#the music was LOVELY and it was very atmospheric but it kind of went off the rails a bit at the end? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

perdidosbucky-yyo · 7 months ago

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𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛

Pairing: Exotic Dancer!Bucky Barnes x Plus Size!Reader (no mention of gender or ethnicity)

Summary: Hi, you've reached [your name]. I can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message after the beep!

w/c: 3.7k

warnings: cheating (on reader), lots of cursing, smoking, heavy drinking, weed smoking, body image issues (I'm sorry), this is a smutty fic (but there’s no smut), dry humping. Please let me know if I missed anything <3

a/n: This is the first fic I've posted in years lmao, I'm a bit rusty, but omfg I enjoyed writing this so much, it's very self-indulgent hehe I hope you love it just as much as I do.

this is not beta'd, any and all mistakes are my own.

Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply encouraged🥺

7:51 PM

“Baby please, You know I’m an idiot…she means nothing” Jake whined through the phone.

As of 5 hours ago, he became your ex but kept on calling you, each call pleading for your forgiveness and saying the same stupid excuse “I felt you pulling away, what was I supp-”

Before you could interrupt him yourself, your best friend and roommate took your phone “Listen closely you little shit, if you don’t stop calling I’ll personally chop off your balls, fry’em up and feed them to your mother in a fucking salad… it’s Wanda by the way” she huffs as she hands you back the phone, “Colorful” you grimace.

Shoving you inside the car, with you and Wanda on the back, Bruce behind the wheel and Tony as co-pilot, “Why do you even answer his calls?” Tony asks while Wanda lights up a Marlboro, and gives you a drag “Because I want to tell him to go fuck himself… I- I just can’t seem to find the right words”, “That seems right” Wanda quips and you roll your eyes, “Don’t worry you’ll find the words when the time’s right” Bruce adds, “Dr. Banner is right, tonight is all about getting shit-faced” Tony adds.

You all clap and turn up the volume to the perfect song “I don’t wanna hear, I don’t wanna know” Wanda sings, the wind on her face, while Bruce shouts “WE LOVE YOU MADONNA”.

They were right, fuck Jack, tonight you wanted to let go, you weren’t one for parties or clubbing but you couldn’t stay at home feeling sorry for yourself, partying with your friends seemed like the perfect distraction “LET’S FUCKING GO” you shouted at the top of your lungs.

9:05 PM

“The Hush-Hush Hideaway?” you laughed as you finished your first beer after two cherry vodka shots, sounds like a place where 50 year olds would come to have an affair, “Alright, alright before you keep on talking trash, there is more eye to meet” Tony argues, to that Wanda snorts “are you seriously drunk right now? after three piña coladas?”, Bruce laughs “they’re stronger than they look” Tony defends himself as he stands up, signaling you all to head to the dance floor.

You honestly loved the place, the lighting was incredible, the atmosphere was hot pink with hints of dark red and deep purple, the ceiling was decorated with hundreds of disco balls shining down on you, the bar had tables so crystalline and so red, it looked like solidified blood, each one surrounded by the comfiest leather couches. There was also the dance floor which you were dancing on now, it had the perfect stage for dancers or any kind of show, the whole place had the perfect mix of chic and urban.

10:39 PM

“This round’s on me” Tony shouts over the loud music as he hands you what would probably be your 5th drink, stumbling around as you danced to a song that suddenly became your favorite, as you downed the liquid gold you took Tony’s hand and started giving him a lap dance of some sorts which made everyone laugh along with you.

And then everything went pitch black, for 5 seconds the music was over, lights were out, for a moment you thought you passed out but then a huge white light shone straight into the middle of the stage, “Girls Gays and Theys!” a deep voice over the microphone started, “is this a gay bar?” Bruce genuinely chimed in, making you giggle.

“Tonight we encourage you to let that wild side of yours out! Please give a warm welcome to The White Wolf” the voice cheered with excitement and the crowd roared and cheered back, “he must be really good looking” you sassed, and in that moment, red ropes descended.

Not a second later a man dressed in a kevlar suit swirled down as if swimming in the red fabric, wrapping himself in a cocoon in the air so the next second he rolled down to the stage, the top of his leathery suit gone, leaving his gorgeous toned abdomen exposed making the crowd go wild. The lights enhanced his beautiful body. “D-does he have glitter on?!” Tony shouted in awe, everyone absolutely going crazy over this tall, brown-haired, thick oh so fucking thick specimen.

On the other hand, you were finding breathing a difficult task, especially because his eyes were trained on yours, maybe it was the several drinks in your system or the empowering song that heightened everything, but his stare was intense, the ice blue of his eyes chilled your spine and for a moment you thought he was going to stop the show, come down and rip your clothes off… yeah you definitely felt tipsy now.

This man knew the power he held, not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, he had autonomy of every nerve and every muscle on his body, your heart and pussy were practically pulsing as you watched him dance. The magic was broken when you felt your phone ring in your pocket, taking it out, you saw it was Jake calling AGAIN, you knew your friends would tell you not to pick up, but part of you wanted to hear him out and scream at him, you didn’t know which one you were going to do.

Leaving the dance floor and heading to the bathrooms where you hoped it’d be quieter, you swipe to the green bubble “Please please forgive me” is the first thing the man says, making you sigh in frustration “S-top stop saying you’re sorry” but it’s like talking to a wall, you’re not even sure he heard you because he just keeps on whining.

??:??

You don’t know how much time you spent listening to him in the bathroom but eventually, you give up and hang up on him, splashing some fresh water in your neck you exit the room and bump into a rock-hard wall, but then unexpectedly the wall starts talking and you think maybe it’s not a wall.

“it was rude to bail” a grave voice rumbles in your ear through all of the noise, looking up you see it’s the white wolf, making you almost choke on air, but you were quick enough to react and raise an eyebrow in response “sorry?”.

Without even noticing, the man had cornered you into a wall “Don’t apologize, you can make it up to me” he said with a wild smile, “oh he’s good” you thought, then he looked at you as if he read your mind, “you look like someone in desperate need to have some fun… let me give you a hand” he whispered, his confidence made you forget he was a stranger, and oddly enough it felt like you knew him perfectly, the thought of spending your night with him made you shudder.

Taking out what looked like a big fat blunt from one of his pockets, he dragged the little bundle of joy from your exposed thighs, up your arms, slowly passing through your neck, and finally grazing your soft lips, his eyes never once leaving yours, he leaned in and the smell of cedarwood with a touch of french vanilla made your eyes roll.

Man, you’re really not keeping your cool, but he’s too beautiful for you to care, you might as well pucker your lips, but then he backs away, taking your hand and leading you to the backdoor between the kitchens. The sound of music and people dancing start to disappear until it’s muffled, “are we allowed in here?” you laugh as he lights up the joint and takes a big gulp, your heart pounds with excitement, this is exactly what you needed.

Your inner demons whispered that he really wasn’t interested in you, he looked like he was sculptured by frigging Michelangelo, he’d never want to be with someone as big as you, plus you felt sweaty from dancing most of the night, but honestly, it was more about the nerves you felt around him, but just as easy as the negative thoughts came, he batted them away with a single kiss to your cheek, near enough to the corner of your lips “lost you there for a sec” he teased.

As he handed you the joint, you took it with hesitance, “I usually don’t take marihuana from strangers, you got a name or does everyone call you the white wolf?” you teased, carefully eyeing him, realizing that he was still shirtless unconsciously making you bite your lip.

A lazy smile spread on his face “Waddaya mean you don’t know me? Pfft I’m your latest conquest”, it threw you off but he looked so sincere it made the butterflies in your stomach dance, “I’m Bucky” he laughed, he was so at ease with that pretty smile you couldn’t do anything but swoon.

Taking a drag of the blunt you breathe out the smoke through your nose as you offer him your name in return, not wasting a second he repeats it, slowly, maybe he was high but it seemed as though he enjoyed the sound of your name on his tongue, he savored it, your legs pressed against each other and you had to take another drag so not to seem desperate as you were for him.

He might be a stranger but deep down you felt unbelievable attraction, in less than 10 minutes of knowing him he made you feel powerful, and free, like maybe in a past life or somethin’ he was your soulmate… Pfft, you wanted to crack up at your own thoughts, somehow Bucky knew and started laughing, slowly leaning into you and crashing his lips with yours, it was sloppy but fuck you’d never been kissed like that, it was passionate, you felt wanted, right then and there you were ready and willing to let him swoop you off your feet.

12:59 AM

Bucky was showing you his best moves, his calloused hands gripped and groped your body as you both swayed your hips against each other perfectly in sync.

He was so smooth, the fogginess of the joint rumbled through your body, each touch, every one of his strokes felt like a wave, you were floating in a sea of music and his scent, nothing was wrong with the world, nothing could harm you because he was right behind you, worshipping you, telling you how he loved the feel of every roll and every curve, you couldn’t help but smile and he couldn’t help but kiss that beautiful smile.

Not long after your friends found you and you introduced them to the dancer who blew their minds, some of his friends joined you, and not long after you were the life of the party, shots and blunts came pouring, and just like you wanted you became one with bucky, you didn’t know where you began or where he ended, pain and misery were a strange and unknown concept tonight.

1:55 AM

Wanda had to drag you away from Bucky to chat with you a bit, she couldn’t hide that grin even if she tried “Dude I don’t even recognize you right now” you laugh with her knowing very well what she means, squeezing her wrist you stop the urge to squeal, “I don’t know how this happened but fuck he’s just so pretty I wanna cry” you both giggle, understanding the Rachel Green reference.

Turning to see Bucky you caught him already watching you, it looked like he was chatting with his friends but he wouldn’t look away from you, you realized he was waiting for you, and honestly you were eager to return to his embrace and intoxicating scent “Fuck Jack, you have men waiting in line” Wanda practically shouts as she pushes you back to the dance floor.

2:12 AM

After a while your social battery was low and you needed a break, so now you leaned against the wall in the back alley of the bar, a cigarette lit, resting on your fingertips as you recalled the events that brought you here tonight.

You didn’t blame Wanda for reminding you of Jake and what he did, after all, she was just hyping you, but now your mind was plagued, you memorized with detail how you found them, as some sort of self-punishment, why? you didn’t know, after years of therapy, you were still trying to unlearn self-deprecating thoughts that your family and society shoved in your face.

Jake cheating on you with a leggy blonde who was quite literally a Victoria's Secret model was a kick to your stomach, it made you realize that maybe every bad thought you had about yourself was true, and that was terrifying…

Realizing that the cigarette burned itself out, you stepped on it, but before you could come back inside Bucky opened the door and grinned “There you are, was worried I spooked ya”, to that you chuckled, somehow the laws of social battery didn’t apply to the handsome trapeze dancer “Never”.

Stepping outside and standing next to you, he takes your hand and starts playing with your fingers “What’s got my sweet doll so down?”, you expected the pet name to make you cringe but instead swooned. Lighting another cigarette you take a drag and blow it on his face, and he just bites the smoke, making you giggle, after a beat of silence you show him your heart.

“About… 11 hours ago, my boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, cheated on me” you sigh, trying with all your might not to shed a single fucking tear, Jake didn’t deserve them, “Gimme his address” he deadpans, a look so deadly in his eyes, that spark was almost snuffed, but just as quickly his attitude changed, “I’ll kill 'im with my bare hands, I’LL FUCKING KILL ’IM” he shouts with foux determination, making wild animal noises that are making you laugh so hard you can’t breathe “you’re not funny” you say out of breath.

His thumb cleans away a single runaway tear, his touch is so gentle at first you’re not even sure he’s holding you, he’s so close you feel his breath on your cheek and his nose caressing your skin oh so lightly, “you’re dreaming”, you think incredulously.

In a second his touch becomes rough as he grips your face with both his hands, holding you still so you can’t look anywhere but his eyes, “he’s a fucking moron” he spits out, almost insulted, “and I don’t mean a jerk or plain stupid, I mean he’s missing some fucking brain cells to let go of someone so insanely beautiful as you”.

Your heart’s pounding in your ears, you’re about to explain but he cuts you off “And I don’t even need to know him, to be sure of what I’m telling you right now” he scoffs, “Hell, I don’t even have to know you to be sure, in the very short time I’ve known you, you’ve been everything” bucky almost can’t believe he’s saying this to you, suddenly the tension is palpable and neither of you can breathe…

“You’re driving me insane” is the last thing he says before pushing you against the wall, with a grunt he grips your waist and your lips crash with his, in a fight for dominance your tongues swirl, it’s as if Jake or any other man never existed, washed away by the ocean that is Bucky.

You loved how vocal he was being, he moaned into the kiss as you practically humped him, he bit your swollen lips as a warning to slow down but it only turned you on more. You could feel your hardened nipples rub against his chest, and it drove both of you nuts, with all his strength he pulled away, leaving you dizzy and pulling him for more, he’s never wanted anyone the way he wants you but he would never have sex with someone so drunk, even if that person begged as nicely as you were right now.

He laughs as you start leaving hot open kisses throughout his neck and jaw purring like a cat, “Bucky please” you mewled, asking him for more, his hand flew to grasp your hair in a tight grip, nibbling on your skin as he reached your ear “We aren’t doing anything except kissing the fuck out of each other doll” he whispered.

You made for a grab to his groin but he was able to take your hand and hold it above your head “I want you nice and sober when I get you to cream on my cock”, he groans as you make a final attempt to lure him in, but you know he’s right, so you huff in defeat, a pout on display to make your feelings known, “baby doll what’s wrong? you look flushed” he teases as you gasp in faux offense.

3:45 AM

The bar kicked everyone out but you still had some party left in you and apparently, so did Bucky because he’s already got you piggyback riding him to his car, you said goodbye to your friends assuring them you trusted Bucky, his place was less than 10 minutes away and you’d send them your location.

Once you got to the car Bucky stopped in his tracks, “we’re drunk and high as hell” he stated, and like a bucket of iced water you realized he was right “Accurate statement” you snort, carefully dropping you on the ground he swiftly turned to face you “so we should… perhaps, maybe take a cab” he goofs around as he steals small kisses form you “or we can walk? your place’s near right?” you reply, everyone was already gone to ask for a ride but he liked the idea of having some alone time with you, so, he picked you up and placed you on his back “To the Batcave!” he runs as you hold onto him as tight as you could.

4:05 AM

You peacefully walked on the side of the street as cars passed by, one thing that you loved about walking at night was the lack of noise, the night wasn’t completely quiet, you could still hear the cars in the distance, people coming in and out of bars or whatever, the breeze was the perfect temperature and the city lights of New York were shone beautifully.

Hand in hand you walked with your latest conquest as he so eloquently put it, conversation flowing, “I got cheated on once, it fucking sucks” You both laughed at the obvious statement “I thought we were going steady and she got bored” he shrugged, “it was a while ago, but it definitely messed with my head” he whispered as he squeezed your hand, it brought him comfort and you as well.

“You know what’s fucking hilarious though? I was planning on breaking up with him…ok don’t judge me” you laughed, “but I just stayed with him because it was easier to stay in a mediocre relationship than actually fight for my happiness…plus he had a hot tub” you felt stupid for saying it, but he didn’t judge you, his face remained the same, attentive.

Bucky took your hand and kissed each one of your knuckles “I got a really nice bathtub” he murmured into your skin with a smirk, your heart fluttered to what he implied so you jumped and kissed his cheek, holding onto his arm for dear life, content with how the day turned out.

4:38 AM

After smoking yet another joint together you were now straddling your dancer’s lap on his bathtub “It really is a nice bathtub” You grinned between kisses and he laughed, his hands roaming your soft skin under your clothes, you were heaven on earth he kept thinking, he was about to kiss you again but was interrupted by your phone ringing, which made both of you sigh in frustration.

You knew who it was, Jake had been calling over and over for the last 20 minutes and Bucky had enough of the bastard, “Answer him” he ordered, to which you raised an eyebrow “I- can’t I- seriously?” you say almost shocked “You know what you wanna say to him, so say it” he encouraged with a soft smile.

Without thinking twice you pick up, “Finally! what took you so long to pick up?” Jake barks, you have the phone on speaker so Bucky could listen, and he already hated how the jerk talked to you, making him grip your waist with possessiveness.

