#only to check on the eurovision boyfriends

[naniyo]

me promising three weeks ago that after eurovision 2023 was over I’d return to normal

[timewillpasssoon]

hiii can you write a joost x female reader angst? they argue, he yells/says some mean stuff but it ends in fluff? 🫶

HOW COULD YOU?

pairing . Joost Klein x fem!reader

content . angst, the dutch in this is from google translate so if its bad lmk, mentions of yelling, insults, stress, alcohol, eurovision disqualification, fluff at the end

summary . when joost urges you to leave the house on a cold night, he starts to regret not opening up to you in the first place.

word count . 1.2k words , 6.5k characters

author's note . quick question, are y'all interested in nsfw? just wondering, if so send some ask.

You and Joost stood in the middle of the living room, tension crackling in the air, geting thicker and thicker as time passes by. His words cut through you like a knife, each one sharper than the last. For the past hour you've been trying to get Joost to eat and open up.. He would turn away and say he's not hungry. He'll say he's not hurting. He lies through his teeth, he was hungry and in pain, desperate need of help. So why doesn't he want it You? You tried to get him to open up to you, but you just couldn't. Everytime an attempt was made, he would slightly raise his voice.

Then finally, he yelled, his voice rising in frustration. Your eyes welled up with tears as you tried to hold back your own anger. "I'm your girlfriend, liefde! I'm here when you need someone to lean on!" You wanted to scream it out, yet it came out as a whisper, your voice cracking with emotion. He scoffed, his anger still beneath the surface.

"Well I don't need you! I am perfectly fine, there is nothing we need to talk about!"

"Can you atleast eat!?"

"For crying out loud I'm not hungry! Just stop being such a bitch."

The argument escalated, each word a dagger aimed at your heart. Joost's voice echoed off the walls, the last word hanging on your brain.

"You just don't get it, do you?" You looked at him in the eyes, rage and empathy were the only two things you could feel. "You clearly are in pain because of the disqualification! Just talk to me- we've been dating for 2 years, for crying out loud! Yet you still can't tell me your problems? Wat een man ben jij." (What a man you are.)

"You can't keep pretending like everything's okay when it's not!" Tears stung your eyes as you struggled to find what words to say.

"I thought we could work through this together." You uttered out, your voice trembling. Joost shook his head. "I don't know if we can," he admitted. He looked down, slowly then turning to the front door. "You should go."

You shake your head, words can't come out your mouth. Your tongue is tied together and you don't know if you can untie it. "Joost- please."

"I said get out. Ik wil je niet zien." (I don't want to see you.)

Your heart was throbbing so fast it felt louder than him,.Joost is staring at the front door then turns to you, red puffy eyes with baby tears coming out from both eyes. His blonde hair was a mess. It was covering most of his eyes but you can still see the pain in them.

"Prima." (Fine.) You take big steps yet they feel like your still miles away from your destination. You go to open the front door, "I hope you come to your senses."

Those were the last words he heard from you. Before you walked out. It's been two hours since you left his house...

and frankly, he's scared. He kicked you out in the middle of the night. It was eight pm when he demanded you to leave and with each second goes by, its past ten.

He calls you, he leaves voicemails, texts messages.

Still nothing. Checked social media and there was still nada.

God he felt awful, the worst boyfriend in the world. All of this happened because he didn't want to cry in your arms. He really did want to let loose, reveal that everything is not okay.

Yet he couldn't.

He didn't want to burden you with his problems anymore. Joost felt like he had too much baggage no one wanted to hear. He thought that everyone wants his happy-go-lucky side. You jusy wanted his true self. The Joost that is willing to tell you his feelings.

He decided to call one of your friends that happened to live by the neighborhood.

"Hello?"

"Is reader with you?"

The other line was quite crispy, Joost can hear a tv in the background, sounded like laughter in the back, maybe a comedy.

"No, why? Is everything alright?"

Joost sighed, fidgeting with a stand of hair. "No, me and her got into a fight and I made her leave- I haven't heard from her!" He exclaimed.

"Woah, woah, deep breaths." The friend on the line said, "Don't you have her location? Check if she's near the area, I'll stay on the line while you do that."

Joost quickly checked his phone to see if you turned off your location. You didn't, you forgot to. "She's in the nearest bar!" The friend hummed. "Go to her, she only drinks when she's stressed the hell out."

"Thank you so much," Joost happened to be crying again, quickly grabbing his keys and jacket. "No problem, get get her." The friend hung up on him as he raced to your location, being around eight minutes away if he ran the whole way.

He bolted as fast as he could, petrified about your safety. Where if you're black out drunk or not.

Pacing to the bar, precious seconds going by, he finally made it. it was one of the least popular bars near so there wasn't any hassle to get in. As he walked inside, he saw a women with the same color hair as you. Your head down on the table with around two shot glasses, there was three more earlier, the bartender just took them.

He sped-walked towards you, careful and still just incase you were still mad at him. He tapped you on your shoulder, but you didn't raise your head up.

"Ik heb een vriendje." (I have a boyfriend.) Was all you said. "I know." Joost calmly answered, his accent triggered you to lift your head up.

"Joost?" He nodded as he sat down next to you, his hand reaching for yours. You didn't push away his hand, as much as you wanted to, you knew he was in pain.

"Why are you here?" You softly say. You'll like to say you ignored him but you couldn't. You were certainly mad at him, but he had his reasons of sheltering himself away. So you listened instead of scolding.

"Reader, I'm so sorry- I didn't want to bother you with my problems. I feel like I just have too much going on for you to care." You felt destroyed at the thought of Joost think you don't care for him. Joost was rubbing circles on your palms.

He continued, "Can we go home, I would rather we talk there."

You smile at the chance of him opening up. You immediately say yes, standing up to leave. All your drinks were already paid for.

As the quiet, yet comfortable, walk back home he held you tight. Clinging onto your left arm for dear life. He still felt guilty for leaving you.

All alone in the streets. You told him it wasn't a big deal, that you could protect yourself. Yet the feeling guilt was still there, on his tongue. The taste was horrid.

Joost unlocked the door, letting you step inside first before closing the door behind him. That's where you engulfed him in a huge hug. Tears coming back for the fourth time.

That night ended with a deep conversation, with cuddles on the couch along with some ice cream half way eaten.

"I appreciate you having the courage to tell me all this."

You muttered your sentence out, about to knock out cold, your body longed for sleep but you kept awake for a bit while.

"I should thank you."

He smiled, tugging you closer to him. You can feel his hot breath breezing though the right side of your neck.

The warmth of each other's bodies made you two warm. You still weren't ready to give up on him.

You'll never give up on him.

LETSGOO FINISHED THIS IN 3 HOURS!! part 2 of let me think... is in the works don't worry, i have two other requests on the way as well.

im okay with nsfw requests, even if its a bit spicy or all the way. check out my other account!!

[shadowynn]

| the paradigm complex | five |

pairing: ot8 ateez x fem! reader

genre: yandere!vampire!cult!poly! ateez au

warnings: yandere behavior, some cursing, mentions of violence, manipulation, toxic relationships, mentions of blood

(also, wanted to run over one last warning/disclaimer/important note (??) but i just wanted to state for the record somewhere, that while consent might seem a bit dubious at times in this work, i want to make it clear that sexual consent will never be anything but absolutely clear. while, i don't plan on making any of my works very nsfw, things may be hinted towards at times. and though it's very clear that the relationships in this story are anything but healthy and people may be a bit grabby at times, consent will always be given. (and good, clear consent, not manipulated consent) just wanted to stick this in somewhere in case this is something that is triggering for you. if, and when, the reader sleeps with anyone in this work, they will do so fully consenting in their right mind.)

wordcount: 11.7k

a/n: okay, okay, first thing, first. go up and read the additional warning up above if you skipped it and ended up here. just an important note i wanted to talk about before this chapter. if you're done there, then the next thing i want to say is that i apologize for all the eurovision references in this part. i started writing this part shortly after the competition this year and couldn't stop myself from adding them in. if you're interested in which songs they are, i'll add a link here at the end of this with the playlist i pretty much listened to the whole time writing this chapter and imagine mc's hype up playlist to be. other than that, i guess i just want to once more thank you all for your support and love. i'm always so blown away by you all and could never express just how thankful i am for you all. as always, i hope you enjoy. <33

mc's hypelist

| four | five | six |

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

At first, you believed it to just be your anxiety getting the better of you, growing worse as Monday went on and crept closer to the time your ex-boyfriend would find the letter you left him. It wasn’t unnatural for you to feel sick when you were stressed, but it was never anything more than some mild nausea that passed once your nerves had settled. Not only did your nausea persist throughout the day and into the night, but it was slowly accompanied by a fever, uncontrollable chills, and terrible body aches.

The night was nothing short of a hazy, fever dream. You tossed and turned inside your bed, drifting in and out of sleep as your mind floated from one unfortunate series of events to the next, the dreams which haunted your head vivid enough for you to struggle determining them from reality.

When you finally woke up, you had been drenched in sweat and feeling much worse than you had the night before. Every single muscle in your body seemed to ache, and despite your body burning from the fever, you were terribly cold, shivering beneath the blankets you had piled over your body. Worse of all, your throat burned, but no matter how thirsty you felt, nothing stayed down for long. Even the smallest sip of water made your stomach roll, causing you to spend the majority of Tuesday wrapped up in a blanket on your bathroom floor. 

Wednesday went no differently than Tuesday. At some point in the haze, you thought you might have heard a knock at your front door, but you didn’t have the strength to get up from your corner in the bathroom to go downstairs and check. Your phone buzzed shortly after when a call came through, but you weren’t able to reach for it in time to answer, lost in the mound of blankets surrounding you. When you finally found it, you saw that it had been Mingi who had called alongside a plethora of other messages you had missed in your semi-concurrent state over the past day and a half. You thought about answering the text message he had left alongside the missed call, wanting to tell him you were fine, but your stomach rolled, forcing you to drop everything and empty whatever was left in your stomach at this point. 

“y/n?” 

The sound surprised you, but not quite as much as when your eyes glanced up and found a familiar figure standing in the open doorway to your bathroom.

“Mingi?” If it wasn’t for how terrible you currently felt, you might have felt self-conscious of your current physical state, but you didn’t have the energy to do so. Your brain could barely wrap around the fact Mingi had come into your apartment, let alone what sort of implications it might have had. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in.” He kept his distance from you when he spoke. “You weren’t answering your phone and I was worried, so when your door was unlocked...”

“No, it’s fine-” you began, but was cut off as a wave of nausea hit you once more. 

Mingi was at your side in a heartbeat, fingers tickling the back of your neck as he pulled your hair out of the way for you. Somewhere inside your mind you were aware of the action. Of how close he was to you and how embarrassing the interaction was for you, but his touch was cool against your feverish skin and you did little more but lean into it when he reached out for your forehead once your stomach had settled.

“Sorry, I’m-“

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” His voice was soft, hands brushing back the sweaty strands of hair stuck against your forehead. “You’re burning up, so why don’t we get you back into bed, huh?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, hands already moving downwards to help lift your body. “Then I’ll get you some water as well as something to help deal with the nausea.” 

You were too weak to argue, and far too out of it to feel embarrassed at the amount of support you needed from him to get back on your feet. He guided you the short distance over to your bed without complaint, maneuvering the blankets and pillows around to best support you. Once you were comfortably situated, he left you be for just a moment to go fetch the materials he had spoken of earlier.

It was hard to tell how long he was gone, having drifted off to sleep shortly after he left your side. You were only vaguely aware of someone gently shaking you awake later on, and helping you down whatever contents were in the bottle he brought. This time around, it went down with little resistance, cool and refreshing against your parched throat. 

“Don’t worry, love,” Mingi’s voice was soft as he spoke, hand once again hovering over your forehead, “it’ll all be over soon.” 

You weren’t sure when he left, or if he had ever even been there at all, drifting back to sleep shortly after. The dreams that followed were even stranger than the nights before, more vivid and intense than anything before, almost fully leading you to believe you had imagined Mingi being there. Everything about them felt real, down to the fingers that fluttered along your arms and legs, cool to the touch from the heat of your fever, and the lips that ghosted along after them. If you had been in your right mind, you might have been embarrassed by the contents, fully aware of just who your feverish mind had summoned into your head. But there was a strange sort of relief alongside them, and the liquid poured down your throat, fully satisfying the thirst that had consumed you earlier.

When you finally awoke late Thursday morning, you were surprised to discover your fever had finally started to ease. You didn’t feel fully back to normal yet, but you found yourself able to get around your room once more without the threat of passing out hovering over you. And for the first time in days, you were not only able to keep down the small snack you ate, but also stand long enough to take a shower and wash away the sweat and grime that had built up over the last few days.

You settled back into your bed after stepping out of the shower. You felt better than you had in days, no longer feeling as though you were on the verge of death, but the few actions you had done had still left you exhausted in your weakened state. You might have been on the road to recovery, but you would still have to take it easy over the next few days. 

You took the time to check your phone, briefly running through the notifications that had flooded it over the past few days. The majority of them were from Felix, but there were a few from Hongjoong and the others, including Mingi, who’s message indicated that he had been in your apartment the day before. The realization left a pit forming in your stomach, fully embarrassed by the interaction now that you had the capacity to do so. You couldn’t remember exactly what had occurred, but what little snippets you gathered only served to leave you blushing and pushing back his message to deal with later, if at all. 

Instead, you focused your attention towards Felix. He was at work for the afternoon, so you were unable to call him and let him know you had not been kidnapped and there was no reason to call the police, but you texted him a brief update on your status alongside a promise to call him later once he was free. Once he was taken care of, you had the others who had expressed concern in your absence to deal with. You quickly discovered there was at least one text from each of your new coworkers, littered with concern for your well-being and questions asking if there was anything they could do to help. Your cheeks once again tinted pink as you read through them, sinking further beneath your covers and opting to send a short update into the group chat to thank them and inform them you were feeling much better at the moment.

You spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, catching up on a few of the shows you had been watching before switching to a variety of random YouTube videos to pass the time. As much as you hated falling ill during the one week you had off from work, it was still nice to be able to rest and heal on your own time and without having to worry about missing work or anything else. 

It was evening by the time Felix called you, FaceTiming you to ensure you were doing as well as you said. You moved downstairs to the kitchen to talk with him, eager to get out of bed after being in it for so long and settling down at the island counter to snack on some crackers as the two of you talked.

You had been speaking for almost half an hour when there was a knock at the door, silencing the giggle Felix had pulled out of you. Your lips twisted as you turned your head towards the sound out of reflex, unsure who exactly was at your door. You hadn’t been expecting anyone, but you were pretty sure you could easily narrow the culprit down to one of eight people.

“Something wrong, n/n?” 

You shook your head, turning back to your phone propped up on the counter. “No, someone’s just at my door. Could you give me a second to see who it is and what they want?” That, you also had a relatively good idea for as well, nearly certain it was just one of your new neighbors coming to check up on you and see how you were doing. 

Before you did, however, you couldn’t stop your eyes from flickering to the edge of your screen where your own reflection lied. You couldn’t stop another frown from crossing your face, acutely aware of how rough you looked at the moment. You had dressed purely for comfort and hadn’t done anything else with your hair after taking a shower, simply letting it air dry. And while you knew it didn’t matter, the visit was definitely not anything beyond friendly, you still felt your self-esteem dropping the slightest. While you had no issues with Felix seeing you in your current state - you had been friends for years and fully comfortable around him - you were nowhere near that level of comfort with anyone who lived here yet. 

You straightened your hair as best you could before getting up from your seat to head over to the door, steadying yourself for just a few seconds when you got a little dizzy from getting up too quickly. 

“Seonghwa, hi.” You remained half hidden behind the door when you opened it, surprised to see the senior property manager at your doorstep despite knowing it was likely him or one of the others. 

“Hi,” Seonghwa returned your sentiment with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, considering I can now make it downstairs without passing out or throwing up, I’d say pretty good,” you joked, feeling oddly at ease in front of him. “I think I spent the majority of the past two days laying on the bathroom floor.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. We’ve all been worried about you, especially after the state Mingi found you in yesterday,” he replied, all but confirming your suspicions. Mingi had come over yesterday. “And I’m sorry about coming over unannounced, but I thought you might not be feeling up to cooking anything tonight, so I made you some soup.”

It took a minute for his words to process, and once they did, you struggled with a response. Seeing the thermos extended towards you left your stomach flipping; the kindness he was showing you making you freeze. It was one thing coming to check up on you, but this…

“Seonghwa.” Your arms crossed against your chest, fighting the strange urge to cry. After everything you had been through the past few days, the act of kindness hit you hard, not quite used to it. “Thank you.” You took the thermos from his hands, giving him a soft smile. “Do you want to come inside for a bit?”

