#music people was of course my top song this year & i love it so very much
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orcelito · 1 year ago
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When you get this ask you have to answer with 5 of your fave songs, and then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers!!
Awwww thank u !!
In terms of Absolute Favorite songs... I think the #1 spot still belongs to Capricorn by Xan Griffin
Even after Years, it still hits something deep in my heart. I have cried to this song before, which is saying something for me. It's just... really special to me.
Hard as Fuck to give a ranking for another 4, so here are 4 songs from some of my favorite artists
Non-exhaustive list. Idk if these could be counted as my top favorite songs Ever, but that's such an arbitrary classification and can change depending on mood/general state of being/etc. So here r just a lot of songs that I love very much from some of my favorite artists. Yes.
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4vanaa · 22 days ago
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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, rafe cameron, 03
summary: y/n left the outer banks years ago, determined to build a life far from the memories of her childhood love, rafe cameron. now a botanist, she's moved on-though a quiet part of her still clings to the past. when an event brings her back to OBX, she's forced to confront the one person she never truly forgot.
cw: mature language | 02 | 04 | masterlist
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popbase ✓ 12h
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liked by user, rafecameron and 578,000 others
popbase alternative/indie singer, rafe cameron, joins the short list of artists to chart at least 3 songs in the top 5 of the billboard hot 100 simultaneously. ‘red lights and regret’ becomes his third #1 hit. this achievement comes from only having released singles and 1 album. sources say that he’s set to announce an album soon.
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rafesmuse oh impact!!
user he’s so sexy
user real
poguefan the weeknd + rafe was something i never knew i needed
rafesno1 here since his guitar videos in his room, look how far he’s come
cameronreputation rafe cameron world domination
kookswiftie another grammy incoming
user need him
rafeswife i’m so proud of my husband 💍
user you must listen to his music on mute
rafecameronupdates how will this affect the tour?
user so glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves
rafecameron couldn’t have done of with you guys
rafeonlyfans rafe come home the kids miss you 😢
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rafecameron ✓ 8h
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liked by sarahcameron, randomceleb, and 2,300,000 others
rafecameron me for @/dazedmagazine
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user suddenly i’m a dart
rafescameron okay who took my pants 🤨
rafeupdates raw next question
poguenation this is insane
rafesangel tear ran down my leg
sunshine4sarah idk what’s happening 🧍🏾‍♀️🧎🏽‍♀️
popbase i have something very inappropriate to say
user what are you doing here? 🤨
notmyrafe all i need is 10 minutes and a hair tie
cameronscult does he do weddings? (ours)
allaboutrafe until the bed breaks
rafeswardrobe until nothing, we ain’t stopping
user scrolling feels like divorce 💔
sarahcameron so cool bro
rafecameron thank you i’m very cool
barry the kids miss you 😢
rafecameron i’m coming ❤️
hypnoticrafe literally? 👀
topperthornton 🔥🔥
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yourusername 1h
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liked by noahcarter, rafecameron, cleo and 167 others
yourusername outer banks you will always be famous x
tagged; @/cleo, @/miaroan, @/sarahcameron @/kiecarrera
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kiecarrera the lewinsky to my clinton 😩
yourusername it’s all over your blouse
sarahcameron need you under my christmas tree
yourusername i’ll be wrapped up in a nice bow
sarahcameron moments before disaster
miaroan how did it even get that bad, cleo was watching her
cleo she truly has a mind of her own
yourusername i wasn’t that bad guys
kiecarrera 😒 you fell multiple times on your ass.
yourusername whoever suggested pregaming the pregame is at fault. cough cough mia
miaroan blushes and licks screen
yourusername blushes and kisses screen
cleo you’re right next to each other.
miaroan get the strap
cleo unlike your other friends i have decorum, you look amazing wife.
yourusername thank you for being so respectful wife. 🙂‍↔️
cleo do you think i could hit it from the back?
cleo platonically of course, i respect you ✊
yourusername 😧
johnbroutledge did our invite get lost in the mail?
sarahcameron they said the bar was girls only i think
yourusername ^^
jjmaybank no flowers how peculiar 🤨
yourusername i tried to take some photos of them but they all came out blurry :((
popeheyward commenting for inclusion
noahcarter 😍😍
user the kind of girl people write songs about, and dedicate albums to
topperthornton 😏😏
kelce 😏😏
sarahcameron 😏😏
yourusername ??
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a/n: cleo when she’s just a chill girl who wants to platonically smash her friend:
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heegyukeluv · 4 months ago
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love-battery (lhs) - req
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pairing: heeseung x afab!reader
synopsis: Heeseung always would make you feel recharged just by being around. And you did the same to him.
my's note: hi hello here's a very fluff cute little thing! it's a request (thank you for requesting <3), so i hope you like it!!!! (have to say that when i chose the name of this fic, the jinyoung's song with similar name started to play on my head non-stop help)
warnings: skinship, established relationship, fluff, pet names, explicit language (i can't help myself. i'll always use at least one 'fuck' lol).
request: clingy gf with heeseung and it’s super cute and they’re in love, she really just misses him (here!)
wc: 3k
NOT PROOFREAD.
Even with your boyfriend’s tight schedule and the fact you both lived quite far from each other, you and Heeseung always managed ways to meet up and hang out for at least an hour or so – enough to work as a full recharge for Heeseung.
However, for the last whole month you only saw Heeseung three times. You were used to seeing him almost every day, either by going to his and staying for a bit or he coming to yours for the same reason, and it was pissing you off how annoying adult life was being so far, unabling you to do your daily basis chores, let alone drive to Heeseung’s studio to be with him.
Heeseung normally had a tough routine as a producer by spending long hours in his studio, staying up all night working on his music and constantly dealing with tight deadlines. Your favorite hobby was to grab a coffee and some snacks to surprise him by showing up unexpectedly; and of course, to sit on his lap while he kept doing his things. 
But now you were the one fighting against time, as you had to deal with your last year in college, struggling with your final project and with your respective project partners – who would have thought that working with people would lead you to be that stressed, huh?
Your life was a total mess at this point, your sleep schedule chaotic, your body aching, begging for a pause to get some proper rest, but you really couldn’t give yourself that luxury; all the submission dates getting closer and closer making you go crazy in desperation.
And on top of that, you haven’t seen your boyfriend, the main source of your happiness, in almost two weeks.
“This is so frustrating, Hee,” you said with a realistic sad tone, when you decided to ignore the blank page on your laptop waiting for a new plot to pop up in your mind, and give your love life a little more attention, calling Heeseung. “It’s almost like the world doesn't want us to be together.”
“Don’t say such things, my love. Not even as kidding,” he interrupted you to say with a gentle voice. “We’re going to figure out something, yeah?”
“I’m sorry, Hee. But– I’m dealing with a bunch of stupid assignments with stupid deadlines in this stupid degree I chose, and you’ve told me early this week that you were pretty chill with your work. But I didn’t even have time to invite you over the days you said you’re free! Not to mention that if you were here I’d be paying more attention to you and getting fucked with my project.”
“Y/N–”
“And when I’m free you’re the one swamped with work! And, please, I’m not blaming you, babe, please don’t take it the wrong way. I love you and I love that you can work with the thing you’re passionate about. I’m just… Frustrated,” you unloaded with a long sigh, voice trembling a bit since your feelings were, also, a mess and your heart aching. “And I miss you so much. I wish we lived a bit closer, so we could meet more often in moments like this.”
You heard Heeseung soft breathing through the phone. He decided to let you vent instead of cutting you off, because he, more than anyone, knew how overwhelmed you felt whenever you had to deal with submission dates and projects. It was your third project in your whole degree, this one being the most important one, and Heeseung saw you in shambles during your working time in the smaller ones, fully understanding how hard it has been with this final one.
“I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of this, pretty girl,” you could feel the comfort in his tender, sweet tone. You wiped out a single tear that tried to escape your eyes, curving yourself into a little ball on your couch. “But you don’t have to do this alone, my love,” you heard a weird noise through his phone, very similar to a door unlocking. Your door unlocking. You frowned. “Don’t freak out, bae. I’m entering your apartment right now.”
Your heart dropped in your chest. “What?” You whispered in disbelief, your phone falling off from your hand, your eyes widening as you watched your boyfriend walk through the front door, smiling big and bright at you.
His dark red hair was attractively messy because of the motorcycle helmet. He also carried a big backpack on his back and a plastic bag with the logo of your favorite food place.
“You’re kidding me,” your voice was barely a whisper at this point, your lips curving into a smile that grew bigger and bigger, still finding it hard to believe that the man talking to you on your phone was now in front of you. Your beloved boyfriend was now in front of you. “Lee fucking Heeseung!” You almost squealed, walking in his direction right after he put his helmet and his backpack on the ground, to jump on his open arms which were waiting to embrace you in a tight hug.
Your legs instantly wrapped around his waist and your arms on his shoulders, his firm hands gripping on your thighs to hold you close and steady as you buried your face on his neck, inhaling his scent as if it was your favorite drug. You heard Heeseung chuckling at your reaction and you finally noticed how fast your heart was beating, everything feeling unreal. All the frustration you felt waving off your body quickly.
“Hi, baby,” Heeseung said in an affectionate way, with you still hidden on the curve of his neck, making him let out a small laugh at your adorableness. He missed you so much.
Your fingers tangled in his soft hair, pulling him into yourself as if you could become one before you started to kiss every piece of his exposed skin, from his jawline to close to his ear, to his cheek, the tip of his nose and finally his glistening, dreamy lips.
Heeseung let out a contented sigh when he felt your sweet taste, walking carefully through the living room so he could sit on the couch with you on his lap, the contact never breaking. He deepened the kiss by slightly brushing his tongue on your bottom lip, electricity running all over his body once you let him in to feel him closer, so intimately; his hands sneaked into your shirt, caressing the bare skin of your waist just because he needed to touch, to feel you more.
“I missed you so much, my love,” you whispered when you parted away to catch your breath, pecking his lip countless times as you said “Missed. You. So. Much. Oh. My. God,” and the last one lasted a bit longer, making Heeseung giggle and kiss you properly one more time. 
“I missed you too, pretty.”
Heeseung was looking at you with so much love, his eyes sparkling in joy for finally having you that close, touching, kissing you. He caressed your cheek while his gaze wandered all your face features, as if he was trying to memorize every one of them, completely endeared by your beauty.
Heeseung looked at you as if he just discovered what love is. 
You weren’t different, though. Your soft touch on his strands of hair, scratching slightly as your contemplated every piece of your very good-looking boyfriend, not holding yourself when your fingers started gently to trace his face; his big deer eyes now turned into little crescents, his pretty nose that you loved to kiss, the little charming mole on his forehead, and his so, so attractive lips adorning the most beautiful smile you ever had the chance to see. You were so in love.
Heeseung felt like he could stare at you all day and he would never feel tired, actually to have you close always worked as a battery recharge. And for you, Heeseung did the same, making all your bad feelings wash away easily because you had him, and you knew you could rely on him.
Ironically, the sound of your laptop on the coffee table indicating that its battery was running out, pulled you both out of your little love bubble, startling you slightly. The reality check hit you with full force, and the bottom of your stomach sank immediately.
You gulped, looking at Heeseung with a hint of sadness before you sighed and said, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy you’re here, but I–”
“You have things to do, I know,” Heeseung cut you off mid-sentence. His kind voice, the small peck on your cheek, and his cute smile making you shiver and melt. “But don’t worry about me, okay? You do your things, I’ll be around for whenever you finish, and then we can cuddle,” he said simply, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.
“You’re staying?” You questioned with eyes sparkling in confusion. “I don’t want you to mess up your sche–”
Heeseung now stopped your talking with a sweet kiss, and then another, and another, and one more just in case. “I’m staying, baby,” he chuckled at your tilted head, expressing that you were very much confused. “As I said before, I’m pretty chill this week,” he explained with a warm smile, mirroring yours. “Anything I have to do, I can do from my computer or phone, so I’m all yours this weekend, my love.”
Heeseung fell even deeply for you when he saw your eyes shining like you received the best news of your life. And for you, you actually did. To have your boyfriend for a whole weekend after days without being able to see each other, you truly thought you were dreaming. 
So to have Heeseung feeding you while your hands worked on your writing was definitely something that you hadn’t planned for your friday. He was openly giving his opinion as well after you cutely asked him to, paying attention to every detail you shared with him about the plot you were working on. 
“So your idea is that after he leaves the house, you give an extra zoom on the door knob because someone is going to open, even though the house is supposed to be empty?”
“Yes! And then it’s revealed to be actually his ‘dead’ twin!” You explained excitedly, noticing Heeseung gazing very passionately at you. You blushed, feeling suddenly too aware, because your story now has been read by someone other than you. “I– I know it’s kinda simple and boring, but I mean– I got the approval to keep working on it, so…” You shrugged, trying to act cool, but your pout was showing how insecure you actually felt.
“It’s not simple or anything bad, my love,” Heeseung couldn’t resist the urge of kissing your small pout as he reassured you. “It’s impressive how your creative mind works, I’m really proud,” he said with his voice filled with sincerity.
You gave him a shy smile before going back to writing, heart beating fast with his genuine words.
Heeseung never left your side. You needed him around you every single second, not only to compensate for the days you were apart, but because Heeseung was really your source of energy. So to write on your computer while having his fingers intertwined with yours became a natural activity during the moments you were working on your project. You could feel Heeseung’s love stare at your face during those moments, completely in love by your focused expression. 
Sometimes he would leave your touch to reply to some of his co-workers on his phone, giving them the attention they needed, but in the meantime his head would be resting on your shoulder, completely addicted to your touch and to having you close – his hair tickling your neck making you lose focus for a few minutes.  
You both wanted and needed each other with the same intensity. Heeseung always loved your clinginess, emphasizing how lovable you looked with your pouty face whenever he had to leave the bed to go to the bathroom or grab some food in the kitchen and “leave you to die alone”, like you normally would say in a very dramatic way. Especially because he himself was pretty clingy too, holding you in a tight back hug whenever you had to go back home after visiting him at his studio, refusing to let you leave his side.
To move in together was a big dream. However Heeseung always talked with you about finishing your studies first before committing your relationship on that instance, so you could have your freedom without him disrupting your focus; he also knew that he wasn’t ready to have you so close for that long, afraid of scaring you off by how much he would be around you, maybe losing his own concentration on his work. 
And this behavior was being shown at that moment, by you doing the lunch and him hugging you from behind.
“I have to be honest, I don’t really see this as ‘helping’, Hee,” you said with a playful chuckle, not really bothered by his big hands resting on your hips as well as his chin on your shoulder while you did all the work. He was clinging like a koala, making it challenging to move around the kitchen.
“What do you mean? I’m clearly helping you,” he said with a babyish voice, making you giggle. You could tell he was pouting too. “What if you get hurt? I have to be close, y’know? To save you from danger.”