“What do you want?” you ask almost uninterested, “Baby please forgive me” he cries as if you could ever believe anything he said to you, “I’m so so fucking sorry, what else do you want me to say?!”, to that you let out an unamused laugh “just stop fucking saying you’re sorry, time to put on your big boy pants and take responsibility” you snark, which oddly, turns on bucky beyond belief.

Like a magnet, his lips start leaving love bites on your neck, making you gulp, “Babe let’s be honest, in a month you’ll be begging me to get back together, we both know you need someone to take care of you, you can’t be alone, you need me” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and then you really were done with his bullshit.

“Listen closely you fucktard, stop saying you’re sorry, stop begging me to forgive you, you were a waste of my time and the only reason I didn’t break up with you sooner was because it was convenient for me to stay with your sorry ass” you bark.

You could keep going but now Bucky was humming against your pulse, finding it incredibly hot how you stood up for yourself, he peppered you with hot open kisses that made your mind even fuzzier than the weed, “And I can take care of myself ass” you hiss in delight, it was meant to be an insult but Bucky was making you feel so good…

“Fucking drop that call”, bucky growled into your neck loud enough to be heard over the phone, then sunk his teeth into your soft skin, making you moan, unintentionally into the phone, before dropping it and gripping Bucky’s hair for support as you rubbed against the bulge on his pants “Fuck I can’t wait to make you mine” he moaned, dreaming of all the possibilities, of everything he wanted to do with and to you.

Despite the chills you felt down your spine, despite feeling exactly the same way, you laugh, “Honey… do you think it’s gonna be that easy?” you coo, drunk in power, you devour his perfect pink lips.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfiction #exoticdancer!bucky #stripper!bucky #sebastian stan #carrot's harvest #Spotify

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asystol · 4 months ago

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KISS OF LIFE

HIGHLIGHTS

their debut showcase was the first stage nakyung’s been on since iz*one disbanded and she was just shaky with nerves the entire time.

the members were all equally nervous though so they all comforted one another.

with a few exceptions, some of her iz*one members did come to the showcase and visited her backstage!! due to schedules, some weren’t able to such as j-line besides sakura 😕

yunjin also came as they were pledis trainees together!

for those that couldn’t come, she, of course, got a kkt from them congratulating her for her re-debut <3 iz*one girlies aside, she also got messages from idols like chungha, itzy’s ryujin and chaeryeong, fromis_9’s nagyung, and chuu.

it made her super emotional as she missed them a lot and wishes they could’ve all still been together in a group but also she really likes where she is now. she’s more than content with her present and future path.

nakyung had changed so much from her iz*one days, she thought fans wouldn’t like her anymore or forgotten about her since it’d been so long😭

but she did get a lot of support from fans all around the world and in korea

her intro ment. <3 “hello, i’m kiss of life’s nakyung. it’s nice to finally be on stage again and i’m so excited to be here with my members. thank you for being here. we’ll work hard so please take care of us!”

she was soo overwhelmed by the amount of support and the change from what it used to be but she was certain she’d get used to it again.

as every stage went by and their fanchants got louder, she got visibly so much happier !!

she made sure to read every letter she got from a fan, even if it made her lose sleep. she was determined lmao

for her solo song, it’s named heart attack <3 she had a lot of fun with this song and she didnt participate in the lyrics (PUBLICLY!!) but she had fun filming the mv and even performing it when she did

her solo lore is about how she ‘fell in love’ with performing. the mv focuses on her chasing after her idol dream !!

heart attack was reallyyy well received by the public!! it gained kiof more attention, especially with intl fans

she made sure to do shhh challenge with chaeyeon, chaeryeong, newjeans’ danielle, zerobaseone’s hanbin and matthew, and literally anyone she managed to meet during music shows

also she was promoting kinda at the same time as bts’ jungkook and was lowkey freaking out every time they were in the same vicinity. somehow it felt different seeing him than any other time back in iz*one.

i feel it’s also important for everyone to know that natty is the reason she joined s2 lol

also her hair was blonde/honey blonde very important idc

nakyung showed up for kiof’s episode on ITSLIVE !!! like she was rehearsing over everything she was so excited

she also went solo on youngji’s nothing much prepared and it was fun, she doesn’t like drinking alcohol a lot so she’s kind of a lightweight which is how she announces to youngji and the viewers that she collects her bias’ photocards 💀

she regretted it so much the next day.

they also got to perform shhh at seoul fashion week?? crazy

as the era came to an end, she was sad about it but knew this was only a new beginning. and it could only get better.

PHOTOCARDS

POPULAR FANSITE SHOTS

HEART ATTACK OUTFITS

( FIRST IS AT KARAOKE, SECOND IS AT AUDITION, THIRD IS ‘ON STAGE’, FOURTH IS THE STUDIO, FIFTH IS FANSIGN )

HEART ATTACK MV

the mv starts with nakyung entering a karaoke bar with her friends, arms linked with another brunette girl.

the scene leads to her performing on the karaoke stage as the song ‘heart attack’ starts, a surprisingly upbeat song for the dark atmosphere of the karaoke bar.

she’s having fun! the crowd, however… is not enjoying it. her friends are torn between cheering her on or having secondhand embarrassment before the brunette girl she was with pulls her off the stage and out the karaoke bar. the song abruptly cuts off before the first verse ends

she’s confused and slightly angry, wanting to go back and finish her performance but the friend pulls her back. the viewers can’t hear what the friend is saying, hearing muffled sounds of water instead. but nakyung is visibly getting more upset and angry, tears rising to her eyes but refusing to fall.

she takes off, walking home in the dark in angry and upset silence until she catches sight of an audition flyer for a company. she tears it off the wall and the scene ends.

the scene starts with nakyung nervously staring at a door before following an older man inside. a camera is facing the wall, three people, one man, two women, are behind the camera, facing her.

with a deep breath, she bows and introduces herself. this is the first time the viewers have heard her voice. the woman tells her to start when she’s ready.

nakyung starts to sing heart attack again and the background changes from the room to a large stage, now changed into different clothes than before.

the viewers are shown a large crowd, all holding red lightsticks in the air but too blurred they barely even look like lightsticks— all you can see is the red glow.

nakyung is dancing to the choreo along with other girls dressed in simple black clothes; her backup dancers.

the scene switches to her in a recording studio, still singing heart attack. it turns to the staff behind the window, nodding in satisfaction.

the scene switches again to nakyung holding fansigns, talking to fans and signing albums.

the viewers are shown nakyung performing on stage in the same red outfit, the song and fanchants coming to an end as she smiles at the crowd/camera.

the viewers hear the crowd roar with screams before the scene switches, changing back to the green screen and same room before.

the woman raises her brow expectantly, “well? are you going to start or continue wasting our time?”

nakyung stares at her before bolting from the room, tearing her audition paper off her body and aiming to throw it in the trash but it bounced off and fell to the ground.

as she runs out of the building, she bumps into another girl. it’s natty. they stare at one another before nakyung runs off again.

natty turns, looking at the paper and picking it up. it focuses on the name— 이나경.

BYE MY NEVERLAND OUTFITS

BYE MY NEVERLAND MV

nakyung trips as soon as she’s out of sight from natty. when she gets up, her knees are bleeding. she hisses at the pain and walks faster to get home.

a car passes by nakyung, splashing water on her from the previous rain. she gasps in shock, looking up and making eye contact with julie who is looking back in concern before the car turns the street quickly.

she has a solo shot of her, still wet and shivering only in a shirt and skirt, walking past belle, who is on the ground with her head in hands. she hesitates as if debating on whether to ask her if she’s okay or not, but ultimately continues walking away. belle looks up in time just to see nakyung walking away, back facing her.

she’s seen looking up at the fireworks in awe along with the rest of the members.

somehow she’s made her way back to the girls and back to where the audition was— showing up just in time to watch julie’s car hit natty. her mouth drops open, watching natty try to walk it off.

the mv ends but i imagine julie offers her a ride home seeing she’s soaked and cold </3 she also felt bad

SHHH OUTFITS

( FIRST IS IN KITCHEN, SECOND IS AT PARTY, THIRD IS WHEN THEY’RE DANCING/DEBUT SHOWCASE, FOURTH IS DANCE PERFORMANCE VIDEO )

SHHH MV

along with julie, nakyung walks through the door in the morning. she’s putting the groceries away, noting that the fridge is empty. she turns her head, making eye contact with belle as she walks in the door.

nakyung nudges julie, nodding her head to the bruises and scrapes on natty’s body. she shakes her head, watching as julie just wraps the bandages over her limbs.

nakyung hugs natty around the shoulder as they start having a mini fashion show, getting a black dress thrown at her head.

she’s changed into her jean dress, pulling belle by the arm when she stops in the doorway.

the next scene, she’s on the other side of natty and looking off.

nakyung’s back is facing haneul, but she turns around when julie does. she spots the boy following after haneul, immediately taking off after them with the girls.

nakyung reaches the boy first, shoving him back and letting natty push him into the stall while belle grabs the trashcan and dumps it over his head. she turns and follows behind natty and haneul.

nakyung’s running with belle and julie, and sits in the middle of the backseat with belle and natty.

nakyung adds the heart on haneul’s finger with nail polish.

at the gas station, she tries on sunglasses and grabs a keychain to … “buy” before heading to the gas pump with natty, handing her a candybar.

in the parking lot, natty pulls nakyung up to dance. she dances to the correct part of the choreo, following the rest of the girls to the railing at the end of the song.

nakyung meets natty and the rest of the girls at the top of the stairs, eyebrow raising expectantly with a small smile on her face before they all get into position.

TRACKLIST

쉿 (Shhh)* TITLE

안녕,네버랜드 (Bye My Neverland)

Sugarcoat (NATTY Solo)

Countdown (BELLE Solo)

Kitty Cat (JULIE Solo)

Play Love Games (HANEUL Solo)

Heart Attack (NAKYUNG Solo)

LINES

SHHH

잊지 마 You’re so special

One thing I know about you [ 0:25 — 0:29 ]

It’s so sweet

날 따라 당당하게 네가 상상한 대로 [ 0:48 — 0:53 ]

알잖아 We want it more [ 1:27 — 1:29 ]

I wake u up up up UP [ 1:48 — 1:51 ]

Just like this

내 꿈은 On your lips [ 2:00 — 2:05 ]

[NAKYUNG/BELLE/HANEUL] And we going hard, Cuz we are [ 2:28 — 2:35 ]

날 따라 당당하게 네가 상상한 대로 [ 2:48 — 2:51 ]

Bye My Neverland

시계 위로 달려 장면을 넘겨

멈추고 싶지 않아 [ 0:45 — 0:51 ]

난 더 숨고 싶거나

감추지 않아

Don't wanna stay more [ 1:35 — 1:40 ]

So, I won't stop my time

아파도 자라고 싶어 난

I get a little bit lonely [ 2:16 — 2:23 ]

(Ooh, yeah) [ 2:53 ]

I’ll never come back [ 2:55 — 2:56 ]

Heart Attack (NAKYUNG Solo)

[ 0:00 — 3:14 ]

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charlosvibesonly · 10 months ago

Text

Racing Hearts - Part 2

A Max Verstappen Imagine

Part 1

pairing : max x fem! reader/driver

the aftermath of their unexpected kisses is driving the racing world crazy. and y/n can't help but fall for him.

please lmk if you want this to be a series!

The night air was filled with anticipation as you and Max stayed there, lingering in the aftermath of the unexpected kiss. As days passed, you found yourself inexplicably attracted to Max in a way that surpassed the excitement of the racetrack. The articles and headlines about your growing connection were impossible to ignore, and soon, even you were caught up in the romance that they portrayed.

Snippets from articles read,

"From fierce rivals to unexpected lovers, Y/N and Max's story is straight out of a Hollywood script. Once a battleground, the racetrack is now the backdrop for their burgeoning romance."

"Fans can't get enough of the unexpected chemistry between Y/N and Max. Is it love or a strategic move to keep the competition on track?"

"In a surprising turn of events, the racetrack has become the stage for a love story that transcends the finish line. Can these racing rivals make it work off the track?"

The tabloids and fans alike speculated on the authenticity of your relationship, dissecting every shared glance and lingering touch. Amid it all, you found yourself genuinely liking Max, a realization that both thrilled and terrified you. The thrill of racing was now accompanied by the happiness of stolen glances and the gentle brush of hands during press events.

It was the Silverstone weekend. Y/N went to a club at her friends’ persuasion. The dim, pulsating lights cast a hazy glow over the dance floor, where bodies swayed.

However, the vibrant energy took a swift downturn when you stumbled upon Max. His presence stood out amidst the chaotic dance floor, his sleek black attire making him an unmistakable figure in the sea of people. Your breath hitched as you caught sight of him, his arms wrapped around another girl, their laughter blending with the bass-heavy music.

At that moment, the world seemed to slow down, the rhythmic beats of the music fading into the background. Hurt and blindsided, you felt a sudden weight in your chest, and a knot tightened in the pit of your stomach.

His eyes met yours, you could see the realization dawning on his face. Without a word, you turned away, determined to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

Max hurried after you, pulling you back.

"Where are you going?" he asked a mix of concern in his eyes.

"Somewhere I don't bother you and your date," you replied, your anger palpable.

“Must have been so fun right? Playing with me.” your voice breaking.

Tears rolled down your cheeks, and you left without giving him a chance to explain.

Arriving at the hotel, you retreated to the solitude of your room, hoping the night would make you hurt less.

It was race day. And you wanted revenge. Max and you were in a very close fight for the championship, this win could give you an advantage. And you wanted it.

Rain was forecasted. The downpour was obviously in Max’s favor. You cursed your luck. But decided to give him an equally tough fight. You weren’t the kind to back down.

As the cars navigated the treacherous turns, the rain intensified, challenging even the most seasoned drivers. The spray of water, illuminated by the headlights, created a dazzling display that added a layer of drama to the already high-stakes competition. The race unfolded like a dance between machines and elements, a battle not only against each other but also against the relentless forces of nature.

Amidst the chaos, Max executed a surprising move, a strategic decision that played a pivotal role in helping you secure the lead.

“Y/N wins the British Grand Prix!”

The noise was deafening.

But you weren’t celebrating. A thousand questions ran through your head. Your eyes searched for Max. Making your way towards to garage, you stood in front of him.

So many things you wanted to know, but all you could say was, “Why?”

"You stopped talking to me, Y/N," Max began, his voice cutting through the chaotic symphony of the rain and engines. His gaze bore into yours, seeking understanding. "You just went away. I wasn't playing around, and I certainly wasn't on a date. She was just a fan, a little too eager. You have to believe me; I'd never mess with you like that. I think I like you too much for it."

As he spoke, Max's emotions played out on his expressive face. There was a hint of regret for the misunderstanding, a touch of vulnerability in the admission of liking you, and a determination to set things right.

In the midst of it all, the call to the podium interrupted, leaving Max's explanation hanging in the air.

On the podium, with rain still pouring down, the fans eagerly anticipated a kiss. The scent of wet asphalt mixed with the sweet champagne hung in the air as you stood next to Max. Your racing suits, now drenched, clung to your bodies, creating a scene that echoed the intensity of the race you both had just conquered.

In that charged moment, emotions swirled within you like a storm. The recent hurt and confusion from the club scene were still fresh, an ache in your chest that begged for resolution.

Seizing the moment, you took Max's face in your hands. Your eyes revealed a mix of emotions – anger and hurt were there, yes, but underneath it all, a burning desire to set things right, to redefine the narrative that had spiraled out of control. The kiss that followed caught Max off guard.

Surprised by your sudden boldness, Max responded with eagerness. He pulled you closer, the racing suits sticking to your bodies like a second skin. Max lifted you into the air, clearly showing how eager he was. As you hung in his arms, Fernando, sharing the podium, grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured it over both of you. The kiss continued, undeterred by the rain, and crowd.

As you broke away, you realized that you were no longer rivals; instead, you were something undefined, something that went beyond the racetrack.

The post-race interview was a chorus of questions about your evolving relationship.

"Y/N, Max, can you confirm if this is a real romance or just a publicity stunt?" one reporter asked.

You exchanged a glance with Max, and laughing you replied, "It's as real as the rain pouring down on us."

Another reporter jumped in, "How did this happen? Weren't you arch-rivals just a while ago?"

Max, a playful smirk on his face, responded, "Well, sometimes, the best races happen when you least expect them."

