#if i don’t get a guitar playing video from a person with the voice of an angel every day of my existence i don’t want it

[quokkabite]

BESTIE

okay yeah lake. he did that for me. and that means one of two things. that means either, one, that was a proposal and we’re having a spring wedding or two, HE WANTS ME DEAD 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

i’m inclined to believe it’s the second thing.

[six-eyed-samurai]

DIALING...

Silly reasons the Tokyo Rev Boys have dialed you for based off…actual reasons…people have called me for…

🌸Takemitchy calls you for conversation, which suddenly turns to school and "WAIT DON'T WE HAVE A TEST TOMORROW?". Obviously the both of you panic and whip out your books, meaning to study together via phone call but also simultaneously realize you've forgotten the topic...and which class it was for. The rest of the call is just sitting in panicked silence, punctuated with the occasional "We're so screwed."

🌸It’s canon Izana plays guitar! Do you ever think he writes his own songs as well? Maybe, and that's why he calls you in the middle of the night to tell you about it, wanna hear it, oh am I bothering you, it's fine you don't have to listen now (and you'll say “I SAID I'D LISTEN TO IT AND I WILL KUROKAWA NOW SING.”), any suggestions for improvements? And then somehow it spirals into the both of you doing your utmost best to be off key, off tune and completely ruin the song with as many voice cracks as possible.

🌸Chifuyu, bless his heart, calls you out of the blue with no prior warning, at an inconvenient time and scares you enough for a heart attack, but he doesn't realize it, too intent on forcing you to watch the latest anime trailer for the both of your favourite manga with him after you say you can't load the video. He’s downright scandalized, and in his defense he did text you about what he was going to do - only you hadn’t understood he meant call as in call now. I mean, at least the both of you got a kick out of it as he shares his screen, so win-win?

🌸I think Inupi would call you for no particular reason other than to be in your company. You both don't say much but somehow the call spirals to a three hour dial. Whenever one of you gets up you'll flip the camera to show the other where you’re going or what you’re doing. Inupi likes to think it’s like the both of you are having lunch together, doing that jigsaw puzzle together, doing the dishes together…it’s alright if you spend two thirds of the time in silence, your company is enough for him.

🌸Koko calls you for a venting session! He rants about the idiots he’s encountered, his worries, the gang, money problems, boasts on how much he’s made today, stuff he’s bought you, anything really. He knows he could’ve just texted you about it but it’s a lot more personal for him if you pick up and reply back talking, but occasionally he does feel bad he keeps calling you - although you assure him you love it! You do, really, because in turn you get to vent about whatever’s on your mind and Koko always has the best reactions (damn if that girl hasn’t been an absolute bxxch, nooo, she did what now?). He’s like a gal pal and a boyfriend combined.

🌸You’re the one to call Baji, actually, because it’s the only way to get him to study with you if you’re not free to go to his place. You put up with his complaining and force him to answer a bunch of quizzes. The study session goes great for the first half….then somehow you both get sidetracked when Baji says he’s bored and leaves to make yakisoba. You make him take the phone with him and it could’ve been romantic, both of you making noodles from your ends of the line! But no, Baji ends up getting distracted flirting with you and overcooks it into a mushy mess that has you gagging and hanging up on him.

🌸Ran and you call for normal-people reasons like chatting or studying, but more often than not Ran’s childish nature has him more interested in playing with the phone call’s filters (if let’s say you’re using apps like Instagram) and making you pose with him before screenshotting - by the way, you’re the one doing that, because Ran has TERRIBLE timing when it comes to taking photos. If there’s those filters that let you draw on your screen self, oh man does Ran love doodling moustaches, beards, cat ears, the whole gig. If you don’t call him handsome he gets pouty and threatens to hang up or leak that ugly screenshot of you when the phone froze from lag.

🌸With no apology to your ears, Sanzu will call you at 3 a.m. in the morning to either a) make the most terrifying/fart noises known to mankind or b) bombard you with meaningless philosophical questions that made you get out of bed and actually Google them. Of course he doesn’t do this all the time, mostly when he’s high as a kite. Yet you KNOW for a fact he’s sober that night when he suddenly dialed your number and when you picked up, dead silent until the most unholiest rendition of your favorite song is being sung (read: screamed) out. You yelp and hang up, but not before you hear him cackling.

🌸He’s the sort to honestly forget to call you but when he does Mikey makes the call drag on for hours because he has his ways of making you not hang up, but the times he DOES remember to call you is after you tell him no, you can’t eat twenty five dorayaki in one go, I’m not paying for that. He’ll be feeling petty and when he gets his hands on dorayaki he calls you for no other reason than to chew it as loudly as possible next to the microphone so you get the Mikey Premium Dessert ASMR. If you hang up he’s sending voice recordings.

[cowboybarzy]

reconciliation — mat barzal

some barzy smut for you all :) wanted to wait posting this but those videos of him playing guitar just came out so we are all in desperate need for this rn!! as a reminder: video one two

word count: 2.9k

warning: SMUT (18+) & undisclosed fight (sorry I was too lazy to come up with a better backstory so just know it was fairly bad fight and this starts a couple hours afterwards)

You laid awake, desperately trying to fall asleep, but your fight with your boyfriend played in your head over and over again. It was so stupid and you hated that you were still mad, especially since he was leaving for a few days the next day. But you were too stubborn to be the bigger person and turn around and apologize.

Mat felt the same, though, the sleepless ness getting to him and turning around to face your back. He wrapped an arm around you and gently kissed your cheek. "Hey," he whispered, pulling himself closer to you until you were perfectly nestled to him. "We said we'd never go to sleep angry. I'm sorry. I love you."

You nodded, but didn't turn to face him. Your hand lifted to cradle his cheek and with an 'I love you, too' you both were finally able to fall asleep.

***

You spent the next few days alone, Mat being gone on a roadie. While you hadn't exactly talked about your fight, you mutually decided to just drop it since neither of you wanted to stay angry at each other. You face timed every day like normal, although there wasn't any spicy time that you would usually share. You saved that for after he hung up.

You could hear the music blasting from your apartment before you even stepped inside. Mat was back, since the early afternoon actually, but you were stuck at work. Yelling for him when you stepped foot inside the apartment wouldn't work, so after getting rid of you jacket and shoes you went to look for him. And what a sight when you did. He was dancing and singing along to the music, while attempting to chop an onion.

"Whatcha doin?" He jumped at your voice, dropping the knife and almost cutting himself.

"Don't scare me like that!" The shock on his face claimed after a second and he went to turn down the music and wash his hands before he pulled you in for a hug. "Missed you."

"Missed you." After a long kiss, you looked around to figure out what he was doing. "You're making dinner? For me?"

"Hey! I cook for you."

"Mhm."

"What? I do! You're just better than me that’s why I don’t do it so much." You patted his chest with a chuckle and kissed him again, shutting him up.

You helped him prepare the meal for a bit, before you went to go take a shower. Since seeing him today, especially in the kitchen, you had felt incredibly horny and devised a plan on how your night would go. But shower first.

After lotioning up and making you smell irresistible, you slipped into some sexy matching lingerie. You pulled on of his boxers overtop to be comfortable, but also show off your ass, and one of his white tshits that would show him exactly what was going on underneath.

You set the table when you came back and not long after you sat down for dinner. Throughout eating, you brushed your hair seductively and made some inappropriate noises, to get him riled up. And he did, but he could see exactly through what you were doing, so he didn't make a move. While he did want to flip this table to get to you, he just sat there staring at you, looking at wherever you wanted him to.

"This actually was pretty good," you said, taking a sip of you water. "I just hope desert is better."

His eyes darkened while you smirked at him. You were both staring at each other, fueling the heat in each of your bodies until you got enough.

"I must be getting my period or something, because I have been so horny these past few days," his body twitched, wanting to reach out to you. "Too bad you weren't there."

You got up to take both of your plates to the sink. "But don't worry, our pink friend helped me out a lot."

"What?!" You smiled at him from where you leaned against the kitchen island, showing off your legs. "And I didn't get a video or a call? Baby, come on." He was frustrated and tried to stand, but with a show of hand you got him to sit down again. You stalked over to him until you stood directly in front of him, looking down.

"I guess I was still mad at you," you said and slowly let you hands trace his cheek. Then you sat down on his lap where he immediately gripped your hips. Then you leaned down to whisper in his ear, "and I thought you should earn to see them."

"So... So, you did take a video?," he asked, his voice stammering.

"Maybe." You lips traced his jaw. "Maybe there's more than one." You let your hip roll, meeting his hard erection. "What are you going to do to earn the right to see them?"

He groaned as his head fell back. "Fuck, baby, anything. I'll do anything."

With that, you finally let him kiss you.

"Well? Show me what you got." And he did. You gave the control over to him and without hesitation he had you up and pressed down on the dining table. With a hard pull, your boxers and panties were off and he was staring down at you like a wild animal.

"God, you're so hot." His hands massaged your thighs before pulling your shirt up to expose your breasts contained in your black lace bra. He bent to to trace the outline of your tits with his lips. Swiftly, he ripped both cups down, exposing them all the way.

"Yes, suck them, Mat. Please ... please suck them," you begged, the sound so desperate that he complained immediately with a moan. He cupped your breast in his hand, squeezing it hard as he sucked your nipple between his lips. You moaned together and your hand got ahold of his head, pushing him into you. He played with both of your tits, sucking, nipping, licking, and squeezing, until you both got impatient and he got back down on his knees with a smirk. "Ready?"

His mouth descended onto your slick pussy, to which your pelvis shot up to meet his face. "Oh fuck." Hands still on your thighs, he took long, languid strokes with his tongue. You squirmed beneath him as he lapped away at you, never fully pushing all the way in against your clit, just staying around the outside, prepping you for what he had planned.

With two fingers, he spread you wide, exposing your clit, and then lowered his tongue to just above it.

And he hovered, letting you feel his heavy breath and the scruff of his jaw against your inner thigh.

"Mathew," you moaned. "Please."

With his hand that wasn't spreading her, he moved it back up your body, and just as he pinched your left nipple between your fingers, he press his tongue against your clit.

"Oh my . .. fuck." Your eyes squeezed shut, arching into him. He did it again. And again. And again. "More," you begged. "I need more."

In response, Mat pressed his tongue against your slit and lightly flicked at it, creating a vibration against the nub that caused you to grip his head and dig your fingers digging into his scalp. "Fuck, Maty. Oh my God . . . keep going."

His eyes lifted, to keep them on you to watch your reactions as he continued to pleasure you at a relentless pace. Your body grew tighter and tighter and your breath picked up as you got closer and closer to the edge.

His tongue attacked your clit more aggressively, pushing against it, sucking it. Your moans grew louder and your body tensed. Then your orgasm crashed over you, sending you into full body tremors. "Fuck... fuck." Mat sucked and licked you up until the tremors subsided and you laid there, limp, on the table.

Mat got back on his feet and bent over you to kiss you gently. His lips pressed small wet kisses along your neck and collarbone, until you had recovered enough to gain function over your limbs again. Your first act was to pull his shit off his chest, then you clung to him, wrapping both your legs and arms around him.

With his strong arms, Mat picked you up and set you in his lap when he plumped into your living room couch. "I love eating your sweet little pussy, feeling it clench around my tongue," he whispered into your ear as he pulled your hair. "But I love feeling it clench around my cock even more."

You moaned as your head fell into the crook of his neck. You were ready and desperate for him again and he knew immediately by the way you were rocking your hips, searching for his cock.

"You love that, too, eh? Feeling my dick pulsing deep inside you." You nodded quickly, hoping it would get him to do something faster. And he did, pulling his dick out of his sweatpants, pumping it a couple times in front of your eyes. Then he pulled on your hair, making you sit up straight while he leaned back. "Ride me. But don't let me inside you. I want to see just how slick that pussy is."

