#like all venues have shit banned but people will always sneak it in. but be respectful of the fact that i have chronic fucking asthma and

[neonkoii]

if you smoke or vape at an indoor venue concert you are the worst kind of person

[overwatch-imagines-hub]

Overwatch Women: Reactions to S/O Being a Burlesque Dancer

HAH, FINALLY GOT AROUND TO WRITING THE WOMEN’S REACTIONS.

~~~

Tracer

Not gonna lie, she doesn’t know the difference between burlesque dancing and stripping

So she’s a little more than surprised but interested nonetheless

So you take her to a show to watch you perform

She gets all wide-eyed flustered

On the edge of her seat the entire time

Freaks out when you throw your short skirt offstage to her

She keeps it as a souvenir

When you come out to meet her after the show, she fusses and fawns all over you the whole way home

She asks if you can show her some of your best moves when you get home

You try to but Tracer’s amazingly bad at it and it just kinda of turns into a giggly mess

Zarya

Tbh, she’s a little upset for two reasons

A) Because you didn’t want to tell her about it earlier

B) Because you’re flaunting your body for other people; even if they aren’t seeing everything, they’re still seeing something

She asks you consider stopping but if you say so, she won’t try to force you

You try to convince her come was a show, then brings the show to her at home when she says she doesn’t want to watch you with a bunch of other people

You’re absolutely mesmerizing

Half way through your show, she’s just kind like “Okay, I get it, you’re gorgeous and amazing with your dance now come here.”

Next thing you know, you’re on the bed getting ravished by your big, beautiful, more than a little jealous Russian girlfriend

Widowmaker

She finds it mildly interesting

She’s never seen it done in person, so she’s curious about coming to one of your shows

Which you greatly encourage her to do so

She finds it very intriguing, especially the slow, swaying way you move

You’d make a gorgeous ballet dancer

She meets you backstage and tells you so, then goes into specifics about her favorite parts of the show

She asks you if you’ll let her teach you some ballet moves

Of course, you agree

Symmetra

She wants to see you perform but doesn’t want to go to a crowded place to do so

So, you borrow some things after a show to give her a performance at home

She likes it

But she’s also nitpicky

Like, your legs could have been straighter, your spin could have been tighter, that dip could have been slower and deeper

And that is how you unintentionally earned the best dance teacher you’ve ever had

Sombra

She knew it before you told her

When you weren’t telling her where you were going, she decided to take it into her own hands and hack around

Next thing you know, you’re walking offstage and are greeted by your girlfriend walking up to meet you

You try to question her but she’s already pulling you to your dressing room

Then you’re inside the room, pinned against the closed door while she attacks your neck

It was then that you remembered that your girlfriend was also a hacker

Got it

Now time for a ravishing

Mercy

She’s literally deadpan when you tell her

Just “Oh really? That’s nice.”

She’s freaking out in her head though

Like shit my s/o gets all sexy on stage not sure how I should process this but hoOBOI

She declines when you ask her to come watch a show

However, she still sneaks in to the next one

Watches from the shadows

Ends up catching your long, red tearaway skirt and almost freaks out

She sneaks back home before you’re finished

Tries to keep her visiting and the fact that she kept the skirt a secret

She’s a terrible liar around you, though, and slips up pretty quickly

You laugh and tease her

You’re never going to let her live this down

You always invite her to your next show though

Mei

She gets all flustered when you tell her 

She’s very eager to come watch a show though

She tries to sit as close to the stage as she can

Anything you toss in her general direction, she reaches to catch

By the end of the show, she has your long fur robe, the shear babydoll top you removed to reveal a black leather corset underneath, and your black-and-gold tearaway skirt

She trots off to backstage to meet you as soon as you head off the stage

She proudly shows you her collection

She’s all grinning and blushing

You have your new biggest fan

Ana

Of course, she already knows what it is

She hardcore teases you about it

You’ll be bending to pick up a fallen rag in the kitchen

“Ohoho, getting some practice in for your next performance, eh?”

She’ll be cleaning her gun in the dining and she’ll start twirling it when you walk in

“Hey, do you think I could be a good dancer with twirls like these? I could really move those big fans around, y’know?”

She’s proud of your choices, though, and becomes a regular at shows

She hangs out in your dressing room with you before you go on, then watches you perform from backstage

Pharah

Her first thought: Her mother’s gonna have a field day if she ever finds this out

She’s pretty indifferent, tbh

As long as you’re happy, she’s happy

If you really want her to attend one of your performances, she’ll happily do so

She wouldn’t mind a couple one-on-one shows either

D.Va

She’s into it

She tells you she’s coming to your next performance before you can suggest it to her

She practically drags you to your performance destination

She wants to see everything

Your dressing room, backstage, the entire venue, the actual stage if she can

Afterwards, she comes to find you with literally everything you discarded during the performance

She literally took them from other audience members and almost got escorted out in the process

She wants to come to the next performance too

After the fifth one, she’s officially banned from the venue

[chefgeofframsay]

Safe and Sound 13/14

Title: Safe And Sound Chapter: 13/14 Pairing: Eventual Michael/Reader Rating: PG-13 for the series Word Count: 4,607 Summary: Six months ago, your life was turned upside down when you won a recording contract on a singing contest reality show. It’s been a blur since then, and things were looking up for you, but people were starting to cross the line with you, putting your safety in danger. At the urging of your label, your manager found you a bodyguard that you could connect with, someone who would be a friend on the lonely nights of traveling. However, instead of getting the bodyguard that oozed masculinity, you got Michael.