The other drivers were caught equally off-guard. Charles said in his interview, ”I thought I was the only one with a surprising performance today, but clearly, I underestimated those two.” And he chuckled while watching their kiss being replayed over and over again.

During the interview, your phone buzzed with a text from Max, "Meet me at 9?"

Your smile was his answer.

Clearly distracted, a reporter tried to grab Max’s attention, "So, are we going to see more public displays of affection in the future?"

Looking at you Max answered, "Well, you'll have to wait and see. We're just getting started."

#max verstappen #charles leclerc #f1 #f1 imagine #max verstappen imagines #max verstappen x you #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine #f1 x reader #f1 fic #f1 fanfic #formula 1 imagine #formula 1

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sunny44 · 1 month ago

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Chapter 3 (love is in Mallorca)

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Y/n goes to Mallorca intending to leave her life behind, at least for a while. Then she meets a mysterious guy who makes this trip, to say the least, unforgettable.

Previous chapter

The days in Mallorca were starting to pass by far too quickly. With every meeting, I felt more connected, more curious, but also more hesitant.

It was as if there was an invisible line between us, something he didn’t want me to cross. And, to be honest, I didn’t know if I was ready to push the matter. In a way, I liked the mystery, the sense of unknown that kept things light, almost carefree. It was nice to be myself with someone who expected nothing from me.

That night, he suggested something different: a small party on a terrace, at one of the highest points in the city. It was a place he said was “private,” but from the sparkle in his eyes, I knew it would be more than that.

“There’ll be music, food, great wine, and the best view of the island. Trust me,” he said, laughing when he saw my hesitation.

And, of course, I went. I had already trusted him so many times that this was just one more. I put on a long, light dress, fitting for the warm night breeze, and tied my hair up loosely. Even though I wanted to impress, I wasn’t sure why. He was a mystery, yet at the same time, he felt like someone I’d known for years.

When he picked me up from the hotel, his gaze briefly examined me, but intensely, as if he were keeping that image for himself. And something about him seemed different that night. There was a kind of tension I hadn’t noticed before. Was he starting to want to say something?

We walked to the place, and as promised, the view was spectacular. The terrace was surrounded by small hanging lights, glowing like fireflies under the starry sky. The sound of laughter and conversation in the background blended with the soft music, and a small table in the corner was filled with glasses of chilled wine and plates of tapas.

“Impressed?” he asked, handing me a glass of white wine.

“Very,” I replied, looking around, soaking in the magical atmosphere. “You really know how to impress a woman.”

He gave an enigmatic smile, that same smile that held secrets, and I was already beginning to understand it as part of him.

We sat at one of the more secluded tables, where we could watch the party without being noticed. It was almost like we were in our own world, a place just for us, even with all the people around.

“You never told me what you do for a living,” I commented casually, turning to him.

He took a sip of wine and looked away for a moment, as if he were thinking of a response.

“I guess it’s not that interesting. I work with cars, travel a lot, work with a lot of people… it’s hectic, but not as much as it seems.”

I laughed softly, raising an eyebrow.

“That doesn’t sound like a very clear answer.”

“Maybe I prefer people not knowing too much about me,” he admitted, finally looking me in the eyes. “At least, not right away.”

That caught me off guard. Up until that point, I thought he was just avoiding talking about himself because he was reserved, but now it seemed more like a conscious choice. As if he really wanted to keep me away from some part of his life.

“I guess I can understand that,” I replied, trying not to show my surprise. “Sometimes it’s nice to just… live in the moment, no labels, no expectations, and without having to explain your life to anyone.”

He smiled, relaxing a little.

“Exactly. That’s it.”

We sat in silence for a while, both watching the party and the people around us. The music picked up, and some people started to dance. He glanced at me, as if deciding whether or not to ask me to dance. And then, without warning, he reached out his hand.

“Come on, let’s dance a little.”

I took his hand, feeling the connection that seemed to grow with every touch. We moved to the center, where the music flowed between us like an invisible current. He wasn’t the best dancer, but his movements were natural, relaxed, and without much effort to seem professional. We laughed several times when one of us missed a step, but neither of us seemed to care.

As we danced, I realized how much I had closed myself off before meeting him. How I had built walls around me, protecting myself from more disappointment, from more heartbreak. But there, in that moment, none of that mattered. I felt free, even though I didn’t really know who he was.

The music changed to a slower melody, and he pulled me a little closer, his arms firmly around my waist. There was something electrifying in the air, a palpable tension. Our eyes met, and for a brief second, I had the impression that he was about to tell me everything. But then, he looked away, as if fighting against it.

“You know…” he began, hesitantly.

“What?” I asked, my heart racing.

He took a deep breath, as if he were about to reveal the secret he’d been holding since the beginning. But before he could say anything, we were interrupted by a group of people who greeted him warmly in Spanish. They seemed to know him well, and he responded with the same familiarity, smiling and exchanging a few quick words.

I stood off to the side, watching the scene, trying to piece together the puzzle in front of me. Who was he, really? And why did he seem so comfortable with these people, as if he were part of something bigger that he wasn’t ready to share with me?

When the group finally moved on, he turned back to me, but the moment of openness had passed. His smile was once again that casual, controlled smile.

“Sorry about that,” he said, taking another sip of wine. “Old friends.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, trying to hide my frustration. “Seems like you know everyone here.”

He laughed, looking away.

“Let’s just say I have a few connections.”

The night continued, but the mood had shifted. I knew he was holding something back, and more and more, I felt like it had something to do with why he kept himself so reserved. Deep down, I knew he wouldn’t tell me anything that night, but I also sensed that we were getting closer to the truth.

When he took me back to the hotel, the silence between us was different, heavier. He stopped at the entrance, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something, finally open up that part of himself he’d been hiding.

“See you tomorrow?” he asked, his eyes meeting mine.

“Sure,” I replied, trying to sound carefree, even with the storm of questions swirling in my mind.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss my cheek. It was a quick touch, but one that left a deep mark.

As I watched him walk away into the night, I felt like I was on the verge of discovering more about him — and somehow, more about myself. Something was coming, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to deal with whatever it was.

The mystery continued, but I knew the truth was closer than ever.

Bonus scene!

Yourusername Instagram stories

“I’m starting to fall in love with this place”

Tag list: @lieslostinsilence @iloveallmyboys @r4zberrygirl @hoya122 @sid-is-gr8 @marvel-ous-miss-maisie @barcelonaloverf1life @harrysbigrighttoe @dark-night-sky-99 @willowsnook @taliya8346282844eliviahdgdajs @thegirlamongthestars

Next chapter

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andillneverbethesame · 1 year ago

Note

so hear me out.. Remus Lupin x reader based on ''Lover'' by Taylor Swift <3

𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.

❥ pairings; remus lupin x fem!reader

❥ summary; when remus is the only one.

❥ warnings; idk probably nothing but my warning is that i think this is badly written n could've been much better, i apologize 🙏🏻

❥ a/n; someone get me remus fr

christmas and new year’s day might have been over but the christmas lights were still everywhere around remus’s (and also yours) apartment and the christmas tree still stood tall in the living room. you both found it hard to let go off this magnificent time at the end of each year.

cuddled up with remus on the sofa with your head in his lap and his fingers in your hair, you were rewatching your favorite christmas films while eating the rest of all the sweets you and him baked. it was january then, but you still had enough of them to feed a family of six.

everyone moved on from christmas already, calling you and remus crazy for having the vibes around your house until now. but this was your place and you made the rules.

you glanced from your position on remus’s thighs at him. he briefly caught your eye, smiled and brought his pointing finger to your nose before going back to watching the film. you admired him and the mysterious way he had about him. you wondered if you knew him for twenty seconds or twenty years.

your eyes traced the shape of his lips while you thought how you wanted to go everywhere with him, how you never wanted to be further than this away from him, how this was just right and you felt something like this for the very first time.

remus noticed you got lost in your thoughts while staring. you always did that. he looked down at you.

"you okay?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

you blushed and nodded, going back to the film.

lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover

a year rolled around faster than ever with remus still very much by your side and a lot has changed, yet a lot stayed the same.

you and remus rented a cottage outside of london. it was small but enough for you two and a kitten you begged remus to adopt. he hesitated at first but fell in love with the small creature anyway.

january was back and you two let all your friends crash in your living room. you invited some of your new girlfriends from a new job you had and got highly suspicious they’d like to be you and be with remus. he was the kind of guy girls dreamed off and it made a not so nice feeling settle in your stomach. but as the evening went on, all of the fear disappeared. remus politely answered all of the questions your girlfriends were throwing at him while having his fingers intertwined with yours. you shook your head and smiled at the insecurity you felt earlier and sank into the sofa.

when the night was over and you and remus said your goodbyes to the last person, the time was finally all yours. radio softly played some romantic songs from the kitchen, creating a sickenly sweet atmosphere. maybe it were the few drops of wine you had, or the music, or it was just remus but you’ve never loved him more.

he took your hand in his and placed his other one on your lower back. there wasn’t much space in the living room, nor the kitchen and so you danced through these two rooms. you laughed as remus spun you around and snorted when you stepped on remus’s feet by accident.

when the song you loved ended, you sighed happily and let go of remus, saying you two should clean up the mess before going to sleep.

you gathered wine glasses from the coffee table and took them into the kitchen. when you returned, you expected remus to be cleaning the room too but.. he stood with his back to you, holding something in his hands.

"love?" you called and he turned around, jumping at the sound of your voice. he didn't realise that the little box in his palms would then be right on display.

you gasped, your hand clapping over your mouth. remus's eyes got wide as he tried to think of a good excuse.

it felt almost like an eternity before he shook his head, saying, "fuck it!"

it was happening!

he walked over to you as you stood frozen to the ground with an opened mouth. remus lowered himself on one knee, not breaking an eye contact. he opened the little box, revealing a silver ring with a round little diamond. you couldn't comprehend how the hell remus could afford something beautiful . i mean, you just rented a house, for god's sake!

"y/n—"

"yes!" you yelled out before he could even continue.

your quick answer seemed to shock him. did you love him so much that you didn't even hesitate? were you so sure that he was the only one for you that you didn't even stop to think about it?

you smiled at his expression.

"i will marry you."

he let out a sigh of relief, before growing serious again. "y-you didn't even let me finish my speech!"

"i'm sorry," you pouted playfully. "go on."

"y/n, never in my life have i felt something like this. i never felt sure about anyone and opening to someone is hard, but you made it all seem too easy. and i realised that i want to see it like that for the rest of my life. but i can’t see it without you.”

tears were now spilling from your eyes down your cheeks. how did you get so lucky to have someone like him loving you?

“so,” he continued, “would you be willing to make me the happiest man alive and spend the rest of your life right here with me?”

you knew your answer right away.

lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover lover

you and remus both knew very well when did you want to marry. come on, there is no better time than the christmas one. when everything is covered with a white thick blanket, making everything seem even more magical than it is. you decided not to have the whole wedding christmas-themed, because that would’ve been kind of crazy. but it was perfect anyway.

it was cold as you made your way between the two rectangles of chairs to the altar. but the white coat you wore and seeing remus standing there so smiley and handsome made you feel warm, as if it was spring already.

saying your i do felt easy and natural and most important, it felt right. and you both knew it did because it was.

all of the romantic songs you've ever heard and never really understood made sense now. you understood why people have gone crazy without someone they love because you surely would too.

right there, nothing felt more like home than remus beside you.

he was your lover, husband and a best friend and nothing in the world could change it.

#harry potter #harry potter imagine #marauders #marauders imagine #moony wormtail padfoot and prongs #harry potter x reader #remus lupin x you #remus lupin angst #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin smut #remus lupin #remus lupin fluff

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pauking5 · 6 months ago

Text

Runaway 🏎️ Chapter 1

Pairing: Naozumi Hiyama x fem reader oc

Synopsis: There's no place for women in the world of racing. Let alone rally. Until you show up - the daughter of a racing legend who lost everything out of nowhere - ready to stir the pot of competition and throw fuel to Naozumi's fire, burning wild in more than just one way. Just how far will you go to take your rightful place in the world of rally, restore the team to its glory and change things for the better?

Genre: racing AU, enemies to lovers, rivalry, suspense, a whole lot of teasing, gender power games, dating in secret

Word count: 4.5k+

A/N: Here it finally is. I can't believe I got to write about one of my passions in this way. Though I love rally, getting the technicalities right was rough but I researched as much as I could on it so it feels like the real thing, though there might be some minor inaccuracies, not really affecting the story.

This one has been in the works for a good period of time and though this first chapter is short and fast-paced, there's so much more coming. Trust the process cause god knows I do. I hope I can make Naozumi justice and I can't wait for you to read the next ones. Enjoy lovelies.

Now Playing: Edge of Seventeen - Wuki

Next Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

It's not about how fast you go.

It's about how long you go fast.

Fast like-

A knock reverberated against your helmet, interrupting the pre-race mantra before you even finished reciting it, bringing you back to the chaos prior to the race start.

Chaos you wanted to avoid at all costs.

Blinking your eyes open, you took in the smell of burnt rubber and the atmosphere, fully packed with the deafening roars of the crowds in the stands soaring over the music heard all the way to your station. Another voice joined in the noise, demanding your attention.

"Raiko, are you ready?"

Letting out an exasperated breath, you waved off whoever spoke to you and closed your eyes again.

"Give me a minute, will you?"

Okay, where was I?

It's not about how fast you go-

A drilling noise came from your right, annoying the living daylights out of you.

Ah, fuck it. Since we keep getting interrupted...

How about I tell you a little bit about me.

Name's Raiko Suruki.

Yes, that Suruki. Here we go again.

I'm the daughter of the famed Hiro Suruki, five times Japan World Rally Championship winner, consecutively if I may add.

Proud podium sitter for thousands of times.

Also kind of a living legend of the primetime of the rally world.

The same Hiro Suruki that started one of the best teams in the history of Japanese rally, snatching six more titles under his directory. WRC'S Golden Boy.

After his personal fifth title, he decided he wanted something more. Something that would fulfill him, beside his love for driving at the most insane speeds known to man and having his first and only child - that's me, in case you didn't know.

Anyway, without any second thoughts or doubts, he retired from the sport out of nowhere, changing the fireproofs for the laid-back team principal shirt and a cheap very 'dad' baseball cap. At barely 35 years of age, he took the biggest leap of faith of his life and Suruki Racing was born out of fuel and passion for rally.

He poured everything he had into the team and built it from scratch, taking it so high in his prime that everyone wanted a piece of it. Be it driving in a seat for the team, changing parts as a mechanic or simply having shares in it.

It was basically the shit. The pinnacle of rally in the whole of Japan.

The team became a national sensation. So many influential people, from mere businessmen to politicians, even foreigners were so interested in it and helping it expand. It genuinely felt like the only way for him was up, flying like a rocket towards the legends' hall of fame.

It went like that for a while. He was beaming with happiness, unable to understand where all that luck came from. But like everything good, it didn't last. Once he started to question it all, it was like a switch flipped inwards and it all fell to ruins.

Everything started going wrong.

All of a sudden, the cars started missing parts the night before races. They had engine failures mid-race in almost every stage, followed by DNF's on every scoreboard.

And those aren't even the most shocking things that happened. You name the disaster and it definitely happened to Suruki Racing at one point. Disastrous, life-changing, career-ending type of things.

The mess piled up more and more and it showed despite dad's efforts to stay afloat.

Contract deals with sponsors started falling through, losing funding for a lot of parts and investments in equipment. Then the drivers got fed up with the constant failed races and blamed the car or the team if they felt like it. They terminated their contracts way before their terms were up under the pretense that they wanted different things... which were not related to Suruki Racing. The mechanics chose to stay, well, a few of them anyways, but it wasn't enough.

The team ripped at the seams and slowly but surely ran into the ground and dad couldn't find at least one reason why it happened.

It was like a curse you couldn't get rid of and I saw it happen first-hand.

The late nights he would spend in the garage trying new parts that kept failing with every test on the car. The way he would go as low as begging the drivers to come back offering them money he didn't have because no driver, rookie or experienced, didn't even bat an eye once the name of the team was mentioned.

Lost, penniless and with a heavy heart, he had to watch the one thing he loved the most on earth rust little by little, no matter what he would do to prevent it.

