#thank you for giving me the most iconic music video to gush over as a teen

[james-p-sullivan]

Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park

[inkandpen22]

Permanent Chaos (4/?)

Pairing: MGK x Female!Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: mild swearing, mentions of underage drinking 

Part Summary: Sam hosts a party and Y/N makes a not-so-great acquaintance of a certain rock star.

Masterlist

Sam’s house is filled with people. I know the majority of the partiers, the rest I can recognize from whatever field of entertainment they’re in. The music is blasting over the speakers and the voices fill the remaining space.

I search around for him. I manage to find him in the family room on the couch. He’s chatting with a group of people, including Penelope. I make my way over, shuffling between bodies. When I appear out from within the crowd, Sam gleams.

“You made it!”

“I did!” I giggle.

We hug and he introduces me to the girl beside him. “Y/N, this is Cara.”

As if I don't know who Cara Delevigne is, I may be busy but I don't live on Mars. I smile at her kindly. “Nice to meet you!”

“You too! I’m a huge fan of your work on TSL!” She gushes, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

The Seasons of Life is often shortened to TSL, just a side note.

Cara’s accent is so pretty! She’s already a model then she has to have a British accent as if she wasn’t perfect enough!

“Aw, thank you so much!”

Sam slips by me. “I’m going to go get us a drink!”

"Oh wait, Sam!"

“I know what to do!” He shouts back without stopping. I should know better. With how much time we spend together, he would know my order.

“That kid,” I sigh to Penelope and Cara.

The two giggle and we go on to talk about this and that. Fun enough, Cara leaves for Paris tomorrow for a fashion show. Must be exciting to travel so often and to wear the most amazing clothes. She’s quite funny. Her personality is so vibrant and warm. I can see us being good friends.

A loud voice echoes through the house and the three of us look toward the archway to see who it’s coming from. Bodies block the view so I turn my attention back to the girls. Penelope and I discuss the photoshoot in two days and Cara talks about her experiences with Vanity Fair.

“Hey, Cara!” A voice greets behind me.

I don't turn around, but I can feel their energy hovering over me. They shuffle to stand right beside me. I glance up, but can't recognize them.

Cara stands up to hug them. “Good to see you! How are you?” She keeps him in an embrace.

“Great, great!” The guy, who’s back is to me for some reason seems familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

“You know Sam?” She questions as they part.

“Not really, I came with a few friends.”

I look over at Penelope for a hint as to who it could be. She shrugs and watches the two interact.

“Speaking of, have you seen him? I should say hi.” The man asks.

“He went to the kitchen to get a drink for him and Y/N.”

The man turns around and he peers down at me on the couch. I should’ve guessed it… MGK. The hair and a million tattoos should've been a dead giveaway. That bright blonde mess of a hairstyle.

“Colson, this is Y/N Voss,” Cara introduces us.

He glances down at me with a smile. “We’ve met actually,” he claims.

My head tilts, I can’t recall when we've met properly.

“Today after I performed on James’s show,” he describes, towering over me.

“Oh! Awesome!” Cara sits back down next to me.

All I can do is stare at Colson in confusion. “If you count glancing at one another from across the room once as meeting,” I reply a bit snarky.

He gives me a toothy grin and eases down onto the cushion ottoman right across from me. “It was more than one glance,” he argues.

“You would know, you’re the one that never looked away," I fire back.

Cara and Penelope exchange a glance, snicker, then leave the scene together. They offer their goodbye before giggling away. They're smart.

Colson seems to have not noticed or at least doesn’t care. He moves to take Cara's spot on the cushion next to me. “You would’ve had to been looking to have noticed that I never looked away.”

My head rolls back, with a mocking laugh. “Well aren’t you a genius!”

He rests his arm on the back of the couch behind me. “I like to think so.”

“One vodka tonic.” Sam interrupts, holding out my drink.

I take it bitterly. "Thanks."

“Sam huh?” Colson stands up and the two shake hands. “I’m Colson, nice to officially meet you, man!”

Sam treats him like an old friend which annoys the heck out of me. Colson so far has only shown his arrogance to me. “You too! Great seeing you today at the show. Your performance was amazing.”

“Thanks, your interview was hilarious!” Colson fakes charming better than some actors.

“You watched?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, I stuck around just off-camera. You two are great!”

Watching these two talk each other up is a bromance waiting to happen.

Sam gestures to me with his glass. “Y/N here is the real comedian. There’s never a dull moment with her."

“I'm sure.” Colson peers down at me with a bright smile. "We’ve only just met and she’s already sparked a debate with me.”

I narrow my eyes at Colson, what’s he trying to start?

Sam settles down on the ottoman where Colson was. “What about?” He is all for the conversation and is jumping headfirst into the tiff between us.

Colson smiles but I see the mischief in his eyes.

“It wasn’t a debate” I rise to my feet in front of the boys. “If you would excuse.” I step away from the couch a little irked.

“Oh come on now Baby, I’m only joking,” Colson calls not bothered.

“Oh no,” Sam laughs behind me. “Best not call her that or any pet names for that matter. She hates them!”

I don’t even acknowledge them on my walk out of the room. Cocky, annoying, ugh! It’s been maybe five minutes and he’s already managed to irritate me. Maybe all the things they write in the tabloids about him are true. A spoiled, arrogant, womanizing jerk. A piece of the worst parts of the industry. I'm going to go find the girls and stay far away from Colson Baker.

________________________________________

On the set of the Vanity Fair shoot, the atmosphere is lively and carefree. The theme is an 80’s vintage style and since it’s coming back the magazine is mixing old with the new. Sam and I are in an old-fashioned record store and it’s wicked! The walls are teal and remind me of an old Taco Bell. There are rows and rows of just vinyl records. My hair is teased in an 80’s rock band kind of hairstyle. 80s music has been playing on set all morning to set the mood. I'm living for it!

A lady approaches me with a huge light wash denim jacket.

“No way! I get to wear this!” I gush.

She helps me put it on and I’m dying from how awesome this shoot is.

I immediately go to Sam's trailer. “Sam! I’m rocking the denim on denim look!” I show off my high-waisted light wash denim shorts with a black bulky leather belt around my waist.

He laughs. “I appreciate the denim on denim but I have to say my favorite part is the old Bon Jovi T.”

The photographer, Adam, comes up with this brilliant idea for me to stand on the crates of records. Where the two rows in the middle of the store meet, there’s enough room for me to stand. Once I’m up there and I can find the balance in these red heels, they have Sam join me.

“Sam, grab her leg and look up at her as though you’re keeping an eye on her,” Adam instructs.

The camera flashes and between snaps, I change my facial features.

“Good! Good! Let’s get some shots from the counter!”

Sam helps me down from the crates and I hop down. We get a shot of me laying across the counter with a red sucker in my hand and Sam hovering over me. This shoot is incredibly fun and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Sam and I change outfits and Adam asks if he can get a video for the website and YouTube channel. Of course, we said yes. It’ll be a montage of an interview of us individually and then of us just messing around throughout the store with 80’s music playing in the background. Adam has me sit on an 80’s style floral couch they set up in front of a backdrop in the back room. The whole setup is very comfortable and intimate. Only us, a few lights and a camera with the radio playing. Sam is in makeup and dress for the part of the video of us being candid.

“You can sit however you like!” Adam instructs, meaning I’m sitting too formal with my posture straight and legs crossed. “Act like we’re just hanging out or something.”

I adjust myself and crisscross my legs, slouching a bit.

“Much better!” he compliments, staring down at the camera. He hits up on a stool and positions his camera on the stand. “What’s it like to be on the cover of Vanity Fair?”

“The whole experience is unreal! I remember having a subscription to Teen Vogue growing up. My friends and I loved them!”

“Would you describe your style as modern or classic?”

“Classic for sure!” I gush.

Adam snickers. “What’s your favorite decade for fashion?”

I laugh and gesture down at my outfit. “The 80’s.”

“Does anyone from the 80’s inspire your style in particular?”

I tap the tips of my fingers together and hum. “That’s a toughy! I guess I would have to say Demi Moore for the hair. Specifically, her haircut from About Last Night… that’s where I got the style for my hair actually. Another big one would be Cindy Crawford, such a fashion icon!” I could talk about fashion all day and the icons idolize.

“Heels or sneakers?”

“Depends on the occasion. Sneakers for everyday things, I could never live without my trusty Converse. Yet, I would wear heels if I’m dressing it up a bit.”

"Are you more of a girly-girl or tomboy?”

“People who know me well would say I’m a girly-girl but I also don’t mind downplaying it from time to time. I’ve gotten better lately at relaxing and no being so “on” all the time.”

“Hair up or down?”

“Half up, half down,” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully looking into the camera.

Adam chuckles behind the camera. He changes topics. “You’re from South Carolina originally...”

My heart sinks a little at the mention of home, but I hide behind a smile. “That I am.”

“You haven’t been back in almost a year, do you miss it?”

I play with the ends of my hair, examining my lap. Avoiding the camera lens. I look at anywhere but there. “If I were to miss anything about South Carolina, it would be the gorgeous landscape and southern food."

“You have three siblings, correct?” Adam asks next.

“I do, an older brother and sister, then a younger brother.” I list.

“What do they think about the show and your career?”

I nod. “They support me but the distance is hard. As you said, we haven’t all been together in almost a year.”

“Do you have any plans to go visit home soon?”

I sigh, “sadly no, my work keeps me quite busy.”

The interview goes on and we discuss how my style has evolved since I was a teen starting out in the business. I’ll admit, the topics about home and family sucked. Work and personal life are two separate jobs, my worlds can’t collide. I never bring South Carolina into it.

______________________________________________

After the shoot, I received a call from Cara when we were finishing up the photoshoot. Last night, Cara, Penelope, and I had a blast! I completely forgot about the whole tiff with Colson once I reached them in the kitchen. Since then, we’ve been three peas in a pod. While we were talking on the phone, she invited Sam and me to dinner at The Ivy.

“A small gathering of friends,” she told me and asked for us to be there by seven.

Jump ahead to now and Sam is parallel parking the car. I hop out and wait on the sidewalk for Sam to walk around. Our hands' interlock and the paparazzi take notice of us when people on the sidewalk pull out their phones.

“Y/N! SAM! SAM! OVER HERE!”

“HOW’S FILMING GOING?”

“It’s good to be back on set!” I cover my eyes with my clutch.

“YOUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CORDEN WAS GREAT!”

“SOCIAL BLEW UP AFTER THE INTERVIEW!”

Sam asks for the guys to make a path so we can get through without issues. He releases my hand and presses his palm to my lower back protectively.

“WE’VE ALREADY SEEN Cara AND PENELOPE GO IN!”

“A FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY!”

“ARE YOU ALL MEETING UP?”

“Maybe, maybe not!” I look into one of the video cameras and wink.

The guy behind it gets a hoot out of my expression.

Sam and I reach the restaurant and the men let us go in unbothered.

“WE’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE TO YOUR DINNER!”

“Thanks guys, see you later!” I wave to them and their cameras shoot rapidly.

The noise dies down when we go back further into the restaurant. Sam spots Cara in the back and guides me back there. Tables are lined up in a long row and the majority of the seats are filled.

Cara, cool as a cucumber pulls me into a hug. “Hey Y/N! So glad you two could come!” She sits Sam and me across from each other near the middle. She insisted that I sit by her so we could chat. We get to talking about the Vanity Fair shoot today then she’s pulled away when another guest arrives.

The waitress comes up behind me and requests my drink order.

“I’ll have a sweet tea please.”

“We only serve unsweetened.”

I hate it when they say that. “That’s fine, thank you!” Sam eyes me and I pout about having no sweet tea.

“You realize there’s sugar right here.” He slides me the packets of sugar.

“Yes but it’s not the same. There’s sweet tea at every restaurant where I’m from and I come here boom! Sweet tea is nonexistent!”

"What’s the drink that’s carbonated?” He’s asking to be annoying because the west coast and the midwest disagree on the name.

“Pop!” I glare at him.

“That’s right! Pop! Sounds like you’re saying pot every time.” He laughs at his own joke, finding himself humorous.

“It’s soda by the way," he corrects.

“Uh uh,” I refuse to change my ways, “it’s pop.”

The empty chair next to me slides back and when I glance up to see who’s doing it, an instant headache hits my brain.

Sam greets Colson warmly with a handshake. I shoot Sam another glare. He’s acting neutral but that shouldn’t be a choice in this case. He was my friend first!

Colson removes black Ray-Bans from his face and positions them on top of his head.

“Hello Y/N.” Colson sends me one of his charming grins so many teen girls swoon over.

“Hi,” I reply, not attempting to hide my disinterest. I curve my body away from him and towards Cara, legitly giving him the cold shoulder.

The dinner goes on without a hitch surprisingly, considering the circumstances. Penelope leans down over the back of my chair to say our goodbyes.

I turn around in my chair to face her. “See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya,” she rubs her hand up and down my arm.

She and I exchange kisses on the cheek. “Love you!” We say in unison as we part.

“Later Sam!” She wiggles her fingers at him in a wave.

Sam and I stick around a while longer since Cara and I have gotten into a deep conversation about our shared love for vintage things. A conversation about our collections of records alone went on for twenty minutes. I hadn't noticed that it was just four of us now. Sam and Colson have been talking most of the dinner.

A pair of hands rest on my shoulders and steal my attention away from Cara. “Y/N, you ready to go?” Sam asks.

“We’ll head out too!” Cara announces with her sights directed behind me.

I look over my shoulder and Colson is standing beside Sam. The four of us walking out together… how convenient.

I grab my clutch, sticking close to Sam to dodge Colson.

The four of us walk toward the front of the restaurant and right when we reach the steps leading outside, Cara announces that she forgot her purse.

“I’ll be right back!” She urges us to go on without her.

The cameras waited for us as I assumed they would. They’re capturing every minute of us waiting for Cara.

I place my hand on Sam’s shoulder, “would you go help her?”

“You sure?” His eyes flicker between me and Colson.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him and he promises he’ll only be a second.