“I’d like that.” Seonghwa nodded his appreciation, and you stepped out of the way to let him inside, closing the door behind him. 

Your mind briefly traveled over to the comment Felix had made the other day, the one where he was certain no guy would go this much out of the way for someone they were just seeking friendship with. But he had been wrong, right? That couldn’t have been true when each of them treated you with such kindness. It was just the type of people they were, right? 

You shook your head, finding the train of thought ridiculous. Of course they were just being friendly. 

“It’s not much yet, sorry, but there’s a chair at the island you can sit at.” You made your way back over to the kitchen, setting the thermos on the counter and trying not to let your insecurity of yourself or your lack of furnishings get the better of you. “Just give me a second to wrap up my call with Felix and I’ll be free.”

You grabbed your phone from off the counter, unmuting yourself so you could let Felix know what had happened and finish your conversation. “Sorry about that, Lix.” You took the further barstool at the island, settling back down. Despite feeling much better than earlier, your head still spun from standing too long. “Seonghwa stopped by to bring me some dinner. Would you like to say hi?” You were quick to add to let Felix know you were no longer alone, not wanting him to say anything about the situation that might embarrass you further. Of course that didn’t mean Felix wouldn’t still say something, but it would lower the severity of the next words out of his mouth. 

You were quick to notice the shift in Felix’s face, including the smirk that crossed his lips, but he refrained himself from whatever sarcastic remark you knew had just played through his mind. Hearing your conversation, Seonghwa approached you from behind, peering down at the screen in your hand from over your shoulder. You had a hard time resisting the shiver that ran down your spine as his hand came down to rest on the counter beside you. There was something different about him tonight that you couldn’t quite place, something that left your stomach fluttering. And had he always smelled this good before? A scent you couldn’t quite place, but had you unconsciously leaning back into him. 

“Hi!” Felix waved to the man standing behind you, the very man you hoped didn’t notice the subtle smirk he had sent your way beforehand. The way his eyes shifted between the two of you made your stomach twist. “I’m Felix. It’s nice to finally have a face to one of the names n/n keeps mentioning.”

You had to bite your lower lip to keep the rebuttal at bay, inwardly twisting at the implication of Felix’s remark. 

“All good things I hope,” Seonghwa chuckled, and was it just your imagination or had he moved in closer?

“Oh, no, it’s been nothing but terrible,” Felix replied, and you swiftly became aware of the mistake you had made in allowing the two to speak. “I mean, bringing her food, helping her unpack, checking up on her? What kind of person would do that?”

“Well, you can talk all about it tomorrow,” you interrupted their conversation as Seonghwa laughed behind you, hoping he didn’t see the pink tint on your cheeks in the lower image of the screen. “I should probably eat before the food gets cold, but I’ll see you tomorrow, Lix.”

Thankfully, Felix didn’t try to fight your attempt to get out of the awkward situation you had put yourself into. He simply nodded his agreement and stayed on long enough with you to finalize the plans for tomorrow before saying goodbye and returning the finger heart you gave him and ending the call. 

“I’m sorry about Felix.” The room fell silent as your screen went dark. You became fully aware you were now alone with Seonghwa and though you hadn’t given Felix too much time to embarrass you, you still felt some need to fill the silence and apologizing for your friend was the first thing to pop inside your mind. “He can be a bit much at times.”

“It’s fine.” Seonghwa shook his head, pulling back from you when you made to move yourself. “He seems like a good friend. How long have you known each other?”

“Ummm, a little over three years now, I think.” You thought over the question for just a moment, the years had mixed together over time. “We met shortly after I had moved to the city and just sort of clicked almost immediately. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him. He’s just about the only thing that’s kept me sane since then.”

You made to stand back up and grab yourself a bowl and utensils, but you must have gone a little too quickly as the motion left your head spinning once more. Seonghwa reacted quickly, hands wrapping around your waist to help steady you as you reached out for the counter in front of you for support. 

“Are you okay?” His voice sounded close, too close. Close enough to where you could feel his breath tickling your ear. 

“Yeah, just a little lightheaded is all.” Your breath hitched, overcome with the unnatural urge to close the distance between you. Your fingers tightened their grip on the counter in an attempt to steady them, lips parting momentarily as a newfound thirst overcame you. 

It was now that Seonghwa’s familiar scent finally clicked in your head, reminding you of your ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t quite the same, but the overarching sweetness of it was something that had long since been imprinted in your memory and nearly sent you reeling. 

“You should eat then,” his voice was soft, fingers digging momentarily into your waist before guiding you back down to the chair you had risen from. “The past few days have been rough on you and your body, so try and rest for now. I can get what you need.”

You nodded your head, sinking back down into your chair. He was right. Besides the little bit of food your stomach had been able to handle earlier, you hadn’t eaten anything in the last few days and were starting to feel the effects now that you had been getting up and about once more. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” Seonghwa looked back at you from the cabinet he was rummaging in. 

“I don’t know.” His response caught you off guard, causing you to squirm in your seat. “I guess I just feel a little bit like I’m inconveniencing you. I mean, you’ve all helped me so much these past few days and I can’t help but feel a little guilty about it all. I don’t want to be a burden to you or make you think I’m trying to take advantage of you in any way.”

“Is that all?” Seonghwa’s head tilted and you had a hard time reading the intent behind his words as you meekly nodded your confirmation. Perhaps it wasn’t everything that plagued you, but it was all you were willing to divulge at the moment. “Then you don’t have anything to apologize for.” He waved your concern away, closing the cabinet door once he found what he was looking for. “Life gets crazy every once in a while and we just try and do what we can to help each other out. I’m sure if the roles were reversed, you’d do the exact same thing, right? After all, you helped little Junseo without even knowing him, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah,“ You had forgotten about your interaction with Junseo on your first visit here. The act of helping him hadn’t even passed your mind since then. It had simply been the right thing to do, but this was different. You weren’t a defenseless little kid. You could take care of yourself. “but it’s-“

“y/n,” Seonghwa’s hand landed on your shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, “just let us take care of you, okay?”

Something about his expression resonated with you, leaving you with the sudden urge to do exactly what he said. Seonghwa wanted nothing more than to help you, to take care of you, so why were you trying to fight him on it? Why wouldn’t you just let him do it? What was the harm in it? You would both be happier in the long run. 

“Okay.” You nodded, body relaxing at the smile your response pulled from him. God, he really was beautiful, wasn’t he?

“Now, please, eat.” He pushed a bowl of soup towards you, pulling you from the daze you had fallen into. 

You picked up the spoon he had fetched for you, turning your gaze away. You had been staring again, hadn’t you? Had he noticed? Your eyes glanced back in his direction, using your hair to shield your gaze as best as you could. He must have. Why else would he be smirking right about now. 

Shit.

“Shit.” You repeated the curse out loud, but this time out of pure shock after tasting the soup Seonghwa had brought for you. “Seonghwa, this is amazing!” And you weren’t lying. His soup tasted heavenly and you had to restrain yourself from eating it too quickly. The last thing you wanted was to throw it all back up, a thought that had you blushing once more remembering your interaction with Mingi the day before. 

“Thank you.” Seonghwa’s chin came to rest against the palm of his hand as you continued to praise his cooking. Amusement overtook his features at your antics, but you weren’t paying enough attention to him at the moment to notice it. “I’m glad you enjoy it.”

This time you did notice it when you looked back up at him, causing you to swiftly look away once more. Your gaze went back down to the bowl in front of you, fiddling with the spoon while you inwardly cursed yourself. You could feel your appetite disappearing as your embarrassment took over, and you had to fight the urge to apologize once more. He would probably only call you out on it again, leaving you more flustered than you were already. 

If he noticed or minded your discomfort, he didn’t show it, carrying on your conversation with an ease that would have left you jealous if you hadn’t been on the receiving end of it. He asked you about your interests, your hobbies, what family you had left, and everything in between. And though you might have felt slightly uncomfortable in the beginning, you felt more at ease around him as the night went on, especially once he made you a cup of tea. 

You were struggling to keep your eyes open towards the end, but too enthralled in the moment to make any move to end it. There was something about him that was addicting, each easy smile and brush against your skin pulling you in deeper until his presence consumed your mind entirely. Never in your life had you wanted someone, needed someone, so completely and this desire left your head spinning. 

Perhaps somewhere deep inside your mind, you were aware something wasn’t quite right, conscious of the hazy state of your brain and inability to think clearly. But it was impossible for you to fully grasp this thought as he helped you back upstairs. His arm was wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you in close to him and making it impossible for you to not bury your face into him and let his scent consume you. 

Fingers danced across your skin, lips trailing along the curve of your neck. For a split second, the bliss was overtaken by a searing pain at your neck, causing your body to tense as the haze was momentarily broken. You reached for the figure over you, attempting to push them off as your panic overwhelmed you, only for your movements to still seconds later as soft reassurances were ushered against your lips. 

Everything was alright. Everything was just fine. You were safe here. Safe with him. He would take care of you. Give you everything you needed. All you had to do was let him. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Felix arrived at your apartment, he found you laying headfirst on top of your bed, the clothes you had been trying on previously discarded haphazardly around you. The music you had turned on in an attempt to hype yourself up for the night had taken a new turn as Luke Black’s voice echoed around the loft. The lyrics ‘I just want to sleep forever’ mirroring your own sentiment at the moment. 

“Nothing to wear?” Felix was silent at first, and you turned your head over in his direction to find him leaning against the banister near the stairs, eyeing you with cool amusement. 

“I don’t think I’m gonna go anymore, Lix,” you replied before burying your head back into your pillow, causing your next words to muffle. “Just tell them I’m still not feeling well.” It wasn’t a complete lie. The nausea that had built up from your anxiety for tonight certainly made you feel sick at the moment.

“And why not?” 

Whether he chose to ignore your second statement, or simply didn’t hear it from your position, you didn’t know, but his focus into your first statement made you sigh. In truth, you weren’t sure what had started it all. One moment you were pilfering through your closet in search of something to wear, dancing along to the music coming through your speakers, and the next you were curled up on top of your bed fighting the urge to break down. You supposed it had probably started with a stray thought, briefly wondering what your new friends would think of you in your first selection before your mind had cracked. Nothing worked after that, and you quickly began to pick out each and every insecurity the outfits you tried on would show.

As much as you hated yourself for it, you had a hard time holding back your attraction for each of the eight males who had entered your life within the past few weeks. Whether it was just natural or your body rebounding in an attempt to regain what you lost, you weren’t sure. But it didn’t matter. Not when you knew it would only lead to you setting yourself up for another heartbreak. Tonight’s intent was nothing more than friendly, an attempt to get to know you better and let you run wild and loosen up after your recent breakup. There was nothing romantic involved, none of them held an ounce of interest in you. And why would they? They were of a class way above you and it was unbelievably stupid for you to think anything otherwise. The sooner you wrapped your head around it, the better.

But you couldn’t. Your mind kept roaming to your time with Seonghwa the night before. All the two of you had done was talk, but it hadn’t stopped you from wondering, what if? And it clearly hadn’t stopped your mind from running wild in your sleep. 

“Because I don’t have anything to wear.” You tossed the thoughts away, thankful your face was hidden from view. As much as you trusted Felix, you didn’t feel like talking about how much your last relationship had crushed you and how the lingering effects of it still haunted you to this day. That was a conversation that would only lead to you feeling worse than you did at the moment, so you left it buried inside for the moment, deciding to instead focus on the issue that had sprung this fit on you in the first place.

Felix hummed. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

He pushed himself off the edge of the banister to approach your bed, causing you to take a quick peak at him as he began rifling between the discarded articles of clothing. He had gone all out tonight, opting for an all black outfit. His shirt was form fitting, drawing attention to his toned chest while his pants had a looser, cargo fit to them. It was completed with the oversized jacket of his that you loved and a pair of bulky combat boots. The only hint of color in the whole ensemble was the hair he had just dyed a few shades closer to platinum and the neon purple graphic liner ordaining his eyes.

Your stomach dropped as you took him in, wondering why everyone in your life was so attractive. The only reason you could ever imagine any of them stayed around you was to make them feel better about themselves. You were only there as a confidence booster, so they wouldn’t be the ugly friend in the mix. 

“What about this?” Felix asked, pulling up the pleated black skirt you had first pulled on nearly an hour ago. “You can wear it with that one-sleeved crop you have and then we can match.”

“I don’t know.” You frowned, knowing exactly which shirt he was talking about, but not quite feeling it in your current mindset. Not when it showed off so much of your figure, the very thing that had caused this spiral. “I tried it on earlier and I don’t think I’m feeling it tonight.”

“Well, what if I told you, you could wear my jacket over it?” His brow quirked and you had a hard time keeping your expression level as your eyes roamed over the jacket he was referring to. You did love that jacket. “That way you can cover up if you want to and take it off if you’re comfortable.”

“I don’t know-”

“I’ll do your liner too,” he added, pulling out a bag from one of his pockets and tossing it over to you.

Your lips twisted, having a hard time keeping a smile from forming as you took in Felix’s collection of neon eyeliner. “Fine, you have a deal, but,” you sighed, slowly picking yourself up into a seated position, “just help me make sure I don’t do anything crazy tonight, will you? I don’t want to make a fool of myself again or do anything I’ll regret in the morning.” Your mind trailed back to your first night here, still fully embarrassed by your actions that night. And though Hongjoong had told you, you hadn’t said or done anything, you couldn’t help but doubt him, almost fully convinced he had just told you that to spare you some embarrassment.

“You have my word.” Felix nodded, giving you a reassuring smile. “So, hurry up and go get dressed so I can finish your makeup. We’re running late.”

You pulled yourself out of bed, taking the skirt in Felix’s hand and pilfering around the rest of the scattered clothes for the top he had mentioned earlier. Once you had found both pieces, you made your way into the bathroom to change. While you felt slightly better after your conversation with Felix, you still couldn’t quite find your confidence back anymore. Your eyes still traveled across your figure in the mirror, wondering just what it was about you that was faulty? What was it that had made Jae seek comfort elsewhere? What was it that had driven him away?

“y/n?” You were distracted at the soft knock at the door, followed by Felix calling out to you. “You okay?”

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath to help settle your nerves. Tonight was about having fun, letting loose and celebrating the fact you had finally gotten out of the toxic relationship you had begun to think you were truly stuck in. Now was not the time to let his lies get the better of you. You couldn’t let him continue to haunt your life after finally becoming free. You needed to let him go and move on, fully enjoying this new side of life you had craved for so long. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” you replied, turning from the mirror and refusing to look at yourself any longer. Tonight was going to be fun. All you had to do was let yourself enjoy it for what it was: the beginning of new friendships and a new life altogether. “Just give me a second to do the rest of my makeup and then I’ll be ready.”

You didn’t spend too much time on it, deciding it best to keep your face fairly bare for the night. With Felix offering to do a fun graphic design on your eyes, you kept the rest of it light and neutral, not wanting to risk it running or smudging later on in the night. 

“You know, Lix,” you began a few minutes later, sitting up on the bathroom counter for Felix to complete your look for you, “if you would have told me six months ago I would have fallen in love with a man with a bowl cut and a green bolero jacket, I would have called you crazy. And yet, here we are.” You did your best to keep your face still as he worked, but you couldn’t stop the giggle that followed your words. The current song blasting through your speakers was the direct inspiration for the color you had opted for tonight and your former sentiment. “I think my heart has quite literally been stolen away.”

Felix snickered, taking a step back to check your line and see if it needed to be touched up anywhere. “Kaarija does have a certain charm about him, doesn’t he?” he hummed, grabbing the green liner again to fix a spot he found on your left eye. “There, all done.”

He stepped back once more, taking a few moments to appreciate his work before having you turn around and see if for yourself. You couldn’t keep the smile off your face as you took in your appearance, the bright green of the liner bringing the attention straight to your eyes from your otherwise all black look.

“It looks great!” You admired the design for a few more seconds, once again envious of his superior makeup skills. Despite being the more artistic one between the two of you, his ability in this field far outweighed your own. “You’re the best, y’know?” You jumped down from the counter, taking just a moment to straighten your skirt back out and fix the edge of your collar that was digging into your neck. “Now, your jacket, please?” You turned back towards him, extending your hand for the article of clothing he had promised you earlier.

“In a moment.” Felix stopped you with his index finger, picking his phone up off the counter and waving it over at you. “Pictures first.” 

You rolled your eyes, fighting the urge to argue with him. It wasn’t going to get you anywhere. When it came to pictures, Felix was worse than your mother had been growing up. Any attempt at fighting it would only lead to him taking pictures that would only serve to embarrass you later. 

