why? Because I ended up unmatching a guy I REALLY wanted to get to know better because of it.

Though, to be fair, guys are really lax about how they behave on these apps in my opinion, which is a bigger problem than the stupid IOS setting.

Allow me to explain.

Dating App Etiquette

It barely exists, but it should. Here’s the thing. On these apps, you basically swipe right on a pretty face and left on one you’re not interested in waking up to in the morning or sitting on. I’m only being half funny here. I’m convinced people use dating apps more for hookups than their intended purpose. Which, whatever, but for fuck’s sake make BumbleHookup. There’s BumbleDating, DumbleFriends, and BumbleNetwork or whatever. Just make BumbleDTF so we can filter these people out already.

BACK TO THE SINFULLY ATTRACTIVE AND INTERESTING DUDE I UNMATCHED

I’m still kinda peeved about this. In part at myself, but also just in general.

Most people seem to treat Bumble like Tinder. They don’t fill out their profile hardly at all. Have less than 3 pictures, have pictures that make it unclear who’s profile it is, or – my least favorite thing that is almost 100% regional – THEY REALLY FUCKING THINK A PICTURE OF THEM IN SUNGLASSES HOLDING A FUCKING FISH THEY JUST CAUGHT IS ATTRACTIVE. IT IS NOT. THAT’S NOT WHAT THE PICTURES ARE FOR. JUST SAY YOU LIKE TO FISH IN YOUR FUCKING PROFILE BECAUSE IF I HAVE TO LOOK AT ONE MORE MOTHER FUCKING FISH-

I’ve seen a lot of fish in the last few weeks. Like. So many that I’m basically auto swiping left if someone’s profile has less than 4 pictures and one or more contains a stupid fucking fish.

LOOK AT MY FUCKING USERNAME. LITTLEMULATTOKITTEN. IF A SELF-IDENTIFYING CAT TRAPPED IN A HUMANS BODY SAYS THERE’S TOO MANY FUCKING FISH – THERE ARE TOO MANY MOTHER FUCKING FISH.

I can guarantee this won’t be my last fish rant. You don’t understand how many fucking fish I’ve seen.

BUT THIS GUY DIDN’T HAVE ANY FISH IN HIS PROFILE.

So he already had my fucking attention. He was also startlingly handsome – not in a oh you exist off puss and nothing else there’s no other way someone as pretty as you with a penis could exist – but like “Oh. I’d…really like to look at that forever and sit on it if you’ll let me please.”

NOT ONLY DID I FIND HIM THAT ATTRACTIVE BUT HE SWIPED RIGHT ON ME TOO AND READ ENOUGH OF MY PROFILE TO ASK ME A QUESTION FROM THE LOWER HALF OF IT.

I was freaking the fuck out excited.

And frankly the odds of him seeing this are so fucking low that I’ll go ahead and tell you some specifics about the short convo we had, but nothing that could lead anyone back to him obviously.

He’d lived in my home state. First thing he asked was which city I was from. Then he guessed, claiming that guess was based off a beanie I was wearing in my second to last (I think) image available on my profile.

He’d lived in my home CITY. Which means he was familiar with the CULTURE. And would probably GET ME MORE THAN MOST GUYS IN MY AREA.

He worked in an industry/field I knew about and had almost gone into myself.

He was so fucking attractive. I have yet to come across someone who checked ever preliminary shallow box on my want list.

Biceps. Listen. We’re all a little shallow. Biceps do to me what ass and tiddy do to some guys. It’s one of the few really fucking strong visual things I have, followed by dark hair and blue eyes. But he was something of a gym rat, for sure, and I’d gladly torture myself at the gym if that man was going to be in my line of sight at all during the process.

Seriously. I’ve never seen someone who didn’t look like they had to be famous or an alien that made me go “He’s so pretty I want to cry.” EVER. I WANT TO CRY THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE’RE NOT MATCHED ANYMORE.

And last but not least – like almost every fucking match I’ve ever made, I could count his replies on one hand before he went radio silent.

So, how does this relate to that location issue, you may ask.

Because I didn’t fucking know that Bumble could update your location on some devices without you opening the app.

There’s no online/activity indicator for Bumble except their location updating. Which, when you’re really excited to get to know someone and they suddenly vanish, but they’re more likely than not still online, you might start to feel like you’ve been put on hold.

Life stuff, yes, makes sense, I get it. But these apps have push notifications (which can be buggy) and if you’ve matched with someone, odds are you’re interested enough to check back on occasion (unless you aren’t). So it quickly became a worry game.

Because, like I said, I can’t just say “I’m excited about you, but I’ll keep browsing”. I don’t work that way. Unless I’m not excited about someone, then yeah I’ll keep scatter-shotting. But if I’m not excited to get to know someone why the fuck would I swipe right.

Anyway. After a few days of silence, I was disappointed and getting bitter and the few proverbial bones I’d thrown him had gone unanswered. I knew I was overthinking it and letting my own insecurities get to me a bit, but at the end of the day, there’s a few general courtesies that should exist in online dating culture that don’t.

Why people are afraid or hesitant to say they’re too busy to respond much in their profiles is beyond me. Some guys have the right idea announcing that they’re bad at checking the app and offering their snapchat or telling matches to ask for it.

But even if you’re testing the waters with another match, we’re all on this app for the same fucking reason. Say so. I’m not the kind of person who will need to, because I don’t operate that way on these apps, but I would. Because if that person is really bothered by you finding out if you’re more compatible with someone you matched with prior to them, that tells you something about them.

Would I have been disappointed if that had been the case with this guy? Yeah, kinda. I probably would have felt like his second choice at best, even if he’d come back to chatting with me. But that’s how these fucking apps are designed. Buckle up or unmatch. Fuck your emotions and self-esteem.

I unmatched for my sanity, because that happened a few days into this whole experiment and I wasn’t on any other sites yet. I wasn’t really prepared to deal with this whole thing yet and I didn’t know what to expect. I felt like shit and decided that if he showed up in my feed again, maybe I’d super swipe him (paid extra special right swipe that tells them you REALLY like their face and whatever) but I still don’t know what I’ll do if he does.

Lowkey hoping it was all a misunderstanding and whatever but like, not at all holding out for that because what are the fucking odds.

And again, my disappointment stems mostly from the fact that I was really excited to get to know him. The idea of finding someone on this stupid app in less than a week who wasn’t forcing his fish pictures in my face, would absolutely be the type of person to encourage my own wellness goals, and who was obviously smart because of his career path, was such an exciting thought. If we’d hit it off and gotten along really well, I’d have been so many levels of shocked and overwhelmingly happy that I just don’t know what I’d do.

When someone who looks like they’re 100% your type actually reads your profile and swipes right – you get excited. I was really excited. I’m still a little sad/disappointed, but I’m basically over it.

Other Misc. Things I’ve Learned On Bumble and other Dating Apps As a Relationship Seeking User

Take every profile with a grain of salt unless it’s so blatantly straightforward. And then still toss a pinch in.

The pretty pretty pretty buff boys who look like their players but their profiles claim they want a relationship? Odds are still players. They will try to convince you there’s 10 inches in their pants. They clearly aren’t smart enough to know that’s biologically uncomfortable for females and the best way to end up in the emergency room with a ruined cervix so don’t even swipe right. They’ll just ask for nudes.

People who use dating sites have some odd, hive mind fixation with The Office.

“Jim looking for his Pam” is in most profiles. I’m not sure why. References to The Office or mentions of The Office are about as common as all the stupid fucking fish.

I live in the wrong part of the country to find guys I’m actually going to share interests with. Just wait until I tell you about my experience so far on OK Cupid. I literally won’t find anyone where I live unless they’re from somewhere culturally similar to where I was born and are willing to move back with me. Because I am not fucking staying in the land of the god damn fish forever.

Most people don’t look at religion and politics like I do. Which is “You do you, I’ll do me, we won’t talk about it and we can peacefully do each other.” I don’t fucking care if your politics contradict mine if that’s the only thing we have not in common. Just make it a blacklisted subject and don’t let one frankly insignificant difference of opinion ruin an entire relationship or potential relationship. And same with religion. I’m not even a little religious. I don’t care if my future husband is unless it’s in my face constantly, he tries to “convert me”, get me to go to church with him, or some other blatant disrespect of my own religious standing. You worship whatever you want. I’ll right fanfiction about magic demon princes fucking their human-born demon queen every which way to Sunday. If religion is that big of a fucking deal for you, be upfront about it. Most people are in their bios. Either way, I’m really fucking sick of people who put too much weight into these two things like they actually decide how compatible you are with someone unless you let them.

I fucking hate fish.

Dating apps need more filters and ways to narrow down searches. 90% of the filters already present are shallow as all hell. What’s a few more.

Primarily let me filter out a few NAMES. This sounds super picky, but I have a really big family. 7 uncles. Over 20 cousins including the few cousins of mine who have kids. There’s a few names that would just be weird and awkward for me to associate with a significant other. If I could filter out my stepdad’s first name (which is disgustingly common but still), my biological father’s name, and a few of my uncle’s names, that’d be fucking swell. You already let me filter by religion and race. Let me filter out some fucking names damnit.

And there have to be people who have traumatic associations with names too like?????

The Office is a funny, good show and all but WHY IS EVERYONE ON THESE APPS FUCKING OBSESSED WITH IT THE WAY I’M OBSESSED WITH HARRY POTTER. I’VE SEEN IT. IT’S NOT **THAT** FUCKING FUNNY. SOMEONE EXPLAIN.

YOU HOLDING A DEAD FISH ISN’T FUCKING ATTRACTIVE SIR. THIS ISN’T THE SHAPE OF WATER. SHOW ME YOUR FACE NOT YOUR FISH.

The dating apps that are probably actually worth using all require a paid subscription.

There’s no real way to advertise that you find sex and physical intimacy very important in a relationship without making yourself sound like a cock-thirsty whore. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, you do you, but I’m looking for someone to be a slut FOR, I’m not one already and I dislike not being able to be upfront about that without being profiled or attracting fuckboys.

WHY CAN I NOT FILTER OUT PROFILES THAT CONTAIN IMAGES OF FISH

STOP WITH THE FUCKING FISH COUNTRY BOYS. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A GIRLFRIEND OR SOMEONE TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TACKLEBOX? AND DON’T TELL ME THAT’S THE SAME THING, MY FAMILY IS COUNTRY. IT AIN’T THE SAME FUCKING THING. ALL THAT FISH TELLS ME IS THAT YOU’RE PROBABLY COMPENSATING FOR SOMETHING.

Judging by the few fish-fucks with their profiles filled out at all – they’re compensating for personality.

With how shallow the filters on these sites are, just go ahead and fucking add eye color, hair, etc. Seriously. If you’re gonna let me be shallow enough to only pick men of a certain ethnicity, and religion, you may as fucking well let me see if I can find a guy with blue eyes, biceps, dark hair, non religious, who doesn’t want kids without reading every fucking profile I come across.

There are way more guys on these sites who want or think they want children some day. This baffles me. But then again my primary reason for not wanting children is pregnancy and giving birth which wouldn’t be their problem so of course they want them.

I just need to auto left-swipe if I see a fish. These apps are shallow anyway. Do not make a fucking fishing joke just because I said shallow.

OK Cupid has a better matching system than Bumble and such, but it’s still irritating as all hell. You can’t choose question categories that are more important. So if I see a 91% match, but he has no sex questions filled out or our sexual compatibility is like…50%...that’s not REALLY a 91% match for me. Let me mark 2 or 3 question categories as priority for fucks sake.

The bulk of guys on these apps fall into 2 categories (for me anyway) – Not enough giveadamn to explain their presence on the site & thank u, next.

Online dating is disappointing as fuck.

I’m seriously going to lose my mind if I can’t get away from the fucking fish pictures. ENOUGH. I GET IT. I NEED TO MOVE.

Seriously – I. Need. To. Move. Back. Home. I am not meant for this part of the country. These good ole boys are meant for someone but it ain’t me and my family is fucking country. I’ve been fishing, ridden 4-wheelers, made shit out of wood for shits and giggles, helped my grandparents in the garden, eaten deer my grandfather or uncles hunted and prepared, helped chop wood, ridden in the bed of a truck, etc etc etc. But ya bitch has lifestyle goals that only include mud at scheduled times. We can go camping, but we should also go out to dinner sometimes and go clubbing or dancing other times.

I was not born with this ass to settle for a man who looks like an angel and acts like one too. Why is no one non-ironically blunt about their sexual preferences? You cannot convince me that the majority of men lack strong opinions on this subject. SERIOUSLY. IT IS 2019 NOT 1619. God DAMNIT. You’re on a DATING SITE. THAT’S AN ASPECT OF RELATIONSHIPS THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THEM. BE STRAIGHTFORWARD.