“Go to the car so you aren’t bothered,” he refers to the paparazzi.

“I’ll walk her,” Colson offers.

Sam gives him the go-ahead as he goes off to help in the search for the purse.

I’m left with the one guy I was avoiding. I grip the keys in my hand and walk down the brick steps to the sidewalk. I hear Colson behind me and stop to address him. “I can walk myself to the car.”

He raises his arms mocking a surrender. “I don’t doubt your ability to walk, just helping out.”

“I don’t need your help,” I scoff, starting to walk again.

“I never said you did,” Colson sassily replies.

*Click* *Click* *Click*

A man runs around me to get a photo of me straight on.

“Y/N! Y/N! WALKING IN WITH SAM AND LEAVING WITH MGK, ANY EXPLANATION?”

I pause for a moment, making eye contact with the man behind the camera. Is he honestly trying to start drama? What lies are he going to sell? I’m only going to the car because Sam requested. The only reason Colson is even near me is that he’s so freaking persistent.

I push back the aggravation and force my lips into a kind smile. I can’t have a single moment of weakness. I can’t give in to my emotions like others. “Sam is helping Cara with something inside. Colson was kind enough to walk me to the car.”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS KNOWN EACH OTHER?”

I purposefully answer quickly so Colson doesn’t even have the chance to think of a response. “Not long, we met the other day backstage at The Late Late Show. We have a lot of the same friends and had no idea!” I peek over at Colson and he gives me a knowing look. I dismiss it and go on with my charade. I will not let this jerk mess with my career.

“ANY CHANCE OF HAVING COLSON GUEST STAR ON THE SHOW?”

“That would be great!” I lie my butt off, “having more friends on set would be fun!”

“COLSON, HOW’S YOUR NEW ALBUM COMING ALONG?!”

“We’re in the recording stage right now. Should be released sometime this summer," he answers.

“FOLLOWING UP WITH A TOUR?”

“Of course!” he chuckles.

I unlock the car and move around the guys to reach the door.

“WE’LL LET YOU GUYS GO ON. ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR NIGHT!” One of them departs.

“Thank you! You too!” I wave goodbye.

Some stick behind to get a few last pictures but for the most part, they all disburse. The ones remaining, however, keep their distance.

I yank on the handle of the door and Colson holds it for me. As if he's a gentleman. I begin to climb in, prepared to yank it shut in his face.

“Friends huh?” Colson chuckles.

I turn around abruptly and check around the general area of the sidewalk for any cameras. Seems the remainder of the guys have left. I shut the door and Colson removes his hand in a rush.

“No, not friends! I only said that to please the public," I huff.

“Ouch!” he acts offended, placing his hand on his heart. “I did find it interesting that you claimed we met backstage the other day so I was right!” He chuckles, believing he caught me.

“No, no, no, no!" I shut that thought down quickly. "The only reason I made that up was that it’s not good for my image if I admit I was at a party. People tend to assume that heavy drinking and drugs occur at parties. I can’t be associate with that scene!”

“Oh, so it’s alright to lie?” He crosses his arms and snickers, glancing down the street toward the restaurant.

I roll my eyes, of course, he doesn’t understand, why would he? “You don’t get it” I scoff, dismissing him. I turn and reach for the car handle again.

“So what if you were at a party? People drink, if some have a problem with that, that’s their problem. Oh! I forgot! You're America's Sweetheart! The perfect angel princess with a spotless record,” he mocks.

I slam the car door shut, having hit my limit. I keep my voice hush. “It’s not that simple! I'm not like you! I can't be caught partying! If the country, the world, sees the truth then my image is ruined! I've been doing this since I was a teenager! I worked way too hard for far too long to lose everything over a stupid mistake!”

Colson’s face falters from his usual carefree expression to one of seriousness.

“Found it! Let’s go!” Sam announces loudly to the whole block.

I toss him the keys and glance back to Colson who stands there in a stillness I have yet to see from me. His stare makes me want to hide. I feel as though I’m under a microscope being studied.

“Toodaloo Y/N! ‘Till next time my pals!” Cara strolls down the sidewalk.

It’s evident she’s had a couple of drinks. She sways further down the sidewalk and comes to a stop once she notices Colson isn’t following.

“Later Cara!” Sam shouts over the top of the car behind me.

Colson and I stare at each other I’m guessing for different reasons. He appears lost in thought and I’m desperately trying to figure out why. If I look away, I fear he’ll break to pieces or something.

Cara pauses. “Colson? You coming?”

He holds out for a moment but finally breaks eye contact with me. "Yeah."

When I’m no longer staring into those black works of art I regain my ability to move. I hurry into the car and Sam says his goodbyes again over the top of the car. I buckle my seatbelt when he climbs in. Watching strangers walk up and down the sidewalk, I’m perfectly aware of Sam starring me down.

He pulls onto the street. “Are we gonna talk about it or are we doing silence?”

I reach over and turn up the radio.

“Of course you make your own option.” Sam watches me, waiting for some sort of explanation.

We come in at the end of a song and the next one is oh too recognizable. The classic rock sound that is a part of all of Colson’s music plays through the car speakers. His vocals enter the soundwave and I groan loudly over the music before turning off the radio.

"No music then!" I snap.

__________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @canyoubuymetoast @bri-3530 @asil1652 @andstilltryingtofindmyself @nadia2021 @olafsidehoe @mgkobsessed @fairywriting101 @ferrell-cat @naylanae-0308 @tonystarkswife10 @alexsa5 @brocksbabyyy @stormrider505 @magnificenthumancopangel @sarcasticfangirlus @lilramencup95beech @missyviolet123 @skeleton-gxr @glitterybearllamaflap @margaritaville20 @amoresix @thysagclub

[causticsunshine]

HEYYY!! since you’re a returning larrie, what are the proofs that made you realize they’re still together still going strong ? (see what I did there lol okay bye sorry 😭)

hello! (and yes i did thank you asjfkdkd) sorry this is going to be a bit of a Journey because my time in the fanbase in the og days was pretty isolating and i was going through some Shit for the latter half sooo it might come as a surprise how things turned around for me!

BUT when i came back last year, i started looking into everything from the very beginning because when i left, i completely left. like, didn’t check up on anything or anyone, was super embittered and unhappy and basically believed all the stuff i thought about harry and louis’ relationship was an illusion. so, i wanted to see if everything really was just something i believed because other people said they did, or there was actually something there.

like i won’t lie, i was already drifting in and out of the fanbase in early 2015 and then babygate took me super off-guard—somehow—and was kinda my last straw? so coming back i was thinking, “okay was i actually delusional for four years, or did i let something that was most definitely a stunt coupled with some feelings of resentment undo everything i believed?” because over the four or so years even as i’d randomly listen to some solo music and the old jams i’d get back to thinking about larry and well, after my re-education and some reading into the post-hiatus stunts? it was definitely the latter.

i guess coming back i was kinda on the fence about them still being together without ever having a hard break though, but only because i was still trying to make sense of the big stunt timelines—at least just for a little while—but it didn’t take long for me to make up my mind like “oh nah these bitches have been in love for a whole ass decade”. really, looking into everything from their music released post-1d hiatus to when they’d both seemingly disappear and then reappear around the same time (like i see you, jamaican holidays, and maybe italy too), anon receipts taken with both a grain of salt and a lot of wishful thinking, collectively told me they were together?

if i had to pick some key moments though, i’d definitely go for:

— harry’s “i fell in love to this song” before performing wmyb on tour and straight up not singing louis’ parts in some 1d songs

— louis back pedaling on his stories about listening to abba with his ‘best friend’ and jamming along to 1d on a drive with the same ‘best friend’....like you cannot expect me to believe when he hastily added in the OH AND ME GIRLFRIEND ELEANOR WAS THERE TOO with the latter that that wasn’t damage control, or that ollie was the one who was the supposed best friend in these contexts

— b-stage my beloved....i think about harry looking up in the stands with that special smile and blowing kisses and i know we don’t see him all the time or wholly know him like a friend but i have never seen him give anyone that kind of look before except for louis :’)

— “‘i went to amsterdam without you’ is about going to amsterdam with me girlfriend.....” bro why are you missing her if she’s right there....is it because you ditched her on her birthday to chill with some fellow homosexuals on the gay strip?? and/or because your real beloved actually wasn’t with you??

— ‘come so far since princess park’ aka is there a nonspecific heterosexual explanation for this because i will never believe his intention with that line was to showcase how much has happened to him personally since then, when he and harry were gushing over living together there years after the fact

— harry and kasey musgraves performing shania twain’s iconic love song and kasey changing the lyrics to ‘they’re still together’ to fit a third person narrative instead of just satisfying the role in the duet and harry’s knowing smile when she sang that line like....i guess i love to weep??

— aaaand the interview in which clifford—like audio ‘proofs’ are kinda hard for me to follow because i’m hoh but my ass definitely heard harry hissing something that sounded like ‘clifford’ so i’m counting it—totally gave harry away by barking like a maniac in the background before (presumably) louis yanked him into another room...i definitely think they’ve done video call interviews while the other one has been in the room watching the whole thing (i swear harry was in the room during louis’ hits radio interview for example)

there really are a lot of convincing moments when i really think about it buuut i’ll stop there, because it really was a combination of everything from delving into how some post-hiatus stunts were/are so obvious—louis clearly loathing danielle, eleanor following or preceding every louis post with a hashtag spon, holivia being dead obvious pr fodder while hamille was pointedly formulaic, the entire nonsense that is babygate—to very surface-level lyric analysis, rather than one or two specific events. some may speak louder or not require as much analyzing or investigating as others but all-in-all i think the collective is more reliable than one or two particular moments!

but yeah. there’s just so MUCH that while it’s not as obvious as the old days where we got to see them showcase their love even when they couldn’t sit next to each other in an interview or change lyrics to make their love songs more personal in front of thousands of fans—ie just being in the same vicinity and getting to watch them interact, really—the hinting is nowhere close to non-existent. it’s there, just less obvious and maybe better planned.

tldr; i came back, did some digging, and i’m still:

every god damn day of my life

[cherry-interlude]

Lana Del Rey Unreleased Ranked (2)

This is a re-ranking of Lana's unreleased songs, after making a first a few years ago. This is all my opinion, which I don't mind anyone disagreeing with but don't come for me for it - honestly, I like every song, despite any criticism, and this ranking is very vague. It's based on objective and subjective opinion.

This is the second of five posts, going past my least favourites.

Money Hunny

Lana details the downside of money, detailing the ways it ruins lives and causes more problems that good for some. However, it’s simplicity isn’t what makes Money Hunny fall short – it doesn’t resonate at all compared to Lana’s countless songs where she is either rich and famous or she is desperate for money (or men with money). As thought-provoking as Money Hunny is, it feels too twee and out of place in her money-adoring music to really hit hard. If Lana has spoken on the topic of how money can literally damage lives more, it would perhaps gel better with me, but with songs like Money Power Glory, National Anthem and Off To The Races (among many, many others), it doesn’t hit the mark as a Lana Del Rey (alternate names included) song.

Strangelove

Strangelove is hypnotising, from Lana’s mesmerising voice that gives her the impression of a Las Vegas desert temptress, seducing strangers and wishing for the simple pleasures of Christmas lights and mint juleps. It hits best for the first opening chorus.

Stoplight Delite

Opening with a tuneful mechanical whir, Lana’s song wouldn’t be amiss in a teen romance film. I’m not convinced by the mishmash of music – the more classical band instruments with unrelenting whirring begins to overwhelm the song. Lana’s at her sweetest in this however.

Daddy Issues

The music is a bit too harsh but it’s a nice enough song, referencing Baby Blue Love among others. It isn’t Lana’s best by far, messy with lyrics that go all over the place, but (yet again), it would be more promising if it was completely remade and produced properly. The demo, I Was In A Bad Way, is a lot more maudlin and less enthusiastic, so it does fall behind Daddy Issues.

Catch and Release

It’s another song that’s kind of creepy, with an eerie vibe thanks to the relentless, whining music and Lana’s razor-edged warnings in her lyrics. Lana is practically a megalomaniac in this song, completely selfish and unafraid to ask for – and get – what she wants. Yet it’s quite a hypnotising track that, with further production, could be more cohesive and dramatic.

Marilyn

One of her old live performances, Marilyn is too simple in its lyrics but is a strangely erotic tribute to Lana’s icon. Lana owns the stage in this performance, a more carnal honouring than some of her other outputs.

Noir

Lana really goes for it in this furious song of crushed self-esteem and badly treated lover. Lana lets her vocals rip and tear as she growls about her “papi”, her being merely his dolly to do as he pleases. It's not her most perfect song but she doesn’t hold back from letting her hurt and frustration spill over.

Bellevue

Lana utilises haunting harmonising in Bellevue and though she seems hung up on her lover not wanting her around (she repeats it, as if she can’t let go, throughout the song) she still convinces herself she could go back to the old days of drinking and not being hurt. It helps – her chanting – to bring out the emotion of the lyrics, and maintain that broken feeling she is so good at conveying whilst saying how happy she is.

Put Your Lips Together

Taking on the character of a femme fatale who can hold her own, Lana seduces the listener on top of a chilled instrumental. Her lyrics are little bit dirtier as much as her vocals aren’t their best in the choruses (of course, it being a rough demo might have something to do with that). It’s definitely a song that, if completed, could rank alongside Beautiful Player and Ooh Baby in her seduction library.

Starry Eyed

Starry Eyed is a romantic enough song, with a gentle plinking intro that leads to a rumbling, Born To Die-esque track – complete with Lana’s pretty vocals. However, it does tend to drag, a slow song that I find majorly skippable. The dragged-out choruses get tiring after a while of listening so I don’t frequently listen to this song.

Breaking My Heart

Lana is fully materialistic in this song, referencing multiple designer companies as well as her desire to be loved and party. It’s not too imaginative in its lyrics, instead pure pop with a mixture of lyrics that never quite come through with a particular meaning, but it’s a good enough bop.