Mom called it karma for his reckless racing days because as talented as he was, the road forgives no one. That you can be God's favourite and still lose everything. And he didn't want to understand that. He never did.

I was too young to help back then. Too young to understand what Suruki Racing meant to him. Too young to do the only thing I could to save it.

Until now.

So, let's try that again, shall we?

Name's Rai Suruki, driver for Suruki Racing 2.0.

Another knock to your helmet, echoing in your head louder than the first, brought you back to the real world for good this time. Mechanics rushed around you to finish the set up on the car before you were called up to take your spot in front of the race marshal, which from a quick glance at the scoreboard would be soon.

Looking to your left, you were met with a set of dull brown eyes, messy jet black hair, a funky moustache and an extremely creased forehead for his middle age, all belonging to your co-driver, Don Tanaka. He's another legend of the sport.

Former training coach for some of the current biggest teams in the WRC, with a CV of experiences surpassing most people that have been in rally for longer. On top of all that, he is an even bigger friend of your father's. When he called him up asking for an old favour to train you, he couldn't say no.

But if it was up to commenting, you'd say he was one of the biggest fools for giving up a lavish salary with so many perks for one favour, especially for your old fart of a father.

Driving with him was great, but training with him was hell on Earth.

"I was doing my mantra," you reasoned, trying to get him off your case.

"Your mantra sucks."

He is an absolute joy to be around, isn't he?

"Well," you turned to him in your seat with a tight-lipped smile, "you're the one choosing to be co-driver to a young adult at your ripe age of 40. If I was you I would've picked something more calming, like gardening."

Bringing his hand to his chin in thinking, he sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.

"That doesn't sound so bad right now," he went on trying to push your buttons.

"Oh, shush," you waved him off, turning back to the wheel.

If there was one thing he liked doing, it was keeping you in check by poking fun at you. He was like that one uncle you could always go to with your secrets or to ask for extra pocket money, but in return he liked to tease the fuck out of you for it. Every. Single. Time.

As much as you hated his antics, you did kind of owe him a lot. He was the one who caught your talent for racing early on, back when you would drive plastic mini cars made from scraps around the team garage like you had years of experience. A few drifting maneuvers around old tires done like a pro at the cool age of 8, and he was sold on you and your potential.

Amongst all the teasing and the pain of having to train like a man, you've spent enough time with him to know you could count on him for literally anything. He was the best co-driver you could ask for and you wouldn't want anyone else in that seat directing your fate for the world.

He knew what it took to annoy you greatly in order to deliver on the dirt track and prove yourself. Especially now, since you were the only woman on highly occupied male territory.

Racing is a man's world. With as many female advancements in motorsport as there were today, the majority of the community was still not convinced that a woman could drive better than a man or even compete alongside a whole grid of their species. They can regard you, acknowledge your existence, but they would never accept you.

Your father knew your entry to the championship would stir up a lot of unwanted attention, besides the fact that he was basically reviving a cursed team and you happened to be the poster face for it this time around. It sounded like a catastrophe in the making.

Frankly, you were ecstatic to get to drive an actual race car outside of the junior series and helping the team get back to its rightful place, restoring its deserved glory. But you knew it wasn't going to be easy work. Especially, since public enemy number one - the press - was going to try and tear you to sparkly shreds for a lot of reasons. An attack that they started before any official information was out.

A few months ago, when the announcement of Suruki Racing's comeback after ten years of inactivity hit the WRC, the media had a field day with it.

They criticized your father for being a nutjob that didn't know when to quit. They smeared Don Tanaka's name like he didn't make most of the drivers currently selling their dying papers. They even tried to get paid scoops from anyone involved with the team in the slightest.

But the team had one wildcard left to play before pulling the curtains for good and giving them the satisfaction that they ruined it.

You.

The press didn't know about you. No one in the other teams knew about you. Thanks to your father's extremely private life, no one even knew of your existence.

The only people that did were your team in the garage, from the mechanics to your PR agent.

Even walking into the circuit grounds this morning, long hair down over your shoulders, sporting the team gear in plain sight, no one batted an eye at you. Even if they did, they would think you were involved with technical or marketing - though even that was a rarity in this universe - or worse, just another groupie looking to get one of the drivers under your hood.

Your father wanted to give everyone a show they'll never forget by having you drive the first race in the calendar without a proper introduction. No car reveal. No interviews. No pre-race press conference. Just a car and its driver.

This way they would judge your driving before they actually got to judge you for being a woman at the wheel of a three hundred horsepower beast. He trusted you and your judgement on the track far more than the lousy press setting you up for fail. They would get a proper car show and speech after the race anyway.

It was out of the ordinary but that kinda summed up Hiro Suruki and his bipolar personality.

The distorted sound of a megaphone, followed by the voice of the race marshal called you to the start line.

"Car 7, Rai Suruki for Suruki Racing, you're up next!"

You could already see everyone turning their eyes to your station, booming cheers going quiet, turning into sharp murmurs.

Time to get this show going.

Rolling up your windows to block the world, you put the car in gear and drove to the start line, waiting for the green light. Looking out at the lines in the road ahead of you spotting the first hazard ahead, the nerves climbed up your spine faster than your engine could pump the pistons for pressure.

You prepared for this for most of your life, but if you were being honest, it all got a little too real now, sitting with your foot hovering above the gas pedal ahead of the moment that could make or break your career before it even started. The very moment that could be a step forward to restoring your father's name, getting the team back on track in a new age of rally racing. The moment for a change.

No pressure, right?

"Raiko," your co-driver called your name, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from the road, gloved fingers tightening on top of the wheel with a small snap. "Do you remember the course?"

"Yes."

"Good. All set?"

"I think so."

"Raiko, look at me."

"You're not my style."

"Raiko," his voice turned more serious and deep with warning. With another sigh into the small, cramped space for breathing your helmet provided, you turned to him.

"You've got this. Let's prove everyone wrong."

He was right.

Let's prove everyone wrong.

The race marshal started the countdown, walking from the front of your car to the side, each number in the count descending with your nerves. You loosened the hold on the wheel, stretched your legs to the pedals and let out a deep breath.

"3."

It's not about how fast you go.

"2."

It's about how long you go fast.

"1."

Fast like lightning.

"GO!"

A soon as the lights went green, you hit the throttle and took off into the dirt, raising the dust behind you. You skidded off to the side a little due to the gravel but you got control of it before anyone could notice.

Tokai was a pretty difficult course to rally depending on which stages got picked for the day. More forest terrain gave way to hard roads, receding in wheel control, gaining insane suspension pressure. This one was more of an open valley terrain, which was a bit safer, but the later you got the okay to race, the more dust and gravel from other drivers would pile up in front of you, making visibility dangerously low. The corners were way too tight and one second off from Tanaka's directions or a mishap of your footing could cost you and put your car on the sidelines.

"5 left over crest," Tanaka paced you for the upcoming hill and you prepared to release the throttle.

"1 left 100."

Wheels back on the ground, you resumed pressing the pedal as a hairpin portion came into view. The cloud of dust in front of you was chalky and you had to get through it before it raised higher. Putting the car in second gear, you got ready for the drift portion.

You had to be extra careful here. The mechanic in chief told you to go easy as the rear could send you into oversteer, throwing off the balance of the car and fuck up the race completely.

Listening to your gut, you waited for the right time then tapped the brake, cut the wheels and pressed the throttle, sliding across the portion. Loud cheers and whistles erupted as the crowd in the stands got up to watch you complete a perfect drift.

"3 right don't cut."

Reduce pace and prepare for a possible road hazard.

You slowed down and sure enough a bump in the road came up. If you missed that one and took it at 120 kmph, it would've projected you off the track, crashing the car hard into the rocky wall like a cereal box. Thankfully, you swerved around it, feeling the car lift off the ground on the left for a bit before it fell back down.

"6 right very long."

Hard left into a tight corner.

"Cut 8 left."

Tight corner requiring you to follow a straight line in the curb.

This was the last and worst corner on the track. You were lucky it didn't rain because this is where your car can skid off into the stands. You caught the straight line pretty fast, cutting a few seconds off your lap time without slowing down.

Following the rest of Tanaka's directions and focusing on the rest of the road, the race finished before you knew it. You liked the state you were in as you drove, mind clear of everything else because as soon as the adrenaline in your body decreased, your brain got bombarded by all kinds of issues.

Did I push the new suspensions too hard? God, I hope I didn't scratch the rear in the hairpin. Was my timing too off on that last corner? I should've practiced it more.

Driving back to your team's station, you sent all those worries at the back of your head and got out to watch the screen showing the score board just as it updated to display the new track times since you were the last to go.

1. Akira Shinkai - Sigma Racing Academy - 1.23.40

2. Naozumi Hiyama - Spica Racing Factory - 1.23.59

3. Rai Suruki - Suruki Racing - 1.24.25

"WE BAGGED THIRD PLACE?!" you yelled throwing off your helmet onto the car seat.

"WE SURE DID," Tanaka high fived you, beaming with energy just like you.

"That's 15 points on the first stage! Well done, lightning strike," he ruffled your hair as you snickered, nose scrunching up with a smile at the gesture you were already accustomed to.

"The car held up a lot better today than in testing. Maybe we lifted the curse," you wiggled your eyebrows at him at which he flicked your forehead. "Ow, what did you do that for?"

"Don't jinx it. We still have two more stages to go."

"But-"

Before you could say anything else, you were interrupted by angry shouting coming from the station next to you.

"I told you to not touch the third gear," yelled a strained voice.

You walked to the side of your station, peeking your head by the team banner, and watched the heated exchange between one of the drivers and his mechanic. Your eyes wandered to the car sitting in the middle, not one hand touching it for the regular post-race check up. From the different strokes of sky blue layered over stark white, the red and blue sponsor stickers and the carbon spoiler, you recognized it to be Spica Racing's.

"It doesn't matter now," shouted another voice, so annoyed and sure of themselves as if they owned the place. "I got a good lap record this time."

"What would you do if you had to retire in the middle of the race?" shot the mechanic, chastising the driver for being careless.

He got up in his face, towering over him though the other was much taller than him.

"We won't win if I don't attack!" he yelled back, throwing his hand in the air to make a point. "The moment I think of being scared I will lose. I won't make that mistake. So just do your job and fix the car."

With that final remark, he rounded the car to walk away from the station until he noticed you in the corner, now standing in full sight just at the line between your stations.

Quickly replacing the scowl on his face with what was probably his natural smirk, he came to you, stopping short of the barrier separating you.

"I don't do autographs, but for you I can do more than that," he added a daring wink, flashing his cocky smile at you.

Ew.

Taking a small step back hoping his vibes wouldn't envelop you, you uncrossed your arms from your chest and lifted an eyebrow at him.

"I don't want your autograph."

Taken aback at your response, he backed up slightly too and looked you up and down, taking in your deep blue and dark gold team fireproofs and the suit tied messily around your waist. The old, way out of fashion colours seemed to ring a bell.

"Suruki Racing...," he started doubtful, "the shithole that revived from the ashes? Are you a mechanic, a co-driver or something for them? If you are, why don't you jump ships? I wouldn't mind having you on my team instead," he finished his speech of intent with another shit-eating grin.

Who the fuck was this guy?

The audacity that wafted off him must definitely make him popular with the ladies.

"I don't think we've met before," you extended your hand out to him, curt and polite, like a normal person would do, introducing yourself.

"Rai Suruki, driver for Suruki Racing," emphasizing your role in the team so he got it through his head that you weren't some bimbo.

If you were, you'd make sure your fist decorated his face in pretty red tones before anything else.

He straightened back, smirk gone from his face in all sense of the word. It got replaced by some kind of curiosity. Looking between you and your palm hanging in the air he looked confused to say the least. He's heard about female racers before and seen some working in technical around the place, he's just never seen one stand against him on track.

Tired of being polite to someone who obviously has never heard about manners, you were about to retract your extended hand when he caught it in a firm grip and pulled it towards him, just holding it instead of shaking it. The move sent you forwards, almost barreling into him when your reaction response kicked in to steel you a safe distance away.

Maybe Tanaka's intense survival program pays off sometimes.

"So," he began and you wondered if he was about to say something intelligent or spew more shit with that mouth of his. He decided to choose the latter. "You're the one driving the Beetle dupe right there?"

Eh, come again?

Your eyes widened at him, looking at where his finger was pointed to confirm that he was pointing at your car and not anywhere else, then you whirled your head back at him appalled.

"B-Beetle dupe?!"

"I thought you were a guy."

Wouldn't be the first time I heard that one.

You took your hand back from his hold, wiping it on the sleeves of the suit hanging on your hips in the hopes that it would wipe off the disgust you were feeling too. It didn't but it was worth a try.

"It's the name," you replied through gritted teeth.

He backed up some more to scan you again, though more attentively this time, like you were some kind of illegality, cooked up from the pits of his imagination. You gave him your best front, hardening your jaw and rolling your shoulders backwards, proving you were more than a pair of boobs and a vagina, which was apparently his deranged first impression of you.

You deserved to be here. No amount of stares from the male specimen, surprised or with sinful intentions, could ever make you back down from this. This was yours to take on. No man could take this from you. Not him anyway.

So, you stared him down too, trying to find something else beside the extreme big dick energy and unsurmountable lack of scruples surrounding him. Struggling to see anything else but some disdain in the way he crossed his arms over his broad chest, a rich prick attitude from how he shifted on his legs like the world owed him golden lingos every time he breathed, and some leftover rage from the screaming match with his mechanic still present in the tick of his jaw, you let your eyes meet his own in conclusion of your very own analysis.

Yeah, there's nothing else in there. An ambulant douchebag. Just like I thought.

Flashing cameras were suddenly thrown in your faces, interrupting the intense stare-down between you. The press and some people, potentially fans of other teams by their t-shirts, surrounded you from every corner of the plastic barrier around the two stations, pushing each other over the race marshals that tried their hardest to keep them away. It wasn't long until they pushed over the barrier.

Too absorbed in the chaos, you didn't notice he leaned down to your ear but when you did, you stilled in your shoes, all blood draining into your pounding stomach. He spoke close and low, so only you could hear his words.

"Don't get too comfortable around here, rookie," he whispered, hot breath hitting the shell of your ear making shivers run down your extremely clothed spine. "Let's see how long you last in here because this season might just be your first and last."

Pulling away with another one of his smirks that were starting to get on your nerves, he regarded you once more before he walked off in amusement to his cool-down room, giving you a full view of his broad back.

Oh, just you wait -

A reporter shoved into the human barrier of orange and green safety vests reaching the railing, yanking it back and forth repeatedly until the poor plastic seal broke off, letting everyone else pool in around you.

Uh-oh. This wasn't good.

They packed around you like wolves on their prey, all shouting different things at you while shoving their big cameras, recording devices and phones in your face. The flashes blinded you, turning the world white and too bright for it to be natural light from the clouded sky above.

Your hands shot up on instinct to cover your eyes from the flaring lights as your ears focused on filtering through the blaring sounds of camera clicks and voices. Then the countless questions registered clear as day, hitting you like a truck at full speed.

"Are you Rai Suruki, daughter of Hiro Suruki?"

"Where did your father get the money to restart the team?"

"Is your car even going to last a season?"

"Do you consider yourself a challenge to the rest of the drivers?"

I guess that was it for mystery, dad.

Some of the other teams passed by the ruckus, sparing quick judgmental glances or sending disgusting sneers your way like that was the way they initiated your welcome ceremony at the gates of the jungle.

If this was any other series, you would've been so welcomed by the rest of the grid and treated somewhat better by the media and the fans. But this was the World Rally Championships.

Driving was dirty.

Talk was filthy, full of disrespect and unspoken trials of envy between each driver.

The press competed to see who would get your head on a pike first and parade it as the story of the century.

Respect was fought for, not earned.

It was a different game. One where you needed to play even if you didn't want to so in turn you wouldn't get played. Survival of the fittest truly.

You steeled your gaze, waving the reporters off and digging a hole through the crowd, successfully escaping away to your pit crew. Helping with packing up bits and pieces and taking your own stuff, you headed back to your team quarters, aware of the intensifying stares belonging to the rest of the teams still around their stations, talking about the first day in this season's calendar being an interesting one.