It’s not even actually about sharing every interest. I don’t give a shit if he doesn’t like Harry Potter much. If he’s annoyed by the level I like it, yeah that’s an issue. Otherwise, be supportive and kind about that kinda shit. That’s all I’m asking for. That’s how I am in return.

I make shit with yarn, write off the wall fanfiction, have a lot of sexual interests I don’t usually broadcast, and don’t understand how dating sites are still this ineffective in 2019.

This is super long already so I’m gonna save the other apps for a separate installment if this one is enjoyed or whatever. Jesus. These apps, guys.

Apps I still need to talk about that probably won’t require this many words each – Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid (OkC might need a few thousand words).

I’ll probably look into some other niche dating sites too because at this point, what the fuck ever - I just wanna meet someone back home or willing to move back home with me who fits some reasonable criteria parameters. And I’m not even as picky as half the profiles I’ve seen, lemme tell ya. I’m just fucking opinionated. And beyond sick of this experiment already.

Sigh.

If I ever see a fish again it’ll be too soon. Bet the first profile picture on my bumble dash later will be another fucking fish though.

Those who expressed interest: @accio-echo | @infallibleangel | @aconitumluparia and those who liked are my followers so you’ll see it. This post is so long my browser is bugging out with tags or I’d tag you all too.

#kyla bitches about things #dating apps #the dating app experiment #Bumble #things dating app articles won't warn you about #dating app conundrums

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duhragonball · 5 years

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (107/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous Chapters conveniently available here.

[21 Feruary 233 Before Age. Planet Lubegev.]

Lubegev was a peaceful world, mostly known for its tranquil oceans and a storied tradition of erotic poetry. Though not a Federation planet, it had friendly relations with Luffa's interstellar alliance, and some of its leaders had hinted at applying for membership. Posing as tourists, Luffa and Dotz made their way through one of the larger cities. Dotz was still recovering from her encounter with the Saiyan Jolok, so she rode on an antigrav chair which Luffa steered through the pedestrian walkways.

"Seriously, I'm feeling much better, Luffa," Dotz said, although the weakness in her voice suggested otherwise. "My visions aren't clearing up much, but I'm sure I could walk if--"

"Sorry," Luffa said. The poncho she wore rustled on her shoulders as she maneuvered Dotz around a street corner. "Even if I believed that, I don't want to risk letting you push yourself too hard. If Doc found out, he'd never let me hear the end of it."

"I'm fine, really," Dotz insisted. "I've just been having some intense dreams, but considering how many Saiyans I've run into lately, that isn't too surprising."

"You were in a coma," Luffa replied in a tone that reminded Dotz of her own mother. "You only think it was a quick thing because you don't remember any of it, but you were stuck in bed for a couple of months. Your muscles have atrophied, and you need time to recover. I'm just glad the doctors okayed your release so you could come with me. If your prediction comes true, and there really is going to be a Saiyan attack on this planet, well, you can maybe you can find more Saiyans for me..."

"I had to go with you," Dotz said. She adjusted the dark purple shawl that she wore around her head and shoulders and took a deep breath. "I saw it in the lines on your palm. I don't understand it yet, but the dreams I've been having... There's something important about you, Luffa. I couldn't just stay behind, even if you hadn't saved me. You're much too important to the future."

"You're beginning to sound like my wife," Luffa said. "Well, think whatever you want, but I'm just a plain old Saiyan who happens to change colors when I use my full power."

"From where I'm sitting, you couldn't be more wrong," Dotz said. "That other Saiyan, Jolok, nearly killed me, and you told me that was just to test his abilities. But you-- you came all the way to my bedside to save a total stranger."

"I've been on the receiving end of that Mindworm trick myself," Luffa said. "I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I thought I could help." She shrugged. "Anybody else would've done the same."

"I don't know about that," Dotz said, "but most people probably wouldn't have been so thoughtful as to forward my hormone replacement regimen to your doctor friend."

Luffa harrumphed. "Just thinking ahead, that's all," she said. "It works in fighting, and it works in cooking, and I find it helps in other situations too. You'll want to get back on track with that as soon as you can, and this way Doc can get everything together now instead of figuring it out tomorrow. Besides, I know what it's like to have trouble controlling your own body."

"Of course," Dotz said. She decided to let the matter drop, as Luffa seemed to be embarrassed by her own compassion. Another piece of the puzzle, she thought to herself.

"So how much do you know about the future?" Luffa asked. "I thought you could only read minds, like I do, but if you're right about this Saiyan attack, then...?"

"One of my ancestors had Kanassan blood," Dotz explained. "The family stories said that his people could see what would happen, but they were powerless to change it. I didn't inherit much of their ability. If you want the truth, most of my readings are based on whatever I can pick up from the customer's mind, and any flashes of insight I might happen to get."

"So why didn't you get a 'flash of insight' warning you about Jolok?" Luffa asked.

"I did," Dotz said. "But it wasn't a warning, it was a promise. A Saiyan would hurt me in some way, but I would recover with a newfound clarity. Ever since you woke me up, I feel like my psychic abilities are... Well, not increasing. It's more like they're maturing somehow. I'm starting to think I got more from my ancestor than I knew."

"Well, if this Saiyan attack on Lubegev ever gets rolling, you'll have me convinced," Luffa said. "You said he'd be here today. Now that we're here, any idea what time he'll show up?"

"To be honest, I thought he should have been here by now," Dotz said. "Could your presence have somehow scared him off?"

Luffa laughed. "Not likely," she said. "Chances are, he's been here a while already, and he's just keeping his energy suppressed so ki sensitive warriors like me can't detect him until he's ready to make his move. I'm doing the same thing, so he won't be able to sense me until I've got him where I want him."

"Why are you so determined to catch him, Luffa?" Dotz asked. "I know Saiyans love a good fight, but you keep saying he'll be no match for you, so it can't be for sport."

"I have unfinished business with the Saiyan king, Rehval the Third," Luffa explained. As she spoke, Dotz could tell Luffa was gripping more tightly on the handles of her chair. "But that royal bastard went into hiding before I could settle things with him. Until I get a solid lead on him, my best bet is to make life miserable for as many Saiyans as I can. I'll interrogate any I find, and if they start any trouble on planets like this one, I'll make them regret it. I've also been shutting down as many wars as I can, just to make sure they can't have any fun behind my back. Sooner or later, they'll get sick of this standoff, and they'll have to help me find him."

"Couldn't that work against you?" Dotz asked. "If you aren't careful, the Saiyans might unite against you instead."

Luffa chuckled. "I guess so. Yeah, that sounds pretty fun, now that you mention it," she said. "Is that an official prediction?"

Before Dotz could answer, there was a loud booming sound coming from the downtown area of the city. Luffa positioned herself between Dotz and the source of the noise. A moment later, she grinned with anticipation.

"And there's our boy," she said.

"The Saiyan?" Dotz asked. Without thinking, she pulled her shawl tighter, as if it would offer some measure of protection.

"A little late to the party, but I don't mind," Luffa replied.

Dotz broke out in a nervous sweat. Her psychic abilities didn't allow her to sense ki the same way Luffa could, but she could still sense waves of panic and fear from that general direction. "It sounds like he's setting off explosives!" she said. "I had no idea Saiyans could be so powerful..."

"This one's stronger than usual, that's for sure," Luffa said. "But don't worry about that. He's still no match for me."

She parked Dotz's hoverchair near an archway where she would be reasonably safe, then handed her a small device from the pocket of her yellow pants.

"That's a communicator," Luffa told her. "Call me if anything goes wrong. Or you might be able to raise my wife. Her ship should be in communications range before too long. But I don't think you'll need it."

She tore the poncho off her shoulders and tossed it to the ground as she walked in the direction of the explosions. When she was gone, Dotz took out a deck of cards and attempted to perform a divination. There were more reliable ways to refine her inborn abilities, but this one was faster and more portable, and she hoped the cards would at least tell her the outcome of the battle. Minutes later, she had as much of an answer as she could get. The Saiyan invader would die. The planet would survive the day.

Luffa's fate was unclear.

*******

Seconds later, Luffa intercepted the Saiyan in the middle of a shopping district. The Saiyan was firing off large bursts of ki energy, but not actually hitting anything. Everything about his tactics indicated that he was trying to do one of two things. Either he was attempting to frighten the populace into surrendering without a fight, or that he was trying to lure any strong opponents into the open. Concerning the second, Luffa was happy to oblige.

"What--?" This was all the Saiyan managed to say before Luffa punched him in the face. He was a short, chubby man with a long beard that nearly ran down to his navel, and despite his immense power, he never saw her coming until it was too late. Before the force of Luffa's blow could knock him into a nearby building, she flew past him and caught him in midair.

"Where's King Rehval?" Luffa asked as she held him upside down by the ankle of his boot.

"Ask him yourself...in hell!" he shouted as he fired a ki blast from both hands into her face. It didn't harm her at all.

"Wait, are you saying he's dead?" Luffa asked. "Or were you trying to be witty and got confused?"

He reared back and tried to punch her, but she simply tossed him away before his fist could connect. Adding insult to injury, she peppered him with small ki blasts as he tumbled through the air.

"Come on," Luffa said. "You're wearing a uniform from the Saiyan Royal Military. It's a little scuffed up, but I could smell the royalist stink on you from across the city. You had to be on Planet Saiya when your master ran away like a scalded dog. You must know something you'd like to share with me."

"M-my master is no coward, woman!" he replied, trying to muster as much defiance as he could. "The Rehval Dynasty is the past. I serve the future! Hail Trismegistus!"

"Then you've betrayed Rehval to become someone else's lapdog, is that it?" Luffa asked. "Typical royalist trash. Well that's just fine. Then you won't mind telling me everything you know about where Rehval is."

"Never!" the man cried. "I'll never talk!"

"Good, good. I like a man with spirit," Luffa said. She approached him with such a blinding speed that she seemed to vanish and then reappear behind him. Then she gripped his shoulder and began to squeeze. As he cried out in pain, she added with a laugh: "You've got a lot of courage defying me, but 'never' can be a very long time, Saiyan."

Then, just as she felt she had the situation under control, she sensed another Saiyan, closing in on her from above. At the same time, the one she was tormenting suddenly increased his power level dramatically, and she realized that he would now be strong enough to break free of her grasp. In the split second before the incoming Saiyan could connect, she released the first one, and arched her back to avoid a heavy kick. She was about to fire a ki blast to counterattack, but then she sensed a third power, and before she could react, she was hit with a ki blast to the small of her back.

"Nicely done, Aramanth!" called the one who had tried to kick Luffa. "Your aim more than makes up for your lousy looks!"

"Shut up, Kakabajo!" Aramanth shouted from the street below. "At least I held up my end! What were you even aiming at?"

"Why didn't she try to read my mind?" whined the fat, bearded one as he nursed the shoulder Luffa had squeezed. "If I had known she was gonna play so rough, I wouldn't have held back for so long."

"The real question," Aramanth replied as she flew up to meet the other two, "is what she's doing here at all. Lubegev isn't a Federation planet. Luffa's never even been here before. It should have taken days for her to find out about our invasion and to arrive here by starship. Instead, she's on us before Kres even had a chance to get started!

"No, the real question," Luffa said as she suddenly appeared from the residual energy of Aramanth's attack, "is how you three could give me so much trouble."

"She's still alive!" Kres wailed.

"Of course she is, Kres," Aramanth growled. "This fight's only just begun. She hasn't even transformed yet!"

Luffa snapped her fingers and ran her hand through her short, black hair. "That's right, I knew I forgot something. Hang on."

"Stop her!" Kakabajo warned the others. "If we allow her to change, then--!"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Luffa threw back her head and made a loud grunt. Her hair had shifted from black to glowing gold, and her dark eyes had ignited into a brilliant green.

"You were saying, Kakabajo?" Aramanth grumbled.

"Didn't know I could do it that fast, did you?" Luffa asked, her voice rising over the pulsating noise of her furious aura. "Everyone thinks it takes me a while. Sometimes I drag it out for effect, or just because I'm in the mood. But sometimes it's more dramatic to make it quick."

"That... that power!" Kres gasped.

"You're using the same kind of energy as Jolok," Luffa observed. "So I guess that means you three are part of the same organization that he was in. He said something about defying orders when he tried to fight me, but you three were counting on me to show up, so I suppose that means your boss authorized this. What'd you call him? 'Triss Mejistus?'"

Without warning, she rushed towards Kakabako and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. His partners tried to attack, but Luffa was too fast for them to get a lock on her.

"So if that's true," Luffa continued, then your boss is a fool. You three are strong, sure. Amazingly strong compared to normal Saiyans, but you're still no match for me.

"On the contrary, Luffa!" another voice called out. "Our master did not expect three of us to defeat you."

As she turned to find a fourth Saiyan standing on a rooftop, she noticed two more Saiyan powers appearing on the street. She kept her focus on the man on the roof, since he appeared to be the strongest, though not by a wide margin.