You laughed hard, throwing your head behind and profusely resting it on his chest. “The danger?”
“Yeah, the knife and fire and stuff…” He explained like it was obvious.
You turned down the heat on the stove, moving away from it so you could face your boyfriend, just to meet his big, adorable eyes looking at you with a dramatically pleading expression. “You’re right,” you said softly, cupping his cheeks and planting a kiss on his lips. “Thank you for protecting me from the dangers of my kitchen,” you added a hint of sarcasm to your very affectionate tone, without holding your smile when he nodded proudly, before pulling you closer to kiss you properly as now your self-proclaimed hero. 
After you finished cooking – with Heeseung’s help, of course –, you both shared the meal, doing constant “love shots” but with your food, just so you could feel each other’s touch.
Heeseung didn’t let you go back to work on your project when you finished eating, saying you needed a bit of resting time with him. And how could you oppose such truthful words? 
So you spend quite a long time of your Saturday afternoon embraced in Heeseung’s arms and scent all over you, making it difficult to choose anything different from being on the bed cuddling him. 
After changing positions many times, you now were on top of Heeseung, face buried on his neck while he hummed some random song, hands gently caressing your back and scalp, making you wonder if taking a quick nap at that moment would mess up too much with your project work.
As if a sense of responsibility hit you, remembering all your deadlines and especially that you had to finish at least the plot writing by Monday – in two days –, you forced yourself to try to move away. Your body refused, though.
“I should go,” you said, muffed into his skin.
“Yeah, you should…” Heeseung added, not moving an inch to help you with that. In fact, he held you closer. Your warm body against his own helping him to relax. 
“Like, reeeally gotta go…” You didn’t move as well, trailing kisses all over his neck as you refused to get up.
“Definitely you do…” His voice was a bit raspy in a sweet, tender way that made it even harder for you to leave. He was about to fall asleep.
You sighed, “I missed being like this with you.” You lifted your head just enough to see his serene expression; eyes closed, lips slightly parted and a calm breathing. You almost cried with the fact that you truly needed to go back to your life instead of staying there with Heeseung. 
Your hands caressed his face with all the care in the world, making him open his eyes, “I missed it too, pretty. I miss you every moment I’m without you, actually.”
You noticed a soft flush  on Heeseung cheeks and giggled at the sight of your ‘so cool’ boyfriend blushing in front of you. 
You always appreciated how Heeseung was not only a good listener to your worries and maybe overwhelming thoughts, but also unafraid to show you his most sensitive and vulnerable side in order to make you comfortable on doing the same. You cherished his presence in your life with all you had, not being scared of loving him so openly, because he did the same for you. 
“I love you,” you whispered, leaning in to tease a kiss. He smiled against your lips, closing his eyes again.
“I love you too, my love,” he murmured, mirroring your tone and capturing your bottom lip with his own, to pull you near and finally kiss you. 
You decided to stay for a bit longer, because Heeseung’s hands roaming your body with such care and tenderness, his sweet mouth working on yours, and his loving whispers against your skin were too irresistible.
The best excuse you found for yourself was that you were revitalizing so you could work better, your creativity would flow easily and you would finish it in no time.
And, well, he would be around you anyway, because he just couldn’t never get enough of your pretty face, or your joyful presence, or your addicting warm touches.
After all, Heeseung always worked as a recharger to your love battery, and for him, you were no different.
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hcsiqs · 3 months ago
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| you could be my silver spring
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• pairing: paige bueckers x singer!reader
• summary: “ you’ll never get away from the sound // of the woman that loves you ”
• warnings: none
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November 2021
“And singing the United States National Anthem, our very own: Y/N L/N!” the announcer's voice rang through Gampel Pavilion. Azzi gave you a quick pat on the back as you turned to her giving a quick smile before walking to the center of the husky logo; where the microphone stand stood.
You let out a deep breath before looking over to the sound tech people and giving them a small nod before an instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner filled the gymnasium.
As you began singing you could see your face appear on the screens surrounding you with the flag appearing on the sides. For the first time you heard your voice taking over a large space as it smoothly came out of the speakers. The high notes of the song hit perfectly with early claps falling from people’s hands as you finished off the song. You gave a small smile to everyone before walking off the court, Azzi immediately giving you the biggest hug ever.
“Holy shit!” the girl giggled as she squeezed your body, “I knew you could sing but…you just made the national anthem sound like a pop song!” she gushed.
“Really? Thank you, Az!” you replied, a bright smile taking over your features as you pulled back, the curly haired nodding her head quickly. “Ok good luck!” you giggled before quickly being ushered off the court before going to sit in the student section.
————
“You know her?” the blonde asked as the team jogged back onto the court.
“Yeah, we have a lot of classes together,” Azzi nodded, watching Paige’s gaze follow you off the court. “No”
“What? I wasn’t—I didn’t even,” Paige threw her hands up defending herself.
“Paige,” Azzi’s voice was stern, “Don’t.”
But, of course, Paige didn’t listen. Which is what led to the moment of your guys' breakup during December of senior year.
December 2023
“Yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!” you spoke excitedly into the phone, as tears formed in the corners of your eyes. “I’ll be there as soon as possible! Thank you again!” you said into the phone before hanging up the phone.
“Paige! They wanna sign me!” you smiled as you turned to your girlfriend, who was playing Fortnite in her bed.
She immediately dropped her remote into her lap as she reached over and placed a kiss on your cheek. “What I tell you?” she smiled. “Everything I say is facts.”
You just smiled stupidly nodding your head as a couple tears traced down your cheeks, your body overwhelmed with the excitement. “I just can’t believe it…”
“Wow, my girlfriend is a famous music artist,” Paige reached her hand over her heart, until you pushed her hand and brought her into a kiss.
The two of you stayed like that for a few minutes before Paige pulled back, “So, you gotta move to LA or some shit?” she asked jokingly.
You bit down on your lip, a strike of pain hitting your heart as you had forgotten to tell her that you actually had to move away.
“Wait, do you?” she asked, now fully having her body turned towards you.
You stayed silent, your eyes dropping to your hands that were holding hers. The blonde removed her hands from your grasp as she ran them down her face. “Fuck,” she said under her breath as she dropped her head to your shoulder. Your hands immediately wrapped around her body as your right hand ran through her hair.
“I’m sorry P,” you kissed the top of her head.
“It’s not your fault for being a fucking amazing singer,” she let out an airy laugh, her evident in her voice.
There was a moment of silence between you two, just holding each other; the video game now fully forgotten even as KK and Ice started blowing up Paige’s phone for her being the reason they lost.
“So…what does this mean for us?” you asked, causing Paige to lift her head and look at you.
“I love you, I really wanna try,” she spoke softly, squeezing your hand.
“I love you too,” you smiled softly, feeling like a weight was lifted off your chest.
Even though the two of you tried as hard as you could, being on opposite ends of the country with both having extremely busy schedules and constant travel led to the relationship ending on mutual terms, for the both of your mental health's sake.
July 2025
“Fans, are you ready…for your All Star halftime entertainment?!” you heard through the speakers of Gainbridge Fieldhouse as you stood underneath the stage waiting for it to rise up and reveal you to the crowd. “Make some noise for grammy award winning…Y/N L/N!” and with that the stage lifted you up as your song, Taste, started playing.
“Oh I leave quite an impression,” you sang, as the dancers beside you started to do their choreography.
While Paige was walking through the tunnel to go back to the locker room for halftime, she heard your voice vibrating through the area making her stop in her tracks.
Towards the end of your set Paige had made it to where she could go see you perform your last song. She had made it just in time to see the outro, which you had been known for changing it based on where you were performing, “He said it was big, but it was mini // I like it Fast and Furious like Vin D // Indy is too perfect, someone pinch me” you finished with a small laugh into the microphone before the stage took you back down.
You then changed into a sequined top in the shape of a bra, paired with a matching sequined miniskirt before taking your seat courtside for the rest of the game.
Your eyes kept wondering to the blonde on the court. She had gotten stronger and tanner since you had last seen her, LA clearly had been treating her good. And as the game came to an end with Paige’s team winning, you walked on the court, your ex immediately walking over to you too.
“So, how’s LA been?” you teased, a smile playing on your lips.
“It’d be better with you showing me around.”
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pickledillytea · 7 days ago
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Photo credit to: qvert.tumblr.com Thank you for your amazing art and for inspiring me to write my first Arcane/CaitVi one-shot.
~*~
MIDNIGHT RAIN
The rain was pelting down outside, hammering against the glass windows and at that hour it was a deafening sound echoing throughout the Kiramman Mansion. Some people would find comfort in the rain, find that it actually soothes them but for Caitlyn it was a maddening sound. A sound that kept her from drifting to an eventual slumber. 
She had stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, Vi draped over her like a safety blanket but the warmth emanating from her lover wasn’t enough to lull her to sleep, this time. She had shimmied herself from Vi’s arms, careful not to wake her and started to wander around the dark hallways of the mansion, no particular destination in mind.
Caitlyn of course having been raised in this house knew the ins and outs like the back of her hand but there were certain rooms she just didn’t enter anymore. Particularly those her mother frequented. It brought back too many memories but tonight she felt braver than usual. She stopped outside the music room and caressed the golden door handle, slowly twisting the knob until it creaked open, the hinges coming to life after not having been in use for months. 
The moonlight was strong enough to penetrate through the cloudy black skies and heavy downpour illuminating the room enough through the open curtains for Caitlyn to make her way around without bumping into anything.
She still felt her mother’s presence around the house but she especially could feel it in this room tonight. The faint smell of her distinctive perfume lingered and Caitlyn could see her mother almost as clear as day behind the grand piano, playing sweet melodies that had Caitlyn in awe and her dad in love. 
So much so fascinated by her mother’s talent that she sat her down one day and taught Caitlyn to read music and play her own melodies all before the age of 6 which she did with an expertise that could only be associated with being a Kiramman. The best of the best as some would say. But Caitlyn was just very determined from a very young age. 
Looking at the instrument now only brought a cloud of sadness over her. She hadn’t touched the piano in years and wondered if she even remembers how to play. She drags her finger across the top of the now dusty black hood of the piano, leaving a clean trail in its wake. Apparently no one has bothered to clean in here either. 
She hesitantly sits down on the cushioned chair, carefully lifting the lid. That too creaks. She runs her slender fingers over the black and white keys, scared to press down. It was probably out of tune by now anyway.
She tests her theory by pressing the first chord she ever learned and to her surprise it rang out clear and in tune. She tries another for good measure and sure enough that too is perfect. She then places both hands on the keys like she was taught and plays the first song she ever learned from her mother. A slow, sweet melody that brings tears to her eyes.
“I didn’t know you could play.” A raspy and sleepy voice disrupts her playing.
Caitlyn immediately drops her hands as if she was caught doing something she shouldn’t and turns just as Vi slowly walks over to her and sits besides her facing away from the piano.
“Don’t stop. It’s a beautiful song.” She says, looking at her hands.
“I haven’t played in ages.” Caitlyn confesses, feeling Vi’s shoulder brush against hers, a familiar comfort she has come to cherish more than anything these days. Vi’s touches was slowly but surely healing her.
“I couldn’t tell. It sounded perfect to me.” Vi says truthfully.
Caitlyn scoffs not really on the same page with that statement.
“Would you play it again? For me?” Her voice low and irresistible.
I would do anything for you, Caitlyn wanted to say but instead gave Vi a rueful smile before mustering up the courage to play again. She however chose a different song this time, something with a slightly more romantic feel to it, something she always imagines herself to play if she were in love and now seemed like the perfect time for it. She squares her shoulders and closes her eyes, seeing the sheet music in her mind.
The notes start off deep and low building into a light playful crescendo of melodies and runs and Caitlyn finds herself fully immersed in the song, picturing herself and Violet dancing in slow circles around this very room, close together, so close that they feel like one body moving, one soul intertwined.
She feels the soft weight of Vi’s cheek coming to rest on her shoulder while she continues to play. Her red hair is longer than she has ever seen it cascading down Cait’s arm, the tips tickling her forearm. She is tempted to run her fingers through them instead of having them glued to the keys but she is also determined to finish the song. Vi’s head is perfectly tucked into the crook of her neck, a warmth that seeps into her skin and boils down her spine.
Vi listens to the melody, lost in its beauty, letting the notes wash over her like a balm. She can’t help but to kiss Cailyn’s shoulder, sweetly to the rhythm of the music but that little bit of contact wasn’t enough. She lifts her head then and kisses the inside of Caitlyn’s exposed neck, eliciting a giggle from her lover but her fingers never falter on the keyboard. 
Vi takes that as a challenge to continue to kiss a little higher, just below her ear which has Caitlyn pressing the wrong note, the distraction enough to make her slip this time. She however quickly recovers, righting herself and picking up right where she left off.
Vi smirks, loving that she has this effect on Caitlyn with just the press of her lips which also spurs her on to continue. She turns slightly, pressing her chest fully against Cait’s arm and kisses the side of her jaw next. She works her way across Caitlyn’s cheek, peppering kisses all over before she stops short of the side of her mouth. 
Vi stays in that position, her nose brushing against the softness of Caitlyn’s skin, until she plays the last note. The sound rings out in the quiet room leaving an eerie quiet in its wake and she waits for Caitlyn to look at her.
When she does, their eyes lock and a sharp intake of breath is shared between them before they slowly come together in fusing of lips. Cait turns toward Vi and softly cups her jaw while they kiss each other in the dark room. Breathlessly they pull back from each other, staying only inches apart. They share a shy smile and Caitlyn’s thumb finds the indented scar on Vi’s lip, brushing over it gently.
“I hate waking up without you next to me.” Vi confesses in a whisper.
“I didn’t want to wake you with my tossing and turning.”
“I’d rather you wake me, Cupcake.”
“I’ll remember that next time.” Cait leans forward leaving a chaste kiss on Vi’s lips.
“Shall we try again then?” Vi proposes.
“To kiss?”
“To sleep. Get your mind out of the gutter, Kiramman.” Vi jokes, “However I do think we can combine the two in some way. How about kissing in bed until we fall asleep?”
“I like the way you think, Violet.”
~*~
PS, the song Caitlyn plays for Vi in this story is Berlin Song by Ludovico Einaudi
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Text
I know spotify wasn't a thing probably for the aftg universe but like imagine it was and the trojans are holding a spotify wrapped unwrapped party or some dumb name like that, where they gather the team and what they do essentially is they write down what their top 5 songs were on a piece of paper, give it to this year's presenter and that person plays songs from each top 5 and the trojans have to figure out whose list it is.
So everyone thinks oh jean probably listens to french music, whether classical or otherwise, cause he seems to be so out of touch with pop culture. But, they forget that Jean started living with two lesbians and a gay golden retriever(I don't mean bark bark) and so his music horizons have widened.