Butterflies Part 1

A little love song about a tumultuous teen romance, Lana plays off the lovestruck teen ultimately in love with a guy not good for her perfectly. It’s heady and full of the rushes of love, emotive enough to get the feeling of a girl going mad from her relationship.

Ben

Lana, using the rain to her advantages, moodily comforts her executive love in the full femme fatale façade, quietly passionate. Lana, as much as she loves him, is still her own woman, insisting she will smoke if she wants and playing with her voice to showcase such control.

All Smiles

Lana puts on a happy smile as she mopes over Jimmy in this small-town, fifties-painted tale of a girl who wants a man she can’t have. She mostly hits the mark in this acoustic track and has the right foundations for a decent country ballad.

My Best Days

My Best Days is a short song of cleverly utilised trap beats, autotune and slowly layering instrumental in which Lana isn’t happy without her lover. The organ outro is gorgeous, and it’s a track that can perk you up or calm you down.

Get Drunk

Restless pace, whispered mocking and an overall darkly seductive tone – it’s unembellished and, in some ways, could play as Lana dealing with her past alcoholism (demanding whomever the song is directed to should get drunk). It’s a vibe Lana should explore more over a decade since Get Drunk and the like were made.

Let My Hair Down

A simple and spooky track, Lana has an acoustic jam session consisting of unsettled guitar, bongos and her voice. It’s rather repetitive but it’s something different that works well. It shows Lana doesn’t need too many fusses and frills on her tracks to make something captivating, much like her Sirens album.

Every Man Gets His Wish

The intro of upbeat whistling climbs into a lowkey track that goes from sensual stuttering and a sad chorus that still sounds like Lana has a smile on her face. The mood shifts along with the tune but it is altogether cohesive.

Dance For Money

As stripped as the pole dancer Lana plays, Lana gently teases and cajoles in her ode to older men, lemonade and motorcycles with little else.

Back To Tha Basics

Much like the title, this track is a little bit basic but it’s still zesty with a wonderful instrumental and some pop-inspired vocals.

Butterflies Part 2

Production isn’t perfect on this track but Lana has such promise in this song in which she compares to lured in girls to butterflies pinned to a wall, all at once melancholy, knowing and cheeky. It’s unfortunate that the lyrics are so hidden beneath the dominating instrumental, but with tweaking this stormer could be even better.

Children of the Bad Revolution

The kind of song that would be found on one of her albums, Children of the Bad Revolution is a pacy dedication to Lana’s life as a delinquent a la the 1950s starlets. It’s good but it’s not anything too impressive, instead a chilled track that is simply about being free.

Beautiful Player

Lana mopes in the track about a somewhat disliked girl (perhaps they’re all jealous of her) who is in love with one of her players, giving the feel of a villain club performer smiling with red lipstick on and black mascara staining her cheeks.

Lift Your Eyes

Lana takes control in this song, instructing her lover to lift his eyes, rise above his demons and join her in self-respect. It’s a fine alternative to her gushing and moping characters, and with machine-like music running under the song, Lana sounds stronger than ever.

Valley of the Dolls

In this compact track Lana is once again frustrated by her lover. It’s pained but pretty with her vocals once again taking the forefront.

C U L8r Alligator

Just an acapella demo, C U L8r Alligator is simply Lana’s voice with her beating a rhythm in time. However, I really do like this song. I think it would sound even better polished and complete, but for a rough demo it’s promising. The Kristijan Majic remix is the version I most listen to, which makes it sound even more eerie (and if anyone remembers the D1ETPUSSY video that went with it, you’ll get why this song doubly haunts me). It’s not Lana’s finest but it’s a song I would have loved to see developed.

In The Sun

In The Sun is so hot it burns, more heatwave than refreshing sunshine, as she scorns her ex-lover. It’s not the finest instrumental but Lana sticks her fingers up with incredulous shock that someone could betray her so. She keeps the vibe great paired with blue skies and swimming pools with the upbeat music.

Hot Hot Hot

Big Bad Wolf, a slightly different demo track, is what I favour – stripped back, sexily uneasy, the lyrics letting the vivid imagery of red skirts, red cars and devilish men shine. Yet Hot Hot Hot is a decent, if not cheesier, song too, the chanting great for singing along.

Trees

Lana and The Rich Whores strike out with this kickass band-driven track that showcases Lana’s feistier vocals strongly. The lyrics are sparse but the overall feel of Lana going nineties-rock-chick keeps me wanting more of her in this style.

Push Me Down

Rather than being like the controversial Ultraviolence, Lana keeps the ‘violence’ fun in this pacy song, demanding her bad boy treats her badly in the best way possible. With a mildly rock edge, it’s still distinctively party-Lana, reminding of a pop-ier True Love On The Side.

She’s Not Me

It isn’t particularly imaginative pop but Lana lets the guitars do the talking as she whispers her warnings to her ex-lover. Lana owns this track, and though it feels a bit amateur in comparison to her discography and some of her stronger unreleased music, it shows she would have been great even if she went for the noughties chart pop scene. Fun and punchy, it’s a song to play on repeat.

I Don’t Wanna Go

The tentative and tight intro gives me the vibe that Lana wants to avoid going home rather than simply wanting to hang out with her lover, and her pain-tinted vocals in the chorus only add to the theory. She compliments her fascinating guy throughout the verses, a little more restrained but ultimately tense in delivery, before confessing how much she wants to stay out.

St Tropez

This is a great track for dancing and a celebration of being a party girl with plenty of attention. Best played when you want to imagine yourself as the main character.

Summer of Sam

Lana has yet another song of being a cutesy bad girl, comparable to the likes of Dangerous Girl and Playground, but it’s still fairly generic, standard pop fare. Summer of Sam is still quite fun however, drenched in pop and even with a hint of rap-talking keeping the song lively.

I Talk To Jesus

Lana returns to her religious roots in a less blasphemous way (Body Electric, for example) and instead sings a sad ditty about wishing she could have her old life. Solemnly it remembers her past (as seen in her older music) where she had the trailer parks, Christmas lights and her equally holy boyfriend.

Axl Rose Husband

The imagery is rich and gorgeous, not to mention the reference to one of Lana’s idols, but Axl Rose Husband doesn’t always do it for me – despite her strained, desperate vocals that perfectly exemplify her emotion.

Ooh Baby

Sampling Sexual Healing, Lana ramps up the sex appeal as she lets the listener know how much they want her, all while keeping it a little but more upbeat than the original song.

Other Woman

Lana’s tired of being the other woman in this track, and I like the way the lyrics flesh out the story a bit more rather. However, the chorus does get a bit tiresome sometimes.

Girl That Got Away

Lana shows you exactly what you’re missing as she mopes for her ex-lover with a smile on her face, taking the reins and knowing she has something he misses in a bubble-gum pop song about being the it girl you’ll regret letting go of.

[trashy-croud]

Home Sweet Home 🏠

So this is it, the final level. I adored this level as a child - well, watching my dad play it at least. It was always stuck in the back of my head that this level was a “bonus” level for getting all of the secrets, it was what I used to think constantly and I continued to think that to this day. So you can possibly guess my surprise when this level popped up all of a sudden because I knew for a fact I missed a few secrets. But this was a nice level, it truly added to the story.

We begin in Lara’s house with her admiring her newest addition to the collection. She’s sat on her bed by (what I suspect to be) a nice toasty fire and then the nice times are ruined. Even from beyond the grave, Bartoli seems to follow us everywhere as his men have broken onto the estate, their cars pulling up in the long driveway. I thought the instant this happened, I could perhaps use the dagger, I mean, it seems like a wild chance but a great opportunity, a bit sad we didn’t see a Croft Dragon, but nonetheless, we would try to get rid of the last few who continued to pursue to treasure.

Before we did so though, I went downstairs to the main hall, which was at one point the training room, and would press the button for some music. Oh, how I have missed this music. It was from the Venice levels, oh Venice Violins, it was absolutely perfect for taking down some people and drowning out the eerie silence. It did make the task of finding people more difficult, sure, because now I had to really listen for the footsteps, but I will not deny that I enjoyed the music. I don’t honestly understand how I found it, I was literally just running around the house to try and find some people as they had scattered absolutely everywhere when I came across the button. And I’m ever so happy that I did!

It was a pretty easy level overall, wasn’t too bad at all to deal with, though me using a shotgun? That had to be the worst part purely because I am useless with the shotgun in these games. My aim with them are shocking and it always will be. There was a lot of darkness, purely because it was night time and we managed to get some outdoors-time with this level. This was pretty much the only level where I had flares, or at least enough flares to survive. I kid you not, I was so happy when I picked them up in the weaponry cupboard. I managed to survive the darkness outside with the help of some flares and with the help of my mum pointing out the enemies that I couldn’t see. Then we were up against the last guy, the one whom we have met before in the opera house and he had unfinished business with us. Either that or it’s his twin brother. Either way, it was take two on the fight and I have never cheered so much when I have beaten an enemy. He wasn’t difficult to deal with, it just felt like the perfect wrap-up. The last grunt to finish the job that his boss had left him to do, and we foiled it yet again. Ah, the joys.

After it all, it was the final cutscene, or better yet, the famous cutscene. We all know this cutscene too well as it was one that broke the third wall. After you have been shot for being a nosy pervert, in roll the final credits and oh my god, I never fell in love more with a game. It had been a long journey and terribly long from the looks of the final stats. Oh, how @jaybird1306​ would be ashamed of me for not collecting them all! But I am happy with all of this, I wasn’t aiming for a full secrets run or anything, this was more of a trip down memory lane game for me and I have fallen in love with every minute of it.

Final Overview

This game is my childhood, and coming back to it was an absolute pleasure. It really sparked some memories for me of times when I would watch my dad play it in my childhood home. He would sit at the computer and I would watch in awe, sometimes running around and unable to sit still, sometimes even copying some of the moves Lara did in-game because I just adored her. This was the game which started my absolute adoration for such a video game icon and Queen. I have absolutely fallen in love again and I highly doubt it will stop any time soon. Now, for some of the features I loves the most.

The use of darkness. It was absolutely phenomenal, especially in the later levels such as the China levels and some of the underwater levels, as much as I don’t want to remember them ones specifically. But that draw distance truly made each level seem much bigger than it was, it also made you wary of what could be in front of you and to think before you act, something I rarely did to be honest. But as I mentioned before, the way they used it in levels such as China, more specifically the Floating Islands, was incredible. I was basically wary of every step and it made you fear the darkness all around you. It gave you a sense of the void and the unknown, a constant theme which I enjoyed greatly.

The use of sound. Oh god the sound and the music, I could honestly gush over it all day. Music truly makes the game and although all games have music, none have struck me as hard as this game did. Right from the menu screen alone, it struck a cord with me. It was beautiful and I almost found myself humming just the menu tune by itself just whilst I was at work or doing chores around the house. They have always impressed me with their timing for sounds or music. The use of silence was just as good as well as they keep you on end when there is utter silence. And then, all of a sudden, BAM, you are hit with some intense music and you have no idea why or what because whatever it is is still in that darkness! It’s just great, it even makes these games seem very thriller-esque with the jumpscares (at least in my eyes) that the music produces.

The graphics and colour palettes. Bring it all back in because I’m about to gush some more. I adore colour palettes and the contrasts they used in the levels, more specifically, as everyone may know, I adored the colours they used in the Temple of Xian, the Tibet levels and lastly, the underwater levels. Although I did not like the underwater levels, the colours used absolutely caught my heart, the contrasting colours made my heart leap a little. The bright colours of the Temple of Xian level was beautiful as well, they were so fancy and beautiful, much like the colours used in the Barkhang Monastery and they started to introduce to us in the Ice Palace and the Catacombs of the Talion. The snowy peaks of the Foothills though were just as nice, although bright on the eyes, they certainly used it as a way to hinder your view of particular enemies or even rolling boulders. Although the graphics, as some would say, are quite outdated, I enjoyed the blocky graphics. They helped to give me a better idea of what to do and where to go, to become more calculated with my jumps and actions to take. It may also just be me having a moment and being a bit biased, but I adore these graphics. They are perfect to me. Although I do enjoy a lot more realistic graphics for games, the ones for these games were just perfect to me. The graphics suited the game itself and I understand they will change over time the more I progress, but I believe I will still fall in love with these graphics time and time again.

Lastly is the story. As a child, I took not much notice to the story, but replaying it now, I have started to understand the story a bit more. It is beautifully written and is clear, so long as you pay attention to cutscenes or any sort of dialogue, which I made the mistake of missing during the diving area, but nonetheless, I watched back the scene and was able to catch up to understand properly what was happening and why we were collecting particular relics and items. The enemy himself, Marco Bartoli, was a formidable foe, continuously sending enemies to cover his tracks but sadly, he made it too obvious for us to follow after and foil his plans. He was a very interesting villain, and he got his wish in the end, to become the dragon of his dreams. Just bad timing on his part that we were also aiming for the dagger at the same time. But the story was fun to watch unfold and was, in all honesty, quite new to me, bearing in mind, I thought it all as just a “shoot-em-up”, adventure game. How naive I was as a child, but at least now, I properly understand it all.

This game has certainly left its mark on me and I’m glad it did. It got my mum more involved as she told me what she thought I'd need to do whenever I was stuck. My dad, on the other hand, would only chip in with comments such as "that's not how you do that" and then would quickly try to go back to his little cat nap afterwards. Two completely different types of help, one more so than the other. But overall, I have enjoyed this game and I hope you guys have enjoyed watching me play it as well, or at least have enjoyed hearing my thoughts, opinions and what I encountered. This has been Tomb Raider 2, and this ends the chapter on my favourite Tomb Raider game, whether that changes though is another story. But we’ll have to see. I will now begin playing the third instalment and boy, we are starting with a clean slate this time because I barely know anything on this game, save for the first level (which I never finished) and a couple of cutscenes. Otherwise, we are about to trek into new territory and I hope to write about the next game to come. Now I leave you all with a song and want to thank you all for joining me on this bumpy ride! See you all on the next one!

[benisasoftboi]

Gushing time.