"Logas is my name," he said as he waved his arm with dramatic flourish. "You've already met Kakabajo, Kres, and the, er, lovely Aramanth. Below me are Voraj and Purzlein."

"Six of you..." Luffa said. "Well then..."

"I'll give you a moment to consider your situation, 'Super Saiyan'," Logas said. "And then you might reconsider our master's thrice-blessed wisdom."

Luffa paused for a moment, glancing at each of them. At last she turned her head and spit. Below her, Kres scrambled to move out of the way of her phlegm.

"Not bad at all," Luffa said. "Your leader must be pretty strong if he can keep six people like you in line. And if he can afford to sacrifice you all just to test me, then he might be even stronger still. Yeah... Did you bring him with you? No offense, but I'd rather fight him first, if it's all the same to you."

"Why, you arrogant--!" Aramanth said with a scowl.

"Your time is over, Luffa!" Logas boasted. "Trismegistus commands your death!"

Aramanth and Kres flew after Luffa and tried to flank her, while a Purzlein leaped into the air and charged a ki blast, waiting to see which way she would dodge before firing it. Instead, Luffa stood her ground, punching the Aramanth on her left while contorting her body to avoid the attack from Kres on the right. Then she launched herself directly at Purzlein, practically begging him to fire at her pointblank. He did so, and his energy burst splashed across Luffa like rushing water, but it had no effect. She flew through his attack and reared back her left arm to strike him in the jaw.

Except that she never actually got close enough to hit her target. To her surprise, she saw Aramanth had followed her into the air, and was now grasping her boots, halting her movement. Just as she turned her attention to her, Kres joined in, firing a ki blast of his own at Luffa's back. And so it went. Each time she tried to shift her focus on any one of them, the other two took advantage. Just as Luffa began to appreciate how formidable her opponents were, the others joined in, and she found herself facing something resembling a true challenge.

Realizing that she couldn't whittle down their numbers by attacking a particular member of their team, Luffa shifted tactics and began using techniques to attack multiple opponents from all sides. When they gathered too close, she used an explosive wave of ki to drive them back. When two or more of them tried to attack her at the same time, she would maneuver herself near one of their partners, so that their coordinated attacks would risk hurting their own.

Mostly though, she took a lot of hits. The six Saiyans fought like a well-oiled machine, and though none of them were individually strong enough to beat her, any one of them could hurt her once the other five managed to create an opening. Working together this way, each of them took turns landing body blows, headshots, and various ki attacks. At all times, at least one of them maintained a barrage of small ki shots at her throughout the battle, which seemed to be intended to harass her more than to soften her up. It was when a kick to the face caused her to taste her own blood that Luffa began to realize she was actually being pressured. For the first time since she fought the Shockmaster, she had a real fight on her hands, and if she didn't do something quickly, she was in danger of getting killed.

Her lips curled into a smile as she realized the danger she was in.

Joint locks weren't an option in this situation. The same was true for ki techniques. In the time it took to utilize such moves, she would be wide open to a counterattack. It would be child's play to pick them off one by one, but she could tell from their attacks that these Saiyans were too well-trained in team attacks to risk splitting up. So far, she had managed to survive by fighting defensively, but she couldn't assume that they would run out of stamina before she did. They had clearly been preparing for this fight. So what weren't they prepared for?

Without warning, she rocketed straight up, nearly colliding with one of her foes. She fired a volley of ki blasts down at the rest, but this was just to make them think she was trying to fight back. Instead, she made a sharp turn and sped away from them, heading due north.

"Where the hell is she going?" Aramanth asked.

"Coward!" shouted Kakabajo.

"We've won!" cried Kres. "All we have to do now is follow her and finish her off!"

"Don't get careless!" Logas snapped. "She's up to something. After her, but keep your distance! Keep a tight formation!"

Hundreds of miles away, Luffa could sense them giving chase. There was a chance that they would refuse to take the bait, and resume pillaging the planet until she returned to face them, but that would have worked to her advantage as well. As it was, their reaction proved that their main goal was to defeat her, and they were very confident that they could pull it off. A weaker squad would have been more cautious. A stronger or more reckless group would have pursued her at their maximum speed. These six were somewhere in between. They were confident enough to pursue her, but at the same time they were willing to give up the initiative to see what she had up her sleeve. Now she had their measure.

Playing into their expectations, she came to a stop and began charging a Gallick Gun in midair. There was a strong wind blowing from the ocean to the east. She caught the scent of one of them from upwind. Before the Saiyans came into view, they had already spread out to surround her. There was no chance of hitting any of them with her attack now. The moment she aimed at one of them the other five would strike, throwing off her aim enough for the sixth to dodge. Luffa smiled as she quickly shifted the ki into an explosive wave. This had no chance of working either, since the six were too far out of her effective range, but that wasn't the point. The point was to cover her trail.

"Where did she go?" one of them asked when the light from her explosive wave subsided. They had expected her to use it as cover, to maneuver around one of them for an attack, but the attack never came. Luffa was simply... gone.

"I can't sense her!" Logas replied. "Can anyone else lock on to her ki?"

"Negative!" reported Voraj.

"Me either," said Purzlein. He began to look around anxiously. "What if she... did something to us just now? Messed up our senses, somehow."

"I can sense the rest of you," Logas said. "She must be suppressing her power. There's a forest down there. She must be hiding."

"That's crazy!" Kres exclaimed. "What good would that do her? We could just blow up the whole area and she wouldn't even be able to protect herself!" He pointed his open palm down at the trees and it began to glow red as he readied just such an attack.

"Sure we could," Aramanth said as she grabbed his hand and pulled it away from the forest. "But then we'd never know for sure if we got her or not. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to report back to our Lord and say we think we killed the Super Saiyan. If she turns up alive later on, we'll be banished for sure."

"M-maybe it's not a trick at all," Voraj said. "We don't know how that glowy yellow power of hers works. Maybe she can't sustain it for very long, and we finally wore her out. She ran away because she knew she was almost out of stamina."

"All right, we've got to assume she's still alive down there," Logas said. "We'll have to start clearing the foliage carefully and check for Saiyan remains as we go."

"This could backfire on us, boss," Purzlein said. "If she's only feigning weakness, she could ambush us really easily down there."

"Two can play at that game," Logas replied. "Some of us will suppress our ki and we'll cover each other's backs."

*******

In the city, Dotz had stayed put, until a kind local noticed her sitting alone and escorted her to the relative safety of a cafe. Emergency vehicles had deployed throughout the area to deal with the destruction, but Dotz already knew the immediate danger had passed. She had spent the last several minutes reading tea leaves, and between that and her cards, she had determined that the Saiyans had left the city to do battle in a forest.

The number of Luffa's enemies had increased. Instead of one invader, Dotz now believed there were at least three. This troubled her. It was one thing when her predictions turned out to be mistaken, but when they contradicted themselves, it meant that she couldn't trust her own ability. Which forecast was true, if either? And why couldn't she determine anything about Luffa? It should have been easier than this to forsee whether she would survive this battle.

But the answers would not be found, no matter how long she started into her tea. When the waiter came over, she sighed and ordered another cup to try again.

*******

Luffa waited in the forest for twenty minutes before making her move. She found the first pair of Saiyans standing in a clearing. Voraj was keeping watch while Kakabajo began blasting trees.

"Wait, I think I found something!" Voraj cried. He raised his power level almost immediately as Kakabajo turned to follow him. In the distance, Luffa could sense the others approaching.

Voraj tore through the bushes and grabbed something yellow that he had spotted among some branches. It was Luffa's pants.

Luffa herself was not with them.

"What the hell--?" Voraj gasped as he realized too late that this was a trap. Suddenly he sensed a powerful ki blast, and he instinctively rolled away to avoid it, the pants still flapping in his hand as he moved. When the crimson light faded, he checked on his comrade, only to find him on the ground, with a hole through his chest the size of a small coin. Kakabajo was dead.

Then Voraj heard laughter.

"How did she--?!" he asked. He never sensed her presence. He still couldn't. He could sense his four partners, but not Luffa. And then, as he looked around, he suddenly saw her running towards him, far faster than any Saiyan could while suppressing their ki energy. As he struggled to make sense of it, he briefly imagined that this was some sort of illusion. Then Luffa drove both of her fists into his chest, and scurried away before he could even finish falling to the forest floor. His broken ribs, he knew, were no illusion.

"What happened?!" Logas called out as they arrived only seconds later. They had thought that there would be plenty of time for them to gather together when one of them found something. In their practice drills, it had seemed almost instantaneous. But now, as he still struggled to grasp Luffa's true speed, those moments seemed like an eternity.

"Luffa," Voraj groaned as he struggled to sit up. "She took out... ugh..."

"How?!" Aramanth asked. "We never sensed her energy! It was like that ki blast came out of nowhere--"

"We need to get out of here!" Kres insisted. "We can't risk engaging her with only five--"

"And do you think Luffa will just let us leave the planet peacefully?" Logas snapped. "Even if we could escape, we'd still have to face Trismegistus' wrath. Oh, he'll know to send seven or eight Saiyan after Luffa next time, but that team won't include any of us! Not after we've failed. We have to stand and fight! There's no other way!"

Once more the forest echoed with a woman's cruel laughter. "I'll make this easier for you," Luffa said in a mocking tone. "The first one who tells me about Trismegistus gets to leave the planet unharmed. The rest of you won't have to worry about his wrath, because you'll be too busy suffering mine."

Logas remained defiant. "You think we're afraid of you, you craven freak?" he shouted as the others looked around for any sign of Luffa's person. "Hiding like this only proves that you lack the power to defeat us!"

"Is that so?" Luffa asked. "Ask your buddy Voraj what he thinks of my power. Well, unless his ribs hurt too much for him to talk."

"She... she's right, boss," Voraj said as he clutched his chest. "It's like she can use some of her ki and hide it at the same time. She wasn't glowing bright yellow when she tagged me. I don't think she hit me with her full strength, but..."

"Enough," Logas hissed. "That sort of talk will only make things worse."

"How much worse can it get!?" Kres cried. "We're stuck on this planet, one dead, one wounded, and she's going to kill us all! We won't even see her coming until it's too late!"

"Pull yourself together!" the leader growled. "We're Saiyans, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we're all Saiyans," Luffa called out. "You guys should be enjoying this fight. I know I am..."

"I'll tell you!" Kres shouted. "I'll tell you everything! Trismegistus gave us our powers! It's called Jindan! It enhances our ki! He's building an army of Saiyans, all so he can--"

Logas fired a ki blast at Kres's head before he could say anymore. His team looked on in horror as Kres's corpse collapsed to the forest floor. There was nothing left of his head but a skull covered with a thin film of blackened flesh.

"Logas you... you...!" Purzlein gasped.

"You know what happens to traitors," Logas said.

"Well, that brings you down to four," Luffa said with a cackle. "Three and a half, really. Voraj doesn't look like he's in much shape to fight."

"You monster!" Aramanth shouted. "If you're so sure you have us beaten, then why don't you come out and finish us?!"

"Good question," Luffa said. "I guess the best answer is that I don't just want to beat you chumps. I've been putting up with Saiyan cowardice and treachery for a while now. You people are the first Saiyans in a while that I've managed to corner, so I guess I'm taking out my frustrations on you."

Without warning, she suddenly rushed out of the forest, and struck Logas in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. As he sank to his knees, the others moved to help him, and Luffa stopped and stood before them, bearing a sick smile on her face.

"You idiots tried to hurt a lot of people today," she said. "You didn't need to hurt them, but you tried anyway. For fun, or maybe to get a rise out of me, or maybe your boss Trismegistus told you to do it. I don't really care why. All I know is you were pretty high on yourselves earlier, back when you thought you were the strongest guys on the planet. Back when you thought I'd be easy pickings."

She transformed, and the other Saiyans took a step back as her golden aura kicked up a powerful wind. Her hair glowed bright yellow, and her eyes shone a furious green.

"I can tell from fighting you all, none of you were ever particularly weak, even before you got this Jindan treatment, whatever it is. That was probably the idea. Your master wanted to send some of his best warriors to face me. You're all used to having things your own way. Anyone tries to stop you, you just shove them aside, because you know they can't fight back." She pointed at her eyes. "I can see it in your fighting styles."

The Saiyans tried to attack her, but their coordination was completely ruined now. Two of their number were dead, one barely able to stand, and Logas still unsteady after taking a body blow. They were still trying to overwhelm Luffa with their superior numbers and teamwork, only it wasn't quite as superior as it had once been. Luffa grabbed Voraj, the one with the broken ribs, and slammed him into his partners like a club.

"Me, I was actually a weakling once, believe it or not. I know what it's like to get pushed around, and how to fight when my back's against the wall." Luffa tossed Voraj into the air and watched him fall to the ground. "Guys like you aren't used to being the underdogs. You've never had to fight with broken ribs, have you? Not when a quick ki blast would finish things instead. Maybe that's why I'm where I am now. Doesn't really matter."