Your bliss was cut short. After a month of floating on a cloud, and sneaking off with Michael whenever the two of you could get away, it finally caught up to you. You were trying your best to keep the fact that you and Michael were in a relationship, and you’d been doing a good enough job. Jon and Ashley knew, obviously, but both voluntarily swore themselves to secrecy, and you had a feeling Trevor knew, but if he did, he was definitely keeping his mouth shut.

 So, it came as a bit of a shock to you when Ryan was waiting for you at the venue with one of the upstairs executives.

 Trevor was looking especially grave when he pulled you and Michael aside as soon as the two of you had gotten off the bus. “I need you guys to come with me,” he told you as he ushered you towards the venue. Cole, with his camera, attempted to follow but Trevor waved him off, giving him a stern look. He wasn’t looking either of you in the eye, which made you uneasy. Your tour manager was usually about as personable as they came and now he was being cagey. Something was off.

 “What’s up, Trevor?” you asked, praying he’d tell you what you were about to walk into. You glanced at over at Michael, giving him a bewildered look as you caught his eye. All Michael did in response was shrug.

 “Jus—just come with me,” he sighed, and led you into the building. He didn’t stop or look back at you until you were outside your dressing room for the night. “They want to talk to you.” He swung the door open, and there was Ryan and Mr. Heyman. Both were standing even though there was no shortage of seating in the room, and Ryan was looking particularly serious. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good. Your heart was in the pit of your stomach.

 “Why don’t you two sit down?” suggested Mr. Heyman as Trevor closed the door with himself safely on the other side, but you were positive it wasn’t actually a suggestion, just an attempt at being polite. Wordlessly, you and Michael sat on two chairs, relatively far from each other.

 “Do you know why we’re here?” Ryan asked. “You have to have heard something about it, it’s been all over the internet.”

 “I can’t say I have?” you answered honestly. “I don’t usually have much time for the internet. It’s always sound check or the show or meet and greets or interviews and I try to get some sleep here and there.”

 “I think you’ve had a little more time than that,” sighed Ryan, “according to Twitter, and I quote ‘the ship is real.’” You stared up at him in confusion.

 “The fuck does that even mean?” Michael asked.

 “It means that someone at a meet and greet caught the two of you kissing,” Ryan answered shortly. “It’s all over the internet.”

 Your heart plummeted into your stomach. Your face burned as you looked away from Ryan, suddenly unable to look him in the eye, deciding to instead focus on your nails. The silence seemed to be crushing you, and you were entirely unsure of what to do. You just sat there, waiting.

 “Do we at least get to see the ‘damning evidence?’” asked Michael after a minute. You heard the shuffling of a suit jacket as you assumed one of the men standing reached into their pocket for a phone. There was the sound of moving and a grunt from Michael after a few seconds and then more moving. You still couldn’t find it in you to look up at anyone else in the room, but you continued to focus on the crackled nail polish you’d meant to do something with a few days ago but never got around to.

 “So,” Mr. Heyman started. “Do either of you have anything you’d like to say to us? Attempt at denial? Preemptively quitting before you’re fired?”

 That made your head shoot up, and give Mr. Heyman and Ryan a bewildered look. You chance a look over at Michael, who had his face in his hands. He let his hands drop to his lap with a muffled slapping noise, looking at you. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

 “They don’t mean you,” Michael told you as if it were the most obvious fact in the world and you were an idiot for thinking otherwise.

 And that’s when it hit you, what they meant.

 “But…” you started, but Michael cut you off, standing up.

 “Yeah, yeah, I quit,” he said gruffly. “I’ll go quietly.” That was a punch to the gut. You felt completely winded as the words reached your ears and you frowned.

 “But…” you tried again, though it didn’t have the same conviction. Michael shot you a look and you fell silent.

 “Good,” sighed Mr. Heyman. “I’m not fond of these things turning into fights. I’ll accompany you to gather your stuff, and you’ll come with Ryan and myself back to LA. We have some things to discuss before you can formally sever ties with the company.”

 “Wha—” you started again, trying to wrap your head around what was happening before you, but it was Ryan who shot you a look that time that made you fall silent again.

 “Fucking phenomenal,” said Michael. Without another word or so much as a look, he headed for the door, swinging it open with a good deal of force, and was soon out of sight. Mr. Heyman gave you a curt nod before following him out.

 Ryan sighed heavily. “Of all the people to cause trouble for the record company…I have to admit, [Y/N], I didn’t peg you for one of them.”

 “How did I even do that?” you asked, looking over at him. “I’m a human being, Ryan. Stuff happens.”

 “It does,” he agreed, nodding once, “but when it’s a breach of contract, it’s a problem.”

 “What contract?” The confused look on your face was starting to feel like it was going to be permanent. “Where in my contract did it say I wasn’t allowed to have a relationship?”

 “It wasn’t in your contract,” Ryan pointed out. “And it said you couldn’t have a relationship with Michael. It’s in Trevor’s contract too, and maybe a few others who I can’t think of off the top of my head. Honestly, fraternization in general is frowned on but for some, it’s outright banned.”

 “What kind of bullshit rule is that?” You were angry now. It had been in a contract that you and Michael weren’t allowed to be together? How was that anyone’s business other than the two of yours? Admittedly, you weren’t rushing to flaunt it around, mostly because it was new and again, not anyone else’s business.

 “The kind of bullshit rule that’s put in place to protect you,” he told you.

 “And the record company, I’m sure,” you scoffed.

 “Protect you,” Ryan repeated exasperatedly. “[Y/N], do you remember what happened to Jac Montgomery a few years ago?”

 Jac Montgomery had been the first winner of the show you went on. You remembered perfectly well what had happened to her as it had been…well, everywhere. It was like you couldn’t go anywhere on the internet, anywhere in public, turn on any channel or listen to any radio station without hearing about Jac. She’d ended up in a relationship with her tour manager and it’d ended…less than amicably. He’d leaked all sorts of stuff he had been privy to as her manager, and while he’d ruined his own name, he’d decimated hers.