So it's Jean's top 5, no one knows of course. Presenter is one of the trojans "and here goes our next mystery contestant starting off strong with... a band named, I assume it's a band, um plastic titties?" People are snickering, "we get it you're gay" "they're lesbians Harold!", and Jean tenses but hides it very well that it's his top 5. Song starts. It's a screamo punk indie rock combo. Ppl start making guesses, "your honour I think it's Cat, only she knows fringe bands with monthly listeners less than this team's defence line" cat yelling back "not my fault you're a slave to the trends you swiftie!" , "Look me in the eye and tell me you dont know the words to 'love story' " , "Settle down, we ain't finished yet. Any other guesses?" , "Are we sure it's not one of the coaches?" , "Which coach do YOU think would listen to, and I repeat, 'plastic titties'? And if anyone else responds with 'your mom' I'm banning u from this round" , "Play the next one so we cop a feel" , "Why u gotta make it weird bro"
"Okay next one!" And the next one is like an intense rap song "someone's covering their tracks people", "we need to figure out whether this is working out music or what they genuinely listen to", "go on to the next one cause this is a bop but it could be anyone", "couldn't be Jeremy though" Jeremy standing up for himself "hey, I listen to rap" , "says the person who's top song was probably by Natasha Bedingfield", "beat the Sugababes fan allegations and then refer to our captain"
"Riight, next one is" and the next one is a funky hip hop anti-establishment song "sounds like Laila people" laila making it clear "I do listen to them but I can guarantee you that's not in my top favourites, not because it's not a banger, but because I don't listen to this album very much" , "she's lying to the defence your honour!" , "No one's in trial Cody sit down" Jean turning to look at Jeremy "and this is supposed to be a bonding exercise?" Jeremy thoroghouly invested in the game and scribbling down "bet you it's Ananya, she's been awfully quiet" Jean rolls his eyes, his hands crossed while he looks upon the second best collegiate exy team and wondering how his life came to this
"Aight? Is there anyone that has an educated guess?" Shawn puts his hand up, presenter says "I said educated" Shawn puts his hand down.
The last two songs are like an indie creepy heartfelt song and a ballad. This throws everyone off. At the end of the round everyone is accusing everyone and their mother, Jean with a sigh and rubbing his temples "we could be doing drills" , someone yells "I bet my firstborn it's Nabil!" , "You are an embarrassment to this team, sit down!" "Nabil is an anime nerd, I didn't hear a single Naruto in that playlist!", "That's not amv music your honour" , "bring the strikers forward let them justify their crimes upon the eyes of God!" , "If it's a crime to have good taste lock👏 me 👏up👏"
The presenter gets tired after a while "alright, kindly shut your traps so we can have a winning day! The mystery contestant is.. drumroll people! The mystery contestant isss....Jean" Silence. And then "I didn't know the french listen to screamo?", "But your honour, this is not coloniser music?", "Amelie is not even on there though", someone quietly "not a single song about baguettes?", "What's next? Jeremy Knox being a secret death metal fan?"
Meanwhile, Dan got the foxes to post screenshots of their top 5 songs on social media. The Internet is breaking cause why is Andrew Minyard's top song by the veronicas???
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olderthannetfic · 8 days ago
Note
Of course people are being defensive, Spotify Anon. You rolled into the Fandom Old corner of Tumblr to tell us to examine our biases based on a streaming platform that only half of us even use at all.
Someome compared it to the f/f wank and they're right. If you accuse people of bullshit based on completely ufounded speculation, half of them will block you and the other half will explain to you why you're wrong. And we can't block other people's anons, so you're just going to have to endure a barrage of "this is bullshit and here's why". You asked for this, this is us examining the racial bias in our spotify wrapped and going "huh, it can't show bias if it doesn't exist" or "how does the fact that I listen to weird non-American music you've never heard of say anything about my feelings about the personhood and rights of American popstars I've never heard of?"
--
Spotify wrapped season is really popular broadly (though not so much around here) to the point that I find it very annoying since you apparently have to download the app to see wrapped??? I hate this season every year.
I use spotify via a browser, grudgingly, because some friends' fun guess-the-song stuff is on there. I had to use it at the fertility clinic because that's what they use to play music while injecting you with eggs. (I picked Mono if anyone is curious, but given how insanely painful being inflated with saline was, I should probably have picked D-2. I just thought it wasn't available because Spotify used to NOT FUCKING HAVE most of BTS' side projects because Spotify sucks donkey balls. Have I mentioned lately how much I resent the ubiquity of this piece of garbage? Have I?)
The thing that gets me that I hadn't quite worked out until just now is that 100 songs is the precise right amount to feel huge and significant without actually being so. Top 100 albums or artists is still an illusion of knowing what someone listens to. (Spotify has been improving, but they still routinely don't have the stuff I want.) But at least there, by the time you get to my 100th most listened to artist for a year, you might have some kind of picture of what I listen to.
Now, if you only listen to prog rock on vinyl, maybe your top 100 songs represent about 50 albums. >:D But let's say you're listening to some modern albums with bonus tracks and shit on Spotify. Your top 100 might be March When I Broke Up And Listened To The Same Five Albums Day And Night. No matter how diverse and interesting the rest of your musical diet, your bland-ass breakup playlist is now ninety out of one hundred songs on your Spotify Wrapped for this year.
I think it's that previously not totally conscious thought about how many 100 songs really is that was annoying me until just now.
Sure, it's just one scenario, but I think this sense of what 100 songs means is what's really annoying me about how people go on about Wrapped. Not just here and about racism: All the mainstream blathering about Wrapped annoys the shit out of me too every damn year.
It's a little like kudos. The top 200-500 most kudosed things in a big fandom may well show some pattern I find interesting. The top 100 most kudosed things show that people like that daily updating omegaverse crossover ship epic with Tony Stark.
Okay, okay, with kudos, you could probably exclude the top 10-30 depending on fandom size, but you know what I mean. Your last 100 fics read mean little, IMO. Your last 100 fandoms read, which is likely to be significantly more than 100 fics, is interesting to me.
It's my usual Numbers Are Deceptive complaint about how people love stats but do not contextualize things well.
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moonsgemini · 1 year ago
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you’re on your own kid
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summary: rafe cameron has loved his best friend through every season, but through the seasons of their senior year things start to get complicated.
warning: she/her, smoking, alcohol, angst, fluff, kissing, cheating ???, drugs, mutual pining, (let me know if I missed any)
wc: 4.7k
an: HIII! I’m really excited for these taylor swift fics bc her songs give me so many ideas. This took a while for me to finish & idk if I like the ending or honestly if I like it at all. I promise seeking arrangements is next on my list to post <3 Hope you guys enjoy !!!
rafe's version masterlist - masterlist
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I wait patiently
he’s gonna notice me
it’s okay we’re the best of friends
-
summer
Of course when he walks in the party instantly feels like an actual party. It hadn’t been much of a party to her especially not with him around. These things got boring fast if he wasn’t by her side making her laugh and talking about anything and everything. Not having to worry about sleazy guys coming up to her or putting something in her drink because he always by her side. Always looking out.
Everybody loves him anyways. The way he carried himself charmed everyone, made them always want to have his attention. Sunglasses perched on his nose, even though it’s eleven at night, that big smile on his face. He’s bobbing his head to the music and greeting everyone, she can tell he’s in a good mood tonight. It puts her in a good mood, her fingers itching to greet him already.
When he finally reaches where she’s standing with a few of her friends he smiles even wider at her. Greeting everyone but always just looking at her. Moving to push his glasses up onto his head. She couldn’t help the smile that tuged at her lips as he side hugs her friends knowing that’s not what she’s going to get.
And she’s right, once he gets to her it’s all outstretched arms and gentle rocking as he hugs her tightly. She’s been away at her grandparents house in florida for the last week of summer. They had missed each other. Face times and text messages just didn’t feel like enough.
“You’re finally back,” He said once they pulled away.
She rolled her eyes playfully a teasing smile on her lips, “Were you counting down the days Cameron?”
He shrugged, “Maybe, I know you were.” That grin never leaving his lips.
“Now come on,” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders beginning to lead her to the kitchen of whoever’s house this was, “I need a drink and you need to tell me about Florida.”
“I already told you everything every day Rafe. Just sat out by the pool or on the beach,” She motioned towards her body, “got some new clothes.”
He raised his eyebrows eyeing her body, “Some very tiny clothes,” His eyes took in her mini skirt and tank top all the exposed skin doing something to him, “Any guys out there?” He didn’t look at her as he asked. Instead he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, cracking it open with his back to her.
She scoffed, “Florida boys? No thanks.”
He turned around smirking, “So just North Carolina boys for you?”
There was a look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. Every now and then he’d give it to her and her mind would spiral on what he could be thinking. She always hoped it was the same thing she was, “Mhmm only North Carolina boys.”
-
I hear it in your voice
You're smoking with your boys
I touch my phone as if it's your face
I didn't choose this town
I dream of getting out
There's just one who could make me stay
-
fall
Everything had felt boring lately. After the summer and after the start of senior year she felt like the parties in outer banks were a waste of time. It was always the same people doing the same things. Kids too young to know what’s good for them and too young to care about the consequences of their actions. Not a care in the world knowing mommy or daddy would get you out of whatever stupid decision you made.
She’d spent most of her high school career pretending to like parties and drinking. Even tried coke once but it made her feel like her brain was rotting so never again. When in reality she’d rather be home smoking on her balcony reading a good book or hanging out with her close friends around a bonfire. It was exhausting always having to put up a front that she was this social party girl.
It took her a long time to come to the realization that she didn’t have to be what people thought of her. On figure eight it felt like everyone knew your business and everyone thought they knew you. They start seeing you at parties talking to Rafe Cameron and all of a sudden you’re some party girl with a drug problem. Once people found out Rafe quit doing coke and dealing she just became the party girl. Kook prince and kook princess always stuck to each others sides, of course she was going go gain a reputation.
Once she realized that people are going to talk regardless what she did so she stopped caring. Started staying home more. Rafe kind of hated it. Because she wasn’t there anymore. But he made it work with their busy senior schedules. Always saying he can make time for his best friend. That’s what she was. His best friend.
best friend.
Even saying it in her head made her cringe. If only he knew that she wanted something more so badly. At first she didn’t even see him that way, he truly was a great friend. He listened to all her rants about music, school, books. Rafe paid attention, he was soft with her. She didn’t understand why people always said bad things about him because he never showed those sides to her.
She sighed thinking about him, sitting on her balcony. The thought of him was brought on by everyone’s instagram stories of the party currently happening. She had opted for one of those smoke on the balcony with a good show or book nights.
As she scrolled through her phone more it began to vibrate. Rafe’s contact popping up on the top of the screen. A warm feeling spread through her stomach, maybe it was just because of the weed. She pressed the green button and brought the phone up to her ear. Admiring the little picture of him first, it was one she took right before she had left for florida. He was holding up their friends dog with a big smile on his face.
“Hello?”
“Heyyy,” A raspy voice said on the other line. Immediately she knew he had been smoking as well, probably with all the guys outside. He could even still be passing the joint around. He could also be smoking a cigarette outside after he’s gotten a buzz, it was his favorite thing to do after a few beers.
She put the laptop that was resting on her to the side, bringing her knees up to her chest. Leaning her head to the side on her knees she smiled softly, “Hi Rafe, you rang?”
He can hear her smile. Rafe knows her like the back of his hand.
“I did, what are you up to?” He knows exactly what she’s doing tonight even though she didn’t even tell him.
The wide grin on her lips dulling slightly, “Uh just looking at some schools in california, also watching new girl.”
“Still wanna leave this place huh?”
She let out a breathy laugh picking at the thread on her bench, “You know me too well.”
“Of course I do. I’m coming over,” She could hear him walking on gravel.
“My parents are asleep Rafe,” It was almost one in the morning and her parents had some golf charity event early in the morning.
He laughed amused, “Okay? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s supposed to mean you have to climb up to my room on the second floor or stay at that party,” Her tone was stern not wanting him to get her in trouble but also praying he’ll come and not wake them.
“Hey I gotta convince you to stay close to me after high school so you brought this on yourself,” He was walking to her house. She didn’t live too far from where this party was and he didn’t want to drive after smoking and drinking. At his words her hand tightened around her phone closing her eyes for a second imagining he was there saying that to her but in a different context.
Rafe didn’t have to do anything to convince her. He was the only one who kept her here. It was why she was still mulling over the idea of leaving the outer banks.
“You better at least be bringing a joint for us,” She sighed feeling giddy about him coming over. He always made her feel like a school girl with a big crush on the cutest boy in school.
“Already had one with your name on it babe,” He always threw that word around like it meant nothing. It meant everything to her.
They bid their goodbyes as Rafe was a few houses away. Less than ten minutes later she heard rustling under her. Rafe was climbing the tree by her room. He stepped onto the ledge before getting hoping down.
“Rafe,” She shushed him harshly hoping her dad didn’t hear. His heavy feet landing with a thud.
He looked at her with a smirk, “oops.” He shrugged not really caring if he was loud. Grabbing her legs that were laid out on the bench and sat down placing them on top. One hand on her shin and the other right above her knee.
He leaned his head back looking at her. That contagious grin on his face his eyes hooded and a bit red from his night out, “So ms. I wanna run away. What’s this thing you’re trying to escape,”
She sighed leaning back, “Dunno. I guess everything. I want to start somewhere new, it’s hard when people think they know everything about you.”
He let out a short laugh, “Yeah tell me about it. Maybe we should escape together, I think you’re the only person who doesn’t see a douche bag when they look at me.”
Her heart burst. If they were in a cartoon there’d be hearts swirling around her head and violins playing.
She shook her head smiling, “No one sees you as a douche bag,” She smirked, “anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter because the family company will be mine after college and people will see that I’m more than just a pretty face with a bad attitude,” He smirked.
“You are a pretty face with a bad attitude,” She agreed before holding her hand out, “Also you have something for me no?”
He patted her legs, “How could I ever think you forgot.”
They smoked and talked all night. She put on a movie on her laptop but it was more of background noise. At almost four in the morning she started to drift off to sleep and soon she was asleep on Rafe’s lap. She just felt so comfortable and warm with his hand rubbing circles on her shoulder.
He carried her to her bed and tucked her in because he knew she got cold easily. He sat next to her on the bed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. A small smile on his face, these were the nights he cherished with her. When the world felt so quiet that it seemed like they were the only people existing. No interruptions from their friends or their parents.
Just him and his girl.
-
I search the party of better bodies
Just to learn that you never cared
-
winter
She pushed through the crowd of people while scanning the room for the 6’2 man she was meeting. It was the first party she had come to since summer and she was only there because he had begged her to come. It was a christmas sweater party so she had on a red sweater with kittens playing with presents. She had gotten it with Rafe a week ago at a vintage store, it was the whole reason he even brought up this party. Telling her it’d be the perfect place to wear it to.