Your hungry eyes connected, but both of your heads soon fell back with moans as you slowly moved your wet cunt over his cock. "Oh my God, Maty, this feels... incredible."

"You feel incredible," he says in response as you fell forward, bringing your breast into him mouth. He focused on your nipple, swirling around it with his tongue, flicking and then nibbling just enough that you sucked in a sharp breath of air. With his hand, he did the same thing to your other breast as you continued to rock on him.

"I can come just like this," you say, your hands falling to his chest and your pelvis lifting just slightly to get a better angle. "Fuck, I'm already close."

"Then come. Use me, fuck me like this." His moans spurred you on, driving you closer to the edge. 

Your lips pressed together, as your eyes squeezed shut and your pace picked up. Your thrusts became more erratic until you reached your orgasm. "Fuck!" Your body shook and spasmed as you rode out your orgasm until there was nothing left to take. The you collapsed on top of him.

"That was so hot," he whispered, his voice raspy. "Now be a good girl and lie down." You obeyed, falling into to cushions exhausted. "Turn."

When you did, he gave your ass a hard slap, the echo of your skin filling the air. Then he moved a pillow under your pelvis and gave your ass another slap, before he moved his thumb over your arousal, swirling it around your entrance, and positioning his cock where he wants it.

With gritting teeth, he pushed his hips forward and with a hard thrust he pushed in his cock in your pussy until he bottomed out. You both moaned loudly and his grip got tighter on your hips as he tried to restrain himself. "More," you moaned as you started moving your hips.

"Babe, don't move. Please... fuck." You moved your pelvis anyway, and he matched the thrusts because he was as desperate as you. "I won't last."

"Do it, Mat. Fuck me as hard as you can." With a groan, the grip on your hips tightened again as he started pumping into you relentlessly. He had no control, all he was doing was fucking you chasing his release. Your pussy gripped his cock so tightly, spurring on both of your thrusts. He was pushing into you so hard, that the sound of your skin slapping was so loud, you thought the neighbors would be able to hear it.

"I'm right there. Fuck, I'm there," he groaned and moaned until he exploded inside you. Thick, warm ropes of his cum coated your insides. "Fuuuuck."

Out of nowhere, you started shaking as you reached your third orgasm. Your vision went black and your breath hitched while milking the last drops of his cum. Your body felt like jello as you came down from your high. Mat collapsed next to you, but you barely registered it. You were to exhausted to move or speak, so you laid there catching your breath.

Eventually, Mat's arm snuck around you and turned you to pull you into his chest. "Good enough to get that video?"

"Mhm," was all you answered and he smiled victorious, but little did he know he wasn't going to see it for a couple more weeks...

***

You had expected the call. After finally sending him the video of yourself playing with your pink vibrator, you had expected him to call you. For your own pleasure in the situation, like you hadn't had enough fun messing with him, you had sent the video at a time you knew he would see the notification but wouldn't be able to open it for another few hours. You reveled in the fact that he would be on the edge, dying to open that video, but couldn't because he was with his team in mandatory meetings.

You had expected the call. Which is why you were already ready and waiting in bed. What you didn't expect though, was to see Mat's fist wrapped around his cock moving up and down, instead of his face.

The camera flipped to show his face after a moment, revealing a very turned on Mat. "You little slut. You enjoyed that, didn't you? Torturing me even more by dangling that video in front of me?"

You smiled as you sank back into your pillows. "Yes."

"Turned you on, eh? Messing with me like that." He moved his phone so that you could see him from his thighs up and, god, nothing beat that view. "See what you do to me? Fuck, baby, that video was so hot. Screaming my name like that when I wasn't even there. All mine. You're mine." You were on edge and your hand itched to slide between your legs. "Did you have fun without me?"

"Wasn't that video proof enough?," you teased him again, but you knew it wasn't as good as it was without him.

"Tell me the truth or I'm hanging up."

You rubbed your hand over your panties and gave in. "Nothing feels right when you're not here." You need him and hear his voice to get off. "God, Maty, I'm so on edge right now. I need you." You positioned the camera so he, too, could see your body.

"Alright, I'll be nice. Strip. Take those fucking panties off and let me see your wet cunt." You did as instructed, even taking your bra off. "Now glide your fingers up and down your body and around your breasts without touching your nipples. Just like that, baby. Slower, I want you to feel how soft your skin is."

As your hand slid across your skin, you regretted teasing him for so long because you had a feeling he was going to do the same to you. "Slide your fingers closer to your pussy, tease yourself the way I'd tease you. Get close to your slit but don't touch yourself."

Your hand lowered and, when you got close enough, your pelvis lifted. "Don't fucking touch that cunt. It's mine."

"Don't make me wait," you groaned, throwing your head back in agony.

"Now who's talking."

"You liked it, I know it." You smirked, then dared to move your hand closer to your center.

"Shush. Spread your legs more and slowly spread those lips for me." You did, moaning at the sensation. "Fuck, look at you. I wish I was there, eating that wet pussy. Sucking on your clit, driving my dick so hard inside you that you can practically taste my cum in the back of your throat."

"Maty, I need more. Please," you begged as you breathing increased. You were so wet already and so close to your orgasm when you hadn't even really touched yourself yet. When you looked to your phone, you saw Mat started pumping his cock again.

"My dick is so hard, baby. Shit. Yes, go, finger yourself. I need to see you touch yourself."

Finally, you got two fingers to slowly circle your clit. "Oh, fuck," you yelled as head fell back again and your eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

"That's it, baby, keep up the pace. I need you to match my strokes. Pinch your nipple too. I want you to mark yourself."

Your hips lifted as your fingers sped up, chasing your release. And it was getting close. You looked to your phone, where Mat was still grunting while he worked himself. You saw a big bead of precum spill out of the tip of his cock, then he moaned loudly. "I'm there. Fuck, I'm gonna cum."

"Me too." You had no idea if he heard you, but your orgasm started crashing over you and you lost track of all of your senses for a moment. Your spams started slowly and then descended into full body shudders that left you screaming his name.

While you caught your breath, you turned to take your phone back into your hand. You saw Mat with a small smile looking at you, hand still around his cock, but his sticky cum spilled on his skin.

"You are an evil little woman," he said, which made you laugh. "But, god, what I wouldn't do for you."

[stoutguts]

I am such a firm believer, that if Soap and Ghost are an item/boyfriends/husbands,—then Gaz is Soap’s bsf, while Roach is Ghost’s bsf. While, Roach and Gaz would be together, (at least in my mind, I love GazRoach).

Soap and Gaz are incredibly chaotic together and get into all kinds of trouble. Motherfuckers cannot take ANYTHING seriously. Drinking and smoking together, (often getting wasted or as high as a kite, which often leads to more shenanigans). Doing drinking games or showing off smoking tricks to each other. Starting shit with random people just cause they can, Kyle joining Johnny at the demolitions site and in blowing random stuff up around base, pulling moronic or downright despicable pranks on everyone on base just for laughs, or messing around at the range, making their own crude targets to shoot or knife. Maybe even a bit of vandalism, arson, or other stupid stuff when the two are off-duty together,—but don’t tell Price that. They especially like to prank Roach and Ghost and get under their skins. Price often separates them on missions, because he’s afraid that they’re going to royally fuck things up somehow, if they’re together. Constantly sending each other memes they think the other would find funny. Or brainrotted, almost incoherent conversations over text at 3 in the morning. Sending each other dumbass voice messages or notes of them screaming, singing, or doing impressions/horrible attempts at voice acting. They also like to dunk on and make fun of the other members of the 1-4-1, or gossip about them to each other. They just love to talk shit. They both always need to know latest scoop or bout of drama on base. Both have ADHD, and are constantly in need some form of stimulation. So, when hanging out in person (and when they’re not getting up to nefarious activities)—They’re listening to music (hard rock and metal or alternative rock (like Korn, Slipknot, Muse, Radiohead, System of a Down, etc) often times, but they also both love pop (particularly Britney Spears, Kesha, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry),—while also watching YouTube, (random video essays they find interesting or entertaining, old YouTube poops, or Moist Cr1TiKaL/penguinz0/Charlie’s videos),—while also showing each other memes on their phones, while Soap also may or may not be drawing, while Gaz also may or may not be writing, while also buying random shit they think is funny off of Amazon.

Ghost and Roach are just the types to play cards together, or maybe watch a movie, or play a board game. (They particularly like watching horror/thriller movies or rom-coms. They like Candy Land, Monopoly, Battleship, Life, and Clue in terms of board games. While, they’re favorite card games are Slapjack, Poker, and Go Fish. They also like playing Chess, Checkers, The Oregon Trail, Exploding Kittens, or Cards Against Humanity from time to time). (Both are extremely competitive, and will often get into petty fights, whether it’s a case of one or the other being a sore loser, or one accusing the other of cheating). Maybe even going out to a local Tesco’s together for a snack run or some fast food drive thru at 1am, or they’ll have a day at the mall, mostly window shopping around random stores or getting something to eat at the food court. (Both are heavily food motivated). Something low-key or chill is really always their go-to. The occasional sleepover. They love to do each other’s nails or hair, or attempt random makeup looks they’ve found on Instagram or something for shits and giggles. They’re also gaming buddies. They’ll play stuff like Minecraft, GTA, Sea of Thieves, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, (some of Gary’s favorite games). Or they’ll play DND, Overwatch, or some first-person shooter game together (much to Simon’s delight). Roach will even just watch Ghost play rhythm games like Project Diva, Guitar Hero, or Geometry Dash—Or dark fantasy RPG games (Simon’s favorite genre of video games), like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Skyrim, Elden Ring, or The Witcher. Lots of deep conversations, either over text or in person that’ll last for hours, (might end in one or the both of them crying, and hugging it out/comforting one another). They also often call each other just to check in, and just to hear each other’s voices when they’re apart or when they’re not together. Roach being like the only person Ghost feels comfortable opening up to, besides Johnny or Gary just being the person he’s closest to outside of it’s partner. To be fair, they bond by just being in each other’s presence/they just enjoy each other’s company. No words need to be spoken between them for them to have a good time.

It’s the best though when all 5 of them get together, (Soap, Ghost, Roach, Gaz, and Yuri), as it’s the perfect amount of chill and chaotic at the same time. Super Smash Bros, Mariokart, or Mario Party is always best with five players, after all.

Yuri being aroace, and his friends are all that he needs. He’s able to handle both the chaos and peace. Though Nikolai is his true best friend. The two going way back, and are brothers in arms through and through. Having met when Nik was still in the army. A good portion of it is that they’re bonded through shared trauma. They have a father and son sort of relationship (Nikolai being much older than Yuri), and care about each other deeply. In fact, they’d die for each other, they’re that close. They mostly keep in touch via text and phone calls (not by choice), but will meet up together at a bar or tavern every now and then.

Price and Laswell being best friends and also going way back, like before they even joined the army/CIA. Having met each other in high school. Price, Nik, Laswell, and her wife having dinner parties. Chatting about old times and catching up with one another every so often. They try to call to see how the others doing every now and then, though they much prefer seeing each other in person. Sometimes they’ll even go mini-golfing or bowling together as a double date kind of thing.

Also, Yuri is such a slept-on character. People forget about him/that he exists, and I wish he was appreciated more. :(

[susiekern]

3. the one with the concert

warnings: swearing, alcohol, suggestive

word count: 1.825

masterlist

If anyone were to see you now, they’d assume you were high. But it was just the adrenaline coursing through your body as you first sit in the Uber and then wait at the gates. Thankfully, Yuji decides to match your vibe, so Nobara is left with the two of you, bouncing up and down, and Junpei, who could win an award for the most shy person ever. Or maybe he was just intimidated by Nobara? Who knows? Either way, you four must look hilarious, because when Maki shows up to let you into the “work” zone, she bursts out laughing.