“C’mon, we have to record this momentous event,” he replied, taking quick note of your outward distaste for it. “Plus, I look good, you look good- No, I’m serious, y/n.” His hand reached for your shoulder, leaning down to match your height. “And I’m not saying that just because I’m your best friend or because I did an amazing job on your makeup. You look good. Really good. You’re not going to be lacking any dance partners or having to buy any drinks tonight-”

“Shut up.” You shove Felix away from you, trying to hide the smile and blush he pulled out of you. You didn’t believe his words, not truly, but the compliments still left your stomach fluttering.

Once Felix was satisfied, you demanded his jacket once more. This time he didn’t try to fight you on it, glady shrugging the piece off and handing it over to you. You took it greedily, feeling more confident than you had all night once the oversized fit of it helped to hide the shape of your body. It was still summer, and you knew it would quickly heat up once you got inside the club, but you figured you would be able to last until you had one or two drinks in you, letting the alcohol give you the courage you currently lacked without it.

“Y’know,” you began once you turned back to Felix, taking in his outfit with new appreciation. “You could make a pretty good Leon cosplay with that.”

“You think?” Felix turned back to the mirror beside you, considering your words as he looked over his outfit one last time, running a hand through his hair. “Hmm, you’re right. Maybe next con, then? You could always be Ashley.”

You shook your head. “If we’re going that route, I think I’d prefer Ada. Her dress in the new remake is very pretty.” Now that you were ready, you grabbed your phone back off the counter to let the others know you would be downstairs to meet them in just a few minutes.

Any confidence you had managed to build up in the last few minutes slowly faded away as you read through the few messages you had missed, wondering if you were really mentally ready for tonight. The nerves you had carefully locked away now returned in full force, leaving you itching to call out sick once more.

Why were they doing this? You fully understood Felix’s intentions when he had asked Hongjoong if they wanted to join you two, but why had he accepted the offer? Why had any of them accepted the offer? Felix hadn’t exactly been the most subtle about it when he had invited them, so why did they seem so enthused about going? 

You didn’t understand it. You didn’t understand them. Why were they so nice to you? Why were they so friendly towards you? Always ready to help at a moment’s notice. You weren’t anything special. Nothing worth the attention they seemed so keen to give you. So, why? Why did they do it?

“You ready, n/n?” Felix asked, pulling your head from your phone as he gathered up the few possessions he had brought with him. 

“Ready.” You nodded, quickly hitting send before pocketing your phone. You were hardly ready, but you doubted you would ever be ready to put yourself out there once more.

You took one last deep breath as you followed Felix down the hall, preparing yourself for the night’s events. Tonight was going to be fun. After all, in one way or another, it was all about you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Your nails tapped against the back of your phone case, fighting the urge to turn it around and check it once more. There was nothing to check, no notification or reason to open it up and look, but the need to find something to occupy yourself and give your fidgeting hands something to do was overwhelming. You had already shuffled through the phone several times in your hand, opening the screen up only to turn it off moments later when you realized you had nothing to do. 

The original intention had been to walk. The club was just a few streets down from your new apartment, but a steady rain had begun to fall, leaving you no choice but to make the short drive over there instead. You had thought it wouldn’t have been any big deal, but Felix had called shotgun the moment you had neared Mingi’s car - the wink that followed all but telling the intent behind it. The awkward conversation that followed left you offering to take the middle seat in the back, stuck between Yeosang and Jongho. You tried not to let it get to you, but your nerves were already high, and neither of the men beside you were particularly shy when it came to space. More pictures were taken, and though you couldn’t fathom why they wanted you in them too, you were squeezed in between them without a second thought. This combined with the looks Felix gave you in the rear view mirror while he chatted with Mingi only served to fuel your flustered state. 

Though fall was right around the corner, it was warmer than you had expected to be, and it didn’t take long in your trip to start growing hot from the jacket you had borrowed for the night. The drive was supposed to be a few minutes, but the streets were riddled with traffic and you eventually found yourself shrugging out of it when you couldn’t stand the heat any longer. 

Though you had passed by the Illusion on your way to and from your new apartment before, you had never seen it in full swing on the weekend before. Despite being highly exclusive, the line to get inside wrapped around the block, and you couldn’t help but wonder how long you would spend waiting outside in the rain and whether or not it would be worth it. Before you could voice your concern, however, Mingi had pulled the car to the side and Yeosang had pulled you out behind him, sharing his jacket with you to help shield you from the rain. Yeosang didn’t give the line a passing glance, guiding you towards the bouncer stationed at the front. He didn’t say a word as your group approached, letting you through with nothing more than a curious glance in your direction. 

You barely had time to take in the interior of the club before a hand was at the base of your back. The contact made you jump, afraid of who had gotten close to you already, but when you turned your head, you found it was only San. 

“This way.” His head tilted to the stairs at your left a few feet ahead of you before he used the grip he had on you to lead you towards them. There was another bouncer standing guard at the base, but he only gave San a small nod as you moved past him, making you wonder just what sort of connections Hongjoong had with the owner to have this sort of access. 

It was quieter upstairs, and you quickly became aware of the difference in air up here. Though only a few people roamed the premises - all who weren’t even trying to be subtle in their assessment of your figure tucked next to San - it was clear they were all of a class far different than your own. The clothes, the jewelry, hell, the mere way they held themselves, made you instantly aware of the fact you didn’t belong here. The cheap material of your clothes stuck out like a sore thumb, and it took everything in you to not disappear from view. 

San’s hand slipped further around your waist, fingers digging into your hip as he guided you past the bar and towards a private seating area back in the corner. It was set aside from the rest of the upstairs area, strategically set up between walls so it was given a bit of privacy from the other patrons milling about. A couch took up the majority of the space, looking out at the main floor beneath you. It was here that San dragged you to, pulling you down in the corner beside him. 

“Seonghwa and Yunho are getting the first round.” Wooyoung plopped himself down in the empty spot next to you before you had a chance to create some distance between yourself and San, effectively enclosing you in between them for the time being.

“Oh, okay. Just let me know how much I owe each of you and I’ll-“

“Don’t worry about it,” San replied before you had a chance to finish. “It’s our treat.”

“But-“ You understood the attempt to cheer you up, but you also weren’t a charity case. You didn’t need their help with everything. You could pay for your own drinks. 

“C’mon,” Wooyoung pouted, leaning in ever so closer to you. Just like Seonghwa from the night before and the two you had been trapped in between in the car earlier, he and San smelled good. There was a distinct difference to each of them, but the same undertones were there. Something distinctly sweet, effectively pulling you in. Your body subconsciously mirrored his movements, leaning further into him. “Won’t you let us buy you a few drinks?”

Your head nodded on its own accord, wondering why you had been opposed to it in the first place. There was no harm in letting them buy you a few drinks, now was there? Not when they were the ones offering. 

You weren’t sure exactly what drink Yunho had gotten you when it was passed down your way, but you weren’t about to complain when it was free. All it took was one sip to realize there was nothing to worry about. Whatever fruity cocktail they had gotten you satiated a thirst you weren’t even aware of, causing you to down the contents far quicker than you should have. 

Wooyoung was the first one to ask you to dance. You didn’t know exactly how to take the request, stomach fluttering as his head bent down towards your own. You wanted to, truly you did, but you didn’t think you had the confidence to do so. His intent was probably just friendly, but it couldn’t stop a wave of nerves from flooding through you at the idea. There was no way you could get that close to him without panicking, and if you panicked, god. That was a whole other disaster to contend with. 

So, you did your best to politely decline his offer, saying you were fine sitting here for the time being. And was it just your imagination or did Wooyoung seem upset by your answer? You didn’t have too much time to contemplate the matter, your attention quickly stolen elsewhere when another drink was passed down to you.  

You drank this one more slowly, already feeling the effects of the first one. For a brief moment, you thought something about it was a bit off, finding it strange to feel this tipsy after only one drink. You also wondered where Felix had gotten to, not seeing him in the sea of people around you and feeling a bit antsy by yourself, but both thoughts passed quickly when a question from Jongho pulled your attention to him and leaned further into San beside you. 

He was also asking if you wanted to dance, but you shyly shook your head, giggling some excuse about not being very good and hoping your face wasn’t quite as red as it felt. All the while, you found yourself sinking even further into San’s grip, whose hand was trailing along the length of your thigh as you finished the rest of your second glass. 

A part of you was somewhat aware of your current state, yelling at yourself to pick yourself back up and create some distance, but San’s other arm had crept around your waist and his presence was so warm and reassuring, you didn’t have the strength to do so. The way his fingers dug into the skin of your waist all but telling you everything was just fine. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to dance, pretty?”

San’s question made you stop for just a second, wondering whether you did want to dance or not. You were pretty sure you did, but the thought made your stomach flip once more. He didn’t actually want to dance with you, did he? He was only asking to be nice. To be polite. Because who else in this place was going to want to?

So, then, what did it matter if you went with him? What did it matter if you embarrassed yourself in front of them? It wouldn’t change the outcome of the night?  So, maybe you should go out there and enjoy yourself.

“Hongjoong, darling, you didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.” 

Whatever response you were going to give San fell away at the new voice, finding a woman alongside Mingi and Seonghwa as they made their way back from the bar. She was older than you by a few years and though her features were sharp, there was a certain poise about her that drew the attention of the room towards her. She held herself with a confidence foreign to you, made complete by the immaculate way she dressed, easily worth more than your entire wardrobe combined. Her attention was focused on Hongjoong a few people down from you, eyes barely passing over the rest of the group as she sat down next to him.  

You didn’t catch Hongjoong’s reply, distracted by the drink that was passed your way once more. For just a moment, you were vaguely aware that no one else seemed to be having quite as many drinks as you, but the thought was gone as quickly as it came when you caught a whiff of the drink. 

“y/n.” San attempted to pull your attention back to him, repeating the question he had asked before. 

Your brow furrowed, eyes glancing over at the woman now sitting next to Hongjoong. You were distinctly aware of the way she was leaning into him and the way her nails traced along his arm. It left a pit beginning to grow inside your stomach, especially when her eyes caught hold of yours and a smirk appeared. And despite the attention you were getting from the others, you could feel your confidence waning, fully aware someone like her was miles above you. 

“Sorry, will you excuse me for a moment?” 

You set your half-empty drink on the table in front of you, pulling yourself out of San’s grasp. Getting up left your head spinning, and you stumbled across the floor. Where exactly you were heading, you weren’t sure. You just needed to get out of there for a second and clear your mind before your panic overtook you. 

Coming here had been a terrible idea. You should have stayed home? Why hadn’t you stayed home? You weren’t ready, not yet. You knew something like this was bound to happen, so why had it bothered you so much? Because you had secretly held on to some hope that one of their actions had been more than friendly? Or because you had been reminded how beneath everyone you were? How it was stupid to think anyone would ever like you.

“Woah, careful there.” 

Hands caught your stumbling form at the bottom of the stairs, steadying you. You looked up, the apology at the tip of your tongue disappearing when you saw the man that had caught you. His figure towered over you, dark eyes peeking out between strands of hair dyed a bright teal. And though the lower half of his face was covered by a black mask, you had a pretty good idea of the beauty that must have laid beneath.

“Well, aren’t you just something special?” His head tilted as he assessed your features, dark eyes running unabashedly along your features. Fingers brushed back the hair at your neck as he leaned further down, breathing you in. “Hmm, maybe I should have taken you when I had the chance.”

“Jiwoon,” the man’s head snapped up at the voice behind you, eyes widening momentarily at the hand that was suddenly at his throat, “what do you think you’re doing? Get your fucking hands off of her.”

Despite the venom lacing their words and the hand at his throat, Jiwoon seemed unperturbed. He simply eyed the figure behind you with cool amusement before pointedly stepping away from you and raising his hands to signify he had done what was asked of him to remove the grip they had on him

“There’s no need to get all worked up, Yeosang.” Jiwoon’s hands were quickly replaced by another as he replied, encircling your waist and bringing you back into him. You had a hard time focusing on his words, mind preoccupied by the familiar scent that surrounded you in that moment. “I was simply helping the poor girl. Seems like she’s had quite a bit to drink tonight.” His eyes focused back onto you, taking note of the way your head had buried itself into Yeosang’s neck.

Something had upset you earlier, hadn’t it? But what? You couldn’t quite remember what had dragged you away anymore. 

“Consider yourself lucky I’m the one who came to fetch her. I don’t think some of the others would take as kindly to seeing your fangs that close to her neck.” 

“Whatever you say.” Jiwoon shrugged, brushing past the two of you to head upstairs. “Unlike some of the other vermin in this city, I do know my place. You have nothing to fear from me.”

"Are you okay, pretty?" Yeosang tugged you out from him, inspecting the skin along your throat where Jiwoon's face had been. "As much as I hate to admit it, Jiwoon was right. You've had quite a bit to drink tonight and it's dangerous to be on your own in this state. Who knows who might try to take advantage of you."

"I'm sorry, I just..." Just what? You had left for some reason hadn't you, but what had that been? Why had you left so suddenly? You searched for the answer in your memory, but came up short.

"No one's judging you, sweetheart." Yeosang's eyes met yours once he was satisfied with his assessment. "You can drink all you want. Just make sure you stick with one of us, 'kay? Especially if you want to come down to dance." At your confirmation, his eyes briefly traveled to the area behind you. "Is that why you came down here, n/n? Do you want to dance?"

No, you didn't think so, but then again, you couldn't remember your reasoning for leaving anymore. Perhaps Yeosang was right. Perhaps that was why you had left. Perhaps you had wanted to come dance.

One look at Yeosang was all it took for confirmation, and you shyly nodded your head at his question. The smile your response pulled out of him left your heart fluttering, masking any former reservations you might have had for the act as he pulled you along after him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“She has no idea, does she?”

It took all Hongjoong’s will to look up from your figure on the floor below, having finally been able to coax you out to the dance floor after several drinks. He couldn’t understand your timid denial to their advances from the first half of the trip, unable to work out why you were so persistent to stay in the shadows when you could move like that.

Yeosang had been the first to pull you out there, a fact San was heavily upset over seeing how close he had been at getting you to agree and fully blamed him for. I had her, San had pouted when Yeosang had begun to gloat over his victory earlier, and then you just had to let that stupid witch get close to you. 

Hongjoong hadn’t put much merit into his words, finding it nothing more than San grasping at straws when you had refused him, but he couldn’t wonder if perhaps there had been some merit to San’s words at the expression that crossed your face when he had stolen you from Yunho earlier. The hesitation and slight disbelief in your eyes as he pulled you in next to him did make him falter for a split second, feeling almost guilty for not doing anything about Yunjin’s obvious advances. You had left without explanation when Yunjin had appeared, after all. But the guilt only strayed for a second, quickly replaced by the satisfaction he felt at knowing he had that sort of hold over you, for knowing you were struggling to hold your attraction for him at bay.

He hadn’t gotten you for nearly as long as he had wanted, having you tugged away shortly after when San had come back for you. You were still currently tucked against his side at the moment, with Wooyoung pressed tightly on the other side of you. Though you had been nervous and flighty with the contact earlier in the night, your inhibitions had long since left you from the blood they had filled you with, and the sensual sway of your hips not only enticed the two men holding you, but anyone else who was watching.

And watching, they were.

The Illusion mainly catered to those nonhuman, and though the club had its fair share of humans that milled the premises on a given night for the right price, the majority of the patrons here tonight were fully aware of who he and his brothers were and did their best to keep their distance. This didn’t, however, keep their eyes from traveling to you, and though no one dared to approach you, their curiosity was impossible to contain. He didn’t mind. Quite the opposite really, taking full pleasure in knowing how they wished you would have been theirs. They were more than welcome to look all they wanted, just as long as they didn’t touch.

“No idea about what?” Hongjoong set his glass down, unable to quite stomach it. Despite having spent years collecting the highest quality blood, it all paled in comparison to your own now. And though you were one floor down and surrounded by a crowd of people, your blood still sung to him, all but begging for him to come and have another taste.

“I guess I can’t really blame you,” she sighed, swirling the contents of her drink. “From what I’ve been told, it’s all the more enticing when they’re kept in the dark.” Her eyes flickered downstairs to where her partner was currently entangled with Felix. Just like they had predicted, the blonde had caught the eyes of both Yunjin and Jiwoon the moment their group had stepped foot inside the club. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t able to get in on the fun tonight and was left on her own. Felix’s eyes had only been for the blue haired man at her side. “But one of Maeve's children? How did you find her?”