Rune Factory 4 Special arrived a day early, so my entire day has been consumed in nostalgia. The original Rune Factory 4 was the first video game I ever bought on release day - I remember saving up all my money and making my mum drive me to like three different shops trying to find one that had it. I was already a fan of the franchise - before then, Rune Factory 3 had been my favourite video game, across the board. Aside from a playthrough of the first game last year, I haven’t played a Rune Factory game in a long time, certainly not RF4. But just starting up the game and hearing the music again, it was like it was suddenly seven years ago. Running around Selphia and seeing all the characters again - I love JRPGs, have played a lot of them, and I can think of very few that have characters that have stuck with me this long. And the aesthetics - the best thing about the Rune Factory franchise has always been the aesthetics, the music, the scenic and character design, just the general world. It’s a beautifully whimsical balance of urban and fantasy, and it’s the only JRPG world I think I’ve ever come across that I would genuinely want to live in. Rune Factory may no longer be my favourite game franchise - but I don’t think there has ever been another series that has felt so much like home to me.

Here’s a very long selection of personal highlights from the art book (by which I mean photos of the art followed by my rambling opinions):

Yeah, see, here’s the thing - Rune Factory 1 is not a good game. I could write an entire essay on why it’s bad (I actually started and got pretty damn far before realising no one’s interested in my two thousand word review of a game that came out over a decade ago - the short version is ‘Misty Bloom-fucking-Cave’. Anyone who’s played RF1 knows exactly what I mean). Don’t get me wrong, it has good qualities - excellent boss fights, for one, and also, as with the rest of the franchise, it is aesthetically wonderful. But ultimately, it feels less like playing a video game, and more like playing a proof of concept for a game. Which I guess it kind of was - and I can’t hate it because we wouldn’t have the rest of the series without it.

But it literally ends with a dragon spewing plant breath on a tank to make a turnip grow out of the gun. ‘Profound’, my arse. 

It’s Raguna! The “master sowrdsman!” (that is not a typo on my part that is a direct quote from the ending of Rune Factory 1 this game’s script had so many issues-). And Mist! My favourite of the ‘canon’ love interests!

Best girl! When I was a kid, my favourite love interest in RF1 was Rosetta. As an adult, it is Tabatha. I don’t know what it is about her that I find so likeable (she’s as lacking in personality as any other RF1 character), but... idk, I just like her a lot.

Camus’s big ambition is to leave town like even once. He will never achieve it

Fun fact about Melody is that she’s extremely depressed, a fact that comes up once in an optional side quest and is never addressed again. It’s incredibly dark for an RF game

Fun fact about Lukas is that he sucks (he’s one of those ‘obsessed with talking about how hot all the girls are’ characters, an archetype that thankfully doesn’t show up again in these games). But also, interestingly enough, thanks to one of RF1′s many, many script errors, if you marry Rosetta (the girl Lukas is the most obsessed with), he’s supposed to express disappointment that he lost her to Raguna - but instead, he implies that he’s disappointed to have lost Raguna to her. The translators typoed their way into giving him a sexuality change. Which is honestly kind of amazing.

LOOK AT THIS SLIME THIS IS SUCH A COOL SLIME LITERALLY EVERY OTHER JPRG SLIME GO HOME DRAGON QUEST GET FUCKED (jk I like Dragon Quest a lot and its slimes are cool too). Wish you could see in-game that this is what they’re meant to be like.

I just generally love the monster designs, they’re really charming

Rune Factory 2! The RF game with the most weirdly mundane protagonist name (Kyle. In the main four games of this franchise we’ve got Raguna, Micah, Lest, Frey... and Kyle). The two generations thing was actually very cool, but when they say ‘each chapter captures a different lifestyle’, what they really mean is ‘the first half is a weak Harvest Moon I’m sorry, STORY OF SEASONS game, and the second half is a pretty good Rune Factory game’  

lookit this little fuck

Yue Yue Yue! I love Yue so much, she’s great. She’s kind of like a much chiller version of Anna from Fire Emblem.

It’s really cool that we got to see grown up Cecilia (she was in RF1). I have this silly headcanon that if Kyle doesn’t marry Mana, Nicholas (her friend in 1) comes to visit Cecilia one day in the hazy-post game future, and meets Mana, and they get together. While Yue is my favourite, I do genuinely like Mana a lot, and I just want her to find love, I guess.  

Here’s original Barrett! There’s a reason he was popular enough to make a reappearance (well, aside from the whole grumpy pretty boy thing he’s got going on) - he was a great character in this game. His and Dorothy’s relationship is also definitely the most compelling of the rival romances. Bonus Max, who also has a little shout-out in RF4 (check the diary in what will become Dylas’s bedroom at the start of the game)

Ray is male, but apparently he was originally going to be a female character, as he has an unused portrait in a wedding dress. My friend and I agree that this makes him a Trans Icon

Monster designs remain excellent. Especially the goblins

Skipping over Frontier (and also Oceans later), as I never got to play it growing up due to not having a console, and still haven’t got around to it - might try this summer. Except I do need to point out that these guys should be memes. I don’t know in what way. But they should.  

Rune Factory 3! My first RF game. The transformation thing was very cool, even if it was basically useless outside the main story. My friend and I spent hours mucking about in the WiFi dungeon. I loved the desert settlement and all of the dungeon designs in general, and man, RF3 is just great. I hope it gets a remake one day.

Raven Raven Raven! I LOVE Raven (as do most). Her story with Micah is the first time I can remember getting genuinely invested in a video game romance. I’m so glad she cameos in RF4. I love her. She’s wonderful.

I have an odd fondness for Marian. When I was about twelve, I decided to do a playthrough where I deliberately romanced the least popular bachelorette. After poking around on forums, I determined that character to be Marian, and did a run with her. And... I actually came to really like her. I find her endearing. I get that people find her annoying and don’t like her... unethical medical practices, but doing that run has still made me a pretty protective of her. It’s been a long time since I played RF3, so maybe I’d change my mind if I replayed now, but currently, as far as I’m concerned,  Marian’s a good’un.

I think I also used to low key ship her with Collette lol 

Pia’s official art has always been super weird to me because it’s so not what her character is like in-game. She’s a ditzy airhead. This makes her look so serious

RAINBOW! Another character whose art makes them look way more serious than they actually are. Daria is great and would be a meme if this game was more popular. I think she’s also implied to be a relative of Margaret. 

I’ve always been super confused about what Kuruna’s skirt is meant to be. Is it fur? Is it part of her shirt? Is it even a skirt at all?

Check it out, it’s the guy everyone would ship Micah with if this game was more popular

I want Zaid to make a reappearance and interact with Doug. Pretty sure it’s canon that they’re from the same clan? Think it would be very interesting.

RF3 definitely had the coolest farm. Also, still love the desert settlement.

This is from Oceans, so I have no context, but it’s just so cool that I had to share

Rune Factory 4. Culmination of the series is right - when I was playing it for the first time, I remember being blown away by just how much it is a true love letter to the franchise. I have never come across another game series that so consistently grew and improved from entry to entry. RF4 was a perfect ending.

Not that I’m complaining about getting RF5. Quite the opposite.

But if it had been the end (as we all thought it was until about a year ago), well, like I say. Perfect. 

Well. Aside from soda can nipples. Can’t believe they didn’t fix those. Though in some ways, that would have made me sad too

Dolce has such a cool design, in both human and monster form. I’ve always kind of crack-shipped her with Margaret, for no real reason at all

Vishnal! I love Vishnal. Vishnal is pure as heck. Marrying him this time around.

Doug! My choice from last time around. Another character who looks more serious in his official art than he is in-game (well... most of the time)

And then there’s Dylas, who looks much happier here than he does most of the time. Kind of looks like he and Doug swapped bodies, actually. There’s a fanfic prompt for you.

Their ship name is Dyldo. I love them

Leon is nostalgic for me mostly because my friend and I used to get into a lot of arguments about whether or not he’s the hottest character in the game. She maintains that he is, because muscles. I maintain that muscles aren’t actually that attractive. It is a rift that divides us to this day

(He looks oddly... younger in this art though? Weird)

Sechs Empire is such an unfortunate name. Seriously. How rushed was RF1′s localisation team? All those script errors, and then this (the Sechs were the antagonists in the first game, and were only referenced in passing in the rest until RF4 - so it was a bit of a ‘sins of the father’ situation by then).

Seriously, try saying ‘Sechs Emperor’ out loud and tell me you can take this man seriously 

I??? Love??? Them???

I??? LOVE??? THEM???

Still confused as to why Kiel, Xiao Pai, Arthur and Margaret are on the cover now. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, but... Amber, Dylas, Dolce and Leon made way more sense? Even the Archival Cover makes more sense (Vishnal, Clorica, Forte), as those three are all kind of Lest/Frey’s servants (well, Forte for the whole town, but still). Of those first four, all but Arthur basically lift right out of the game with little-to-no impact on the story

NO HAT TABATHA NO HAT TABATHA

I’ve always really loved this Raven picture

And I am thankful for you <3

[cxhnow]

CHLOE X HALLE | TEENAGE TASTELAND, ONLY TEENAGE TASTELAND

Alone at a table for four at a quaint little vegan restaurant in Studio City, I wait for sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey (19 and 17, respectively) to arrive. To prepare, I’ve spent my morning listening to a curated selection of Chloe x Halle’s soft but powerful YouTube covers, from a jazzy take on Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” to a haunting rendition of Yo Gotti’s “Down in the DMs” accompanied by an electric guitar.

I notice their pretty sneakers through the window before they burst in: two beaming girls with wide smiles, matching dreadlocked manes, and a genuine, unmistakably Southern sweetness. They surprise me with a hug.

The Bailey sisters don’t really speak so much as they sing. Everything. They sing their orders—edamame, dumplings. Even spring rolls take on a touch of melody as they debate what to order. Many of their answers come delivered simultaneously in harmonious stereo, and they often finish one another’s sentences. It’s easy to believe the two really are the college track-star twins they play on Freeform series (and ABC sitcom Black-ish spin-off) Grown-ish. Do they share the famed “twin connection?”They answer again in unison—“Absolutely!” Halle explains that their relationship really blossomed when they were pulled from school for home tutelage. Halle, an Aries, and Chloe, a Cancer, balance each other effortlessly.

Halle admits, “People say I don’t have much of a filter. With some things, I think I’m being totally nice, but I can be hurtful. I don’t mean to be. It’s funny having that side of Chloe to take from, her sensitive side.” Chloe smiles, adding, “Yeah, Halle is all, ‘You better stand up for yourself!’” The closeness between the two girls is evident in the way they often refer to one another as “sissy” and “my baby sister,” even though they are sitting side by side. No “hers” or “shes” between these two.When the vegan wings come out Chloe laughs, explaining how the long stick inside of the “meat” is the “bone.” She eagerly grabs one but—there are those Southern manners again—not before kindly offering one to me. As an Atlanta native myself, I’m anxious to chat about the hometown we share in common. “Have you seen that YouTube video ‘Straight out of Dunwoody?’” Chloe wonders aloud through a smirk, referring to the viral comedy clip about the ATL suburb where affluent African Americans live a lifestyle that’s quite the opposite of the one N.W.A rapped of in their classic gangsta rap cut “Straight Outta Compton.” I have and it’s hilarious. Chloe immediately reaches across the table for my hand and squeals giddily.

But I’m curious about their love of trap music, a sub-genre of Hip-Hop that was born in the South and is now currently the ATL’s main sonic export of the ATL, and which the sisters often reinterpret for their covers. Halle notes, “Sometimes people don’t realize the lyricism that goes into rapping, and how those guys are artists. So it’s always fun deconstructing their songs and making them singable. Those elements are always in there.” Halle gushes over Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” which the girls remixed specifically to bring the poetic harmonies to the forefront.The Baileys first came to the world’s attention with soulful-beyond-their-years covers of famous songs debuted on YouTube. Their early videos garnered only three to four hundred views, but their undeniable talent soon drew millions. “People really gravitated towards our Beyoncé covers,” Halle recalls. “Next thing you know we got an email from her company saying that Beyoncé liked our cover of ‘Pretty Hurts,’ and asking if we were signed.” The girls pause for a moment, remembering one of the most important moments of their young lives. “We didn’t even question if it was real or not,” Chloe adds. “We were just like, ‘It’s Beyoncé!’”It wasn’t a fantasy after all. Their debut album The Kids Are Alright is out now, under Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment record label. It seems they were meant to flourish under the pop icon’s reign. As fate would have it, Chloe played a young Beyoncé in the 2003 film The Fighting Temptations, and a young Halle caught her braid on the superstar’s diamond dress at a party after crawling under the table and attempting to hug her. “The universe gives you signs,” Chloe beams.“We’ve been working on it for three years,” Chloe says of The Kids Are Alright. “Since before our Sugar Symphony EP, since before our The Two of Us mixtape. It’s been our baby, I feel like we were birthing a child. Now I’m like, ‘What am I going to do with myself? Is this album postpartum depression?’ I almost lost my mind!” Together, the Baileys write and produce all of their own music in their living room. That level of comfort and familiarity is key. “Whenever it’s feeling negative or forced in the room, we just stop,” Chloe says.