You had a feeling you and the team were the hot topic of conversation since you could feel their eyes searing deep holes into your back, burning hotter and doing more damage than flame-lit arrows aimed straight at you ever could. Tanaka wrapped an arm around you giving you his curled moustache smile, sympathizing with you.

Looking up at the sky darkening in mauve and pink, you let a small smile grace your lips. At least today was done. Your rally racing career has officially started. The team was back in business.

However, this first stage was just one of the many challenges still to come. Who knew what else was on the way?

As you trudged on the warm asphalt, warmed by the mid-spring warmth of March, there was one thing you knew for sure.

This is gonna be a long season.

Thank you for reading :) As always leave a like, comment or reblog!

#Runaway #Naozumi Hiyama #Naozumi Hiyama x reader #Naozumi Hiyama x you #Overdrive x reader #Overdrive x you #racing au #Overdrive Mackenyu

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lirarey · 24 days ago

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Slow jazz music. Quiet conversations. There seemed to be a scent of mysticism and mystery all around. This was a very unusual setting for Newt. First Hogwarts, then travels to habitats of the most diverse creatures couldn’t compare to this bar. However, it was worth giving credit: of their entire unimaginable company, only Queenie felt relatively free and relaxed. Like a bird, she fluttered past the visitors, attracting the attention of the men. Jacob didn’t stay away either: he went to the bar counter with the look of the most magical wizard he was capable of. Only he and Tina awkwardly hesitated at the very entrance.

"We are attracting too much unwanted attention," the girl whispered, without turning to him.

"What do you suggest?" the man asked quietly, nervously adjusting his bow tie.

Their gazes turned to the center of the room. Several couples were spinning in a slow dance. Newt, accustomed to the habits of his charges, couldn't help but notice that each of them emanated a different atmosphere. One seemed too energetic and bright against the background of her tall but timid companion. The other, on the contrary, was modest, almost constrained in her movements, trembling in the arms of the strong but soft one. Newt wished that he could understand people as easily at a half-word as those present. It seemed that Tina was thinking the same thing, since Newt noticed the slight tremor of her shoulders. It was difficult to imagine how the eternally serious MACUSA worker felt here.

"How about a dance?"

Newt glanced at the girl briefly. She looked even more stunning in that beautiful dress, and Newt felt awkward in comparison. He had never danced properly in his entire life.

"I don't..." Newt started to say, but Tina had already led him towards the dancers.

He was so confused that he didn’t have time to notice how the girl herself placed his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders. Now he could see her even better. Neatly styled hair that he just wanted to touch. Serious expressive eyes, reminiscent of the eyes of a salamander. And these thin, graceful shoulders... And how often her heart beats. It's strange, but his heart beats just as fast. What's wrong with him?

"Just pretend to dance!"

But Newt suddenly realized that he didn't want to pretend. No, he really wanted to go on a date with her, to see her happy smile... But now was not the time or the place. Instead, he pulled the girl closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist in a possessive way that surprised even him. It felt like there was some kind of unbreakable bond between them after escaping the Ministry. And he wouldn't let that feeling go for anything.

"Newt," Tina faltered, looking at him in surprise.

"What?"

"If I were looking at us from the outside, I would seriously believe that you are in love with me," she continued, not taking her eyes off him.

"Maybe I'm good at pretending."

"But everything you do is amazingly sincere. Are you really...?"

"The bartender is looking at us with suspicion," Newt whispered, still holding her. "We better not tell yet."

"Yes... Yes, that's a good idea."

But why did his touch feel so good?

#warner bros #fantastic beasts #harry potter #newt scamander #tina goldstein #newt x tina #newtina #fanfic #fanfiction

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adagioapassionato · 1 year ago

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Thinking about…0.1 flaws and all by wave to earth

Having grown to love wave to earth in the last year, I was so, so excited for their first ever studio album! It did not disappoint at all and I have been playing it on repeat since it came out. If I were to sum up this album in a few words, they would be “love in a day.” The two sides of the album come together beautifully to represent the many ways of experiencing love and heartbreak, while associating them with the progression of a single day. wave to earth’s music is unique because it always evokes not just a specific feeling, but a specific picture or scene in my mind.

1. bad

The first track on A-side, ‘bad’, begins with an almost playful melody on the guitar, and is perfect for signaling the start of this day of love. The narrator sings of deciding to let themselves out of the house on this day, which seemingly turns into the best decision they could have made – they meet the person they love, and realize that their day could only go well if they spend it with them. The music used beautifully conveys this very message. The first verse, where they describe “Lately, life’s so boring/I’ve been watching Netflix all day alone…”, is accompanied by somewhat melancholy tones on the guitar, alongside a softer drum accompaniment and bass. However, the tone of the music brightens with “When I went to the park/I recognized you at a glance”, and as they end the pre-chorus with “We already know that we’ll be together”, the drums and bass play the same rhythm together, much louder, conveying the happiness of finally meeting someone you love. Similarly, the tone of the music is brighter through the second verse, which describes being with this person. wave to earth’s English lyrics rarely rhyme – but in the second pre-chorus, vocalist Daniel rhymes “I recognized you at a glance/Face to face, we smiled/And I finally held your hands” – as though his day and life fall into the right rhythm when he’s with this person. Also, while his voice is bare and unaccompanied through the first part of the chorus, he adds harmonies on the final line ‘And I finally held your hands,’ giving the impression that this same harmony enters his life as soon as he holds hands with the one he loves. The playful melody of the guitar, and the slow description of Daniel moving out of his house alongside the lyrics “coffee in the morning” create the perfect atmosphere of the beginning of a sunny morning of happiness, and starts off our journey with wave to earth through their day of love.

2. sunny days

The next two tracks, ‘sunny days’ and ‘peach eyes’, could signify the passing of a sunny morning and afternoon with someone you love. sunny days has a bright and refreshing sound. I particularly liked the lyric, “we melt this love and recreate it/as we imagine it/that’s how we make sunny days.” I always enjoy how Daniel writes lyrics that transcend the boundaries of different kinds of love. This one suggests that love can be whatever you want it to be, whatever you make it to be, and that’s how you create a lasting love with someone that adds sunlight and happiness to your life. Although the songs have romantic undertones, I found it just as easy to relate songs like ‘bad’ and ‘sunny days’ to spending a fun day with my friends. I think Daniel really does “melt love and recreate it” with such lyrics! The most evocative part of these songs, I think, is that the use of imagery in the lyrics brings to life the yellow glow of sunlight, “the beautiful scenery of the streets” and “the chirping of birds.”

3. peach eyes

‘peach eyes’ continues a similar theme, with a slightly lower sound that resembles admiring the one you love. This contrasts the higher and brighter tone of ‘sunny days’ that conveys the joy of being with your favourite person. The lyric “peach eyes” was a bit confusing to me at first, but bassist John Cha describes that the song was inspired by the band’s first international performance at a festival in Thailand, where the innocent happiness of the fans’ eyes evoked the phrase “peach eyes”. With this context, the song was even more heartwarming – ‘peach eyes’ suggests a softness, gentleness and calmness in the eyes of someone you love. The song suggests that this person grows ever more important to the narrator, with lyrics like “how many songs I write”, “how could I not rely/on you, peach eyes”, and finally “besides I won’t find nobody/to give my whole life, it’s you.” ‘peach eyes’ has a more late-afternoon vibe – the narrator describes “blue skies”, but then “you’ll be my sunlight” – although the sun is setting slowly, the brightness of their companion’s existence makes it feel as though the sun is still lighting up their day. This song comforts me and makes me smile and dance along a lot!

Together, I think these songs show the peaking and climax of a day, alongside the peak of love in a relationship – as the sun reaches its peak, so does the love the narrator has for the person they sing about.

4. evening glow

‘evening glow’ is an interestingly contrasting song that sounds like a transition between the former sunny glow of the album, towards a slowly setting sun and a slowly ending love. The melodies of the song are soothing and have a nostalgic, romantic feel, but the lyrics are laced with twinges of sadness. The bright electric piano at the beginning, along with the lyrics, “If I feel broken/you will find me” create the impression of a love song, but the following lyrics – “Those useless words were falling apart on me/I’m struggling in my world” immediately destroy those impressions and come as a shock. While the opening melodies are soothing to the ear, the line “I might be full of flaws” sounds dissonant, almost out of tune – it conveys a theme like ‘flaws and all’ perfectly, and the next line “but you will crave my heart” is sung in a soothing, gentle tone, seemingly a comforting acceptance of those very flaws.

This song sounds like a mix between sadness and denial over being hurt by someone you love. The first verses use lyrics with an imperative tone: “you will find me”, “I might be full of flaws/ but you will crave my heart” – as though trying to convince oneself that this person couldn’t truly hurt you, they’d continue loving you as you are and save you when you feel broken. But the chorus reflects on being hurt by the person in a painfully sad way – “I’m broken/So take me to the evening glow/And lay me down on the sun/The tender sun.” It makes the pain caused seem almost romantic, desirable and something that the narrator wants to hold close and accept. The narrator seems to hope that if they get close enough to the “sun” that brightened up their days earlier, laying down on it despite its heat, they may feel less broken. They hope that the hurt this person caused them may lessen as they try and hold on to the glow of the setting sun, to the beauty of their fading love.

5. pink horizon and

6. pink

Hearing the studio version of this years-old song was the most satisfying thing about this album, and ‘pink’ is definitely my favourite song! Combining ‘pink’ with its intro, ‘pink horizon,’ is perfect in creating a dream-like feel. The experience of listening to ‘pink’ was a hundred times more amazing with ‘pink horizon’ to go with it, and I rarely listen to the two songs separately now. ‘pink horizon’ creates a cinematic picture of a pink sunset in my mind, from the fading in of the scene to a full shot of a field bathed in pink light, an image created by the soft piano at the beginning. As other instruments join in, the image grows clearer and paints itself, transitioning into the beginnings of ‘pink’.

‘pink’ feels like a memory remembered while experiencing the sunset. The lyrics seem to construct a dream world – “Everything is free here/A heart that spreads and flies.” The narrator seems to run trying to hold on to this dream – “I ran through the grass until my shoes were worn out/While the sun sets” – they try to grasp the fading love as they run towards the setting sun, holding on to this last beautiful memory. “I drew you/Your beautiful appearance,” they say – they need to draw in the image of the person they love, create this last beautiful memory so they can find a reason to hold on to a love that is fading. The fleeting nature of the relationship and the day is seen as the narrator goes on to say “The day passes by so fast/Almost as if it will be forgotten.”

The romantic vibes created by the melodies on the chorus, and the gentle guitar and saxophone at the end of the song, add to its dreamy vibe and create an even deeper sense of nostalgia, but also one of yearning and grasping for something faraway. With this song, we see the end of the day – the sun sets and it begins to rain, as the narrator sings “Around the time the raindrops burst/Will I miss you?” This song is beautifully comforting and the melodies are truly so satisfying to listen to. It’s a song that I hold so close to my heart – I played it on repeat once I’d had a few listens out of the album!

7. calla

‘calla’ continues on from the previous track, beginning with “It’s raining hard today…” The song continues the theme of a fading love, this time with the narrator giving their all to saving this fading relationship. “It’s raining hard today/It’s a bit too much for me/I know it will make you smile/So let ourselves get wet inside the rain.” The narrator allows themselves to be wet in the rain although it isn’t what they enjoy, just to see a smile on the face of the one they love. As their world “fills with the scent” of the one they love – as they see them happy, they glimpse their past love in their lover’s smile, they hope this moment is forever, and not a “daydream.”

The narrator describes their relationship as a calla lily – after they grow, these flowers enter a period of dormancy after which they regrow and bloom again. Thus, they see their fading love as something temporary – they hope that just like a calla lily, this love can grow back after its temporary death. Maybe this moment of happiness means that their love can be saved, that it can grow back to be the beautiful calla lily it once was. The narrator wants to put in every effort to ensure their love grows back – “If you don’t have enough sunlight/I’ll blow the clouds away/Calla.” They try to bring back the sunny days and bright light that characterised the beginning of their relationship, as described in the first few tracks of the album. Although the narrator tries to ‘get wet inside the rain’ at the beginning of this song, catering to their companion’s feelings, they once again try to bring the sun, their conception of happiness, back into their love and relationship.

The tone of this song is decidedly sadder compared to the previous ones – while they contained a nostalgic yet dreamy and romantic feel, this song’s melodies speak purely of yearning, of pain that stems from love. The song ends with the plain sound of only the bass and the drums – these instruments, which usually create rhythm, play with no accompaniment. This could show that the relationship has truly ended – without the melody and music holding it together and drawing it forward, all that’s left is the rhythm, the structure: the memory of what once was.

8. love.

From the outset, I could tell this was a song that was filled with emotion and had been made with a lot of effort, heart, and, well, love. The melodies convey a love so overwhelming and powerful. I learned that the song is very special and describes the love Daniel has for his fellow band members and others he loves, and describes how they help him live with love. I read the lyrics in English and I almost felt that there was nothing more I can say that he hasn’t already said. There’s nothing more I can add that wouldn’t tamper with the deep feeling and pure heart Daniel put into this song. But I love this song so much I had to write something about it.

The song progresses in a crescendo that seems to match the growing love and gratefulness in Daniel’s heart towards the people he loves. The first verse starts with a soft tone and mellow music, while the pre-chorus picks up both in loudness and as the notes progress upwards in pitch. As it transitions into the chorus, with the lines “Finally, the world is mine,” we hear a clear declaration of this love. The second pre-chorus and chorus truly showcase the rising and peaking of the crescendo – “Finally, our world is perfect/With love/With love”. Once again, the notes progress upwards in pitch and sound harmonious, reflecting this world that feels perfect just by being filled with love.

The choruses, with the lyrics “After I grew and healed in my small heart/It breaks, hardens and melts/Only then can I see my eternity.” And then, “Like a small wave/My small heart/Is broken and pushed/And melts into you/Only then can I see my eternity.” These lyrics seem to describe the healing force of love – how it helps you grow and heal but also can truly shake your heart and alter the way you feel and see the world, causing a shift in your mind that really does last for eternity. He captures beautifully the sudden, lasting change, but also the comfort and healing that a long-lasting love can bring.

Especially during the second chorus, the main melody on the guitar sounds to me like an incoming and retreating wave, mirroring the lyrics and the nature of the love Daniel sings about here. Another thing I love about this song is how harmonious it sounds – the melodies are very pleasing to my ears and feel consonant enough to be from the same scale. But when I tried to sing this song, I realized how many notes are actually flat and require you to take on a pitch you would not normally expect. I think that conveys so much meaning. That when you love someone, you’re willing to subvert your own comforts and expectations if it means it’d make them happy. It also shows that though any love and person is flawed, it will always seem perfect to you because you value it so much. You accept it with all its quirks and imperfections.

I’m really moved by how genuinely and beautifully love is conveyed in this song, and yet it is left open to interpretation what kind of love one associates this with. I think that this is a beautiful conclusion to the A-side. Even through growing to love and value someone, being hurt by them and trying to save a relationship that fails, there are different kinds of love, and even through all the pain and flaws that come with it, it’s still truly what makes our world perfect and worth living in.

9. homesick

This track opens B-side, its melodies creating a forlorn feeling of a misty, freezing winter day. As A-side transitions from day to night, it can also transition from sunny, happy days of love to rainy, cold days of heartbreak and loneliness.

This song seems to convey remembering a lost love in a more painful manner, seeing the dreams of the relationship you hoped to have break in front of you – “all I wanted was to fly high/I can’t believe my wings are broken/and fell against the sky”. The chord progression on piano for this sounds dark and purposefully dissonant, as though signifying a deeply entrenched pain. Similarly, the rhythms are slow and seem almost to stick, as though they refuse to move forward, resembling the freezing, misty tones of this song. The tone with which Daniel sings this is also something I’d never heard him do before – it really amazed me! His voice sounds silvery and fairy-like, resembling ice crystallising on tree branches. In this way, he really conveys the feeling of being heartbroken on a cold winter day, wishing to return “home”, to the dreams he created, although his house is now “gone.”

The lyrics “I can’t believe my wings are broken/and fell against the sky”, when contrasted with the songs on the A-side of the album, really reminded me of the story of Icarus. It seems as though in chasing this love that resembled the sun and holding it close, even laying on it (evening glow), he flew too close to the sun, and the wings of love that helped him fly and dream melted, much like Icarus’. He now freezes in the cold, starkly contrasting the warmth of the sun that he had just been experiencing.