Spotting her friend Emma she went up to her, “Hey have you seen Rafe? he hasn’t been answering me.”
“I swear I saw him going to the bathroom like a few minutes ago,” She pointed towards the hallway.
“Thanks,” She waved and walked towards the hall.
It was much quieter in this part of the house. She’d never been here before so she didn’t know where the bathroom was. There was a door on her right and left and one straight ahead. She decided to check them all. She opened the door on the left and it was just a closet with towels. The door on her right was the bathroom. She was confused because wasn’t he supposed to be there.
She turned towards the last door and saw some light coming from under. She had a gut feeling this wasn’t going to be good. Slowly she walked towards the door and opened it just like ripping a band aid off and
ouch.
Rafe on top of Taylor Thompson. His hand under her sweater and his lips on her. Taylor’s hands in his hair. At the sound of the door opening Rafe turned around and the girl under him sat up to look.
“Shit,” He muttered feeling his heart sink.
She stood there in complete shock for a second before speaking, “Sorry to interrupt.” She slammed the door closed. Holding back her tears until she was in her car alone. Her feet knowing where to take her as her mind was elsewhere. Why would he do that? The last few months had felt different to her. It felt like there was a possibility of something more.
It felt like he literally ripped her heart out and shoved out down Taylor Thompson’s throat. That blonde bi-
“Y/n! Wait!” Rafe called as he chased after her.
She ignored him not really wanting to see him until she got her emotions in order. Now it was clear he wanted nothing to do with her and never cared about her, at least not in the say way. She didn’t want him to see her cry over him, it felt pathetic. They were outside now she had finally reached her car. Clicking the buttons to unlock it furiously.
“Stop!” Rafe said as he jogged to push her car door closed before she opened it all the way.
“What!” She yelled turning around to him. A look of anger in her eyes.
He took a step back seeing how upset she actually was, “I-It’s not what it looks like.”
She rolled her eyes, “I don’t care Rafe.” Crossing her arms defensively.
He furrowed his brows, “Then why are you leaving?”
“Because I can.”
“Y/n-“
“Rafe! I don’t want to third wheel all night so go fuck Taylor Thompson like you want, I don’t give a shit.” She seethed, tears pricking at her eyes.
He shook his head, “I don’t want to fuck her.”
“Then why were you kissing her?”
“I thought you didn’t care,” Now he was getting mad for some reason.
“Fuck you Rafe.”
He laughed bitterly, “Tell me why it bothered you so much.”
She scoffed confused, “What?”
“Why did me kissing her bother you?”
“Because it didn’t bother you. You just didn’t care,”
“About what?” He took a step closer. He was trying to get her to say it. To say that she cared because she liked him.
He knows he fucked up but after her reaction he realized that he had convinced himself she didn’t care when she did. Then he may have taken a few shots and gone into the guest room to breathe and call her. But then Taylor Thompson came in right when the tequila was kicking in and things got blurry. She was on him and he didn’t stop it and she tugged him on the bed and he just couldn’t move or stop. He also couldn’t stop thinking about y/n as it was all happening, wishing it was her.
“About me,” She sighed looking down voice so small.
“I care about you.”
She looked up at him with a frown. She sighed frustrated being able to hold her tears anymore as a few slipped down her cheeks, “No you don’t. If you did you wouldn’t have kissed her.”
She turned around quickly opening her car door and getting in. Rafe got what he wanted, to hear her say it. But maybe he fucked up so bad he can’t fix it. He steps back as her car starts and watches her drive away.
She can barely see between her tears as she drives home. She felt dumb. She felt like he was using her to make his ego bigger. Why did he have to ruin it? The one person who kept her tied to where she is had betrayed her the most. She knew he didn’t owe her any loyalty but she couldn’t help the way she felt.
-
I picked the petals, he loves me not
Something different bloomed
Writing in my room
-
spring
Three and a half months.
It’d been three and a half months of Rafe and her not talking.
After she left the party she promised herself she would never speak to him again. He hurt her and she couldn’t believe she’d let it happen. Feeling dumb for feeling the way she does towards him. How could she have let herself fall for him so much?
He had called and texted her relentlessly at first. Even tried to go up to her in school but she’d quickly turn and walk away from him. After a month of trying to get her to talk to him he gave up. He fucked it up more than he thought. Rafe gave her the space she wanted but he’d always be there in the background if she needs him.
Y/n couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t take him always looking at her with those eyes. Couldn’t take all the time she was spending alone. She thought she liked being alone and spending time alone but she also liked all the time she spent with him. He made her feel so care free and light. The anxiety that was constantly bubbling in her stomach would diminish around him because she didn’t have to pretend to be someone she’s not.
But enough was enough.
Ever since middle school she had kept a diary. A few stacks of books tucked away in the back of her closet hid her deepest feelings and every detail about her life. The current one she had been filling was almost full and the last quarter of the notebook was all Rafe. Well to be honest he was in all of them, and not in a weird way. He was just always there, they were always together.
But now that they didn’t spend time together her pages consisted of rants of her boring school days and writing different scenarios she had wished happened that night instead of what did. She had ranted about how he made her feel and how she felt seeing him on some other girl. A girl that wasn’t her. It should have been her.
After everything they had done together how could he not see her in the way she sees him? Maybe he did live up to his cold hearted reputation. Even though he had never done anything wrong before. She actually can’t remember the last time she saw him hook up with anyone. Not since the beginning of junior year and back then he was fully in his coke addiction. She remembers that night like it was yesterday.
They had become friends around that time the year before. Summer before sophomore year they met at midsummers when she caught him and his friends in the storage closet drinking from a bottle of vodka. Y/n told them she wouldn’t say anything if they let her have some. Rafe immediately liked her, she knew what she wanted and she got it.
Now it was a year later and he can feel her eyes on him as he kissed some rich touron. He was high out of his mind and he just wanted to make y/n jealous. But it didn’t work, the look he had caught from her as he trailed behind the redhead he just met was one more of disappointment. He felt his heart clench at the feeling. After that night he decided to get clean and stop the hard drugs because he hated that look.
She couldn’t take it anymore, keeping all of her feelings on sheets of paper. She needed to find him and yell at or just do something. He has confused her for years now and she was sick of it. Especially now that Rafe and her were closer than ever. All her pent of feelings seeped through as she sighed exasperatedly, putting her pen that had been furiously writing down. Slamming it on the desk as she harshly pushed herself up from her desk.
With anger she had stormed out of the house and driven to his. Her sneakers stomping on the ground as she marched towards him. Every one of their memories together flashing through her head.
She had spotted him on the dock and was b lining towards him. Rafe’s head turned as he heard her stomping towards him. His stomach flipped when his eyes landed on y/n, he had really missed seeing her around. Especially at his house. He propped his sunglasses up on his head and hopped back onto the dock. He had been getting the boat ready for a solo boat day to clear his head.
“Y/n?” He asked in disbelief.
“You!” She pointed at him and stopping once her finger was poking his chest, “Why are you the way you are!” Her finger jabbing into his chest with every word.
He watched as her chest rose and fell quickly. He had never really seen her mad before, something he always admired. But now seeing her with furrowed brows and steam practically coming out of her ears, he kind of liked it. Rafe knows he shouldn’t be thinking about how cute she looks and instead be getting on his knees begging for forgiveness.
He had really missed seeing her up close. Missed how dark her lashes were and how glossy her plump lips always were. He counted all her freckles to make sure she didn’t get any new ones while they were away from each other. Her hair was in a style he hadn’t seen on her before.
“Well hi to you too,” He smirked. He couldn’t help himself, couldn’t help use the charm he knew she loved.
She placed her palms on his chest and shoved him, barely making him move. Y/n began ranting, “For the last fucking four years you have been my best friend and you’ve been so confusing! Everything was fine at first but-but then you were always there for me whenever. And you always fucking listened to me. And you’re so funny. I started to feel different and then I saw you at that fucking party,” She glared at him, the image of him on that girl making her nauseous, “And then you changed. You don’t hook up with anyone and you don’t leave my side at parties,” she laughed sarcastically, “You even fucking call me babe sometimes. So I though oh maybe he feels different too then again I saw you on some fucking girl. And you chase after me so Rafe what the fuck do you want from me? Has this all just been bullshit to you? Am I just some fucking girl you get to flirt with to get your weird little fix until you find someone you actually want to be with?”
He rolled his eyes almost offended, “You know you’re not just some girl.”
She scoffed with wide eyes, “That’s all you took away from that. What else am I supposed to think? You make me feel special for years and I just wait and wait. Then when I think things are finally happening you go and kiss some girl.”
“Y/n-��
“Who fucking knows what would have happened if I hadn’t walked in.”
“Can I-“
“I know you would have fucked her and then came home to me to talk about your problems like I’m some wife in the 50s.”
“You-“
“You kill me Rafe.”
“Stop!” He practically shouted as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She closed her mouth and stared at him intensely.
“I was afraid you didn’t feel the same so I kept my feelings down. I’ve liked you since the moment I met you. But I was fucked up then so I didn’t act like it until I saw how much I hurt you. I changed for you and-and then I just got scared. You are someone so beyond me, you are like the nicest smartest most beautiful person. Why the fuck would you want me?” He laughed like it was obvious, “And we’re such good friends it was terrifying to think about how if I fucked it up I wouldn’t have you at all. No one’s ever actually tried to get to know me the way you have. And then I did fuck it up again,” he sighed scratching the back of his neck, “I shouldn’t have let her kiss me that night. I should have found you and told you what I’ve been feeling since I met you. That I love you so much it actually hurts. And it’s hurt me knowing I made you upset.”
“Rafe,” She sighed as her eyes softened. This was not going at all how she expected things to go.
“I get I fucked it up, so if you still never want to see me again that’s fine. But please give me a chance,” He was actually contemplating getting on his knees to beg.
“You’re such a big dumby. You’ve always had a chance. You mean so much to me. Rafe the only reason I haven’t applied to out of state schools is because I want to be with you. Even if it was just as friends,” She sighed feeling like a weight had been lifter off of her shoulders. A part of her still wanted to punch him.
He took a step closer lifting his hand and softly brushing his fingers across her cheek as he cupped her face, “Will you please go out with me? Because I am so in love with you.”
She leaned up towards him. Their noses now brushing, “I love you,”
He smiled as he pulled her towards him, their lips meeting. The kiss felt like every taylor swift love song playing at once. All the yearning felt worth it in that moments. Their lips moved against each other languidly, like they’ve always been doing this. Rafe’s hands moved to her waist, gripping in all the right places.
Y/n’s hand ran through his hair tugging when his hands reached lower giving her butt a squeeze.Rafe melted at her soft sighs and quiet moans as he trailed kisses down to her neck. Kissing behind her ear. He kissed her cheek as he faced her again. Her hazy eyes and swollen lips made his blood flow to a certain lower part of his body.
“Rafe, this doesn’t mean I’m not still kinda mad at you. You have a lot of making up to do,” She smiled innocently at him.
“Baby I’ll give you whatever you want. In fact, let’s go shopping now for our date tonight,” He kissed her one more time before moving to hold her hand dragging her towards his car.
She laughed as she trailed behind him knowing that one shopping trip wasn’t going to make it better. He owed her big time.
“It also doesn’t mean we’re boyfriend and girlfriend because you haven’t asked me,” She smiled smugly at him as he opened the door to his truck for her.
“I guess I have my work cut out for me then,” He said leaning against the frame of door once she had sat down.
“you do.”
He leaned up and kissed her softly, “Anything for you baby.”
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nightlyrequiem · 3 months ago
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You fed us 💗Hyper-fem × Valeria💗 (ty sm <3 ily) Now, would you mind sparing some
🩸Creepy-Goth × Valeria🩸?
AHHH I love the gothic subculture. I wanted to be goth when I was younger, but I was both too poor to buy any clothes and not crafty enough to make or alter my own. I also couldn't get into the music 😔
I'm not sure if you wanted a one-shot or headcanons but I feel headcanons will be best to cover everything!
Will forever have a place in my heart though <3
Valeria with a Goth S/O
A goth in a small town with a very warm climate is very uncommon. In all her thirty-eight years of living Valeria had never seen a goth person IRL. You were in such an odd place too. Well, not odd for normal-dressed dressed people. Seeing you in your long black flowing skirt with your layered black tops and tangles of jewelry caught her a little off guard. Even your makeup seemed unusual. White face with exaggerated eyeliner and contour, black lipstick. And you were just in a coffee shop ordering a coffee.
She approached you, because of course she did, she couldn't just not see what was going on. You were sat at a table by yourself with your laptop. Valeria's first ever words to you were "It's not Halloween yet." She thought it was funny, but you just gave her a singular bored look and went right back to ignoring her. You've heard it all.
Valeria eventually introduced herself like a normal person and asked genuine questions. You were so eloquent and poetic with your words. Using romantic language to explain your hobbies and interests to her.
It didn't take long for Valeria to snatch you up. She did her best to court you. Listened to all the songs and watched the movies you recommended her so she could have conversations about them with you. She even brought you 'animal' bones to add to your collection. Watching your eyes light up made her day.
Most people are weirded out when they find out you're into taxidermy and collecting bones. Why would you do that? That's so weird. You are unstable. Blah blah blah. Valeria didn't seem to mind though. Sometimes she'd even tag along when you went out in search of dead things. She'd even bring you roadkill, how romantic.
Your home is filled with cleaned bones, taxidermized animals, and dried plants. You were very proud to tell her that you cleaned some of the bones yourself. Which devolved into you explaining the process. A bucket filled with water, let it soak, add peroxide, get a toothbrush and carefully clean off any remaining skin or fur. Valeria admired how passionate you were about this.
Other people would've been weirded out. You've been compared to Leatherface and Ed Gein. It always saddened you that people couldn't see the beauty of it'. You were giving a dead thing a new purpose.
Valeria LOVED watching you get ready. Sometimes you'd have hauntingly beautiful music playing in the background or a horror movie. For obvious reasons, Valeria really liked that you weren't all that frightened about blood and gore.
Also, I definitely believe that Valeria has let you goth her up at least once. (And I think she secretly enjoyed it.)
Anyway, back to what I was saying, she likes to watch you get ready. Watching you tease and hairspray your hair was relaxing for her. Corsets, big boots, collard, ruffled blouses, long skirts. Your fingers always clad in chunky rings with bats or spiders or dark gems. Valeria proudly accompanies you in public, showing you off. Or so she thinks. You're really just running mundane errands.
Sometimes you'll say something odd or off-putting. Other people will give you weird looks but not Valeria. She adores how your mind works. She also loves how knowledgeable about bugs and spiders you are. She personally will kill spiders, but she's watched you pick up the non-venomous ones bare handed to either look at them closer or to release them. (I'm heavily projecting here because I love spiders. My favorite is the Goliath Bird Eating Spider, which lives in the rainforest areas of South America.)