In the middle of the interview, Halle briefly takes a call from her father, gently assuring him that the sisters made it to the restaurant before hanging up. The girls cite family as the reason they are able to stay so grounded amidst the glamour and pressures of Los Angeles. “Mom and Dad, our little brother,” Halle starts, listing the roster of her core team, “and our older sister; she’s 27.” She says the last number in a manner that suggests she almost thinks that’s old.Though they’ve come a long way, their YouTube bio still reads, “two girls who love making music in our living room,” punctuated with alien, music note and heart emojis. Oh, to be teenage princesses with the world at your door. As they dine vegan on Ventura, it’s not hard to see a future where they too become pop culture royalty in their own right—all thanks to lo-fi covers on a streaming platform. They’ve got that triple-threat trifecta (beauty, acting chops, and enviable pipes) that lengthens careers into “We’ll stop when we want to” territory, and Queen Bey’s guidance to boot. It seems it’s only a matter of time before the crown is theirs and the fantasy is realized. [s]

[ukulelewrites]

thank u, next

A/N: am i whipped for one (1) kangaroo leader???????? maybe lol but i’m on break rn for cranberry season and i whipped up this fic after listening to this song on repeat for a kajibillion hours. i’m thinking of making this a two part series? or should i keep the ending as is? or do y’all want more of this dynamic???? lmk what yall think!!! Also if anyone can tell what the song skz is singing hmu

Pairing: Stray Kids’ Chan x Reader

Genre: Angst/Fluff/Pop Star!Reader x Rock Star!Chan/Exes AU

Word Count: 5.4k 

Thought I’d end up with Han / But he wasn’t a match,

Wrote some songs about Hyunjin / Now I listen and laugh,

These words flowed through the car stereo late at night as Chan found himself kissing some random girl he met at the nightclub. She kept her hands clutching tightly to his leather jacket, and he smirked as she let out another sigh.

Even almost got married / And for Chan I’m so thankful,

Wish I could say “thank you” to Felix / Cause he was an angel,

Chan froze once he heard his name coming from the stereo. “What’s wrong, babe?” the girl, who’s name had slipped his mind, asked.

He dropped his shocked expression and slipped back into his normal cocky facade. “Nothing, don’t worry ‘bout it,” he reassured her, leaning down to ghost his lips against hers, Now, where were we?”

One taught me love / One taught me regret

One taught me pain / Now, I just can’t forget

You had not expected such an explosive reaction to your newest single, but here you were, scrolling down your Twitter feed to the endless tweets gushing over “thank u, next.”

“Darling! You’ve done it once again!” your manager exclaimed as she burst into your dressing room, “I’m getting calls after calls asking you to come onto talk shows, radio shows, award shows, the whole shebang!”

“I’m glad to see you’re so excited about this, Melissa,” you teased, “I haven’t seen you this happy since you’ve met Chris Evans.”

“Now, as much as I love that man, I love you much more, my little songbird,” she sang as she booped your nose. “Did you hear what they’re calling this? ‘Pop Princess turned Pop Queen!’ God how I love the press! They’re eating this whole thing up!”

“I guess they didn’t expect me to release such an honest song,” you replied, still scrolling through your feed.

“Of course they didn’t! Who knew innocent ‘Somni’ would pull a Taylor Swift and drop a song about her exes? And name them too? No other artist has done that before!”

“I’m pretty sure I wrote that song about my self-growth, Melissa, not just to highlight I dated those guys.”

“Of course, darling. Now, why don’t we get you all dolled up for the red carpet? It’s your first public appearance as the ‘new’ you!” She let out a squeal before running out to grab your stylist and make-up artist.

You giggled at her newfound excitement and looked back down at your phone only to freeze at the headline glaring back you: CHAN CONQUESTS AGAIN? You swallowed down the uneasiness that crept upon you and placed your phone face down. “Get a grip, Y/N. You’re no longer ‘little Ms. Pop Princess,’” you said to yourself, training your eyes firmly on your reflection in the mirror, “and some boy isn’t going to make you revert to that.”

“Now, Somni, how does it feel to be all grown up now?” Amber asked. You laughed at her formality, considering the two of you were close friends, and pretended to ponder upon the answer.

“Honestly, I have no clue what you’re talking about,” you answered, giggling a bit at the eye roll she gives you and the disappointed looks you get from the audience members.

“I can’t believe you’re playing coy with me right now!” she jokingly complained, “I expect answers during my interviews, Y/N, answers!” The audience ooh’d when she used your real name.

“Sorry, Amber, I just don’t get your question! I’ve been a grown up since I turned 18, and that was a while ago.”

“Nuh uh! Somni was not grown up two years ago when she released ‘Wonderland.” Iconic album, but definitely the cookie cutter pop album we’d expected it to be. But this? ‘thank u, next’ completely defies what we expected coming from you! What caused the shift?”

You could practically feel the audience members leaning forward with bated breath. Ever since the song dropped a month ago, the internet had been ablazed with speculation over your music’s sudden shift.

“Well, I guess I was done writing a narrative where I was always the person getting saved,” you said, referring to the long list of love songs you had written in the past, “and I wanted to be the person that saved myself. ‘Monochrome’ is definitely going to show more of that self-love theme that I teased in ‘thank u, next,’ and I’m so happy that everyone has been so supportive of the change!” You gestured towards the audience members, earning a cheer from them, and even acknowledged the camera, knowing many of your fans were also watching at home.

“Amazing. I’m so proud of you for taking that next step in your career,” Amber gushed, earning an ‘awww’ from the audience, “Now, we can’t just ignore what everyone here actually wants to know about.”

You looked at her and quirked a brow. “And what is that?”

“The boys of course! You can’t just name drop them without spilling some tea, sis,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Stop,” you whined, “why would you even bring them up?” You exaggerated bashfulness by covering your face with your hands.

“C’mon, you name dropped a few big names in that song. Han? The biggest name in the up and coming rap scene right now! Hyunjin? He’s the highest paid male model in the world! Felix? Before his retreatment from the scene, he was the most well-known actor of his time!”

“Well, they helped build me into the person I am today. I didn’t think anything more of it,” you replied diplomatically.

“And we cannot leave out the biggest bombshell from that song: Chan, the lead guitarist of SKZ, which is, by the way to anyone watching who have been living under a rock for the past year, the biggest rock band on the scene right now! Who knew you were into the bad boy type, Somni? And you almost married the guy too!”

You let out an airy chuckle, shifting uncomfortably in your seat. “Yeah, we were young and in love. A risky combination if you ask me,” you joked, eliciting laughter from your audience.

“C’mon, Somni, you gotta give us something!” Amber pleaded.

“You know I don’t kiss and tell,” you jested, “especially not to the thousands of people who watch your show!” The audience whined at your statement, and you only flashed them an apologetic smile.

“But seriously, how did the bright-eyed, princess of the pop world end up almost married to the biggest playboy rock star on the scene right now?” Amber goaded.

“We were different at the time, Ambs. Life just happened to end up this way,” you replied cryptically. She tsked at your unwillingness to spill everything, but she retreated from the topic.

“Anyways, focusing back on you, I heard you’ll be performing at the American Music Awards, and you’re premiering your new single’s music video during it? That’s huge!”

“Yeah, ‘Without Me’ is getting a music video. Stan Twitter, this one’s for y’all!” you exclaimed, shooting finger guns towards the camera.

“And you’re album is dropping tonight right?”

“Exactly at midnight! I hope everyone can listen to it. I know it’s my favorite and most intimate album to date, and I hope everyone enjoys it to!”

“Well that looks like all the time we have with Somni tonight, folks. Check out her new album, ‘Monochrome,’ dropping tonight at midnight!”

You were back in your New York City penthouse, finally away from the hustle and bustle that came with album promotions. A small sigh escapes past your lips as you submerged yourself into the warm, bubbly bath water. You rested your head against the tub and looked up at the ceiling, finding yourself slipping away into your memories.

“What do you think about this chord, songbird?” Chan asked, strumming a jumbled mess of notes on his guitar. He got a scrunched up nose and a ball of sheet music thrown at his face as an answer. “Just teasing you,” he pouted, scooting over on the couch to look over your shoulder.

“I know you are, but I’m trying to focus right now,” you grumbled, pushing your glasses back up your nose and scrunching your eyebrows together. Your pencil was still flying across the page, putting down notes and rests and lyrics.

“Why don’t you take a break,” he asked sweetly, “focus on,” he leaned his head down to nip at the sensitive skin on your neck, “something else?” You stilled your hand for a split second, and Chan thought he had finally broken through, but you just shrugged him off and went straight back to work.

“This is my first album after debuting, Chan. I can’t just put it off. I need to come back with good music,” you sighed. He looked on worriedly as you ran your fingers through your hair once again and let out another huff of air.

“Songbird.” His hands found themselves on your waist, and he hoisted you onto his lap. You didn’t struggle and leaned back into his arms. “Sometimes you just,” he pressed feather-light kisses against your neck after each word, “need a little distraction,” once he found your sweet spot, you knew you were gone, “or some inspiration,” you let out a soft groan when he lightly bit down on your flesh, “like how well I’m going to-”

BRRRING! BBBRRRIING!

“Sorry, babe,” you mumbled, leaning down to scoop your phone off the floor. “Let me take this, and I promise you we’ll get back to where we left off.” Chan just waved you off, but you had missed how his eyes trailed after your retreating frame lovingly. If only you had seen that.

You knew you were over your past relationships. Each one ended, relatively resolved, and tucked away in your memory box. You and Han ended things after six months due to busy schedules. Hyunjin was dropped after 4 months when you realized you needed someone to fulfill a deeper, emotional need. Felix disappeared from the scene a year into your relationship, and you just assumed it was over when he stopped replying to your texts. And Chan — your eyebrows furrowed at the thought of him.

You could never really pinpoint where things went wrong with him. It was a flurry of you falling too fast for someone who never really reciprocated back and diving right in when he proposed to you 2 years into the relationship. A wry smile graced your lips when you recalled the realization that had dawned on you two months into the engagement. “He never said ‘I love you’ sober,” you mused as you continued to soak in the bath. You knew that he was tucked in a box just like the other boys, but a small voice in the back of your head continued to pull at the ribbon that kept his box shut.

“Somni, you are absolutely stunning tonight!” the interviewer gushed as she gestured towards your fitted maroon suit jacket and tight cream pants outfit.

“Why thank you so much!” you beamed.

“I must say, this is probably a huge night for you,” she said, “How does it feel to be one of the main focuses of the night?”

“Well, I don’t know about ‘main focuses,’ but I am so excited to perform tonight and reveal the music video for the new single, ‘Without You!’”

“Speaking of ‘Without You,’ it is easily my favorite song from ‘Monochrome!’”

“Stop! You’re just being polite,” you teased.

“No! I seriously love how raw you sounded in the song. I honestly felt the pain in your voice,” she said. “Plus, it was quite fun trying to figure out which of the exes this one was about.” She gave you an over exaggerated wink, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.

“Well, I hope you don’t expect me to tell you who,” you retorted, “It was lovely talking to you!”

After you bid her goodbye, you continued walking down the red carpet, stopping every now and then to pose for the camera and wave towards your fans. You also stopped every now and then to talk to some other artists and congratulate them for their nominations. In the midst of your conversation with Jaime, a deafening cheer from the hoard of fangirls came crashing into your ears. You looked behind you and saw SKZ getting out of their limo and beginning to walk down the red carpet. It was a blatant understatement to say Chan looked good. Even after accepting your failed relationship as it is, you were still capable of addressing that the guy looked fine. You dared not to stare for too long, since there were cameras everywhere focused on you, but you took a mental snapshot of Chan with his, newly dyed, blond hair swept up to reveal his forehead, adorned with a leather jacket thrown over a, teasingly, tight white button up and torn black skinnies, and the trademark devil may care attitude that seemed to wash off of him in waves.  A flash of light followed by a click pulled you out of your trance, and you refocused your attention back on Jaime. “Where did we leave off?” you asked sweetly, planting back on your trademarked smile.

The stage lights were pulsing, and the roar of the crowd became almost deafening around you. It had been a long night of dancing, singing along to the performers on stage, and afflicting yourself to pain whenever you had to trek onto the stage in your heels to present or accept an award. The camera seemed to love you as it continued to film you and Jaime as the two of you bounced up and down, both of you ditching your heels at that point, to the artists on stage and lip-syncing like your lives depended on it. However, you noticed the camera lingering on you longer than usual, and you sent the cameraman a playful quirk of the eyebrow. That was when Jaime pointed towards the main stage.

“SKZ is about to perform,” she explained, keeping a hand on your arm comfortingly.

“Awesome! I heard they’re performing a never heard before single,” you said back, trying to keep your expression upbeat for the camera.

The brief break ended, and all cameras trained their focus onto the side stage where the host stood. “Revealing a brand new single for the first time, here are the heartthrobs of SKZ with ‘Moving Along!’” they exclaimed.

Chan began to strum a steady rhythm, and a lump formed in your throat when you noticed the songbird sticker still stuck to the bright, red body of his guitar. The song was definitely more chill compared to their older, “edgier” releases, but you liked the lazy feel of the bass, the driving force of the rhythmic guitar, and the lax attitude the guys took on as they sang into the mics.

Been thinking bout you lots lately / Have you been feeling empty beds just like me?

I’ve been thinking bout you lots, lately / Or are you moving along?

You couldn’t help but chant along to the chorus, ignoring the weird feeling you got from the lyrics.

Is it wrong if I ask you to come over? / Is it wrong if I told you that I love ya?

Even though I never do it when I’m sober / Is it wrong? So wrong

That lyric struck a chord in you, but you continued to plaster on your smile and dance along to the song, keeping up a show for the camera. “If I wrote a break-up song, I guess he can too,” you mused.

The neon lights flashed to the bass that vibrated throughout the entire nightclub. You found yourself retreated to one of the side booths, scrolling on your phone to look at all the feedback you got back for the “Without Me” music video. It was amusing to see the internet freak out over, but you couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the lack of commentary on the music video’s aesthetic, which you had painstakingly curated, instead the buzz seemed to be around who the music video alluded to. Was the song about Chan? Definitely. You wrote it shortly after your split with him, and it sat in your drafts for a good year before your management pulled it out, dusted it off, and polished it up to be the second single for “Monochrome.” Was the purpose of the song to demonize Chan? Hell no. It was just to help you heal, help you get over such a harsh fall from cloud 9. You disappeared from the music scene for a good year to recuperate because being with him was like a firework. It built up and heated up and kept you enthralled, but it ended so quickly and left messes behind. It just happened to be that you were the mess that was left behind.

“Where were you?” you asked, too tired to put any emotion in your words anymore.

Chan looked at your sitting frame on the couch in shock. Well, as much shock as a drunk man could muster. “What’re you doing still up?” he slurred.

“Where. Were. You?”