“You tell us.” It was Yunho further down the couch who spoke, the first to broach the matter they had discovered earlier on in the night. “You’ve been dabbling with her blood for quite some time now, haven’t you?”

They had always wondered just where she was getting her supply, but they had never bothered to pry into her affairs that far before. Though they had had their differences in the past, they did trust her. But when Yunho had discovered a stock of you blood in her storage when he dropped off her most recent order of blood, however, they had all quickly begun to connect the dots together. Yunjin and Jiwoon had known you were in the city for years and yet, they had kept their mouths shut.

“I wasn’t aware that it was a crime.” Her expression remained neutral, but he could hear her heartbeat begin to flutter, scent increasing momentarily at the accusation.

“It’s not.” Yunjin had broken no laws in dabbling with the trade of your blood, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t frustrated with her on the matter. “I’m just disappointed you never told us about it.” He leaned back in his seat, eyes traveling once more to your figure. For a brief moment your eyes opened and caught his, and the smile that crossed your lips was the last straw. He motioned to Seonghwa next to him, who took off without needing any further instruction. “I thought we were friends.”

“Aren’t we though, Joongie, dear?” She shifted her body towards him, tracing a manicured hand along his shoulder. “After all, haven’t I always had your back in the past?” The nails traveled to the back of his neck, tracing along the edge of the tattoo peaking past his collar; the very tattoo she had etched upon his skin nearly two centuries ago and the very same tattoo she had given to the rest of them years later as his coven grew.

He didn’t bother removing her hand from him, instead taking the moment to grab hold of her chin and pull her face even closer to his own. “I won’t deny you’ve been a very loyal pet over the years, my darling, Yunjin.” He relished the way her lips twitched at the word, unable to fully mask her annoyance. Although he had always treated her as an equal in the past, they were very much aware just who was in charge. “And I always make sure to take care of my pets, now don’t I? Have I ever failed you yet?”

“No,” she hummed, trying hard to hide her frustration, “I suppose not.”

Movement caught the corner of his eye and he let her go as your figure tumbled into the room beside Seonghwa. His arm was wrapped tightly around your waist, keeping your stumbling figure upright. Though the alcohol content in your drinks had been light, the blood they had mixed into them had done you in, getting rid of your inhibitions and allowing you to act on your most primal needs when it came to them. It left you clinging to Seonghwa’s side, burying your head against his chest.

“y/n.” His voice was low as he called out to you, taking full pleasure in the shy smile that peaked its way out as you turned towards him. He extended his hand out towards you, beckoning you over to him. With Seonghwa’s help, you took it, collapsing down on top of him when he tugged you forward.

There was little resistance from you now, folding yourself up against him. “You smell nice, ‘Joong.” Your words mumbled against his neck, sending a jolt down his spine.

Despite hearing about the bond shared between vampires and your kind, he had no idea the true extent of it until he had finally felt it for himself. The pull had been strong before you had been tied to them, but it was something else altogether now. Everything about you had been fully designed with his kind in mind, lulling him to come and take you all for himself.

“Are you having fun, love?” 

He brushed your hair out of the way, fingers trailing along the side of your neck. The shirt you had chosen for the night had covered it up in the beginning, but it hadn’t taken them long to fix that little problem. Yeosang had ripped the fabric away the moment you had allowed him to get in close to you, leaving the neckline torn and the shirt now ruined from the frayed ends of the collar. 

And despite the numerous feedings done upon you tonight by each of them, the skin beneath his touch was smooth and unblemished. All it took was a few drops of their own to heal you right up, making it all the easier for them to pretend it had been nothing more than a dream.

“Mmhmm, but I think I might need another drink. I’m thirsty.”

He wasn’t surprised by your statement. None of them had done much to restrain themselves tonight, and though your kind’s blood replenished itself far faster than any human, you had been drained far more than you could keep up with on your own. That was where their blood came in once again, speeding up the process even more.

“Is that so?” His fingers dug into the hair at the base of your neck, pulling your head away from him momentarily. With his other hand, he quickly nicked the area of his skin where your mouth had just been. “Go on then.”

For a split second, your brow bunched up, taken back by the display. Even in your dazed state, this hadn’t been what you meant when you had asked for a drink and he could see the attempt your mind made to break through the haze they had created. But the panic was short lived with a gentle murmur of encouragement from himself. Your mouth collided with his throat, greedily lapping up the blood before his body healed the injury for him.

“She certainly is a pretty, little thing, isn’t she?” Jiwoon had appeared in the doorway, eyes shining as he took in your figure. Felix was no longer in sight and Hongjoong could only suppose the vampire had finally started to lose interest once he had gotten his fill of the boy tonight. He leaned down on the couch behind Yunjin, draping his arms around her shoulders and giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. 

“And you would know, now wouldn’t you?” Yeosang growled, glaring at the man across the room. “You got quite the look at her earlier.”

“You did, did you?” This caught all of their attention, but Seonghwa was the first to speak. 

“Can you blame me?” Jiwoon shrugged, unaffected by the accusation. “I’ve never seen one of Maeve’s descendants in person before. How ever did you manage it?”

“She came to us all on her own, no thanks to you two.” Seonghwa settled back into his seat, hand running down the length of your calf. Hongjoong could see the jealousy his oldest friend attempted to mask, but he didn’t feel any guilt towards having you at the moment. Seonghwa had had his fun with you all by himself the night before. “Waltzed right on in without the slightest idea of just what she had gotten herself into.”

“She just walked in?”

“Your old seller had no idea just what he held in his hands.” Hongjoong replied, relishing in the feel of your hands playing with the ends of his hair. Now that you were no longer quite as thirsty, you made yourself comfortable in his lap, resting after the time you had spent dancing. “If he had, he would have never let her run wild like he did. He would have kept her close and done everything he could to make sure she stayed.”

“I always knew he was nothing more than a child,” Yunjin murmured, eyeing your figure on top of him, “but I did think he had enough common sense to piece things together. But then again,” her smile returned, leaning back into her lover, “I was undercharging him quite a bit and he never said a word. Made an absolute fortune off of him.”

So that was why she had kept her mouth shut. The moment she let them know of your presence, she would have lost out on a fortune. And if there was one thing Yunjin cared more than anything, it was a golden opportunity to benefit herself. Jiwoon must have only gone along with it because they both knew what would have happened whenever they found out. The temptation must have been great, but he prized his life much more than having you at his side. He knew what would have happened if they found out he had bonded you to himself. Once the contract was in place, there was only one way to break it, after all. 

“He’s dead, then?”

“Not yet.” He shook his head, careful in his movements now that your movements had stilled and your eyes had closed. He wasn’t surprised; they hadn’t particularly gone easy on your body or mind tonight. And though their blood helped in some ways, you had to have been drained. “We still have a use for him.” 

In the beginning, Hongjoong hadn’t cared whether the man lived or died. Of course, in the end, he would die. He hadn’t been given permission to turn, and none of them felt any inclination to bend the rules for him, especially after discovering just how he had treated you over the past few years. So, they would leave him be for now. And then, once they had fully won you over and his use had been completed, they would get rid of him. 

“…But, then how-“

“Their blood may have been exchanged, but she was never contractually bound to him. He had enough understanding to know how valuable her blood was and to make sure he fed her his blood, but was fucking clueless when it came to knowing just what he had in his hands.” Seonghwa sighed, leaning back in his seat now that he had no chance of stealing you away from him. 

Hongjoong’s eyes trailed back down to your sleeping figure as the conversation turned towards business; Yunjin wondering whether or not she could count on them to keep her supply of your blood in stock. She had been right when she had said things were all the more thrilling when they didn’t know what exactly was going on, but ignorance would only work for so long on you. Whether it was a few months or a few years, eventually the truth would come out. And when it did, he didn’t doubt it would end up ugly. But no matter how much you fought or struggled, it didn’t matter. You were theirs now. Nothing you did could or would separate yourself from them now. They had made sure of it. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

taglists will be added in reblogs :) if you don't see yourself tagged, it might be because i missed you (which is a complete possibility as i do tend to miss a few. the easiest way to make sure i didn't is to send an ask!)

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! I absolute LOVE this blog and is my fav!!!!

I hope you all are having a good day :)

I was hoping if you could have some ariracrow Singer AU

(Maybe azi is more classical and an oposite of crowley?) anything is fine, really

Thank you!!!

💚

Hi! We have a #musician crowley tag with plenty of fics, so check that out. Here are some where one or both of them is a singer...

Black Mackerel by Phoenix_Soar (T)

Aziraphale, who'd been hoping to break out as a solo ballad singer, didn't expect to debut in an idol pop group. He especially didn't expect to be "shipped" with Crowley, one of the rappers and the person most unlike him... OR: The "Aziraphale and Crowley are in a K-pop style idol group" crack fic the author never imagined she'd write

Music and Love Everywhere by IneffableDoll (T)

Anathema drags her friend, Aziraphale, to a rock concert. Turns out, the redheaded lead singer is exceptionally pretty…

smash your competition, baby by KissMyAsthma (E)

Aziraphale and Crowley compete for the title of their country’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Being rivals seems to only heat up the atmosphere between them, and when the excitement and adrenaline after their performances take over, they work off some of their post-performance high together.

Striking Chords by Ambra_Sue (M)

Anthony Crowley is a country singer a couple of years off his latest almost-hit, itching for something to change. He’s done his best to outrun his demons, but it’s not until he runs into an intriguing blond angel of a man that things start to fall into place. Aziraphale has a successful career, close friends, and more than enough money, but there’s still something missing. When an unexpected arrangement with reckless, ‘work-hard-play-harder’ Crowley crops up, his well-ordered world is changed forever. Can they balance career goals and feelings, and find the perfect rhythm together? Country music AU! This fic was meant for Pride month, and because of that I'll be reccing LGBTQ+ country music artists on each chapter. I built this fic on short chapters to cover as many artists as possible.

Empty Orchestra by Fallinfromgrace (E)

Ezra has never been a fan of modern music, it just didn't have the same feel as classical music. That would all change when he meet his best friend, Anathema, for drinks at a local bar with an Open Mic night to meet her new boyfriend. The moment the first singer steps out onto the stage Ezra was entranced. Who is this beautiful man, and why does he look so sad? Crowley was not in a good place and he knew it. He loved his work, especially since it allowed him to do the one thing keeping him sane, sing. But he's been out of the game for a few weeks now. Ever since his boyfriend betrayed him, leaving Crowley feeling broken and all alone. But things start to look up when he sees a beautiful Angel sitting at the bar. When he sees him again the next week he can't help but wonder what he might be like. Could he be the one to help Crowley mend his broken heart?

Till I Saw You by curiouswriterkr (E)

Crowley is a burned out chef recovering from adrenal fatigue in Tadfield. Aziraphale, a gifted musician with a big, soft heart, happens to be performing one evening at an open mic. Their eyes collide and inevitably, so do their lives, helping each other step into healing, truth and more joy.

- Mod D

[maxdibert]

Hi! I know this isn't a question about any fandom, and I would understand if you didn't want to answer it, but I’ve been studying spanish for a year now, and my teacher is from Málaga, so we study european spanish. Could you recommend any spanish music groups? It would really help me improve my listening and also for translating the lyrics. I'm not sure if you respond to these kinds of requests, so it’s fine if you don’t want to. I love your blog, by the way. I've been following you for a couple of weeks, and I really enjoy your character analyses <3

Hiiiii! Of course! No problem, I mean, it’s fine if I get questions that aren’t about fandoms, I’ve answered some random things before, so no worries at all. Instead of groups, I’ll give you some songs. Keep in mind that Spanish music has a lot of slang, set phrases, and typical filler words from here. There are also different accents. I guess it will be helpful for improving your Spanish, but I mention it so you know it’s not academic Spanish at all. I’ll leave you some songs I really like, some older ones and some more modern. Sorry for the delay in replying, but I haven’t had time to sit down and look them up recently. I hope this helps, and if you want any recommendations for series or films, feel free to ask as well! This is the last song from Rigoberta Bandini, she's awesome, all her lyrics had a very feminist background. You can check all her music because is pretty good. I like her a lot, btw this is her latest single is about empowering Pamela Anderson's figure and against the slut-shaming she suffered in the past. And it's a total boop!

Entre poetas y presos by La Raíz, an alternative rock band i used to listen a lot during my university years. They were very political and this song is a critic from the right wing people and talks about some spanish political issues. By the way all their songs are about political and social issues so if you want to research more i think it's a good way to understand the culture too

Joaquín Sabina is a classic, one of the most relevant authors of the last century. His lyrics are literally poetry. One of my oldies faves, all his songs are beautiful written and a piece of arte but i always choose this one because reminds me my chilhood and because is astonishing to be honest.

Spain is a place full of street parties and a street party isn't a proper street party without the legendary group Extremoduro. If you come here and attend a street party, knowing this song is a must:

Another classic. This song is amazing. Lucha de gigantes by the master Antonio Vega

This is from "El ultimo vecino" kinda indie spanish pop. I like him pretty much.

Another indie singer, "La bien querida" i'm very into indie music so... hahahah The song is beautiful btw

Amaia is a well knon pop singer who went to Eurovision but in the late years she opted for indie instead pop and we love her for that. This song is basically me in many ways

And for the last one but not the less important... El Pucho, El Madrileño, the one and only CTangana aka Rosalia's ex boyfriend aka one of the best producers nowadays. He mixed modern rythm with classical flamenco and old spanish sounds. He uses a LOT of slang in his songs but well i can't no put him here

And well that's all for the start i guess. I hope it helps you!

[beauty-and-passion]

Eurovision 2023: 38 songs, first impressions

Wake up, bitches, it’s Eurovision time… AGAIN!

There’s only one word I can use to describe my first listening of the year of those 38 songs and it’s “surprising”. I was surprised. In more ways than one.

So let’s not waste any more time and let’s talk about these songs.

As per every year, obligatory disclaimer: I have listened to these songs just once, so do not take my words as my final decision. I can still change my mind, after listening to them more times. But for now, here are my thoughts.

__________

ITALY

I know half of Italy will kill me and the other half will tell me I understand nothing, but I don’t particularly like Mengoni. He’s not a bad singer, he has a good voice and the song isn’t bad either. It’s just... okay. Maybe the chorus could’ve been more powerful. Maybe he could’ve written something different than another love song. I just don’t particularly vibe with it.

Vote: just okay

__________

LATVIA

Well, since he asked so kindly, I won’t wake up and I’ll keep sleeping during this boring song.

Vote: Be careful what you ask for

__________

UNITED KINGDOM

Here’s the first surprise of this year. The UK sent a great song: not just a good one, not just an okay one. A great one. And I love it! It has a lot of 90s dance vibes, but only the best ones and I approve.

Also, I love that this song is a revenge. Why feel bad or make a scene, when you can expose your cheating boyfriend through a song everyone can listen/dance to? Way to go, queen.

Vote: Revenge is best served in the UK

__________

SLOVENIA

Last year’s song was a snoozefest, this year is way better. I still forgot it after my first listening and it’s not in my top 10 either, but at least I can listen to it more than once without falling asleep.

Also, extra points for singing again in their native language. Great job, Slovenia, you deserve points just for that.

Vote: singing in your language should automatically give you access to the finals. That’s the rule, I decided it

__________

ICELAND

That’s not a bad song, but it’s something already listened to. I mean, at first I thought it was Sweden’s entry, because of how generic it sounded.

At least it’s better than last year.

Vote: I miss the BDSM club from two years ago

__________

CROATIA

A sudden vibe. Mentions of mothers and tractors. Armageddon-granny. Morons. I glanced at the video and saw a Stalin-looking guy. Funny weirdos dancing. The fricking alphabet. The war. And then, the line: “That little psychopath”. And I was like: wait, is this a parody of Stalin?

And then, I started laughing.

It was pretty clear that there’s more than meets the eye in this song. So I searched for the meaning and found an interesting article on the Eurovision website, in which the band explained just a few details - like the tractor line: it is actually a reference to Belarus and Russia’s relationship (read it, it’s quite interesting).

I know some stupid people (read: the jury) won’t appreciate this song and that’s a shame because it deserves love. It follows the “Keep the Eurovision weird” memo, it has funny people, biting satire and all the vibes. What else do you need?

Vote: top 5 because I Say So

__________

PORTUGAL

Please remember that, when I listen to these songs the first time, I put the playlist on and do my chores while listening. So when I listened to this one, I thought it was very interesting and what a nice rhythm! That’s definitely an east European country. But which one?

And then, to my utter surprise, I checked the video title and saw it was Portugal’s entry.

I’ve always hated everything Portugal sent, because if it wasn’t bad, it was the most boring thing known to mankind.