 “Michael wouldn’t do that,” you said fiercely. “He had plenty of opportunities to do shady things in the last year, especially when I was living in his apartment, but he didn’t.”

 “But he could in the future,” Ryan sighed. “Look, [Y/N]. I don’t think he would either, but the record company doesn’t agree and I have to agree with the rule being put in place to protect you.”

 “I’m so fucking sick of the record company deciding what’s best for me,” you groaned. “It’s like they don’t give a shit about me as a person, just as property of theirs. They push me into all sorts of stuff that’s not okay all the time if it means someone’s talking.”

 “As your manager, I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear that,” Ryan started, giving you a stern look. “But as your friend, I’d be inclined to agree. They’ve invested quite a bit of money into you. Honestly, more than I’ve ever seen them pour into a newcomer, so they’re using everything they can to get a return on it.”

 “That’s…shitty,” you said slowly.

 “That’s the business, kid.”

 The two of you sat in silence for a while. You wanted to ask what was going to happen to Michael, but at the same time, you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to know how that was going to go. However, there was something you were sure you wanted to do.

 “Do I at least get to talk to him before you guys take Michael back to LA?” you asked quietly. Ryan sighed heavily.

 “Technically…no. He’ll be with Mr. Heyman the entire time, and then we’re leaving,” he explained. After a moment’s pause, he added, “but I’m sure Joel can be distracted for a minute or two. If one were to try hard enough, that is.”

 “I would appreciate it,” you told him, giving him a hopeful smile.

 “Just…” Ryan sighed again, “give me two minutes, and then just head straight onto the bus. If I’m not wrong, Michael should be getting his stuff together.”

 “Thanks, Ryan.”

 “For the record,” he started as he stood up. “When I said you’d get along, this wasn’t what I meant.” You both chuckled at that, and you couldn’t help but think back to when Ryan had first introduced you two. You were sure he’d get overpowered just as easily as you managed to, but you’d been wrong. You’d been wrong about Michael on so many fronts. Honestly, you couldn’t be happier about that, though. Michael was great, truly, and whatever you’d thought of him in Ryan’s office a year ago, you couldn’t have more confidence in a person if you tried.

 You felt a little uneasy with the whole situation, but as you gave Ryan a minute’s heads start (as per his suggestion) and then headed for the bus, you knew it was the right thing to do. There wasn’t any way you could just let Michael leave without talking to him. You two were barely together, but you’d been in each other’s life for about a year. He was a constant in your life and he was the best constant. You couldn’t even fathom your life without him.

 As you entered the bus, you were so glad to see it was empty with the exception of Michael, who was kneeling over by his bunk. You glanced behind you, just to double check, before you headed for Michael. Ryan couldn’t promise you long but you had to make the most of what time you had.

 “Michael,” you started as you got close enough. “I—” you started, but you couldn’t get another word in when he jumped up and pressed his lips to yours, hard. You stumbled backwards, and hit the row of bunks behind you. He had one hand on your face, and the other was next to your face, resting against the wall. You kissed him back with as much force as he was kissing you with, throwing your arms around him to tug him closer to you. The kiss was feverish, and rough but if there wasn’t passion there, you weren’t sure what passion even was. When the two of you finally broke apart, you were both panting heavily.

 “Fuck,” groaned Michael, “[Y/N], I’m…sorry.”

 “Don’t be.”

 “I don’t regret it,” he told you seriously. “It was worth my job. I love you. So fucking much.”

 “I…I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” you admitted, frowning. He chuckled, and pressed a gentle kiss to your nose.

 “You’ll be fine,” he told you. “Trevor knows if you’re not, I’m coming for him. Plus, I’m sure they’ve hired you another bodyguard by now.”

 “I don’t want another bodyguard,” you muttered, making a face and burying your head in the crook of Michael’s neck. “I want you.”

  “You know where to find me when you get back to LA. Don’t you worry about me.”

 You nodded, moving away from his neck, and going in for another kiss. It was far less frantic this time around, but as the two of you held the other close, you were sure that the two of you, at the end of the day, would be okay. You could have stayed there all day, but the sounds of Ryan very loudly getting onto the bus forced you two apart. You looked around franticly, having the feeling Mr. Heyman would be less than pleased to see you there alone with Michael. Michael pointed at your bunk and after pressing a quick kiss to his lips, you slid into your bunk and pulled the privacy curtain closed.

 “Packed?” you heard Mr. Heyman ask Michael.

 “Yeah,” Michael answered. “Can we just get this over with?”

 “We’ve got a couple hours before the flight,” Ryan told him, “but we can head to the airport.”

 “Good.” Michael paused, “What about [Y/N]? When’s her new bodyguard get here?”

 “Already here,” explained Mr. Heyman. “Came with us. I imagine he’s getting the run down from the tour manager now.”

 “Fine,” Michael said shortly. “Let’s go, then.”

 And just like that, you heard three separate people file out of the bus, closing the door behind them, leaving you alone. You laid there for a moment, not sure how you were feeling, and then, without any real warning, tears started to pour down your face.

You cried for a week without stopping. It wasn’t a constant stream of tears, but there’d be a few tears, just enough to make Ashley’s life harder, whenever something reminded you of Michael, and basically everything reminded you of Michael. At night, that was when the real, gross sobbing began. You tried your best to be quiet, your bunk wasn’t soundproof, which was made all the more obvious by the looks everyone was giving you in the morning.