“Out with the guys. Celebrating the new album’s release, the usual.” Chan’s brows furrowed. The tone of your voice took a complete 180 from what he was used to. “What’s wrong, songbird?” He walked up to you to try and get some shred of the usual warmth you emitted, but he was abruptly stopped when you stood up and held up a hand in between the two of you.

“You don’t get to call me that anymore.” You had no clue where your iciness came from, but it wasn’t hard to assume it accumulated over the past two months of your engagement. The past two months where you were planning the wedding alone in your apartment’s kitchen with the company of a glass of wine while Chan is out every night getting shit-faced with who knows who?

“Hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me,” he pleaded, trailing behind you to the shared bedroom. You replied with silence, keeping your pace steady and your face still. You knew if you spoke, your voice would’ve wavered. “Y/N?”

God, he sounded so broken and confused. It took your all not to spin around and wrap your arms around him like everything was okay. But it had been months of his lack of attention, affection (unless he was absolutely desperate), and affirmation. Your revelation had been when you were sitting on the living room floor, writing a song about him as a surprise present for him during the wedding. However, in your fit of brainstorming, it came to your realization he hasn’t told you he loved you since the engagement. He hasn’t sat down with you and helped with the planning. He hasn’t been home most nights to hold you in his arms at night. The sudden distant behaviour led you to thinking: maybe he didn’t want this at all. Maybe he didn’t want you at all.

You were in the bedroom now, and you grabbed the giant duffel bag you had packed earlier and spun around to leave as quickly as you could.

“You’re leaving me?” he asked, “Why are you leaving?” You pushed past him without a word, but he grabbed your arm and spun you around to face him. “Y/N, talk to me.”

“Let me go, Chan.” God, you were too tired to drag this out any longer.

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!” Chan spat back.

“I’m leaving you! That’s what’s ‘going on!’ I’m finally doing what’s right for me and leaving your sorry ass behind!” you screamed.

“What the hell did I do?” He was getting angrier now. “I just got home, and you’re already being a pissy little bitch!”

Your glare hardened at his last word. “Really now? You’re calling me a ‘bitch?’ Maybe I have a reason to be one,” you got right up into his face, “considering you’ve been an awful fiance for the past two months! You haven’t helped with any of the planning! You have barely been home at all lately! And we haven’t had a proper conversation in ages! I’m so tired of being strung along and left out to dry!”

“Maybe if you weren’t nagging me all the damn time, I’d stay home! Don’t you know how annoying it gets when I get home from the studio and the first thing I hear is your fucking voice telling me to pick out a goddamn flower arrangement?” he seethed, “If I knew you were this annoying, I would’ve never proposed.”

You had kept your indignant stare trained on his face the entire time, but at that last sentence you tore your gaze away and pulled your arm out of his grasp. “Would’ve never proposed, huh?” you parroted humorlessly, trying to smother down the lump forming in your throat and the tears swelling in your eyes. “Yeah, I wish you never did too.” You turned away to hide the tears slowly streaming down your cheeks and just started walking away.

“Wait, Y/N, songbird, I didn’t mean that,” Chan said, following after you, “You know that I love you.”

You spun around quickly and sent him a spurned look. “Do I? When was the last time you told me you loved me? When was the last time you held me? When was the last time you helped me? You don’t love me. You probably,” you choked up, “never did.”

“No, Y/N, I swear, I swear to God, I love you. I promise you I’ll be better,” he begged.

“Can you tell me that tomorrow when you’re sober?” you asked wryly. Chan just looked at you pleadingly, practically begging you to stay. “I’m done being another body that keeps you warm at night. Goodbye, Chan.” And just like that, you were out of his life.

You blinked back the tears that crept up and began putting back on your “Somni” mask, smiling brightly and cheerfully at everyone. Jaime and some of your other artist friends were lost to the beat, dancing away the night in the middle of the room. You were a solid two steps away from joining them before halting when you made eye contact with Chan. He was still dressed in that ridiculously fitted white button-up, and his hair had become messier, with strands falling down to grace his face. He was dancing with some girl; his hands on her waist as she kept her back firmly pressed against his chest, but his eyes were trained on you. If it was past-you in present-you’s position, you would’ve probably ran out of the room trying not to let tears spring from your eyes. But this is present-you, the one who spent a year healing and coming out of the wreckage stronger. You gave him a brief smile before turning away and walking towards the exit. “I think I’m done for the night,” you thought to yourself, “That’s enough excitement for a day.”

Chan woke up again to a cold bed. He groggily turned onto his side and glared at the bright red numbers that told him he was, once again, late to a meeting with management. “Great,” he said, falling back onto his back, “I couldn’t get any last night. I ran into my ex. And now I’m fucking late to a meeting.” The day hasn’t even started yet, and it’s already the worst day of his life. He grumbled and groaned some more before getting out of bed and stumbling to the drawer to find a clean shirt and pair of jeans. “When the fuck were you so soft, Chan?” he asked himself while digging around for socks. He would’ve usually never be affected like shit like this, but ever since you released that song he hasn’t been able to think of anyone but you. Every single girl he tried to bring back to his place ended in absolutely nothing because you keep plaguing his mind. Every single radio station he goes to ends up playing your song. And now his band’s highest selling single is the song he wrote about you. It was like he could never escape, and he was so fucking tired of it.

“Glad you could join us, Chan,” his manager said sarcastically.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “long night.” His bandmates looked at him sympathetically; almost everyone could tell Somni’s latest album was affecting him more than he’d want to let on.

“Anyways, we’ve generated such a good buzz around the upcoming album with all this ‘ex-lovers’ gossip, the company thought it’d be good to accept an offer for a special interview on Amber’s talk show,” the manager started cautiously.

“What kind of interview?” Chan asked.

“With you and Somni.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Chan seethed. “We’re ancient history! The public wouldn’t have cared this much if she didn’t release that stupid song and name-drop me.”

“But they care now, and bottom line, everyone knows you wrote ‘Moving Along’ about her. Do this interview and you boys are projected to break the Top 10 of album sales for 2018.”

“So we’re exploiting me for album sales?” Chan sneered.

“You signed up for this life, rock star. Don’t tell me you’re backing down because of some girl? Thought the two of you were ancient history?”

Chan studied his manager hard before gruffly agreeing to the interview, “If it gets you off my case.”

“So this isn’t awkward at all right?” Amber asked midway through the interview. You politely waved off her worry even though you could practically cut the tension between you and Chan with a knife. “Awesome,” she exclaimed, “Now let’s get to the juicy stuff. How did the two of you meet? Considering both of you are so freaking famous, how did no one know about this relationship???”

“Simple,” Chan plastered on his “rock star” persona quickly, leaning into the leather couch and easily placing his arm behind your head, “We figured out how to avoid the press after all of our years in the spotlight. Plus, it wasn’t hard for me to approach her; she was this bright-eyed, newly debuted pop princess completely left alone at an after party bar. I figured I might as well grace her with my company and from there it’s history.”

If he can put on his persona, I can too.

“If I remember correctly, I told you to buzz off when you offered to buy me a drink,” you said with a quirked eyebrow. The audience ooh’d at that, completely drinking up your newfound HBIC attitude.

“Looks like our pop princess is gone,” Amber joked, riling up the audience a bit more.

“But then you took a complete 180 when you ran into me tipsy into the alleyway outside the club,” Chan retorted, a playful smirk gracing his features.

Before you could stop yourself, you softly smiled at the memory and agreed. Chan was 100% taken aback by your change in demeanor. The queen-esque Somni facade was replaced by the Y/N he remembered waking up to every morning. If he wasn’t on camera right now, he would’ve definitely melted.

The moment was interrupted by Amber. “Wait, what happened? Y’all can’t leave us hanging like that!”

The soft expression left your face as quickly as it came and you settled back into your camera-self. “You know I don’t kiss and tell, Ambs,” you teased, “And I hope Chan here knows better and doesn’t either!” The audience laughed at your jest.

“Fine, but you can’t spend this entire time not giving us anything!”

“I can’t believe you told them the kitten story!” Chan exclaimed as the two of you lounged in the break room.

“What? They wanted some sort of tea, so I gave them an adorable story about the time you tried to ‘save’ a ‘stray,’ and it turned out you catnapped our neighbour’s cat!” You broke out into giggles at the memory of it all. All the tension between the two of you eased away somehow throughout the interview, and here you were now, sitting on the break room couch waiting for your ride while sharing memories with your ex-fiance.

“Okay, how was I supposed to know Benjamin already had an owner? He didn’t have a collar on him!”

“You can’t call the kitten Benjamin, Chan. It’s name was Spot, and we ran into it every day when Mr. Jameson went outside to collect the mail with the kitten trailing behind him.”

“Fine! I admit I just wanted a pet,” he said with a pout. Laughter fills the air, and it seemed like the clock had been turned back, like it was you and Chan on your couch at 3am sharing stories with each other. A comfortable silence falls upon the two of you.

“Do you miss this sometimes?” he asked out of the blue. You were taken aback by how serious he sounded.

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I miss this.” He said it so nonchalantly that you almost missed it.

“Why would you?” you teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Because I love you.”

You didn’t know how to process that confession. You didn’t know how to respond to that confession. Hell, you didn’t even know he had it in him to drop that confession. You awkwardly chuckled, trying to diffuse the sudden surge of emotions running in your mind, “C’mon, you never really loved me, Chan. It’s all the media stuff getting to your head.” You tried waving it off while also trying to ward off the sudden heat rising to your cheeks.

“No, Y/N, I do love you. I loved you then, and I was an asshat for never telling you. But I was an idiot then who had no idea what love was. I hopped from girl to girl every single night until I met you. I dropped on one knee so fast and you said yes, and that’s when I realized that I was in no way shape or form good enough for you, and instead of facing it and trying to become better for you, I ran away and drove away the best goddamn thing that has ever happened to me. And I’m so fucking sorry for what my drunkass self said to you that night because it never said what I really wanted to say, ‘Stay. I’m sorry. I love you. Forgive me.’’

The air was getting heavier and you found it getting difficult to breath.

“But I swear, Y/N, on my heart, on my guitar, on my band, I love you, and I’m so sorry for not being the man you deserved.”

And that was when the dam opened. You just started bawling. It was like every single ounce of pain and sadness you bottled up after that break up, every ounce you poured into your music so you could pretend to be strong and move on, came rushing out. In your tears, you didn’t notice when Chan wrapped his arms around you. Taken over by muscle memory, you burrowed your face into his chest and wrapped your arms around his torso. He ran his fingers through your hair and rubbed your back reassuringly.

“It’s okay, Y/N. I’m sorry for always making you cry, but I’ll be here for you now. I swear.”

Even then, with him comforting you and speaking so genuinely to you, you didn’t know what to make of the situation. Should you shut this down now or risk crushing your heart again just to give him a second chance? Chan took notice of your sudden stillness.

“Y/N? You alright?” He pulled himself away from you to study your face. “Y/N?”

“Chan,” you whispered, “I-” With a surge of stupid impulse, you grabbed Chan by the shirt and pulled him towards you, pressing your lips harshly against his. Like many times before, Chan’s hands find themselves gripping onto your waist before pulling you onto his lap. All caution was thrown to the wind when your fingers found their way into his hair, tugging at the strand slightly whenever you found him pulling back. “Babe, give me more,” you mumbled, pressing yourself even closer to him.

“Wait, Y/N, maybe we should-”

“Please, Chan? Please?” you begged, peppering kissing down his neck, “Just this once?”

At the sound of your whine, Chan flips you onto the couch, so he’s hovering above you. “Who said anything about ‘once?’”

asjdfkl so yeah, thoughts on a part 2??????? I kinda wanted to flesh out more of their backstory and maybe see what happens next?? and kinda wanted to delve in further into the other exes but then i realized it would’ve been wayyyyyyy too much and i apologize for all the freakishly long fics i write OTL also lmk if you know what skz in this fic sings bc yall a real one if yall do !!!

[bolbianddolanhouse]

BNHA self insert AU [Book 3]

New? Read here! Then here!

Chapter 1: *Attention By Joji*

“Deep breath in” hold for 10 seconds “and breathe out.” I do these every morning until I’m mentally ready to face my day. OH! Where are my manners? Hi! My name is Iwata El Roca Iida... yeah, my mom thought it was hilarious to call me Rock the Rock but in two languages. If only my dad knew enough Spanish back then! But enough about them! I’m about to turn 15 in a few weeks and it’s Saturday, you know what that means! Yup, today I lock myself in my room and practice for my upcoming auditions at school. But I’ve just woken up, so to the kitchen I go to interact with everyone else over breakfast.

“Buenos dias!” I announced myself in.

“Buenos dias mijo!” That’s my mom! Everyone says she’s a queen but I see her as an Empress. All powerful, beautiful and kind.

“Good morning Iwata!” That’s my dad, Pro hero Ingenium. But here, he’s a house husband that cooks weekend breakfast. I don’t know what my mom sees in him.

“Oh is that Iwee? Good Morning!” That voice coming from my mom’s phone is my older sister Lili Perla. She’s at UA in the dorms, so she’s not here to join in on morning chaos but she video calls on the weekends. Don’t tell anyone but she’s my favorite sibling!

Right as I sat down at my usual spot at the breakfast nook, in came the other two screaming at each other.

“DADDY! Tensei keeps using my hair brush!”

“Why would use your brush?! My hair is too short to brush pendeja!”

Those two are my younger siblings, Tensei Oro and Hanaka Rosa. If you didn’t guess, they’re twins and they couldn’t be anymore different! Tensei is a punk as bitch with a high IQ and Hanaka is a hot headed brat with over powered quirks. At least I don’t have to worry about fire sneezes in the middle of the night, but Tensei does mumble sing in his sleep and that’s a pain when I have an early day the next day.

“Can we go one breakfast without you two screaming over something?” Lili sighed.

“What makes you think Tensei used your brush Hanaka?” Dad asked as he poured me coffee “and what did I say about provoking your sister Tensei?”

Tensei crossed his arms “Don’t play with fire unless you wish to get burned” he furrowed his brow “But it wasn’t me this time!”