But this year, a miracle happened. They finally (FINALLY!) sent a good song. A song with a rhythm and their own language.

I am baffled. What happened in Portugal? Did they wake up from a dream? Did everyone just regain their hearing? Did someone teach them what “rhythm” is?

Vote: A Christmas miracle in May! A Christmas miracle!

__________

MALTA

The sax got my attention, the rhythm kept me around.

Good job, Malta boy.

Vote: Maltese people are sorcerers because they always bring a good song.

__________

ROMANIA

Just to give you an idea of how forgettable is this song: when I finished listening to all 38 songs, I forgot it even existed. And I didn’t even realize it was Romania’s entry, until I checked again to write this post.

Vote: I miss the vampires

__________

POLAND

It’s not a bad song. It has a good rhythm, but it’s not this incredible. It’s just... okay?

I know I said this before, but this song also sounds like something I listened to before, so it’s only fitting.

Vote: I thought it was a bad entry from Spain. It ended up being a mediocre one from Poland

__________

SAN MARINO

That’s very kind of San Marino to bring something that will go to the bottom of the chart.

Vote: Someone should occupy those positions, after all

__________

AUSTRIA

A song about Edgar Allan Poe: this alone deserves top 5.

But if that’s not enough for you, the lyric is also a satire of the music industry and the rhythm is just too catchy to ignore it. Everyone should appreciate it.

Vote: Top 5 now

__________

AUSTRALIA

The song was bringing me joy, then the screamo moment gave me even more joy.

Great singer, great rhythm, great band, great everything. After some weak years, Australia brought back a great song and I’m in love once again.

Vote: the most European country of all shows us why we made a good choice inviting it to our party

__________

SERBIA

This is the second song about sleeping but while the first one made me want to go to bed, this one got my attention.

Also, it’s probably a reference to the current political situation - so the feeling is much more understandable.

In addition to that, the song has a perfect mix of creepiness, awareness and weirdness. And the lyric isn’t entirely in English either, which is always appreciated.

Vote: What did I say before? Native language -> instant finals. And this one is weird and interesting, so it deserves a good position too

__________

CZECH REPUBLIC

My sister won't stand in the corner Nor will she listen to you

I think these first two lines are enough to explain this song, its meaning and why it was blocked in Russia and Belarus 4 hours after the premiere.

If it’s not enough, consider that this song isn’t just in Czech, but in FOUR languages. It has parts in Ukrainian, Bulgarian and English too. It’s a literal Slavic hymn to the Slavic family.

And if it’s still not enough, then there’s also a great rhythm that will instantly get your attention.

This song doesn’t deserve the top because I say it, but because it’s a magnificent love letter to a Slavic country from its sister and a powerful scream against war.

Vote: This should be the winner. Period

__________

ISRAEL

The first mention of a unicorn made me think maybe I heard it wrong. The second mention left me puzzled.

And in the end, she didn’t even end up with a unicorn horn on her forehead. I’m disappointed.

Vote: I miss Czech already

__________

SWEDEN

As said before, when I listen to these songs for the first time, I don’t check the name or the country: I just put the playlist on. So when I listened to this one, I thought: “man, this is bad. The poor singer can’t even spell the words or reach her notes”.

Then I glanced at the video, read the name and found out it was Loreen.

I know half of the world will probably kill me, but I don’t like Loreen. I don’t think she’s this good. I’d much rather listen to a singer who can spell words and not mumble them for three minutes. She has good vocals, fine, but the words - or even the letters are non-existent. I have to read subtitles to understand what she’s trying to say. And she’s talking in English, not in some weird language.

But even if she spoke in another language… how’s that possible I can’t understand A SINGLE LETTER? I can understand letters in languages I don’t know, why she’s the only one I can’t understand? What, I’m deaf only to her? Or she’s the one who’s not able to properly spell words?

And before any of you says anything: I know she did the same during Euphoria, but at least I could get some words during the chorus. This time? I literally have no idea what she said. I can’t even tell you a single letter. Not a word, a LETTER. To me, she sounds drunk. Or like a person who doesn’t know English and is trying to repeat the words of an English song, without knowing them.

The world loves her and she will probably get a high position in the final chart because her and because Sweden is everyone’s favourite even when it brings trash. But if someone from another country brought this, they would never go past the semifinals. Just saying.

Vote: stop mumbling, sis, I can’t understand a single thing

__________

FRANCE

Great song, again! Amazing rhythm, lyrics in French (as they should rightfully be), and a singer with a lot of style. It deserves a good place and lots of love.

Vote: flat hat my beloved

__________

THE NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands did a miracle last year and brought a wonderful song in their own language. This year they forgot everything they learned and brought a generic ballad in English.

Next.

Vote: :(

__________

ARMENIA

She wrote a song for her future lover. And maybe it’s her voice, maybe it’s the softness of the chorus, but I like the soft, innocent vibes it gives me.

Not my personal favorite, but it’s a heartwarming song with a nice rhythm and I don’t feel like making too much fun of it.

Vote: we can have a soft song, once in a while. As a treat

__________

FINLAND

Thank goddess, one of the Nordics got the memo to sing in their language and Finland delivered it with a great song!

The rhythm is on point, it makes you want to dance and the lyric is in Finnish, which makes me very happy, because I don’t remember having listened to it before.

Vote: what a pleasant surprise!

__________

SPAIN

The title itself is a noise, the song contributed to it.

It gave me a headache and it’s a shame because the rhythm is good, it’s in Spanish and it could’ve been way more enjoyable with fewer vocals.

Vote: EYAYAYEYAYYEAYEAYEYAEYAEAE

__________

GEORGIA

I had the biggest deja-vu while listening to this song because it sounds like something I’ve already listened but I don’t remember exactly when.

I just remember it sounded better from start to end and not only during the chorus.

Vote: could’ve been better

__________

LITHUANIA

Thank you, Lithuania, for bringing your language once again. I truly appreciate it - even if it’s mixed with English.

If you bring a good song too next time, I would be even more grateful.

Vote: after Portugal’s miracle, I believe everyone can bring a good song

__________

UKRAINE

When I listened to it, I thought it was Sweden. And then, to my utter surprise, it was Ukraine.

The guy is a good singer. And I checked the lyric too: pretty good, message loud and clear.

But that’s not the Ukrainian rhythm. It has nothing of Ukraine, except for a few lines. And I know they probably wanted something different, but this… this is too bland and generic. This is forgettable, while the previous years have been amazing.

I don’t know, maybe they didn’t want to win again, but just to deliver a powerful message?

Vote: it could’ve been way WAY better, considering it’s coming from Ukraine

__________

SWITZERLAND

Last year, Switzerland brought a song that was more of a torture, rather than a song. This year, they learned from their mistakes and gave us something amazing.

The singer is young, but he has a mature voice and a powerful message. The lyric is perfect in its simplicity. And the rhythm isn’t bad either.

Vote: good job, Switzerland! A couple of years like this and I may forgive you for that torture you brought last year

__________

AZERBAIJAN

And there it is, my second deja-vu. I am sure I already listened to this song once, the rhythm is just too familiar.

Vote: Not cool, Azerbaijan. Not cool.

__________

GREECE

Greece should be banished from Eurovision, until they learn they should bring the Greek language and Balkan rhythm back. Until that moment, they don’t deserve anything, especially if they deliver this boring ball of nothing.

Vote: at least this guy seems Greek, unlike the Nordic girl from last year

__________

CYPRUS

It’s another English song and it has nothing of the Balkan rhythm. AND YET, it’s better than the Greek one.

Vote: it’s still possible to write a good song if you try. And at least Cyprus is trying

__________

ALBANIA

It’s very... Albanian. And not in a bad way! The rhythm, the lyric, everything screams Albania and it does it in a way that makes this song interesting and worth listening to more times.

Vote: maybe not my favorite, but definitely more interesting than Greece and Cyprus

__________

BELGIUM

90s vibes again. And, once again, the best ones only.

Vote: Belgium always makes something worth the finals

__________

GERMANY

Germany finally realized what Eurovision is about: blood and glitter. And rock. And fire. And weirdness. And a surprisingly wholesome song.

I am in love with everything.

Vote: Germany is finally learning and I am proud of them

__________

IRELAND

Man-Curtain left Australia to reach Ireland and brought a song much more interesting compared to last year’s.

Vote: Ireland and Belgium, they always have an interesting entry

__________

MOLDOVA

And here to the left, you can see two of Eurovision’s most beloved traditions: Moldova bringing something weird/good and a song about a rave in the forest.

Moldova delivered hard and this song is immediately top 3. The rave, the vibes, the rhythm, the flute, accompanied by a good-looking guy and stunning women: everything is on point.

I'm in love.

Vote: Moldova always understands the assignment

__________

NORWAY

Two months ago I was on the internet, minding my own business, when I saw an AMV with a great song. I immediately fell in love and put it in my personal playlist. It was interesting and with great vibes how could I ignore it?

Now imagine my surprise when this song started and hey, the first notes sound familiar. Then the singer drops the first “she” and I immediately jumped up and said: “Wait, is this Queen of Kings?!”

So… do I like it? Heck, I liked this song even before knowing it was Norway’s entry, of course I like it! It’s one of my favorites! And yes, I still love it.

Vote: my opinion might change about the other songs, but be sure it won’t change about this one

__________

DENMARK

This guy is apparently a Tiktoker and this explains why the lyric sounds so perfect for that app and so bland in general.

It doesn’t explain why he looks so bored, tho.

Vote: when he bit his lip I cringed so hard, it went around the world and hit me again in the back

__________

ESTONIA

She has a great voice. But hey, some years ago Estonia sent a female soprano singer, so I suppose that great female voices are a must for them.

Also, the song is very nice, the rhythm is good and the message is good too. I would like to see it in the finals.

Vote: the piano isn’t on fire. But hey, at least it’s covered in roses.

[joonasslut]

Joel thought 03.08.23

(It’s going to be a bit cheesy 💖🥰)

You are on vacation with Joel, after weeks and month of him touring and working on their next album you two wanted to have some time for yourselves away from anyone. So, you booked a flight and fancy hotel and off you went.

It’s your first night of vacation and you wake up to an empty bed. No sight of your boyfriend, looking around you find the balcony door open. You climb out of bed to go check on him. He’s leaning against the railing, his back facing you but you can see the smoke of his cigarette. He hasn’t smoked in a while, wanted to keep better care of his voice, so something must be bothering him.

Walk to his side, examining his face that is only illuminated by the fire of the cigarette and the light of the moon above you. He seems restless, almost anxious.

You place your hand on top of his on the railing, causing him to look at you.

"Are you alright?!"

"It’s nothing. I’m just brooding." he brushes it off and continues to stare into the night instead.

"I haven’t seen you this pale ever since Eurovision! What’s bothering you?! You know you can talk to me." You get closer to him, pulling an arm around him.

He sighs heavily, taking the last drag off his cigarette.

"I can’t tell you, yet."

"Yet? What is that supposed to mean?!" He sounds a bit too serious for your liking.

Joel turns towards you, avoiding to lock eyes with you. He’s fumbling around with his big hands, clearly nervous to tell you whatever is on his mind. You take one of his hands in yours, about to tell him at you are there for him, but Joel breaks the silence first.

"Y/N…fuck… How do I say this…" he clears is throat, looking down at your intertwined fingers as he continues to speak.

"I wanted to make this right for once but I feel like if I'm going to wait any longer I won’t ever get my shit together…So, I…And I get if you say no…" he stammers on, interrupting his own thoughts.

And by now you know where this is going and can’t help but smile at him stuttering and blushing in front of you. You decide to put an end to his misery.

"Joel!" you wait for him to finally look up at you before answering his unspoken question."Yes!"

"What?!"

"Yes, Joel! I want to marry you!" you have a hard time not to laugh at his reaction. He’s still stunned by your answer, staring at you. Opening his mouth to reply but closing it again to take in what you just said.

"You want to?!"

" Don’t sound so surprised. I love you!" You get on your tiptoes to lock your lips with his to underline your statement.

"I’m sorry! I wanted it to be perfect! I had something planned. I don’t even have the ring with me, it’s still in my bag…I…"

"This is perfect! It’s just us and the moon and stars. What more do I need?!" You reassure him before kissing him again to finally make him shut up.

stoooop this is so damn cute �� him mentioning the ring is making me cry

what if you two had talked about marriage but he always looked hesitant while you totally wanted one. you stopped thinking about it since all you wanted was being with joel. but then you noticed him organizing fancier dates, showering you with gifts and more compliments than usual, he looked so in love he even started to show pda in public.

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - May 21

2015: Laurie posts an article about how medical technology now allows amputees to use their minds to control bionics. Cecilia, Laurie and Doug wake Namor up after his 2 week coma, he doesn’t break down the mansion. Laurie asks Doug if they can spend the weekend not moving from their suite at all, possible with Wade and Marie-Ange if they can convince them to come over. Tandy comes to visit Namor and finds she can understand him more clearly than she thought. Adrienne arrives at home only to find her boyfriend sprawled out on the couch covered in cheese dust. Tandy emails Amanda about Namor, with sadly not much information. Emma stops by to offer Namor the ability to understand people by dumping the English language into his head. Jean arrives back at the mansion and asks Felicia for some of the coffee she had been talking about earlier. Clint and Namor meet for the first time since the dustup in Alaska, it doesn’t go well. Gabriel and Roxy meet in the sunroom and discuss the problems with being homosexual mutants. Jean apologises that she missed Matt’s birthday and tells him she got him a present. Adrienne texts Amanda about helping out with the demon thing. Clint introduces himself to the mansionites. Matt offers up a game of baseball this weekend for memorial day. Matt goes to check up on Xavin and see how they’re settling in. Wanda comes across Billy and Clint as they're settling into their new suite.

2016: Maya gets into an argument with Tandy about a court case she’d linked on the journals between the Navajo and Urban Outfitters; later, Jennie encounters a still-angry Maya and gets her to punch out her feelings. Laurie asks Doug, Wade and Marie-Ange to take her dancing. Gabriel leaves a trail of goldfish, both real and crackers, leading to a prom-posal for Namor. Namor texts Gabriel not too amused by the balloons and threatening the lives of the goldfish. Maya posts a link asking people at the mansion to educate themselves. Endangered Species: The X-Men sneak into the OsCorp Gala in case of another attack; their fears are confirmed when Vulture and the Beetle attack, but are quickly driven off; the X-Men track the bad guys to their base where they find Rhino waiting alongside three Sentinels; the X-Men split up to take on the erstwhile party-crashers; Firestar and Spider-Man deal with the sentinel while Cyclops faces off against the Rhino; Rogue and Wolverine face off against Beetle and a Sentinel, the result a toppled sentinel and a squashed Beetle; Marvel Girl and Blink face off against the Vulture and his robotic friend, thanks quick thinking they are able to short out the Robot and strip the Vulture of his tech; although the X-Men are victorious, they have to beat an ignoble retreat when the Sentinels activate their self destruct system. Arthur, Bobbi, Jessica, and Warren go out for a few beverages after work in celebration of Bobbi's birthday earlier that week, and they commandeer the jukebox and put on whatever they want.

2017: Alex finds a puppy, and talks with Angelo about marriage and life. Clint posts to the his new team and outlines all the progress he’s been making behind the scenes. Alex introduces Lorna to his new puppy, and she names it “Magnus”.

2018: Sue checks on Warren in the aftermath of his break up with Bobbi; Bobbi emails Lorna to let her know she’s back in New York and that she has a puppy now; Bobbi finally answers Warren’s texts to let him know they need to talk; Quentin returns to X-Factor and is faced with a still angry Lorna and Warren, luckily they're willing to give him a second chance.

2019: An Eye for an Eye: Various Twitter accounts post about the gargoyle at the Denver International Airport moving.

2020: Nica posts about going to the zoo for a powers experiment.

2021: Jean hosts an afternoon tea in honour of International Tea Day. Jean-Phillipe announces his and Marie-Ange’s yearly Eurovision party and journal thread. Clarice enjoys the new crop top trend since it means she doesn’t have to wear a bra.

2022:

2023: Madin emails Kyle about their educational history and turns down his offer. Alani asks for crappy show recommendations. Darcy drops off ‘Star’s tech and explains some of the mansion’s groups and goals as well as offering the boy some conditioner.