Logas grew desperate, and charged at Luffa, putting all the power he could muster into a single blow. Luffa dodged this easily, though doing so left her vulnerable to flanking attacks from Purzlein and Aramanth. She leapfrogged one of them, which caused their attacks to very nearly hit each other. Then Logas caught up to her and managed to drive his fist into her face.

"Now! While she's down!" Logas screamed. "Finish her off!"

As one, the four Saiyans fired on Luffa with all the energy they could. Even Voraj had managed to pull himself upright so he could join the assault. Dazed, Luffa was barely able to bring up her arms to shield herself before she was engulfed in a stream of multi-colored light. Behind her, the foliage and rocky soil were annihilated by the blast, carving out a trail of ash for several hundred yards.

"I... I can't keep it up..." Voraj groaned.

"Don't stop!" Logas shouted. "She's weakening! I can feel it!"

"It's another one of her tricks!" Aramanth protested. "We have to surrender!"

"Don't be a fool!" Logas shouted. "If we stop now, we're all dead!"

Suddenly, Voraj collapsed, unable to stand the strain any longer. Logas turned to him and gasped in shock.

"It's not enough! We need more power!"

And then suddenly, Aramanth ceased fire. While Logas was distracted by this, Aramanth turned and shot Purzlein instead.

"What are you doing?" Logas cried in terror. Now he was the only one left fighting against Luffa, and in a one-on-one contest of power, he didn't have a prayer. Luffa forced his attack back, pushing against it, step by step, until at last the energy had nowhere else to go but back upon the man who had unleashed it. In a matter of seconds, he was torn to shreds, and the shreds were pulverized into dust.

Luffa was the victor. Her bare arms and legs were covered in cuts and bruises, and her left eye had swollen shut. Her black shirt and compression shorts were soaked with blood, and she moved gingerly, painfully across the ruined patch of forest, but she still moved. The first thing she did was to grab her pants from Voraj. In all the confusion, he had never thought to let go of them. He was still breathing, though barely.

As she checked on Purzlein's body, Aramanth aimed at Voraj, and killed him with an energy beam through the skull.

"Why?" Luffa asked between ragged breaths.

Aramanth held out her hands in a gesture of capitulation. "You were winning," she said. "And you said you'd spare the first one to tell you about Trismegistus. I couldn't do that until I was sure the others wouldn't be able to kill me for my betrayal."

"What do you mean?" Luffa asked.

She knelt down and bowed her head to Luffa. "I've failed Trismegistus," Aramanth said. "I can't go back to him, so my only chance is to pledge my allegiance to you, Super Saiyan. I'll tell you anything you want to know, and do anything you ask."

"Get up," Luffa commanded.

She obeyed, and as soon as she did, Luffa grabbed her by the collar of her uniform.

"You idiot!" Luffa yelled. "You could have won!"

"Wh-what?" Aramanth asked.

Luffa shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I've never fought such a small number of Saiyans and had that much trouble before," she said. "If the four of you had kept it up just a little longer, I'm not sure I would have been able to keep going! And then suddenly your offensive went slack and--"

"You mean we really could have killed you?!" Aramanth asked. She looked over at her fallen comrades, suddenly realizing the gravity of what she had done. The glorious opportunity that she had allowed to slip through her fingers. The reward that Trismegistus might have given her for slaying the almighty Super Saiyan.

Luffa shoved her to the ground and turned away from her. "Maybe!" she said. "I don't really know my own limits, so maybe I would have managed to keep fighting, or maybe I would have had to retreat into the forest and hide for a while. But maybe your combined power might have killed me. Now, we'll never know."

Neither of them moved for a moment. A cold breeze blew through the trees. Aramanth rose to her feet, unsure what to do next.

"As far as letting you leave this planet," Luffa said bitterly, "well, it depends on how good your information is. I can't exactly trust someone who'd turn against her own--"

She suddenly turned and fired a ki blast at Aramanth, who had been about to attack Luffa from behind. Whether Aramanth seriously expected to prevail, or whether she had simply been driven mad with regret, no one could say.

Luffa looked down at the Saiyan woman's corpse, then spit on it in disgust.

*******

When Luffa returned to her ship with Dotz, Zatte noticed her wounds immediately.

"What happened?" she asked as she scooped up Luffa and began to carry her to the sickbay.

"Ran into more of those jacked up Saiyans," Luffa said. "Like the one on Quadzityz, only this crew never got around to self-destructing."

"Ordinary Saiyans did this to you?" Zatte asked.

"Yeah, well you should see what I did to them," Luffa replied. She tried to laugh, but it hurt too much.

"I'll get Dr. Topsas," Zatte said as she set her down on on of the beds in sickbay.

"Don't trouble him," Luffa said, "it's not that bad--"

Zatte raised her hands, showing Luffa the red blood that had smeared onto her blue-skinned palms from carrying her. "This. Is not. A debate," she said.

"Okay, okay, but he promised to check out Dotz first, so--"

"To hell with that," Zatte growled, then she spun around on her heel to fetch the doctor. She made it one step before she found Dotz scooting towards her in her anti-grav chair.

"Oh, hello," Zatte said. "Uh, excuse me." She sidestepped Dotz and continued towards the door.

"Luffa, was that your wife?" Dotz asked after Zatte had gone.

"Hell yeah," Luffa said with a proud grimace. "She's really something, huh?"

"I'm so sorry," Dotz said, maneuvering her chair to Luffa's bedside. "I only saw one Saiyan in my vision. I never imagined there would be six of them!"

"You did great, Dotz," Luffa said. "There's nothing to apologize for. If I had known there would be six, I still would have played it the same way."

"But... but I was wrong..."

"Accuracy's a relative thing," Luffa said with a shrug. "A Saiyan's a Saiyan, whether he's got backup or not. You got the timing down, and the location. That was all I needed. Now if there had been zero Saiyans, then I'd be a little annoyed, but this worked out better than I hoped."

"But... but..."

Luffa's expression shifted to one of concern. "Hey, you should climb into one of the beds, all right? You still need to recover your strength. I'll try to get Doc to look you over first, but he's pretty stubborn once he makes up his mind."

Dotz decided there was no point in arguing, and so she removed herself from her chair and lay down in the nearest bed. As she pulled the covers over herself, she kept glancing over to Luffa, who seemed as cheerful as could be, despite her injuries.

NEXT: The Initiation

#dragon ball #fanfiction #lssjluffafic #super saiyan #luffa #dotz #logas #kres #aramanth #purzlein #voraj #kakabajo #lubegev #zatte

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i-dont-want-your-hysteria · 6 years

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PSA- How It All Went Down On February 10th

Today is the one year anniversary of when I got into Def Leppard, and how everything on this blog came to be becuase of today. Below is the entire story of how I came across Leppard, and how this blog came about.

Happy one year!

Let me get one thing clear- I definitely grew up on Def Leppard in one way or another.

My dad’s been a huge fan since ‘83, so of course, I heard their music growing up. However, I didn’t exactly know it was them that I was hearing- I just always heard their name from my dad. I kept my own taste in music, and never paid attention to them (since I didn’t exactly know who they were).

So, the road to my current state of Leppard-loving actually began at the beginning of my sophomore year (fall 2016). For some reason I "rediscovered" Sugar (as in I never knew the title or the artist of it but always heard it as a kid) and started listening to it a lot. A lot.

During my sophomore year, I transitioned my music taste into classic rock. I don’t remember how this happened, but it was for the best.

At the end of my sophomore year, I "rediscovered" Animal (same scenario) and started listening to it a lot, but never listened to any other song by them voluntarily.

In the summer following this (summer 2017), whenever we burned a fire on our deck, we would always play Weird Al/ Electric Amish (stuff like that) when we were out there late at night. Eventually, one night in July, I was out of ideas of what to play so I asked my dad (a huge DL fan) what I should put on and of course he simply says "Def Leppard." I asked him what song and said to just pick one, so I thought, “oh god I don't really know any of their songs and I don’t know what he likes, what should I pick? Okay, I’ll pick one I don’t know. Let's just pick the first one that comes up that I don't know" and it just so happens that that one was Hysteria, and I put it on and immediately my dad goes "Ahh.. you had to pick this one...” and tilts his head back, looking up at the sky.

He then told me the story of the first time it was played for the rest of the band (which isn’t 100% true, but this is just what he knew) he said that one of the guitarists (it was actually Phil and Sav) played what they had so far for the rest of the band around a campfire like we were doing (which turned out to be some of Sav and Phil's Irish friends).

But it felt really cool being out there with this song playing, and it was the first time I had ever heard it, too. Hysteria was my favorite song within a week. But, still, I could probably only name 3 or 4 DL songs at this point (I apparently did know more, but none by name). Those 3 or 4 DL songs kinda defined that summer for me, funny enough.

October of 2017: I don't exactly know how it happened, (I think I heard it on the radio) but I rediscovered Photograph (I actually knew this one by name) and became OBSESSED WITH IT FOR ALL OF NOVEMBER. Making music videos in my head, writing it into my NaNoWriMo novel, listening to it whenever I could, just wow- I love it. That's when it became my favorite song of all time (and it still is- tied with Hysteria).

It's January of 2018 now, and I'm still cooing over Photograph and Sugar and Hysteria and Animal, then January 14th, 2018 comes around- I almost meet Rick by accident, then a week or so later I'm watching the Metal Mayhem block on MTVC...

A video ends, it fades to black, and then suddenly I hear that "pck......" pluck of a string that echoes away and my heart jumps- “IT'S PHOTOGRAPH OHMYGODOHMYGOD...!!”

It occurred to me right then and there that I had never seen the music video before (or even considered that there may have been one)

It had ALSO occurred to me that I had never once actually looked at a picture of the band. I'd never seen their faces.

So I’ve got a favorite song I’ve been obsessed with for a solid two months, I discover its music video, and look at the band who sings it for the first time- and who starts singing my absolute favorite song of all time but an absolutely daSHING young man in a Union Jack tank top and a white scarf.

And then he hit me out of nowhere and I actually said to myself "God... the lead singer's actually kinda cute... like... really cute..." followed by an "oh no" shortly after because I knew I'd eventually fall madly in love with this simply adorable man who sings my favorite song, and I’d remember that that is what started it all (but that's not what started it all. It was simply an “I’ve been down this road before and this is typically how it starts.” I was more shocked than anything that my dad’s favorite band had a pretty cute lead singer- like how was that possible?) I was now, however, teetering on the edge of falling into an obsession... anything could set me off.

And it finally did- on February 10th, 2018. My dad was taking me to a drama club rehearsal, and Bringin On the Heartbreak came on the radio. My dad turned it up and went "Yes! Old Leppard!" and at the chorus I went "WHAT'S THIS SONG CALLED I THINK I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE"

It was just the chorus I remembered, not exact words, but it just sounded all familiar, the melody of their forces, the screaming of the words, I'm pretty sure I heard it a really long time ago. And thus, it had begun. I went home, I found it on our iCloud and downloaded it.

Then I remembered my dad saying something when he was drunk about how "I nEED ROCK. LIKE ROCK. I'M TALKING LIKE- PYROMANIA. TWICE."

So I thought "I really really like a small handfull of Def Leppard’s songs. I think I should listen to them more. I'll listen to Pyromania- twice." (I’d heard of the album beforehand but never listened to it- or had I?). So I did one day. I listened to it. Twice. And BOOM; there were at least 4 songs on there right off the bat I most definitely recognized. Turns out I did know a ton of songs by Def Leppard- I just didn’t know it was them.

And of course I looked into them a bit more, hearing about all their popular stuff, listening to all of Hysteria, FINALLY looking up that handsome son of a bitch's name (Joe), finding out that one of the main composers of my favorite song went and died before I was born (Steve), and finding their more popular songs, and listening to all albums soon enough.

I kept going back to tumblr to find pics of them and such, but there weren’t a lot. There wasn’t much on here at all about them. Whatever I did find, though, I reblogged. I was straight up obsessed within days. That week was crazy for my old tumblr.

However, at the end of the week, on Feb 18th, only a week after it all began, I accidentally deleted my tumblr account (long story, don’t ask). I was honestly devastated because I had it for almost 4 years and all that history was now gone in the blink of an eye. Within the hour, I restarted and created a new tumblr account. I was lost on here and didn’t know where to begin, or get back on my feet. For one thing, I got my old url back ( @mccoys-killer-queen ) and immediately made my background the same pic of the guys as it was before to kind of trick myself into thinking nothing had changed.

I was wrong, and that was a good thing.

I got back into a fresh new blog, and started going around to people and asking them to spread the word on what happened and to hopefully get most of my followers back.

To this day I don’t remember all of them, and that’s been a good thing so far.