“Does it count as harassment?” Hearing her question, Nobara pouts and leans on the green-haired girl dramatically.

“It hasn’t even started, and I already had enough.”

As pouty as she is, when you go into the venue and she sees how close to the stage tickets from Maki allowed you to get, she gets excited too. As a security manager, Maki gets tickets for each event, but it’s rare for her to actually use them, so she usually gives them to friends. And damn, VIP tickets for The Fallen? Four of these would probably cost a small fortune.

“I’ll see you guys after, but have fun! Y/n, don’t drool too much, I like our cleaning ladies.” Maki jokes before going through one of those “staff only” doors and leaving you to boil in excitement. Not too long after, the whole hall gets dark, marking the start of the concert.

When you hear the first notes of “The Fall”, lights turn on, illuminating four figures on the stage, and the crowd behind you erupts in cheers. For a moment you feel like a teenager again. It’s the same thrill every time, exactly like when your dad took you for your first live concert ever. And then this deep voice starts singing, bringing chills and goosebumps to your skin.

For the next hour, your eyes are stuck on a man in the middle. Something about him was just hypnotizing, even if you couldn’t see his face behind the black and gold mask. Maybe it was his voice alone, maybe a tall body dressed fully in black, maybe his fingers playing on the guitar like it was the sole reason for his existence. You’re not sure.

But something about Zenin makes you feel like a teenage fangirl seeing her idol for the first time, and you’re not even mad about it.

“I’m serious, guys, he could tell me to jump from a damn cliff, and I’d be happy to do so.”

Yuji, sitting next to you in a tight club booth, nearly dies choking on his beer. You were squeezed on the black leather couches, far enough from the dance floor to be able to talk and exchange thoughts about the concert, joined by a few other friends.

For you, it was a cloud nine. The Fallen was one of the bands you could listen to on repeat, which you often did, and your Spotify Wrapped was hard evidence. You’ve discovered them back when they’ve released their first single. There was something about their music that had you in a chokehold every time. The most impressive were their lyrics, so well thought through, hiding metaphors and little mysteries, and vocalists... The main vocal was deep and raspy, the kind that makes your whole body react to it. If it was possible to fall in love with just someone’s voice, you were down bad.

It was also the mystery thrill that intensified that feeling. The Fallen are four men, performing in modified oni masks, their identities hidden behind stage names. Zenin, Suga, Koki, and So. They never spoke on stage. The best fans got were a few videos of Zenin and Suga chuckling at something, but nothing else.

“I’m actually curious why they keep the hidden identities so hard, even outside of their shows. They had one rehearsal yesterday, but only after everyone left the building, only a few people from their team could stay.” Maki says, ripping you out of your thoughts.

“Maybe they’re all ugly and they worry about losing fans without proper face cards.” Nobara jokes. “Or they’re protecting themselves from female versions of Noritoshi.”

“Right, I’m going to the bar, please change the topic before I come back.” You sigh and get up. It takes you a few minutes to get through the crowd on the dance floor; Supernova is packed as always on the weekends. It’s one of the “fancier” clubs in town, high on the list of go-to places for people who want to loosen up after a stressful week. You finally get to the counter and place an empty beer bottle on it.

“No stalkers on your arm tonight?” A deep voice near your ear makes you jump a little, and you turn to see Megumi next to you.

“Funny you say that, but no.”

“Too bad, I was hoping for a full-time job as a bodyguard.” He snickers and leans a bit on the bar.

“Thought you were out of town?” You ask, changing the topic, but Fushiguro only shrugs and nods at the bartender, lifting your empty bottle.

“Got everything done faster than expected.”

“Well, you’ve missed a great concert, so your loss.” When the bartender sets two bottles on the counter, you don’t even have time to take your phone out of your pocket before Megumi gives him some cash.

“It’s on me.” He smirks at you, seeing your furrowed brows. “So, you enjoyed the show?”

“They could play at the dumpster using children’s toys, and I’d enjoy it.” This statement earns you a laugh. For the next minute or so, both of you just stand there in surprisingly comfortable silence, taking a few sips of beer and observing people. You also use that occasion to quickly eye him up, taking in a black t-shirt with a loose collar, ripped jeans in the same color, and his hair that’s ever messier than usual. He looked good, but when did he not?

“Didn’t know you were such a fan.” His words pull you back to earth, and you realize your hand tingled a little, tempted to brush back one black strand from his forehead that looked out of place even in this chaos. Scolding your own brain, you nod and pray he can’t see the blush that creeps on your cheeks. Hopefully, shitty club lighting was on your side. “What do you like the most?”

“Lyrics, I think. They’re well written, and it feels a bit like reading a book. They make you imagine the story, see it with your own eyes, if that makes sense.” His question took you by surprise, so it took you a minute to answer. You turn your head towards the dance floor to avoid his piercing gaze, which warms up more than just your cheeks. There’s also this insufferable smirk on his face that makes you want to scream with frustration. “And combined with Zenin’s voice… damn.”

“I’ve heard he writes all of their songs. But I prefer Koki. He seems cool with the white hair, don’t you think?”

You turn back to him and shake your head a little, meeting his gaze finally. In the dimmed lights of the club, his green eyes remind you of a deep forest. One you easily get lost in.

“I’m not into drummers.” You admit, barely noticing your own suggestive tone, that it seemed to challenge him a little.

“What are you into then?” He gets closer to you, which somehow doesn’t really bother you. Blame it on the alcohol, the two-and-a-half beers you’ve had. Yeah. Alcohol. You can also blame the fact that you get a little closer too.

“Guitarists. You know, I’ve heard they’re skilled with their fingers.” Your cheeks are on fire from your own words, but the way he glanced at your lips for just a second pushes that feeling to the back of your mind. Somewhere in the forest.

“Want me to show you?”

It’s Sunday evening, and you were slowly wrapping up the stream.

“What can I say? Sucks to suck.” You laugh when Yuji groans into his microphone.

For the last three hours, you’ve played a few different games, and every time he lost against you. It wasn’t really surprising, seeing how miserable he looked in the camera. You two talked before the stream a bit, and he admitted he had no idea how or when he got home from Supernova last night. One moment he’s at the bar, and Nobara orders a round of tequila; the next moment it’s 3 pm, and he’s hungover as fuck in his bed. You sighed with relief hearing this, because it means there’s no way he knows what happened at his apartment. And there was a list of things that took place. Not that you’re really proud of it.

“Easy to say when you’ve disappeared and left me with that tequila monster you call a friend.” The pink-haired man hides his face in his hands, peeking at his own chat through his fingers. “Don’t laugh at me, people! She betrayed me after ten years of friendship!”

“Nine.”

“Ah, fuck off.”

Still laughing, you stretch a little and pull your hoodie off. All of the equipment you needed to keep the stream running made the temperature in your room go higher than usual, and you were close to your melting point.

“Now, now, don’t cry, Ita. Promise I won’t leave you alone on the battlefield next time.” You coo at your friend and lean a bit closer to the desk to read the messages.

yusshi: understandable, tequila is a no-no.

[…]

trackstar32: OH miss y/n

lan2137: if that’s why you left Yuji alone, I understand

zeyde_: holy guacamoly

viviaaan: Alexa, play Careless Whisper.

“What are you all on about?” Furrowing your brows, you follow the chat.

“Yooo, bro, what is that?” Yuji leans closer to his screen, his eyes focused on your video call. Suddenly he opens his mouth and looks like he’s connecting the dots in his head. At the same time, you finally notice what your chat was talking about. Hickeys. Starting at your throat and trailing down to disappear under the hem of your shirt. “Octopus got to you or—” You can actually see his eyes fall down to the shirt itself, and you swear, there’s a lightbulb over his head. A curse falls from your lips when you remember you’re still wearing the shirt you stole from Megumi’s chair this morning. And judging by the look on his face, Yuji recognized it. Damn roommates.

“Alright! I think that’s enough for today. I’ll talk to you later, Ita.” Not waiting for a response, you end the call and go through your normal ending for the stream. A few minutes later, you turn everything off and grab your phone, immediately seeing a message on the group chat.

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

Damn roommates.

[e-dubbc11]

I was wondering…in the Sweetest Pain Series, around what age does Dylan go from sweet mama loving baby, to the cool guy he is currently?

Hello my darling friend! Thank you for sending in this ask ♥️ I hope you like what I’ve done here and I know this technically wasn’t a part of my follower celebration but I think I’ll put in in the masterlist for it when I create one. So thank you for sending in this ask for our favorite family ♥️

He’s Not So Little Anymore

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Tattoo Artist Billy Russo x F! Reader with their son Dylan

Warnings: I think a couple of swear words, the rest is pure fluffy bunnies and unicorns, a few tears, feelings of your babies growing up

Word Count: 1.8K-ish

Summary: Reader is feeling a little sad that her son is too old to hang out with his mom. Billy comforts her.

A/N: Thank you again for sending this in, I know how much you like this series and this family and to everyone else who enjoys this series, thank you all for reading! And I’ll leave the rest of the series linked HERE

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕💕

Acceptance is a difficult emotion to navigate.

Knowing Dylan wouldn’t be little forever, you tried to convince yourself that you still had some time left for cozy snuggles, for him asking you to watch a movie with him, secretly observe him play with his dinosaur toys, or to hear him call you “mommy.” But the truth was he had outgrown all of those things and you were having a hard time accepting that.

Dylan was your second baby but he wasn’t a baby anymore. He went from playing with toy cars to racing go-karts with his friends. His once round chubby little face had started to thin out, he started styling his wild dark brown hair before school every day and suddenly he didn’t trust you to pick out his clothes anymore. Dylan had asked for you or Billy to take him shopping for school clothes because he had his own taste now, he knew what he liked and didn’t like, and he wanted to be the one to pick out his own clothes.

You were still getting used to your daughter, Anna Raven, growing up also. She was 14 now and her own little person with her own ideas, likes and dislikes. She was on her way to becoming a young adult even though it killed you to watch her grow up when it seemed like it was just yesterday she was getting her first pair of toddler Converse sneakers and saying her first words.

But Dylan was your precious baby boy, your little man, and, like Anna, he was growing up before your eyes. He was 10 years old, into playing video games, taking guitar lessons, and really enjoyed hearing about all the pranks his father and Uncle Frank pulled on each other while they were in the Marines. He was always just in complete awe of his dad serving his country being a marine.

While Dylan was at his guitar lesson, Billy came home a little early and found you in the living room.

“What are ya doin’, sweet girl?” Asked Billy, as he walked toward the couch where you were seated.

With a slight hitch in your voice, you replied, “Looking at Dylan’s baby pictures.”

Billy sat down next to you, looked down at the open pages, and you watched as his lips curled into a slight smile.

He pointed to one at the top of the page. Dylan was sitting in his high chair with cake and frosting smeared across his face. His fingers spread far apart on his chubby little hands to help him grab as much cake as possible to shovel into his mouth and his cheeks were so full of cake, he looked like a squirrel storing acorns for winter.

“His first birthday. He destroyed that cake, remember?” Said Billy, with a slight chuckle.

You laughed a little too as you swiped a tear away from your cheek.

“The T-Rex didn’t see that coming, did he.” You said with a warm smile.

Billy could hear the hitch in your voice like you were fighting back tears and you really were, they burned the back of your eyes as you tried to keep yourself from weeping. He knew you were barely holding yourself together when he drew you in close, your ear flush against his chest, and you could hear the gentle rhythm of his heart.

“It’s ok, baby. You can cry if you need to.” Said Billy, kissing the top of your head.