She killed one in front of you and found out very fast that you did not like that. She wonders how you'd react to finding out she kills people too. With all the horror movies and books you read she'd think that you would be fine with that. You're very open and passionate about your world views though and Valeria knows you probably wouldn't be.
Like I said, you live in a warmer climate. Las Almas, Mexico to be exact. The scorching sun and all black, heavy clothes don't mix well. Valeria has taken up to carrying around icepacks and bottles of water. She also gifted you an umbrella to keep yourself shaded under1. Black of course. The canopy tapers into the outer ribs like a bat's wing.
Valeria likes it when you plan dates. It sounds cliche but you often set up dusk time picnics in the local cemetery. You're very respectful about the dead. Not trampling over the graves. Picnicking there isn't that bad anyway because the dead are probably happy to get some visitors.
Valeria loves you and all your quirks.
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spidersinyourshoes · 10 days ago
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Phantom Troupe music headcanons because i cannot stop projecting my interests onto them
in honor of me creating 6 different playlists today, here’s my thoughts on what type of music the Phantom Troupe would be into :>
Chrollo
Likes classic goth bands such as The Cure and Bauhaus, and is also really into classical music
Avid collector of the most obscure type of music that no one has ever heard of
Like what do you mean the first hour of your playlist is just Gregorian chants??
Listens to artists who have roughly 7 monthly listeners, and somehow he is 3 of them
Also an insane music nerd
He just somehow knows everything about different genres and their societal significance
Will also go into long rants about music based subcultures and their relevance
Nobunaga
Bit pretentious with it lol
Just doesn’t get modern music
Big fan of anything from the 70s or 80s though
Any song he can get nostalgic over tbh
Probably likes Johnny Cash as well??
Just picture any music that you’d hear at a suburban barbecue organized by single dads and he’d know all the songs by heart
Feitan
I don’t see him as someone who listens to a lot of music tbh
But when he does it’s some obscure shit
Probably more into instrumentals than vocals
Again, doesn’t care much, just know that it has to sound haunting or moody, otherwise he’ll turn that shit off
Shalnark swears he once saw him nodding along to Elton John but no one believes him
That did happen actually
He blames Phinks
Machi
Another one who doesn’t listen to a lot of music, but does have a few playlists she rotates between
Went through an emo phase when she was younger and still knows all of the lyrics to basically every Paramore song
Now she’s more partial to artists like Lana Del Rey and Girl in Red
Likes chill songs that aren’t too intense, just here for some good vibes that don’t distract too much
Phinks
Dad rock.
That’s it. That’s the headcanon
Single-handedly responsible for half of Led Zeppelin’s streams
Argues with Nobunaga over who has the better taste in music even though there’s actually a lot of overlap in their tastes
Has a guilty pleasure for emotional ballads as well but he’d sooner die than admit that out loud
Shalnark
Listens to everything
And when I say everything I mean everything
Has about a million playlists all for hyper specific scenarios and moods, but the only playlist he ever actually listens to is just a massive collection of all his favorite songs
It’s definitely over 50 hours long, and will switch from Britney Spears to Pierce the Veil, then the entire Shrek soundtrack, followed by old school country, of course some lo-fi beats, and then goes right back to ABBA
Everyone hates it but he loves it
If it sounds good it’s going in his playlist
Half of the songs he listens to are in languages he doesn’t even speak
Franklin
Chill music because he’s a chill guy
Likes the blues and jazz
But can also appreciate some 90s grunge
When driving, he’s the only one allowed on the aux because no one else can be trusted to play music that everyone will enjoy
Somehow he just knows exactly what songs to play with different people so that everyone can enjoy themselves
Shizuku
Unironically listens to elevator music
Another one of those ‘If I like it, I like it’ people
Really doesn’t care about genres or what’s popular
But I do think that Sufjan Stevens is one of her top artists every year
Does tend to listen to the same song on repeat for hours without even realizing it though
Pakunoda
Her taste in music is timeless and classy, much like herself
To her, it’s important that music shows emotion or tells a story
Debussy and Chopin are some of her favorites
She likes smooth, elegant music, perfect to dramatically sip wine to
Also prefers vinyl records over their digital counterparts
Honestly her music is the perfect ambience for planning heists
Bonolenov
Bono, being the walking music instrument he is, has a very deep connection to music
He has an insane sense of rhythm, and likes his music to be very rhythmic as well
The type of music you can dance to
While nothing will ever beat the music from his own tribe, he also loves exploring traditional music from different cultures all over the world
Preserving that type of music is very important to him
He can probably deduce a songs hidden meaning or secret story very easily, even if others are struggling to even comprehend what they’re listening to
He can certainly appreciate the artistry of different genres as well
But culturally significant music will always interest him most
Uvogin
All genres of metal and rock
As long as it’s loud, he’ll like it
Definitely the type of person to listen to Motörhead at 3AM and fall asleep to Black Sabbath
Could definitely do the vocals in a metal band if he felt like it
Also listens to Frank Sinatra religiously
I’m sorry I don’t make the rules that’s just how it is
Kortopi
Probably really likes very experimental stuff
Something that’s unconventional and just a tad eerie
Has never made a playlist once and doesn’t plan to
Just picks a song he likes and then listens to whatever’s suggested next
Probably listens to haunted house music to relax
Like out of tune organs with creaky doors in the background
The occasional whisper of a ghost
Everyone thinks it’s really weird but he’s enjoying himself lmao
And of course, they are all theater kids in their own right, so play any song from broadway and they’ll sing along (some more enthusiastically than others)
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shelbgrey · 1 year ago
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Dating Dean Winchester Headcanons:
Paring: Dean winchester x Singer!Reader
Summary: just some headcanons about Dean dating Bobby Singer's niece. -NSFW content warring.
A/n: the winner of the latest poll, there will be a new one up next week. I was so excited and suprised on how many people did the poll, my first one only had six and the latest one had over 100.
❤️Mood board ❤️MasterList
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Being Dean's girlfriend isn't always easy, but you get through it. So let's talk about it.
There was always something between you guys, but with your choice of life there was always something in the way.
You two practically grew up together, with Bobby being your uncle and John being his father you two were always around each other.
I think Dean also had a slight fear of Bobby, you were his niece and your practly his daughter.
Bobby wasn't clueless, he saw the way you two looked at each other. He wanted to kick Dean's teeth out, he's extremely over protective. Bobby also knew if anyone would keep you safe it wold be Dean.
“I know you'll take care of her”
On a side note, Bobby refuse to call you 'idjit'
The last thing he's said before he died was, “take care of my girl.. You idjits”
Anyway, Even if you two kept denying it or if your just clueless, everyone would know.
Other than Sam and Cas, your the only one he 100% trusts you. He'd trusts you with his life and your his partner in crime.
What makes your relationship stronger is that you started off as best friends and allies.
You always thought you were losing him, he would always have one night stands and there was Lisa. Of course they ment nothing to him, he just thought he'd never be good enough for you.
He thought you deserved better. “I'm not what you need...you deserve better”
That was the first time you opened your heart out to him, but he put his walls up. The he pretended like nothing happened... Until you went on one particularly hard hunt.
Everything was happing so fast thst neither one of you remember that night. There was blood everywhere and Dean did everything he could to save you, Castile healed you and Dean confessed something he's been wanting to since he was 18.
“I love you... Please don't leave me, I can't lose you”
Since everything moves fast in your lives you both decided to take things slow. Dispite his rugged appearance he's nothing but a gentleman to you.
He's extremely over protective of you, to the point hunts with him got annoying.
“I'm not some damsley in distress, Dean!”
He knows what a badass you are and he knows you can hold your own, but he can't help but be your shield.
That's really the only times you fight, your both very reckless and laugh in the face of danger. You guys stress each other out on hunts.
But, lets get to the good stuff now.
Your the only other person who can drive the impala, you'd rather just have him driving with you setting with him.
You guys love the same music, so your always singing on the top of your longs to old rock songs. Your guys song is Angel Eyes by The Jeff Healey Band.
You always have to be sleeping next to each other to get a goods night rest, even when you weren't together you two shared a bed in the old motels.
Dean refuses to sleep unless you have fallen asleep first, he just needs to know your okay before he can have a good night sleep.
You bake the best pies in his opinion and Sam loves your homemade salsa.
When you guys moved into the bunker you guys made great use of the kitchen, Sam loves your guys cooking.
Speaking of Sam, he's one of your best friends. Cas is your first, but you and Sam have a long history together. You were even the first one to hear he got accepted into college.
We know Cas is like the Winchesters gardian angel, well Gabriel is yours.
About three years into yours and Dean's relationship you broke up, it was around the time Sam went to hell and you guys just pushed each other away.
Gabe knew you guys loved each other, so he worked really hard to get you back together. He did succeed.
You guys might argue about the little things, but he always know how to make them better.
You guys just like staying in and watching movies or Scooby-Doo. You guys love cuddling up in the Dean cave and just ignore the world for a few hours.
He loves cuddles, if your in bed or on the couch he needs to be holding you. He loves it when he's laying in bed and your lying on top of his chest.
He also loves it when you hold him, maybe after a rough hunt he'll love just rest his head on your chest while you play with his hair.
You love just being in his arms, there's no feeling better than that. He loves snaking his arms around you and resting his chin on your head because he just really needs to being close to you.
He's really just a big ol' teddy bear.
He's a rough kisser, he's way taller than you so usually he hold your chin between his fingers and lift for head up to kiss you.
There's a lot of neck and forehead kisses being handed out by this man. He loves wrapping his arms around you from behind and just trail soft kisses down your neck.
He also loves it when you kiss his forehead. It just a small, loving gesture he absolutely loves.
If your cold you'll steal his flannels or his jackets, he had this black and red flannel that he now only sees if your wearing it.
when ever your busy doing research Dean always deliver a tiny kiss on your forehead. He'd just be walking by and he'll give you a quick kiss just to make you blush.
He's good a making you blush, he thinks it's adorable.
Trust is a big part of your relationship, you both had opened up about the abuse your fathers and dumped on you. That was the reason Bobby took you in, he could bare you being in the type of environment he grew up in.
With that Dean made a promise to never hurt or scare you. He refuses to lay a hurtful hand on you. It'll break his heart if you flinch away from him during an argument.
As much as you love Dean, demon Dean scares the hell out of you. The demon knew this and used it to his advantage. He Dean went back to normal he could barely look into your eyes. He blamed himself for the bruises around your neck the demon caused.
“I promised you I'd never hurt you... I'm so sorry” he said. “it's not your fault”
On a more positive side... You guys have lots of nicknames. You call him Deano or bub and he calls you just about anything but your actual name, Sweetheart is your favorite.
And with FBI names, you take a different approach. While he uses rock aliases you use actor or fictional names.
“agent Sweets, really?” he said playfully. “What? I like the show Bones”
Your like a mother to Claire, she loves you so much and your the only person she trusts other than Jody and the boys.
Speaking of Jody, she took you under her wing immediately. You never had a mother growing up so it was a relief to have her in your life.
You become a mother to Jack too, and your relationship hit a really bumpy road during that time. You hated how Dean treated Jack and it always turned into a fight.
“if you touch him, I swear to God, Dean!”
Den didn't want to be like his father and after awhile Dean's shell broke and he started to grow a soft spot for him, after your lives calmed down you both did end up adopting Jack.
But to legally do that you had to get married. You both wanted to get married so bad, but with your lives you never got the chance.
You weren't gonna get a white wedding, you knew that and Dean thought the Cort house wasn't good enough. So you got married in the church of Elvis in Las Vegas.
NSFW headcanons:
Dean prefers being on top and being the one in control.
He'll mark your thighs with his teeth and biting hard enough to leave a light bruise.
Loves eating you out,your legs around his head. He loves your legs in general and loves leaving kisses on the insides of your thighs. He'd rather pleasure you for hours than receive.
Hair pulling, he loves feeling your fingers in his hair or he'll tangel his fingers in yours and tug on it when he's getting head or about ready to cum.
Bondeg kink, ropes, his ties, belts, he'll tie you up with anything if your comfortable with it.
definitely a fan of overstimulation, he loves the way that your body twitches and you whimper from his touch.
car sex! All the way. loves to take you in the back of the impala, loving the way the windows fog up and the small area gets loud with the noises you make.
He's a soft/mean Dom, it just depends on his mood. But no matter what he always makes sure your comfortable. He loves to take control in the bed but would never push you.
He would really get off on marking you up. He didn’t think he would, as it wasn’t something he thought too much about but when he did it there was no turning back.
He definitely has a Praise kink too, he loves making you feel loved and appreciated. He love how he can easily make you blush. “your so Beautiful”
“you feel so amazing Sweetheart”
He loves hearing you moan. If you try to hold back or even muffle them when it's unnecessary, he'd put an end to it. “don't hold back, let me hear your voice”
He has big chocking kink, he won't be too rough about but he loves wrapping his fingers around your neck and feeling your pulse when he's ramming into you.
This man is amazing when it comes to aftercare. He knows exactly what you need. After your both cleaned up, he'll pull you to his chest to cuddle.
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goodnightoilcountry · 7 months ago
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you must like me for me - quinn hughes (a sneak peek !)
a/n: another fic idea i've had in my head for ages ! i started writing it the other day when i was sick and it's currently at 3k words. i'm CONFIDENT that i'll smash this one out quicker than my aho fic so it's the only reason i feel like i can post a sneak peak. but also let me know if you have any requests or ideas you'd like me to write about - i'd love to hear from you 🤍
summary: twelve months since the incident and you're ready to let yourself re-emerge into the public eye in the form of a hockey game. the plan was simple: appear, smile, leave unscathed. easy, right?
The theory of fight or flight has always fascinated you. In the face of adversity, no matter how complex the situation, millions of years of evolution still dictate that humanity will always revert to its oldest survival mechanism: to either assert and neutralize, or: evade and withdraw. 
What you’ve come to learn is that there’s a third strategy nestled between fight or flight, often overlooked because of its passiveness in comparison to its overt counterparts: to freeze. 
And that’s the instinct you’ve found yourself falling back on time and time again. As if you’re hoping to blend into the very fabric of the environment where you can pause amid the chaos, weigh the risks, and soundly determine the best course of action. 
The downturn? 
You’re left vulnerable and exposed the longer you wait. 
But it’s a tactic that you’ve grown familiar with, and it’s the one that’s currently in motion. 
“You can’t do this to her, she isn’t ready.”
“It’s been over a year, we can’t let her hide forever.” 
The commotion of voices being thrown around surrounds you but you’re too swept up with the memories and emotions battling out in your head. They’re leaving you dizzy and disorientated. 
One year. Had it really been that long? God. It feels like one month since you first signed your contract in front of a roomful of lawyers and high-powered executives. Back then, you were too naively charmed by the golden promises of stardom and fame that they were selling you. Promising that your talent for lyricism, bordering on poetry, would resonate with the hearts of girls who all seemed to unanimously share the parallel experiences of all things love and girlhood. That you needed a team that could provide you with the right connections and the right opportunities to get you there. 