While I was doing this, I started talking to @raised-on-radio (whom I had only become mutuals with about a week earlier),

“thinking about legit starting a def leppard blog tho” I said in the tags of a post I reblogged. She sent it back to me saying that I totally should (thanks, by the way!). And while I wasn’t totally serious about it at the time, I thanked her for the support so early on.

The next day- literally- the next day (Feb 19th), I messaged her and said that I couldn’t help myself, and made a DL blog (you’re looking at it right now). I’d never had a sideblog before, but within a week, I really enjoyed it (and obviously, I still do). Upon looking at this dead/sleeping fandom on tumblr, I realized right away it needed some sort of revival- to become like other fandoms in the modern day. There was no fanfic (on tumblr at least), there were no memes (oh heLL NO there was not), there wasn’t much circulation of posts, and it just felt dead- which I KNEW it wasn’t. It was very far from it.

Over the next month or so, it seemed now that I was involved with the fandom, it was starting to awaken in some ways. There were people actually posting content, more people were making blogs, memes got involved (I’m taking the credit for that, lmao, it seemed no one else posted memes except me and @stupidpicturesofdefleppard ). I don’t want to say I caused this awakening, but it just seems that it happened around the time I got involved with everything. A divine coincidence.

The year that followed was amazing in so many different ways. In a year, I went from not even looking at a photo of the guys and not even knowing their names, to interacting/having one of them and their official twitter interact with me on Twitter a few times, to meeting one of them in person (and putting my arm around him and having him call me ‘darling’), to having a year long obsession that’s still going strong, to knowing much more songs by them than any other artist, to knowing more facts and history about them than anything else, to being able to recognize them if given the slightest detail, and to being absolutely in love with every member and everything Def Leppard has done (not in that order!)

One year later, here we are! The past 365 days since I first heard Bringin’ On The Heartbreak in my dad’s car has been one hell of a story that’s taken me months to completely type out, and I can’t thank everyone enough for somehow making me gain 364 followers in the past year for something I never thought would get off the ground! If I told myself a year ago that I’d be where I am now, I don’t know what I’d think of it. I’d think it absolutely crazy- which it is!

But I wouldn’t change a thing about the last 365 days, that’s for damn sure.

Rock on, guys!

#def leppard #pyromania #hysteria #psa #this year's been wild guys really #kind of personal #it's been so wild and I still can't believe all of this happened the way it did #it's literally as if fate had something to do with every part of this

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love-advice-on-call · 2 years

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Hello!

I’m starting with the premise that I’m a pretty closed off person and that I have never, in all my 19 years of life, had a crush or a romantic attraction to anyone. I recently started to experiment with going out with a guy like 4 months ago and had my first kiss. Eventually he started to catch feelings (I didn’t) and even if I wanted do more with him I had to stop this thing because I felt like using him since I didn’t like him in that way. Then I downloaded Tinder to find other queer women (I’m bi) since I live in a small town and it’s difficult to find them here. I eventually ended up going out with three girls, but one of them didn’t inspire me much so I currently am texting with the other two. I went out two times with one of them and yesterday it was the third time. When I met her up at the station she was with a guy. I immediately understood he wasn’t a friend. The situation got embarrassing since me and the guy started staring at each other until she quickly hugged him and he took the train to go home. I asked her who was him and she started telling me things that were obv red flags about him (she didn’t seem aware of that). Now, I too am hanging out with another person so it’s not that I’m jealous…but the thing is that I had started to feel, even if little, something for her. But when she told me that she was hanging out with me and that guy, who was a walking red flag you know what I’m saying, putting me and him at the same level in her mind made me feel extremely disrespected. Like I understand if she was hanging out with decent people but HIM…come on now. So my little feelings for her immediately dropped. The date went well we chatted and made out and a bit more in my car but now I see her in a confused way, like a nice person to hang out it and someone to have sex with. No more feeling. Tell me what you think and sorry if this is a bit stupid.

Well to start off with, 19 years isn't too bad to be starting to explore this.

Second side note, TBH, I really don't like tinder, it's really gone down hill since the pandemic, but I get using it if you're in a smaller area and don't have as many options for dating. I've had some pretty solid luck with Hinge, and bumble is usually kind of "stale" (they should rename it to "white conservative Christians meet")

So what I think is that it sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders.

I totally agree with you that this girl doing SOMETHING with another person, whatever that was, and then haphazardly "surprise introducing you two" on a third date without actually telling you who you or really anyone is to her is a big red flag. Like that's just a poor dating move there and something you might see a 16 year old do. But anyways, yeah come on now, like seriously? what was she thinking

Of course, bummer that you liked this girl, but then she kind of imploded the relationship, but that's a part of dating in general. You never know what you get until you see them a few times and feel it out. Someone who you have high hopes for can end up being really weird at the end and someone you thought would just be a fun thing can turn into something serious. It's better they do something that lets you know they're not cool early, rather than 3 months in, even if it hurts to learn. It might also be good to stop seeing this person so you can focus more time and effort on a new person.

I think to me, it sounds like you're doing great, and despite being 19 and never having a crush or romantic feelings towards someone, I think that will change (and is changing) the more you go out with folks and gain experience. This will smooth out naturally for you I think. It sounds like you're growing really fast and you just gotta keep doing what you're doing. You made a big step with this person, but it might be time to look into taking the next big step with someone else.

Posted September 23, 2022

#advice #love advice #relationships #relationship advice #relationship help #online dating

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allenmendezsr · 4 years

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Transform Grief

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/transform-grief/

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Think about how wonderful it will be to wake up smile and take on the day with purpose. You owe it to yourself to let the healing begin. Grief has held you down long enough. It’s now your responsibility to let love back into your heart. You can do it. You’re stronger than you know. All you need are the right tools to set you free. I’ve put those tools together for you. All you have to do is take this first step.

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heathergoffrier · 4 years

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7 Baby Care Ideas For Dads In The First 8 Weeks

If you're a sleep-deprived mom with a newborn, get dad involved with these baby care ideas and ways to help! And for help getting more sleep, grab my free guide, "How To Start An Infant Sleep Schedule." Click here to download

My first baby arrived at 1:34am, and the rest of the night was lost to slurping down as much grape juice as I could get, getting a meal (I honestly don't remember what it was, but it was SO delicious because I was starving), and moving to our "permanent" room. Adam was a huge help that first night, but the next night he got himself into a bit of trouble... We got only a tiny bit of rest the day she was born, in between baby baths, hearing tests, learning how to nurse and constant interruption by hospital staff. Not to bash them, I had some pretty amazing nurses. (Then there was the really wacky one.) The following night was a mix of breastfeeding, cuddling, and changing diapers, with a few naps in between. When sunshine streamed into the room and the sky lightened, hubby rolled over with bleary eyes. "Wow, she slept great last night!" he gushed, feeling refreshed after sleeping through the night. "No, Babe," I laughed. "YOU slept great last night." He looked shocked and sheepish. I laughed and told him that I'd let him sleep. I was already up and right by the baby so I didn't bother to wake him that night. He felt bad and made sure to never make that assumption again! Though it was easier that first night to do things myself, I soon found many baby care ideas and ways to encourage Adam to help with all things newborn. And as the high of new baby wore down into sleep-deprived mom, I learned quickly to pass off certain duties to him. By the way, starting a gentle routine with my babies helped me get a ton more sleep! I created a free guide with more info called "How To Start A Newborn Sleep Schedule." Click here to download

Here Are 7 Baby Care Ideas For Dads In The First 8 Weeks

1- Changing Diapers My husband is a champ diaper changer. However, he deployed two weeks after my oldest was born, so he couldn't help for six months. It's ironic though because by the time he got back from deployment and our baby was six months old, she was down to one poop per day. So even though he jumped in and helped with diapers again, it was at least a couple weeks before he had to change a poopy one! He somehow lucked out by always being at work or out of the house when she happened to soil a diaper. Let me just say that after 6 months of solo-parenting, I celebrated that first soiled one he had to change. 2- Bottle-Feeding If you're doing formula or pumping + bottle feeding, there's no reason hubby can't jump right into the rotation. I never fed bottles in the night, mostly because nursing was going well and hubby was gone. But from other moms I've talked to, everyone gets a lot more rest if you trade off and let one person sleep while the takes the next feeding. Worth a try! Hubby can also mix bottles while you get the baby ready, or vice versa. So many options. RELATED: WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO START AN INFANT SLEEP SCHEDULE? 3- Holding The Baby Who doesn't love baby snuggles? And seriously, how cute is it to see your hubby snuggled up with baby while he watches football... and you finally get to take a shower, take a nap, or just do something for yourself? 4- Household Chores Chores: they're not glamorous, but they have to get done. Laundry, washing cloth diapers, cleaning, tiding up, organizing, dishes, you name it. If hubby can help keep a peaceful, clean environment that's a win for everyone. And what a blessing for Mom!

I wanted ALL THE THINGS I couldn't eat for 9 months. Stat. 5- Cooking And/Or Picking Up Food My hubby is a great cook, and I know I'm spoiled by that. It was helpful when he took charge of cooking or could make a dash for take out. During the months I nursed, I couldn't eat or drink enough. It was so nice to have someone around to deliver my water bottle for the 80th time, since I forgot to refill it and stick it by my nursing chair... again. Thanks dear. RELATED: 4 WAYS I LOST INTIMACY FROM MY MARRIAGE AFTER KIDS 6- Coordinating A Meal Train I honestly haven't run across many men doing this. In my experience, a mom-friend of the pregnant woman has set up the meal organization. But that certainly doesn't have to be the case, because your spouse can certainly take the point on this. Takethemameal.com or MealTrain.com are two handy websites that allow friends to easily sign up to bring you a meal. Each website shows what people are bringing to help others volunteers prepare a variety of meals. That way not everyone brings lasagne. Not that I don't love a good lasagne, but no one needs 10 of them. 7- Sleeping + Taking Care Of Your Other Children If you have older children, it helps if at least one of you is getting a solid amount of sleep in those early months. When our middle daughter arrived, our oldest child was still needy (sometimes more so than the newborn) and required a full tank of energy during the day. Which I didn't have. So I didn't mind when Adam went back to bed and I was up nursing, because I knew he would be wrangling our preschooler. It was tag-team. Older sis also started waking up at night, which wasn't normal for her. That added to the sleep deprivation, especially when both of us had to get up. Losing sleep during the newborn phase is a given. But you can make it SO much easier by starting early with a gentle routine. We started with a plan right away and all our babies slept through the night at an early age. I created a free guide called "How To Start An Infant Sleep Schedule" so everyone in the house could get more sleep. Click here to download Marriage & Relationship Tip: It's important to discuss your roles and expectations, ahead of time if possible. For example: Who is changing diapers in the middle of the night?What kind of help can you expect during feeding periods?Who wants to or is able to do the cooking?Should you plan for takeout, or is someone coordinating a meal?Consider what expectations you might have of the other person, maybe without realizing it. By discussing your expectations, you can avoid unnecessary arguments and misunderstandings that often arise when we are sleep deprived and going through a big transition.

Baby Care Ideas Put To Use

Hubby more than made up for his first night off after our oldest was born, with all he did to help in the first few weeks. Thankfully, he was around for the entirety of our second daughter's first year, and he was an amazing help. Adam would get up with me in the middle of the night and change the diaper while I got ready to nurse, then he'd go back to sleep. He kept this up long after he went back to work. Thankfully we gently started a three week old baby sleep routine with all our kids which allowed them to sleep through the night at an early age (they all slept through the night by about 12 weeks). That way, we both got a lot more sleep and didn't have to get up very often in the night.

If you're needing more sleep and ready for baby to space out his or her night feeds, don't miss my free guide, "How To Start An Infant Sleep Schedule." Click here to download

Read the full article

#babycare #communication #marriage

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rieshon · 6 years

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Best of 2018

Holy shit was this a hard year to write this. There were a few standouts that were always going to be at the top of this list, but that second tier of "really good" shows was really dense this year, and some series I absolutely loved weren't able to make the cut. Here are the ones that did.

10: Mitsuboshi Colors ∥ Silver Link. ∥ Dir. Kawamura Tomoyuki: Even as someone who watches children's anime, I have to say Mitsuboshi Colors was the purest celebration of childhood this year. Not only does this series let you see some of the most adorable girls this side of Ichigo Mashimaro, it really invites you to see their world through their eyes, creating a nostalgic and genuinely wholesome experience not common for anime series featuring little girls. Of course, there is still plenty on offer for the lolicons in the audience: Yui is too pure angel, and Sacchan is one of the best bokes of the year. Just remember: in the end, we're all poop.

9: Zombie Land Saga ∥ MAPPA ∥ Dir. Sakai Munehisa: If you told me a year ago one of the best shows of the year would be about moe zombies, even an anime veteran like myself would have been surprised. Yet here we are, where a show about moe zombie idols is not only one of the best shows of the year, but one of the best idol anime I can remember seeing. For what seems like it is going to be a one trick pony of a gag anime, the character development in Zombie Land Saga is shockingly good, from Junko's discovery of her own aidoru-do to Lily's whole thing with being transgender... This show really throws its weight behind its characters and that's what makes the completely-in-earnest idol anime aspects of it work so well. Moe zombies made me cry real tears, and I love anime.