[semper-legens]

48. Leif and Thorn: Sword Lilies, by Erin Ptah

Owned: Yes   Page count: 174 My summary: Thorn’s relationship with Leif is causing a lot of complications in his life. Leif’s status as an indentured servant means he has to rent his boyfriend from the embassy for dates, and around every corner is a culture clash that seeks to drive a wedge between them. Also, magic, musicals, memes, and moons! My rating: 5/5 My commentary:

Volume two of Leif and Thorn, and it’s still one of my favourite webcomics, and I still love it. This collection houses arcs from The Calling to Only 900s Kids Will Get This, the bulk of it spanning the Summerfest story arc. Here’s my elevator pitch - it’s good fantasy, it has excellent LGBT+ representation, the story explores cultural differences and systems of oppression and power structures while still maintaining a lighter tone and comedic structure. Also there’s magical girls. Who doesn’t love a good magical girl?

Let’s check in with the boys. The Summerfest arc contains one of the saddest moments in the entire arc, as Leif talks to Thorn about what him being owned by the embassy actually means in terms of their relationship, and Thorn starts trying to find out how they can circumvent the shitty situation Leif is in. Again, I love Leif’s slow realisation of himself as a person with agency. You get the sense that he hasn’t had a lot of love in his life - he implies he was taken away from his parents at a reasonably young age, like still in school, and has spent all of his adult life as an indentured servant without much agency. It’s not a situation where being with Thorn ‘fixes’ him or anything, more that he is just finally in a relationship (and it didn’t need to be a romantic one) where he is seen as a person with agency, and through Thorn’s gentle care is starting to unlearn some of the abusive thought patterns that his country has instilled in him.

Thorn, meanwhile, is mostly trying to deal with all of the above, as well as realising just how much their countries differ. We get to see a lot of his inner thoughts and it’s interesting to me how, even though he’s obviously emotionally affected by everything that’s going on, he’s still planning and thinking rationally and trying to come up with solutions that cause the least possible harm for everyone. He’s just a nice guy, is the thing, but in a very engaging and sympathetic way that helps carry the narrative.

Ah, what else can I say about the worldbuilding here. It’s all so great! This volume in particular contains a lot of extras at the back about heartsword types and the countries of this world, which I very much appreciated. (I’d pull a backsword, I think.) One detail I appreciate is that, when there are worldbuilding elements that are also pop-culture shoutouts (like the in-universe version of Eurovision or ‘taking an arrow to the knee’ as slang) they’re always built into the world and given depth and meaning, not just leaving them as blatant shoutouts. It’s a neat detail that shows the care it took to craft this world.

For all I’ve talked about the more dramatic and serious parts of this series, there’s a lot of levity here. One of the smaller arcs at the back of this volume involves vampires reminiscing on the equivalent of 90s snap bracelets - there’s Leif being bad at spicy foods in the Summerfest arc, or Thorn and his knights bickering over who gets tickets to a blockbuster musical. There’s a lot of light and life, and it really helps both to create an engaging and still-mostly-comedic tone, while in turn enhancing the darker aspects of the world when they happen by contrast. It’s a delicate balance and I think Ptah does a very good job with it.

That’s all for this one - next up, back into YA, for a bit of historical fiction.

[trickstermelon]

how do you feel about the thought of one piece characters with stuff like social media and modern music?? (WHO is the Classic Rock Junkie i Need To Know)

Strawhats, Social Media:

Luffy: Has a twitter account thats mostly videos of him 1) being in places he should be 2) doing things he shouldn’t be doing and 3) having a great time doin crimes with his friends in places they shouldn’t be. He also posts whatever dumb nightblogging-esque thing pops in his head.

Nami: Has like 20 different blogs neatly organized by aesthetics, technical drafting, stealing tips, gardening…. Lots of people go to her for advice but she gives the worst answers and jokingly charges them for it. Probably has run some serious scams but no one has been able to connect it to her yet. Does a lot of Vines w Usopp and Luffy.  

THIS GOT LONG more under cut

Zoro: Mainly Workout Instagram thats just shots of his sick muscles with really bad puns as captions, plus videos of him doing tricks and training. Occasionally peppers in silly selfies with Nami and Usopp when they drag him shopping/clubbing, or taking Chopper places where a kid p shouldn’t be and getting yelled at for it by Franky and Sanji. Doesn’t use social media all that much/posts in mass quantities then goes silent for months. Has accounts only to bully Sanji n Nami (and support the rest).  

Usopp: Has and is a master of like, every platform. Particularly tumblr, youtube and tiktok/vine. His main content is art, doing gadget/crafting challenges, and sharpshooting tricks but his vines are amazing. On top of being genuine comedy genius he creates amazing practical effects that are p much magic. Has an ongoing series where he and Luffy try to break into Sanji’s house to figure out who his boyfriend is.

Sanji: Of course does a cooking youtube channel that consists of how to make the best of a low budget/little resources as well as showing off how fancy he can go (he likes to try out sculptural foods followers send him even tho its not his main focus). The cost effective videos are full of him being bluntly affirmative and reassuring about being in shitty situations on top of instructions. In the fancier/show off videos he gets way more silly and romantic- often having the others on to banter with him while he works. 

Chopper, Robin and Nami are most often on for the silly ones, taste testing and letting him show them flourishing tricks. Robin likes to find the history and cultural impact of dishes. 

Franky, Zoro and Usopp join in for the sculptural work and shit gets wild. (Luffy is only allowed to help out with taking video because he can reach some cool angles and it keeps his hands far away from the ingredients. Sanji only lets Zoro help cause he’s so good at precision cutting, Franky has to stand between them frequently. Usopp does all the actual design work and likes to explain the planning process while Sanji makes the parts) 

90% of any profits he makes goes to soup kitchens and abuse shelters

Chopper: Isn’t super big on social media outside of keeping up with friends but likes to post actually-researched mental and physical health tips as well as positivity! Has the cutest aesthetic blog, really likes Pinterest 

Robin: Similar to Chopper, but also likes to create Puzzles using multiple platforms and her appearances around her friends content a la Carmine Santiago. Does a history podcast with Franky thats very much in the vein of Sawbones where she explains some wild shit thats happened, or weird folklore and Franky pokes fun at it. 

Franky: If Mythbusters and How Its Made was combined into one very powerful very enthusiastic dad! Builds the craziest machines, has Robin Usopp and Chopper come help him with the real crazy science-y stuff. Would also have a very fun time with a Monster Factory style gaming blog, rotating out guests for who he thinks would hate it the most. 

Brook: Does not know how and never will but Robin takes some aesthetic vids of him playing violin. Has a huge following, tells Robin to tell them to drink their milk. 

Other, Music:

Ace: Classic rock junky spotted– but his main genres are old school Rockabilly and that good Folk Western. For a long time had a walkman that was only Johnny Cash albums on repeat until Sabo got tired of it. Does own a harmonica specifically for campfire tunes. Knows his aesthetic. 

Social Media: Would also be a fun outdoor survivalist in the vein of Coyote Peterson, running around with Luffy and Sabo as they do dumb shit for the sake of education. They’ll bully Marco or Law into being their on site doctors but they both often refuse to treat them until they’ve suffered appropriately. Does a lot of hiking/rock climbing and gets beautiful pics between survivalist tips 

Marco: Island time, all the time. Reggae, Jimmy Buffet, Billy Idol, and so much dad rock. It’s the only thing keeping him sane. Sea shanties are of course a must but he leans more towards war songs and battle calls. 

Social Media: Has some actually really popular platforms but never shows his face or gives out information so no one including his friends knows who it is. Does insane birds eye view photography, but would be most known for his anonymous Etiquette/Advice blog that’s incredibly helpful under five layers of dry humor. 

Thatch: SO weak for romantic pop ballads, has a playlist of all Eurovision songs that he updates every year, Marco keeps finding him the weirdest Scandinavian scream, metal and German discotheque to test his limits but Thatch Has None. 

Social Media: Does Gordon Ramsey style food reviews between pictures of cool swords and those marbled cake vids. Gets in so many arguments with Sanji and it’s hard to tell if they’re joking or being serious. Is in on Usopp and Luffys game, keeps hinting that he knows who it is but wont tell. 

Sabo: ELECTRO SWING and knows how to dance to it– has a wide variety that he just puts on shuffle but his main collection includes Musicals/Show tunes, all flavors of Punk and Metal. Likes anything with a quartet/harmonies. 

Social Media: Of course has a very effective and active activism platform focused on rooting out cover ups and back dealings, but also got roped into doing a Buzzfeed Unsolved video series with Koala and Ace whenever they have time. Every one loves watching him get Spooked while Ace n Koala are perfectly reasonable/rile him up. 

Koala: Switches rapidly between sugar pop/sunshine songs to good ol emo like IMAX, BVB and MCR. MIKA stan, as we all should be. Loves narrative lyrics and celtic hymns/highland folk ballads like Twa Corbies. 

Social Media: Journalism + Fact Checking platform that explains more effective grassroots community changes. ALSO has a rocking cosplay blog as well as special effects makeup that she does with Ivan. Hack n Robin are their frequent models. 

[thirteenthspirit]

ESG Investing in the Pokémon World

As a financial advisor (aka professional bank pimp), it seems the concept of “Sustainable Investing” has really taken hold this past year, despite being around for quite a few years. I was pondering new investment ideas and recommendations (so they can sit patiently on my desk waiting for my boss’s approval) and noticed that most of them are ESG-focused. Of course.

As a Millennial (like that means anything), imagining that your investments might go towards helping someone or doing some good for the world is a key motivation. I don’t mind even sacrificing some additional returns, if that means my money is being put to good use. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a lot of like-minded people as Clients, so raw returns still dominate the investment sphere. But we’ll get there!

I want to explain a bit what it is we call ESG – Environmental, Social and (Corporate) Governance Investing. It is a very studied and elaborated research topic that has become so convoluted that virtually any company can be qualified as ESG-passable (sigh). A company with a high ESG score means it Excels in all or one of these three key areas. The ESGest of them all, try to integrate in their daily practices some of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which range from ending world hunger to reducing inequality, climate action, etc.

I’ve also been replaying Pokémon Platinum (ayyy you see where this is going don’t you?) – probably not, since you haven’t read my previous newsletters. But anyway.

Sinnoh could really benefit a lot from some ESG-focused investing, especially in the Environmental aspect of it. The first thing that popped into my mind was the Fuego Ironworks. No, it is not related to the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest runner-up’s song of choice, but rather a big warehouse-like facility harboring a huge furnace in the center of it all. If you manage to get past the arrow-one-direction-thingies leftover from the renovation of the Viridian Gym, you eventually reach this massive incinerator. Ok, so, fossil fuels are a big no-no in the battle for climate change. Hydrogen plants and renewable energies trump coal mines and similar facilities. So I would take that big chunk of investor money and shut down the Fuego Ironworks. I know what you’re thinking – WHERE ELSE AM I GONNA CATCH A POKÉMON WITH FLAME BODY THIS EARLY IN THE GAME so I can hatch that perf Togepi (because what else) – but fret not, those Magmar can relocate to Stark Mountain. But uh… maybe I’d try to throw a couple of Slugma near the Lost Tower or something, so you can still hatch them eggs early on. Need a motherboard-frying Magnemite? You can now catch them in Iron Island! Have fun.

But shutting down a massive energy-producing (assumption here assumption there la la la) facility like this is BOUND to have an effect on the residents, especially for the people who live in the nearby towns – I mean where else are Floaroma residents supposed to work? Smell the flowers in the floaroma medow (which is somehow located DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE IRONWORKS but ok)? Serve as night guides to wandering girls and their Chansey in Eterna Forest? Or sweat away in the Valley Windworks?

Huh? Windworks? Like an actual wind power farm? Grab ‘em Pachirisu and let’s go!

Seriously, the Valley Windworks would be exactly where my inflows would go. From any residual money gathered from the sale of the Ironworks, my investors could provide a massive overhaul of the windworks. We could bring specialists in from Hoenn’s Weather Institute and build a ton more Teletubbies (my boyfriend’s endearing nickname for those huge fan-thingies). Maybe we could even expand to hydraulics, what with that huge river flowing alongside the facility. Just imagine the drifloon! One for each doom-bearing child.

Ok great! We’ve managed to take action by remodeling the energy supply from the area, effectively diminishing its carbon emissions while preserving the citizens’ quality of life. For me that qualified as a big E investment! And maybe our work wouldn’t stop here, if you’ve got a few cents in your pocket imagine if we could harness the energy from Mt. Coronet! With cares not to disturb any dimensional beings or pseudo-gods. Just a thought.

Miss Moving On is a song by Fifth Harmony. Next we have the “Social” aspect of ESG investing. This would be the category where you would find the community-improving or demographic and populational aiding aspects. Infrastructures, accessibility, any and every thing that could better a population’s daily routine and ensure its sustainability for generations to come. So which issues plague Sinnoh residents? I can think of a few – weird people with bowl-shaped haircuts stealing Pokémon, people-swallowing marshes, freakin’ SELFDESTRUCTING ROCKS (née Geodude) and the occasional time/space distortions from the odd attempt at creating new universes.

Well let’s not go overboard with our intervention, we cannot hope to solve ALL problems plaguing our beloved residents. Let’s start with a simple issue. Little Timmy loves everything related to boats. Boats boats boats and sometimes ships – so he loves going to Sunyshore City, to see the Lighthouse. He goes whenever he can - he swears one time he even had a date with a girl who was visiting with her Ampharos! Legend has it for him it was love at first sight. But she had a ship to catch, bound for her hometown region. So they agreed to meet that very night, before she departed. She waited and waited, but Timmy never came. With tears in her eyes, the girl was last seen boarding the ship, never to return…

Dang it Timmy! Why did you do that?

Well… the thing is, Timmy tried. Timmy lives in Solaceon town and works for the local newspaper. So on that afternoon, after collecting his heart scales, he cheerfully got on his bike and began pedaling, heading to meet his lover. But there is no direct route from Solaceon to Sunyshore – Solaceon is pretty much isolated where it stands, one has to either go North trough Veilstone or face the marshes of the south through Pastoria, to finally traverse route 222 to the city.

Since a bike would sink pretty hard on the bog, Timmy rode North. He got drenched in rain before reaching Veilstone, though – forcing him to change clothes in the city before carrying on. Oh and he claims to have also had an encounter with a couple of Psyduck which seemed pretty checked out… I assume Misty rammed her bike into one. After leaving the city, he just had to face – I’m sorry, am I reading this correctly, inexistent participant – “hellhounds”. Um… ok… Timmy is a BIG Supernatural fan (Destiel FTW). But he finally made it to the Hotel Grand Lake – the last rest stop before reaching Sunyshore. His legs were already tired, and he was sweatin’ bullets, but his spirits were high as a Staravia!

“I’m sorry sir but Route 222 is closed until further notice, due to the occurrence of a blackout”.

Aaaand that was the end of Timmy’s love story. Don’t feel bad for him, I hear he went on to win a Pulitzer from his work on exposing the Ditto sex trafficking scheme.  

Maybe if Timmy had been a little faster on his route, he could’ve avoided the blackout altogether, it is just such a long stretch of Sinnoh to traverse…

Like Timmy, many residents who work in East Sinnoh face this issue in their daily commute – the lack of viable connections. So where could we begin to tackle this subject?

Well I heard of a guy who has been trying to dig a tunnel from Route 2014, to Solaceon Town, all by himself! Must be tough, Excadrill weren’t even invented back then…

Maybe our kind investors could give him a hand with their funds! We could make the efforts go faster and more smoothly, maybe even establish some underground ferry mechanism to aid in the crossover. Create a separate entrance, so people wouldn’t have to disturb the Unown. The newly crafted pathway would sure come in handy for travelers, maybe even helping in dynamizing Solaceon or Celestic Town with tourists staying at the Hotel Grand Lake! Seems like a somewhat simple-enough project for us to tackle.

So we basically identified a necessity, designed a way to overcome said necessity and then implemented it – thus creating sustainable impact!

Fantastic! Stunning!

Speaking of stunning – hrm, our efforts might be a bit derailed if these “blackouts” continue. Maybe someone could go have a chat with Volkner, to stop experimenting with the power grid? Perhaps Flint could help, I hear they get along quite well… Does he even have a license to tinker with the mechanisms? What, imaginary voice? You don’t need one in Sinnoh? So you mean I can just connect my Raichu to a generator and power my entire 12-story building?

That seems… unlawful. Couldn’t we do something to change that? Well, we could write a strong-worded letter to the lawmakers of Sinnoh, urging them to pass legislation on these activities. Maybe even use our leftover funds to raise enough awareness on this issue, so we could enact this change in policy! Wow, that’s what I call putting the G in Governance.

Random segway aside, that is exactly what the last letter in ESG is meant to state – policy, rules, means of internal conduct and culture that an organization runs with. And apart from Volkner’s constant need to reinvent his contraptions, there is a topic on which we can praise Sinnoh – gender equality.