 Even the production team seemed to notice you were suffering, but it was also their jobs that got more difficult. You just didn’t really have it in you to be interesting anymore. When you weren’t on stage, the one time you felt right, you were moping around. You sat with Jon and Ashley while Cole looked on, scowl on his face. They tried their best to cheer you up, but crazy makeup and trying on eighty outfits could only do so much for you.

 “You know,” Cole sighed one day, “Contractually, we can’t do anything with the fact Michael’s gone. They want it to just go away, so there’s no reason we can give about why you’re so mopey. Maybe try…being interesting?” he suggested.

 “Honestly, Cole,” you grumbled, tightening your hold on the water bottle you were carrying with you. “I couldn’t give less of a fuck if you paid me.”

 It wasn’t mentioned again.

 “Why don’t you text him or something?” suggested Jon one day. “I’m sure he’d be excited to hear from you.”

 Of course! Why hadn’t you thought of it before? They might have said Michael couldn’t contact you, but if you contacted him, that was fine…right? You perked up at the idea and quickly pulled your phone from your back pants pocket. Your fingers were almost a blur as they darted across the screen, opening messaging, going into your conversation with Michael, and beginning to type. You started and erased the text eight times before going with ‘I miss you :(’ and hitting send.

 “Honestly, Jon,” you told him brightly, “you’re a genius.”

 “I know,” he responded smugly, smirk on his face. “But it never hurts to hear it.”

 The idea of hearing back from Michael kept you going for a while, coasting off the buzz of excitement of getting to talk to him again. It also kept you glued to your phone, checking every other minute to see if he answered you. The closer it got to the show, the more the realization dawned on you he might not answer. It’d been two hours, then four, then six full hours of silence. In the end, you gave up and once you were back in your bunk, it was more tears.

 You tried a few times after that, but always the same result: silence.

 Before you knew it, it was the last night of the tour. It’d been seven full months since you were last in LA. You hadn’t spent much time in your new house, and you hadn’t seen anyone you knew there, like Brandon. He texted you every so often to make sure you were surviving, and towards the end of the tour, you cherished that more than ever. You almost considered confiding in him about how you felt now that Michael was gone, but his words echoing in your head, warning you against getting involved stopped you. Hell, you had stopped talking to Jon and Ashley about it. They knew you were upset. Everyone knew you were upset. It wasn’t worth mentioning again.

 The interviews had been a total blur. Everyone seemed to be writing how you lost your sparkle, and while it was commonly attributed to exhaustion, the internet speculated (correctly) that it was due to the fact Michael was gone. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he disappeared to be replaced with a man who never talked to you, and the shippers assumed you were heartbroken. There were all sorts of stories going around that you hadn’t bothered yourself with (you hardly cared what they thought) but interviewers kept asking you to comment.

 Trevor was all smiles as you came out of the interview room, and you stopped short, eyeing him suspiciously.

 “What?” you asked nervously.

 “I have a surprise for you,” he told you, obviously excited. “She’s been bugging everyone she could to get here and I know you’ll want to see her too.” Without another word, he ushered you to the green room, waving his arms a little to get you to go. You rolled your eyes but went, legitimately curious about who he was talking about. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, gave you a thumbs up, and opened the door.

 Sitting on the couch was your best friend, who let out an excited squeal when she saw you. You returned the squeal, sidestepped Trevor, and ran for her with your arms outstretched. She jumped up from the couch and met you, and pulled you into a bone-crushing hug that you gave back just as hard.

 “You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” you told her, sighing a little.

 “I’m assuming you have a lot to tell me,” she laughed, letting go of you and nodding at the couch. The two of you sat down and watched as Trevor closed the door. You just stared at her for a full minute, just so happy to see a familiar and friendly face. You had texted her restlessly, and skyped since you moved out to LA (she’d even seen Michael’s apartment back when you were living there) but it was so different and so wonderful to see her in person.

 “God, I have so much to tell you,” you responded, and you launched right into it. All the messy details of touring the last seven months. You told her about the shock jock in LA and all the other interviews you’d had and what you really thought of them. You told her what it was like being on stage every night, and how you never felt more alive. You shared all the weird stories about the meet and greets because your fans were lovely, but man, there was also some real weirdos out there. You artfully dodged the subject until you puttered out, nothing left to tell. And then…

 “So, what about Michael?”

 “What about him?” you muttered, leaning back onto the couch.

 “Don’t be smart,” she told you. “I know you two were together, at least for a little. I saw the way you looked at him and how you talked about him for months. But he’s very obviously not here and Trevor tells me you needed the pick-me-up, bad. So…talk.”

 You stared at her for a moment, debating whether or not you even wanted to talk about Michael because every time you so much as thought about him, your entire being seemed to hurt. It was so dumb. You never seemed to agree with how things made you feel because logically, it made no sense, but it never stopped them from doing what they wanted. Deciding it’d just be better to tell her a little you sighed heavily and started your story. Before long, you were pouring your heart out to her, grasping at straws how best to describe what Michael meant to you but she just nodded knowingly and you continued on. You mentioned how hollow things seemed without him and just how much you missed Michael. You didn’t gloss over how hurt you felt that you hadn’t heard from him since he left.

 “So,” she started, “first place you go when you get back to LA is Michael’s apartment, right?”

 “Can I even do that?” you questioned, making a face at your best friend. “He hasn’t texted me back a single time I’ve texted him.”

 “So you make him talk to you,” she said matter-of-factly. “It doesn’t make any sense that he’s ignoring you, honestly. I saw the youtube show and I saw how he looked at you and how he was with you. None of this makes any sense and I say you show up there and not leave until it makes sense and you’re banging.”

 You rolled your eyes. “We’re not going to bang.”

 “Oh please, you two were nothing but sexual tension from the beginning. You’re gonna bang. It’s inevitable.”

 Just as you opened your mouth to retaliate, there was a knock on the door and Trevor stuck his head in through the doorway once it was open.