Your gentle sob broke through, “He’s not a baby anymore, Billy! Sometimes I…I miss when they were little, that’s all. Anna’s a teenager, she’s starting to do more things with her friends and is very involved in school. And Dylan, he used to be my little buddy, we used to do a lot of things together and now he’s taking guitar lessons, actually combing his hair and flashing girls that perfect Russo smile of yours.” You said with dryness in your throat.

Billy softly pressed his lips to your forehead, you could feel a wide smile stretch across his face, and a slight chuckle escaped the side of his mouth. Like a cat, you buried your face into his green Henley as his long arms squeezed you tightly.

Your voice was somewhat muffled as you said, “You’re laughing at me, Billy.”

“Only a little.” He replied. “But that’s what they’re supposed to do, sweet girl. We prep them for the real world, teach them not to be assholes, guide them in the right direction and off they go. They still need us, baby, but I know what you mean…sometimes I miss when they were little too.”

You remembered how nervous Billy was when he found out he was going to be a father, he never had one so he was scared he wouldn’t be a good one. He watched Frank with his kids and he loved being an uncle to Lisa and Junior but knowing he was going to have a child of his own, Billy was scared he wouldn’t be good at it.

He surprised himself at how he took to it so naturally when Little Raven was born. The first time he held her, fed her, changed her…and although it was still difficult, it was easier than he thought it would be and by the time Dylan came around, Billy was a professional.

He really was a great dad.

Both Anna and Dylan were always very relaxed when Billy held them with the exception of the time period where Dylan always wanted mommy, not daddy. They rarely cried or struggled and instead, just melted into his arms like you did when he held you in an embrace.

You remembered telling him then, “They trust you, baby. You make them feel safe and protected, just like you do for me.”

Inhaling the scent of green soap from his shirt, you replied, “Not fair baby, you’re using my words against me.”

“Well my wife IS a lot smarter than I am. She knows what she’s talking about.” Said Billy.

When you raised your chin up to meet his gaze, Billy was fondly looking down at you with his endless brown eyes and the loving smile that he’s given you thousands of times. He inched his face closer to you and softly pressed his lips to yours, they tasted like peppermint and his hand cupped your cheek.

After setting the photo album down next to you on the couch, you crawled into his lap, brushed the bristles of his beard with your thumbs, and deepened the kiss as a low growl escaped his lips.

Billy’s hands traveled to your ass which took you by surprise and you let out a yelp.

“Ya know, beautiful, Anna is just upstairs and Dylan should be home any minute from his lesson. You keep kissing me like that, it’s gonna lead to somethin’ the kids shouldn’t see.” He said with a smile in between kisses.

With a slight pout and a quick bat of your eyelashes, you said, “Okaaaaaay, will you play with me later?”

Outside, a car door slammed shut and then you heard a key in the lock.

“Just try and stop me, sweet girl.” Said Billy, as he kissed the tip of your nose.

The front door closed and Dylan walked into the living room carrying his guitar case.

“Hey Mom, hey Dad.” Dylan said. “Whaaaaat were you guys doin’?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

“Lookin’ at your baby pictures! You wanna see?” You asked excitedly.

“Maybe later, I gotta go practice. Oh, when Ms. Mullaney dropped me off she was talkin’ about this old movie she likes that she thinks I’d like called Aliens. You know it, right Mom? You know every movie on earth!” He said.

“Excuse me? Old movie?!!” You said with an elevated voice.

Billy jumped in.

“Uh, baby he’s not wrong, it is an old movie.” He said.

Deflated, you replied, “Yeah, you’re right it is old…I just didn’t wanna say it out loud because that means I’m old.”

Billy and Dylan started to laugh, both of them exuding that perfect smile that you loved so much. Your not-so-little boy was an exact copy of his father from his wild dark brown hair, intense brown eyes, and, of course, the million dollar smile.

Billy said, “And just because it’s old, doesn’t make it any less awesome…just like your mother. I’m kidding! I’m kidding, baby!”

He started to laugh as a long drawn out gasp escaped your lips.

“Billy Russo! How dare you!” You said as you tried to keep a straight face but ended up laughing too.

“Dad did say you were awesome too, Mom.” Said Dylan with a reassuring smile. “So, will you watch it with me later, Mom? Please?”

The tears stung the back of your eyes. Trying your best to not let them fall, you replied, “Of course I will, buddy.”

With an excited smile, he replied, “Cool! Well, I’m gonna go practice for a little while. Be ready to watch when I’m done, ok?”

“I will be ready!” You said enthusiastically as you watched him walk up the stairs to his room.

As soon as his door closed, your tears fell but Billy was right there to catch them before they streaked down your cheeks and placed a gentle kiss on your lips.

“See sweet girl, he’s getting older but Dylan still wants to hang out with his mom.” He said with a wink. “I love you.”

You replied, “I love you too, handsome. Ooh! We get to play our favorite game! Ok, 20 bucks says he’s gonna start his practice session with Come as You Are – Nirvana. What’s your guess?”

Billy pondered for a minute and scratched at his beard with his long fingers before he said, “Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple.”

The two of you shook hands and waited patiently for Dylan to fire up his guitar. It was so quiet in the living room, you could hear a pin drop before the familiar riff of Come as You Are traveled from Dylan’s room down to the living room where you were.

Pumping both fists in the air, an excited smile stretched across your lips as you let out a taunting laugh.

“HA!! Pay up, baby!” You said.

“SHIT!” Exclaimed Billy as he pulled a twenty out of his pocket and aggressively slapped it into your hand. He hated to lose at anything. “Are you cheating? I’ve lost like four in a row now!”

“I don’t think I like your tone, lieutenant and I resent your insinuation that I would use our child to cheat.” You said with a narrowed expression and a sly grin.

“Alright, can we call a truce?” Billy said with his hands up.

You snaked and clasped your hands around his neck before inching yourself closer to him. Your lips ghosted over his before you said, “I’ll give you a truce, if you kiss me like you mean it, Mr. Russo.”

Billy touched the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth before purring in your ear, “Yes, ma’am.”

Both of your children were growing up, exploring, and doing their own things but you and Billy will always have the wonderful memories of creating and enjoying your beautiful little family.

Tag List: @wheresthesunshinesblog @idaoftheburningmind @rafaelakelley @fakehappy27 @snowkestrel @music-indie-tv @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @fictional-hooman @nutmeg17 @k-marzolf @vaguekayla @rosaleenablack @danzer8705 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @aoi-targaryen @mysteriouslydeafeningwerewolf @rachlovesactors @qu1etwolf

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @ittybxttykxttytxtty @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @mrsbillyrusso @colereads

If you’d like to be added (or removed from) my tag list(s) for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again.

[antoncyng]

౨ৎ. SUFFERED - h.sh

synopsis - dreaming about his presence started to hurt again, so it was time to finally watch the VHS.

genre / warning(s) - angst, mentions of death, somewhat based off of 20th century girl, vhs tape is different tho, flashbacks based in 1999

word count - 1.0k (first fic to hit 1k???)

author’s note - this fic is for @cupidhoons because this woman wanted her heartbroken so what better way than to make it about seunghan :33 love u liz! want to read m0re . . ? cl1ck here !

24 YEARS.

24 years was the length you’ve had to suffer without the love of your life by your side.

waking up from this dream was a nightmare, the more you tried to reach out and save him, the farther you would get. it was so hard to accept the fact he was gone, no matter how long it’s been.

the words spilling out of his bestfriend’s mouth still and always will break your heart, deny deny deny was all your mind could comprehend.

7.18.00 6:45 PM

“what do you mean? seunghan isn’t dead.. he’s on a family trip!” all the excuses you could think of spewed out of your mouth with tears running down your face.

“no.. no yn. he isn’t on a family trip, he never went on a family trip. just accept it, he isn’t with us anymore, how would it make sense to go on a family trip if his family came home? he died yn, he died after his surgery. it was guaranteed he would’t live for more than a month, so he did it himself. he left this for you.” sohee did the best he could keeping himself together as well, not wanting to make your situation worse.

he kept quiet and gave you a VHS tape, only to walk away soon after, it looked like he wanted to say something to you(?).

HOW could this be? it only felt like a few weeks ago that seunghan was by your side, holding your hand as you two walked along the beach together, laughing the night away together as the world blurred around the two of you. when you were together, everything just felt right.

now, it feels like nothing would feel right ever again.

6.11.24 4:37 AM

it felt so real. sweat coated your forehead and parts of your body, your breathing grew heavy by the minute, your eyes shot open with water growing in them.

you tried so so hard to reach out for seunghan, but it just looked like the more you stepped closer to him, the further he would walk away. your fingertips touched, and his body slowly started to fade away. all you could do was cry, trying to scream but nothing would come out as you watched seunghan step further into the distance with an emotional smile on his lips, you swore he had a tear running down his face. why did it feel so real?

it hurt, it hurt like someone had just ripped your heart out of your chest and walked away so emotionless. what was so scary or hard that he couldn’t tell you?

you got out of bed, walking towards your desk and opened the drawer, pulling out the VHS tape sohee gave you 24 years ago, you never pulled yourself enough to throw it away. slipping it into the player, the video started to play.

sitting back in your chair, you didn’t know what to expect. a song started playing, it rang in your ears like a shooting star of nostalgia.

“are you alright? how are you doing these days? are you crying again..”

you heard his singing voice call out to you, it brought you to tears.

“because i’m not there? we used to chat a lot, now i don’t see your fine face..”

he appeared on the screen, guitar in his hands as his face focused on the strings, the tears slipped out of your eyes. he’s still the most beautiful boy you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful person you’ll ever meet.

the song stopped. a few clips of the beach you two always walked on together showed, there were clips of the places you loved to bring him to. you were shown clips of yourself falling asleep in an empty classroom, seunghan’s voice in the back.

“look at this girl, she told me she would stay behind during lunch to study..”

more clips were shown, memories were flooding your mind. then it cut to a scene on the beach, it seemed like the phone was set up.

and there he was again, your beautiful boy. just the sight of him on the old tv had your heart melting, he was just so pretty.

“hi yn. if you’re seeing this, you must be very angry with me.” he started off, chuckling dryly. “i recorded this before i went to the u.s. for my surgery, and you must already know the result. i’m sorry i can’t tell you, i would if i really could, but everything is too much for the both of us and i figured it would be better for your life in the future to figure out like this.”

he read off of a piece of paper like a script, clearing his throat as he was already getting emotional just from reading the next words. tears were already flowing out of your eyes, but you couldn’t stop watching the tape.

“i know living without each other is hard after sticking together for so long, i want you to know i truly love you so much, but there’s a reason that i could not tell you about the guaranteed result of my surgery. i don’t think i’ll tell you that now, maybe in another century?” he dryly laughs again, before looking back at the sunset behind him.

“its nice seeing this view again before i leave, i wish i could see it with you. you’re busy a lot but i understand that, i just wish i could spend just a few more hours with you.” his voice makes it obvious he’s starting to tear up, before turning back to the camera with teary eyes like he’s about to end the video.

“but don’t worry too much, i’ll make a pretty sunset and sunrise for you so you don’t have to suffer too much without me, how does that sound? i hope you’re saying good behind this screen..” he tries to cheer himself up with a smile, distracting you from the tears rolling down his face.

“i love you so much, i’ll see you again soon. don’t suffer too much, okay?” he says, waving with his sweet smile before the video ends and the old tv audio starts buzzing again.

but what seunghan will always know, is how much you already suffered without his presence.

🤍. ————————————

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL | antoncyng 061624

thank u for reading !! i hope u didn’t get too sad :pp ending is kinda bad because i’m bad at ending stories but whatever ><

perm taglist - @lcvclywon @jlheon @jwsdoll @ohmydollie @cupidhoons @junislqve @hyeinism @copyhanni @onlyjjong @seoktized (?)