10. dried flower

This was a song I was already planning to write about! wave to earth released the songs ‘daisy.’, ‘calla’ and ‘dried flower’, which beautifully describe the flowering and withering of love. ‘dried flower’ seems to serve the same purpose here, following the song ‘calla’ with its story.

While the lyrics of ‘calla’ conveyed some hope of saving the relationship, this song seems to show the narrator finally accepting that what they so cherished has now withered away, beyond saving. ‘calla’ suggested, “the whole world/is getting filled with your scent”, but ‘dried flower’ contrasts this with “the scent of love has been dried out/the words you gave me have been already dried out.” A similar contrast is seen with “If you don’t have enough sunlight/I’ll blow the clouds away, calla”, and “There will be no blossoms for us/We don’t have any wetness, no sunlight.” While in ‘calla’, the narrator tried to enjoy the rain and bring the sun back to rejuvenate the dying flower of the relationship, they now accept that there’s nothing that could possibly allow their love to grow back like a calla lily – there isn’t even a semblance of a flower left to shower with sunshine or rain, there’s no love left to save.

Here too, the melodies are dark and dissonant, which emphasises the sadness of the song, but also the distance between the narrator and their companion. Particularly, the notes of the saxophone at the end add to this dark, painful aura. I wished ‘daisy.’ had been on the album somewhere too to complete this beautiful trio of songs – all the same, dried flower is painfully beautiful!

11. sunburn

‘sunburn’ seems to describe the delayed pain of being too close to someone who was like the sun – finally feeling the unbearable pain of aloneness, of loving someone too bright for you. The song puts a different spin on the ‘sunny days’ of A-side – instead of beautiful scenery, the surroundings, much like their feelings, are like a wasteland of “rubbish filth” where the sun has “gone black”, throwing “smoky haze” in their eyes. Although it’s dark, late at night, the narrator still feels the burning pain of the sunburn. They wait for the morning to cool down the unbearable heat – they hope tomorrow will be better, but the air still feels hot, they cannot escape the painful memories of a lost love.

Once again, Daniel’s tone of voice conveys these emotions perfectly. He uses a raspy tone when he sings, “smoky haze in my eyes”, as though it is in fact burning him as he tries to see. Additionally, his voice is subdued and seems to blend with the instruments – rather than the focus being on his singing, the production of the song creates a slight clash between the vocals and the instruments, as though he really is being suffocated in a wasteland of heat and burning sunlight.

The instrumental break before the final chorus and outro was also really interesting to listen to. The saxophone sound seems dissonant alongside the other instruments, and the use of pitch bends further add to the pain that the song conveys. It suggests confusion and hurt, a multitude of thoughts and memories that don’t seem to agree with each other. The fast beats on the drums also suggest spiraling through your mind as you sift through past memories and relive the hurt they put you through. I truly love the way this song is sung, written and arranged with its evocative sounds and imagery!

12. akira

‘akira’ is an interlude that presents a calmer mood compared to the highly emotional and painful tones of the previous tracks on B-side. It has a cleaner, brighter sound. It was interesting to hear a track by wave to earth arranged without a guitar, but the bright piano sound with the drums and bass adds to the calmer, lo-fi feel of this interlude. I enjoyed how I could identify the melodies and sounds that each instrument was playing on its own while also forming a whole. The bouncy rhythms come together with the brighter melodies, possibly to symbolise a sort of slow acceptance of the confusion and pain conveyed in the past few tracks.

13. nouvelle vague

Continuing on from ‘akira’s’ more hopeful tones, nouvelle vague (which means new wave, I just found out to write this!) seems to describe a change of heart, a sudden seed of hope that begins to grow. The narrator seems to realise that although they have been through such hardships before, it’s an opportunity for them to learn and grow again – “It seems like we’ve been on this sharp road before/If the soles of your feet are worn out/You’ll grow all over again.” They want to move ahead now with no expectations for the future, leaving behind a past of pain and simply taking life as it comes (“The place to go back to is fogged up now/If we go forward, will there be something to see?/I really have no expectations”). The narrator tries to hold on to this ‘new wave’ of hope, hoping it doesn’t fade away and they can truly ensure it grows and fills their heart up completely. The melodies seem to convey excitement, mystery and anticipation. The saxophone is used in a versatile way in this album – first conveying nostalgia, romance, confusion, and now, in this song, hope.

14. so real

‘so real’ is really a magnificent conclusion to this album. The sound was beyond anything I expected. The beginning starts out soft, resembling the melodies of wave to earth’s ‘ocean floor’. The verses have a reflective tone – the narrator has been changed by the pain they have been through, in a way that’s difficult for them to explain. However, it seems they wonder about what could’ve been had they done something different – “take me to the bridge/I just wanna see the river/Tell me what’s your wish/I can’t make it real/But I’m just curious.” While they can’t change how things are now, they can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if they’d been able to fulfill their wish. The river seems to represent something of a crystal ball to me here – they can gaze into its waters and visualise all the things that could have been.

In my mind, I saw the song progress such that the narrator peers into the river and sees all the possibilities of love, heartbreak, everything that could’ve happened if things had worked out differently for them, all at once. I see the silence in the middle of the song, followed by the fast-paced instrumental break, to convey just this. The fast, jerky drum beats and the smoother rhythm on the saxophone seem to show a speeding reel of possibilities and scenarios – just as one imagines all the things that could have, but did not happen, rushing through their mind, the music conveys this same experience. I think the title ‘so real’ thus encompasses this perfectly. It’s an experience that is ‘so real’ – it’s real, relatable to everyone who wonders how they got to the point they’re currently at. It’s an experience that feels ‘so real’ – imagining things that could have happened in such detail that they almost come to life before you, but they are still in your head. It is a track that truly brings together all facets of wave to earth’s expression, and is a perfect conclusion to this album.

This was a review that I was both scared to write, and that took me ages to write. Life meddles with things and I kept getting interrupted while writing this, although I love this album with my whole heart and wanted desperately to write a review since even before it came out. It was difficult to convey my thoughts when I wasn’t able to anchor myself purely on analyzing the meanings of lyrics. wave to earth use music and melodies as much as their lyrics to convey the emotions in their songs, and with my slightly limited knowledge of how to explain certain musical concepts and sounds, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to convey my impressions clearly. Overall, though, I think ‘flaws and all’ truly is filled with every single aspect and feeling of wave to earth. It’s an album made with a lot of love and care, and I feel that each musical choice was intentional and conveys something deeply meaningful. It’s an album that I hold very close to my heart – I hope I have been able to express my impressions of it clearly!

References:

pink - adapted from pink english lyric video

love. - adapted from love. english lyric video

nouvelle vague

#wave to earth #music #k-indie #band #writing #thinking about...music

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sipipu · 11 days ago

Text

"Well, hello there" (Pt.2)

Notes: The way things are tied up helps me a lot to take my mind off what's going on in my life. So, I hope that you like it too and that you too can disconnect a little from external problems by reading this.

It's been a long time since that day. Geno couldn't get the guy who called himself Reaper out of his head. Asking his friends and acquaintances if they knew him, they shook their heads, not inspiring him with any hope. As sad as this situation was, Geno tried not to give up. He bypassed possible places that the guy could go to (namely, all sorts of music stores, or just themed places where punks and rockers usually hang out). There were even a couple of days when he boarded the same bus where they met, but he wasn't there either. But the stupidest thing he probably did was get on the same morning flight on the same bus. Or, when he walked in advance to the stop where Reaper sat down last time, they say, casually. But even then it was all in vain.

Meanwhile, the world's favorite holiday was approaching, and it was Halloween. The most favorite day of the year for many people, in which children and teenagers, and even adults, dressed up in costumes of their favorite characters (or monsters for the atmosphere), went home to collect sweets, or organized themed parties. It is possible that there are people who preferred to celebrate this day sitting at home and arranging a marathon of all sorts of horror movies. All types of Halloween are wonderful, the main thing is that you like what you do and feel comfortable. In addition to collect sweets and parties, this day was also famous for the stories of all sorts of frightening legends and horror stories. Many stories have been passed down from time immemorial, and some were just local tales that were paraphrased 100 times by each person. But stories do not change their essence, the main thing is to inspire fear in a person, and the rest is not so important.

Geno sincerely loved this holiday just because of the scary stories, especially those that were based on real events. He wasn't interested in all sorts of ghosts, demons and monsters, although sometimes it's funny to listen to stories about vampires or werewolves to stretch his brain and relax. He especially enjoyed writing his own horror stories. He remembers with great trepidation how he used to scare his younger brothers with them, especially if he backed up these stories by deliberately turning off the lights or making characteristic noises. Of course, now that his brothers were older, they denied the fact that they were scared, and Geno was very funny from the way they talked about their "fearlessness".

Geno could still tell his author's horror stories to this day, but without such enthusiasm. Agree that now few people can be scared by the fact that, allegedly, "there is a maniac lurking in the next house who is always watching you", or something like that. It's not difficult to scare with this, of course, but not everyone will feel some kind of shock and fear, as it was with his younger brothers, who walked around the neighbor's house for a long time.

In any case, now Geno is more like those loners who sit at home on Halloween, eating pizza, drinking beer, and watching Tim Burton movies. His brothers had long since left their native home, having moved who where, and came only for birthdays or Christmas. But he wasn't lonely. Sometimes his best friend kept him company. And in rare moments, this very best friend dragged him to a party in honor of such a day, such as now.

Geno didn't mind hanging out, it was just not really his type.He didn't really fit in with the company, and it was very embarrassing for him. More often, he was the friend who could give you a ride home in your own car, or just making sure that everything was fine. Believe me, no one wants to contact a person who does not have one eye, and who looks like he was stuck in a jar with glass and was thoroughly shaken."Scars adorn a man"-that's what someone once told him, and Geno sometimes used it very much.

But in any case, he clearly had nothing to do at this party. He didn't really know people, except for the guys with whom he studies at the university or the same friend and his friends. The music wasn't exactly to his taste, and neither was the booze and snacks. In general, everything looked very rotten and boring, as if everyone had come to an awkward birthday party or something. Anyway, he needed to unwind and take his mind off looking for that guy.

Being a little drunk, Geno went out to the backyard of the house where they were all and decided to light a cigarette. With the cigarette in his mouth, he couldn't find the lighter. Feeling in his pockets and looking inside a half-empty pack of cigarettes, he could not find it anywhere.

- Great, - Geno mumbled, realizing that the search was not a success.

- Need a help?

Geno wanted to say something, turning to the person who spoke to him, but froze in shock. Damn it, it was him! Reaper! And he stands there like nothing fucking happened and hands him a lighter!

Out of surprise, Geno almost dropped his cigarette, but prevented it in time. Reaper looked almost the same as the first time they met, only he was wearing chains and fake cobwebs, as well as the hood of his sweatshirt was, this time, put on his head. The image of a certain ghost was being created, and it clearly suited him.

- Hey, it's you,- Geno replied, trying to be unperturbed - Yes, please.

Reaper lit his cigarette. Thanking him with a nod, Geno began to smoke, feeling relieved.

- What are you doing here? - Reaper asked calmly, leaning against the wall of this house, looking out from under the hood at Geno - I didn't think someone like you liked such events.

- Ouch, - Geno shook the ash from his cigarette- Into the very heart, dude. Actually, I can spend my time like this too. The question for you is, what are YOU doing here?

- As you can see, I dressed up and came to taste the horrors in order to immerse myself in the holiday, but alas, I ran into some boring reality, - Reaper answered him a little upset, sighing - I was expecting a themed party, not a meeting of the nerd interests.

- It was rude.

- I don't care, what's the difference? For that, it's true.

Geno awkwardly shrugged his shoulders, nodding slightly, and continued to smoke his cigarette, looking at the sky, which would soon become dark, and a wonderful magical scattering of stars at the head of the Moon would appear on it. They didn't stand in silence for long, and Reaper soon stretched noisily.

- Well, I'm going to get out of here, do you want to come with me?

- I'd love to, but I think I'd rather stay. My best friend is here, whom I will have to drag home later, and then crawl home myself.

It seemed to Geno that Reaper looked at him in some kind of disappointment. Sighing, he pushed off from the wall a little, went up to Geno and put something in his pocket. Seeing how close Reaper was to him, he involuntarily swallowed, feeling a little embarrassed. Their eyes met for just a second, and for him it clearly lasted longer than a single second. Perhaps those bright blue eyes, which seemed to glow in the dark, would forever be imprinted in his head.

- See you then.

Geno silently followed him with his gaze. When Reaper disappeared inside the house, he seemed stunned and put his hand in his pocket. He felt for something and took it out. In his palm was a small piece of gum, a lighter, as well as a folded note. Holding almost the entire rotted cigarette between his teeth, he put back the gum and lighter, and unfolded the note. Wow. That was his contact number!

Geno looked towards the door behind which Reaper had disappeared and smiled significantly, carefully folding the note so as not to tear it for anything. Putting out his cigarette, he took out the gum he had given him and, unwrapping it, chewed it. It tasted too sweet, but Geno loves it, so he doesn't complain.

Hello, Geno takes back all his words. He definitely doesn't regret that he agreed to come here after all.

#reaper sans #geno sans #sans au #reapertale #aftertale #afterdeath #undertale #undertale au #fanfic #writing #halloween #geno x reaper #genoreaper #reaper x geno #reapergeno

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lipstickitty · 8 months ago

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I Wanna Be Yours

Chapter Three

3.1k+ words

Warnings: 18+ ONLY MINORS GO AWAY!! demon!reader, fluff, language, drinking alcohol, mentions of death, heavy petting, making out, dirty talk, subby Jake, soft dom reader, restraints, teasing, praise kink Jake, pet names, oral f&m receiving, face riding, handjobs, fingering m receiving, rimming

It went on like that for a while, you meeting Jake for coffee after your shifts, and texting throughout the day on your days off. He’d been trying to talk you into going out with him on one of your off days, insisting that as much as he loved having coffee and petting cats with you, he would love to have an actual meal with you on a day where you’re free, not just trying to decompress after a busy day.

Your continuous refusals didn’t dampen his enthusiasm, however, he was nothing if not persistent (and sweet). Eventually you felt so guilty, and you’d officially run out of excuses, that you begrudgingly agreed to dinner with him. Not that you didn’t want to go; quite the opposite. So much so in fact, that you were pacing your bedroom hours before you’d agreed to let him pick you up in search of the perfect outfit to wear.

This wasn’t a date, which you’d made as clear to him as you possibly could. You didn’t want to wear anything too romantic or revealing and risk giving him the wrong idea, but you didn’t want to go too casual and make him think you weren’t into spending time with him either. Eventually you decided on a simple but effortlessly sexy sweater, skirt and heels, wearing your hair down in loose waves and brushing on some lip gloss and mascara, making sure you looked as good as possible.

Almost immediately after you heard his knock on your door, internally shaking your head at his theatrics. You’d insisted that he call or text when he arrived and you’d walk out and meet him, none of this pick you up at the door first date nonsense, though you couldn’t deny that it was charming. It had been a very long time since you’d felt this giggly over a man. You pulled the door open, letting him wrap his arms around you and pull you in for a quick embrace that set your heart aflutter.

“Alright Romeo, what are the plans for the evening?” You teased as you unwrapped yourself from him.

“Ah ah, not so fast. I promised you an evening of mystery and I plan to deliver.” He quipped while you grabbed your purse and locked up your house.

Jake, in true Jake fashion, had been a perfect gentleman- he’d opened and shut the car door for you, let you pick the music, and kept his hand in its respectful place resting on your knee. You’d come to notice that he was somewhat touchy, never in a creepy way, just part of his warmth and charm that was getting harder and harder to resist.

Finally, Jake pulled his car into a rather quiet looking parking lot, very few cars parked outside and somewhat dim lighting inside. “Jake, did you lure me here to murder me?” You joked, giggling at yourself.

“You wound me. I’d never murder you without at least buying you dinner first.” He teased, leading you inside with one hand gently resting on the middle of your back. The exterior of the place didn’t at all prepare you for the inside- the dim lighting and low music provided a very calming atmosphere, and you were some of the only diners in the place. You were led to a nice table towards the back and each put in a drink order.