 “Sorry to interrupt,” he started, “but [Y/N] has to get ready and interview and things. Have a lot of interviews too, and most seem to be people who knew you back when you were in school.”

 “Fucking phenomenal,” you groaned, standing up. “Have to love people who never spoke a word to you in high school and now claim to have been super close to you.”

 “Punch ‘em,” suggested your best friend.

 “Please don’t,” pleaded Trevor, giving you a pained look. “I don’t want to clean that up.”

 “Professionally or like, the blood?” asked your best friend as she followed you out of the room.

 “Yes,” answered Trevor, shaking his head. “Just…hands to yourself.” You laughed as he led the two of you down a hall and then around the corner, and then another corner after that until you got to the dressing room. As Trevor departed, you watched as your best friend watched him leave, a pleased look on her face.

 “He’s cute,” she told you. “Is he single?”

 “Something we all want to know,” Jon sighed, holding his hand out to your best friend as the door shut behind to behind her. “Jon. I’m sure you’ve heard all about me,” he introduced, giving you a cheesy smile before turning back to her.

 “I mean…once, I think?” said your best friend, obviously trying to pull his chain. “I thought she said Joe not Jon. Are you sure your name is Jon?”

 Everyone else laughed as Jon huffed, but soon enough he too joined in the laughter. Your best friend sat in a free chair as you went through the now incredibly familiar process of getting ready. At that point, Jon was sure what you liked to wear and what looked good on you and it only meant trying on one outfit, the one you’d be wearing, before going to Ashley. She knew what looked good on you too, and it didn’t take that long for you to be put together, as your best friend pointed out. It also didn’t help that she was getting along amazingly with Jon and Ashley, like you did, and you all were joking around and chatting about just about everything under the sun.

 All too soon, you were being pulled away from your friends (your best friend would stay with Jon and Ashley, which she didn’t seem to mind, until your press stuff was over) and the looming, silent shadow of your new bodyguard was behind you as you made your way down the hall. This guy was the picture that would go with the dictionary definition of ‘bodyguard’ but he never spoke a word to you, which made you incredibly uneasy.

 The differences between him and Michael were as clear as day and night.

 You made your way into the interviews with a certain amount of annoyance. As soon as you entered the room, you knew exactly who everyone was with the exception of one person. You’d gone to school with all of them and now they all bragged to their readership about how they ‘knew you before the rise to fame’ and every time you read one of their articles, you wanted to roll your eyes so hard they’d most certainly fall out of your head entirely. Luckily, only one tried to be buddy-buddy with you, and most seemed too ashamed they’d been lying to try it.

 After the interviews, you went to the green room with everyone it seemed to chat, have a jam session and just hang out what seemed like one last time. Even Trevor had stopped by for a little while, and you friend had attempted to make a move, but either he had no interest or was completely oblivious to it. He left not soon after and your friend did was shrug and went back to talking very animatedly with Jon about something you couldn’t keep up with.

 All too soon, you and the band were getting called to stage and the lot of you huddled near the edge minutes before you were supposed to go on. Standing with arms around shoulders, you huddled into a circle, and suddenly, everyone was looking at you, expecting a speech of some sort.

 “You guys have been the best fucking band,” you told them honestly. “I’d never have made it this far without you guys. You support me on and off stage and I can’t even begin to explain how much that means to me. You guys are my friends…and fuck it, you guys are my family.”

 “Stop getting so mushy,” Jeremy joked after a minute, giving your shoulders a squeeze. “We’ve got a show to crush!”

 The cluster separated and you stood alone for a minute, holding a microphone that had been handed to you by a tech until you heard Jeremy start to drum. You took a deep breath, buzzing in the way you did when you reached the finale of the show, and headed on stage, ready to finish as strong as you started, if not stronger, even if you were a little sad that Michael wasn’t there when you looked over.

[khiphop-discussions]

B1A4 LA Concert Experience

First, I’d like to say that Powerhouse actually kinda had their shit together. I mean people were kinda confused about lines but it wasn’t that bad. Getting merch was super easy. You were asked at the door before you walked into the venue whether you ordered something and to show your id so they could get it. So there was no waiting around in an extra line like I’d though there would be. the only bad thing I can say was that not all VIPs got to be in the front pit. IF you didn’t have a purple wristband instead of a blue wristband you weren’t allowed in the front most pit even though there was enough room. That was annoying at first but it wasn’t all that bad. What I learned from eavesdropping on staff was that the people (IDK if they meant powerhouse or B1A4′s representatives) didn’t want us all in the pit because not that many people brought tickets and so if all of us went to the pit (which trust me there was enough room for all of us in GA standing VIP or not) then the venue would have looked pretty empty. The Novo fits a nice amount of people, about 2300, so I’d say it like a small-medium sized venue. So there was a lot of space I’d say maybe only a couple hundred people were there, maybe they just broke 1000. Anyway, it wasn’t really the staff’s fault. When the guy told me I need the fucking purple wristband I was in disbelief. I thought he was joking and messing around with me because he was smiling and whatnot but I soon realized he wasn’t. But anyway, still not that big a deal. IDK whether the “people” didn’t want it to look empty because they were taking pics or if they didn’t want to bruise B1A4′s ego (which would be stupid becausefrom what I’ve seen tonight, these boys could perform in front of one person and two kittens and still be happy and hvaing fun). But whatever.

The Concert

Okay so the concert itself was GREAT! The concert started 30 minues early (was supposed to be 8, everybody was in by like 7:20. B1A4 came on stage at like 8:35 maybe?). They performed two songs then did their little talking session. One of the first things Baro said was that B1A4 was tired because they got here early AF. I wasn’t surprised. LA was the last concert and they have been traveling and performing for two weeks and they go HARD AS HELL on that stage! You can’t even tell how tired they are during the concert. It’s like they napped all day, went to the spa where they were fed choclate covered strawberries by people fanning them with leaves, then just showed up to the venue just in time to start the concert lol. So anyway, Baro said something that sounded like “You wanna get laid tonight?”