[thegodmother007]

My New Neighbor Chapter 12: Sick Day

TRIGGER WARNING: This story will eventually contain violence, angst, threat of death, swearing, dark humor, adult themes like sex & drugs, racism, classism, sexism etc. Do not say you have not been warned

Chapter 12:

It’s been about 2-weeks since the party where I almost drowned in beer, was tossed around like a toy & played with like one. But I was ultimately grateful to be saved by my neighbor who I watched choke Myra over & over again on the video that Foster texted me the morning after. 

Something in me burned watching that video again and again. I felt the satisfaction of Myra’s stupid face contorting into real fear of Vi & what she was going to do. Served her right, she should know how it feels to be overpowered. Then rage fills my chest when her brother, Bo, steps into frame & stops it. What I would have given to watch this play out in real life & not just hear it from my friends & a poor quality video. 

Since the party though, I have spoken to Vi more & more. It started out with her checking in on me, probably to make sure we were still cool. Then it turned into simple memes being sent back & forth, then quickly escalated into full-on text conversations, from there. I found it was much easier to talk to her in this way than in-person. I may have noticed my feelings shifting with Vi, but that did not get rid of the intimidation I felt being around any giant’s presence. However, when I texted Vi this morning, continuing a conversation we started last night, I did not get a response back from her. I knew she was home, because I felt her walking around once or twice, so I was not sure why she was avoiding me. Eventually, I texted her to ask “Are you mad at me or something..?” I waited for a while. One hour turned into 2 hours, turned into 3 hours, turning into 4 hours with no response. It was about 3:00pm at this point and when checking my phone to see she still hadn’t read my messages, I decided to give her a call, just in case. I held the phone to my ear, waiting for her to answer. To my immediate relief she did, but she certainly did not sound like Vi. 

I got a groggy voice answering me, which sounded horse and withered, say “hello..?” on the other side. “Vi?” I asked her, not 100% convinced it was her with how tired she sounded. “Yes?” she asked, thinking I needed something, which I was quick to correct “Hey are you alright? You haven't answered any of my texts & although you’re not obligated to, I got worried.” I confessed the last part with no shortage of embarrassment lacing my words. A pause between us made me wonder if I had made her uncomfortable. Vi quietly answered with a sniffle & a cough clearing her throat “I’m sick. My head’s spinning, my nose is stuffed, I have a cough, I’m cold, I feel weak and tired. I haven’t found it in me to text anyone today, sorry.” I felt bad that she felt the need to apologize to me “No, no don’t apologize. I didn’t know you were sick. Anything I can do?” I offered automatically, realizing only after I offered that I must have sounded silly to her. What could I, a small Human, do for her at this moment? I couldn’t go to the store to get her medicine or make her soup. Hell, I can’t even get her another blanket if she wanted it. Vi coughed up a lung on the other end before answering and when she caught her breath replied “No, not much anyone can do right now, really. Just gotta ride this out.” She said in a way to try & spare my feelings. “Alright. Well get plenty of rest, okay?” I say before I go to hang up, but not before an idea hits me. 

“Actually…what’s the passcode to your apartment?” I asked with a mischievous tone I could tell unsettled Vi a little. After she gave the code to me, I say into the phone “See you in 5” before quickly hanging up on her without letting her respond. I grabbed my guitar & hurried to punch the 4-digit code into the door that separated our spaces. This code is for emergency situations & although not an emergency, I think Vi was going to like my idea. 

As fast as I could, with my guitar in hand, I walked towards Vi’s room. I did stop to admire her apartment space like I’ve never gotten the chance to. Looking high above me, I observed some of the most mundane items, like a dining table, chairs, couch, pairs of shoes by the door & books on the shelf. Except, due to their immense size, I looked at everything with a sense of wonder only giant-sized items could invoke. Anytime I entered her unit, she was always there keeping my attention or a bunch of giants were there to distract me. I marveled at the opportunity to see where Vi lives daily, feeling calmed by idea that her apartment hardly looked any different than my own, outside of stylistic choices. 

I turned to the hallway & notice that Vi’s door is open halfway, giving me more than enough room to enter. When approaching her bedroom, I knock as hard as I can on the doorframe, giving her a heads up I was here. I walk into a very dark room, sans the daylight that shot through the cracks of her window blinds, which gave me enough light to make out her darkened silhouette. I can see her long hair hanging off the side of the bed & I watch her head slowly poke out from behind the blanket, to see me standing in the doorway. Vi’s eyes look tired and her skin pale, even in this light. I could see her muster a small smile but then quickly fade out as I walked closer to her bed. 

“What are you doing here?” She asks me, voice scratchy and obstructed by phlegm. I smiled and held up my guitar “You said there wasn't anything I could do for you, but I thought of something. Do you mind if I sit?” I ask, pointing to a spot directly in front of her line of vision on the floor. Vi shakes her head, confirming she wouldn't mind, but obviously unsure of what I had planned. I find my spot, sitting cross legged while I gaze up at a very sick Vi. “I was hoping a little music might help you feel better…” I say strumming my guitar. 

For a moment I saw Vi’s eyes light up, before the energy in them was dimmed once more by her sickness. I could tell she was hiding a smile behind her blanket while only her eyes were exposed. I started out with something slow & cheerful ‘Here Comes the Sun' by the Beetles. Hoping I wasn't making a fool of myself, I started singing “Here comes the sun, do do do do. Here comes the sun & I say-”

Now, I am not the greatest singer in the world, but in that moment, I felt like it. I would occasionally peer up at Vi from my seated position to see her eyes sparkling at me, glossy & focused. I wasn't sure if it was her cold that was making them do that, but it fueled me to play a second song. I followed ‘Here Comes the Sun’ with Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Again I sing to Vi, whose eyes never leave my form. “There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold

And she's buying a stairway to Heaven-” 

When referring to ‘the lady' of the song, I glance at Vi and shoot her a smile, one similar to the one that she keeps hiding behind the blanket. I take my time, playing slowly & not loudly at all, hoping not to disturb her, but rather give what little comfort I could as I strummed.

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

I wasn't sure what Cain was thinking after he called & asked for my apartment code, only to have him hang up once I gave it to him. “Whatever” I thought to myself, putting my phone back on my bedside table, sneezing a few times before blowing my nose and laying back down. I started shivering after having my arms outside the blanket, so I nestled back into my cocoon, covering my whole head when I heard a knocking at my door. I wasn't shocked to see Cain standing there, but what did surprise me was he had his guitar with him. I felt my pale face go red, realizing Cain might intend to play for me. For the first time today, I wasn't focused on how crummy I felt. I watched Cain sit on my floor & start playing ‘Here Comes the Sun' for me. I felt a wave of goosebumps begin crawling up my body for the first few chords. 

I couldn't help but stare in awe at Cain’s gesture. It was the kindest thing someone had done for me in a long time & I couldn't help but tear up as he began singing too. His voice was calming & slow, perfect for acoustic guitar. My heart leapt for joy as he winked at me during the part of the The Beetle’s song: “Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter” I felt my smile involuntary sneak onto my face while I hid behind my blanket, trying to play it cool. Inside however, I was tickled by how genuinely sweet he was for doing this. I used my blanket to discreetly dab my tears away when he looked back down at his guitar, watching his hands & making sure he plucked the right strings. Had my voice not sounded like an old hag’s, I would have sang along with him. For now though, I was happy to just listen. 

Cain’s taste in music only got better with each song because after he played ‘Stairway to Heaven', he played ‘Wish You were Here’ by Pink Floyd. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be carried away by the music, imagining laying under the blue sky with white fluffy clouds passing by & next to me in the soft green grass was Cain, the sun warm on our faces. 

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

It wasn't too far into ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, that I watched Vi slowly close her eyes & drift off to sleep. I made sure to finish the song, not sure if she’d really fallen asleep, until I let the last chord fade out. When she didn't open her eyes again & I noticed that her breathing had deepened, I knew my work here was done. I felt a sense of accomplishment that I was able to lull a giant to sleep in under 5 songs. This was going in my portfolio for sure, I joked to myself.

Before standing to take my leave, I just watch Vi sleep for a bit, admiring how she was completely at peace. In a very weird way, she was very beautiful in this moment. I'm sure she covered her face because she didn't feel like it, but I liked seeing what she looked like underneath make-up & the stress of having me as a roommate. In an effort not to disturb her, I slowly put my guitar back in its case and carefully locked it, slow in my movements back to my own unit where I make sure to shoot her a text to wake up to, before closing our shared door behind me: “Sleep well” 

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’ve thrown a lot of angst into this story, I think we needed a change of pace 😉

Sorry the story is a bit short, but the next chapter I am working on is much longer than many of the ones I've written so far.

Previous ||| Next

TAG LIST: @gt-daboss

[kanmom51]

Not only did I miss it all, well most of it, but the whole post I wrote about it is gone.

😭😭😭😭

Crazy crazy night.

As per usual, nothing new, shouldn’t be upset or surprised about it, everything goes down when I’m sleeping.

I managed to watch Suchwita, and off to bed I went.

Dreaming, hoping, beyond hope, that JK will come to us live.

And then it all unfolded.

And I missed it. 😭😭😭

So, I wake up, see it, vent to you guys, try to save my beautifully worded venting, and effing Tumblr just poofed it all away.

I’m so friggin frustrated.

So, here I am now, trying to re-write, not very successfully (so if this post sucks blame Tumblr), my thoughts for this morning.

After Suchwita JM posted.

A little while later JK replied.

Kind of makes you wonder who JM was missing, seeing he just spent time with army at his pre-recordings. Same goes with JK. Who you miss JK?

And then JK came live.

And he did a whole JM centered live.

A whole “this one is going to be about JM” friggin live.

He watched JM’s songs.

He watched JM centred videos.

He listened to love songs.

God, I do have my work cut out for me.

But before I’m off back to work (I’m sitting here re-writing my post in between calls and meetings instead of working for a living), I do want to mention one wittle point.

JM Suchwita. Cute, happy, interesting discussion.

And I know what y’all are gonna ask me. Letter. Right?

Well, how do I say it?

I’ll make it sweet and short.

I think I will word it like this:

Suga didn’t know about the song, didn’t hear it either.

JM said he wrote this song to deliver HIS emotion to the fans. All this while serendipity is playing in the background.

(Notice the reaction to Serendipity playing in the background while talking about Letter. Karmy see it all...)

And he moved on.

The speed JM moved on from that, he left road runner in the dust behind him wondering where JM was off too so fast.

Now, if indeed this was a song about army, for army, the biggest gift JM could have given army in his first solo album, kind of strange how little he wants to talk about it, don’t you think?

Also, the whole album JM doing without the members, it’s his solo album after all. And for this gift of his to army, something that’s supposed to be so personal/intimate (the song is so intimate), and he has JK join him? For background voice which he did oh so well ¾ of the way through the song?

Oh, btw, Face off not a breakup song. Just wanted to throw that in, by the by.

And then we have JK.

The man that came to us the morning before. Guitar ready. All to give us that spoiler to the song he sang with JM. The song that he didn’t play the guitar for, but learnt it to be able to play it for us.

The man that took part in this song.

This supposed song for army.

Not a word.

I mean he came and played the guitar for us telling us about this song.

And now he isn’t singing it? Talking about it? Listening to it?

For a HUGE gift for army, those two are acting pretty sus at how much they are avoiding it.

Anyway, I’m off back to work.

We have a great day coming.

JK CK dropping today.

Of course you’ll be getting a full rundown of the live. You know me.

It might take time though.

So I’ll leave you with a couple of little gifts for you to get the gist of the mood of this live we got, a droplet in the sea yet to come...