“My brothers and I like to come here after a long day, have a couple drinks and debrief over dinner. It’s quiet, not too many people know about it, kind of our secret place. Really good food too.” Jake informed you, taking a sip of the water that had been placed in front of you both while you waited on your drinks.

“I bet you bring all the girls here, rockstar.” He snorted at your comment, rolling his eyes at you.

“Nah, just the ones I really wanna impress.” He said with a big grin, making you roll your eyes this time. When the server returned with your drinks, you both placed your dinner orders and then you asked Jake to tell you more about his work and his family. Truly you just loved hearing him talk, his voice like velvet in your ears.

A couple drinks deep before your dinner arrived, you both ate your meals and continued to talk and laugh and drink long after the plates were cleared. Jake still seemed mostly sober but you were feeling a little tipsy at that point, and more than a little flirty as your inhibitions faded away. Jake’s cheeks were flushed pink, a little from the liquor, mostly from your flirty comments and intoxicating laughter.

After Jake paid the bill, he led you back out to the car with his hand placed low on your back, brushing his hand across your cheekbone before shutting the car door behind you and making his way into his own seat. As soon as he was buckled in you leaned your head over on his shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for tonight, Jake. I had honestly forgotten what it felt like to laugh like that. I had a really great time.” You said softly, leaning back up on your side of the car. He gently squeezed your thigh just above your knee and then pulled your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it sweetly. “I had a great time too, y/n. Thank you for letting me take you out.” He placed his hand back on your thigh and continued driving in a comfortable quiet, only the music playing softly.

You tried to behave, really you did. But Jake was right there, and you could feel the heat radiating off his body and he smelled so good. Slowly you took one hand from out of your lap and ran it through his hair, gently tugging at the back of his head, making him gasp. Your other hand made its way to his chest, resting on his bare skin where his shirt was unbuttoned. Slowly you glided your hand along his chest and stomach, familiarizing yourself with the feeling of his skin.

“Hmm, feels nice.” He hummed. The hand in his hair moved down to grip his thigh, digging your nails in lightly, making him hiss a surprised breath. “Honey, at least let me get you home before you take advantage of me.” He teased, a pout playing at his lips as you removed your hand from his thigh, and turned into a surprised moan when you cupped his hardening length over his pants. “What’s gotten into you, dirty little thing?” His gaze connected with yours, his eyes gone dark with lust. You tightened your hand around him a little further, leaning in to lick a fat stripe up his neck. “You can’t fuck me, Jakey. But me? I can certainly fuck you.” You whispered in his ear, raising goosebumps on his flesh. You pulled away from him as he pulled the car in your driveway, putting it in park with a slightly shaky hand. He’d never admit it but you had an effect on him like no one else, you made him nervous and he hadn’t been nervous around girls since he was a teenager.

You led Jake inside by the hand, kicking off your heels by the door, stumbling slightly in your tipsy state. He caught you with his hands on your waist, pulling you in to his embrace. “You’re not calling the shots here, Jakey. Follow me.” You demanded, pulling free of his grasp and leading the way to your bedroom, not bothering to check if Jake was following behind.

Once in your bedroom, you pushed him down on the bed and instructed him to get comfy. You shimmied your panties down your legs and stepped out of them, holding them out in front of Jake like an offering. “Hands.” You commanded. He offered them up, allowing you to tie his wrists together over his head using your panties to bind them. “If you’re a good boy, maybe you can keep those.” You whispered in his ear, making him let out a breathy moan.

“I-I’ve never-“ he stammered out. “I know, you’re usually the one in charge, huh baby?” You coo, making him nod slowly. “I do things a little differently, are you okay with me taking control? You can say ‘red’ at any time and everything will stop. Does this sound like something you can handle?” He nods with wide doe eyes, watching you pull your sweater off over your head and unzip your skirt, letting it pool at your feet before stepping out.

“Okay, good boy, baby.” You don’t miss the way his eyes roll back at your praise. “I’m gonna ride your face now, okay Jakey? Since you won’t be able to speak, tap me three times with your foot and everything will stop. If you can make me cum all over your face and clean up your mess I’ll let you cum. Good boys get rewarded. Bad boys get left hard and aching with no relief in sight.”

He nods again. “I need to hear you, baby. Tell me you understand.” You say firmly, tilting his chin to look you in the eyes.

“I understand, mama. You’re gonna ride my face, fuck I want you to.” He whines.

“What are the rules, sweet boy?” You coo, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Tap you three times with my foot if I wanna stop, a-and if I’m good and drink you down like I’ve been dreaming of doing all night then I’ll get to cum.”

“Good boy.” You climb your way up to straddle his face, exhaling a shaky breath as you feel his warm breath hitting your drenched center. “Stick your tongue out for me, baby.” You demand, he obeys instantly. You lower yourself to his waiting tongue, whining at the first stroke of his tongue through your soaked folds. He moans at your taste, tugging at his wrists to try and pull you closer, forgetting they’re restrained. “Such a good boy for me, Jakey. Letting me use your mouth like this, so dirty.” You moan, starting to find a rhythm with your hips. He sucks your clit into his mouth, alternating between gentle suction and sharp flicks of his tongue over the bud. You let out a high pitched whine, tangling your hands in his hair and speeding up your movements on his face.

“You’re doing so good, baby. Your mouth is like heaven. Do you like eating pussy, Jakey?” He lets out a whimper at your question, nodding as best he can with his face buried in you. You raise your hips for a moment to let him speak. “I fucking love it, I fucking love your pussy mama. Tastes so sweet, I want it every day.” You look down at his fucked out face and feel your legs start to shake. You lower yourself back down to his mouth, frantically chasing the high you can feel within reach now. He speeds up the movement of his tongue, freely moaning into your pussy, making your eyes squeeze shut.

“Come on Jakey, be a good boy and make me cum all over your pretty face. I’m so close, fuck.” You whimper out and he starts shaking his head side to side, devouring you like he’s starving, finally sending you over the edge. You ride it out as long as you can, moaning his name and mumbling nonsensical praises as you come down. You feel him slurp and lap at you, cleaning away the evidence of your orgasm, making you cry out from slight overstimulation, so you finally move back down to straddle his lap instead.

“You were such a good boy Jakey, you did so well. Did you like that?” You asked with a grin, still slightly breathless.

“I fucking loved it, mama, please I need more.” He whines.

“I told you good boys get rewarded, baby. Tell me, has anyone ever played with your pretty ass?” You tease, finally undoing his pants and tugging them down his thighs, leaving him straining against the fabric of his black boxer briefs.

“No- well, one time I put a finger- uh, yeah.” He finishes, cheeks flaming red. You brush your knuckles over his cheek, “no shame, sweet boy. I appreciate your honesty. It’s rather hot, actually, picturing you stroking your pretty cock with your finger in your ass. Did you like having your fingers where they don’t belong?” You start teasing your fingers over his throbbing length through the fabric of his boxers, making him whimper out, “Y-yes, fuck. I came so fucking hard, it was everywhere.”

You bite back the whimper that wants to escape you at his admission, choosing instead to lean down and crash your lips together. He moans into your mouth as your tongue meets his own and subtly shifts his hips, subconsciously searching for friction. You finally take pity on him and tug his boxers down, making him hiss as the cool air meets his heated skin. You finally wrap your hand around him, giving him a few soft strokes while you plant kisses all over his neck and chest.

Before long he’s whining for more, and you press soft open mouth kisses all down his chest and stomach before finally arriving between his thighs. You nipped at the inside of his thigh before soothing over it with your tongue, making him hum in pleasure. “Just gonna use my mouth on you for right now, okay baby?” You punctuate the sentence with a soft kiss to the tip of him. He nods frantically, desperate for whatever attention you were willing to pay him. “You’re so hard Jakey, look at you just leaking all over the place. Beautiful, filthy boy.” You’re rewarded by watching his cock twitch.

You start out flicking your tongue along the length of him, then suck just the tip between your lips, starting to slowly bob your head on him. “Ohhhhh, fuck your mouth feels good, thank you mama, thank you.” He moans loudly, brows pinching together in concentration. You moan softly around his length at his praise, feeling a strange sense of pride as you had never told him to thank you for making him feel good.

You pull your mouth off his cock with a soft pop, making him whine until you replace your mouth with your hand, giving him slow but firm strokes as you sink down to tease your tongue over his balls, sucking them into your warm mouth for a split second before ducking back down to lick a stripe from his balls to his entrance, drawing a loud gasp from him. “You remember what to say if it’s too much, sweet boy?”

“Red, and everything stops. I remember. Please, my cock is so hard mama, it’s aching for you.” He lets a slight whine seep into his tone, desperate for relief at this point. You giggle at that, making him eat his words by repeatedly lapping your tongue over him, then sticking just the tip of your tongue past his rim and wriggling it in and out of his entrance as he pants and whines for more. You continue to stroke your hand over his length while your tongue works him into a quivering mess beneath you.

Finally, you rise from the bed and rummage through your dresser drawers until you find the small bottle of lube you keep hidden there in case of emergencies. You strut back over to him, enjoying watching this beautiful creature writhing on the bed for you. You coat two fingers in the slick substance, straddling his calf so he can’t close his legs on you. You wrap your fist back around his cock, gently stroking him as you ghost your fingertips over his entrance. You gently massage over his rim before dipping just the tip of the finger inside him. He lets out a shaky exhale as you slowly push in to the knuckle.

“You doing okay, sweet boy?” You coo, continuing to work your hand on his cock as you slowly pump your finger in and out of him.

“More.” He whimpers and you feel his cock throb in your hand. Taking pity on him, you remove your finger from him to replace it with two, slowly pressing in the same way you did with the first. He’s sweating and panting and writhing on the bed, fists clenching and unclenching where your panties are still holding his wrists tight. Once he’s adjusted to the stretch, you slowly start curling your fingers up inside of him as you pump in and out, searching for the spot that’ll make him a babbling mess.

You know you’ve found it when a high pitched whine escapes his lips and his back arches off the bed. You make sure to hit that spot on every stroke and then sink your mouth all the way down on his leaking cock in one go.

“Fuck, fuck, right fucking there, oh my god!” He shouts, back arching further off the mattress as pitiful groans start escaping him with every movement you make. You hollow out your cheeks, bobbing your head on him in rhythm with your fingers working him.

“I’m s-so close, fuck. I’m gonna fucking cum, oh god please can I cum? P-please, can’t hold it, I wanna give it all to you, fucking PLEASE!” He almost screams.

You pull off him long enough to say, “C’mon Jakey, cum for me baby. You’ve been such a good boy for me, give it to me, I want it” before sinking back down, taking him to the back of your throat and swallowing around his length while you speed up your fingers just slightly. You feel him harden even more in your mouth before he twitches and throbs, screaming out when he finally lets go and you feel him spurting down your throat. You swallow him down greedily before gently licking him clean.

“I’m gonna pull my fingers out now, okay baby?” You whisper, brushing your lips against his skin anywhere you can reach. He just nods, too fucked out to come up with words. Slowly you pull out of him making him hiss, then you untie his wrists, gently kissing each one before placing the wadded up panties in his palm. “I believe these were promised to you.” You mumble against his lips, giggling at his blissed out expression.

“I shall treasure them always, m’lady.” He laughs, still trying to catch his breath. Against your better judgment, you ask him to stay and have to fight the urge to twirl your hair and kick your feet when he agrees.

“I’m gonna run you a bath Jake, you want bubbles? Candles? Music?”

“Well shit, if I knew I’d get the princess treatment I might’ve put out.”

Tags: @jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka @gracev0609

#jtk x demon!reader #jtk x reader #jtk smut #jtk fluff #jake kiszka fanfic

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lackuraphi · 3 months ago

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Weasel story)Act One: The Free Weasel

The Story of the Free Kudari

(⚠️Caution⚠️)

I used a translator

This is the Fan fiction

It’s different from the original

It's unrealistic

The characters are Japanese names

—————————————

Before we start talking about this story, let's talk about Kudari.

"I am Kudari."

He is an ordinary boy who can be found everywhere.

If we were to find something different about Kudari,

His face always has a smile on his face and he likes white, so he enjoys wearing white clothes, and he loves trains so much that his dream is to be a Depot Agent

..And he is the child of a family that worships a weasel monster(Kamaitachi) named 'Ohnyula' as their god.

There are many different people in the world who worship various kinds of gods.

There are people who worship big white reindeer as god. There are people who worship a mantis with a rock-like blade as a god. There are even people who worship the souls of giant salmon as god. Kudari belonged to a family that worshipped the weasel monster 'Ohnyula' who caused whirlwinds as a god.

Of course, the atmosphere was solemn and there were many rules to follow, so it seemed that Kudari would always be tied up, but contrary to expectations, Kudari grew up unbound by his family. He grew up as normal as any other child.

The family's "high-rank people" never forced Kudari to serve God after generations and instead allowed him to prepare for his dream to come true, telling him to do what he wanted, and even bought Kudari all the train toys he wanted and train-related goods and books. (Fortunately, Kudari didn't buy too much to the point where he thought it was too much because he wasn't greedy.) And they let him go on a train trip if he wanted.

In addition, high-rank people didn't blame Kudari for running around with train toys in a large oriental mansion with a room that functions as a shrine, or inviting Kudari's friends Kamitsure, Huuro and Arty home.

Kudari, who grew up so rarely tied to his family, was like a free white weasel running freely in nature outside the cage.

However, even such a free Kudari had only one rule to follow in the family.

Never enter a room where god are worshiped.

Even with those rules, Kudari was not interested in the room because he was more interested in trains than God. And Kudari was a "good kid," so he listened to his family well.

But the rules were rules, so whenever Kudari invited his friends to the house, he was forced to block them from entering the forbidden room.

"Kudari! Let's go into that room!" "No." "Why?" "I don't know. The adults told me not to go in because it's a sacred place." "But Kudari, aren't you curious about what's in that room?" "No. I'm not curious." "Really?" "Yup. I'm not interested in that. I am Kudari. I prefer trains. There must be a large statue of a stone weasel standing in an empty room that is dark and smells terrible." "Umm… Or maybe the room is full of art, or historical material that My older sister Aloe would like." “Anyway, never go into that room. This time, I am really serious. Really serious" "Okay, Kudari…" "Instead, let's go eat delicious snacks! My mom told me today's snack is Dango! She told me to eat with my friends!" "Yes.. we got it.."

So Kudari's friends couldn't shake off their curiosity about the forbidden room every time they went back to their homes.

"What's in that room…?"

That day, Kudari had a very normal routine.

He woke up in the morning, ate, went to school, studied, hung out with friends on his way home, went home, fiddled with his smartphone, ate dinner, did some homework in his room, and was studying Depot Agent while listening to music before going to bed.

All right, that's all. Kudari had a normal life.

"……"

But that day, Kudari was just staring silently and blankly at a small railway model diorama, where trains were moving in different directions, on the double track he received as a birthday present a few years ago.

'Ah… one is going up and the other is going down…'

Kudari, who had been looking at the diorama for so long, soon realized that he was tired and then lay in bed and closed his eyes to sleep.

..But this is where Kudari started to go through strange things.

'Kudari… Kudari… Kudari… Kudari… Kudari…'

Someone in Kudari's head who was sleeping kept calling his name.

"Ugh… Who is it… It's loud…"

Kudari tried to ignore the voice that called him, but the more he ignored it, the clearer his voice was heard, so Kudari could barely fall asleep until dawn, when his voice no longer called him. (Luckily it didn't matter if he woke up late because it was a holiday.)

Kudari, who woke up so late in the morning, felt tired all day and just walked around the spacious house without thinking. (His parents were worried about Kudari, but Kudari himself was tired and had no thoughts.)

Then Kudari stopped in front of a room.

'Kudari…'

It was a room where adults were told not to go in In front of the room, the voice that had been bothering him all night was heard.

'Kudari… Kudari… Kudari…'

The voice, which began to be heard again, kept calling Kudari as if to come into the room.

"But I must never enter that room. Because it's a rule."

But the voice kept calling Kudari.

'Kudari.. Kudari.. Kudari…' "Ugh! I don't care anymore! I can't stand it anymore!"