8: Darling in the Franxx ∥ A-1 Pictures & Trigger ∥ Dir. Nishigori Atsushi: This is probably the biggest 'event anime' of the year on this list and it certainly was an adventure. Darling in the Franxx is an epic robot anime very much in the vein of its great predecessors: genuine sci-fi, attempts to be deep, and of course the always relevant themes of "parents just don't understand" and "puberty is hard." The heroines are wonderful, of course, and the characters' rather significant growth over the course of the series is compelling. It's the kind of show you'd expect from someone who had their hands deep in Gurren Lagann. It also features some great hand-drawn(!) robot action--visually, it's overall one of the best shows of the year. But sorry 57th prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, this will not increase Japan's birth rate.

7: SSSS.GRIDMAN ∥ Trigger ∥ Dir. Amemiya Akira: I'm honestly not sure which of the Trigger robot shows I enjoyed more; Gridman might just be higher because it's more recent, but it's probably fair to say it's the more "fun" show, what with it being an Ultra series spinoff and everything. Even though it gets pretty dark and deep towards the end, the series is definitely imbued with the playful spirit of tokusatsu. Hiding behind that, though, is a thematically solid series boasting a couple of fantastic female leads in Akane and Rikka. You're never going to be able to get me to stop shipping it.

6: Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight ∥ Kinema Citrus ∥ Dir. Furukawa Tomohiro: If I was rating series on style alone, Revue Starlight would probably be my anime of the year on the basis of the digital stage lighting effects alone. This show is both a sharp-edged satire of the cut-throat world of Japanese womens' theater and a love letter to the spectacle of the stage. It seems fitting that it would be a protege of Ikuhara Kunihiko's who would take on this project; the show's style is certainly evocative of Ikuhara, and that sort of ostentatious presentation is also perfectly evocative of theater, which is itself an inherently larger-than-life endeavor. Yeah, it's pretentious as hell, but that just makes me like it more. Style aside, there is also a good yuri anime lurking in the background (Japanese womens' theater is gay as fuck so there had to be) and Hikari definitely earns the right to be called "this show's Homura." Lots of good lesbians in this show.

5: Hanebado! ∥ Lidenfilms ∥ Dir. Ezaki Shinpei: Sports anime are not really my thing--I have no interest in watching Slam Dunk, Tennis no Oujisama, or 'the basketball which Kuroko plays,' but even so, is Hanebado! one of the best sports anime ever made? It's hard for me to imagine a better-executed tale of self-discovery through athletic competition. This is certainly the only sports anime I've seen where the audience is made to root against the protagonist in the sport because we're rooting for her outside of it. It also features stellar animation for the badminton parts that really sells the idea of badminton being 'the world's fastest racquet sport." Erena was the best girl though, and she doesn't even play badminton.

4: Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho ∥ Madhouse ∥ Dir. Ishizuka Atsuko: When the end credits finally rolled on Yorimoi, the first words that came to mind were "what a journey." I don't know if I've watched another show that made me feel so much like I had truly gone 'there and back again' with the heroes. The treasure really is the friends we found along the way, and you accompany these friends from the very beginning to the very end of their journey to and from Antarctica, watching them mature and learn things about each other and themselves... The result is a series that is immensely satisfying in a way few others are. Hanada Jukki's usual brand of sentimental melodrama is pitch perfect for a show like this, and I'd be lying if I said this show didn't make me cry on like four or five completely seperate occasions. Please let Ishizuka Atsuko direct more anime.

3: Yagate Kimi ni Naru ∥ Troyca ∥ Dir. Katou Makoto: I went into detail about what makes Yagakimi so great just a couple months ago, but suffice it to say this show is my favorite yuri anime of all time. The characters' relationships are just so genuinely fascinating, especially in a genre where 'will they or won't they' is often as far as the dramatic tension goes. It is really a show about two girls discovering themselves through each other, and it's just so beautifully done, especially when accompanied by Ooshima Michiru's soundtrack. I liked this story so much that I downloaded the manga to read through, and I don't even read manga.

2: Violet Evergarden ∥ Kyoto Animation ∥ Dir. Ishidate Taichi: Figures that a show I was so certain would suck would end up here. Violet is the only show this year that made me cry even more than Yorimoi, and although it's a little hamfisted about it at times, I love the earnestness with which it pursues its themes about loss and love. Violet is not just the interloper who allows us to experience the various stories happening around this world, but also a fascinating character to watch in her own right as she tries to learn what exactly it means to love someone. It's sappy and sentimental as hell, which is why I love it. It also has probably my favorite soundtrack of the year, courtesy of Evan Call, which I've probably listened to over a dozen times.

1: Yurucamp ∥ C-Station ∥ Dir. Kyougoku Yoshiaki: Cute girls taking it easy? Hell yeah. There's nothing on this Earth more comfy than watching these girls go camping in the gorgeous Japanese countryside and just being the best of friends. Shimarin is the best loner who absolutely knows how to live life, and all I want is to ride scooters and eat instant noodles with her. It's a cute girl anime of the utmost quality, and the only reason I still have a will to live is because a second season has already been confirmed.

1. Yurucamp 2. Violet Evergarden 3. Yagate Kimi ni Naru 4. Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho 5. Hanebado! 6. Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight 7. SSSS.GRIDMAN 8. Darling in the Franxx 9. Zombie Land Saga 10. Mitsuboshi Colors

Honorable mentions... Hinamatsuri is probably the show I feel worst about not including, given its hilarity and its surprisingly well-done themes on poverty and homelessness, but someone had to be 11th. Asobi Asobase was another comedy I wanted to include, another one which was riotously hilarious at times and also included one of the cutest girls of the year, Olivia. As far as joji anime this year go, Aikatsu Friends exceeded all my expectations to finally be the Aikatsu series I stuck with, and Aine and Mio are the ultimate lesbian idols. I also have to give a shoutout to the Seishun Butayarou show, which is exactly the kind of 'snappy dialogue and adolescence problems' show that makes me love series like Oregairu and ef.

The awards go to...

Best Actress: Ueda Reina as Shinjou Akane, SSSS.GRIDMAN. I've been a big fan of Ueshama's since she turned up as the ridiculous Ajimi-sensei in Pripara. She can do some vocal gymnastics and has a great comedic delivery, but it was fantastic to hear her dramatic chops really leveraged to their full potential in Gridman. I think Ueda has one of the sexiest voices going in the business today, and some of the segments in Gridman where her character tries to seduce the male lead were truly yabai... And of course the more emotional segments with Rikka were also immensely impactful. (Credit to Miyamoto Yume for also doing some great work as Rikka in that series.)

(Honorable mention: Touyama Nao as Shima Rin in Yurucamp. Naobou has been one of my favorites for a long time now but her work as Rin is probably my top role of her's. Her aloof delivery is just so perfect for the character and her voice makes the show even more comfy than it already was. It's like a voice you want to hug.)

Best Actor: Miyano Mamoru as the manager from the moe zombie show I guess. I give up on doing the men every year. Kono baka zombi.

Newcomer Seiyuu of the Year: Shiraishi Haruka. Behind pure acting ability, versatility must be the most desirous trait in a voice actor, and it really feels like Shiraishi can do it all. She's had a couple major roles before this year: Motoba Kirie in the Umaru series, and Ruri in Anhapi, but her three main roles this past year really highlight the breadth of her abilities. She was the cool and collected Asirpa in Golden Kamuy, the impudent loli Misha in Uchi no Meido ga Uzasugiru, and the sexy tsundere Kana in Animayell... Yeah, that's some diversity in performances. It seems like I'm seeing this girl's name pop up everywhere recently and it's easy to see why: she seems to be able to excel in almost any role. She has two more major parts lined up for later this year, and I'm excited to see what she can do yet.

(Honorable mention: Hondo Kaede. Man, it felt like this girl was everywhere this year. Wikipedia counts her as having had no less than eight major roles, and that's following on from a 2017 where she had three leading roles. She certainly has a flair for the dramatic: probably my favorite role of hers was as Kanami in Toji no Miko; in a show where the animation didn't often keep up with the demands of the story, strong voice acting from Hondo and her leading partner Oonishi Saori really helped carry the show. I also really enjoyed her as Kohaku in Irozuku Sekai no Ashita Kara... She doesn't get the award, though, because most of her major roles so far have tended to sound the same. I'd really like to hear her branch out beyond her standard voice.)

#best of the year

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ishelpartdeux · 8 years

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(And everything you need to know about applying for one.)

Gone were the days when we only think of countries other than Southeast Asia as dream destinations. Cheap airfares are now within online bookable reach — with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan amongst the nearby Asian countries we can visit freely. Before booking flights, you might take into consideration that such countries still require us to obtain a valid visa prior to visiting. If you're a frequent traveler and has a good financial standing, securing one would be very easy.

Some would probably ask why I am making this a big deal, but I swear I've been through so much just to get that stamp! After all the hurdle of completing the documents for my visa application, I was able to grace the first quarter of my 2017 with a trip to South Korea! More so, I was able to get a 3-Year Multiple-Entry South Korean Tourist Visa on my first application!

I'll make this blog post as detailed as possible to help my fellow travelers attain that dream South Korean vacation. But before anything else, let me share a bit of my back story.

One of the main reasons why I was holding back my decision to let go of my second job was because of this South Korea trip. Petty, I know! Actually, this became one of my major problems because as per South Korean Embassy: NO WORK, NO VISA! When my friends and I decided to book our flight last June 2016, I had no solid plans yet on leaving my employer. But by the time I was due to apply for a visa, I was no longer an employee!

I've listed below my concerns and how I was able to address them one by one:

I am unemployed. From reading blogs I learned that you won't even be given a chance to submit your requirements because they're very strict about the No Work, No Visa policy. BUT, this varies according to what category you're applying for. This was when I decided to apply as Self-Employed. Unbeknownst to most, Ek and I just started a trading business late last year. Timely it was when we decided to apply for the necessary business permits this January. We've also decided to register the business under my name. It took us two months of tediously going in and out of government offices to be passed on from one district office to another because of erroneous paperwork, incomplete government forms, etc. Boy, was it very exhausting! So when we were able to complete all the requirements for our little business, we both felt so relieved! Aside from the fact that I was able to secure my licenses as a law-abiding Filipino taxpayer, I was also able to apply on time for my visa application. :)

My passport recently expired. You need to have a valid passport that won't expire in 6 months before you apply for a visa; this is also true when traveling to other countries. To make it worse, when I scheduled my online appointment for passport renewal with DFA, I found out I was not able to confirm my schedule via e-mail!!! Agh, so I waited another month and a half for a new schedule. Thankfully, I was able to renew my passport on time!

I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go to Korea. My finances were tight. I was unemployed. My business is new and there were no steady streams of income coming in. Everything changed when I started watching this Korean drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo! The "I was secretly hoping I get denied to spare myself from financial trouble" turned into "Damnit, I must get that visa, go to South Korea and visit Bok's Chicken" real quick! No regrets!

Visa Requirements

Please visit the Embassy's website for the complete set of requirements for each category. I will list the most common ones below:

If you’re an employee

If you’re a business owner/self-employed

If you’re a student/still studying

If you’re a housewife/househusband

If you’re a retired senior citizen

If you’re married to a Korean

Please check the embassy’s website if you can’t classify yourself as one of the above.

Since I am a business owner, I fall under** SELF-EMPLOYED** category. Here are the ones I submitted:

Application form

Passport picture

My recently renewed Philippine e-Passport

Photocopy of my NEW passport's second page

Photocopy of my OLD passport's second page and the previous stamps on it (These aren't exactly a requirement, but there is a section in the application form asking about travels during the last 5 years so I attached these as supporting documents.)

DTI Business Registration (photocopy)

Mayor's Permit (photocopy)

This is where the fun part begins. I learned from my friend that South Korea is holding a promo for BPI and BDO credit card holders! Luckily, I've had my BPI Gold credit card for more than a year now. Not only did I get exempted from submitting ITR and Financial Statements, I was also qualified to be granted a 3-year multiple entry visa! (And I was! Hay, thank you universe!) So in addition to the requirements above, here are the additional ones I've submitted:

BPI Credit Card (photocopy of front only, NO NEED to photocopy the back of your card for your own security purposes)

My last credit card statements for 3 months (You can submit only your most recent statement, but I submitted the last 3 to be sure.)

BPI Original Bank Certificate (As per the promo, the financial docs were already unnecessary, but since I have it, I might as well submit it.)

Visa Application Process

Once you've completed your requirements, you can now proceed to the embassy. The address is at the bottom of this post. There's no need for an appointment.