And I thought I'd be leaving you with that, lol.

Look what our Jiminie replied to his Jungkookie...

And I wouldn't be surprised the actual translation is cuter than that. Will keep you updated, of course. 😘

[raeii-of-sunshine]

Infodump about Will, please?

OMG ANON U HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY U JUST MADE ME. I PROMISE U MY FIRSTBORN FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY

okok so first of all he’s a gemini (05/31/1994) which is crazy cuz i don’t think this man is capable of wearing a mask. he wears everything right on his face even if he’s not yapping about it. not very gemini of him tbh

SECOND also getting basic info out of the way he’s puerto rican and he has a lot of tattoos to pay homage to his heritage!! including the frog (a coqui) and hibiscus (amapola) tattoo on his neck, as well as i BELIEVE the aztec-style mural on his back!!!!

before he got into harder music like lamb of god, white chapel, etc, he listened to pretty tame rock like AC/DC. he actually played the guitar and the saxophone! he was in band in hs!! fun fact, his parents were NOT excited about him going from his “normal person music” to deathcore and other metal genres. one time when he was first learning how to scream (in the shower), his mom knocked on the door to ask if he was okay lmaooo. nowadays they’re all very proud of him tho!!

he has a tattoo of a goblin with his curly pink hair and gauges on one of his legs, eating ramen out of a skull bc he fuckin LOVES ramen. he’s also really big into anime and manga

he appeared several times on the youtube channel “the charismatic voice” to discuss his and other people’s vocal techniques, AS WELL AS letting them put a camera up his nose and down his throat to record him while he did all of his insane vocal techniques!! ANDDDD also did another video with them where they put needles in his neck to get an even more accurate recording of everything!! i couldn’t watch that one bc i can’t do needles ‘:D but it was probably pretty fuckin cool.

he is a really big fan of opera and is friends with one of the people from the charismatic voice named elizabeth, who is a vocal specialist and (used to be(?)) an opera singer. he made a whole video reacting to one of her very old opera performances and said that he really likes opera bc it’s like deathcore in the sense that there are SOOOO many vocal techniques used in every performance, much like the best deathcore vocalists out there !

elizabeth said in the putting-a-camera-down-his-throat video that one of the first things that she noticed about him when they met in the airport was that his hair was super animated and kinda flips around on his head like it’s got a personality of its own!!

example:: (him playing ping pong with elizabeth)

getting back into music, he’s said that he actually doesn’t listen to a ton of deathcore or metal music anymore, he’s more of an indie guy!! if he wasn’t in a deathcore band, he’d apparently be making indie music. and one of the main reasons he doesn’t listen to a lot of metal is so that any ideas for songs that he comes up with won’t be accidentally pulling from other songs so they’re more original. he also doesn’t usually try to force lyrics out of himself, he just kind of writes down things whenever he thinks of them (and it works quite well!!)

his first gig was in an old vaulted church building in new jersey (BECAUSE OF COURSE THIS MAN IF FROM NEW JERSEY) that no longer hosts gigs, and the acoustics were TERRIBLE bc of all the reverb from the vaulted ceilings. his first gig was fucking NERVE WRECKING but nowadays after the first couple of days of tour the pre-show jitters just go away??

ALSO he brings tea and an entire tea set to every venue!! and says shit like and i quote, “where am i gonna set up my tea party today?” he’s VERY serious about his vocal care! he drinks his tea, he has a bunch of fancy serums and other vocal products, and has a handheld nebulizer that he swears up and down by. <333 better self care routine than any of us out here tbh

he’s apparently always late to rehearsal lol. and he’s a cat person!! he’s literally so perfect <3

that is all that i have rn!! thank you so much anon you seriously made my fuckin day!!!!

[sinarainbows]

First Love | J.T.K

Jake Kiszka x OC

pure fluff :)

This is exciting. I had this idea for a few months after watching the creators videos on my for you page and finally found the courage to write it. I made my own character up and fantasized a little bit about their life together. If you want more please let me know.

Please consider that English is not my first language.

Nashville, TN Early 2022

Layla’s POV

I walk on the sidewalk, face straight ahead and trying to blend out the many tourists and strangers hurrying to get to their destination. With me I have my guitar case with my most prized possession.

“Excuse me, miss?”, a manly voice said, causing me to stop in your tracks. “Yeah?”, I answered, meeting a friendly looking face. A man with unruly wild brown looks, brown eyes und little shy smile looks at me and meets me eyes. “Do you mind being interviewed for my social media account? I ask strangers a few questions about different topics and post them on my Instagram and TikTok account”, the man asked.

“Oh hi, why me?“, I answer nervously, instantly wondering if he recognized me from my music or family. “You just looked really interesting to me and you have a beautiful aura“, he chuckles, gesturing with a camera in his hands. Thinking for a couple of seconds I finally respond:“Okay, thank you and why not. Are you famous or something?“ “I have a couple of thousands followers, but that should not pressure you. Is it okay to be asked about your love life?“, he replies back. I was taken aback a bit. Sure, my relationship was never a secret, more an open secret. In interviews, I never allow to be interviewed about my private life. And if, I always manage to get around the question and answer vaguely. But, discussing the topic of our relationship, rising fame and turbulent lifestyle made us realize, that we can’t live with the privacy we once had.

Knowing that probably a few fans will see the mans video I reply:“Sure, I like being interviewed. Just please don’t ask uncomfortable questions”, I laugh, tucking a strand of my dark hair behind my ear. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you“, the mystery man replies and sets his camera to get ready to film. I quickly come to conclusion that he doesn’t know me and just wants to be nice. “We should get to a quieter spot if you don’t mind”, he says, noticing the passing strangers around us. After getting ready to film his video the man asks:”Ready?“ “Yes, let’s go“, I smile.

“What is the name of your first love and why did you fall in love with them?“

Immediately smiling I look into the camera and say:“Well, that’s easy to answer. The first person I ever felt romantically love towards is someone I grew up with back in my hometown. He was always special to me and one day I came home from his house and ran to my mum and confessed her, that I fell in love with him. And she just laughed and knew it all along. She just was shocked that it took me so long to realize. We both grew up in a very musical household, played instruments, listening to music and just been together our whole life. I was probably around 14 years“. My heart grows warm from remembering about the past. “What’s his name and what happened after knowing that you loved him?“, he questions once again.

“His name is Jake“, I finally respond to his first question. “And I kept it for a secret for a few months and then confessed it when I was drunk to my best friends, who happen to be his younger brother and his best friend. They were taken aback a bit, but came to conclusion that it just made sense“, I laugh a little, remembering Sam’s and Danny’s face.

“Did you tell him?“, the man asks. “First, I didn’t. I just thought that he would never picture me differently than as his little brothers girl best friend. Not in a million years I thought that he loved me back. His twin brother was the person who encouraged me to tell him“, I tell him. For me, in the end Josh was the reason we found to each other. “So, you confessed it to him” - “Yeah. Well we both did”, I replied, not wanting to tell the whole story. ”What happened after that to the both of you?“

“I married him. Long story short. And that’s the best thing that has ever happened to me”, I tell him, holding my hand with my wedding ring up. “You did?! Wow, that’s amazing. Where is he now?“ - “He is a musician and is in a band with his brothers. They are on tour right now”, their Dreams in Gold Tour just started and I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. “What is he playing?“, the man questions further. “Guitar. We both are, I’m a musician too“, I smile to him and his camera and show my guitar case.

“What’s your name?“ - “Layla, and yours?“, I raise my hand to shake his. “Hunter, nice to meet you“ - “Nice to meet you too, Hunter.“

Layla is no longer a stranger.

Comments under Hunter’s video

flowerpower_gvf: Oh my god???? They are fucking MARRIED?? AND LAYLA TALKS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP ??? I’M BAWLING MY EYES OUT. HER NAME IS LAYLA KISZKA??

grestieforlife: JAKE IS A HUSBAND. HE HAS A WIFE!!!!!

laylaismysunshine: Not him not recognizing one of the most famous musicians right now lmao

kiszkawagneruniverse: HER EYES SPARKING AS SHE TOLD HIM THAT THEY ARE MARRIED. NOBODY. TALK. TO. ME.

thisoldguitardenver: Layla being the most beautiful woman on earth. No wonder that she is married.

gretavanlayla: HOW LONG ARE THEY MARRIED?? THE BOYS KNEW AND KEPT IT A SECRET?? LAY IS 22 AND JAKE 25 AND THEY ARE MARRIED!!!!!

[datclassicrockfan42]

Who are the monkees?

YESSSSSSSSSSSS

DEAR LORD YES

(Sorry I don’t get this question very often)

Anyways, allow me to introduce you to The Monkees

They were a 60s rock band with a TV show(like the Aquabats). Originally created to make money and sell records but after a rebellion from their music producer, they truly(at least in my eyes) became a true band. Unfortunately a lot of factors caused the bands decline in popularity and their dissolvement. They did get back together in the 80’s and 90’s with a little surge in popularity, and thoughout the 2000s and 2010s they continued to tour. Currently the last remaining Monkee(Micky) is doing shows to honor the band these years.(this is definitely a cliff notes version bc(well I kinda lost my Monkee Autism for MCR autism and there’s no way I can fit the entire story into a single post, we can keep talking about this through dm through)

Now for the members. This group consists of four members. Davy, Micky, Peter, and Mike

Here’s a photo

The first member is Davy Jones.(Bottom Right)Short, British, and babyfaced. He’s basically the “Paul McCartney” of the group, the one that all the girls love(at least when the show first aired). In the band lineup, he does vocals, tambourine, and maracas(usually has like fifty maracas) In the show, he’s the group’s hopeless romantic. Always going after a girl and falling in love. However that whole “Davy falls in love and now it’s our problem” is much more of a season one plot line than season two(not to say doesn’t happen there too.)

Next is Micky Dolenz.(Top left). The bands…(for really lack of a better term here) wild card. He’s very energetic and comedic. In the band he’s the drummer but also does vocals most of the time. In the show, he’s wild, chaotic, and the jokester of the group.

Next is Peter Tork( bottom right). Sweet, sensitive Peter. Look at him isn’t he cute? In the band, he’s the bassist, but also plays a multitude of instruments. In the show he was the dummy. The butt of the joke all the time. His shy, awkward(auto fill suggested knees here, and I’m questioning everything), personality and lack of social skills was a constant joke during the series. Actual Peter is pretty intellectual.

Last but certainly not least(especially on this blog) is Mike(top right, in the green wool hat) the second Michael in my life(Mikey was the first). Ah Michael Nesmith. Where to start? Stoic, quiet,aloof, but a total goof sometimes.(starting to sound familiar here)He has what this website calls…autism swag. Usually wearing a little hat(okay now that I type this here I’m starting to realize the similarities between the two Michaels in my life), this Texan is the “serious one.” The dad of group basically. In the band he plays guitar and actually wrote a few songs(oh we’re gonna talk about this). In the show, he was basically the voice of reason. Not really focused on that much,but he had his moments. I should mention that he got rid of the hat around season two, but you can still identify him by his massive sideburns.

Look at these

Look at the size of them

NOW THE SHOW AND MUSIC.

The show: The show aired from 1966-1968 with two seasons. They also had two tv specials and one hella trippy movie. Currently a lot of the episodes have been taken off YT(damn copyright) but we have archive.com and many drive folders containing these episodes. Episode plots can go from “guys Davy’s in love again and now it’s our problem” to “Crap we can’t pay the rent” to “crap we gotta save America from spies”. And season two only gets weirder. Each episode usually contains two “romps” which are basically music videos that showcase songs(like I said made to sell records)

(I do gotta warn you tho. This show was made in the 60s…so some of the content is not actually…politically correct according to today’s standards. So yea just be prepared for that)

Episodes I’d personally recommend for beginners are

Season 1 Ep 8: don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. A simple episode. Displays each of the characters personally traits pretty well. Has good songs.