 and people said yes but I could see quite a few people laughing because OMG he DID NOT just say that! Then he said that like FIVE MORE TIMES! We kept responding “yes” of course because that’s what he wanted. After that 5th time he switched the wording. He said “It’s gonna be lit tonight” and that’s when most people realized that’s what he’d been saying all along. Either way, we were all saying and thinking “Yes” to whatever he said at that point because...umm hello? It’s Baro? So if he’s asking us about getting laid then I guess we’re all down for whatever lol. After that that performed the HELL out of a bunch of songs. I was turnt when they were singing everything, especially “Yesterday” but when “Sweet Girl” came on? The WHOLE place went wild. Even me, I was jumping up and down and fangirling and stuff LOL. Then they sung more songs I think “Lonely” was after that? I can’t remember the setlist exactly I’d have to go look for it but I know I went wild for that one too. Then they sng “A Lie” and like half way through I teared up and almost started crying. Of course Baro’s “Time machine” was cool and the whole crowd was WILD for that as well. They performed more song and it was pretty much the same reaction so I can cut that out. The during the encore it was TOTALLY LIT. CNU was dancing his ASS off. He was KILLING it. Baro was throwing water EVERYWHERE like a madman! It was funny. There was confetti, it was dope. Baro was SOOOOO reckless with thouse water bottles! They had probably 10 or 20 bottles that they were throwing water from. These bottles lasted through about 4 or 5 songs. Baro was going so wild I noticed he was wetting staff and at this point all they could do it laugh because they were on the second floor getting hit lol. Gongchan mostly stayed out of it until the end. Sandeul and Baro started having a water fight. So they were damn near soaked from what I could see from their hoodies. Then Gongchan was like “F it” and poured a WHOLE bottle on CNU while he was just trying to do his job and perform. His back was turned and everything, he didn’t even see it coming. Poor CNU. Of course Sandeul got Gongchan at that point, I think he realized that he hardly had any water on him and took it upon himself to fix that. They were all soaked, I think Jinyoung the least of which, but they were still throwing water and repeating “Good Timing”. I mean this in the BEST way possible when I say I could go my whole life without hearing “Good Timing” again. I definitely got my fill, not in a bad way though. Finally, CNU took off his hoodie during the last performance of “Good Timing” (I think this was the 4th or 5th time they did it? But I know it was the last). He was standing there in just a tank top and the crowd was obviously going wild. He was even gonna throw the hoodie!! Bu Baro stopped him basically and said no. CNU just looked at us and strugged kinda like “Sorry, I was gonna do it but I can’t”. It was all good though. CNU had been throwing stuff generously, he threw quite a few towels which Baro said were for us to bathe with. As if he didn’t give everyone enough of a shower tonight. And that was the end of the concert!

More funny stuff happened like CNU smacking Sandeul on the butt. I don’t remember exactly what song that was (I didn’t recognize it) but yeah. It was before the “Good Timing” deal. I think even before the “Time Machine”. B1A4 asked the crowd what their favorite songs were (before the “Time Machine”) and people said “Be My Girl” which Jinyoung sang a portion of (AHHHHHH, one of my FAVORITE songs of them and I thought I’d NEVER hear it live in person) and “Only One”. Sandeul started singing his solo which Baro called out so Sandeul said that “Be My Girl” is Jinyoung solo and then him and Baro wee having a small little quarrel onstage about it. Then they sung a portion of “Only One”.

The Hi-Touch

Duuuuuude, this was so cool! I was like the 20th person in line so I didn’t have to wait forever. Remember how I told you they said they were tired and how I wasn’t surprised? THIS was were I felt like I actually saw it. None of them were as wild as I saw they were at the other hi-touches in other cities. The were holding hands and all types of stuff during the other ones. I’m not sure if they were BANNED from doing that at this point or if they really were just tired. I’d like to think it was the latter. Shout out to the people who were somehow able to sneak cameras in to the Hi-Touch and recorded it, that’s like impossible. First I touched Baro and he was pretty lively but it was surreal so all I really said was “Hi”. Then I got to Jinyoung and I guess it finally kicked it because I couldn’t say anything. I just stood there for what was about a second or 2, but if felt longer. He just looked at me while I had his hand in mine and gave me the most soft, angelic look and nodded and smiled. Honestly, I didn’t even fully process it was him until I had passed him but he made me feel good and weirdly brought me back to reality with that small little gesture. It was like I had just met the Virgin Mary or something. Then I got to Gongchan, and I got myself together enough to say “I Love You”, I wanted to sya “You’re so handsome” THEN say “I Love You” but the “Handsome” part somehow got lost. Then there was Sandeu and much like Jinyoung I didn’t process until I left (I didn’t process this until I was in my car on the way HOME! I didn’t even remember seeing him during the hi-touch until then LOL) but I said “I Love You, too!” I had been planning all day to say “I Love You” to both Gongchan and CNU but I didn’t want to make the others feel bad that I only said it to a few so I planned to say “I Love You” and “I Love You too” all the way down the line since I do love them all. Finally, I got to CNU who’s hand I held the longest. Probably about 3 or 4 seconds. After going throught the other four I lowkey broke down (not crying but mentally lol) and just got overwhelmed and kinda dipped myself down and said “Oh my god...I LOVE YOU” with his hand in my hand. CNU’s my favorite by the way, always has been and it’s tough competition! So that was the end of that. I waited down the street from the back of the Staples Center and watch the WWE trucks pull away (SIDENOTE: I’m a big Professinal Wrestling/WWE fan and had I not been at B1A4 I would have probably been there) I wanted to get a picture since they had superstars (what WWE called their wrestlers) faces’ on it but didn’t since they went around a back way. It was cool to see them though. And then I got in my car and drove home while trying to figure out why I didn’t remember Sandeul and then I remembered lol.