After they’ve called your number and reviewed your documents, they’ll give you a claim slip with a tentative release date for your passport (hopefully with visa).

It took no more than an hour for me to submit my application in the embassy.

Before you claim your passport, write your name and contact number at the back of your claim slip. You may be asked to provide additional documents and/or be subjected to an interview depending on your submitted requirements.

Lastly, pray that your visa gets approved!

Visa Processing Time

8:30 am to 11:00 am (Weekdays) – Visa Application

1:30 pm to 4:00 pm – Releasing of Passports

General reminders and some tips:

You may print out an Application Form (downloadable from the Embassy's website) and have it typewritten like what others did to make it look neat. However, I manually answered mine using black ink, in bold capital letters for a personal touch.

Important: Make sure to NOT have erasures on your form!

You do not need to staple your application form beforehand. They will staple all your documents together after checking.

I used a typical passport photo, the one I wasn't wearing earrings, in white background. My friend submitted hers with a name under her smiling photo, the consul accepted it, too.

Remember to PASTE not staple your passport photo on your application form. I had to buy a glue in 7/11 to find out there are glues available inside the embassy you can use for free!

I put N/A on all blanks items EXCEPT on section "For Official Use Only".

Same with, 1.7. National Identity no. – please put N/A.

For Travel Purpose section, I ticked two boxes: Tourism and Others. I wrote "Vacation with friends" on the blank space provided.

After I got my BIR status updated from 'local employee' to 'self-employed' (the very last step in registering your business in the Philippines), I applied for a visa as early as THE NEXT DAY. This entailed the business permits I submitted were just a month old. This could probably equate to being just a month into your new job for employed individuals.

While there is a common notion that there is a "show money" required when applying for visa, I totally disregarded this one. When I requested for my Original Bank Certificate from BPI, I even had to reduce the amount of money in my savings account to reflect just Php40,000. I've read from other blogs that the money in your bank account must conform to what you've written on your application form (Under section Estimated Amount of Travel Expenses in USD: I put 550-600USD which is equivalent to around Php30,000. I added a margin of Php10,000 as emergency fund.) Please note that THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE, BUT IT WORKED FOR ME.

I have immigration stamps from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, China and Macau. My friend I traveled with DID NOT HAVE ANY stamp on her passport; it was her FIRST international travel, and she got approved!

You can check the status of your application on their online visa portal the day before. I was scheduled to get my visa on February 21. By the afternoon of February 20, the website already indicated my status was approved!

I failed to get my passport on the scheduled date (February 21, 2017) indicated on the paper the consul gave me. Instead of Tuesday, I went there on Friday (February 24, 2017), but I was still able to get my visa.

Korea Visa Portal

Lastly, my visa is FREE even if I got a 3-Year Multiple-Entry one. I did not pay for anything.

So there you have it! That's how I got my visa and traveled to South Korea! If you have other questions, feel free to drop a comment below and I'll help shed light as much as I can. :)

Republic of Korea Embassy in the Philippines

122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634

Tel: +632 856-9210 | Fax: +632 856-9008

Website: embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr

Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30AM-5:30PM

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected with South Korean Embassy. What I have written here are personal experiences which I intended to blog to help those applying for their own visa. Information and facts regarding the application process are as of this writing and may be outdated.

#south korea #visa #how to #seoul searching #travel

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365footballorg-blog · 6 years

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Armchair Analyst: With US out, here's how I'll watch the 2018 World Cup

June 13, 20189:00AM EDT

It is finally here, the long summer of our discontent made glorious autumn – soon enough, anyway – by the fall of teams I will be rooting against with all my heart.

That is one of my two planks for this 2018 World Cup. Please understand that the US failure to qualify has devastated me, but also freed me. It means that I can go into this tournament unshackled from the soul-crushing worry over “my” team; the impotent fury at coaching malpractice; the utter despair at in-the-moment, on-field mistakes; the numb resignation when it all inevitably comes crashing down and breathes its last.

I don’t think I’ll miss that. I think I’ll enjoy watching a World Cup without a mental countdown clock tracking the hours, minutes and seconds between now and “When do we play next and oh, God what if we lose?”

Now I get to think about what other teams do when they lose. I like that more.

And that leads me to plank No. 2: misery leads to innovation. Fear of failure leads to innovation. Desperation leads to innovation. I’m trying to get through this paragraph without typing “necessity is the mother of invention” but I’m just not gonna be able to do it, so there we are.

Amongst the things I love most about our game are the tactical tweaks – some big, some little – teams and coaches make from game-to-game, and sometimes in the run of play itself. The way we think about soccer is always evolving, so it makes sense that the way the game’s played is always evolving, and that keeps the sport fresh and new pretty much no matter who’s playing.

Of course, the best tactical tweaks and inventions are ones born of a solid, fundamental and consistent structure in the first place. If you have that underlying, thoroughly understood identity then you’re positioned to make meaningful (if incremental) progress, and that’s the type of thing that wins.

If you don’t…

JCO’s Wild Ride

Juan Carlos Osorio guided a good New York Red Bulls team to an appearance in the 2008 MLS Cup final, doing so with a relatively young and promising squad. As most coaches would do he … actually no, as very few coaches would do, he didn’t build on that. Osorio blew it all up in 2009 and went back to his tinkering ways. The same RBNY team that had made MLS Cup in 2008 went 2-16-4 in 2009, he was fired, and they went 3-3-2 down the stretch with an interim coach. They have not missed the playoffs since his departure.

Osorio’s predecessor and successor had better records with RBNY than he did. His predecessor and successor had better records at Puebla than he did, at Atletico Nacional than he did, and at Sao Paolo than he did, and it’s because he can not stop tinkering. His motto appears to be “If it ain’t broke, take it apart and find out why not.”

Osorio is currently doing the same thing to Mexico. Ask 100 El Tri fans what the team’s best lineup is and you will get 100 different answers, and chances are that actual lineup will have gotten some playing time together.

“Great!” you think, “That’s a manager who’s willing to try new things!”

“Yes,” I reply, “but the one truly new thing he needs to try is building cohesion and team chemistry, which he’s not done.”

Osorio no termina por entender que estos ya no son días para experimentar en la cancha… no contra #Dinamarca, mucho menos, a una semana de enfrentar a #Alemania #ElTri

— Pedro Dorantes (@PedroDorantes98) June 9, 2018

For non-Spanish speakers out there, the translation of that tweet is “Oh, my god, we’re going to get killed by Germany if this man does not pick a lineup that works together and then stick with it.”

And Mexico fans know what’s up because they got slaughtered 4-1 by Germany in last year’s Confederations Cup. And they got worked by Chile, 7-0, in the previous summer’s Copa America. Osorio’s overall record with El Tri is 31-9-8, but in three tournaments there’ve been three colossally disappointing showings. Here’s what I wrote about his tenure heading into last summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup (which indeed goes down as one of those colossally disappointing showings):

Mexico are probably a top 8-ish team in the entire world in terms of their raw talent, which is why they win most of their games. But they have continually struggled against top-tier competition (7-0 vs. Chile, 4-1 vs. Germany, a draw and a loss vs. a Portuguese team that is a cut below those two) because they are constantly, bafflingly, rotating players and lineups and formations and roles and responsibilities.

And so you get a team that gets bounced from the Copa America because they have no idea how to handle a simple cross-field switch, or how to stop a breakaway. And then you have the same team bounced from the Confederations Cup 12 months later for the exact same reasons. Juan Carlos Osorio just does not believe in the power of reps.

…I do wonder if Mexico will stop being a pieced-together Frankenstein’s Monster and start looking like a contiguous whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

One way or another this is the end for JCO with Mexico. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll get to see whether his experiments were meant to culminate in something, or if they were just an endless, pointless excuse for more experiments.

Choose Your Underdog

Or, actually, don’t. I understand why people were charmed by the likes of Iceland in the 2016 Euros and how great it is for the country of Panama to be making their debuts. I hope all the players play well and get paid, because careers are short and World Cup glory is long. I wish none of them any ill.

But I’m not going to root for them. They play ugly, destructive soccer – against, not with the ball – and honestly, no thanks.

Know what I’m charmed by? Passing. Those little moments of magic where two or three or four or all 11 players are working in sync to disorient and destroy the opposition, to create angles and channels and goals.

If you’re gonna root for someone, don’t choose David. Choose Goliath.

Ride or Die

To that end, I will be supporting (such as it was) Lionel Messi and Argentina. Messi is the greatest soccer player who’s ever lived – he is impossible – and I would appreciate the cosmic justice of him finally being on the right side of the scoreline in a final for his country.

He doesn’t and shouldn’t need that to cement his status as the GOAT. Just look at this:

[embedded content]

I’ll also admit that I still love the 4-4-2 diamond and am pleased that Argentina are playing a version of it (though Jorge Sampaoli insists it’s a 2-3-3-2). Yes, I’m rooting for a formation.

The Next 5-4-1

Let’s stay on the topic of formations. Costa Rica are a particularly miserable team to play against because 1) they’re talented; 2) usually well-coached; and 3) utterly aware of their strengths and weaknesses. And their strength boils down to thinking along these lines: “When we play compact, we are almost impossible to break down, and that means our opponent will get frustrated, and that means we can hit them on the counter.”

That’s how the Ticos got to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup.

But the surprise factor of the 5-4-1 was part of it as well. It’s a formation few had seen much of, globally, to that point, but one that’s come into vogue and has been a favorite of underdogs worldwide ever since. Each weekend you can see a handful of MLS teams attempting it (the Colorado Rapids tried and failed in Houston on Saturday), and while a formation is not tactics, formations and tactics work hand-in-hand.

Four years ago, Costa Rica’s formation worked to flummox Uruguay, Italy and England. Now it’s gone global.

Will something similar happen this tournament? I kind of hope so, though I’d rather see an aggressive, attacking formation steal the spotlight. (How about a 3-3-4 with a No. 9 who drops in off the frontline to turn and play runners through?)

Time To Shop

The Secondary Transfer Window opens July 10, and runs through August 8, providing a time of renewed hope and great expectations. MLS teams have more money than they’ve ever had before. You do the math.

Here’s a few players I hope coaches here are watching:

Gaston Silva, LB/LCB, Uruguay/Independiente (24 years old)

Ismael Diaz, FW/W, Panama/Deportivo B (20 years old)

William Troost-Ekong, CB, Nigeria/Bursaspor (24 years old)

Miguel Borja, FW, Colombia/Palmeiras (25 years old)

Let me know who you’re keeping an eye on, too.

Series:

Topics:

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World Cup Bracket

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Make your picks now!

Put your soccer knowledge to the test in one of many public leagues, or grab your friends, family or whoever and set up your own summer soccer showdown. Tons of great prizes are available. learn more

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Armchair Analyst: With US out, here's how I'll watch the 2018 World Cup was originally published on 365 Football

#2018 #Analyst #Armchair #Here&039s #I&039ll #watch #world

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joshuazev · 7 years

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On the state: part 2

In a continuation of yesterday’s segment, I will push forward with my review of the current state of things in various areas of life.

The state of music: Technology has certainly changed the landscape of everything it has touched. Music is no different. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is making music and with the success of streaming subscription services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal there is more access than ever before. Access has transcended more than just the ability to listen to music, but the ability to make music too. I don’t know if the term was coined in 2017, but titles such as “soundcloud rappers” started to get pushed to the forefront. A “soundcloud rapper” is obviously more than just a name. To me, it refers to the facility at which anyone can record music, upload it, and get millions of plays almost overnight. Some would say this is great. The more the merrier. Competition is good. I guess I have an old soul perspective on the matter. Something out anyone and everyone putting out music doesn’t go over well with me. It removes some of the sanctity that I associate with a real artist, who has to go through a struggle to put out a record. This could be just my problem—a bitter one at that, but I don’t think I’m alone. In addition, it seems like people’s real voices have gone to the dumpsters—and again, I’m speaking mainly of the rap, rap/singer genre. Autotune and voice alteration is at a all time high. I’m a purist when it comes to listening to a singer’s voice, however raw, unpracticed, or divine it might be. I think the flaws of the newer generation (even as narrowed down to people in the past couple years) are very much exposed when they try to do live performances. Their voices don’t hold up. Now, all the hate, bitterness, and negative feeling aside from seeing everybody on stage and everyone on the internet getting millions of views…the presence of Spotify, Apple Music, and yes, Soundcloud, has provided access to a sickening amount of really really tremendous artists, too. I suppose you would expect that, the good and the bad. In literally every genre there are thousands upon thousands of new artists and a lot of them are really good. And more exposure to international artists! (Yes, on the whole, some are bad but lets focus on the good). Lets say, for example, that you wanted to listen to people like Erykah Badu or some other neo soul artist. A platform like Spotify will give you countless other artists that sound like her. Now, again, that does lead to some issues. While there might be a bunch of artists similar to her, that becomes the problem; an overabundance and over saturation of similar sounding artists, which, in turn, can take away from the original artist and the original sound. I liken the new emergence of artists to the numbers game. The “10s” are few and far between. Currently, we are getting flooded with “6s” and “7s.” The record stores of the world are all but extinct, which is truly a drag. Strands bookstore’s equivalent from a record store standpoint is something like Amoeba. I think this year or in the upcoming year the Amoeba in Los Angeles will be gone. Seems sacrilegious that such a place can be gone, although I do think that a few remain in the Bay Area. Music, music, music.