Season 1 ep 23: Captain Crocodilez a pretty funny episode. Got a lot of that typical Monkee rapid fire random humor(which is kinda Aquabatsish). Some good romps and I find this ep quite enjoyable

Season one ep 12: I’ve got a little song here. This is a Mike focused episode and is a little bit sadder than the majority of eps, but is overall good. It’s got the bands superhero personas, the Monkeemen. Good songs too.

Season two episode 16: fairytale. An iconic episode.(so sometimes the guys would dress up in drag to make their schemes work and there’s lots of that in this episode) it’s a bit more off the walls(which is normal in season two) but still overall a good episode.

Here’s the link for the archive(kinda bad quality but pretty accessible)

Edit: so i checked and something is wrong with the link….so yea

Ummm if yall want I can dm you a link to one of the drives

NOW FOR MUSIC

(Buckle up)

So the group(in the tv show years) released(holy shit) 9 albums.

The Monkees(a classic album of songs from the show) notable tracks include Last train to Clarksville, Saturday’s child, Sweet Young Thing, and Papa Gene’s blues

More of the Monkees(another classic, once again full of songs from the show) notable tracks include Mary,Mary , I’m not your stepping stone, the kind of girl I could love, and(you probably know this one) I’m a believer(yep the song from shrek was a Monkees song)

However, these albums were made with little to no creative control. Opting for studio musicans and writers than the actual guys themselves(who were all pretty good musicans) but after some rebellion, the producer getting fired, and a hole in a hotel wall(before the producer got fired,(guess who did this one lol). The band was able to play their own instruments.

Which brings us to an era which I personally consider the bands finest:

Headquarters: a masterpiece with the group playing almost of all their own instruments. Notable tracks include: Sunny Girlfriend, for Pete’s sake, and Randy Scouse Git

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones(thats actually all the members zodiac signs, expect Davy’s bc him and Mike are both Capricorns and they actually share a birthday(Dec 30): this is their psychedelic album(hey it’s 1967 everyone’s doing it) Notable tracks here include: Pleasant Valley Sunday, Love is only sleeping, Star Collector and the door into summer.

The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees: another classic👌. Notable tracks here include: Daydream Believer, Tapioca Tundra, and Dream World.

We then have the HEAD(that trippy movie i was talking about(that’s a little advanced tho, stick to the show for now) soundtrack: notable tracks here include: Porpoise Song, As we go along, circle sky, and daddy’s song.

Now for some mythbustijg bc oh boy

They didn’t play their own instruments: actually a lot of the guys were originally musicians before the show(Mike and Peter were folk singers, and Davy worked in broadway(not an instrument but still cool to know). We kinda already debunked this one though so let’s move on to the next:

They didn’t write their own songs: kinda true. The studio did bring in some studio writers to write songs, but the guys actually wrote some songs themselves(mainly Mike, but the others did too)

Ok well I’ve been typing for quite a while now and my hands tried soo ima leave this here. DM me if you want any more info(I have a master degree in the history of Micheal Nesmith with a minor in the band and show history)

[hispanic-artists-recs]

Hispanic Artists To Listen To!

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month–which just ended last week– and Latin music making its way into global music charts, I want to spotlight some of these Hispanic music artists that deserve a listen. Whether you are Hispanic yourself, trying to immerse yourself in the culture, or simply a music lover looking for some new music recommendations, this blog is for you!

Want to check if your favorite songs are making the charts? Click Here

American music and entertainment magazine Billboard, is a fun resource to look at to find out what songs are currently trending through music charts, news updates, videos, reviews, and more. You can filter each chart by global reach or genre to get more accurate information about your musical niche.

THE MARIAS

If you’re a fan of indie bedroom-pop, you’ll love The Marias’ retro, dreamy sound. The Marias is a Latinx band that formed back in 2016 named after its lead singer, Maria Zardoya. Zardoya alternates between English and Spanish lyrics as she incorporates her Puerto Rican roots with her soft, velvety vocals. With Josh Conway on the drums, Edward James on the keyboard, and Jesse Perlman on the guitar, they create a psychedelic and atmospheric sound using guitar riffs and jazz elements. Zardoya and Conway wrote and produced their first track “I Don’t Know You" which was discovered and played by a radio station igniting their success.

Click here to check out this interview where Zardoya talks about the fate behind the band’s start and career. 

Give this performance a listen to hear what they're about!

I recommend:

“No One Noticed”

“Otro Atardecer” (with Bad Bunny)

“Carino”

“Heavy”

“Over the Moon”

Listen on Spotify / Apple Music

OMAR APOLLO

Starting as a guitarist at his Catholic church in Indiana and writing songs in his bedroom on the side, Mexican-American artist, Omar Apollo, amassed overnight success when he uploaded “Ugotme” to Spotify back in 2017. Since then he has collaborated on works with Daniel Caesar and Kali Uchis and learned from producers including Pharrell Williams. Nominated for the 2023 Best New Artist Grammy, he has established a name for himself with his ambient, bilingual and soulful music. He sings about his Mexican heritage, trials with love, and experiences as a gay man while mixing in elements of Mexican culture like singing with a live mariachi.

Click here to read more about Apollo's early music days.

To truly experience the world of Omar Apollo I recommend tuning into his NPR Tiny Desk performance!

I recommend: 

Evergreen

Ugotme

En el Olvido

Killing Me

Done with You

Listen on Spotify / Apple Music

KALI UCHIS

Kali Uchis is a Columbian-American artist who has reached mainstream success with her bilingual tracks, but also fully Spanish albums over the years. She has a dreamy voice with a genre-bending range akin to classic oldies, 2000s R&B, and high tempo reggaeton. Living out of her car in Virginia with a love for music, Uchis focused on creating and solidifying herself as an artist. Her music started to gain traction after she released her songs online, connecting her to artists in the Los Angeles music scene she would later collaborate with. Her name might sound familiar if you didn’t already know about her because of her popular tracks with Tyler the Creator, Daniel Caesar, SZA, and Omar Apollo. 

Click here to read a Q&A interview where Uchis shares her unique journey to stardom.

For some live Kali Uchis check out this video!

I recommend:

After the Storm (ft. Tyler the Creator)

Melting 

Your Teeth in My Neck

Dame Beso // Muévete 

No Eres Tu (Soy Yo)

Listen on Spotify / Apple Music

Here are some honorable mentions:

Peso Pluma, Ivan Cornejo, Eslabon Armado, Natalia Lafourcade, Rauw Alejandro, Rita Payés, Mon Laferte, Julieta Venegas, Café Tacvba, and Fuerza Regida

Have other recommendations? Reply with your personal favorites or song recommendations below!

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Rolling Quartz 🎸

Rolling Quartz is the fourth band I’ve covered here, and the first girl band, which is very exciting! They debuted in 2020, with five members: bassist Arem, guitarists Iree and Hyunjung, vocalist Jayoung, and drummer Yeongeun. They aren’t exactly K-pop, but instead a blend of that and k-rock. Here are my credentials: I’ve been a fan of Rolling Quartz for a while now, after being recommended their excellent cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night, and though I know they’re not that popular (and so this review is more for me than other people), I thought it’d be fun to do to break up the SHINHWA epic.

Blaze was their debut, and what a debut it is! Coming right out the gate with a blistering, half-minute-long guitar riff, inspirational lyrics, and Jayoung’s signature husky contralto. From this first song, they immediately stand out from the crowd: besides playing instruments, having a grungier style and music video, and dabbling more in rock, their music also feels more personal, probably due to the fact that they weren’t assembled by a company but instead formed on their own and have the power to write their own songs.

Delight starts out quieter than Blaze, though it doesn’t stay that way for long. It keeps the inspirational lyrics, with a slower, more minimalistic opening that feels like it’s holding its breath until the song explodes in rock bliss. It’s a masterclass in pulling back and rushing forward, and keeps you guessing—in a good way. This was never one of my favorites as a casual listener but I’m pleased to say this changed my mind.

Holler starts with the somewhat haunting call of “Holler, holler, holler”, befitting of the MV’s vampiric inspirations (especially Jayoung’s awesome dress), and the chant repeats again in the post-choruses as a break from the established build ups. It’s definitely reminding me of a Taemin song, with its seductive creepiness, albeit based on far more of a rocky vibe than is usual for him. Overall, I like this one more this time too!

From the EP, Fighting, I liked the crisp guitar riffs of Higher and of course their excellent cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night...but my favorite would have to be Azalea. Adapted from an old poem protesting the Japanese occupation of Korea, it’s the true definition of an anthemic, passionate, head-banger, and I hope one day (Hera willing) I’ll get to experience its incredibleness in concert.

One is a collaboration, and goes more of a teen-movie-soundtrack-pop-punk route; as one comment I saw said, “it sounds like it could be from a Monster High movie.” Which is absolutely not criticism, by the way; though I don’t think that One is as good as tracks like Blaze, Delight, or Azalea, it’s a fun break from the darkness and makes me want to relive my younger teenage years (though maybe not all of them, let’s be honest here).

Nazababara is their return after a while, and goes a much sunnier, brighter route, making it feel less like a political anthem and more like one for a night out for friends. I love the segments with less instrumentation in the pre-chorus so that the vocals have time to breathe, and of course the short “you got me, got me” bridge was a highlight too. It’s a short song, but a memorable one.

Sing Your Heart Out is a b-side, but it was given a music video so I’m treating it like a single. It’s harsher in sound and darker in tone than Nazababara, and more true to their usual sound. The guitar riffs are as sharp as ever, and have a great sense of build in those pre-choruses, before the chorus appears to smash everything out of the park. It definitely had me banging my head, especially during that great guitar breakdown and outro.

I’m A Loner isn’t a usual Rolling Quartz song in many ways; it’s both a collaboration with Nam Do-hyun, and an OST. But, it retains their staples of driving beats and Jayoung’s strong voice with those sharp guitars that propel it forward. I hadn’t actually heard this song before this deep dive, but I ended up liking it. I wish it had more of a cathartic end to its great build-up, but otherwise it’s pretty good.

Fearless takes a more EDM-based approach to its rock, for another banger, this time choosing something I normally dislike: an “I’m-so-cooler-than-you” song…and yet, they pull it off! That guitar solo was perfection and I couldn’t resist the urge to dance along with them as they played their instruments in the rain (which I hope they didn’t have to film more than once).

Reminiscence is their most recent single, and though it starts with a sharp snare drum, its first verses are actually a quite straightforward ballad, made unique by the ever-present power in Jayoung’s voice. But of course, since this is Rolling Quartz, it soon becomes a power ballad worthy of single status, and manages to be incredibly captivating despite its music video only being them playing their instruments in their studio, and it actually became one of my favorites of theirs. Also, I had no idea that Jayoung plays piano, so that was a fun surprise.

I’m glad I did this! I knew I would have a great time, but it was still a fun ride. I forgot how few songs Rolling Quartz actually has, but when every one of them is so high in quality, I can’t really complain. I learned a lot more about them as people too, watching some interviews and behind the scenes content and having some good laughs along the way.

My Top 5 songs are Blaze, Azalea, Nazababara, Reminiscence, and Fearless, with Sing Your Heart Out as an honorable mention. Rolling Quartz gets a 9 out of 10 from me, the same as The Rose did, which isn’t surprising at all. I don’t think that there’s a single song of theirs I don’t like, and very few that I don’t love. They’re remarkably consistent and incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to see what they do next!

Next time, we’ll finally be finishing the SHINHWA deep dive, so stay tuned. Tschüss!