I have videos and picture but they kinda suck. My camera which is HD wouldhave taken great video HOWEVER, I didn’t know how to zoom in with it so that made it kinda useless. SO I started recording on my phone and video is not good. It’s probably like 360 or 480. And things were moving so it looks worse. It’s an android. The audio is pretty great BUT (because there always has to be one right?) I didn’t get to ecord ANYTHING all the way throught because my memory was filled so I’d delete stuff, record again, and then after 1 to 2 minutes I’d get the “storage low” message again which would force close and save the video. I’ll still post what I got though. Probably tomorrow or after so I can look through everything and see if there’s anything I can do to make it better.

FINAL THOUGHT

These boys are some of the best performers EVER. Like I’ve NEVER heard anyone perform as good and spot on as they did. Like they KILLED it. I’m always amazed when I see their live video on YouTube and they are hitting all the high notes and stuff because I’m always so sure their voice is gonna crack or they won’t hit it. But they always do. Tonight was no different. Sandeul was singing his ASS off. Jinyoung, CNU, Gongchan ALL of them. They are legit some of the best performers in Kpop. I’ve NEVER heard any group perform that perfect ESPEICALLY after doing all the intensive dancing they were doing and being tired (NOTE: This is my first kpop concert so I can only judge off live concert videos and I’ve never heard another group be so perfect. Of course, I haven’t seen all the groups lives either so there’s that. I’m still a strong believe that B1A4 is top tier despite all that).

[shalegas34]

bizarre love triangle chapter 5

“It happens,” Macquarie said with a shrug. “You take risks, sometimes you lose. No risk, no return.”

Jamie Sykes had called after the news with an earbashing, but Macquarie reminded him the portfolio was designed to offer an 18% return on average. At least a couple of the 30% companies were expected to become redundant.

Sundance had folded from poor management, not a falling oil price. The equity issue had been a last-ditch attempt to save 3000 SA jobs in the Bight oilfields, but creditors had gone ahead and forced the administration. ‘Involuntary voluntary administration,’ the press was calling it.

Macquarie was up to his eyeballs in work trying to salvage something for the fund investors from the wreckage. His options were worthless now the stock had been suspended from trade, though he argued against that for all he was worth. Despite all of this, he still took time out to talk to me about the EOFY investor presentation.

“I need you to make Northstar sound good,” he urged me. “Everyone’s spooked. We didn’t even sign Sundance a month ago. I can’t let these people run.”

“I’m not sure I can do this,” I said.

“Yes, you can,” Macquarie replied. “I believe in you. Talk to Rowan, see what she can give you. Morgan Stanley was paid to sell that stock. Talk to Jule, she’s got records of clients. Find out what their interests are, and pander!”

I was sweating. I answered the phones. I couldn’t hold this kind of weight.

“It’s administrative,” Macquarie urged. “I just need you to collate information. Please.” I’d never seen his eyes so void of life. “I was up until 4 last night, video conference with the management in Texas.” He rubbed his forehead, which was starting to wrinkle.

“Things are getting a bit tough, Aurizon,” he said, meeting my eye. “The ’37 crisis hit the Sydney property market harder than anything. We couldn’t get a cent over five hundred for the house.”

My jaw dropped. Macquarie had lived in a million-dollar suburb.

“Barely enough left for a down-payment here. Sydney’s job is covering most of the mortgage. I’m not going to lie – the fund is struggling; nobody wants to touch equity right now. If we lose Jamie Sykes, I have to move the kids into a rental.”

Macquarie was crumbling before my eyes. I wanted to reach out and give him a hug.

“Come on. Let’s walk to the train station,” he said one night the next week. I was still floundering, trying to wade through the impossible quantity of information I’d been sent by Rowan, half of which made no sense with my proletarian vocabulary. I’d only just finished googling what a tranche was by this stage, and Macquarie needed a convincing presentation by the end of the month.

“This presentation is nothing more than a sale,” he said to me, as we took the lift down from the 9th floor. We were squashed together in one corner; I hadn’t seen anybody go home before eight in days. I was feeling hot, but it was probably just the cramped space. I tried not to look at Macquarie in case he misconstrued my blushing for romantic feelings. He smelled really good though, god why.

“It’s just a sale,” he said again. “That’s your goal. You only have to think about how you’re going to get there. It’s like a journey where you’re planning out truck stops.” I suddenly thought of Princess Monster Truck, who was recovering well in hospital. “Use your imagination. You’re rich and you want to get richer. What do you want to hear?”

I realised Macquarie was waiting for an answer.

“Uh…” I looked him in the face. Those eyebrows I used to love. “High returns?” I managed to rasp out, aware of all the highly educated bankers surrounding us and listening in.

“That’s definitely part of it,” Macquarie said. “And don’t be afraid to spit it out; you’d be surprised at how much you know. People want high returns, solid risk management, and legal assurance, and social responsibility is a bonus. Those are your truck stops. Put something together, then make it sound good, because the numbers only do half the job. You can make Northstar sound like a gold chest or a scam using the same numbers.”

We headed out of the building and began ambling towards Flinders Street station. I naturally wanted to walk faster than Macquarie, but I made a conscious effort to slow myself down. That was comfortable.

“You know, I was trying to explain to Sydney the other day, what it's like working with you," Macquarie said suddenly. "They didn't get it."

"Oh. It's been a while, I guess," I offered.

"Nah. They think you're fully straight and narrow... Uh, books-wise, I mean," he added quickly, considering my appearance. "But you're actually a wild card. You could do some really good shit around here."

I wasn't sure what to make of his assessment, not that I'd never been called a wild card before. It was just usually used as an insult.