“Who else has short blue hair?!” responded Hanaka, smoothing over her hair.

“Wait, was the brush you saw a wood paddled brush?” I asked after my first sip of coffee.

“Yeah why?”

“Aren’t your hair styling tools made of metal?”

Hanaka paused to think, looking like the pinwheel was spinning in her head.

“What smells like burning?” mom said, sniffing the air.

“Nothing!” Hanaka screamed “I uhhhh HAVE CHORRO!” she turned and ran back to the bathroom.

“She set the brush on fire” Tensei sighed as he sat at his spot.

“I still don’t know why you keep buying those wood brushes mom!” Lili commented “Especially with Rosa that tends to set things on fire.”

“They come free after a 10,000 yen purchase at the organic body store!” mom exaggerated “I might be well off, but I’m not gonna deny a freebie! Only bitches that didn’t grow up poor deny free stuff.”

“I do like their freebies” I say as dad hands me my plate “can you pass me the Valentina please?”

“Oh! It almost slipped my mind, Iwa” my mom got wide eyed remembering something “When is your audition? My schedule is changing a bit so I have to request it off.”

“It’s in two weeks exactly” I respond “But you don’t have to take the day off if it’s of inconvenience, I can get a ride from someone else.”

“Nope! I want to drive you to your marching band audition” Mom gushed “back in my day, I lived behind the school I did marching band at and the auditions for drum major were thrilling! I want to see my baby boy give his all for leadership.”

After breakfast, I went back to my room to work on the music part of my audition. It’s my second year of middle school and I’m known as a musical prodigy! Ever since I was little, I was just naturally a-tuned to rhythms and tonality. Mom taught me all she knew about music and told me all her stories about her auditions and other music class ventures. That’s how I bonded with her...well, that and we look so much alike! Same medium tan skin, black curly hair, dark brown eyes, lip shape and stature. Everyone does a double take when we’re seen together, it’s kinda funny. Also just like her, I was blessed with two quirks... Engine and Telekinesis. Having my dad’s quirk is cool and all but the piston on the middle of my palm is kind of a drag. I mastered retracting them so they don’t protrude when doing anything with my arms and hands...giving high fives is unpleasant though. I’ve learned to love my body and being mindful of my mental health, and in turn it aided in controlling my telekinesis. Long tragic back story short, I activated the telekinesis quirk when I saw my mom in a vulnerable position against a home intruder at the age of 4. Scary times, BUT my mom helped me through it. I wish I was as kind and put together as her, then I’d do so many amazing things! But I’m just banging out this jazz piece on the saxophone... for now.

-Monday, on the way to school-

“Hey mom, do you think it’s too soon to start scoping for high schools?” I asked.

“Hmm, I don’t think it is” she responded “Why? Did a school catch your interest recently?”

“I was just wondering. I want to get a leg up on the entrance exams and auditions” I looked out the window.

“You saying that reminds me so much of your dad!” she gushed “He was always the man with a plan, detailed schedules and order with a stiff arm!” she mocked my dad’s iconic arm chops “But in a fight, his strategy is garbage! But ya sabes that I reign supreme, always 10 steps ahead of the enemy.”

“That’s right! You met dad in UA” I beamed as I turned “How did you apply to UA? Was it hard since you were an American student?”

“I-uhhh well, I can say that it was quite a process” she stammered “Oh but you don’t need to worry about getting into a hero school! You don’t need to follow in your parent’s footsteps- Oop, we’re here.”

“We are? Oop!” I check the time, it’s 20 minutes until class starts “Okay, uhhh I have practice today, so I’ll be home a little later.”

“Okay, Have a good day Iwata!” 

I waved her off then scurried into campus. I’m not popular by any means, but sometimes I get the attention of some girls and my fellow band mates. I’m just chill and funny with no rivals, outta my face with that cringe!

“Iwa! What took so long?” that’s my best friend Beizu Hatsune! We were raised together and never grew apart, so you could say we’re pretty close.

I chuckled as I opened my shoe locker “Forgive me Bei, my hair was not cooperating today!”

“But do you have the goods?”

I opened my duffle bag “As promised, alarm clock innards from the one Hanaka set on fire.”

“Sweet! Thanks Iwa” Beizu lit up like a light “Can’t wait to finish up my masterpiece in woodshop today!”

“In woodshop?”

“Yup! I’ve been working on an automated jar opener” he explained “My mom taught me how to do the arm rigging so the jar doesn’t shatter!”

“...made of wood?”

Beizu sighed “Yes, made of wood...BUT! I will finally have a project impressive enough to earn my independent workshop pass for the rest of the school year.”

“Ganbaru then Bei” I said as I put on my shoes and closed my locker “I’ll see you at lunch.”

Now before you go off on me and ship me with my best friend....ewww, who do you take me for? My parents?! I trust and love Beizu AS A BROTHER! Not once did I think about kissing him or crossing the line. I really don’t want to repeat my parent’s love story, to be honest, I don’t know what my mom sees in my dad! He’s a lovesick doofus for my mom and she’s very snarky with him. My sisters think it’s couple goals but I think my mom could do better. But that’s not to say that I’m unlucky in love, I’ve gotten my fair share of confessions and chocolates...but I don’t have an interest in the people that ask. Maybe I should lower my standards? But I have all of my youth to figure that out! For now, I’m Iwata the band kid!

What can I really say about my best friend? He’s really smart and creative, he’s a naturally pink haired. He’s stood up for me when I had really bad body dysmorphia because of my engines. And I’ve comforted him when his creations fail. Our mom’s work together and known each other since the UA days. I don’t know a life without him but I’m glad he’s my best friend.

-Day of audition-

I’m not sure if I did good enough. My self esteem went in the toilet when I saw the other students auditioning. Now I wait for the postings but I don’t have my hopes up.

“What’s the matter mijo?” asked my mom as she sat next to me on the brick steps.

“I’m not feeling too confident in my audition” I sighed “I knew I should’ve audition with piano!”

“Hey! None of that!” she snapped to get my attention “You did amazing, your speech was well versed and you didn’t stumble on your words! And that tower toss while on the parade march was flawless!” she smiled as she put her hands on the sides of my face “No matter what, you’ll bounce back and I’ll still love you.”

“Okay mom” I gave a weak smile “I guess I have to wait and see.”

Sopresa puta, I got the part! I was mentally settling to be the assistant role or be a section leader. But my mom and I gave the most guttural screeching when my name was up there, everyone was getting uncomfortable! I’m not a sore winner, I congratulated everyone who got a position and encouragement for the others. My dad says only villains don’t give encouragement to their fellow competitor....Why do I have a weird feeling that this is the rising action in my life story?

Fast forward to May 7th...

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! Mis Quince Años as mom says. I’m not a very lavish person, just a small party with my family and Beizu. But of course it lands on a frickin Thursday! Out of all the days, Thursday is the weirdest day to have a birthday party.

“What did you ask your parents to make you for your birthday dinner?” asked Beizu as we walked to the front of the school to get picked up by his mom to take us to my house.

“I asked for sashimi but who knows what kind of spectacle my parents made of it!” I chuckled.

“Ooh! What if it’s boat style?!”

“I wouldn’t rule it out! Maybe they got the family sushi chef to prepare everything fresh” I pondered out loud.

“You have a family sushi chef?”

“On my dad’s side, they have all sorts of family...servants? Is that the right word?” I rub my temples “point is! If you want something done, they know a guy that’s been serving my family for generations.”

“Must be nice” teased Beizu as his mom’s car pulled up.

“Shut your up!” I teased back “You know how I feel about my dad’s side.”

“Hello boys! And very Happy Birthday to you Iwata!” chimed Beizu’s mom.

“Thank you!” I gave a polite smile.

“Oh mom, did you-”

“It’s in the trunk” his mom was quick to respond “Now lets get a move on to the party!”

We get to the house and all the usual suspects were there already. Mom, dad, uncle Jin, aunty Mimi, Nikita, the twins, Lili and her (not yet boy-)friend and uncle Tensei. What makes me not that thrilled to see is Hanaka’s cat and bird friend and Tensei’s metal friend with the sharp ass teeth. I don’t know why the fuck they got these weird ass friends but they grew up with them too.

“Happy birthday to my favorite nephew!” uncle Tensei said as he rolled towards me.

“Tio! Your embarrassing me” I turn red “thanks though.”

“I got you that big gift over there” he pointed behind him and there was 4 really big gift wrapped gifts, but I knew which one was his.

“I can tell! You wrapped it yourself” I roasted “tire-marks and all!”

He did a double take and nervously laughed “Oh right?! Hahaha” he turned to his robo “Pongo, reposition my gift to show less tire marks please?”

“That is the side with the least amount of tire marks” the spotted robo replied.

Beizu and I couldn’t contain our laughter. We were wheezing our way through everyone to get to my room. Every birthday, we sleep over at each other’s house. Those are my favorite birthday memories! He tosses his things at the foot of my bed and we run back down to eat with everyone else. The sashimi was catered from this place in Shibuya my mom frequents. But the cake was one of my mom’s creations, and she really out did it this year with the four layers and piping. One out of tune happy birthday song later, I got to open my gifts! I really loved the gifts my siblings gave me: Lili made me a sweater, Hanaka got me new novelty socks and Tensei got me a book of Post-Moderism Poetry. Uncle Tensei’s gift was a trampoline...I will say that it was better than buying me stock he gave me last year. Everyone else got me gift cards or clothes. Like I said, I’m a simple lad. I’m happy sipping some black coffee in a knitted sweater, no pants and fuzzy socks in a pillow fort. Beizu and I dash up to my room the moment everyone left.

“Here, open my gift!” Beizu tossed me my gift

“It’s big!” I grunted as I barely caught it. I opened it and gasped “You got me that memory body pillow?!”

“Yup, I know you had your eye on it for a while” Beizu beamed “I didn’t want you to open it with the others in case others judged too quickly.”

“I love it! Thank you Bei” I put the pillow on my bed and climbed on “get up here! Lets read the love letters I got today.”

“...pfft! Look at this one! She called your hair a bouquet of black roses!” Beizu chortled “Seriously, like, these are all from the girls that bug us at lunch.”

“They had the decency to also give sweets with their notes” I say as I open a package of Pocky “Want some?”

“Sure...hey, uhhh question.”

“Yes?” I respond, about to shove half of the chocolate sticks in my mouth.

“Have you considered were you’re gonna go to high school?”

I stopped myself from putting all that Pocky in my mouth “Not yet, have you?”

“Yea actually, my number one choice is UA.”

The jazz music in my head stops “UA? Why?”

“Well, my mom went there and I found out my dad was a sidekick for the number 4 hero at his time before working for your mom” he sighed “I kinda feel like I’m meant to go down that path, maybe not support or hero work per say. It’s like your family in a way! Your dad’s a pro hero, mom is an agent and Lili is pursuing hero work. You can’t tell me that doesn’t steer you toward that path?!”

“I don’t know if I should” I said in low voice “I know I can get in UA without taking any tests, but am I really worthy of being in heroics or intelligence like my parents? I mean, my mom was a genius! Look what she did with all that big brain energy! My dad has leadership skills, everyone on that side of the family are natural born leaders and very orderly.” I throw my hands up “Lili honed her skills by dancing since she was old enough to walk on her own! I could barely control my telekinesis and my legs can’t keep up with the kick my arm engines give... I’ll be the family fool if I try.”

“Don’t say that Iwa!” Beizu eyes widen, he got an idea “Lets train together!”

“Huh? Train?”

“Yeah! Just like how our parents did” He slapped his hands onto my shoulders and started shaking me “I’m not that great either but I want to hone my skills. Let’s get strong together!”

“Okay okay! Will you cool it with the shaking?!” I pleaded as I felt like I was going to be sick “We’ll start training....uhhhhh next week? I kinda have a thing this week.”

“Oh that’s this week?!” Beizu gasped “Dang, I keep forgetting its Thursday.”

I throw a pillow at him “Yeah, and we’re spending it not building our fortress!” I floated everything that wasn’t a blanket or pillow off the bed “Let make this one stable enough to last through the night this time!”

We spent our night building a pillow fort to top the one we made last month for his birthday. I couldn’t sleep much that night, what Beizu said really made me think about my future. For whatever reason, I feel like I was meant to do something bigger than myself or my family. But what is it?! Pursuing music will lead me into another fork in the road, fame or education? That’s all I know I’m good at! So maybe going into my parent’s footsteps wouldn’t be that bad....right?

Time passes, but to recap in that time in one go: Lili lost her memories, Lili regained those memories, Lili and Hoshi are dating (finally!), I accidentally peed my pants when I jumped too high on the trampoline, Beizu started an accidental fire in wood-shop, the twins had their birthday and one of Tensei’s friends ruined it, I got appointed officially as the Drum Major at school, and lastly (but not least) Beizu and I started to work out our bodies into shape.

So it’s September, or as I call it, SWEATER SEASON! I hate the cold. You can catch me in big, knit sweaters and Ugg boots that I took from my mom’s closet around this season. This time is was different, I was doing running and other endurance exercises when I’m usually loafing in my room.

“How was your run?” my dad asked as I panted heavily in the hallway “it’s pretty overcast for you to be outside without a sweater.”

I wheezed out “It’s all good! I need to build up a tolerance.” 

“You want a tea? Or protein shake?”

“I’ll take a protein shake” I said as I followed my dad into the kitchen. I sat at my usual spot at the counter, watching him make the shake.

“You know you don’t need to hide it Iwata” Dad said as he poured the blended contents into a glass “I know you’re training for hero school.”

“WHAT! NO! Being drum major is hard work and I just want to be able to lead everyone without getting exhausted in the first leg of things!”

He looked at my body language “You’re doing the arm chops” he put the glass in front of me “You do that when you’ve been caught.”

“Oh” I look at my arms, then at the glass in front of me “Yeah...I am.”

“Why, if you don’t mind me asking? You didn’t seem interested in those things.”