I think a lot of people would say music is thriving. The attitude in New York would definitely make me think so. We are seeing more and more cities follow New York’s lead, especially with respect to the younger generations, because now up and coming artists are playing to sold out shows all over the country, and the really big ones are doing international tours. Could the new access be the one to thank? Festivals are experiencing the same popularity. Does anyone know how “Desert Trip” (dubbed the Coachella for the older generation) did? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was met with tremendous success. When I was growing up people paid more attention to release dates for albums because you would go to the store to get them? Now we can afford to be more lazy. We can download it legally or illegally. In all seriousness, I think 2017 was more of the same on the music front. Some good. Some bad. Award shows still suck. What could possibly be different in 2018? To be honest, I really don’t know. I have zero expectations for music anymore. I don’t anticipate it or get excited in the way I used to. That kind of makes me sound like an old head wishing we were all still back in the good old days, but fuck it. Personally, I’ll try to go to more concerts in 2018. Broaden my horizons. I started a music of the world document that I want to build on because that might be the best thing about all the new access and exposure of these streaming services. It’s affected the artists, too! Take someone like Drake who, on each of his last few albums, has had a different international inspiration of sound. That could be directly attributed to knowing about more music and I think several artists did the same. Let’s see what you got for us 2018.

The state of books, articles, and literature: Sadly, I would know more about this subject if I was reading more. This year there were various stages of reading a lot and many months where I read nothing at all. Articles are leaps and bounds the easiest thing to get your hands on in this day and age. When I wake up in the morning, if my phone is right next to me, I’m going on the internet first thing (this is actually a habit I’m working to change). I’m reading the newest, latest on what happened in the sporting world. There are several journalists I follow or, at the very least, enjoy reading. When I lived in Washington Heights I was reading a free subscription of the New Yorker. In my eyes, that’s still high quality work. Book wise, I might be naive in wanting there to be another Harry Potter on the horizon. Luckily, we all still have Harry Potter. Blogs are still thriving. I don’t follow that many others, but there are blogs about literally everything. I finished a book today “the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” and that basically spawned from the popularity the author received from doing a blog. Kindles and iPads are still doing their part to eliminate physical books from being in our hands, but its easy to forget that that’s going on when you live in New York and you see the city known as Strands. I’m coming from Seattle where my memory of pubic transportation is a Kindle in the hands of every other person, but in New York…you got books in hand. Biographies. Novels. Non-fiction. Anthologies. Plays. Those forms of literature are still alive and well. Yet, 2017 was also a piggy back year with regards to books on tape. Very trendy. Podcasts (not exactly related to the topic), but also very popular. In the way that kindles and iPads took away from books in Seattle, the forms of media available in earplug mode continued to surge. Facebook also continues to be a contributing factor in sharing articles. People live two places in this day and age. They live at home and they live on Facebook, but if there is one thing that keeps Facebook solid it’s that you’re bound to see articles, op-eds, editorials, and publications that match your circle of friends. The access is real. Personally, I know I didn’t read enough in 2017. Like just now, I had a sentence that I was going to write that centered around a concept, but in the seconds of thinking how I was going to frame the sentence on paper, I forgot the central word. I’m telling you that that only happens when you go from reading to not reading or not reading enough, plain and simple.

Reading remains one of the only activities that I believe slows down time, and for the better. I have anxiety about reading because there will be times when I think, “what is happening right now in the world!?” I’ve needed to confront this idea head on because I worry about time and especially time running out. Reading, in damn near every situation, is peace. Granted, sometimes what you’re reading isn’t very peaceful, but the action itself is. I can’t tell you how many people I know that don’t read at all. Some that don’t touch a book or some like me that take the step of getting the book or checking it out from the library and then let it gather dust. The book takes on the role of a show piece. I digress, but maybe not so much. Bookstores are in the same boat as record stores. Who buys CDs? The same people that probably buy books. And nowadays there are too many streaming services and devices that make it “easier” to do both of those things. One day, in the era of Trump, maybe all of the servers will crash and burn and the Internet will be gone and so will all the information we thought we could get at the drop of a hat. And maybe, just maybe, there will be this crazy exodus of people going to record stores and bookstores all across the world, trying to get their hands on the things they once valued so much before everything was so easy. I digress again. Is it just as easy for one to make music and have thousands of people listen as it is for someone to write a book or a novel or start a blog? A soundcloud rapper and a blogger are damn near the same thing, but that brings back the question of purity and whether or not a “real artist” can be either of those two things (in the same way that someone who is YouTube famous or Instagram famous might not be considered in the same light as a movie star. Just like the preceding years before, the definition of an author is being stretched and RE-defined. I wouldn’t be surprised and, to be honest, I’d probably expect that line of what an author is to be stretched even further. Maybe it’s because I didn’t read as much this year, but the pool of legitimate authors didn’t seem as big. I still found there to be a lot of quality pieces being written. Maybe next year, when I expose myself to as much literature as I do to music, I’ll find the same results as I did this year with artists. Who knows. With respect to the two above mediums it’s easy to get lost in space.

I’m tired. Three more days. And resolutions to come.

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airadam · 7 years

Text

Episode 101 : Staying Power

"Gotta risk a life just in order to make a living."

- Le$

This month, we keep things at a moderate-to-low tempo, allowing you to conserve some energy as autumn draws in; all you need to do is keep that head bobbing!

If you're anywhere near Manchester, don't miss out on the Juice Crew on November 13th.

Twitter: @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Redman : The Saga Continues (Da Countdown)

Apologies for the sound quality - the vinyl I have sounds pretty grungy to begin with! This (from "Ill At Will Vol.1") was the first track I think I heard Redman talking about his Gilla House label on, and he is seriously hyped up! Killer beat too, and great use of the Dre sample for the opening and the hook.

Alchemist : Stuck To You

A nice beat from Alchemist's "Rapper's Best Friend" beat compilation, later used on the similarly named "Stuck On You" by Prodigy on his excellent "Return Of The Mac" mixtape.

Natural Elements : DroNEs

A new release from one of my favourite crews! Natural Elements spit lyrics about government surveillance over the beat from the classic "Clones" by The Roots. The call-and-response motif on the piano is a killer, and the beat as a whole is spare enough to avoid overpowering any MCs - as though that would ever be a concern with these three...

Raekwon : Nothing

One of those tracks where the radio version definitely has the edge over the uncensored album one! Raekwon stays bringing that low-key gangster talk on this cut from his latest LP, "The Wild". Production is by Frank G, who cooks up a nasty beat - slowing down a classic soul drum break and topping it all off with that vocal sample that forms the foundation of the hook.

Jay-Z ft. Frank Ocean : Caught Their Eyes

The vibe on this selection from "4:44" fits in pretty well here I think. Jay is in scalding form, talking about surviving the world around him on the first verse and then talking raw about the administrators of Prince's estate on the second. Production is by No I.D, who also gets points for finishing the track with the sample of Joseph Welch asking of Senator McCarthy "at long last, have you left no sense of decency?" - I wonder if we'll reach a political moment like that in the near future...

Count Bass D ft. Snoop Dogg : Too Much Pressure

Brand new 2017 release from two veterans in the art. Count Bass D comes through with some low-speed synth funk that perfectly suits the mellow Snoop vocals.

Terrace Martin presents The Pollyseeds : Chef Dubble E

The Pollyseeds are Terrace Martin's band, and they are seriously skilled musicians - those who caught them at Band on the Wall will have experienced that first-hand. Their new album "Sounds of Crenshaw Vol.1" is kind of jazzy, kind of groovy, definitely genuine and absolutely worth your time for a listen. I just love the low end on this one, bending along with the motif set by the rest of the musicians and forcing you to feel it as you turn the volume up!

Scram Jones ft. Saigon : No Surprise

Nice little track from the "Dead Giveaway" free EP - released exactly four years ago on Halloween 2013. Scram and Saigon tell their own stories of their introductions to Hip-Hop and how they came to work together on a chilled, guitar-led instrumental.

M-Dot ft. Method Man and Dominique Larue : Shine

I've only just found out that this record was released as a single, and that was all the way back in 2014! My first hearing of this was as part of the new "Ego And The Enemy" LP from Boston's M-Dot. If you think you hear an Eminem-ish tone on the closing verse, you're not the only one - I had to double-check the credits! Columbus MC Dominique Larue of the group Heresy is someone I hadn't heard before but will definitely be checking based on her bars here, and a feature from Meth just puts the icing on things. Soulplusmind provides the production - the change-up for the hook is what does it for me on this beat.

Dubbul O x Clay : Commence

Quality from the Room 2 camp out of Manchester. Dubbul O always heats up the mic and Clay gives him a solid beat to get busy on. Available as a "name your price" release on Bandcamp and once again...this B-side wins.

Ras Kass : Eyes Don't Lie

This is one of my headphone regulars finally finding its way onto the podcast! It's slightly awkward to mix with the "eyes don't lie" refrain being three bars rather than an even number, but that's just a concern for us DJs :) Ski produces this tune from Ras' "Institutionalized Vol. 2" mixtape, and Ras is excellent on the mic as per usual.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth : Get On The Mic (Instrumental)

Both of the Pete & CL albums are 100% must-owns for any Hip-Hop fan, and when I saw an instrumental version of "The Main Ingredient" on vinyl a while back, it had to be grabbed. Just enjoy Pete Rock's SP-1200 mastery on this one.

Dilated Peoples : Let Your Thoughts Fly Away

Big shout out to my man Gez, who bought me the excellent "Directors of Photography" album for my birthday a few years back! This is my favourite track on there, but at around 73bpm, a tough one to find other records to go with; I'd been saving it and found a great spot for it here. Diamond D kills it with this beat, another one with a slightly unusual bar count, putting some bump on a wicked jazz-rock sample. Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence go back and forth with short six-bar verses, coming through crystal clear at this laid-back speed.

Hus Kingpin ft. Milano Constantine and DJ Q-Bert : Serotonin High

When I heard that Big Ghost Ltd had produced an album, I had to get it - someone with such a well-documented high bar for what he considers to be hard enough (and a relentless disregard for the weak) would surely come through with the goods. He takes the helm for the "Cocaine Beach" project by NY-raised, L.A-resident MC Hus Kingpin (aka Lord Wavy), which is on that experimental street vibe that fans of someone like Roc Marciano will appreciate. This cut bangs along with the gravelly vibes of Hus and guest Milano Constantine of DITC painting street brushstroke over the top. The absolute capper, though, is the appearance of legendary turntablist DJ Q-Bert, who shows stunning control on his patterns here. Definitely an album to check - though a short one, at around 38 minutes.

Ken Dawg : Playa In Me

I picked up the "Mo Thugs Family Scriptures" album way back in 1996 for one reason - it was a bargain. I wasn't even into the Bone Thugs sound, but found a few gems on there that I enjoyed, and this was one of them. This was Ken Dawg's first release, and he was featured on projects as late as 2003. He may not have a deep catalogue or the most dazzling wordplay, but all the same he made a good record here!

Children Of Zeus : I Can't Wait

Konny Kon and Tyler Daly are continuing to build momentum towards the completion and release of their debut album, but for now they're feeding the people something to hold us over. The "The Story So Far..." compilation brings together all the tracks they've had out on Soundcloud and Bandcamp up to now (some of which you'll have heard on the podcast), and is an absolutely essential purchase. Soulful as always, this track is one of their latest releases, still bringing some sunshine as we approach the winter months!

The Cool Kids : Popcorn (Instrumental)

Found this one on the "Gone Fishing : Instrumentals" collection - truthfully, not even my favourite beat on there, but not only does the speed come in right where I need it to, but the vocal samples form a counterpoint to the Children of Zeus track that comes before!

Le$ : 45 South

I think Spotify Radio brought this one to my attention after a playlist of mine ran out, but it grabbed me on the first listen. Le$ is an MC out of Houston (but born in New Orleans) who's been associated with the Boss Hogg Outlawz and Curren$y's Jet Life click, and really seems to represent a new wave of talent coming from the city. He gives you some of what you might expect lyrically but definitely drops some other gems in amongst it all, weaving politics and street/industry politics into the mix. On the beat here is DJ Mr Rogers, with a slow track very much in the Houston tradition and perfect for a SLAB. I definitely need to sit down with the "Midnight Club" album off the back of this one!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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