And to their credit, they didn’t fail you. As soon as you signed your contract, the label had you in the studio effective immediately with the release of “your” song debuting four weeks later. 
“But I didn’t write this and it doesn’t really sound like me…” 
“Don’t worry about it, honey. We just need to get you on the charts and then you can write about anything you want. Trust us - this is how it all works.” 
And trust them you did.
Your song topped the charts for twelve consecutive weeks. The events that took place after your overnight success were a whirlwind. You released a music video. You did media interviews. You collabed with DJs to release remixes. You performed as a guest on endless TV shows. And when you were done, you thought that you would finally be able to sit down with your producers to start developing the library of ideas and single-line lyrics you had swimming around in your head. 
But they had other plans for you in the form of a studio album, and then rinse and repeat. You felt like you were a human cannonball: shot out, forced to perform carefully curated tricks, and to always stick the landing. 
Your team had done everything they could to meticulously craft your image; selectively allowing journalists to access certain stories whether it be about your work or your life. You were America’s Darling. Until you weren’t. 
A sharp trill of your name grounds you back into reality. You blink and recompose yourself, finding the same four people you entered the boardroom with, staring expectantly back at you. Your mom, your manager, Megan, your publicist, Bec, and sat opposite you across the insanely large table is the VP of your label, Joe. Their expressions are ones you’ve grown used to: sympathetic and slightly defeated.  
“Sorry, what was the question?” 
Megan sighs and shifts slightly in her chair to meet your front. “Darling, I know how hard this year has been for you,” 
Do you? 
“But it’s time for us to come back out. We need to face this.” 
In all the years you’ve worked with Megan, she has never offered you such softness in her voice as she has now. As a manager, a female manager in this industry nonetheless, she had been nothing short of headstrong, sharp, and commanding. Her confidence and demeanour never wavered and, if you were being honest, you were thankful that she held you to the same standard as the rest of your team. It equipped you with a thick skin, something that you wouldn’t have survived your young career without. And it leaves you to wonder where you would be now without her to guide you through this situation. 
“Megan is right,” Joe says. “The world hasn’t forgotten, you know.” 
It comes out so matter-of-factly that it feels almost accusatory. 
“You’re not the first celebrity to be wrapped up in a scandal and you certainly won’t be the last.” 
That line is enough to make your mom snap into a fury again. 
“A scandal? She did nothing wrong,” she chastises. “What that boy did is not her fault.” 
Joe’s impatience is growing evident with every turn of the conversation. As warranted as your mother’s protectiveness is for this particular circumstance, her resistance was stopping one of his biggest artists from bringing in the label money. You can tell he's trying his best to level his demeanour but you also know that the higher-ups are breathing down his neck. He's balancing it as well as anyone could.
“This wasn’t just any boy. And your daughter is not just any girl. The reality of the situation is that just because she wasn’t responsible for what happened, doesn’t mean we can simply erase her from it,” Joe breaks, voice raising ever so slightly.
“She cannot keep silent on this anymore and the longer we stretch this out, the more intense the backlash will be upon her,” he presses on. “With all due respect, we have been extremely patient and have afforded your daughter twelve months. But this is a business first and there is a contract to be upheld. We are giving you the opportunity to write the narrative or have it forced to be written for you.” 
“He’s right,” Bec interjects. She’s always had a good gauge of when to step in when tensions start rising. It’s what makes her such a great publicist - always mediating at the right time. 
“But we don’t have to rush either. We can take it slowly. Start off with a public appearance in a controlled environment. 
The juxtaposition of that sentence could have made you laugh. Controlled environment? If the last few years had taught you anything, it was that no public appearance was ever fully in your control. Your phone number had been leaked more times than you could remember; the media showed up at your house at all hours of the night; private family events were invaded by obsessed “fans”. 
Your mom was quick to make the same connection, “where could we possibly let her go that guarantees her safety?” 
“The suite at MSG has their security system locked down to a tee. We could place her in there with a few friends and guise it as a quiet night out to show their support. Maybe work with the organisation to show her on the scoreboard during a break, totally candid of course, and maybe meet with their guest of the night for some fan engagement. We don’t want the public to misconstrue the appearance as a total cover-up.” Bec rattles off like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 
Megan and Joe start nodding in agreeance, chiming in with additional tweaks to the plan that’s now been laid out, and it becomes apparent to you that they’ve had this meeting before without you. Your requested input and presence on the matter was just an act of courtesy. But as vexed as you are with this realisation, you know it makes sense. You were tired of the pitied looks your family and friends gave you, afraid to broach the subject as if it would send you into a spiral. You felt like the public owned you; shunning you into silence with all your actions picked apart and psychoanalyzed everywhere you turned. 
You missed your fans who called for you every day, writing sweet notes of encouragement and rebuffing shallow attempts of hate accounts concocting false stories. You wouldn’t be half the artist you are today without them and they deserved more than just radio silence. And it’s this last thought that makes you believe it’s the only reason you say:
“Just tell me when.” 
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kirikorik · 7 months ago
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- And yet you left me. - And yet I left you. You'll never forget…
Joost Klein × fem!reader.
Summary: You loved each other when you were teenagers, then he ran away, and now he's back again, and no matter how much you try to avoid him, you won't succeed... After many years, you receive an invitation to a party in honor of Joost's loss at Eurovision.
Warnings: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 16+! Triggers! Violence! Sexualization! Sexy theme! Not canon! The story is not reality and everything except the known facts is my fantasy!
I don't know English. Maybe there are a lot of mistakes. ♡♡♡
The party is in full swing. The sounds of electronic music are hitting your ears, but you are laughing happily, feeling the vibration in your chest. You are a little drunk, you want to relax a little after work, so you replace your drink with a new one and go further to the dance floor to forget yourself this evening. This party was a celebration of losing.
Just a few days ago, Eurovision ended, Switzerland won with some damn singer. You had nothing against the performer from this country, but you were still bitter and offended for what you did to the «main star» of this party. Joost Klein was expelled. He could have easily won, the vote ratings in his honor were skyrocketing. People liked his songs, his style, people liked him as a person. But the truth is that people couldn't help but like Joost. He was something of a cherished dream. Unattainable and too mundane. The guys wanted to be friends with him, the girls just wanted him. And yet he was excluded from Eurovision, and now Joost was celebrating his loss, his lost dream…
You raise your hands, the flashing lights in front of your eyes spin, sweat rolls down your forehead. The room is hot and stuffy, but you don't care. You don't care. Your only dream is that this evening will never end and that you will never see Joost again. But he's like a ghost, a silhouette shining in the golden light. Joost is irresistible from the tips of his snow-white hair to his bottomless blue eyes.
The crowd is moving, changing, and no matter how much you blink, you still see only him in front of you. He has white paint on his face, black circles around his eyes, he's wearing his favorite makeup, which makes your legs give way. He looks so fake… Joost is unpredictable. Joost is crazy. Joost… You're fucking in love with him.
Someone steps on your foot, but you don't care. You close your eyes painfully and swear to yourself that you won't open them until dawn today. So as not to see his silhouette, so as not to hear his voice in the songs tickling your ears, so as not to feel his hot palms on your ribs, so as not to cry from how hard his nails dig into your skin. He's standing behind you, snuggling up to you, dancing to your rhythm. He is tall, even very tall, so casually he puts his chin on top of your head and slows down to the beat of his music, as if you are dancing not to loud, rhythmic hip-hop, but to the melody accompanying your unforgettable waltz. People are drunk and don't notice you. You don't want to think about whether it's a dream, whether you feel his touch. You take a deep breath…
You and Joost weren't friends, but you were definitely more than just acquaintances. You've known him for most of your life, ever since you went to school, when you lived next door to him. Joost Klein is a naughty, arrogant wretch. — that's what your parents used to say. Joost Klein was a couple of years older than you, and you were forbidden to communicate with him, but, to tell the truth, you didn't even know him. You often watched from the window of the children's bedroom as he played ball with his father and older brother, but you were always afraid to approach them. Your parents never paid enough attention to you.
Once in childhood, your mother ordered you to put on black clothes. But you didn't listen and chose a white shirt with red hearts. Of course, no one told you that it was very important, your parents ignored you. Standing at the funeral of Joost's father, who died of cancer, you realized what a mistake you had made. Joost looked into your eyes without blinking, as if he had known you for a long time. He probably hated the scarlet hearts on your shirt. You tightened your grip on your mother's hand and lowered your tear-stained gaze to the ground.
He was thirteen, and you were a couple of years younger and didn't understand much when an ambulance arrived at your neighbor's house a year later. You didn't understand much when a body covered with a black cloth was carried out of the house on a stretcher. You didn't understand much when the white-haired boy jumped out after the doctors, screaming loudly and heartbreakingly. You didn't understand much when Joost's older brother held him in his arms, comforting him. You didn't understand a lot, but bitter tears were rolling down your cheeks. You never saw Miss Klein again.
You're afraid, but you still lean back against Joost's wide, sweat-soaked chest, cling to him as if for the last breath of air, but you don't open your eyes even when his right palm begins to slide over your cheek. He knows that you won't dare to look at him, and yet he's watching your face intently in the hope of seeing at least something.…
When Joost returned to school a few months later, he was smiling as if nothing had happened. As if his heart didn't hurt unbearably much. Then, looking at him from around the corner, you promised to share his pain with him. Being the only viewer of his YouTube channel, you, as the most devoted fan, listened attentively to all his speeches. You left likes on his videos, wrote comments, it seemed like you knew everything about him. You weren't sure if Joost at least remember your name.…
When you turned 15, you often watched at night as Joost ran away from home, as each time he was picked up by the same dark blue car with his friends. You dreamed of going to the same place where Joost went one day. He always returned just before dawn, always with a drunken sincere smile on his lips, always happy. Was he happy? Even a fool would have realized that it wasn't.
Your hips move in a slow rhythm to the right and left, Joost pressing his pelvis against you follows your every movement, exhaling hotly into the back of your head, making you tremble and tremble…
You remember the horror reflected on your face when you looked into someone else's blue eyes. So similar to Joost's eyes… A brunette twice your size was pinning you to the wall with his body… It's the first time you've run away from home after your adult friends. The guy standing in front of you was Joost's classmate, one of his best friends. But, nevertheless, it was he who persistently groped you, drunkenly muttering something and ignoring your tears, running his hands under your short skirt. The room is dark, music is blaring outside the door, no one will hear you.…
A calloused palm squeezes your thin neck, interrupting you breathing for a few moments, and then sliding back to your cheekbone. Your ears are blocked, you can't hear the music and Joost's ragged breathing over your temple. He doesn't say a word, but you understand everything and therefore drink the remaining alcohol in the glass at a time. There's no way you're going to listen to him. Do you want to forget about the existence of Joost Klein… And yet you're at his party. And yet you responded to his invitation, but not to the bell.…
You swallow back tears, mumble something about your parents, about your mother, beg him to stop and not touch you. But other men's hands are not listening to you, lifting up your short top. Other people's lips wetly kiss your neck, nibble your shoulders. You try to push Joost's friend away, but you can't do anything, he's older and twice your size, stronger…
You dig your nails into Joost's forearm, trying to stop him and forbid him to stop. You pray that he doesn't stop, and you hope that you're dreaming all this.
The flash is followed by a loud bang and swearing. Dirty alien hands are letting you go. You shiver and cling to the wall, staring wide-eyed at the floor. Your fingers lower the edge of your skirt, wanting to cover your body as much as possible. You're almost hysterical, and when someone else's hands fall on your shaking shoulders again, you shudder violently, raising your head sharply. Joost is standing in front of you. Pale. He seems very scared. There are drops of blood on his cheekbone, the knuckles of his right hand are broken, and his best friend is lying unconscious on the icy floor next to you. But he hugs you with trembling hands and prays that you will be all right. His sweet lonely neighbor, who seems to know everything about him and at the same time nothing at all. Joost was not a fighter, he was not an athlete, and although in junior high he often fought with other children, as he got older, he completely forgot about it. And yet, when he saw you in tears, his fists automatically clenched. He was only thinking about how to protect you. — It's time for us to go home. He says softly, before borrowing an old navy blue car from a friend and taking you away.…
You hate him. You hate it as much as you hate yourself. But for Joost, you are the most valuable, the closest. You're what he always wants, but his hands only touch you when he's drunk. His lips don't know the taste of your lips. His eyes have never seen your naked body. Although he would be willing to give a lot if you told him at least once — yes. You loved him. He knew it, but it was all terribly ridiculous, almost disgustingly funny.
It's cold in the car, it smells like weed and alcohol. Joost doesn't seem to have a driver's license. But you don't even think about it, clinging to the car window and shivering in the front seat. Joost's doesn't look at you, but he's gripping the steering wheel tightly. An oppressive silence fills the interior of the car, and only occasionally your short sobs scare the two of you.
— Bastard… — you whisper softly, bringing your hands back and painfully digging your nails into Joost's scalpel, tangling your hands in his snow—white hair. You think he doesn't hear your words, but Just just chuckles softly and snuggles closer to you.
You don't say a word to each other when your parents meet you at the door of the house more angry than scared, you want to hate Joost for telling your parents everything. But it seems that the contempt in the eyes of your mother and father in Joost's direction is enough for you two.
— Y/n… — he drunkenly mutters your name…
You're under house arrest, and all you have is a view of his house from the window. You cry, remembering everything that happened, and you can't contain your anger when you see Joost climbing out of his room window again late at night. But the car in the yard is already a different color: scarlet, expensive and shiny, and a tall brunette is driving… There is disappointment in your heart, pain in your soul…
His hands tickle your ribs, stroke your waist, pity your body. Joost is unpredictable, like the first snow in October or the last in May. He comes unexpectedly, bursts into your life without any warning, as if you've been waiting for him for a long time. Have you been waiting for him? In response, you are silent, but your trembling hands stroke his cheekbones, slide along his neck while you press your back against his chest. You arch in the small of your back and hear your bones crunch, but it doesn't hurt you, just a little bit.
He smiles, it seems to sparkle and happily at his new girlfriend, a fateful brunette his high school classmate. She is one of the most beautiful girls in school: rich parents, good reputation, excellent grades. Joost is her opposite, but opposites eventually attract, don't they? You bite the inside of your cheek, talking to your friends, but your eyes are glued to the newly minted couple cooing at the entrance to the chemistry room…
— Why again? — you mumble, knowing the answer perfectly well…
When you see them naked in Joost's bedroom through the window of your house, something inside dies. You cry loudly, wipe your tears into your pillow, swallow your sobs and hope that everything will end soon.…
— I promised you, — Joost replies with an ironic laugh, whispering in your ear. Your skin is covered with goosebumps, and tears come to your eyes again.