Now, we recognize that we don’t know the details, but let’s assume Gym Leaders are paid equally, as not to have poor shivering Candice earning 70 cents on the poke-dollar, compared to Byron’s wage. 4 female and 4 male gym leaders comprise Sinnoh’s gym challenge. 50/50, nice message to relay. Ok fine, if we only look at the number and don’t analyze much else, we can give Sinnoh a passing grade on this one… what about the Elite Four?

The Elite Four is also comprised of 2 male and 2 female members. Wow, nicely thought out. And Cynthia is given enough screen time to actually be a fleshed out character, even appearing in several generations. She is, after all, in my opinion, the toughest Champion the Player is required to face.

But other generations don’t really follow suit – the list of League Champions or Elite Four members is comprised mostly of men… In these regions perhaps some gender diversity or inclusion metrics could be put in place, starting with getting each of them to affirm their stance and compromise with ending gender inequality in the League Challenge!

For that, I guess we’ll have to take that same ship and sail away to another region, with the sure knowledge that (maybe) we managed to help Sinnoh inch a little closer to a sustainable future!

Your ESG-type Trainer,  

                                                                                                 -João A. (Pachiren)  

[my-imagination-and-other-stuff]

Part 6, ending

You would never think that silent, calm breakfast time could turn into real storm. Artem kept rotating spoon in his cup and you kept looking down like it wasn't annoying. He's spent a lot of time in his room, talking by phone but you wasn't able to hear anything.

- He's leaving. Do you know that?

You gulped, knowing very well what he meant. It would be hypocrisy to act that you didn't understand his question but you only looked up at Artem.

- Melovin. He's moving to Kiev.

- Why do you ask me? You finally spoke.

- He's leaving because something happend between you two, right?

- Why do you think it has anything in common with me?- You asked him, putting out your cutlery with anger.

- Because you're silent like you was hiding something. You don't seem surprised.- Artem said. There was something in his gaze that you couldn't describe. Not really anger or sadness. It was tiring to hide that he wasn't that wrong about it but it was so obvious that he never really trusted you.

- Artem, who do you think I am?! I'm so done with your distrust. You always suspected something, didn't you?- You raised your voice and left kitchen.

- Yes because he seemed to be interested in you from the start. The way he fucking looked at you and your weird reactions when I was joining you! I'm not the only one who noticed it! - He screamed, following you to guest room- How long this was happening?- He suddenly asked you so you turned to him.

- How long- what?!

- When did you stabbed me in a back and started this shit?! - Artem yelled and pushed chair next to him. You've never seen him that angry.

- What the hell are you talking about? I've never cheated on you! He admitted that he has thing for me and left.

- Has a thing? A thing? - He hissed - I'm not a fucking idiot. I know him better than myself. He wouldn't leave his hometown just like that. It must be something serious.

- I didn’t know what he felt about me till he explained why he’s leaving. He was scared to ruin your friendship. I was scared too - You started and moved closer to Artem - Please, don't blame him. He didn't know how to hide how he feels. It wasn't easy for any of us.

- And why do you defend him?

- I don't - You murmured, confused- I just don't want to be a reason of you two fighting.

It was like never before. You felt so far from your boyfriend. The way Artem was looking at you, felt like you were strangers.

- Is he only friend to you?

- Artem..

- It's easy question - He sighed, touching his forehead.

- Whatever I feel know, I don't think we can fix what just failed - You said with tears in your eyes - It's not about Mel anymore. I'm sorry but I'm tired of this. I'm not comfortable in this relationship.

It hurted to say such words out loud. Artem looked at you in silence like he couldn't believe what he heard. You looked down, not being able to stand his face expression.

- What is it? You want to break up? - He asked weakly.

- I just think that I want some time alone. We're mess now - You whispered, tearing you wet cheeks.

- Well, let me make it easier. If you for once thought about Kostya the way he thinks about you, let's stop it right now. Because I won't stand it.

These were the last words that day. You wasn't able to answer because of upcoming tears and Artem left flat very quickly.

***

- Did you manage to come on time? - You heard female voice when you answered phone. You joined queue to big hall. It was so sunny and hot outside.

- Yes. Thank you so much for sharing room, Carmen. It would be so hard to find accommodation in good price. There are so many foreigners who booked rooms before Eurovision.

- You helped me once.. And by the way, are you going to talk to him?

- Hmm.. I don't think it's a good idea.

- Hey, you came to Lisbon to watch him performing. You said you promised him to go when he finally wins preselections - Carmen said with enthusiasm.

- It was year ago and we haven't talked since he moved out. Besides, my ex boyfriend can't see me - You sighed.

- I see. Well, have a good time.

You was so nervous when you entered hudge hall with other Eurovision fans, especially when you waited for Melovin's performance at the end of show. You came closer to group of people with ukrainian flag. You clapped with them when Melovin appeard. It happened so fast. Piano, fire, his voice.

- Oh my God, that's was great! - You shouted and when camera turned to your direction, you realised that you was filmed with the rest of fans.

- Melovin! - some man next to you screamed. After next hour, hosts announced results of second semi final. You kept your fingers crossed, looking on a big screen with your heart beating very fast. That time when they announced Ukraine as another finalist, you run to stairs where all contestants started walking down from. But when you came back to your senses, you stepped out and hid behind group of people. Kostya appeard but he couldn't see you. Neither Artem. You turned to exit but you couldn't stop yourself from watching press conference on screen in main hall.

***

- Hello? - You answered phone in the morning, seeing unknown number on screen.

- Hi - This voice sounded familiar.

- Hi..

- Are you by any chance in Lisbon? I would swear that I've seen you yesterday in a crowd from balcony. I think that I saw you in video after my performance.

- Mel..

- I can't leave rehearsals but please, come today to cafeteria on first floor in hall - He said with soft voice but you wasn't able to speak. It was so unexpected that he was able to notice your in such a big crowd and when he meant to be fully focused on his performance.

- Hello? Are you here? - Kostya asked you.

- Yes.

- Please, come - His voice sounded sad and suddenly you thought it would stupid to reject his invitation.

- Okay.. I'll come. What time?

- I'm free in two hours. Twelve o'clock?

You looked at your watch. It was taking almost an hour by train so you probably had to go out right now. Of course you didn't tell Kostya you wasn't exactly in Lisbon so you said you'd come on time. You checked out hours of departures of trains and prepared your clothes pretty fast. It was almost twelve when you caught a bus from station to another station where stadion was placed.

- Where is he? - You whispered with concern when you didn't see Kostya anywhere in cafeteria. You was twenty minutes late. He didn't answer your call and for some reason you panicked.

- I won't answer phone - You heard behind your back and saw Kostya smiling widely - I left phone in wardrobe so nobody can interrupt us.

- Did you come just now?

- Actually, five minutes ago. But I don't like sitting alone when there's a lot of people around so I walked away - He said, smiling even more - You look great.

Your heart was beating so fast that you wasn't able to feel it in your chest.

- You too.

You both sat at the table and ordered coffe.

- What brings you here? I mean.. what are you even doing here?- He laughed sweetly.

- I visited my friend..- You said uncertainly - Are you good with Artem already?

His face expression changed.

- For few months we didn't talk except work stuff - He answered shortly and leaned to you - Don't worry. It's much better now.

- I was worried that he might give up on being your manager. But he's really professional and.. he's your best friend after all.

- He is.. How long has it been? Over a year?

- Yeah - You sighed- It's good to see you but won't your team be looking for you?

- They actually know I'm here with you. Including Artem.

- He's probably angry now, right? - You said, looking down like you was ashamed.

- He's actually fine with this.

- How can he..- You didn't finish, looking in Kostya's eyes. You missed looking in them You missed the way they were resting on you. You finally noticed what Artem meant by Kostya's gaze being different. You could see how he was looking at you with admiration.

- He knows well that you can't gave up on someone just like that - Kostya said silently. You tried to smile to him but at that moment you was too moved by his words.

- I would like to ask you something and get an honest answer - He added after a while when you was looking at each other- Are you really here because you're visiting friend?

- I actually.. My friend lives in different place in Portugal but I used opportunity to come here when you're performing. I wanted to see you on stage. I promised you. But I didn't expect to talk with you..- You said with heavy voice, feeling that your eyes got teary - I'm really proud of you. You did it. You really did it.

You laughed nervously and you felt Kostya's hand on yours. It seemed so natural that he wanted to comfort you. It always been like that. Both of you felt good in your own company, except some tension when you felt mutual attraction while dating someone else.

- I'm so happy that you came - Kostya said, caressing your hand.

- Me too. Even if.. I shouldn't come here - You said and added quickly, seeing his expression: - But I don't care. I missed you, Kostya.

- Do you mean that..- He didn't finish when he saw that you nodded. You both knew what was the hidden question.

- I know that timing was awful for us but what can I do when I already love you so much?- He suddenly said and made you feel shivers all over your body.

- I'm tired of denying what I feel about you but I'll always be ex of your best friend - You said, reaching for his hand.

- What is now is the most important so don't leave again.

- But how can we show up in front of our friends.. and Artem as a couple?

Kostya looked away with thoughtfulness.

- We will work it out - He said - For now stay with me till final.

- Ok - You whispered.

- What? - He asked you like he wanted to be sure what he heard. You smiled.

- Let's work it out.

[the-burning-tiger]

In honour of Eurovision tonight Im bringing this back ‘cos we all know if Magnus  Bane threw a Eurovision party t would be the best party ever...

Read it on A03 or below the cut

It had all started so innocently. They had been lying on the sofa in the loft just watching some nonsense tv show when Magnus had suggested it. How about a little soirée ? His exact words. That probably should have been a hint. You know to celebrate you moving in…just a few close friends. It had sounded fine and as he knew his boyfriend loved to throw parties it seemed mean to say no, not that he was any good at refusing anything to his wonderful warlock.

Alec remembered the look of absolute joy on the warlock's face as he grabbed for his phone to check dates. The mischievous glint in Magnus’ eye when he selected the date may also have been a clue that a quiet night wasn't really on the cards.

Magnus had suggested a themed evening, excited that in little over a month there was a annual singing contest in Europe that would be perfect for a get together. Apparently it was called the Eurovision Song Contest and was incredibly popular with loads of countries in Europe and even some not (Australia and Israel had been invited) all getting involved, and Magnus had pointed out as Idris was technically in Europe it was high time the Shadowhunters got involved.

How bad could it be? I mean some nice music in the background and Magnus had sworn he'd just invite a few people. He had finally settled on a very select group. First of all Izzy, Clary, Jace and Lydia were obviously on the list and if they were coming then Simon had to come and with him Raphael and Lily. Magnus had insisted that seeing as there were vampires coming for courtesy’s sake he had to have a couple of werewolves so Maia and Bat were invited as well. Then Magnus old friends Catarina and Tessa completed the group. Hardly anyone. It would be fine.

Except, as often happened the list kept getting longer, first it was some seelies (after all it would be rude not too) then a few more of the vampire clan and some more of Luke's pack. It was soon apparent that this was going to be less of a soirée and more of an out and out party.

Still Alec didn't worry too much.

Alec had started to feel a little trepidation when he had seen the invites which were unsurprisingly very glittery..

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood

Cordially invite you to celebrate

The musical spectacular that is

The Eurovision Song Contest

Fancy dress mandatory Come representing your favourite European country

He had felt then that things were getting somewhat out of control. But seriously how bad could a singing contest be … Right?

The next few weeks had passed in somewhat of a blur although despite the fact that he'd been pretty busy at the institute he couldn't help but notice that Magnus was spending an inordinate amount of time planning the perfect themed nibbles and researching drinks from around the world. It was, to be fair nice to see him so excited. It was, however slightly worrying when the warlock roped in Izzy and Clary to help with the arrangements. It became a regular occurrence to find the pair of them giggling conspiratorially in corners, although they assured Alec that it would be a fabulous evening. Apparently Magnus had shown them clips of previous shows to give them the inspiration, which was odd as every time Alec had asked him the warlock had insisted everything was in hand and not to worry.

A week before the party it seemed that everyone was obsessed with talking about what their costumes would be. Izzy had told Clary and Lydia excitedly that Simon was going to simply die when he saw what she was wearing and Alec had to stop himself from pointing out that as the vampire was already technically already dead it wouldn't be that hard. He still had no clue what he would be wearing, Magnus had assured him he had it all under control and not to worry and he hoped that the warlock had been joking when he'd mentioned lederhosen.

On the morning of the party the loft was a flurry of activity. Magnus was overseeing the instillation of a large amount of ginormous flat screen TVs and a spectacular sound system, whilst Clary and Isabelle were decorating every available inch of the loft with bunting and flags assisted by a very disgruntled looking Jace. Every available surface was filled with exotic delicacies, French snails jostled for position next to Swedish meatballs, German sauerkraut and Swiss fondue and many others that Alec didn't recognise. Magnus had set up an equally impressive bar area with drinks themed by country, Russian vodka, Greek ouzo, Italian grappa and many more. Beside the bar there was a stack of laminated cards, Alec picked one up to examine it more closely. There in bold letters was the title “Eurovision Song Contest Drinking Game Rules” followed by a list of instructions..

Fireworks…drink Wind machine …drink Costume change…drink Key change…drink

The list was apparently endless.

Alec had started to realise far too late that the situation was getting rapidly out of hand and equally that there was no way to back out now.

So that was how Alec Lightwood came to be standing in his new home dressed as a Roman gladiator in the middle of raucous party and much as he hated to admit it enjoying himself immensely. Alec Lightwood. At a party. Having fun. Now who would have thought that was possible a year ago.

Alec leaned back against the bar feeling decidedly tipsy as he sipped on a martini and gazed around the scene before him.

He had started to get the idea that perhaps it was a bit more than a singing contest during the very glittery opening credits but it was only when the contest actually began that it became evident that this was possibly one of the most ridiculously camp things he had ever seen. There had been a plethora of different songs from the actually quite good to the deeply bizarre and within minutes the loft had been filled with people shouting

“Fireworks…drink”

“Costume change .. Drink”

From there things had rapidly degenerated. Apparently now they were well in to the voting and quite frankly Alec didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on or in fact who was winning. Magnus had cranked up the music once the singing was over and medley of classic Eurovision songs was playing.

Alec smiled as he watched his sister dance sinuously around a quite frankly stunned looking Simon. His sister of course was an excellent dancer but her extremely provocative French maid outfit was certainly helping. Even Raphael, dressed in a resplendent matador outfit had almost cracked a smile.

The middle of the loft was filled with people dancing and he caught a glimpse of Clary's red hair flying around as she whirled around hand in hand with Lydia. Lydia's blonde hair was in thick plaits to complement her Swiss maid outfit and she was glowing with happiness. It was more than Alec could have hoped for.

Over in the corner Jace and a young werewolf.. Jordan was it… were first bumping like old friends which was funny considering that not half an hour earlier they were arguing over whether that was actually a key change in the Greek song.

“Sweden 12 points…drink” the shout went up

Closely followed by a very drunk Jace, in full Viking regalia, exclaiming loudly that he was Denmark obviously not Sweden but then drinking anyway.

As the music changed to pump out the pure euro pop strains of Gina G’s Ooh ahh just a little bit Alec noticed that Simon had broken out of his mesmerised state. He was clearly trying to do some very drunken Russian dancing to complement his Cossack outfit but despite having vampire strength was failing miserably and spending an inordinate amount of time landing heavily on his butt. Clary and Lydia had wandered over to watch and were laughing heavily, Clary's Greek laurel wreath headdress slightly wonky.

Alec felt someone lean heavily against his shoulder and looking down saw a slightly wobbly looking Lily looking up at him her smile wide and very fangy.

“Great party Alec..” She was slightly slurry and waving around a rather large glass of Bloody Mary… Emphasis on the bloody.

Despite her slightly inebriated state the vampire as always was immaculately dressed in a baby pink skirt suit.

“Hey Lily, missed the memo about fancy dress…” Alec admonished lightly

“It's vintage Coco Chanel darling..” She pouted back

Seeing Alec raising a questioning eyebrow Lilly was soon shouting across the room…

“Bane….. Bane … I love your boyfriend, I really do, but you simply must teach him something about fashion…..”

Magnus who was dancing with a group of Bavarian barmaid seelies looked across grinning broadly..

“Darling… It's a lost cause..” He shouted back winking at Alec.

Lily sighed dramatically and started to lecture Alec on the importance of Chanel. Alec wasn't really listening, the sight of his boyfriend was, as ever, captivating, the silver glitter in his hair sparkling in the light as he wove around the seelies. He was wearing a silver skin tight sequinned catsuit open to the waist showing off an expanse of polished bronze chest adorned with a wealth of necklaces. It occurred to Alec as Magnus sparkled under the party lights that he looked like a sexy mirror ball closely followed by the realisation that he was probably more drunk than he had realised.