[sinceileftyoublog]

Black Belt Eagle Scout Interview: Expanding My Vulnerability

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Katherine Paul began the Black Belt Eagle Scout set at Pitchfork with whispered singing. As “My Blood Runs Through This Land” progressed, the song a standout from their third album The Land, The Water, The Sky (Saddle Creek), Paul’s singing transformed into a wail, albeit muted by her own guitar distortion and Camas Logue’s mighty drums. Fittingly, Paul’s voice never seemed like it was at the center. It was there, telling her stories, but always equal in sonic and emotional importance to her surroundings. Sometimes, the neighboring elements were symbolic, like the guitar solo of “My Blood Runs Through This Land”, “emulating [her] ancestors running,” as she told me at Pitchfork. (Paul is Coast Salish/Swinomish, raised in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in LaConner, Washington.) Other times, they were perhaps coincidental, as when she sang about being “engulfed by beauty” on “Don’t Give Up”, right as her singing was overwhelmed by the swirling of Logue’s drums, Nay Wilkins’ bass, and Claire Puckett’s guitars. No matter what, the set was a masterclass in tension and ultimate expressiveness, the songs exponentially louder than their studio versions. With every repetition of “Need you, want you” on Mother of My Children’s “Soft Stud”, the guitars bellowed with mammoth force, the crowd whooping in approval. It was breathtaking.

The Land, The Water, The Sky is inspired by Paul moving back to the Swinomish Reservation on which she was raised, as well as her metaphoric personal journeys. The record contains love songs of varying recipients: her surroundings (“Nobody”), her immediate family (“Spaces”), her local queer community (“Sčičudz (a narrow place)”). This time around, she worked with some notable collaborators on the record, like multi-instrumentalist Takiaya Reed of excellent Melbourne doom duo Divide and Dissolve, who co-produced the album, and Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum, who sings on “Salmon Stinta”. Though Paul played many of the instruments on the record and certainly led its expanded instrumental palate, its instrumentation and production was not a one-person affair like her previous two albums. Many artists find working by themselves intimidating; in contrast, for Paul, opening herself up to other musicians in this way was a key part of her growth in confidence. Ditto for playing live. “I have a really amazing band,” Paul said. “We’ve grown so much...for most of the year, we’ve been on the road non-stop, so we’ve learned how to work through certain sounds and passages together.”

Paul and I sat outside the festival press tent (as JPEGMAFIA boomed in the distance) to discuss The Land, The Water, The Sky, playing live, her writing process, and Divide and Dissolve. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: You have three albums already and a somewhat limited set time. How do you decide what songs to play at a festival?

Katherine Paul: I really wanted to play a lot of the new album, but also bring in some of what I felt are the heavy hitters from my previous album. [Songs] that make the set flow. I tried to put some of the new singles in the set, and some that are the favorites in the previous albums. Since you’re playing to a lot of new people, too, something that keeps the energy up.

SILY: I definitely felt that with what you chose to play. I had never seen you live and wanted to come in green, so I didn’t watch any videos, and your set was definitely louder than I expected, in a great way. There was a lot of play with dynamics and catharsis and release. Are you feeling those emotions on stage?

KP: Yeah, I mean I feel like we kick it up a notch, and I like to rock out. For this show, I played on an amp I don’t normally play out of, and I loved it. I kind of want to get one. I love playing loud guitars. [laughs]

SILY: When you play live, do you find yourself in a similar headspace to when you wrote the songs? Are you trying to channel on stage what inspired you to write them in the first place?

KP: I think about what they mean to me, which is maybe a similar thing. I think about why I play certain parts. When I play “My Blood Runs Through This Land”, the guitar solo is supposed to emulate my ancestors running. It’s raw and beautiful. I think about that and put my feeling and playing into those thoughts. I like to make a connection to what the song means to me when I play it.

SILY: On the record, you did a lot of the instrumentation yourself. Do you find adapting the songs to the stage, with a full band, just as rewarding as writing and recording them in the first place?

KP: I’m still learning. That’s what I’m realizing. Sometimes, my natural instinct is to play them how they sound on the recording, but lately, I feel like I want to put a jam in there. [laughs]

SILY: You played “Don’t Give Up” right before playing “Indians Never Die”. In interviews around the release of Mother of My Children, you were talking about “Indians Never Die” and the idea of always taking care of the land. When you sing on "Don’t Give Up”, “I was only seventeen, I was only seventy,” is that a similar sentiment?

KP: “Don’t Give Up” has a lot of writing about my mental health and taking care of myself, having that knowledge that we’re still growing as people and trying to figure things out, whether we’re seventeen or seventy. That’s what those specific lyrics mean, but I think that could tie into, by taking care of myself, I’m taking care of the connection to where I’m from.

SILY: I also like the phrase on the song, “engulfed by beauty.” It suggests being almost overwhelmed by nature, and it works with the heavy reverb of the music.

KP: Yeah. Being swallowed by it.

SILY: Have you gotten to see anyone else at the festival?

KP: I got to see snippets here and there: Vagabon’s one and a half songs, Weyes Blood, Big Thief, yaya bey. I wanted to see Julia [Jacklin], but I couldn’t. Her set was so short. There was a lot of running around, getting food, getting situated.

SILY: Do you like the new Divide and Dissolve record?

KP: I haven’t heard it yet. I’m waiting for the right time to listen to it. I know it’s out, and I want to listen to it when I’m at home on a walk. When I heard the previous record, I was just gutted. So I want to listen to this one walking around in the woods or something.

SILY: Apart from the specific stories and changes in your life that inspired The Land, The Water, The Sky, is there anything else unique about it as compared to your first two records? And how is it a continuation of them?

KP: There are still those glittery sounds within the pop genre that pop up. The uniqueness comes with expanding my vulnerability as a songwriter, having different people play on it. It shifted my perspective of what my songwriting can be. Before, I was more afraid to take risks and do different things, but now, I feel better about it--almost encouraged.

SILY: Are you the type of songwriter always writing, or do you have to set periods of time for you to sit down and do it?

KP: I definitely have to set time aside to do it. I have so much going on in my life. [laughs] It’s hard to always be writing.

SILY: Is there anything else upcoming for you?

KP: I’m working on a mini tour documentary with Evan Atwood, who did the photo [on the front cover of] the album. We’ll have some live recorded versions and filmed versions on the songs. This coming winter, I’m just going to write music and figure out what’s next.

[catchyhuh]

Hello I am DEVOURING your headcanons. they're so so so fun to read dude, you have no idea. I'd be honored to fuel the beast 👍

As a hypothetical au, if the gang (pops included) were to be in a band together, what roles do you think they would have? Who'd be the front/ on vocals, who would play what instruments, would one of them take the manager role (or maybe which side character would be their manager?), etc etc??

Cheers, and welcome to tumblr!)

SEE THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT!! I’D NEVER HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED THIS WITHOUT YOUR ASK! THANK YOU SO MUCH! for both the inspiration and the kind words/welcome :)

ok battle of the bands let’s see…

lupin:

known attention whore = MADE for the too self important lead vocalist whose ego eventually breaks up the band. it’s just that by standard lupin miracles nobody has even considered that as an option! but just saying “main character is the frontman” is boring so let’s go further

lupin probably had like piano lessons as a kid per the hyper decadent lifestyle of the family, but he only retained like. don’t stop believin maybe. piano isn't totally his style in a BAND band, like he COULD do keyboard reasonably if he wanted but he thinks it looks silly so he doesn’t because he’s just. like that. it's his band he gets to do whatever

jack of all trades master of none most likely. can play a little on the guitar, bass, bagpipes for all i care, jaw harp, elementary school recorder, etc, but it’s mostly for show. he’d kill on drums but that’s in the BACK and HE can’t be in THE BACK

jigen: 

a second in command comfortable with being second in command? jigen wouldn’t even be on the stage if it was up to him, he’d just play his part like standing on the steps to the platform

guitar, but prefers acoustic. he processes the notes better if they're like, "organic" like that, not to say he CAN'T do electric guitar, and he admits it sounds pretty sick time to time, but he has his preference. he loves the sound of piano, too, but he doesn’t have the fingers for it, and he’d LOVE to do saxophone but learning it is a real task and it’s hard to juggle murder, burglary, and lessons simultaneously. maybe if he ever retires. and if that smoker’s lung capacity doesn’t have anything to say about it

jigen’s gonna be causing beef about the music styles for sure. and lupin’s like “you LOVE rock” and he’s like “but this is specifically is shit. actually take it down a few steps pal let’s just do some billy joel” “WE HAVE AN AMP.”

fujiko:

oh god she has a beautiful singing voice. you know it, i know it, everyone does, and maybe she’ll sing once in a while, but her REAL deal is managing.

oh she LOVES being on that clunky flip phone going “my talent would sooner play a swamp than take pocket change from your dinky little joint” and really none of the others like the setup side of playing live music so really it works out! plus she gets to hit ‘em with the agent royalties. best of both worlds

could probably play damn near any instrument if she really tried, but she doesn’t care too much to make that effort, at least not for this purpose. she likes listening and dancing to music more anyway! it’s probably why she doesn’t sing too much despite her natural gift there. i bet she'd be hands on if they made a music video or something though

goemon:

you know what instrument/position perfectly encapsulates “often overlooked but everything would fall apart without them”? THE BASS. and let’s be honest nothing hits like a sick bass line. auditory equivalent of watching this guy slice the moon in half or some shit

initially i see him not getting why anyone would want to do this? the recording he gets, he’d wanna listen to this again later too, and the live music he understands, because it’s more. personal. frankly cooler. but performing for strangers? but au or not MONEY IS A HELL OF A MOTIVATOR! 

they’re not even that type of band and yet goemon is absolutely the dreamboat pick with all the fans. it’s so funny he himself doesn’t even care (the idea flatters him, but none of these people really know him, ergo the attraction isn’t completely bc of who he is as a person so he’s like hm. whatever) but lupin’s like we’re not a fucking boyband. and if we were a boyband WHY IS IT YOU AND NOT ME? 

could pull sales by himself tbh but he wouldn’t. he loves his friends he’s not bailing for money. no matter how often fujiko suggests i

zenigata:

wait. hold on i gotta look something up i feel like i just remembFUCK

I WAS GONNA SAY DRUMS. I WAS GONNA SAY DRUMS AND I DON’T WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE I'M JUST GOING THE BASIC ROUTE BUT REALLY IT’D BE GOOD FOR HIM TO GET SOME ENERGY OUT ON THOSE THINGS. also its symbolic because the drums are placed furthest away from the other instruments. it’s a music metaphor

okay let’s just forget the blurry t-shirt image. i’m sticking with drums. solid, consistent and neverfuckingending, just like he is. the first and last part of the song, most often. we love symbolism. as for why he’s here and his role in the madness? god knows. maybe he’s just doing it for the free drinks! i wouldn’t blame him! i can’t imagine the mental timeout i’d need touring with these people!

the only one that. not really clashes with fujiko's managing but the only one that has an opinion on the way they go about things. he probably went "what? why the hell would we open with that. what's the matter with you" and took the setlist and the others went. shrug. ok. and then he got on their backs about how they shouldn't be so passive this is a CAREER they're talking about!! HAVE AN OPINION ON THIS

a little addendum: it would be so cute if yata was also trying to manage them. like he’s fujiko’s assistant. man gets stuff DONE i can easily imagine the trade off of “yes i can schedule this. wait what are the hours? ooooh. lemme get you on the line with miss mine” and she just grins knowing she’s about to unload a whole schpeel on this phone guy. good cop bad cop managers. if i knew more about the band scene as a whole i bet i could throw some other thoughts in here but for now we'll just reach the honorary sixth guy :)