You're drunk again, you ran away from home again, but now you have a reason for it — non-reciprocal love. There is a fog in my head, a picture floats before my eyes, how you joyfully rush into the arms of some unknown guy. Now you're 16, now you can. Someone's lips are sliding down your neck, somewhere in your head your mind is screaming at you to run, whispering that you don't want this. Your heart squeezes painfully in my chest, and your watery eyes are filled with memories of that damn night when Joost's ex-best friend tried to force you… You feel sick, sick and…
— Do you remember the night I promised I'd never leave you? — that damn grin that suits Joost so well doesn't leave his lips while he leaves a trail of kisses on your neck. Maybe you'll finally come to terms, maybe you'll finally give a damn and just say — yes?
Your head is spinning, and your legs don't hold you at all when long-familiar male hands, covered with ridiculous tattoos, pull you out of someone else's arms. You want to scream, but you just melt under the influence of a few bottles of alcohol and obediently follow Joost through the crowd. Somewhere behind you, you hear a woman screaming. The scream of that brunette bitch, that's what you called her.
— You were very drunk, crying and begging me not to leave you, remember? — Joost is circling you in his arms, hoarsely and insistently, without stopping whispering…
You're screaming. Loudly, tearing his throat out as the car leaves the city. Joost doesn't say a word, he's mad as hell, and except for the look in his eyes — «I told you never to go to high school parties again.» — You can't see anything anymore.
— I'd like to forget… — you see bright lights through your closed eyelids.…
It's night outside, the sky is overcast, and you can't see the moon or the stars, only the headlights of a damn car you know illuminate the road. Joost is looking at you, right into your eyes. His face is young without wrinkles and although his life has been hard, he still has naivety in his soft features. His white fluffy hair, always sticking out in different directions is wet. His white T-shirt is stuck to his chest, he breathes loudly, pulls his light eyebrows together and shushes through his teeth… In all the years that you've known each other, you've never had a normal conversation. But it doesn't seem to be necessary for any of you when you impulsively approach him and find his lips at random. You're fucking drunk giving Joost your first kiss. Joost doesn't push you away, and you beg him never to leave you again, he swears he won't leave you.…
— You'll never forget… — the blond man laughs slyly, resting his chin on your shoulder, you can feel his heart beating in his chest with your shoulder blades, and you want to tear out your own.…
A ringing slap in the face tears the air with a pop. The fatal couple, consisting of an failed singer, a party lover and the obedient daughter of rich parents, breaks up right in the hallway of the school. Now Joost's ex-girlfriend slaps him in the face. It's painful. But instead of at least saying something to her, Joost looks sideways with his icy blue eyes at you…
— Never… — you stutter, and tears come to your eyes… It's not even fair…
You have never said words of love to each other, never swore eternal feelings and promised nothing. You did not meet, did not touch each other, only with glances, only in whispers, only with short poems and songs.
— Never… — he whispers in response to your words, but the music interrupts him.…
And after that, Joost drops out of school, just leaves without even finishing his studies, he doesn't tell you a damn thing, just disappears after your long nights on the hood of his battered car, when you watched the stars with such love, each other…
You beg him to tell you why when he's packing his bags. You ask him to explain to you why when he buys train tickets. You whisper, «What about me?» When he just sighs softly and obediently turns away and goes deep into his house. You do not dare to follow him.
— And yet you left me… — you say, laughing softly, with irony, as lonely tears roll down your cheeks.
A few hours before his flight, you call him on the phone, ignoring the screaming music behind you, the laughter of people and… Joost knows perfectly well where you are, but only listens silently to your drunken pleas to come back, pick you up from this damn party, as he always did. Take you home and take care of you. Joost hangs up, you try again, you text him with loud sobs: — «Damn bastard, I love you!» — But it never reaches him, and a notification is displayed on your phone screen: «The contact blocked you.»
— And yet I left you. — Joost confirms your words. There's no need to lie, you both know everything.
The house opposite is now empty, you will no longer find any of the members of the little Klein family. And neither his friends nor classmates know where he is. After six months, you give up and stop looking for him…
— I was looking for you. — you're not lying, and, to tell the truth, all those five years that you were so far from each other, you kept looking for him. You kept looking until one day you came across a song with a familiar voice on the radio. You were ready to die to those damn lines: «Hearts on her shirt, kisses on her cheeks. Tears, behind which the eyes are not visible, she screamed after: You swore! And I blocked her contact with a bitter smile on my lips.»
— I'm sorry. — the only thing he says, and you don't know if he's really sorry, but you just nod. Tears are already streaming down your cheeks…
— I hate you. — your hands drop, and you finally open your eyes, which are glistening with tears, but still don't turn around.
— It's not true! — Joost exclaims almost resentfully in your ear and jerks you sharply.
In the five years that he was gone, you tried to live without him. You graduated from high school with honors and entered a prestigious university. You forbade yourself to listen to songs and all the art, it reminded you of only one person you've known for a long time.
Your tear-stained eyes express neither hatred nor contempt, only deep resentment when you meet the gaze of clear blue irises. Joost is still the same, although he is five years older. He's 26 now, and your age difference doesn't seem that surprising. Blond tousled hair, the same as before but shorter. Bright eyebrows, the same as eyelashes. He has grown a short beard and a small mustache above his plump lips, but it suits him. He smiles and… It's still the same smile. A smile you haven't seen in so long. And the smile you've been in love with for so long.
Joost suffered and tortured himself all these five years, but he knew that it was necessary, he knew that otherwise his dreams would not come true. Sacrifices were required, and unfortunately, on the way to his success, the first and biggest obstacle was you, and he decided that before it was too late, before things went too far, he needed to leave. But he loved you, loved you all these years, and you can't count the countless drafts and tracks that he wrote for you, but without releasing them in the hope that one day, when he returns, you will forgive him and listen to all these hundreds of tracks dedicated only to you with him. He had a lot of albums with your name on them.
— I don't want to see you anymore… — you mumble, your gaze slides down. You don't want to see his painted face anymore, he always hid behind the mask of his openness. But you knew how his heart could ache, how his hands could tremble, what his needy hugs could be. He needed you as much as you needed him, and yet…
Joost's eyes narrow, he shakes his head with a slight understanding smile on his lips, and then bends lower knowing that you will not pull away and whispers monotonously and hoarsely:
— Liar. — Joost concludes the verdict, crawling with his fingertips under your short top, wanting to feel you closer, wanting you…
— Which one of us is a liar here? — you laugh ironically and put your hand behind his head, tangling your fingers in his blond hair, they feel as soft as before and if you close your eyes you can probably believe that five years is not so much.
— Forgive me, honing(Honey)… — he does not dare to look into your eyes, even though you are looking for his gaze.
The crowd around you is pushing, jumping and shouting something loudly, the bright flashes of the spotlights hurt your eyes, make them water. You feel dizzy, your chest hurts, your legs can't hold you, and if it weren't for Joost's firm grip on your waist, you would have fallen. You wouldn't mind being trampled by a crowd. You wouldn't mind not seeing his face anymore, not feeling the air saturated with his scent…
And yet you can't take your eyes off his makeup, from his plump lips mutilated by a bitter smile. Even if he was regretting it wasn't that he left and left you. But he was definitely regretting for you.
— You know what, I won't forgive you, — you snort, biting your lip. Regret has long settled in your heart, and now, except for tears and aching pain, you can't seem to feel anything else.
— I know you hate me, — Joost freezes in front of your face, looks straight into your eyes, exhales hotly on your cracked, bleeding lips. — I know you love me. — he has an apologetic smile on his lips, but he doesn't regret anything when he touches your lips with a sweet kiss soaked in poison. You don't regret anything, biting his lips in return. The kiss is sour from the taste of blood, salty from the bitter tears rolling down your cheeks, and yet it's the only thing you want from each other.…
The sound of music is deafening, but your heart is beating much louder and your chest is constricted much more than from the touch of his lips. Joost pulls you to him, hugs you tightly, circles you, takes you out of the room. You know that tomorrow won't come. Joost's eyes are clear, clear, blue, almost transparent, so similar to the cloudless sky you looked at as a child. Behind the veil of tears, your eyes look like the cloudy sky that Joost looked at, holding back tears, at his father's funeral. And yet you whisper love to each other, and yet you beg not to leave.…
The loud, ear-piercing ringing of the alarm clock makes your heart skip a beat. You jump up clutching your aching head. The alcohol you drank yesterday makes itself felt and you slide back onto the soft pillow, smearing your bedroom with a blurry look. Fortunately, at least you are at home. A tired sigh leaves your lips and you jerk your head, a damn dream, a damn ghost with the face of your first love — Joost Klein. You roll over on your side and a single tear rolls down your cheek before you turn on your phone, open social media and notice hundreds of notifications. You're confused, your eyebrows furrow and you click on one of the links, looking closely at the photo with the caption: «Childhood friend of Joost Klein…»
In the photo, your eyes are glistening with alcohol, and your pupils are large and dark, your head is tilted back, a half-smile plays on your lips, and you look at the man in front of you in love, but his face is in shadow and you can hardly see anything. You feel awkward, even scared, confused. You straighten up, sit on the bed and zoom in on the image, noticing with a surprised «oh» traces of white paint on your face…
— Good morning, liefste(love). — a familiar hoarse, almost purring purring voice takes care of your ears, you freeze with your eyes wide open and turn to the door. There he stood at the threshold. Almost completely naked, with a rustic food tray in his hands and traces of remaining white makeup on his face. Joost Klein.
Your first and only love. Your first and last addiction. Your first and greatest pain.
— I brought us breakfast! — he laughs and talks as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't disappeared for five whole years and then returned without warning. You frown, the heart in your chest once again makes itself felt, but you shrug off the pain when you notice traces of pinkish kisses on Joost's face, neck, chest and arms. White paint and red lipstick mixed together. Joost grins, and you realize with surprise, but without any regrets, that the heart and the first kiss are now not the only thing that you gave him…
Don't post this anywhere without my permission!
I'm waiting for requests if there are any?
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pftones3482 · 4 days ago
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Not me being one of the last ones to post my Secret Santa gift lol - life has been crazy.
This is for @authenticcadence18, who I know asked for something with Canderemy. I hope you enjoy the fluff!
(Set in the future, post Candace graduating law school and marrying Jeremy, and because it's me, she works for OWCA lol)
Under a cut for length. You can also read it in The One Shot-inator!
~~
“Why are holiday cards even still a thing?” Candace groaned, leaning back in the dining room chair until her spine audibly cracked. She gave a sigh of relief and then scowled at the pile of cards scattered across hers and Jeremy’s kitchen table. “And why do we know so many people?”
Jeremy chuckled from his seat across from her, finishing the address up on the one he was working on. “Is that rhetorical or serious?”
She grumbled, sitting back up and snatching the next one from the stack. “Rhetorical,” she said with a sigh, eyeing the name scrawled on top in Jeremy’s fancy cursive. Bobby. “I know, I know, maintaining physical media and connections is important. But seriously, why aren’t we just addressing one card to all of Love Handel? It’s not like they don’t all live together.”
“That’s insensitive,” Jeremy tisked.
She shook her head fondly and went back to signing the card.
In all seriousness, Candace wasn’t mad about the holiday cards. She was being maybe a little whiney and dramatic, but this was a tradition she never wanted to give up. Sitting with her husband a week before Christmas, listening to orchestral holiday music over their speakers, drinking spiked hot cocoa…it was worth it.
She’d always loved getting physical mail – it felt more personal than a text, especially on the holidays. Jeremy felt the same way and had introduced her to his family’s tradition of having a day set aside just for card making and present wrapping.
And especially with the boys in their second years of college, farther away than usual…sure, she was still going to see them for the holidays. Hell, she and Jeremy were actually hosting Christmas at their place for the very first time that year (which reminded her, she needed to get more gouda for the charcuterie board). But it was almost cathartic, getting to write them little messages in their cards about how much she appreciated and loved them.
Sometimes she missed their backyard shenanigans. Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone but Stacy.
She handed off Bobby’s card to Jeremy and pulled the next one off the stack, lips twitching a little at the swirled-out Perry. He had protested at the card every year since Jeremy had been looped into what her job with OWCA actually was, claiming that they could literally just text him, but Jeremy had been absolutely adamant. So every year, Candace found an increasingly more ridiculous card to give him, just to watch him roll his eyes and try to hide his fond little smile.  
This year, it was a snowman dressed as a platypus, which according to Stacy was hysterical.
She started signing the card, giving careful thought to her words (equal parts snark and sap), all while her smile grew at the sound of Jeremy humming along to one of the songs on the radio.
It had taken her a while to get used to spending her holiday season with her husband instead of her parents and brothers. Three years ago, their first Christmas together in their home, she’d had a meltdown at the thought of missing time with her family. She’d been petrified Jeremy would be mad. Instead, he’d admitted much the same to her – that he also didn’t necessarily know how to do Christmas without his parents and sister. And then he’d reassured her that they’d figure it out together. The next year, their first Christmas as newlyweds, they’d stumbled a little bit then, too.
Now, they had it down to a science.
They only lived about twenty minutes or so from both their families, so Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were alternated between them year to year. It’d been easy, too easy, so of course Candace just had to offer their home for the holidays this year so that everyone could spend it under the same roof. Why she hated herself this way, she didn’t know.
She slid Perry’s card over to Jeremy and sighed, rubbing her temples. He glanced up from Bobby’s card and his wax sealing supplies, lifting an eyebrow. “Okay, hon?”
She dug her fingers into her skin just a little bit more, trying to dull the ache forming behind her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I think my eyes are gonna fall out from staring at so many words.”
Jeremy chuckled, setting down Bobby’s letter and stretching his arms above his head. “We have been sitting here for almost an hour. We can take a break.”
“We still have thirty-six cards to fill out,” Candace pointed out, squinting at the menacing stack to her left. “Plus then we have to wrap all our presents, and I don’t even want to think about how full that living room is.”
He walked around the table making grabby hands at her, and for a second she just wanted to be dramatic, so she turned her squinting gaze on him. But she could never say no to his endearing puppy dog eyes, so she relented and took his hands, letting him drag her to her feet. “Come on, take a break,” he said, wrapping his arms at her waist and tugging her close. “We’ve got all day. Plus tomorrow, if we really need.”
“But it’s supposed to be done in one day,” she groaned, thunking her head on his shoulder and draping her arms over his shoulders. For a second, they stood in silence, swaying gently to the Christmas music that was still playing.
“Well then someone needs to stop making friends across the galaxy so we have less cards to sign.”
“Meap is a childhood friend, it’s not like I regularly go to space and meet new people!”
Jeremy snorted, spinning her in a gentle circle around the dining room. “Sure you’re not just stressed about hosting?”
Candace considered the question as they moved, lifting her head off his shoulder and humming. “Hmm, maybe a little. But I know Mom won’t let me stress about it. She’s always been good in the kitchen. It’s just different, is all.”