"Just take some ownership of the project. I'm okay with that. It's not like I have time not to be."

We swiped our myki cards and split up at the top of the escalators. Macquarie headed for the Glen Waverley line, and I watched him disappear into the train, where he looked weirdly vulnerable without his spacious office flanking him. Times might've been hard, but that wasn't a bad direction to be heading in. I wasn't far out of the city, so I just jumped on whatever was leaving next. Frankston, maybe. I didn't even check.

---

We walked to the train together the next two nights too. I had really started labouring on this presentation when the phones were quiet. The structure was hardly a handout, but I tested it a few times on Leila until she could follow what I was trying to say. Macquarie had told me to keep it accessible to "plebs", which I assumed meant non-bankers.

My conversations with him became increasingly circular, but I stopped caring. Work became my excuse to talk with Macquarie, and I spent my days strangely passionate about interest rate hedges, and other things which had nothing to do with my life or my little side project.

"I took Travis to see Princess Monster Truck the other day," Macquarie said on Thursday night. "The nurse remembered me so she let me in. Travis loves cats." He started laughing like that was somehow an entertaining interest. "I thought of him when you yelled at me about Princess."

"You should come round and see the other one," I offered, then immediately regretted it. I realised I didn't want to see Macquarie with his family.

"We still have to catch up," Macquarie agreed. "Our schedules are crazy though. Sydney does weekend shifts, and I get to coach Travis through his debating tournament." The word "coach" was accompanied by an exaggerated wink.

"He always throws it if I'm not there. I just point at people to keep him on track, you know? Otherwise he rambles on and goes over time. It's not even cheating, but they keep threatening to lifetime ban me. Travis would throw a fit."

The corners of Macquarie's mouth lifted lazily.

"It's always the smart ones."

My face burned, but I couldn't deny the quality of that roast. I was crisping up. "Please, I won't have any skin left at this rate."

Although I bantered on the outside, I was really growing to appreciate how Macquarie had let my ridiculous breakdown, of which I was duly embarrassed, slide right off his back. No hard feelings, and he never dished me out an ounce of pity. Maybe he didn't care enough to treat me differently, but I hoped not, because I could really use a friend like that.

The week after that, after I'd knocked my presentation out on her, Leila invited me to an admin staff cocktail/quiz night on Friday.

"Come on, it'll be good. We have a banker table," she said, giggling.

"Oh yeah, who's going?" I asked casually, taking the bait.

"Jule, Macquarie, Kirk... Porter said she might."

"Macquarie..." I said, smirking as I thought of Travis's sacrifice.

"You are way too excited about him," Leila said, turning to Jo so they could laugh at me together.

"Ha," I said, rolling my eyes. So what if I wanted to hang out with him? Macquarie had been in Adelaide for a few days, going through preparations for the Northstar offer, and the office was kinda lonely. Neither Macquarie, Rowan, nor Sally was responding to anything by that point, so I figured things were heating up over there.

Meanwhile, the most action I'd seen was snatching up a pack of Bottlemen tickets that morning. I still wasn't sure how many kids there were, so I went 6 just to be safe. I could always sell one on downstairs if I'd fucked up.

Macquarie called in the evening, sounding like death warmed up. "Everything's almost ready over here," he said. "I want to get us a visit to the mine, to give you a bit of perspective, but I also need to meet with the manager." He took a deep breath. "Sally has been... well, weird. I mean, she was always keen on Northstar, but she's putting words in the directors' mouths now. About the expansion timeline."

He left it at that.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked.

"Thanks Aurizon, but I've got this," he said. "I'll let you know when your stuff's organised."

Ouch, I'd needed that. I didn't remember when I'd started thinking of myself as someone important round here.

"No problem," I replied.

We left it at that.

---

The week dragged on slowly. I wasn't going to lie, I was holding out to see Macquarie again, which was ridiculous. I tried to focus on my work. It wasn't like I had nothing to do; with new deals in the pipeline, I was getting proper business calls at a dozen an hour, pinged over from Macquarie's direct line as he bummed around in Adelaide.

Friday afternoon, I left work early to help Leila and the others set up the cocktail night venue.

The bankers arrived at 6.30, Macquarie fresh off the plane.

"Hey Aurizon," Jule said brightly, like we were best of friends all of a sudden. "How's it going?"

"Good thanks. You?" I said, sneaking a glance at the weirdly reticent Macquarie. He glanced sideways back at me and smirked.

"There was that email I never got back to you about, I'm sorry..." Jule began, before launching into what she'd prepared. She walked me through our five biggest investors and gave me some tips on their values. Jamie Sykes liked to think he was playing it safe, while Victoria Super needed real assurance. Amanda Ling could be impressed with environmental innovation, but the Tate brothers preferred reckless profits.

"We're heading out for pres," Macquarie seized his chance when Jule stopped for a breather. "But I'll introduce you first. This is Aurizon, of course. Aurizon, this is Kirk from prudentials and Porter Cleeson, head of debt."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"I've organised the Northstar site visit for us," Macquarie said. I pretended I didn't hear Porter scoff in response, and did my best to explain to her and Kirk what was I was doing.

"Ah, it's good to get Aurizon riled up sometimes," Macquarie said, with a wink to me.

"It's going to be a long night," I sniped in return, and everybody laughed.

"We'll be back before 7," Macquarie said, as the bankers filed out to hit the bigger bar upstairs.

The quiz night was a riot from the start, even though I spent most of the time on Jo's table staring at Macquarie's back. My teammates got smashed but I didn't feel like drinking.

Turned out, it was a good thing I kept my wits about me. We were placing a respectable sixth out of 14 teams when Sally Zhou turned up in a stunning cocktail dress, and sat herself down without asking at Leila's table.