Lily punched him firmly on the arm..

“So you see it's practically French national costume…”

“Huh”

“Oh you're hopeless..” She huffed “Fine… I'm going to rescue Raphael, at least he appreciates good dress sense”

As Lily sashayed off Alec overheard Maia’s friend and fellow werewolf Bat, who had been roped into DJ duty, announcing that the next one was for all you lovers out there in his most cheesy voice.

Magnus was practically flowing through the crowd towards him now, watching him was making Alec breathless. He stepped forward to gather the warlock in his arms as Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now started to play. Alec ran his hands lightly down the warlock's sides.

“Remind me again which country your supposed to be” he teased gently “Well these sequins are rather like fish scales so.. Let's go with Finland” Magnus smiled mischievously looping his arms round his boyfriends neck.

“Cheater..”

“Always”

Alec pulled the warlock into a soft lingering kiss.

They rested their foreheads together as they swayed to the music together, Magnus’ ridiculously high platform boots making them almost the same height.

“So much for a quiet soirée ..” Alec murmured

“If I'd told you would you have wanted to do this…”

“Hmmm maybe not…”

“Are you having fun though..”

Alec pulled back a little and smiled at his boyfriend.

“Definitely …”

“I don't think you’re the only one” Magnus nodded his head to the right of them where a pinstriped suited Raj was currently entangled with a very handsome seelie knight.

“Raj.. Really…when did that happen…”

“Ah my boyfriend the trendsetter”

Magnus grinned at him wolfishly.

“We should do this more often …”

“Mags…”

The warlock threw his head back and shouted..

“Same time next year everyone?”

A huge cheer erupted .

“See they agree…” He smirked.

“You're impossible…”

Alec leaned in and kissed the warlock lightly.

“I love you Magnus Bane”

“I love you too.”

Magnus leant in to return the kiss, this time with more intent. The music was changing into something more upbeat as the warlock started to writhe against Alec fingers tangling in his hair. Alec broke free and growled softly into his boyfriends ear..

“I swear Magnus if you don't stop moving like that I'll have no choice but to drag you out of here and tear that catsuit off you..”

“Now that sounds like an excellent plan..” Magnus breathed starting to manoeuvre them away from the party “I'm sure everyone's Far too busy to notice.”

The last thing Alec noticed before they bundled into the bedroom was Jace leering suggestively and giving him thumbs up.

As Magnus dragged him in for a hungry kiss Alec reflected that it had been an awesome night and, he thought it was about to get a hell of a lot better.

[laurefindele-thegolden]

SKSKSK I love your fanfic so much! Can't wait to read chapter 7! Do you have any headcannons about what Ermal and Fabrizio would do if they went on a holiday somewhere together? Some where random like maybe Czech Republic or Poland?

omg thank you so much and omg omg omg YES

okay, im going to write about them going to Poland (because im originally from there)

- so like I can imagine them going to Kraków because its a great place. like theres so much to see and do (and i highly recommend it)-so i think it would have been fabrizio who would suggest the holiday. he’d see just how hard ermal is working and that he needs a holiday before he crashes and burns.-so he suggests they go to poland. to be honest the decision was made by him randomly asking his sister to just give him a european country from the top of her head.-so poland it is then. he obviously talks with ermal before booking anything but it doesn’t take long to convince him-so fast forward a few weeks and the two arrive in krakow. since krakow is a touristy place they have no issue getting around with ermals english -plus its nice being somewhere where not a single person recognizes them. because even in london they’d be recognised by someone.- so they first go to their hotel to check in and leave their bags and holy shit. the room has a nice view. -at first ermal is like, this must be a mistake etc. but fabrizio stops him and tells him that its not and that he decided to splash out a bit to make this a proper nice holiday. and anyway he can afford it so why not splash out on something nice like this for once-ermal tries to be a bit upset, that they could have split the price because this surely wasnt cheap etc but fabrizio wasnt having any of it and soon shuts ermal up (if you get my drift) - they decide to spend the afternoon exploring the area around the old market square. they had picked up an italian (ofc) tourism guide to the city and were currently sitting a cafe in the square, enjoying a nice traditional polish meal (the waitress was very helpful) enjoying a nice polis beer and fabrizio was wondering how judged he’d be if he ordered another plate of pierogi -they take a walk down towards the castle and the river, they’d go see the castle the next day, but today they’d take it slow and see the river and their hotel was somewhere in that direction anyway right? (no it wasnt)-the next day they spend at the castle, the entire day, because there are so many museums and things to see and they have italian tour groups which they went on for fabrizios sake. -some people obviously recognise them but beside and elderly lady who congratulated them on their sanremo win and coming 5th in eurovision, no one else bothered them-they get an uber to the hotel because damn are they tired-the day after that they spend exploring the old jewish quarter and in the late afternoon/evening enjoying the many craft beer bars that were there.-then their last full day in krakow comes to an end and they take a boat trip on the river in the morning and then just wander from shop to shop and cafe to cafe, they found a cafe based on the leaky couldron (i recommend it its good) and ermal was so excited to go in and even though fabrizio had only seen like 2 or 3 harry potter movies he had to admit it was cool-then they have dinner in the market again because polish food might be just as good as italian food (dont @ me on that okay? i love italian food like A LOT but sorry Poland has pierogi ;) )-they spend the rest of the evening on their hotel balcony, enjoying the view of the city -ermal decides that this was the best holiday that hes ever been on and has agreed to let his boyfriend plan more of their holidays

okay so i think this turned out to be more of a fucking tourism add for krakow than a headcannon but yeah, sorry its sucky and go read When in London on AO3

[unnursvanablog]

I must have skipped over some of the promo stuff, since I wasn't really aware that Suspicious Partner was going to go in the direction that it took. But then again I just saw Nam Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook and rom-com and them dancing around in suits and that was good enough for me.

But I am not sure if making me sit down and watch these two episodes, when all I wanted to jam to Eurovision song because the grand final is tomorrow, was helping this drama a lot. I liked it, but I did check the time to see how many minutes were left during both episodes, so it wasn't totally gripping, despite all the suspense that was supposedly going on. But it had it's moments.

I don't know why thus murder / suspense + rom-com mix is cropping out so much. Her being somewhat framed for her douche ex-boyfriends murder sure was a twist. I sure didn't see it coming. I will give it a few more episodes before I decide if it is helping the story or just making it rather disjointing like SWDBS.

So far it doesn't seem to becoming the center of the story and not the rom-com bits, but that has to be set up more anyway. Maybe this whole murder case was just a weird thing to get all the main players together, but it looks like we are getting more of that murderer. I have to admit I am not really in the mood for some murder mystery / rom-com combitnation. Not really big on murder-solving shows, but I can watch and enjoy some of them.

Going by the only previous work by the writer that I have watched is Protect the Boss. That doesn't make me super hopeful for this drama, since I am not that huge on that show. I remember mainly being into the the secondary couple and finding some of the scenes, and especially all the bickering, really funny. But other than that, nah.

I like the characters so far, and the fact that both of them wear glasses. I found some moments between them cute, but the whole ‘did they or did they not have a one night stand’ slow reveal bores me. I am somewhat certain they didn’t and the drama is just teasing us. And that is sort of all I got.

[nyandom]

Introduction of the Members

Yuki: A page dedicated to this is still under works so for now, we’ll be introducing the members via text post.

Elo: The members are arranged from who joined MEOW first to the last.

Jordan

Nicknames: Jordy, Superman, Freaking Disgrace (FD), and Mama

Posts including Jordan will be tagged with #jordan.

He is the oldest member of the group and is considered as the Mother of Meow. Of course, being an adult means having a job is part of the package. This becomes one of the main reasons for his lengthy absences in the group. But even so, he had kept everyone in his thoughts. He even sent his friend, Edzon, to check on the members so that he’ll be able to know how they were doing while he’s at work (which was how Edzon became a member). His confidence levels are off-charts especially on the topic of his charm and looks. It is worth noting that the amount of hearts he has broken just by turning around is limitless. He also has a cool temper that will take a lot before bursting. But when it does burst, he can be terrifying. However, like Elora, he doesn’t hold grudges for too long and will apologize. That aside, he is a patient and caring friend. He’d give advice and do his best to help someone in a bind. That is why no matter how long the period between each of his rare visits, the members would always patiently wait for him filled with just as much anticipation as they had the last time.

Yuki: His confidence is so high I’d call it pride. But I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t a bit envious or fond of it. He’s got moves too (also one of the things I’m jealous of). With all the wise words and guidance he’d drop on us like some sort of nuclear bomb in WWII, it’s easy to forget that he too can be fragile at times.

Sophia

Nicknames: Yukiko, Yuki, Snowie, Sunshine and Granny

Posts including Sophia will be tagged with #yuki.

She’s a religious gal with a caring heart. Do not be fooled by her seemingly aloof appearance for she is a huge, clumsy dork. Remember not to aggravate her. Her strength is a force to be reckoned with. She tries to be more fit, often sparking the fire in the rivalry between her and Derek. Even with that fact, she still eats a lot of spicy food, sometimes going out of her way to drown her ulam in chili. She is a fashionista at heart, despite what she lets on. Last to enter a fandom and the last one to leave it. She is also fond of jokes, puns being one of her favorite types. Loyal and loving, she’ll stay a friend through the toughest of times. She also enjoys minimalistic art and Pinterest.

Elo: Well that was way easier to write than I expected.

Yuki: You darn lil sweetheart, you pressured me.

Elo: Oops, sorry bby.

Elora

Nicknames: E, Elo, Eloroll, Ero-chan, Zurithia Xeliquana, Iron Board and Zuri

Posts including Elora will be tagged with #zuri.

This charming chocoholic has caught the often unwanted eyes of lots of boys (and sometimes girls) at her school. It is really no wonder why for her sweetness is as great as the chocolates she loves so dearly. It reaches to a point that most of the time, she can’t bring her heart to straight up tell someone annoyingly hitting on her when she’s a little too tired for a chat. She’s a fond of sweets but she’s even more fond of salty food. She’s very supportive of her friends and is usually lively. Her greatest weaknesses include cute things and spicy food. She can be forgetful at times and she really hates it when people say anything about her height. But it’s hard for her to stay mad at anyone for too long. It’s in her nature. She’s a very loving, thoughtful, and optimistic friend that lots of people would definitely fight for to befriend and to keep happy. One can always, always count on her to make anyone feel better even without words.

Yuki: She loves shipping countries and musicals too. Definitely an active tumblerist. Sinnamon roll. Ya think she’s just all cute? Yes, she is. An alpha sister being tough and cool. But know this, if she ever did something to you, believe me when I say it’s going to be very hard to be angry at her for more than 3 minutes and if she’s ever sad, you’d kill to turn that frown upside down. She’s that easy to love and hard to drop which is often a bother to both of us because some people who really won’t drop her end up choking her.

Elo: *SCREAMING* BBY WHY??? OMG PLS MY SINS- YOU SAY YOU GOT PRESSURED BUT YOU BUST OUT THIS FANFIC! THIS WENT TOO DEEP > /// < MAYDAY MAYDAY ELOROLL HAS LOST CONTACT

Yuki:  Love you.

Maricris

Nicknames: Mari, Chrissy, and Leonia

Posts including Maricris will be tagged with #mari.

An intelligent and academically competitive student. But don’t you think she’s plain and dull just because of her passion for science. The dancer deep within her is anything but that. Not only is she great with keeping up with the music but she’s also a great actress and singer. Though she freezes up when it comes to singing in front of crowds, she has no problem showcasing her wonderful talent in theater and dancing. Her love for food is only bounded by chocolate and ruled by pretzels.

Yuki: Real fun and amazing person to discuss with about debatable topics—social, religious, political, scientific—anything. She’s got great facts to give away too. She becomes very enthusiastic when it comes to the people she’s got a crush on too. By the way, she’s the one who made our header.

Elo: Doesn’t she have just the most awesome editing skills??? :DDD

Hanna

Nicknames: Nee-tan, Sharina, and Flour

Posts including Hanna will be tagged with #hanna.

She’s a junior high school classmate of Elora’s. She’s fond of cute things and is very fickle. Once she likes another thing, she’ll immediately switch to that. She also likes makeup and trying out different hairstyles. She doesn’t often get to do either though due to her religion, Islam. She has a boyfriend named Paul who thinks that her small stature is adorable. Despite her height, she tries to be badass, often failing. As a way to prove that she is indeed badass, she plays League of Legends.

Elo: The friends whom she often plays with say that she is not good at the game. Whether she is good or not remains to be seen.

Yuki: She good a dancer. The variety of the hijabs she wear each day and how she copes with the heat never fails to amaze me.

Elo: Ooh! Building up on that, she rarely takes off her jacket. Like, even in scorching hot weather. She says it’s hotter with it off??? She really doesn’t like direct sunlight.

Miles

Nicknames: Derek, and Derk

Posts including Derek will be tagged with #derek.

An aspiring researcher with a beautiful singing voice. He’s an avid fan of Eurovision and has been trying to improve his art skills. He’s an ambitious young lad with great determination for his goals and living a healthy life is one of them (just like the competitive Sophia). He can be a bit prideful of himself sometimes but he’s just a huge loveable dork with big dreams and good amount of belief in oneself.

Yuki: Family friend since first grade, really fun guy. Quite the eccentric - one of the major requirements for the group. He’s a minecraft former SU fan kid by the way.

Edzon

Nicknames: Eddy, Alistaire, Ali, the most handsome person you will ever meet, and Alien

Posts including Edzon will be tagged as #eddy.

He’s a jokester with a habit of flirting with people he’s interested in. It seems like his style of joking consists of well-cultivated jokes that often times leave one thinking. Jordan and Edzon are known to have been classmates at one point in time. His location as of now is unknown as he often flies off to one place or another, possibly due to his job.

Elo: He’s also fond of using kaomojis with English characters such as (but not limited to): - w - , - o - , and e - e.

Yuki: His confidence is as annoying as FD’s. Pretty laidback but when it comes to people who mean a lot to him, he’s quite the opposite. He can be thoughtful at times though. He wasn’t much of an FB user but according to his friends, he’d become a little more active in it ever since he became a part of the group.

Elo: He’s also really sweet! <3

Rudy

Nicknames: Piece of Crud (PC)

Posts including Rudy will be tagged as #rudy.

He’s a Korean who is twins with Ruby. He has been known to roleplay (in fact, that’s how he and Elora met!). He often portrays himself as mean and perverted. But from the observations of the group members, he’s a sweetheart who just doesn’t want to get close to anyone in fear of being left alone.

Elo: He’s a real piece of work, he is. At his worst, he could kill a man. He has been suspended for fighting with his the principal’s son of his school. However, the said son threatened to hurt Ruby. You can imagine what happened next. At his best however, he’s the nicest, most thoughtful person ever. He even saved all the pictures that was sent in MEOW (even if he denies it.)

Yuki: Real life tsundere boi. He’s a brutal prankster too. Oh and surprising fact, he dances ballet. Actually, he dances a variety of styles but still, ballet.

Ruby

Nicknames: Gemmie

Posts including Ruby will be tagged as #ruby.

The angel of the group that rarely goes online but not as rare as the adults, Jordan and Edzon. She’s the female of the Kang twins and just like Rudy, she loves and cares about her sibling just as much as he does even though she’s the usual target of Rudy’s freaky pranks.The only difference is, she’s a lot more open and honest about that part. She doesn’t like it when her brother gets judged too quickly and she’s always the first to defend him. She rarely gets mad at anyone but when she does, it can be quite unsettling. She holds grudges but forgiveness is not something that’s hard to come by her. Nevertheless, she’s the sweetest and purest person in the group and the guilt will haunt you for the rest of your days if you’ve ever mader her upset.

Yuki:  Angel is no exaggeration cuz she literally is one. It’s really hard to make her mad, just to let you know( as long as it’s not about her brother that is) so don’t worry ‘bout her hating you. Like Rudy, she dances too and she’s got a knack at it..

Aimee

Nicknames: Aim, Shotgun, and Gun

Posts including Aimee will be tagged as #shotgun.

She’s the youngest and newest member of the group. A great artist. Much is yet to be known by her and prior to Miles's request (and interest), she was added. We've had our doubts about her but looking back, our conditions are pretty much better than the ones Rudy has put us all through. And so far, the group have had quite a grand time with the lass and are looking forward to get to know the fun little gal more.

Elo: We will link her art blog here once she makes one! (If we fail to do so, someone please remind us.)

Yuki: Very great artist. Had a DA once but she gan move here now—internet’s hell hole.