“Your mom is great in that way. And hey, different isn’t bad,” Jeremy said, twirling her lazily under his arm. She chuckled as she fell back into his grasp. The Christmas song shifted, less “Silent Night” and more Mariah Carey. “I like different.”
She smiled, feeling warm, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Me too.”
His lips settled in a crooked grin, and a boyish spark glittered in his eyes when she pulled back. “Good. Now what do you say we go back to signing the cards for your secret agent platypus and alien bestie?”
“Oh my god, shut up.”
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tomedonaki-hakujou · 7 months ago
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Mesmerizer: My Thoughts on why it is THE Vocaloid song of the DECADE
youtube
(All thoughts here are highly subjective, and may feature incomplete information. I just wanted to get my thoughts out about Mesmerizer and why its success works a lot.)
As of 2020, the Vocaloid scene has been booming with plenty of new music & activity, each year bringing more and more hit songs, it's almost hard to keep track of them all. With the release of Satsuki and Channel's "Mesmerizer" music video, I think this marks an extremely emblematic song, encapsulating what the 2020s of Vocaloid is all about, and what it can become.
"Mesmerizer" is a short and catchy song featuring Hatsune Miku for VOCALOID4 and Kasane Teto for Synthesizer V. It features a highly chaotic instrumental. It is composed by Satsuki, previously known for "CIRCUS PANIC!!!" featured in Project Sekai. The music video is made by Channel (aka caststation), who is known for various viral Miku animations like mikumikuplaylist and Rabbit Hole by DECO*27. All of these details about this song are very important, and in my opinion, I think they each represent a part of the strength and popularity of Vocaloid culture in the 2020s.
Short Songs and Covers
As of 2020, shorter songs, often less than 3 minutes, have gained a lot of popularity – take a look at Kanaria's breakout hit "KING," or the songs on DECO*27's "Mannequin" album such as "The Vampire," "Animal," and "Cinderella." Part of the major appeal of these songs, and why they work so well, is that they have to be immensely catchy, easy to listen to, and most importantly in my opinion – easy to sing. That's right – one major aspect of 2020s Vocaloid culture are covers sung by utaites, VTubers, and other singers. This spreads the Vocaloid music to people in different audiences. It's much easier to sing and produce a cover of a shorter song than a longer song, and it's much more appealing to do it for a trending song. Kanaria's songs and DECO*27's "Mannequin" songs have gotten this treatment of mass-cover trends due to their singability and ease of production. (Take it from me, it's much easier to publish a Kanaria cover than producers like Yunosuke or Kashii Moimi, from whom I love covering from.) Of course, even aside from Kanaria and DECO*27, there's other producers who create shorter songs with great success – take Nakiso, Suriii (aka Three), Chinozo, Azari, and _x0o0x_ for example.
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Although, that's not to say longer songs over 3 minutes don't get popular either – take PinocchioP, Kairiki Bear, Teniwoha, nulut, and Camellia for example. Both song structures have their different appeals, and it's all about how the composer utilizes that time.
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However, longer songs aren't necessarily new in the Vocaloid scene, and have been the standard for over 10 years since the scene's beginnings in 2007-2008. It's shorter songs that have emerged as a new niche and new musical approach as of 2020, and it's the style more representative of this era. "Mesmerizer" takes the approach of the shorter song that's arisen in this era, while conveying a strong music composition as well. A shorter song with a stronger composition & musicality has a higher chance of staying within viewer's memories.
Chaotic Composition
Chaos, frenzy – the music style of "denpa" has gained more popularity in recent years with songs like "INTERNET YAMERO" (by Aiobahn) and "Hito Mania" (by Sasuke Haraguchi). (Although "INTERNET YAMERO" is not Vocaloid, it still deserves a mention for its audience & subculture overlap.)
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As of 2020, we can hear more experimental and varied composition and production styles in top VOCALOID songs – melodic, consonant, and synchronous music isn't always the move now. Usage of sound effects as percussion (gunshots, glass breaking, etc) creates more appeal or intrigue in certain songs.
The sound design in "Mesmerizer" is, well, mesmerizing. I think it encapsulates a lot of the sweet, simple, catchy and appealing aspects of the short-form song style, while also having complexity & chaos that synchronizes with the main beat/melody. If there's a song I would most directly compare "Mesmerizer" to in its composition style, it's probably going to be "Marshall Maximizer" by Hiiragi Magnetite. Both of them have a lot of chaos going on to create texture in the song, while still being harmonious with the overall composition to create a pleasant listening experience.
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There is one part of "Mesmerizer" that deserves a most special mention, which is the bridge – or commonly referred to as the "hypnosis" section. Here, the sound design is used in tandem with the MV and story during Teto's bridge part. The music suddenly seems to fade in and out to convey that Teto is not quite fully "present" in the song; her consciousness slowly fading in and out as she tries to resist hypnosis (what's happening is a low pass filter's frequency point being slowly reduced and then increased, but that's advanced audio lingo that you don't need to worry about if you don't understand).
Unique and special sound design moments like these are what draws viewers into songs and keeps them interested.
The Music Video
While simplistic music videos are common in Vocaloid in the era of 2020s, animated music videos still have their appeal and popularity as well, and have made a bit more of a comeback as of 2022 and 2023. Take songs like:
"Lagtrain" by inabakumori (MV by Nukunuku Nigirimeshi)
"Konton Boogie" by jon-YAKITORY (MV by Ichimaru)
"Override" by Yoshida Yasei (Art by Shishiya)
"Kyoufuu Allback" by Yukopi (Animation by Oz_yarimisu)
"Momiagewo Shakaagewo" by Nunu(...)nunu (dude. I'm not writing their whole name.)
"Kafu-eine" by Hiiragi Magnetite (Animation by Sena Yuuta)
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Songs like these have MVs that lend themselves easily to replication for covers or animation memes within the animator community. In addition, they're just very strong and fun MVs in their own right for enjoyment. Not every producer has the energy or resources to create an animated MV like this, but being able to do so certainly gives the song a stronger appeal.
Especially within derivative fanwork, more complex MVs of songs with simpler MVs also get popular. Take the "Gokuraku Meme" that derives from Pepoyo's "Rakuraku Anrakushi" or most notably for this analysis – Channel's "Rabbit Hole" animation from DECO*27's song. These are two strong examples of the power of animation in the Vocaloid scene. Many admire Channel's "Rabbit Hole" animation for its smoothness and appealing style – many have found themselves watching it on repeat as if it's mesmerizing (heh,) but maybe most importantly, the animation features a "shock factor" in the pseudo-sex fakeout scene at the end, which contributes to its virality.
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When applying these skills to a full music video, Channel really showed the best of their strengths in "Mesmerizer." Their mesmerizing animation style tells a simple story that keeps the viewers engaged with smooth tweening, strong sense of beats, and of course – enjoyable and cute dance movements. Channel also employs "shock factor" once again, towards the end of the music video in the final chorus – where Miku gets completely mesmerized/hypnotized, and goes crazy-insane. This moment is popularly depicted in the countless fanarts of "Mesmerizer," a testament to its impact. Additionally, the MV has a lot of small details about it that has caused much intrigue and analysis regarding its story. Theorizing about the meaning of songs is a vital part of Vocaloid fan culture.
Project Sekai
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Project Sekai is a HUGE factor in the thriving nature of the Vocaloid scene as of 2020. Events like "Proseka Next" help smaller producers break out of niche and obscurity and helps boost their popularity. Such was the case for Satsuki, who won a "Proseka Next" event with their song "CIRCUS PANIC!!!"
"Proseka Next" isn't the only kind of event that helps boost producers. There's the regularly occurring "Vocaloid Collection," as well as demo songs and contests held for newly released voicebanks. Companies like Sega/Crypton and Kamitsubaki Studio regularly engage the community to give it vitality, and spark their creativity.
Although "Mesmerizer" is not a song for any contest or event, it's entirely possible that without "Proseka Next" and the preceding "CIRCUS PANIC!!!" song, Satsuki's "Mesmerizer" might not have been the breakout hit it became.
The Vocalists
Finally, the vocalists. Hatsune Miku VOCALOID4 and Kasane Teto Synthesizer V.
Although she hasn't received a vocal update in nearly a decade, Hatsune Miku V4X is still one of the most popularly used vocalists in the Vocaloid scene – after all, she's Hatsune Miku, who's only become more popular and recognizable to almost anyone on the Internet. Especially in recent years, many takes on Miku's design draw from her V4X design, and Mesmerizer Miku is no exception. Although V2 Miku has strong appeal in her thick hair shapes, V4X's thin hair is easier to draw, adapt to different artstyles, restyle, and reiterate. (This is just my opinion though, I do think V4X is the best Miku for how well she lends herself to derivatives versus her other designs. Also, I think for the case of Mesmerizer, V4 Miku is probably the easiest to animate... Other Miku styles might not have worked for the MV's favor.)
One of the defining factors of the 2020s Vocaloid scene is AI vocalsynth. AI vocalsynth sounds more realistic and is often easier to use than its predecessors. Probably the first notable AI is CeVIO's KAFU, who received plenty of usage since her demos in 2020 and her release in 2021. As someone who owns KAFU myself, I think she's one of the most beginner-friendly vocalsynths – her autopitch tuning is rather pleasant and easy to work with as a baseline, and her configuration quality/ease of use just feels better than other vocalists on CeVIO AI. She also has a great capability for high range, much thanks to KAF's own high note capabilities. On top of that, she has quite the unique vocal tone that makes her instantly recognizable. I think these are all reasons why KAFU is highly popular.
To succeed KAFU, enter Kasane Teto, a beloved UTAU vocalist and character from the beginnings of the Vocaloid scene – now updated for Synthesizer V AI. She shares a lot of traits with KAFU that lend to success – ease of use, good vocal quality, and recognizable voice. Also, both KAFU and Teto SV have origins from a pre-existing fanbase – KAFU in KAF's popularity, and Teto from being a pre-existing popular character. Teto's SV was highly hyped and well-received, causing an explosion in her usages. Of course, UTAU isn't everyone's cup of tea and can be hard to use, and Teto had only been receiving rather niche usages in the 2020s Vocaloid scene – at least, up until her SV came and revitalized her.
In fanon, Miku and Teto have a popular relationship or dynamic, being friends or rivals. To use them both together in "Mesmerizer" builds upon this dynamic and establishes an appealing familiarity. In addition, "Mesmerizer" has a strong overseas reach outside of Japan – since Miku and Teto have high recognizability and popularity therein as well (and also thanks to Channel's preceding viral works.)
(Characters like Adachi Rei, Zundamon, and KAFU are also popular, but lack popularity outside of Japan.)
Although Synthesizer V is known for realism, many Japanese producers use it in a way that reflects "Vocaloid-esque" or artificial charm, which Teto embodies in "Mesmerizer." This makes her voice match up to Miku's more, creating a great duet that doesn't sound too jarring – rather, complementary.
Wrapping-up Thoughts
"Mesmerizer" is a song that, in my opinion, embodies a lot of the things that define the Vocaloid culture of the early 2020s. As someone who's always been an avid advocate and fan of the new Vocaloid scene, it's been amazing to see it come this far and reach greater heights, especially overseas. I remember being frustrated or mad that a lot of overseas Vocaloid fans don't actually listen to 2020s Vocaloid, despite it being highly popular in Japan. But with "Mesmerizer," I have hopes things will start to change. I have hopes that overseas fans will listen to the richness, diversity, and greatness of 2020s Vocaloid. I have hopes they will be drawn into the scene and look forward to new releases by new producers. I have hopes that "Mesmerizer" will ignite new creativity in producers and artists in the future to come, to build a new era; continually contributing to the idea of a "new soundscape." I believe "Mesmerizer" is the defining mark of this era of Vocaloid, and maybe might even become the top defining song in the footnotes of Vocaloid history.
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maranigai · 2 months ago
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Mohg for the ask meme? 😅
Ah, Luminary Mohg my beloved...
favorite thing about them
Mohg's relations with love, both as a feeling and a concept. He's the person who has been denied any love (or any virtue) from the very beginning of his life, the person who has been abandoned, forsaken - and who was completely enraged and disgusted by it. So he believes that everyone deserves love, and care, and dignity - this is what he promises, sinserely, to his people, this is what his dynasty is for. And, of course, this is what leads to his downfall. His patron deity - an outer goddess of love and suffering - is a sadomasochistic, bloodthirsty abomination, but she grants strength, and how can Mohg deny the strength needed to protect those he loves? Or how can he not listen to his half-brother, who speaks of love, of compassion for all - even if his words are the charm that deprives Mohg of his own heart and will? He loved the world around him so much, no less, or maybe even more, than Morgott, but he refused to put up with its imperfections, its injustice and hypocricy - and first became a bloody monster himself, then lost it all to another monster, with similar motives, but much greater powers, which brings us...
least favorite thing about them
...to Mohg's death. Because he deserved better. Sure, he was a grim power, a servant of the goddess of torment, the leader of a murderous cult that killed and kidnapped people - and I can easily see why Mohg, despite all his original motives, deserved death... but not this death. Because it was such a cruel mockery of everything that was important to Mohg - love, dignity, freedom. It's not that I dislike the ending of his story because it's a bad plot or a writing issue... it's just too heartbreaking. Easily in the top-3 of all the FromSoft's Prepare-to-Cries for me.
favorite line
Ahh, I can see it, clear as day! The coming of our dynasty!
...I'm not crying (cries)
brOTP
Morgott, surely. Despite all of their contradictions, it was Morgott who had been with Mohg in the sewers all those years, it was Morgott who had lived through it all as Mohg had, it was Morgott - and only Morgott - who could truly understand him. Mohg might look up to Godwyn and love his dynasty with all his heart, but Morgott was his twin, his other half, inseparable. and all this is as true for Morgott himself as for Mohg
OTP
Ansbach, because my favourite trope strikes once again, lol. I've also seen some Radahn/Mohg post-dlc art... and honestly, there's something to it.
nOTP
Morgott. They're brothers, your honor! Also Miquella, because... well, I think I don't really need to explain it our lord Mohg deserved so much better
random headcanon
In terms of personality, Mohg resembles young pre-godhood Marika more than any other of her children. They also share an uncontrollable urge to make the least appropriate jokes in the least appropriate circumstances.
unpopular opinion
Mohg does care about the Golden Lineage, despite having founded his own dynasty. He's the eldest (after Godwyn's death) in his family, and he considers himself responsible for the rest of his relatives, feeling that he must protect them as Godwyn once did.
song i associate with them
Heather Dale - Prodigal Son (finally a musical association in a language that most people here understand!)
favorite picture of them
Once again, so many beautiful arts with Mohg. I guess for now I'll pick this art by motgarel
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Also a bonus mention of this art with this amazing veiled!Mogh by pumpumkins 
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