And eventually Kudari opened the sliding door, which was tightly closed, and finally got into the god-sitting room, where the adults told him to never enter (Fortunately, there were no adults around him.)

Kudari came into the room and looked around first.

The room was as large and dark as Kudari thought, and full of scent. (The only light was the light of candles hanging from place to place on the wall) However, if there is a difference, contrary to Kudari's expectations, the large stone weasel statue was nowhere to be seen.

..and beyond a small table made of dark wood used as an altar for offering something (probably a kind of food)…

"You… you…! Your face…!"

Kudari and his face look the same as if they were looking in the mirror, but unlike Kudari, who is always smiling, a boy in a black yukata, who is always expressionless, was looking at Kudari, who was surprised to see him kneeling somewhat modestly.

#sbms #submas #subway boss #subway master #emmet #subway boss emmet #pokemon emmet #pokemon elesa #pokemon skyla #pokemon burgh #weasel story

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tokiro07 · 8 months ago

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Undead Unluck ep.23 thoughts

[Mamaaa! Didn't Mean to Make You Cryyy!]

I guess if any episodes had to be the best episodes, it's appropriate that they be the end of the season, but god dammit, why wasn't every episode this good???

The animation, the music, the emotional weight, this episode was a real all-rounder. Even with how comparatively little action there was, it was great!

I actually feel like there's nothing for me to say, it was so good. There weren't any big reinterpretations of the source material for me to latch onto, mostly just little details like the pages crumpling under Sean's feet to convey his presence or a subtle Easter egg when Rip cut off Anno Un's arm. The coolest detail was definitely that Akira couldn't narrate the preview anymore now that we know who he is, but I get the feeling I wouldn't have noticed that if other people hadn't pointed it out first

If we're lucky, maybe that'll mean there's no recap next week...

Something this episode did help me realize, though, was that Yuki Yase's style really lends itself well to dramatic weight rather than pulse-pounding action. As we saw, the latter is still possible, but I think the thing that killed the pacing for the season as a whole was the insistence on pregnant pauses and atmospheric shots over a consistent flow of events and ideas. The dark lighting and zoomed-out shots are both pretty indicative of this, and were definitely my least favorite elements of the season. Those moments that reduced visual clarity to presumably focus on what was being said were, ironically, very distracting for me, as I always found myself trying to figure out where the cast was (though I think they were usually hiding behind Hulu's garishly huge subtitles) instead of focusing on what was being said

As near as I remember, though, this episode didn't really have moments like that, and if it did, they went by quick enough that I didn't really notice them. I remember this episode being very bright with the exception of the brief moment of sepia with Akira sitting next to his grieving mother, which was extremely poignant without the directorial style I was complaining about. If I had to guess, aside from the amazing moments of sakuga, this was the biggest reason this episode left such a good impression

I'm not really good at understanding this sort of thing, but I hope to learn at some point who was in charge of what in each episode; Yuki Yase is the director of the series as a whole, not individual episodes, so it's possible that he's not responsible for most of my gripes this past half year, but it's also possible that his overall style overshadowed everyone else's decisions, so he may well be responsible either way. I hope that someone like Totally Not Mark will cover UU down the road so I can get insight on this from someone who's good at hunting down that kind of information and comparing one bit of an artist's works to the rest. I may not like researching that kind of thing, but I do love hearing about it!

With that, we have one final episode to go. Will it be up to snuff with the last two episodes, will it miss the landing, or will it go above and beyond and convince a million people to sit through 20 episodes of recaps just to see how it gets to this point? We'll find out next week, and I can't wait!

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #uu anime #4y1a reviews

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tarisilmarwen · 1 year ago

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Ahsoka "Shadow Warrior" Liveblog

*biting nails*

Okay first off, really? That's the title we're going with? Lol Filoni. Okay.

Open on Seatos, okay.

You know it just occurred to me? The long lingering shots we're so fond of, and the deliberately relaxed pacing are very animesque.

Theatrical serious anime, I mean.

In particular I'm thinking of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which liked to diverge from the plot to just kind of wander through shots of the environment, for atmosphere purposes I guess.

Wonder if that or something similar was an influence on Filoni's directing style.

The woods also look very ethereal.

Hi Hera!

Frick Jacen is still so precious. I love him. So much.

!!!

Oh! Oh this music cue right here reminds me a lot of a specific part of "Sabine Sees Ezra".

HUYANG IS SAD, NOOOOOOOO.

God, how much death has Huyang already seen? How many Jedi has Huyang had to say goodbye to?

He misses the Order so much. *sobs*

Friiiiiiiiiiiiick the World Between Worlds looks so GOOD in live action.

Rosario finally channeling a bit of Rebels!Ahsoka here.

"Tell me what's going on." Well Ahsoka I think the Force is personally whacking you over the head with the Vision Stick to make you get over yourself.

Oooh Ahsoka flinched when Anakin ignited his saber.

Leia mention! Eeee!

Jacen is totally Force Sensitive, of course. Can hear the lightsabers, either the lingering echos from the fight, OR, he can hear into Ahsoka's vision.

KANAN NAMEDROP.

WEEEEEP.

Anakin being super extra of course.

HO JEEZ.

HE SLICED THE PATHWAY.

Yeah, so with this transition this is definitely a Force Vision, not the actual World Between Worlds. This is almost exactly like the transitions in Ezra's visions in the Jedi Temple on Lothal.

BABY 'SOKA!

BAAAAABBYYYYY 'SOOOOOOOKKAAAAAA.

Is this one long TCW reference?

I feel like it's gotta be.

"We lost so many." Yeeeeeah, that'll happen in a war. It sucks.

Ohhhhhhhh I am going to have to reblog ALL THE META about these scenes, aren't I?

I just know TCW fans have got a million thoughts centerfuging in their brains right now about Anakin, about his relationship with Ahsoka, about the long shadow he cast over her formative development.

FRICK THAT SHOT OF ANAKIN CALMLY WALKING AHEAD INTO THE HAZE.

"THE HERO WITH NO FEAR".

AND THE FLASH SHOT TO VADER.

Outside the vision and the X-wings are sweeping, looking for...? Ahsoka I guess. Because that's what they're going to find, eventually.

"Normally no." LOL HUYANG KNOWS FORCE SHENANIGANS BE AT PLAY.

Also Hera, come on, you saw Ezra phase through a solid rock wall, people can absolutely disappear into thin air.

Chopper being a grouchy sassmaster as per usual lol.

SEIGE OF MANDALORE SIEGE OF MANDALORE SIEGE OF MANDALORE.

"Within you will be everything I am." THAT IS NOT REASSURING ANAKIN.

Oh yeah, yep, I'm not going to be capable of being normal about this, I need ALLLLLLLL the meta from dedicated Anakin girlies on this one.

Frick, his eyes went yellow.

Hayden is making this look effortless, amazing.

OHHHHHHHH OH AHSOKA'S EYES FLASHED EYLLOW JUST BRIEFLY OHHHHHH WOW.

SHE PASSED THE TEST.

Ohhhhhhh and the pathways are dissolving, something Force Weird be about to happen.

We're exiting the vision lol.

Jacen: *smiles*

Me: HE'S SO PRECIOUS IMMA DIE.

Oh yeah no, this episode was VERY heavily styled after some theatrical anime director, I will bet money on it.

Frick, Jacen playing with Chopper is the cutest shit ever.

WHITE ROBES WHITE ROBES THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Yeah no, the height discrepancy between Rosario and Mary still bugs me.

Hello Rosario can emote, lol.

PURRGIL!

:(((((

~We're gonna follow the purrgil, we're gonna follow the purrgil.~

"That'll do." ARE WE GONNA RIDE SOME PURRGIL? LOL.

Teva is carrying this scene lolol.

"Okay. But you're not gonna believe me."

"How the whales took Ezra and the bad guys far far away." SOBBING, BLUBBERING, NO NOTES, CAN'T TALK.

Well this part is definitely Miyezakian.

Ahsoka looks so much happier and more content. *sobs*

Lol the "HO BOY" look on that Rebel commander's face.

Aw man, this is the kind of wonder and disbelief and awe that Lothal must have had in the finale.

Living legends. Like magic. Come to save them.

FRIIIIIIIIICK.

I HAVE NO NOTES.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

HELLO YES, THIS IS THE FORM THAT I WAS WAITING FOR. THE DEPTH OF EMOTIONAL RESONANCE. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WHO THIS CHARACTER IS, WHAT COMPLEXES SHE'S WORKING THROUGH, HOW SHE'S GOING TO RECONCILE HER IDENTITY AS VADER'S APPRENTICE AND MOVE FORWARD, FORGIVE HERSELF FOR THE GUILT.

I AM ROLLING IN THE DEPTHS OF IT.

ALSO, SPACE MARINERS, SPACE MARINERS, SPACE MARINERS.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

#star wars #ahsoka show #spoilers #liveblog

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cilogram · 1 year ago

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Sparks Japan Tour 2023 Recap

(silly personal edition; unfortunately the only kind I'm capable of)

Saturday July 22nd, Tokyo

(Duo Music Exchange)

This is the standing venue I've mentioned before as being crazy for having massive pillars in line of sight of the stage. It was a sold out show, so unfortunately some people had to be back there...

I was unbelievably lucky with my ticket numbers and my friend and I got to stand in the front row, keyboard siiiiiide. I don't think I can express how happy I was to be there. The show was phenomenal and being in the front able to jump around and dance and experience the music Up Close was just... something else.

I really enjoyed the film score soundtrack to our waiting time before Sparks came on, too. So atmospheric.

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number one:

Over the loudspeakers before the band came on, the venue announced that photos and videos wouldn't be allowed during the performance, and there was a hilarious, audible reaction from the crowd as ~600 people quietly reacted like, 'whaaat?!'

(I see there were some rule-breakers in the house, though, so there are some clips and pictures on instagram and elsewhere for those who want to see!)

The stage was really shallow with the band set up and Russell could barely fit behind the keyboard to reach that side, but it was so nice that he made the effort to come and sing to those people up close, and somehow without knocking Ron over.

Also we definitely witnessed the escalator dance!

And oh man, Russell did so many dramatic leaps into the air, it was (as they say) rad.

Out of all the songs we heard that night, I think it brought me the most joy to hear Angst, and The Toughest Girl In Town. I love Interior Design and it's the album I usually put on when I'm coming home from the city at night, so hearing a song from it IN that city at night was just the best. But every song was done incredibly. Particularly Beaver O'Lindy which of course I'd never heard live before (I am sadly not a 21x21 veteran)!

And I love when a song ends and Ron does some little pose when he lifts his hands off the keyboard :')

The crowd was absolutely on fire, in SUCH good spirits! Everyone I saw was just smiling through every moment, or singing along looking elated to be there and lost in the music.

And as I'm sure we've all seen by now, encore Ron wore an Air Jordan hoodie with JAPAN written on it. Extremely appreciated.

Oh, and retrospectively I think I have to conclude that the Shopping Mall Of Love 'yeah's from this night included the hottest 'yeah' of the three tour dates. I don't make the rules, I merely observe them.

This show was everything I could have hoped for and more.

(To my friend I went with: if you're reading this, ugh, what a cherished memory it is to have seen them front row together ;_;)

Monday July 24th, Osaka

(Namba Hatch)

I went up very high to take this photo and the venue is sadly not in it, but please look at Osaka anyway just for some ~mood context~.

(And yes, person trying to see if you could peel one of the Sparks posters off the wall of the venue to take home, I saw you and I support you and I'm sorry you didn't manage to succeed!)

By the way, this venue has an impressive plethora of escalators...

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 2:

You can tell how early I was by the unoccupied seats.

This was my first seated show but 99% of people were on their feet from the moment the band came on and for the entire duration of the show. Absolutely became a standing gig... I was so relieved!

I brought a non-Sparks-fan to this show and it couldn't have been a better introduction. It was just so incredibly well performed and so fun, we had such a great time.

Russell's voice was possibly somehow even better than on Saturday; I don't know, but especially his high notes had so much POWER and he looked super happy with the performances after each song :D

And omdhfhdgdg there was just so much energy from the crowd.

Being a much bigger venue than Saturday, the applause and cheering was incredible :') The audience participation in general was just brilliant!

I really like a lot of the live arrangements of the songs, too, they're so much more powerful than usual. I know with some other bands, live shows are a muddier, albeit wilder but much less listenable rendition of the album tracks, but Sparks really elevate their songs when done live.

Russell also used a few words of the local Osaka dialect when talking to the crowd which was very cute and got big cheers.

The previous venue was too small for the lighting setup I've seen in other 2023 tour photos, so this night was when we finally got to see that in action. As is Sparks' way, it was really well thought-out, so I'm very glad I got to see this more visually dramatic version of the set. I especially loved the rainbow lighting and French flag lighting moments.

This was also our first time hearing A Love Story in Japan. So fun live!

Encore Ron came out wearing a pair of novelty Osaka dialect sunglasses (which he had to lift up to see the keyboard settings 'cause they were obviously too dark, and the crowd giggled at that and so did Ron, it was... fucking cuuute.

Of course there was also a brief glimpse of no-glasses Ron when he swapped them for his normal pair later. Those of you who know me will observe my restraint in the mentioning of this)

When they were saying their final goodbyes to us, someone at the front handed Russell an art piece they'd made (it looked like a standee of him and Ron) and he did a little pose like 'I will cherish this' and then put it on the keyboard, and Ron picked it up and did a little pose with it like 'ooooh'

So cute. So lovely.

Such a stellar show! I wish I could thank everyone else in the crowd for making it so special. I'd never seen so many hands in the air.

Tuesday July 25th, Tokyo

(Line Cube)

(The second brand-related renaming of Shibuya Public Hall has given it the above amusing name. It used to be called CC Lemon Hall and I don't know which is funnier)

It's really nice inside, very modern and spacious and the seats were SO comfortable,

but this time EVERYONE immediately stood up. I didn't detect an ass in a seat for the whole show. It was beautiful. Wonderful. Unbelievably good!

(Unrelated, but in front of me was a maybe-11-year-old boy in subtle russell cosplay; wearing an exact replica of his 'having fun around Japan' outfit from the documentary (complete with the right length of trousers and legit marimekko bag in red))

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 3:

Just before the 2nd or 3rd song there were some technical difficulties, during which Russell tried stalling but then obviously didn't want to stall alone for the whole time and forcibly handed Ron the mic

and Ron said,

"... the voltage in Amurica is 120, and in Japan it's 100... so sometimes things like this happen. We apologize. ^w^"

(yes he did make the face of this emoji)

(and yes I did... phonetically spell out the way Ron says America because it's just... so endearing)

The rest of the show went smoothly though! It was so, so

so good.

I could get into some of the moments in the songs that really move me, but I am easily embarrassed.

Okay, I will try (look, I am being so brave)

-When I'm With You: there's a beautifully-held note or two or three in this song that I'm sure all Sparks fans die at when hearing it live. That, and the 'I almost feel normal' line, really get to me.

-It Doesn't Have To Be That Way: I think we all know how rare it is for Sparks to make a song specifically in order to express a message, and I'm really glad they doubled down on that and did this one live. It hurts but it's also so simply triumphant. I love how Russell almost laughs on certain lines because it really is both absurd and exactly what artists have to deal with.

-Number One Song In Heaven. This is just one of the first Sparks songs I ever heard and it blew me into another dimension. It's ominous, it's ethereal, it's weird and perfect, and it's incredible to hear live every single time.

At the end of the show, Russell said how sad it was for them to be ending the tour

but how happy they were to have the last one be here ;__; 'we genuinely really love your country'

Awww Russell ;_;

I left the show so much better off than when I came in, by which I just mean there's something about seeing a band that means so much to you, where it just turns up the metaphorical dial on the enrichment of your life. Thank you Sparks and thank you other Sparks enjoyers!

Well, that was my rambling show report complete with absolutely none of the information anyone usually wants to hear about a gig.

I'd like to thank @adreamofroses for finding me and saying hi, and I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much!

I'll leave you all with a photo of the official merch I got, including some by the art team Tectecs whose adorable art was irresistible. They've got a gallery show going on with all their Sparks work at the moment, too.

and one last photo because I saw my bag looking like this when I stopped to do something, and laughed:

#I'm sure there are things I've forgotten but such is life #what a beautiful end to a beautiful tour #Sparks band

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