“I know, it’s just that” a sigh escaped my mouth before I dropped my arms “I feel like it’s not a bad thing to get into, to be honest I only did music is because it’s the first thing I was good at as a child and I honed it.” I grabbed the glass “I don’t want my future to be just a musician, I want to contribute to society because I feel like that’s something I was meant to do.”

“Well son, I’m proud of you for seeking your purpose” he sighed “But I don’t know what your mother is going to say.”

I stopped drinking the shake “Mom? What do you mean?”

“Well- she’s still shaken up from what’s been happening to Lili. Plus with your telekinesis still being unstable at times” Dad glances at the family photo hanging in the dining room “You’re not like your mother at your age, she was raised to fight to survive. She raised you to live a life without having to needlessly fight.”

“What should I do then?”

He looked at me “Hate to say it, but you need to ask her to train you in order to prove yourself stable enough to go” he fixed his glasses “This is her territory, wish I understood what it takes to be a telekinesis user.”

I looked down at my half finished shake “...How was mom, when she attended UA?”

“She was extremely skilled! Nobody could beat her and she’d demolish anybody that she went up against-”

“Yeah I know all that” I interrupted “I meant, how was she as a person? Did she seem stable?”

Dad paused to think “She was polite, kept to herself, unpredictable and was an overachiever. But all of that was to mask the fact that she was alone and didn’t want to be there” his tone got serious “Everyday, she’d pray to be back home in America. Pray to stop the fighting because she was tired, at times, I’d catch her crying somewhere. So much stress and strain from surviving her time here took a toll on her mental health that she’d be unstable.”

“So did she get help?”

“Not until she started college, and she still struggles with it” Dad leaned on the counter “But I believe in you to change her mind about letting you go to hero school. She’s given you all the resources to better yourself...show her that you’re capable.”

I down my shake “OKAY! I’ll do it-” my burp cuts in “thanks dad!”

And so started my determination to convince my mom to train me! Only thing is that it’s a little hard to have one on one time with her because now I’m busy with band stuff going into my 3rd year and my mom and her two jobs... oh jeez, I see what dad means by overachieving! That woman has two jobs, TWO! She didn’t even have to have one of them, she appointed herself as CEO of a company! Then again, who asked me to audition for drum major?! Maybe my mom and I are more alike that previously perceived?

-November 24th, technically Thanksgiving-

“I’m so proud of you mijo!” Mom cried out as she drove us home “first parade competition as the drum major and you got Excellent across the board!”

Still sweaty in the backseat of the car, I respond “Thanks mom, I really thought that private school was going to snuff me out of the judges minds.” I take a deep breath “Sooo, uhhhhh I thought of my first choice for high school.”

“Oh? That’s great news! It is nearly the end of this school year” she turned toward the street near home “Who’s got your interest?”

“I was thinking UA” I held my breath, expecting the worst...but nothing happened, in fact, she didn’t respond “Mom?”

Silence until we got to the house. Her face seemed catatonic but was functioning fine. She didn’t talk when she entered the house and just went straight to her office and locked the door.

“Oye, what happened?” asked Tensei “Mom didn’t look like herself.”

“I just said that I want to go to UA then she got quiet” I panicked “I’m scared, what if I broke her?!”

“Maybe she can’t find the right words to say?” he suggested “Or wants to wait for dad to come home to tell him? She let Lili go, I don’t see why she wouldn’t let you.”

My dad’s words ran through my head. I just hope it’s just because she wanted to think about it. Come dinner time and not a mention of it, like she just brushed it off. Honestly, it was making my blood boil that she’d do that. So I confronted her when Hanaka and Tensei ran up to their rooms.

“So what, you’re just going to pretend like you didn’t just hear what I said in the car?!” I slammed my hands on the table.

“Iwata, what has gotten into you!” Dad scolded me “Don’t yell at your mother like that!”

“SHUT UP! I’m talking to her!” I barked back, then turned my attention back to my mom “Mom, please answer me.”

She didn’t flinch at all. She wiped her mouth and stood up “Iwata, don’t fight with me. You won’t last a day in the academy with how unstable your telekinesis is” I’ve never seen her so firm “I’ve fought and honed my skills everyday since my quirks manifested, it was a life of struggle and my body constantly beaten but unable to quit. You don’t want that!”

“But I want to go in the academy! This is different, please just-”

“I said NO Iwata” she snapped at me “END of discussion!”

She started to walk toward the stairs, then I blurted “You know what, you don’t boss me around! This is something I want to do, out of my own free will because I’m trying to find my purpose in life” I pant “And it’s calling me to go down this path. You might not have had a choice, but I do and I choose to go to UA. I want to able to protect my family and not be a nuisance, to be the perfect son.”

That last part stopped her in her tracks. Still facing away from me, she responds “Okay then, but you need to prove to me that you have the drive to learn” she takes a staggering breath “I’ll train you, we start when you get out for winter break. And don’t think I’ll go easy on you because you’re my son!”

Before I could thank her, she teleports away.

“Wow, I’ve never seen her like this” Dad spoke “And I’ve never seen you like this either.”

“I just acted on impulse, I don’t like being ignored” I admitted “What should I expect from her training?”

“The unexpected, a lot of mind games and full contact sparring” Dad chuckled as he picked up the dishes “I trained with her when I moved in with her and let me tell you! I don’t know where she finds the energy to do all that and still want to do couple things. Had to stop training with her because I kept going to work fatigued.”

That made my stomach drop to my ass...oof what have I done!

-Book 3 Chapter 1, End-

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[latesthollywoodnews]

Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of "Dance To This"

Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of "Dance To This"

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of “Dance To This”, Hollywood Celebrity Rewards.

know more about all Coming Soon Celebrities, Pixar News, Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of “Dance To This”.

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People are LOVING this kid version of Troye Sivan and Ariana Grande’s ‘Dance to This’HOST TO CAMERA: Including Troye and Ariana themselves soooo

Two weeks ago, Troye Sivan’s music video for ‘Dance to This’ dropped featuring Ariana Grande. And not to knock that video, but this kid version is really giving it a run for it’s money.

Director Jake Wilson recreated the entire video with the same set, the same lighting, the same costumes, the same shots, except the only difference is that the entire cast is kids.

Ari was played by the incredible 7 year old Anaiiyah, while Troye was played by Caden Adamonis.

HONESTLY though the best part was her signature Ari ponytail. It was almost as tall as her. I loved it.

TOSS: (2:18-2:23)

Troye also loved the pony as much as we did sharing a clip of the video on Instagram writing QUOTE, “NO NO NO THIS IS TOO MUCH THE PONYTAIL.”

Ari also posted a clip on her insta and simply said “oh my god”, but on Twitter she said, “!! the most precious”

Honestly kudos to Jake Wilson, the director. He’s been doing videos like this for a LONG time. He has one from 2010 where he had two babies recreate ‘Telephone’ by Lady Gaga, and recently he has gone viral for his boy versions of ‘Curious’ by Haley Kiyoko and ‘New Rules’ by Dua Lipa. But this looks like the first time he has really done a shot for shot recreation of an entire music video and he did such a great job.

But we want to hear from you! What did you think of the video? Let us know in the comments below. And then click over here to see why Ariana changed the title of her song ‘Pete’ and don’t forget to subscribe to our channels. I’m your host Ava Gordy, thanks for watching Clevver and I’ll see you next time!

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Hollywood Latest Celebrity News, Hollywood Celebrities Official Latest Story, Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of “Dance To This”.

The Walt Hollywood also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Hollywood Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, and Freeform; publishing, merchandising, music, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 14 theme parks around the world. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. Mickey Mouse, a cartoon created in 1928, is a primary symbol and mascot for Hollywood. List Of 2018 Hollywood Films, Ariana Grande & Troye Sivan GUSH Over Kid Version of “Dance To This”.

https://www.myhollywoodnews.com/ariana-grande-troye-sivan-gush-over-kid-version-of-dance-to-this/

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Ringing in Austin’s Favorite Tradition: Chuy’s Christmas Parade

Blue Santa greets attendees as he rides by on his sleigh. Photo shot by Daniela Granados.

Written by Danielle Ransom, Jiayi Sun, Daniela Granados

The 29th annual Chuy’s Christmas Parade kicked off without a hitch Nov. 18 as Austinites lined the streets hours before the parade began.

Families filled the streets all the way from the Capitol on 15th St. down to Cesar Chavez and 1st, towing blankets and lawn chairs. Some even had carts carrying children with gifts. 

For the Hays family, one of their favorite parts of the parade comes before the whole affair even starts. While dad usually arrived early to save the family a good spot, Christi Hay brought their daughter Ainsley a little closer to the 11 a.m. start time so that the 12-year-old could enjoy hot chocolate at bistro Caroline Restaurant before the parade started. 

“The hot chocolate warms you up so you can get a bit of warmth before the parade,” Ainsley said. The morning had a slight chill in the air and the sun was not out fully yet. The family picked out a prime spot near 7th St. that provided a clear view of the street and situated right in the middle of the parade’s path. 

The Hays have been coming to the parade for the last five years as a way to bring their family friends together as a lot of their family don’t live in Austin. Today, two of Ainsley’s friends joined the Hay’s family. They sat on a blanket as they waited for the procession to begin. 

“We like to bring friends especially ones that have never been and show them what it’s like and maybe they’ll want to join the tradition next time,” Christi Hays said. “It always gets bigger.”

Another important lesson Christi hoped the event would impart to the kids was the essence of giving.

“It’s the best part of the parade. I always get chills when they sound the alarm. And, to see those trucks overflowing is an amazing feeling. It’s just a little something we can give back.”

The Hays family chatting before the parade. Photo shot by Danielle Ransom

For Ainsley, the festival also helps serve underprivileged youth.

“There are a lot of homeless people and most them are teenagers and kids,” Ainsley said. “We want just want them to have fun.” 

Although no single data source has documented the number youths in Texas experiencing homelessness, a report published by Texas Appleseed, a public interest advocacy nonprofit, finds that over 111,000 Texas youths attending school are homeless.

Marcia Williams, the vice president of human resources at Chuy’s, estimated the parade collects about 30,000 to 40,000 toys every year, although that number can vary based on turnout. For Williams, who has been coming to the parade for over 24 years, her favorite part is when the giving starts.

“It’s really about the people of Austin and the children of Austin giving to others,” Williams said. “Every year when the giving starts, that’s when it really gets to me because you see these kids giving toys away and they’re happy and we thank them and it's just really heartwarming.”

Kids giving toys during the parade. Photo shot by Danielle Ransom.

The biggest potential logistical nightmare organizers faced was making sure the festival was not happening the same weekend as a UT Football game. Traffic would’ve been even more of a nightmare than it already was. On top that, the unpredictably of Texas weather can ruin the event if it's too hot or too cold.

“We try to be really careful about the UT football schedule, the weather and everything going on around the city so that we can make sure people have easy access to downtown and can get down here to see the parade,” said Kianne Hilburn, a marketing manager at Chuy’s.

Today, it’s all hands on deck for Chuy’s workers who were buzzing around handling various tasks to ensure the event went off without any hitches. Every year’s parade is usually planned a couple of months after the previous year’s parade. So it’s essential for Chuy’s parade organizers to consider potential logistical nightmares and prepare accordingly.

The festival was going swimmingly with kids and adults alike indulging in the festive gathering. Fourth-grader Leo Soto, 8, and his younger sister Nicole, 8, were here with their friend Nina Lopez, 7, and their mother. The Soto kids and Nicole were busy playing around with each other during a slight lull in the procession before the final round of marchers.

“[It felt nice] because there are kids that don’t have toys so they can play with toys,” Nicole Soto said. In the audio below, the three youngsters share what they gave below. 

Link to audio: https://dsr013.podbean.com/mf/play/n6xzm6/Kids_2_interview.mp3

But the highlight of their day came when the floats made their debut, drifting gently down the street as kids stared in awe followed by patrons in Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and Harry Potter costumes. When asked what they would tell their classmates on Monday about the parade, they quickly gushed over their favorite costumes.

Coca-cola workers bring their iconic mascot down Congress Ave. during the parade. Photo shot by Daniela Granados.

“I’m gonna tell them I saw Spiderman, Harry Potter and those things that flew very high,” Leo Soto said.

Check the video here to see the lovely moments during the parade. 

https://youtu.be/awdgUqjzG_4

The following link is a compilation of live tweeting from the parade. 

View live tweeting during the event.

5 things you would only see in an Austin Christmas Parade

When it comes to the holidays, Austenites make no exception to the famous saying “Keep Austin Weird.” Chuy’s 29th Annual Christmas Parade made no exception to the slogan as Congress Avenue lined up with the unique participation of those who helped bring in the Christmas season…

1. Not one, but TWO Santas showed up

Every year, the local restaurant partners with Austin Police Department’s Operation Blue Santa to collect toys for the disadvantaged youth of the city. APD sponsors the Blue Santa that rides on a blue float pulled by a police truck. The official Chuy’s float carries a more traditional red and white Santa. Austin’s inclusivity is obvious as children yelled for both Santas.

2. Lawn Chair Brigade

Photo by: Daniela Granados

When you hear the clicks and clacks of lawn chairs hitting the streets, it’s not because they’re handing out free lawn chairs or planning on stopping and sitting on them. Instead, the ladies of the North Hills Lawn Chair Brigade serenade parade attendees by using their chairs to create music.

3. Inflatables

4. An Imperial March is part of the procession The Central Texas Squad of The Star Garrison, a Star Wars fan club, did not shy away from showing off their creative Star Wars costumes and float. With over 100 members expected to participate in the parade, 501st Legion was one of the most cheered organizations to march in the parade. Stormtroopers, Jedi Knights and even Darth Vader showed off some fighting moves including the different colored lightsabers. It didn’t take the force to get the audience cheering and yelling for more.

5. Bag Pipes kicking off the parade Music is always expected at parades. Marching bands, mariachis and even local artists perform some very festive Christmas tunes. But nothing matched up to the bagpipes that kicked off the commencement of the parade. Men in traditional Scottish attired marched to the beat of their bagpipes as they led the way for the elves carrying the opening banner.